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Emerging adults seek solitude because of different underlying motivational and emotional processes. The current short-term longitudinal study aimed to: (1) identify subgroups of socially withdrawn emerging adults characterized by different motivations for solitude (shyness, unsociability, social avoidance) and affect (positive, negative); and (2) compare these subgroups in terms of indices of internalizing difficulties and life-satisfaction. Participants were N = 348 university students (Mage = 21.85 years, SD = 3.84) from Italy, who completed online questionnaires at two-time points separated by three months. Results from a latent profile analysis (LPA) suggested three distinct subgroups characterized by different social withdrawal motivations (i.e., shy, unsociable, and socially avoidant), as well as a non-withdrawn subgroup (characterized by low social withdrawal motivations, low negative affect, and high positive affect). Among the results, the socially avoidant subgroup reported the highest levels of social anxiety, whereas the avoidant and shy subgroups reported the highest loneliness and lowest life satisfaction. The unsociable subgroup appeared to be the most well-adjusted subgroup of socially withdrawn emerging adults and reported similar levels of life satisfaction as the non-withdrawn subgroup. Our findings confirmed the heterogeneity of emerging adults' experiences of solitude, with different motivations for social withdrawal appearing to confer a differential risk for maladjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recently, a new cryoballoon (CB) technology (POLARx; Boston Scientific) has come onto the market. Preliminary data have shown that its acute safety and efficacy are similar to those of the first‐generation CB. The aim of this study was to assess the medium‐term outcome of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) with the POLARxTM CB in a large multicenter registry. Methods: We prospectively collected data on 125 consecutive patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent PVI by means of a novel CB system. Two cases of transient phrenic nerve palsy occurred, with full recovery in the 48h post procedure; no major procedure‐related adverse events were reported. During the 90‐day blanking period, 4 (3.2%) patients experienced an early recurrence. After the blanking period, over a mean follow‐up of 411 ± 62 days, 19 patients (15.2%) suffered an AF/atrial tachycardia (AT) recurrence. The 1‐year freedom from AF/AT recurrence was 86.4% (n = 17): 10 (8%) patients had an AF recurrence, 6 (4.8%) had an AT occurrence and 1 (0.8%) suffered both events. Patients with AF/AT recurrences had both a shorter deflation time and total deflation time. Moreover, CB ablations with measured TTI < 90 s and TTI < 60 s were more frequent in patients without AF/AT recurrence (88.5% and 77.4%, respectively) than in those who experienced at least one AF/AT recurrence (67.5% and 55.0%, p =.001 and p =.005, respectively). Conclusion: The novel POLARx cryo‐balloon system is safe and effective for PV isolation, displaying a 1‐year freedom from atrial arrhythmia recurrence of 86.4%, which is in line to that reported with AFA‐Pro CB or RF ablation. Clinical trial registration: Catheter Ablation of Arrhythmias with a High‐Density Mapping System in Real‐World Practice (CHARISMA). URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ Identifier: NCT03793998. Registration date: January 4, 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote methods for data collection allow us to quickly collect large amounts of data, offering several advantages as compared to in-lab administration. We investigated the applicability of an online assessment of motor, cognitive, and communicative development in 4-month-old infants based on several items of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 3rd edition (BSID-III). We chose a subset of items which were representative of the typical developmental achievements at 4 months of age and that we could administer online with the help of the infant's caregiver using materials which were easily available at home. Results showed that, in a sample of infants tested live (N = 18), the raw scores of the BSID-III were significantly correlated with the raw scores of a subset of items corresponding to those administered to a sample of infants tested online (N = 53). Moreover, for the "online" participants, the raw scores of the online assessment did not significantly differ from the corresponding scores of the "live" participants. These findings suggest that the online assessment was to some extent comparable to the live administration of the same items, thus representing a viable opportunity to remotely evaluate infant development when in-person assessment is not possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Introduction Adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet has been associated with health benefits in young populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and cardio-metabolic parameters in adolescents living in Sicily, Southern Italy. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted during two school years (2012–2013 and 2013–2014) on 1643 adolescents of 11–16 years attending 15 secondary schools. Socio-demographic, dietary, lifestyle, and anthropometric data were collected. The KIDMED score was used to evaluate the adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Linear and logistic regression models were used to test the association between the variable of interest and the outcomes. Results A higher percentage of boys compared with girls was overweight (30.8% vs. 25.4%) and obese (28.7% vs. 18.5%) and only 9.1% had high adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Vegetable intake was negatively associated with being overweight/obese whereas higher intake of sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, and fast foods was associated with overweight and obesity. A good adherence to the Mediterranean diet resulted in 30% decreased odds of being overweight or obese (odd ratio 0.70, 95% confidence interval: 0.56–0.87) in both boys and girls. An inverse correlation was found between KIDMED score and BMI, waist circumference and fat mass. No relation with blood pressure was found. Conclusions Mediterranean dietary pattern resulted significantly associated with weight status in adolescents. These results underline the importance of providing lifestyle and dietary habits education to prevent overweight and obesity in adolescent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the observation capability in one of the most active volcanic areas in the world, Mt. Etna, we developed a processing method to use the surveillance cameras for a quasi real-time mapping of syn-eruptive processes. Following an evaluation of the current performance of the Etna permanent ground NEtwork of Thermal and Visible Sensors (Etna_NETVIS), its possible implementation and optimization was investigated to determine the locations of additional observation sites to be rapidly set up during emergencies. A tool was then devised to process time series of ground-acquired images and extract a coherent multi-temporal dataset of georeferenced map. The processed datasets can be used to extract 2D features such as evolution maps of active lava flows. The tool was validated on ad-hoc test fields and then adopted to map the evolution of two recent lava flows. The achievable accuracy (about three times the original pixel size) and the short processing time makes the tool suitable for rapidly assessing lava flow evolutions, especially in the case of recurrent eruptions, such as those of the 2011–2015 Etna activity. The tool can be used both in standard monitoring activities and during emergency phases (eventually improving the present network with additional mobile stations) when it is mandatory to carry out a quasi-real-time mapping to support civil protection actions. The developed tool could be integrated in the control room of the Osservatorio Etneo, thus enabling the Etna_NETVIS for mapping purposes and not only for video surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lipid transfer proteins (LTP), profilin and PR-10 are the most important panallergens in central and southern Italy. Lipid transfer proteins are stable molecules, predominantly present in the fruit peel, which can induce systemic symptoms after ingestion of vegetables. Profilin and PR-10 are randomly distributed in the pulp and peel. Both are labile proteins and usually determine reactions restricted to the oral cavity. Panallergens-specific IgE may cross-react with homologues from different plant sources, due to their conserved structure. Aim: To assess the pattern of sensitization to panallergens and the correlation with the clinical history and the allergological evaluation of food and aeroallergens. Material and methods: One hundred and twenty patients with adverse reactions after vegetables ingestion underwent skin prick tests (SPT) with commercial extracts of plant-derived foods and inhalant allergens and commercial extracts of LTP, profilin and PR-10. Results: Many patients presented positive SPT with different plant-food allergens. We found that 76 patients were sensitized to LTP, 14 to profilin and 5 to PR-10. In the LTP-sensitized group, 64 (84%) patients suffered from systemic symptoms while the patients sensitized only to profilin referred the oral allergy syndrome. Conclusions: This study shows a high rate of sensitization to LTP in our population according to the literature about food allergy in our geographical area and confirms the literature data about the symptoms referred by patients with sensitization to panallergens. Panallergens should be considered as clinically relevant food allergens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During preschool years, major developments occur in both executive function and theory of mind (ToM), and several studies have demonstrated a correlation between these processes. Research on the development of inhibitory control (IC) has distinguished between more cognitive, "cool" aspects of self-control, measured by conflict tasks, that require inhibiting an habitual response to generate an arbitrary one, and "hot," affective aspects, such as affective decision making, measured by delay tasks, that require inhibition of a prepotent response. The aim of this study was to investigate the relations between 3- and 4-year-olds' performance on a task measuring false belief understanding, the most widely used index of ToM in preschoolers, and three tasks measuring cognitive versus affective aspects of IC. To this end, we tested 101 Italian preschool children in four tasks: (a) the Unexpected Content False Belief task, (b) the Conflict task (a simplified version of the Day-Night Stroop task), (c) the Delay task, and (d) the Delay Choice task. Children's receptive vocabulary was assessed by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary test. Children's performance in the False Belief task was significantly related only to performance in the Conflict task, controlling for vocabulary and age. Importantly, children's performance in the Conflict task did not significantly correlate with their performance in the Delay task or in the Delay Choice task, suggesting that these tasks measure different components of IC. The dissociation between the Conflict and the Delay tasks may indicate that monitoring and regulating a cool process (as flexible categorization) may involve different abilities than monitoring and regulating a hot process (not touching an available and highly attractive stimulus or choosing between a smaller immediate option and a larger delayed one). Moreover, our findings support the view that "cool" aspects of IC and ToM are interrelated, extending to an Italian sample of children previous findings on an association between self-control and ToM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the significant research that has been conducted regarding effortful control and children's adjustment, there is limited evidence of the potential for hot/cool dimensionality related to social competence in preschool-aged children. Seventy-four children (30 males and 44 females; mean age = 35, 24 months) and 22 female teachers participated in the research. Children were assessed using a battery of tasks to measure hot and cool inhibitory control tasks, and they were evaluated by their teachers for socio-emotional functioning. Results show that high performance on Hot Tasks (not on Cool Tasks) predicts social competence, while low performance on these tasks predicts aggressive behavior, demonstrating that hot and cool inhibitory control processes predict different outcomes. The implications of these findings for future theoretical and empirical development of the research in this field are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the spring of 2007, paroxysmal activity occurred at the Southeast Crater of Mt. Etna, always associated with sharp rises in the amplitude of the volcanic tremor. Activity ranged from strong Strombolian explosions to lava fountains coupled with copious emission of lava flows and tephra. During inter-eruptive periods, recurrent seismic unrest episodes were observed in the form of temporary enhancements of the volcanic tremor amplitude, but they did not culminate in eruptive activity. Here, we present the results of an analysis of these inter-eruptive periods by integrating seismic volcanic tremor, in-soil radon, plume SO flux, and thermal data. SO flux and thermal radiation are envisaged as the 'smoking gun,' and certifying that changes in seismic or radon data can be considered as volcanogenic. Short-term changes were investigated by pattern classification based on Kohonen maps and fuzzy clustering on volcanic tremor, radon, and ambient parameters (pressure and temperature). Our results unveil 'failed' eruptions between February and April 2007 that are explained as ascending magma batches, which triggered repeated episodes of gas pulses and rock fracturing, but that failed to reach the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Italian Aerospace Research Center (CIRA) is currently designing an unmanned aerial research system that is lightweight and has high-structural flexibility, code named the High Altitude Performance Demonstrator (HAPD).The project is framed within the Italian Aerospace Research Program, under the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Chapter. This unmanned aerial system is mainly aimed at developing and validating advanced modeling methodologies for flexible aircrafts. A compendium of the system is provided in this paper, together with a deeper discussion of how CIRA developed the structural and aeroelastic design of HAPD. Some experimental tests performed to validate the main concepts are also presented. The vehicle has an unconventional joined-wing configuration that mitigates undesired extreme flexibility, but that results in a more complicated design. First, aeroelasticity has been taken into account from the preliminary stages of design because flexibility significantly affects aircraft behavior. Second, the HAPD structure is redundant with regard to constraints (because of its joined wing), thus making the internal forces dependent on the stiffness distribution. For these reasons, the availability of an integrated methodology that can support the structural design is mandatory. The output of such a methodology consists of primary structure stiffness distributions (fuselage, wings, and vertical tail), compatibly with the absence of any aeroelastic instability, and structural failure under operative loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study to evaluate and compare the clinical response of hyaluronic acid (HA) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP), intra articular infiltration treatment in two groups of patients affected by gonarthrosis. Participants included 120 patients affected by gonarthrosis. The findings indicated that PRP treatment was found to be more effective in terms of clinical outcomes and had sustained lower Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) scores.

Information about water level is essential for hydrological monitoring and flood/drought risk assessment. In a large part of Italian river network, in situ instruments for measuring water level are rare or lacking. Here we consider the satellite measurements of water level retrieved by Copernicus altimetric missions (Sentinel 3A, Sentinel 3B, Jason 2/3), and compare these with in situ data, from 19 gauging stations in Italy with a river section in the range of [50, 555] m. The results highlight the potentiality of altimetric satellite measurements for water level retrieval in a case study of Italian rivers. By comparing synchronous satellite and in situ water level difference (i.e., difference between two successive measurements in time of satellite data compared to the difference of two successive measurements in time of in situ data), we found a median value of Pearson correlation of 0.79 and 0.37 m of RMSE. Then, from water level differences, we extracted the satellite water level values with two different procedures: (1) assuming as the initial water level of the satellite measurements the first joint measurement (satellite–in situ data) and (2) calibrating the initial water level, minimizing the mean absolute error metric. The results show the feasibility of using satellite data for water level retrieval in an operative and automatic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study aimed at assessing the mucoadhesive properties and the barrier effect of a formulation, labelled as AL2106, containing sodium chondroitin sulfate (ChS), xyloglucan from tamarind seed extract, and glycerol, by evaluating the capacity to adhere to a layer of mucin, the rheological synergism and the barrier effect in comparison to the marketed Esoxx One medical device. AL2106 is a medical device distributed by Alfasigma SpA, Italy with REF FTP57 (Manufacturer: Labomar SpA); it is analogous to Esoxx One medical device: the two products are drinkable solutions that, after swallowing, adhere to the esophageal mucosa, protecting it from the corrosive effect of the gastric acid reflux. AL2106 has been conceived to be better performing in terms of duration of the barrier effect compared to Esoxx One. Methods: The mucoadhesive properties, rheological behavior, buffering capacity against acidity, and film-forming ability with the resultant protecting effect on esophagus mucosa (caffeine permeation test) was compared between the two products. Results: The mucoadhesivity of the formulations was shown in vitro: both remained adherent to a mucin layer, also when the support was rotated by 90°, and when the film layer was washed with water, intended to simulate the washout due to swallowing. AL2106 showed a good buffering efficacy, being able to absorb at least 50% of its weight of 0.03 M HCl while maintaining the pH above 4. The film-forming effect and barrier properties of AL2106 and Esoxx One were confirmed by an in vitro study on reconstructed human esophageal epithelium. A greater film-forming efficacy of AL2106, lasting for at least 5 h, than Esoxx One was observed. Noteworthy, the barrier function of esophageal tissues was shown to be preserved after the application of both formulations. Conclusions: The combination of ChS with the mucoadhesive glycerol−xyloglucan complex and other excipients, which contribute to the barrier effect and to mucoadhesion, contained in AL2106, allowed a longer-lasting protective effect than Esoxx One, proving its effectivity and safety for oral use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During explosive eruptions, emergency responders and government agencies need to make fast decisions that should be based on an accurate forecast of tephra dispersal and assessment of the expected impact. Here, we propose a new operational tephra fallout monitoring and forecasting system based on quantitative volcanological observations and modelling. The new system runs at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo (INGV-OE) and is able to provide a reliable hazard assessment to the National Department of Civil Protection (DPC) during explosive eruptions. The new operational system combines data from low-cost calibrated visible cameras and satellite images to estimate the variation of column height with time and model volcanic plume and fallout in near-real-time (NRT). The new system has three main objectives: (i) to determine column height in NRT using multiple sensors (calibrated cameras and satellite images); (ii) to compute isomass and isopleth maps of tephra deposits in NRT; (iii) to help the DPC to best select the eruption scenarios run daily by INGV-OE every three hours. A particular novel feature of the new system is the computation of an isopleth map, which helps to identify the region of sedimentation of large clasts (≥5 cm) that could cause injuries to tourists, hikers, guides, and scientists, as well as damage buildings in the proximity of the summit craters. The proposed system could be easily adapted to other volcano observatories worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study is to analyze relationships between land uses and anthropogenic pressures, and nutrient loadings in the Po river basin, the largest hydrographic system in Italy, together with the changes they have undergone in the last half century. Four main points are addressed: 1) spatial distribution and time evolution of land uses and associated N and P budgets; 2) long-term trajectories of the reactive N and P loadings exported from the Po river; 3) relationships between budgets and loadings; 4) brief review of relationships between N and P loadings and eutrophication in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Net Anthropogenic N (NANI) and P (NAPI) inputs, and N and P surpluses in the cropland between 1960 and 2010 were calculated. The annual loadings of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) exported by the river were calculated for the whole 1968–2016 period. N and P loadings increased from the 1960s to the 1980s, as NAPI and NANI and N and P surpluses increased. Thereafter SRP declined, while DIN remained steadily high, resulting in a notable increase of the N:P molar ratio from 47 to 100. In the same period, the Po river watershed underwent a trajectory from net autotrophy to net heterotrophy, which reflected its specialization toward livestock farming. This study also demonstrates that in a relatively short time, i.e. almost one decade, N and P sources were relocated within the watershed, due to discordant environmental policies and mismanagement on the local scale, with frequent episodes of heavy pollution. This poses key questions about the spatial scale on which problems have to be dealt with in order to harmonize policies, set sustainable management goals, restore river basins and, ultimately, protect the adjacent coastal seas from eutrophication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The annual maximum amount of rainfall over a fixed duration, area, and level of occurrence is generally described by intensity–duration–area–frequency (IDAF) curves. The annual maxima analysis can provide poor estimates of quantiles associated to high return periods when the sample size is short. Here, IDAF curves are derived analytically from the statistical properties of event maxima of rainfall intensity in area and duration, which are assumed scale invariant in time and space and Lognormal distributed, with a Poissonian chronology of rain events. The event maxima methodology is applied to the Reno basin, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and its IDAF curves are compared in terms of goodness-of-fit to those obtained through the annual maxima analysis, showing better performances. In particular, we found that the absolute difference, in %, between model and data, is 20% in average, and 7% in standard deviation, using the method based on the event maxima analysis, while it is 27% in average, and 12% in standard deviation, using the method based on the annual maxima analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The follow-up of 1440 consecutive post-MI patients (68.9±10.9 years) with an LVEF≤40% was analyzed in 19 Italian hospitals to evaluate how many patients with clinical nonsustained VT and inducible sustained VT or VF underwent post-discharge risk assessment (RA). During 38 (range, 4–76) months follow-up, 611 patients (42.4%) qualified for and 294 (20.4%) effectively underwent RA combining LVEF assessment and Holter monitoring, 29 (2.0%) subsequently underwent programmed electrical stimulation and 19 (1.3%) received an ICD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular diseases occurrence in the industrial countries is very high and represents one of the major cause of invalidity and mortality. Studies show the close connection between cardiovascular diseases and other risk factors. In Italy heart diseases prevention is one of the main goals of the National Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Coronary disease increased by 40% among shift-workers and those workers exposed to vibrations and microclimate; extra-auditory effects of noise have also proved to be relevant. Reintegration into labour market and work eligibility certificate can be a problem for patients with coronary diseases, after pathological events. A record of the cardiovascular system could be useful for a readmission to work, in particular after acute episodes. The PreSAL service on the basis of the 2009 data provided by qualified doctors did not show professional diseases but the undervalue may be due to the limited use of specific complementary tests.