Proposta di traduzione dell’albo satirico “Il Piccolo Führer” (estratti)

L’oggetto del presente elaborato è una proposta di traduzione in inglese dell'albo satirico "Il piccolo Fuhrer" degli autori Antonucci, Fabbri e Perrotta, pubblicato da Shockdom nel 2017. Il primo capitolo si concentra sulla presentazione generale dell’opera. A partire da una breve biografia degli autori per poi passare alla descrizione della trama, e infine alla definizione di genere e formato. Il secondo capitolo riguarda l’analisi del testo, partendo dalle caratteristiche linguistico-stilistiche del testo, per poi passare a una riflessione sul pubblico d’arrivo per il testo di partenza e per il testo d’arrivo. Il terzo capitolo verte invece sull’aspetto teorico e pratico della traduzione, seguito da un commento delle scelte traduttive

Strontium and iron-doped barium cobaltite prepared by solution combustion synthesis: exploring a mixed-fuel approach for tailored intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell cathode materials

Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3–δ (BSCF) powders were prepared by solution combustion synthesis using single and double fuels. The effect of the fuel mixture on the main properties of this well-known solid oxide fuel cell cathode material with high oxygen ion and electronic conduction was investigated in detail. Results showed that the fuel mixture significantly affected the area-specific resistance of the BSCF cathode materials, by controlling the oxygen deficiency and stabilizing the Co2+ oxidation state. It was demonstrated that high fuel-to-metal cations molar ratios and high reducing power of the combustion fuel mixture are mainly responsible for the decreasing of the area-specific resistance of BSCF cathode materials. Moreover, a new metastable monoclinic phase with Ba0.5Sr0.5CO3 composition was discovered in the as-burned BSCF powders, enlarging the existing information on the BSCF phase formation mechanis

Corilagin Induces High Levels of Apoptosis in the Temozolomide-Resistant T98G Glioma Cell Line

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a malignant tumor of the central nervous system, has a high mortality rate; no curativetreatment is presently available and the most commonly used chemiotherapeutic drug, the alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ), is only able to increase life expectancy and is often associated with drugresistance. Therefore, an urgent need does exist for novel drugs aimed at treating gliomas. In the present study we obtained three major results using corliagin: (a) demonstrate that it inhibits the growth of U251 glioma cells through activation of the apoptotic pathway; (b) demonstrate that it is also active on temozolomideresistant T98G glioma cells; (c) demonstrate that when used in combination with temozolomide on T98G glioma cells a higher level of pro-apototic and antiproliferative effects are observed. Our study indicates that corilagin should be investigated in more detail in order to determine if it can be developed as a potential therapeutic agent. In addition, our results suggest that corilagin could be used in combination with low dosages of other standard anticancer chemotherapeutic drugs against gliomas (such as temozolomide) with the aim of obtaining enhanced anticancer effects

Probing the bulk ionic conductivity by thin film hetero-epitaxial engineering

Highly textured thin films with small grain boundary regions can be used as model systems to directly measure the bulk conductivity of oxygen ion conducting oxides. Ionic conducting thin films and epitaxial heterostructures are also widely used to probe the effect of strain on the oxygen ion migration in oxide materials. For the purpose of these investigations a good lattice matching between the film and the substrate is required to promote the ordered film growth. Moreover, the substrate should be a good electrical insulator at high temperature to allow a reliable electrical characterization of the deposited film. Here we report the fabrication of an epitaxial heterostructure made with a double buffer layer of BaZrO3 and SrTiO3 grown on MgO substrates that fulfills both requirements. Based on such template platform, highly ordered (001) epitaxially oriented thin films of 15% Sm-doped CeO2 and 8 mol% Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 are grown. Bulk conductivities as well as activation energies are measured for both materials, confirming the success of the approach. The reported insulating template platform promises potential application also for the electrical characterization of other novel electrolyte materials that still need a thorough understanding of their ionic conductivity. © 2015 National Institute for Materials Science

Lack of efficacy of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients with concomitant hematological malignancies: An Italian retrospective study

A multicenter retrospective study was designed to assess clinical outcome of COVID-19 in patients with hematological malignancies (HM) following treatment with anti-SARS-CoV-2 convalescent plasma (CP) or standard of care therapy. To this aim, a propensity score matching was used to assess the role of non-randomized administration of CP in this high-risk cohort of patients from the Italian Hematology Alliance on COVID-19 (ITA-HEMA-COV) project, now including 2049 untreated control patients. We investigated 30- and 90-day mortality, rate of admission to intensive care unit, proportion of patients requiring mechanical ventilatory support, hospitalization time, and SARS-CoV-2 clearance in 79 CP recipients and compared results with 158 propensity score-matched controls. Results indicated a lack of efficacy of CP in the study group compared with the untreated group, thus confirming the negative results obtained from randomized studies in immunocompetent individuals with COVID-19. In conclusion, this retrospective analysis did not meet the primary and secondary end points in any category of immunocompromized patients affected by HM

UCbase & miRfunc: a database of ultraconserved sequences and microRNA function

Four hundred and eighty-one ultraconserved sequences (UCRs) longer than 200 bases were discovered in the genomes of human, mouse and rat. These are DNA sequences showing 100% identity among the three species. UCRs are frequently located at genomic regions involved in cancer, differentially expressed in human leukemias and carcinomas and in some instances regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs). Here we present UCbase & miRfunc, the first database which provides ultraconserved sequences data and shows miRNA function. Also, it links UCRs and miRNAs with the related human disorders and genomic properties. The current release contains over 2000 sequences from three species (human, mouse and rat). As a web application, UCbase & miRfunc is platform independent and it is accessible at http://microrna.osu.edu/.UCbase4

Impact of bisphenol A (BPA) on early embryo development in the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis: Effects on gene transcription.

Bisphenol A (BPA), a monomer used in plastic manufacturing, is weakly estrogenic and a potential endocrine disruptor in mammals. Although it degrades quickly, it is pseudo-persistent in the environment because of continual inputs, with reported concentrations in aquatic environments between 0.0005 and 12 \u3bcg/L. BPA represents a potential concern for aquatic ecosystems, as shown by its reproductive and developmental effects in aquatic vertebrates. In invertebrates, endocrine-related effects of BPA were observed in different species and experimental conditions, with often conflicting results, indicating that the sensitivity to this compound can vary considerably among related taxa. In the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis BPA was recently shown to affect early development at environmental concentrations. In this work, the possible effects of BPA on mussel embryos were investigated at the molecular level by evaluating transcription of 13 genes, selected on the basis of their biological functions in adult mussels. Gene expression was first evaluated in trocophorae and D-veligers (24 and 48 h post fertilization) grown in physiological conditions, in comparison with unfertilized eggs. Basal expressions showed a general up-regulation during development, with distinct transcript levels in trocophorae and D-veligers. Exposure of fertilized eggs to BPA (10 \u3bcg/L) induced a general upregulation at 24 h pf, followed by down regulation at 48 h pf. Mytilus Estrogen Receptors, serotonin receptor and genes involved in biomineralization (Carbonic Anydrase and Extrapallial Protein) were the most affected by BPA exposure. At 48 h pf, changes in gene expression were associated with irregularities in shell formation, as shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), indicating that the formation of the first shelled embryo, a key step in mussel development, represents a sensitive target for BPA. Similar results were obtained with the natural estrogen 17\u3b2-estradiol. The results demonstrate that BPA and E2 can affect Mytilus early development through dysregulation of gene transcription

Tailoring phase stability and electrical conductivity of Sr0.02La0.98Nb1–xTaxO4 for intermediate temperature fuel cell proton conducting electrolytes

Sr0.02La0.98Nb1–-xTaxO4 (SLNT, with x=0.1, 0.2, and 0.4) proton conducting oxides were synthesized by solid state reaction for application as electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells operating below 600 °C. Dense pellets were obtained after sintering at 1600 °C for 5 h achieving a larger average grain size with increasing the tantalum content. Dilatometric measurements were used to obtain the SLNT expansion coefficient as a function of tantalum content (x), and it was found that the phase transition temperature increased with increasing the tantalum content, being T=561, 634, and 802 °C for x=0.1, 0.2, and 0.4, respectively. The electrical conductivity of SLNT was measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as a function of temperature and tantalum concentration under wet (pH2O of about 0.03 atm) Ar atmosphere. At each temperature, the conductivity decreased with increasing the tantalum content, at 600 °C being 2.68×10−4, 3.14×10−5, and 5.41×10−6 Scm−1 for the x=0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 compositions, respectively. SLNT with x=0.2 shows a good compromise between proton conductivity and the requirement of avoiding detrimental phase transitions for application as a thin-film electrolyte below 600 °C