Silver Saddles: An Equestrian Intervention for Older Adults with Dementia

Educational Objectives 1. Demonstrate the encouraging outcomes therapeutic horseback riding programs can have for older adults with memory loss. 2. Describe the importance of trained volunteers and staff at both the riding center and the long-term care community for aiding older adults with memory loss during the therapeutic riding program. 3. Showcase the research process and pilot results. 4. Highlight lessons learned and future directions for Silver Saddles

Who Is Buying Electric Cars in California? Exploring Household and Vehicle Fleet Characteristics of New Plug-In Vehicle Owners

For many years researchers have been trying to predict who would purchase electric vehicles such as plug-in hybrids (PHEV) or battery electric vehicles (BEV). This study explores the characteristics of 1,200 households who actually purchased a new plug-in vehicle in California during 2011-2012. These households are not part of a small scale demonstration project or a limited study, rather part of the new developing market for plug-in vehicles. Most of the owners purchased the Nissan LEAF, a BEV, while small portion of the sample purchased a Chevrolet Volt, a PHEV, or a Tesla roadster, also a BEV. We use the 2009 National household Travel Survey to compare the new plug-in car buyer’s characteristics to the general population and new car buyers in California. We focus on socio-demographic, vehicle fleet characteristics, regional and location factors, and purchasing motivations factors. The result of this study can be used to improve the modeling process of the potential demand for plug-in vehicles and the derived demand for charging and to help in evaluating the impact of policies to increase the demand for these vehicles

Uso de microfluorescencia de rayos X y otras técnicas nucleares no destructivas para el estudio de joyas y metales arqueológicos

Hoy en día, el estudio de objetos antiguos de metal incluye el análisis por medio de métodos físico-químicos no destructivos desarrollados en las décadas pasadas. Uno de los parámetros más importantes que deben conocerse de una muestra es su composición química, ya que esta información contribuye significativamente a la determinación de varias suposiciones y a la respuesta de muchas preguntas que surgen mientras se estudia un objeto de gran valor histórico. La fluorescencia de rayos X es una técnica bien conocida y muy empleada en el análisis elemental de objetos antiguos de metal y el nuevo desarrollo del microhaz focalizado de rayos X descrito en este texto incrementa su adecuación para el estudio de técnicas antiguas de fabricación y decoración. Esta técnica de análisis superficial se complementa con la técnica de transmisión de rayos gamma, que ha sido utilizada para la estimación de la composición en el interior de monedas de plata-cobre y objetos realizados en otras aleaciones del cobre. Describimos también el sistema de microfluorescencia confocal portátil desarrollado por nuestro Grupo para la obtención de perfiles en profundidad de forma no destructiva.The study of ancient metal artefacts includes nowadays the non-destructive analysis by means of chemical-physical methods developed in the past decades. One of the most important parameters to be known from a sample is its chemical composition, as this information significantly contributes to the determination of several assumptions and to the response of many questions arisen from the study of a valuable heritage object. X-ray fluorescence is a well-known technique very much employed for the elemental analysis of ancient metal artefacts and the new implementation of a microfocused X-ray beam described in this text increases its applicability for the study of manufacture and decorative ancient techniques. This surface analytical method is complemented with the Gamma Ray Transmission technique, which has been employed in the bulk composition estimation of silver-copper coins and other copper based alloy samples. We also describe a portable confocal microfluorescence system developed by our Group to obtain non-destructive depth profiles.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España) HAR2012-33002Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España) HAR2015-67113-PJunta de Andalucía P09-HUM454

A decomposition method for the analysis of general manufacturing systems

DOTTORATONel panorama in rapida evoluzione dell'industria manifatturiera, vi è una crescente domanda di metodi rapidi e affidabili per valutare le prestazioni dei sistemi di produzione. Questi metodi giocano un ruolo critico sia in fase di configurazione che nella vita operativa dei sistemi manifatturieri, facilitando la valutazione di possibili azioni di miglioramento e aiutando nella selezione di strategie ottimali. Per rispondere a questa esigenza, questo lavoro presenta un nuovo metodo analitico approssimativo per la valutazione delle prestazioni di sistemi produttivi generici. Il metodo proposto si basa su un approccio di scomposizione a due livelli, che scompone efficacemente il sistema originale in sottosistemi più piccoli, che possono essere risolti analiticamente. I due livelli dell'approccio di scomposizione sono il livello delle macchine e quello dei buffer, che modellano rispettivamente il flusso di materiale in ogni macchina e buffer del sistema. Questa tecnica di scomposizione fornisce una struttura generale, consentendo la sua applicazione a sistemi di produzione con specifici layout, flussi di materiale e politiche di controllo. Per validare l'accuratezza e la versatilità del metodo proposto, tre diversi sistemi di produzione sono stati sottoposti ad analisi. Il primo è un sistema a ciclo chiuso, dove il raggiungimento della conservazione del flusso di materiale all'interno del sistema è stato un risultato degno di nota, senza precedenti nella letteratura esistente sui metodi analitici per cicli chiusi. Il secondo sistema analizzato è un sistema multi-prodotto che con politica di controllo PHP, mentre il terzo è un sistema a due stadi con flusso rientrante delle parti per una doppia lavorazione. La valutazione positiva di questi diversi sistemi ha dimostrato l'efficacia e la generalità dell'approccio analitico proposto.In the rapidly evolving landscape of the manufacturing industry, there is a growing demand for fast and reliable methods to evaluate the performance of manufacturing systems. These methods play a critical role in both the configuration phase and the operative life of manufacturing systems, facilitating the assessment of potential improvement actions and aiding in the selection of optimal strategies. To address this need, this work presents a novel approximate analytical method for performance evaluation of general manufacturing systems. The proposed method is based on a two-level decomposition approach, effectively breaking down the original system into smaller subsystems, which can be analytically solved. The two levels of the decomposition approach are the machine and buffer levels, which respectively model the material flow in each machine and buffer of the system. This decomposition technique provides a general structure, enabling its application to manufacturing systems with specific layouts, material flows, and control policies. To validate the accuracy and versatility of the proposed method, three different manufacturing systems were subjected to analysis. The first was a closed-loop system, where the achievement of material flow conservation within the system was a noteworthy result, unprecedented in existing literature of analytical methods for closed-loops. The second system examined was a multi-product system employing the PHP control policy, while the third was a two-stage system featuring re-entrant flow of parts for double processing. The successful evaluation of these diverse systems showcased the effectiveness and generality of the proposed analytical approach.DIPARTIMENTO DI MECCANICAEngineering Design and Manufacturing for the Industry of the Future34BRUNI, STEFANOBERNASCONI, ANDRE

Impact of sequence variation in the ul128 locus on production of human cytomegalovirus in fibroblast and epithelial cells

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) virion envelope contains a complex consisting of glycoproteins gH and gL plus proteins encoded by the UL128 locus (UL128L): pUL128, pUL130, and pUL131A. UL128L is necessary for efficient infection of myeloid, epithelial, and endothelial cells but limits replication in fibroblasts. Consequently, disrupting mutations in UL128L are rapidly selected when clinical isolates are cultured in fibroblasts. In contrast, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-cloned strains TB40-BAC4, FIX, and TR do not contain overt disruptions in UL128L, yet no virus reconstituted from them has been reported to acquire mutations in UL128L in vitro. We performed BAC mutagenesis and reconstitution experiments to test the hypothesis that these strains contain subtle mutations in UL128L that were acquired during passage prior to BAC cloning. Compared to strain Merlin containing wild-type UL128L, all three strains produced higher yields of cell-free virus. Moreover, TB40-BAC4 and FIX spread cell to cell more rapidly than wild-type Merlin in fibroblasts but more slowly in epithelial cells. The differential growth properties of TB40-BAC4 and FIX (but not TR) were mapped to single-nucleotide substitutions in UL128L. The substitution in TB40-BAC4 reduced the splicing efficiency of UL128, and that in FIX resulted in an amino acid substitution in UL130. Introduction of these substitutions into Merlin dramatically increased yields of cell-free virus and increased cell-to-cell spread in fibroblasts but reduced the abundance of pUL128 in the virion and the efficiency of epithelial cell infection. These substitutions appear to represent mutations in UL128L that permit virus to be propagated in fibroblasts while retaining epithelial cell tropism

Methodological Approach to Reconstructing Lost Monuments from Archaeological Findings: The San Francesco di Castelletto Church in Genoa

Throughout history, natural hazards, wars, political changes and urban evolution have contributed to the obliteration of outstanding monuments. The study of their remains, frequently recovered as archaeological findings, can be the basis for a reconstruction of the lost structures, by way of their size, function, decoration and stylistic evolution. The present study developed a multidisciplinary approach to gather and interpret archaeological fragments and archive sources, in order to gain as much information as possible on \u201clost monuments\u201d. The approach was tested with remnants (i.e., several hundreds of marble fragments found during archaeological excavations) of the monastic complex of San Francesco di Castelletto (Genoa), which was demolished after the Napoleonic suppressions. A preliminary organisation of the sample set was attained through cataloguing shape, size, and decoration. After this, a comparison with similar complexes still existing in Genoa allowed the inference of the age and specific ornamental functions for the majority of the pieces. Surface analysis, carried out in situ (portable microscope) and on micro-samples (petrographic analysis and SEM-EDS), allowed the characterisation of the materials (e.g., assessing marble provenance and identifying pigments). As a whole, the method evolved into an operational protocol, which helped both the organisation of the archaeological findings and the reconstruction of unknown phases of the lost monument

Nuevo sistema portátil de micro-fluorescencia de rayos X basado en óptica de policapilares para aplicaciones en Patrimonio Cultural

Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España) HAR2009-07449Junta de Andalucía P09-HUM454

Paint Relics on Middle Age Building Stones as Proxies of Commercial Routes and Artistic Exchanges: A Multi-Analytical Investigation

Fifty-four pieces out of 356 marble pieces deriving from the decorative and architectonic apparatus of the medieval monastic complex of S. Francesco of Castelletto (Genoa, Italy) preserve traces of varicolored paint layers. Microscopic samples of green, blue, red, pink, white, and yellow paint relics were collected by scalpel and analyzed by means of Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), \u3bc-Raman, and Fourier Transform Infra- Red Spectroscopy with Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-ATR), to characterize pigments and binders. The combined results from the different techniques allowed verification that stone decoration in Genoa during the Middle Ages encompassed a calcite groundwork and the use of a mixture of oils and proteins (probably egg) to apply pigments. The assemblage of impurities within the pigment has been correlated with the provenance sites along the commercial continental (Hungary and France) and maritime (Sardinia, Cyprus, or Veneto) routes between the 13th and 15th centuries. Moreover, the investigation of the painted layer improved the characterization of the decorative techniques in use in Genoa during the Middle Ages

Caracterización no-destructiva de joyas arqueológicas de oro mediante micro fluorescencia de rayos X.

Falta resumen y palabras clave

Age-Related Differences in Inhibitory Function: Investigation of Simon and Flanker Conflicts in Erps

It is unclear whether or not older adults experience more difficulty managing cognitive conflict by inhibiting distracting stimuli and/or ignoring irrelevant information than younger adults. A common procedure used to measure inhibitory function is through the use of congruent and incongruent stimuli. Specifically, past literature that used tasks like the Simon and flanker have found differing effects on reaction times and various event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes and latencies, suggesting that either inhibitory function is a unitary mechanism or multifaceted. Moreover, research exhibits uncertainty for whether or not age influences deficits to inhibitory function. Another way to measure inhibitory deficits with these two tasks is through the use and measurements of conflict adaptation. Previous literature that have used such tasks support the notion that higher-conflict trials that precede lower-conflict trials result in smaller congruency effects, or what is known as conflict adaptation. While conflict processing has been associated with activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, it is typically considered a measure of the lateral prefrontal cortex and cognitive control. To date, no study has investigated age-related conflict processing and conflict adaptation effects between the Simon and Flanker tasks simultaneously. Therefore, the present study utilized an original combined Simon and flanker task to measure age-related inhibitory differences by measuring reaction time, accuracy, and various ERP (P1, N1, N2, P3) amplitudes to determine if older adults experience inhibitory deficits during the Simon and flanker tasks and whether inhibitory function is a unitary mechanism. Results of the present study indicate that older adults experience greater inhibitory deficits during cognitive conflict as compared to younger adults. Additionally, it was found that the combination of Simon and flanker effects significantly modulated inhibitory deficits for both age groups, but especially for older adults, as seen through both behavioral and electrophysiological means. Specifically, such deficits were most prominent during later processing (i.e. N2 and P3) as compared to early processing. Therefore, the study provides support for age-related changes in inhibitory function and conclude that inhibitory function is comprised of a unitary mechanism. Although these findings deem promising, future research should be conducted to provide conclusive evidence. Regardless, these findings are an important step towards better understanding how inhibitory function manifests and how older adults experience inhibitory deficits. Further, these results provide an initial framework into the identification and understanding of age-related changes during the normal aging process for the field of cognitive neuroscience