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The aim of this work is to present a literature review concerning the accessibility of block-based programming languages and environments for people with visual impairments. The results show that the most popular block-based languages are built on graphical features that are not accessible for visually impaired people. However, some languages have been developed with the visually impaired learner in mind. We conclude that, in addition to the development of specific languages, other kinds of efforts have been made for the creation of accessible block-based programming environments.

Muscle mass and strength are subjected to several regulations. We found endocrine signals such as growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1, testosterone, thyroid hormones, and glucocorticoids among them. Neural inputs also influence muscle development, modulating mass and strength. Among the external stimuli that modulate these muscular features is physical training such as resistance and endurance training. Specifically, resistance training can mediate an increase in muscle mass by hypertrophy in adults, but the effects in children and adolescents are full of myths for most of the population. However, the evidence shows that the impact of resistance training on children and adolescents is clear and provides a wide range of benefits. However, qualified professionals must be available since exercise prescription and subsequent supervision must follow this population's abilities, needs, and interests.

The Acceleration Grid Power Supply Conversion System (AGPS-CS) of the MITICA Neutral Beam Injector has been installed between late 2017 - early 2018 and commissioned in the first half of 2018. This paper is focused on the installation and commissioning activities, with emphasis on the integration issues. The results of the site and acceptance tests are presented, proving the capability of the system to deliver the specified performance.

The atrial specific granules (ASGs) were studied in samples collected from the right and left auricles of conventionally slaughtered cows (10), pigs (16) and rabbits (8). In addition, the presence of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) was detected by immunocytochemistry. Mature ASGs, characterized by the presence of highly osmiophilic and electron-dense material surrounded by a membrane, were present in all atrial myoendocrine cells and their diameters ranged from 100 to 470 nm in pigs, from 100 to 235 nm in cattle, and from 125 to 275 nm in rabbits. Immunoelectronmicroscopical studies revealed the presence of ANF in the ASGs of pigs and cattle, whereas anti-ANF polyclonal serum failed to detect any significative reaction in lapine ASGs. The ultrastructural features of the ASGs of pigs, cattle and rabbits described may be useful in comparing the morphological picture of several cardiac endocrine pathological conditions.

A survey based on clinical, pathological and microbiological investigations was performed on 11 Brown Swiss cattle affected with depression, anorexia, agalaxia, ruminal hypomotility, abdominal pain and melaena. In eight animals, macroscopical lesions consisted in haemorrhagic enteritis in the small intestine. Seven of eight isolates from tissue samples were identified as Clostridum perfringens type A, and four were identified as C. perfringens type A with the beta2 toxin gene. Based on these observations, animals were considered affected with haemorrhagic bowel syndrome.

Pestivirus infection was detected in several flocks of sheep and goats located in the south of Italy by means of serological, virological and histopathological investigations. From four animals, two lambs and two kids, showing enteric symptoms which died during the first week of life, four pestivirus strains were isolated and typed as BVDV-like (three isolates) and "tipic" BDV strains (one isolate). The histopathological lesions consisted of areas of hypomyelination in the brain, and a slight depletion of thymic medullary lymphocytes associated with an increase in reticular cells.

Summary Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct test and Accuprobe M. avium Complex test, rely on recognition of specific rRNA sequences. The present investigation included sequentially a pre-evaluation study and a study on non-visible lesion tuberculin reactor cattle. As regards the first study, tests were performed on tissue samples from 14 reactors with tuberculous-like lesions and from as many lesion-free non-reactors, using culture findings as a reference. MTD and Accuprobe M. Avium Complex tests proved positive in 12 and 2 reactors respectively. Both tests proved negative in all non-reactors. Data consisted with culture findings. The aim of the second study was to verify the presence of mycobacteria in lymph node and tonsil homogenates from 32 non-visible lesion cattle. MTD and Accuprobe M. avium Complex tests proved positive in 10 and 14 subjects respectively; no overlap was found. Our research demonstrates that low to minimal amounts of the main pathogenic mycobacteria can be reliably identified from cattle tissues by commercially available tests, which give simple, more rapid results than conventional techniques.

The authors describe pathologic and histopathologic findings of three cardiac aneurysms in horses, two of which in the left ventricle and one in the right ventricle. The aneurysms were always associated with multiple foci of myocardiac fibrosis. A hypothesis concerning histogenesis of the lesion is formulated.

The authors describe in 321 of 170,000 examined slaughter pigs certain cardiac malformations which were associated with endocardiosis of the mitral valve. Aortic stenosis was associated with endocardiosis of the aortic valve. It is assumed that in certain breeds of swine a congenital predisposition for impairment of the collagen metabolism may support the development of endocardiosis.

The authors describe two cases of myocardial infarction evaluated during an anatomo-histopathological study on the cat's cardiovascular system. The authors discuss the pathogenetic hypotheses and their role in comparative pathological studies.

The authors found during a study concerning the gastric pathology in pigs 2828 cases of hypertrophic gastropathy in 8408 regularly slaughtered animals. After a description of the morphologic patterns of the lesions, the authors make some pathogenetic hypothesis and conclude that this lesion is like Ménétrier's disease of man.

The tissue reaction caused by a sintered tip electrode is compared with that of a platinum-iridium tip electrode in a work which employs implantation in sheep and follow-up of the implant for up to 90 days. Clinical tests and anatomo-pathological examination of the histological sections were performed. The results show a remarkably rapid fixation to the heart for the porous electrode with formation of limited inflammatory process, a thin fibrous capsule and modest alteration of the endocardial tissue. Conversely, the platinum-iridium electrode does not fix even in long periods and therefore continously rubs the endocardial surface. Chronic inflammation and formation of remarkably thick connective capsule results, under which the heart seems mode deeply altered.

Zinc ethylenebisdithiocarbamate (ZINEB) and other dithiocarbamates are widely employed in agricultural practice as fungicides. These compounds display several biological effects (for references, see Borin et al. 1985), including goitrogenic effects in a variety of animal species (Guarda et al. 1985). Moreover, they may give rise to metabolic products such as ethylenebisisothiocyanate sulfide, ethylenethiourea (ETU), and carbon disulfide, which, in turn, possess a wide range of toxic actions (FAO 1981). Due to its extensive use, ZINEB is therefore a potential danger in the food chain and environment, both for man and for animals. Despite this, little is known about the chronic toxicity of ZINEB in cattle. Therefore a study was undertaken in Friesian calves to ascertain whether thyroid function may be affected by low levels of ZINEB and to investigate the possible sites of extrathyroidal effects.

A severe neurological disorder was observed during a very dry season, in sheep pasturing on land with mediterranean vegetation. During the crisis, lasting 5-20", ataxia and convulsions were the main clinical signs. Brain congestion, spongy appearance of the liver, interstitial nephritis and hyperpigmentation of visceral lymph nodes were the most important macroscopic lesions. Histopathological, histochemical and ultrastructural findings confirmed liver and kidney lesions and showed considerable neurovisceral storage of lipofuscin. Although further toxicological and experimental studies are needed to elucidate the origin of the disease, the Authors attribute the outbreak of the neurological syndrome to the ingestion of a neurotoxin containing plant.

The tissue reaction caused by a sintered tip electrode is compared with that of a platinum-iridium tip electrode in a work which employs implantation in sheep and follow-up of the implant for up to 90 days. Clinical tests and anatomo-pathological examination of the histological sections were performed. The results show a remarkably rapid fixation to the heart for the porous electrode with formation of limited inflammatory process, a thin fibrous capsule and modest alteration of the endocardial tissue. Conversely, the platinum-iridium electrode does not fix even in long periods and therefore continuously rubs the endocardial surface. Chronic inflammation and formation of remarkably thick connective capsule results, under which the heart seems mode deeply altered.

Tuberculosis is a well known disease for immemorial time and very diffuse in animals. Today the technological progress of zoo technology decreased the incidence of tuberculosis in animals and at the same time, it modified the epidemiological characteristics in all animal species. We can confirm that in intensive pig- and chicken raising tuberculosis is now quite inexistent. About sanitary reclamation, unfortunately Italy takes a very low position among European countries, since the eradication of bovine tuberculosis is not settled in some provinces. At Piedmont, tubercular lesions in female genital apparatus of regularly slaughtered cows are been shown in about 7% of all examined animals (4500), percentage tantamount to 30-40% of pulmonary tuberculosis. The diagnostic difficulties come from the fact that also in cows tubercular disease can be clinically silent for a long time. In man, animal tuberculosis can be consequent upon an occupational risk. Also in town, the contact with domestic animals proposes as important the problem of a careful antitubercular survey.

The aim of this study was to report the prevalence of degenerative and early inflammatory lesions and to discuss some histological aspects of normal and pathological mitral valve leaflets in healthy, normally slaughtered pigs. Mitral valves were collected from 112, 6 month-old, pigs reared under different conditions. Histological examination revealed the presence of myxoid degeneration in 29.5% of the valves with no significantly different prevalence according to rearing conditions; fibrosis was present in 12.5%; inflammation (non-vegetative valvulitis) occurred in 20 (17.9%) macroscopically normal valves. No vegetative endocarditis could be observed. A significantly higher degree of inflammation was observed in valves affected by myxoid degeneration (P < 0.05) and Anitschkow cells were prevalent in all the pathological valves (P < 0.01). Capillaries were observed in a wide majority of the valves (86.5%), but small arterioles were related to fibrotic thickening of the leaflets (P < 0.01). The following conclusions are discussed: (1) environmental factors seem not to influence the prevalence of endocardiosis; (2) inflammatory foci in myxoid valves are a reaction to both abnormal friction and products of degraded collagen and extracellular matrix; (3) the authors consider the presence of capillaries in pig valves a normal finding whereas proliferation of the vessels occurs under pathological conditions; (4) non vegetative valvulitis can be related to the presence of vessels in the valve and may have a role in both infectious endocarditis and fibrosis; (5) Anitschkow cells are normally observed in pig valves and are not specifically related to pathological lesions.

Nel contributo è individuata ed esaminata la legislazione nazionale e dell'UE sulla tubercolosi bovina. In aprticolare sono trattati gli aspetti legati a:le metodiche di diagnosi ufficiale di tbc, la definizione di animale infetto e sospetto d'infezione, i provvedimenti per gli animali sospetti ed infetti conseguenti alla denuncia di focolaio, le modalità e tempi per il ripopolamento dell'allevamento, la definizione di allevamento ufficialmente indenne da tbc, la sospensione e la revoca della qualifica di allevamento ufficialmente indenne da tbc, le disposizioni particolari, i laboratori ufficiali di riferimento, la sistuazione epidemiologica ed i territiori italiani indenni, l'indenniotà di abbattimento, le norme sulla movimentazione di animali tra paesi UE e per l'importazione da paesi terzi, gli aspetti di sicurezza alimentare.