Determinants in the on-line distribution of digital content: an exploratory analysis

This article shows the phases – and discusses the results – of an empirical analysis addressing the legal business models that are adopted online to distribute digital content

Positive Copyright and Open Content Licences: How to Make a Marriage Work by Empowering Authors to Disseminate Their Creations

Positive copyright appears to have been progressively turned away from its normative function of ensuring a fair and efficient transmission of human knowledge. The private sector is seeking to counterbalance this phenomenon by adopting legal tools that expand the public domain of knowledge, such as web-based licences modelled on the "open access" approach. The increasing world-wide preference for Creative Commons licences confirms their aptness to transform copyright law into a tool flexible enough to serve authors' several purposes. Such a spontaneous counterbalance experiences many difficulties though, because of the structure that positive copyright has adopted over the last few years. The current situation is an excellent point from which to look back at how authors used to disseminate their works before the advent of the Internet. From a historical view-point copyright has always accomplished the twin functions of economically rewarding authors and enabling communication of their creations to the public. The latter goal is achieved by means of statutory mechanisms limiting the freedom of contract between authors and their counterparts (intermediaries in a broad sense), in order to enforce the authors' capacity to spread their works. In the current digital environment, however, these mechanisms are not likely to accomplish their original functions. This paper seeks to explore an adjustment that will permit authors to take advantage of all the new means of commercial exploitation and non-commercial dissemination of their works offered by the Internet. Such an adjustment aims also at realigning positive and normative copyright by encompassing the use of open content licensing within the current copyright framework

In vitro cultured progenitors and precursors of cardiac cell lineages from human normal and post-ischemic hearts.

The demonstration of the presence of dividing primitive cells in damaged hearts has sparked increased interest about myocardium regenerative processes. We examined the rate and the differentiation of in vitro cultured resident cardiac primitive cells obtained from pathological and normal human hearts in order to evaluate the activation of progenitors and precursors of cardiac cell lineages in post-ischemic human hearts. The precursors and progenitors of cardiomyocyte, smooth muscle and endothelial lineage were identified by immunocytochemistry and the expression of characteristic markers was studied by western blot and RT-PCR.The amount of proteins characteristic for cardiac cells (alpha-SA and MHC, VEGFR-2 and FVIII, SMA for the precursors of cardiomyocytes, endothelial and smooth muscle cells, respectively) inclines toward an increase in both alpha-SA and MHC. The increased levels of FVIII and VEGFR2 are statistically significant, suggesting an important re-activation of neoangiogenesis. At the same time, the augmented expression of mRNA for Nkx 2.5, the trascriptional factor for cardiomyocyte differentiation, confirms the persistence of differentiative processes in terminally injured hearts. Our study would appear to confirm the activation of human heart regeneration potential in pathological conditions and the ability of its primitive cells to maintain their proliferative capability in vitro. The cardiac cell isolation method we used could be useful in the future for studying modifications to the microenvironment that positively influence cardiac primitive cell differentiation or inhibit, or retard, the pathological remodeling and functional degradation of the heart

Tenascin Expression in Human Placentas during FGR Affected Pregnancies and Umbilical Doppler Velocimetry Correlation

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of some non collagenous extracellular matrix proteins, in particular tenascin, in human placentas of intrauterine growth restricted fetuses with abnormal umbilical Doppler velocimetry. Study Design: Study group (group A) consisted of 23 pregnant women with intrauterine growth restricted fetuses, with or without preeclampsia. Control group (group B) consisted of 10 pregnant women with appropriate fetal weight for gestational age. Placental specimens were collected from biopsies obtained after cesarean delivery. Umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry was performed within four hours from delivery in all patients. Tenascin expression was studied by immunohistochemistry and western blot techniques. Results: A difference in birth weight and placental weight was found in the two groups, being lower in the study group. Umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry showed abnormal patterns in the study group and normal findings in the control one. Tenascin was strongly expressed in placentas from growth restricted fetuses, as shown by immunohistochemistry and by RT-PCR, while it was almost absent in placentas from group B. Conclusion: A relationship between abnormal Doppler patterns and tenascin distribution in growth restricted fetuses has been observed. The presence of tenascin might be considered as a placental compensatory mechanism in FGR fetuses with abnormal umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry

Antibiotic prescriptions in Italian hospitalised children after serial point prevalence surveys (or pointless prevalence surveys): has anything actually changed over the years?

BACKGROUND: Point prevalence surveys have been used in several studies to provide immediate and easily comparable information about antibiotic use and showed that about one third of hospitalised children had on ongoing antimicrobial prescription during their hospital admission. The aim of this study, as part of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance, Prescribing and Efficacy in Neonates and Children project, is to describe antimicrobial prescriptions among hospitalised children in four tertiary care hospitals in Italy to show if something has changed over the years. METHODS: Four tertiary care Italian's hospitals joined three Point Prevalence Surveys (PPSs) in three different period of the year. All children under 18 years of age with an ongoing antimicrobial prescription, admitted on the participating wards at 8 o'clock in the morning of the selecting day were enrolled. RESULTS: A total of 1412 patients (475 neonates and 937 children) were admitted in the days of three PPSs. Overall, among the total admitted patients, 565 patients (40%) had an ongoing antimicrobial prescription in the days of the survey A total of 718 antibiotics were administered in the 485 admitted children and 133 in neonates. The most common indications for antibiotic therapy in children was Lower respiratory tract infections (244/718, 34%), while in neonates were prophylaxis for medical problems (35/133, 26.3%), newborn prophylaxis for newborn risk factors (29/133, 21.8%) and prophylaxis for surgical disease (15/133, 11.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, it appears that nothing has changed since the last PPS and that the quality improved targets, underlyined in previous studies, are always the same. Serial PPSs can be part of AMS strategies but they are not sufficient alone to produce changes in clinical practice

Detection of microparticles from human red blood cells by multiparametric flow cytometry

Background: During storage, red blood cells (RBC) undergo chemical and biochemical changes referred to as "storage lesions". These events determine the loss of RBC integrity, resulting in lysis and release of microparticles. There is growing evidence of the clinical importance of microparticles and their role in blood transfusion-related side effects and pathogen transmission. Flow cytometry is currently one of the most common techniques used to quantify and characterise microparticles. Here we propose multiparametric staining to monitor and quantify the dynamic release of microparticles by stored human RBC. Material and methods: RBC units (n=10) were stored under blood bank conditions for up to 42 days. Samples were tested at different time points to detect microparticles and determine the haemolysis rate (HR%). Microparticles were identified by flow cytometry combining carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) dye, annexin V and anti-glycophorin A antibody. Results: We demonstrated that CFSE can be successfully used to label closed vesicles with an intact membrane. The combination of CFSE and glycophorin A antibody was effective for monitoring and quantifying the dynamic release of microparticles from RBC during storage. Double staining with CFSE/glycophorin A was a more precise approach, increasing vesicle detection up to 4.7-fold vs the use of glycophorin A/annexin V alone. Moreover, at all the time points tested, we found a robust correlation (R=0.625; p=0.0001) between HR% and number of microparticles detected. Discussion: Multiparametric staining, based on a combination of CFSE, glycophorin A antibody and annexin V, was able to detect, characterise and monitor the release of microparticles from RBC units during storage, providing a sensitive approach to labelling and identifying microparticles for transfusion medicine and, more broadly, for cell-based therapies

Diversity of dermal fibroblasts as major determinant of variability in cell reprogramming

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are adult somatic cells genetically reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state. Notwithstanding their autologous origin and their potential to differentiate towards cells of all three germ layers, iPSC reprogramming is still affected by low efficiency. As dermal fibroblast is the most used human cell for reprogramming, we hypothesize that the variability in reprogramming is, at least partially, because of the skin fibroblasts used. Human dermal fibroblasts harvested from five different anatomical sites (neck, breast, arm, abdomen and thigh) were cultured and their morphology, proliferation, apoptotic rate, ability to migrate, expression of mesenchymal or epithelial markers, differentiation potential and production of growth factors were evaluated in vitro. Additionally, gene expression analysis was performed by real-time PCR including genes typically expressed by mesenchymal cells. Finally, fibroblasts isolated from different anatomic sites were reprogrammed to iPSCs by integration-free method. Intriguingly, while the morphology of fibroblasts derived from different anatomic sites differed only slightly, other features, known to affect cell reprogramming, varied greatly and in accordance with anatomic site of origin. Accordingly, difference also emerged in fibroblasts readiness to respond to reprogramming and ability to form colonies. Therefore, as fibroblasts derived from different anatomic sites preserve positional memory, it is of great importance to accurately evaluate and select dermal fibroblast population prior to induce reprogramming

Montane ecosystem productivity responds more to global circulation patterns than climatic trends

Ajuts: we thank the support of KIT IMK-IFU, the University of Wisconsin sabbatical leave program, and the Helmholtz Society/MICMOR fellowship program. We also thank the DWD for German weather data. Phenology data were provided by the members of the PEP725 project. We are indebted to the providers and funders of the eddy covariance flux tower observations, the FLUXNET program, and its database. The sites in Graswang, Rottenbuch and Fendt belong to the TERENO and ICOS-ecosystems networks, funded by Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung(BMBF)and the Helmholtz Association. The modeling study of SOLVEG was partially supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, no. 21120512, provided by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(JSPS). This study was financially supported by the Austrian National Science Fund(FWF) under contract P26425 to GW.Regional ecosystem productivity is highly sensitive to inter-annual climate variability, both within and outside the primary carbon uptake period. However, Earth system models lack sufficient spatial scales and ecosystem processes to resolve how these processes may change in a warming climate. Here, we show, how for the European Alps, mid-latitude Atlantic ocean winter circulation anomalies drive high-altitude summer forest and grassland productivity, through feedbacks among orographic wind circulation patterns, snowfall, winter and spring temperatures, and vegetation activity. Therefore, to understand future global climate change influence to regional ecosystem productivity, Earth systems models need to focus on improvements towards topographic downscaling of changes in regional atmospheric circulation patterns and to lagged responses in vegetation dynamics to non-growing season climate anomalies

Conserving plant diversity in Europe: outcomes, criticisms and perspectives of the Habitats Directive application in Italy

Habitat Directive is the core strategy of nature conservation in Europe aiming at halting biodiversity loss. In this study the results of the third Italian assessment regarding the conservation status (CS) of plants listed in the Habitat Directive (Flora of community interest—FCI) was presented. Data was collected from several sources related to plant distribution, population data, habitats and pressures. Following the official European procedure, all parameters were evaluated and combined to give the CS of each taxon in each biogeographical region of presence. A comparison between the recent Italian IUCN and Reporting assessments was performed in order to evaluate the consistency between these two assessments. The official EU checklist comprises 113 Italian plant taxa, 107 of which were examined in this study. Our results showed a critical situation with only 34% of favourable CS, while 50% were unfavourable (40% inadequate plus 10% bad) and 16% unknown, in particular in the Mediterranean bioregion, where the unfavourable assessments reach the 65%. The results of the Report were consistent with those of the IUCN assessment, in which 41.9% of plants were threatened with extinction. This report highlighted some benefits and criticisms at national level, but it may have a wider significance. Although a general advance of knowledge, a great effort is needed to reach the Habitats Directive goals. Despite the limited resources, monitoring activities needs to be improved in order to close information gaps for several plants. A positive outcome was the development of a specific national project funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment, with the ambitious target to set future monitoring activities for FCI and optimize monitoring efforts