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To better address mechanical behavior, it is necessary to make use of modern tools through which it is possible to run predictions, simulate scenarios, and optimize decisions. sources integration. This will increase the capability of detecting material modifications that forerun damage and/or to forecast the stage in the future when very likely fatigue is initiating and propagating cracks. Early warning outcomes obtained by the synergetic implementation of NDE-based protocols for studying mechanical and fatigue and fracture behavior will enhance the preparedness toward economically sustainable future damage control scenarios. Specifically, these early warning outcomes will be developed in the form of retopologized models to be used coupled with FEA. This paper presents the first stage of calibration and the combination of a system of different sensors (photogrammetry, laser scanning and strain gages) for the creation of volumetric models suitable for the prediction of failure of FEA software. The test objects were two components of car suspension to which strain gauges were attached to measure its deformation under cyclic loading. The calibration of the methodology was carried out using models obtained from photogrammetry and experimental strain gauge measurements.

Astrocytes are ubiquitous in the brain and spinal cord and display a complex morphology important for the local interactions with neighboring cells, resulting in the modulation of circuit function. Thus, studies focusing on astrocyte physiology in the healthy and diseased brain generally present analyses of astrocytic structure. The labeling method used to visualize the astrocytic structure defines the morphological level to observe and may vary depending on the anatomical sub-regions. The method choice may significantly affect our understanding of their structural diversity. The main goal of this work was to identify a straightforward and efficient protocol for labeling and reconstructing a detailed astrocytic structure to apply and validate in different brain tissue preparations across laboratories. For that, we explored different tissue processing protocols before GFAP labeling to determine the most effective method for reconstructing astrocytic backbones in the mouse hippocampus. Our results show that the reconstruction of astrocytic structure in vibratome sections labeled by free-floating immunofluorescence protocol provides a more practical method to achieve a higher level of detail and arbor complexity in astrocyte backbone reconstruction. Free-floating immunofluorescence labeling is the most reliable method for obtaining better antibody penetration and more detailed astrocyte structure. Finally, we also show that introducing an antigen retrieval step appears useful for visualizing more complete structural details.

Background: Nursing homes were often the focus of COVID-19 outbreaks. Many factors are known to influence the ability of a nursing home to prevent and contain a COVID-19 outbreak. The role of an organisation's quality management prior to the pandemic is not yet clear. In the Italian region of Tuscany nursing home performance indicators have been regularly collected since before the pandemic, providing the opportunity to better understand this relationship., Objectives: To test if there is a difference in the results achieved by nursing homes in Tuscany on 13 quality management indicators, when grouped by severity of COVID-19 outbreaks; and to better understand how these indicators may be related to the ability to control COVID-19 outbreaks, from the perspective of nursing homes., Methods: We used a mixed methods sequential explanatory design. Based on regional and national databases, 159 nursing homes in Tuscany were divided into four groups by outbreak severity. We tested the significance of the differences between the groups with respect to 13 quality management indicators. The potential relation of these indicators to COVID-19 outbreaks was discussed with 29 managers and other nursing homes' staff through four group interviews., Results: The quantitative analysis showed significant differences between the groups of nursing homes for 3 of the 13 indicators. From the perspective of nursing homes, the indicators might not be good at capturing important aspects of the ability to control COVID-19 outbreaks. For example, while staffing availability is seen as essential, the staff-to-bed ratio does not capture the turn-over of staff and temporary absences due to positive COVID-19 testing of staff., Conclusions: Though currently collected indicators are key for overall performance monitoring and improvement, further refinement of the set of quality management indicators is needed to clarify the relationship with nursing homes' ability to control COVID-19 outbreaks., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

The paper investigates the advance in the most intimate understanding of the construction methods of the Fabrica Solimene (1952–1955) in Vietri sul Mare, (Campania-Italy). The aim is to increase the level of geometric and informative detail of the model, digitally (re)built by means of an indirect method using a total station survey and subsequently by means of a direct method, i.e., by importing the elaborations derived from laser scanner acquisitions and photographic data sets into a BIM authoring vector software. For this purpose, using photogrammetry, new details are acquired, specifically addressed to the study of the static-mechanical behaviour of the perimeter wall studied in its mathematical configuration of the projecting bodies from bottom to top. This study is organised on the elaboration of new clean and decimated point cloud acquisitions to be converted into volumetric models for direct use in finite element calculation (FEM) codes aimed at structural analysis. Thanks to the proposed procedure, it possible to maintain the level of geometric detail appropriate to the resolution required for the analysis. At the same time, it makes it possible to find the best pipeline to reduce the size of the model and obtain the most accurate static-structural results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the imprint of light scalar fields on gravitational waves from extreme mass-ratio inspirals-binary systems with a very large mass asymmetry. We first show that, to leading order in the mass ratio, any effects of the scalar on the waveform are captured fully by two parameters: the mass of the scalar and the scalar charge of the secondary compact object. We then use this theory-agnostic framework to show that the future observations by LISA will be able to simultaneously measure both of these parameters with enough accuracy to detect ultralight scalars.

Astrocytes are integral components of brain circuits, where they sense, process, and respond to surrounding activity, maintaining homeostasis and regulating synaptic transmission, the sum of which results in behavior modulation. These interactions are possible due to their complex morphology, composed of a tree-like structure of processes to cover defined territories ramifying in a mesh-like system of fine leaflets unresolved by conventional optic microscopy. While recent reports devoted more attention to leaflets and their dynamic interactions with synapses, our knowledge about the tree-like "backbone" structure in physiological conditions is incomplete. Recent transcriptomic studies described astrocyte molecular diversity, suggesting structural heterogeneity in regions such as the hippocampus, which is crucial for cognitive and emotional behaviors. In this study, we carried out the structural analysis of astrocytes across the hippocampal subfields of Cornu Ammonis area 1 (CA1) and dentate gyrus in the dorsoventral axis. We found that astrocytes display heterogeneity across the hippocampal subfields, which is conserved along the dorsoventral axis. We further found that astrocytes appear to contribute in an exocytosis-dependent manner to a signaling loop that maintains the backbone structure. These findings reveal astrocyte heterogeneity in the hippocampus, which appears to follow layer-specific cues and depend on the neuro-glial environment., (© 2023 The Authors. GLIA published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Aims: The Italian general practitioners (GPs) are not directly employed by the National Health Service but work as independent contractors. Their activity and their salary are managed at the national, regional, and local level. This paper analyses the Tuscany Region case study to investigate if primary care's target-setting styles are associated with different GP perceptions, by comparing nine different local agreements to a survey on 102 GPs. We propose a classification of the different target-setting (ideal typical) styles, ranging from "financial governance" (FG), mainly based on financial targets, to "clinical governance" (CG), that mainly relies on clinical and quality targets., Findings: Results show that GPs are more likely to have a more favourable attitude toward primary care managerial tools if they have certain characteristics, ie, quality measures. This suggest that target setting system might promote both the GPs' compliance to the targets set by the agreement and the involvement of the GPs in the LHA's governance processes too., Conclusions: The managerial tools could pave the way to overcome the classical "trade unionist" relationship between the regional and local authority and the GPs, working as a "trait d'union" between the two players., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: Determining the different features and potential impacts of community initiatives aimed at health-related outcomes poses challenges for both researchers and policy makers., Purpose: This article explores the nature of heterogeneous "community engagement initiatives" (CEIs) considering both their social and organizational features in order to understand the managerial and policy implications to maximize their potential local health and social care-related impacts., Methodology: A threefold qualitative analysis was conducted: (a) Three frameworks were developed to classify and analyze different CEIs features, building upon the current literature debate; (b) primary data were collected from Italian CEIs; and (c) a comparative cross-case analysis of a total of 79 CEIs in Italy and the United Kingdom was implemented., Findings: The results show two types of strategic policy and management implications: (a) CEI portfolios are very broad and differentiated; (b) different social networks have diversified social constructs, internal cultures, and organizational features; and (c) there is a consequent need to contextualize relational and steering approaches in order to maximize their potential community added value., Conclusion: CEIs are fundamental pillars of contemporary welfare systems because of both the changing demography and epidemiology and the disruptive impact of platform economy models. This challenging scenario and the related CEIs involve a complex social mechanism, which requires a new awareness and strengthened competences for public administrations' steering., Practice Implications: It is crucial for policy makers and managers to become familiar with all the different CEIs available in order to choose which solution to implement, depending on their potential impacts related to local public health and social care priorities. They also need to select the related effective steering logic., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Cultural heritage's structural changes and damages can influence the mechanical behaviour of artefacts and buildings. The use of finite element methods (FEM) for mechanical analysis is largely used in modelling stress behaviour. The workflow involves the use of CAD 3D models and the use of non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) surfaces. For cultural heritage objects, altered by the time elapsed since their creation, the representation created with the CAD model may introduce an extreme level of approximation, leading to wrong simulation results. The focus of this work is to present an alternative method intending to generate the most accurate 3D representation of a real artefact from highly accurate 3D reality-based models, simplifying the original models to make them suitable for finite element analysis (FEA) software. The approach proposed, and tested on three different case studies, was based on the intelligent use of retopology procedures to create a simplified model to be converted to a mathematical one made by NURBS surfaces, which is also suitable for being processed by volumetric meshes typically embedded in standard FEM packages. This allowed us to obtain FEA results that were closer to the actual mechanical behaviour of the analysed heritage asset.

Introduction: While selected clinical and laboratory findings are taken into account to find the best therapeutic strategies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is unknown whether the circadian rhythm of respiratory symptoms, a distinctive feature of COPD, affects the prescription pattern of pharmacological therapy. The main aim of this study was to verify whether the circadian rhythm of symptoms correlates with bronchodilating therapy prescribed to COPD patients as per clinical practice. A secondary objective was to assess the relationship between Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage and circadian rhythm of symptoms and health status., Methods: Five hundred sixty-six COPD patients were enrolled in the Italian multicenter STORICO study. Patients underwent a multidimensional assessment, and correlates of prescribed therapy were assessed through a multivariate multilevel model., Results: As expected, patients in GOLD D stage were more likely to receive triple inhaled therapy than GOLD A-C patients, but the circadian rhythm of symptoms, assessed by the nighttime, morning, and daytime symptoms of the COPD questionnaire, was unrelated to the prescription pattern. The multivariate model showed that emphysematous (EM) patients had a 50% increased risk compared with patients affected by chronic bronchitis (CB) of being prescribed long-acting β2-agonists (LABA)/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) fixed-dose combination (FDC) instead of triple therapy [relative risk (RR) EM versus CB 1.50, 95% CI 1.11, 2.03]. Symptoms, mainly in the early morning and daytime, were highly prevalent, even in GOLD B stage (76%)., Conclusion: Even if we cannot infer about causality of the symptoms-therapy relationship, based on the structured recording of circadian symptoms clearly shows that symptoms are poorly controlled as the circadian rhythm of symptoms does not correlate with the prescription pattern, and many patients are symptomatic both at daytime and by nighttime. Thus, therapy should be better tailored to the individual needs, with special attention to control nocturnal symptoms., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03105999., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Healthcare Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)