Mechanical Strength of Additive Manufactured and Standard Polymeric Components Joined Through Structural Adhesives.

The main aim of this work is to evaluate the mechanical properties of additive manufactured polymeric parts joined with standard plastic parts through structural adhesives. The primary advantage of this technique is its ability to significantly increase the size of the final assembly by using additive manufacturing (AM) for complex joints and inexpensive, reliable extruded plastic parts for load-bearing components. This hybrid assembly combines the flexibility and shape adaptability of AM with the structural strength and cost-effectiveness of extruded polymer parts, resulting in a final design that performs comparably to the base material.

Temperature-humidity index monitoring during two summer seasons in dairy cow sheds in Mugello (Tuscany).

Many studies have reported that the impact of high temperatures affects physiology, welfare, health, and productivity of farm animals, and among these, the dairy cattle farming is one of the livestock sectors that suffers the greatest effects. The temperature-humidity index (THI) represents the state of the art in the evaluation of heat stress conditions in dairy cattle but often its measurement is not carried out in sheds. For this reason, the aim of this study was the monitoring of the THI in three dairy cattle farms in Mugello (Tuscany) to understand its influence on dairy cows.

Symptom control and health-related quality of life in allergic rhinitis with and without comorbid asthma: A multicentre European study.

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a major non-communicable disease that affects the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients. However, data on HRQoL and symptom control in AR patients with comorbid asthma (AR + asthma) are lacking.

Methods: In this multicentre, cross-sectional study, patients with AR were screened and administered questionnaires of demographic characteristics and health conditions (symptoms/diagnosis of AR and asthma, disease severity level, and allergic conditions).

Surgery of optic-chiasmatic tumors assisted by sodium fluorescein yellow fluorescence and visual evoked potentials monitoring.

Tumors of the anterior visual pathways are challenging to operate because of the crucial balance between extent of resection and sight preservation. Sodium fluoresceine (SF) has already been reported in maximizing brain tumor resection but not when the optic-chiasmatic region is involved. The role of Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs) in optic-chiasmatic tumors is still debated.

Effect of Site and Phenological Status on the Potato Bacterial Rhizomicrobiota.

The potato is the fourth major food crop in the world. Its cultivation can encounter problems, resulting in poor growth and reduced yield. Plant microbiota has shown an ability to increase growth and resistance.

Functional outcomes, extent of resection, and bright/vague fluorescence interface in resection of glioblastomas involving the motor pathways assisted by 5-ALA.

Background: 5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) fluorescence can maximize perirolandic glioblastoma (GBM) resection with low rates of postoperative sequelae. Our purpose was to present the outcomes of our experience and compare them with other literature reports to investigate the potential influence of different intraoperative monitoring strategies and to evaluate the role of intraoperative data on neurological and radiological outcomes in our series.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed our prospectively collected database of GBM involving the motor pathways.

Intraoperative Ultrasonography for Surgery of Cranial Traumatic Acute Subdural Hematoma: Technical Note.

Background: Intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS) in traumatic brain injury is a fast, easy, and low-cost technique that has been poorly investigated so far even though it could potentially answer many of the intraoperative needs of the surgeon. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of IOUS in patients undergoing surgery for traumatic acute subdural hematoma (aSDH), focusing on its influence on intraoperative surgical strategy, particularly regarding the management of intracerebral contusions (ICCs) associated with aSDH.

Methods: Data of patients who consecutively underwent surgical evacuation of traumatic aSDH with IOUS assistance at our institution from May 2017 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.

Differential Response of Wheat Rhizosphere Bacterial Community to Plant Variety and Fertilization.

The taxonomic assemblage and functions of the plant bacterial community are strongly influenced by soil and host plant genotype. Crop breeding, especially after the massive use of nitrogen fertilizers which led to varieties responding better to nitrogen fertilization, has implicitly modified the ability of the plant root to recruit an effective bacterial community. Among the priorities for harnessing the plant bacterial community, plant genotype-by-microbiome interactions are stirring attention.

Impact of decompressive craniectomy on functional outcome of severe acquired brain injuries patients, at discharge from intensive inpatient rehabilitation.

Purpose: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) is a life-saving procedure conducted to treat refractory intracranial hypertension. Although DC reduces mortality of severe Acquired Brain Injury (sABI) survivors, it has been associated with severe long-term disability. This observational study compares functional outcomes at discharge from an Intensive Rehabilitative Unit (IRU) between sABI patients with and without DC.

Radiomic Features Associated with Extent of Resection in Glioma Surgery.

Radiomics defines a set of techniques for extraction and quantification of digital medical data in an automated and reproducible way. Its goal is to detect features potentially related to a clinical task, like classification, diagnosis, prognosis, and response to treatment, going beyond the intrinsic limits of operator-dependency and qualitative description of conventional radiological evaluation on a mesoscopic scale. In the field of neuro-oncology, researchers have tried to create prognostic models for a better tumor diagnosis, histological and biomolecular classification, prediction of response to treatment, and identification of disease relapse.

Performances of Limited Area Models for the WORKLIMATE Heat-Health Warning System to Protect Worker's Health and Productivity in Italy.

Outdoor workers are particularly exposed to climate conditions, and in particular, the increase of environmental temperature directly affects their health and productivity. For these reasons, in recent years, heat-health warning systems have been developed for workers generally using heat stress indicators obtained by the combination of meteorological parameters to describe the thermal stress induced by the outdoor environment on the human body. There are several studies on the verification of the parameters predicted by meteorological models, but very few relating to the validation of heat stress indicators.

Effects of biochar on berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum, L.) growth and heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) accumulation.

Urban soil pollution by heavy metals (HMs) is a pressing problem in the development of urban agriculture (UA). In this context, the use of amendments, such as biochar, and phytoremediation are considered potentially cost-effective alternatives to conventional methods, and can be also combined to improve the remediation of soils from HMs. A pot experiment was performed to investigate the combined effect of berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum, L.

Development of machine learning models to prognosticate chronic shunt-dependent hydrocephalus after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Background: Shunt-dependent hydrocephalus significantly complicates subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and reliable prognosis methods have been sought in recent years to reduce morbidity and costs associated with delayed treatment or neglected onset. Machine learning (ML) defines modern data analysis techniques allowing accurate subject-based risk stratifications. We aimed at developing and testing different ML models to predict shunt-dependent hydrocephalus after aneurysmal SAH.

Crop suitability assessment in remediation of Zn contaminated soil.

Zinc (Zn) is naturally present in soils and constitutes an essential micronutrient for plants. Mining, industrial, as well as various agricultural activities all contribute to increasing the Zn concentrations in soils to levels that are toxic for plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of field crops to remove Zn from contaminated soils.

An Occupational Heat-Health Warning System for Europe: The HEAT-SHIELD Platform.

Existing heat-health warning systems focus on warning vulnerable groups in order to reduce mortality. However, human health and performance are affected at much lower environmental heat strain levels than those directly associated with higher mortality. Moreover, workers are at elevated health risks when exposed to prolonged heat.

Heat Stress Perception among Native and Migrant Workers in Italian Industries-Case Studies from the Construction and Agricultural Sectors.

Climate change will increase the frequency and severity of hazard events such as heat waves, with important effects in several European regions. It is of importance to consider overall effects as well as specific impact on vulnerable population groups such as outdoor workers. The agricultural and construction sectors represent two strategic occupational fields that in relatively recent years involve an increasing number of migrant workers, and therefore require a better management of cultural aspects, that may interact with and impact on heat-related health risk.

Effects of deciduous shade trees on surface temperature and pedestrian thermal stress during summer and autumn.

In a context of urban warming, the effects of trees on outdoor thermal stress are important even during the increasingly hot autumn season. This study examines the effects of a deciduous tree species (Tilia x europaea L) on surface temperature over different ground materials and in turn on human thermal comfort, with a particular focus on tree shade variation due to leaf fall. Grass, asphalt, and gravel-covered ground surfaces, both sun-exposed and under the Tilia, were monitored in Florence, Italy, during the summer (2014) and autumn (2017) seasons.

Wild ungulates and environmental temperature: analysis on the possible utilization of data from sensor placed on GPS collars.

GPS collars for wildlife provide a large amount of spatio-temporal location data and are frequently equipped with sensors that record the animal-level environmental temperature at a schedulable sampling frequency. The simultaneous collection of environmental temperature and animal location may contribute not only to deepen the understanding of animal behavior in different climatic conditions, but also to increase the knowledge of climate features in inaccessible areas. The measurement of environmental temperature provided by the sensors, however, can be biased by several factors (e.

Phytoextraction of copper from a contaminated soil using arable and vegetable crops.

Copper (Cu) is among the main contaminant of agricultural soil. The reclamation of Cu polluted soils can be achieved with phytoextraction even if, in general, plants are Cu-excluders and uncommon are Cu-accumulators. The research objectives were to establish the Cu removal capacity by arable and vegetable crops and to investigate the distribution of Cu in their roots, stems and leaves, and fruits.

Glaucoma in patients with shunt-treated normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Objective: Changes in the pressure gradient between intraocular and intracranial compartments at the lamina cribrosa level are a possible explanation of normal tension glaucoma (NTG). Shunt-treated normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a model for testing whether the increase (time from disease onset to CSF shunt placement, i.e.

Transport of Glyphosate and Aminomethylphosphonic Acid under Two Soil Management Practices in an Italian Vineyard.

Worldwide, glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in controlling the growth of annual and perennial weeds. An increasing number of studies have highlighted the environmental risk resulting from the use of this molecule in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The objective of the study was to determine the transport of glyphosate and its degradation product, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), through runoff and transported sediment from a vineyard under two different soil management systems: harrowed inter-row (HR) and permanent grass covered inter-row (GR).

The impact of built-up surfaces on land surface temperatures in Italian urban areas.

Urban areas are characterized by the very high degree of soil sealing and continuous built-up areas: Italy is one of the European countries with the highest artificial land cover rate, which causes a substantial spatial variation in the land surface temperature (LST), modifying the urban microclimate and contributing to the urban heat island effect. Nevertheless, quantitative data regarding the contribution of different densities of built-up surfaces in determining urban spatial LST changes is currently lacking in Italy. This study, which aimed to provide clear and quantitative city-specific information on annual and seasonal spatial LST modifications resulting from increased urban built-up coverage, was conducted generally throughout the whole year, and specifically in two different periods (cool/cold and warm/hot periods).

Modeling Tree Shade Effect on Urban Ground Surface Temperature.

There is growing interest in the role that urban forests can play as urban microclimate modifiers. Tree shade and evapotranspiration affect energy fluxes and mitigate microclimate conditions, with beneficial effects on human health and outdoor comfort. The aim of this study was to investigate surface temperature () variability under the shade of different tree species and to test the capability in predicting of a proposed heat transfer model.

Urban Soil: Assessing Ground Cover Impact on Surface Temperature and Thermal Comfort.

The urban population growth, together with the contemporary deindustrialization of metropolitan areas, has resulted in a large amount of available land with new possible uses. It is well known that urban green areas provide several benefits in the surrounding environment, such as the improvement of thermal comfort conditions for the population during summer heat waves. The purpose of this study is to provide useful information on thermal regimes of urban soils to urban planners to be used during an urban transformation to mitigate surface temperatures and improve human thermal comfort.