We study the positivity and causality axioms for Markov categories as properties of dilations and information flow and also develop variations thereof for arbitrary semicartesian monoidal categories. These help us show that being a positive Markov category is merely an additional property of a symmetric monoidal category (rather than extra structure). We also characterize the positivity of representable Markov categories and prove that causality implies positivity, but not conversely. Finally, we note that positivity fails for quasi-Borel spaces and interpret this failure as a privacy property of probabilistic name generation.

In December 2019, a novel human-infecting coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was recognised to cause a pneumonia epidemic outbreak with different degrees of severity in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China. Since then, this epidemic has spread worldwide; in Europe, Italy has been involved. Effective preventive and therapeutic strategies are absolutely required to block this serious public health concern. Unfortunately, few studies about SARS-CoV-2 concerning its immunopathogenesis and treatment are available. On the basis of the assumption that the SARS-CoV-2 is genetically related to SARS-CoV (about 82 % of genome homology) and that its characteristics, like the modality of transmission or the type of the immune response it may stimulate, are still poorly known, a literature search was performed to identify the reports assessing these elements in patients with SARS-CoV-induced infection. Therefore, we have analysed: (1) the structure of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV; (2) the clinical signs and symptoms and pathogenic mechanisms observed during the development of acute respiratory syndrome and the cytokine release syndrome; (3) the modification of the cell microRNome and of the immune response in patients with SARS infection; and (4) the possible role of some fat-soluble compounds (such as vitamins A, D and E) in modulating directly or indirectly the replication ability of SARS-CoV-2 and host immune response.

We present a 3D reconstruction method using brightness and camera motion estimation for registering local colon structure in colonoscopy. The proposed method is based on reverse projection from 2D fold contours to 3D space, motion estimation from 3D reconstructed points between neighboring frames, and model registration to reconstruct the fold structure. On the synthetic colon, the average percentages of the reconstructed depth error and circumference error are about 14.2% and 15.2%, respectively. The accuracy is enough for the navigation and control in capsule robot. This work demonstrates that the proposed method is superior to the methods using single-frame-based brightness intensity.

Pollutant agents are exponentially increasing in modern society since industrialization processes and technology are being developed worldwide. Impact of pollution on public health is well known but little has been described on the association between environmental pollutants and mental health. A literature search on PubMed and EMBASE has been conducted and 134 articles published on the issue of pollution and mental health have been included, cited, reviewed, and summarized. Emerging evidences have been collected on association between major environmental pollutants (air pollutants, heavy metals, ionizing radiation [IR], organophosphate pesticides, light pollution, noise pollution, environmental catastrophes) and various mental health disorders including anxiety, mood, and psychotic syndromes. Underlying pathogenesis includes direct and indirect effects of these agents on brain, respectively, due to their biological effect on human Central Nervous System or related to some levels of stress generated by the exposure to the pollutant agents over the time. Most of emerging evidences are still nonconclusive. Further studies should clarify how industrial production, the exploitation of certain resources, the proximity to waste and energy residues, noise, and the change in lifestyles are connected with psychological distress and mental health problems for the affected populations.

Weeds are often the major biological constraint to growing legume crops successfully, and an understanding of the critical period of weed control (CPWC) is important for developing environmentally sustainable weed management practices to prevent unacceptable yield loss. Therefore, we carried out two field experiments to identify the CPWC for two grain legume crops traditionally grown in Mediterranean areas: chickpea and faba bean. The experiments were conducted at two sites both located in the Sicilian inland (Italy). In chickpea, when weeds were left to compete with the crop for the whole cycle, the grain yield reduction was on average about 85% of the weed-free yield, whereas in faba bean the reduction was less severe (on average about 60% of the weed-free yield). The onset of the CPWC at a 5% yield loss level varied by species, occurring later in faba bean than in chickpea (on average, 261 and 428 growing degree days after emergence for chickpea and faba bean, respectively). In both species, the end of the CPWC occurred at the early full-flowering stage when the canopy of each crop enclosed the interrow space. On the whole, the CPWC at a 5% yield loss level ranged from 50 to 69 d in chickpea and from 28 to 33 d in faba bean. The results highlight the fact that faba bean has a higher competitive ability against weeds than chickpea. This could be attributable both to more vigorous early growth and to the plant's greater height, both factors related to a greater shading ability and, consequently, to a better ability to suppress weeds.

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are a promising technology that can provide efficient and clean energy production. The general barriers hindering their market entry are durability, i.e. resistance to aging, and costs. In parallel to the deeper insight into the different degradation sources and improved understanding of ageing factors and their interactions, work towards higher accuracy for the assessment and monitoring of real-world fuel cell ageing in necessary. The requirements for operational stability formulate the parameter “degradation rate” (DR). Most often long term durability tests are performed at constant current load and the decrease of the voltage is used for its definition. In this work a new approach based on analysis of the volt-ampere characteristics, named Differential Resistance Analysis (DRA), is presented. It operates with the differential resistance, i.e. with the derivative of the voltage in respect to the current (dU/dI = Rd) which is more sensitive to small deviations and thus increases the sensitivity of the analysis. Two performance indicators are derived (Rd, min and ∆U*) with differing selectivity: ∆U* is more sensitive to activation losses and Rd, min - to transport hindrances. The application of the DRA is demonstrated on examples from measurements in fuel cell and in reverse (fuel cell/electrolyzer) mode, as well as on modeling data. The results show that the method is at least 10 times more sensitive to DR evaluation in comparison with the classical approach.

Background: Detailed anatomic variants of the interatrial septum in patients with right-to-left shunt and contribution of specific anatomies to the risk of ischaemic recurrences has not yet been comprehensively classified. Objective: To report a classification of the anatomic variants of the interatrial septum as observed by intracardiac echocardiography and its correlation with clinical and functional characteristics. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical and instrumental data of 520 consecutive patients (mean age 44±15. 5 years, 355 women) who had over a 10-year period undergone intracardiac echocardiography and right-to-left shunt catheter-based closure. The four main features used to analyse were: (a) diameter of the oval fossa, (b) presence and length of the channel, (c) presence and degree of atrial septal aneurysm, and (d) rim thickness. The presence of Eustachian valve was also tabulated. Results: The combinations of interatrial septum anatomical features were classified into six main anatomical subgroups. Recurrent embolism, multiple ischaemic foci on brain magnetic resonance imaging, high grade shunt, and permanent shunt before transcatheter closure procedure were associated with type 2, type 4, and type 6. Type 4 anatomical subtype (OR 4.1, 1.5–8 [95% CI], p<0.001) and type 2+presence of Eustachian valve (OR 4.3, 1.6–9 [95% CI], p<0.001) were the strongest predictors of recurrent ischaemic events before transcatheter closure. Conclusion: Our study showed that interatrial septum anatomy greatly differs among patients with right-to-left shunt, as well as the risk of ischaemic recurrences in different anatomies.

Aim of this work was to realize free-standing conductive nanofilms having very large surface area with typical nano-scale thickness (40-120 nm) by modifying existing approaches for nanostructured thin films assembly. We tested and optimized two different fabrication methods for the obtainment of free-standing conductive ultra-thin nanosheets based on the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). Supporting Layer and Sacrificial Layer techniques permitted the obtainment of single layer nanofilms that can be released in water and of LbL multilayer nanosheets (PEDOT:PSS/Polyelectrolytes) that can be released in acetone, respectively. Here we describe the details of both the proposed fabrication methods and compare the properties of the realized nanosheets in terms of thickness, contact angle and conductivity. Interestingly, the realized free-standing nanosheets, despite their low thickness, are very robust and compliant while maintaining their structure and functionality. Possible applications are foreseen in the field of sensing and actuation, as well as in the biomedical field, e.g. as smart conductive substrates for cell culturing and stimulation.

Aims - This study aims to present data on structural and human resources of public mental health services located in the Veneto Region, Italy, and to discuss them in the light of implementation of the first National Target Plan for Mental Health (“Progetto Obiettivo 1994-1996”) ten years after its launch. Methods - The study was conducted in the context of the PICOS (Psychosis Incident Cohort Outcome Study) Project, a large first-presentation multisite study on patients with psychotic disorders attending community mental heath services in the Veneto Region. Human and structural resources were surveyed in 26 study sites using a structured interview administered by the PICOS local referents. Results - CMHCs and Day Centres were homogeneously distributed across the Region and their overall rates per resident population met the national standards; a wide variability in the distribution of Day Hospitals was found, with the overall rate per resident population very far from meeting the national standard; the overall rate for Residential Facilities beds was higher than the recommended national standard, showing however an high variability across sites. The overall rate of mental health professionals per resident population was only slightly below the national standard: this was mainly achieved thanks to non-profit organizations which supplement the public system with unspecialised professionals; however, a wide variability in the local rates per resident population was found, with the 50% of the sites showing rates far lower the national standard. Specific lack of trained professionals involved in the provision of psychosocial interventions was found in most sites. Conclusions - A marked variability in human and structural resources across community mental health services in the Veneto Region was found. Possible reasons for this heterogeneity were analysed and implications for mental health care provision were further discussed.

Declaration of Interest: The study has been supported by the Regione del Veneto, Giunta Regionale, Ricerca Sanitaria Finalizzata 2004, Venezia, Italia (grant to Professor M. Ruggeri).

Miniaturized surgical devices are promising for the future development of minimally invasive and endoluminal surgery. However, the dexterity and therapeutic functions of these devices are limited. In this paper, a reconfigurable modular robotic system is proposed to perform screening and interventions in the gastrointestinal tract. In the proposed system, millimeter-sized robotic modules are ingested and tasked to assemble into an articulated mechanism in the stomach cavity. The modules are assembled according to the target location to perform precise intervention. Based on this concept, a preliminary report is presented covering the robotic schemes for the endoluminal reconfigurable platform, the design with structural functions, the control strategy, and the interval-based constraint satisfaction algorithm to determine the suitable topologies of the reconfigurable robot for the given task.

We consider the structure of the intestinal epithelial tissue and of cell–cell junctions as the biological model inspiring a new class of P systems. First we define the concept of cell polarity, a formal property derived from epithelial cells, which present morphologically and functionally distinct regions of the plasma membrane. Then we show two preliminary results for this new model of computation: on the theoretical side, we show that P systems with cell polarity are computationally (Turing) complete; on the modelling side, we show that the transepithelial movement of glucose from the intestinal lumen into the blood can be described by such a formal system. Finally, we define tissue P systems with cell polarity, where each cell has fixed connections to the neighbouring cells and to the environment, according to both the cell polarity and specific cell–cell junctions.

This paper describes a novel approach to capsular endoscopy that takes advantage of active magnetic locomotion in the gastrointestinal tract guided by an anthropomorphic robotic arm. Simulations were performed to select the design parameters allowing an effective and reliable magnetic link between the robot end-effector (endowed with a permanent magnet) and the capsular device (endowed with small permanent magnets). In order to actively monitor the robotic endoluminal system and to efficiently perform diagnostic and surgical medical procedures, a feedback control based on inertial sensing was also implemented. The proposed platform demonstrated to be a reliable solution to move and steer a capsular device in a slightly insufflated gastrointestinal lumen.

A part of a query that will never contribute data to the query answer should be regarded as an error. This principle has been recently accepted into mainstream XML query languages, but was still waiting for a complete treatment. We provide here a precise definition for this class of errors, and define a type system that is sound and complete, in its search for such errors, for a core language, under mild restrictions on the use of recursion in type definitions. In the process, we describe a dichotomy among existential and universal type systems, which is essential to understand some specific features of our type system.