Microscopic description for the emergence of collective dissipation in extended quantum systems

Practical implementations of quantum technology are limited by unavoidable effects of decoherence and dissipation. With achieved experimental control for individual atoms and photons, more complex platforms composed by several units can be assembled enabling distinctive forms of dissipation and decoherence, in independent heat baths or collectively into a common bath, with dramatic consequences for the preservation of quantum coherence. The cross-over between these two regimes has been widely attributed in the literature to the system units being farther apart than the bath's correlation length. Starting from a microscopic model of a structured environment (a crystal) sensed by two bosonic probes, here we show the failure of such conceptual relation, and identify the exact physical mechanism underlying this cross-over, displaying a sharp contrast between dephasing and dissipative baths. Depending on the frequency of the system and, crucially, on its orientation with respect to the crystal axes, collective dissipation becomes possible for very large distances between probes, opening new avenues to deal with decoherence in phononic baths

Analisi e gestione della comunicazione: le nuove frontiere

Le difficoltà di comunicare per un’azienda di grandi dimensioni. La comunicazione di crisi, l’importanza delle fonti, la necessità di essere percepito dai giornalisti come un interlocutore credibile, affidabile e corretto. Una dialettica spesso non facile, nel rispetto del ruolo di ciascuno. Una professione bella, ma allo stesso tempo totalizzante e spesso faticosa. Negli ultimi anni una maggiore definizione e uno sviluppo del quadro normativo hanno rafforzato e delineato in maniera sempre più chiara gli obblighi delle società quotate nei confronti delle comunicazioni al mercato e agli stakeholders; dall’altro, è aumentata la consapevolezza che una buona comunicazione sia un’attività chiave dell’azienda che può essere strumento per la creazione di valore della società stessa. La legislazione vigente ha opportunamente distinto tra le attività di “comunicazione”, svolte in linea di massima dagli uffici di relazioni con il pubblico (URP) e quelle di “informazione”, assegnando queste ultime a uffici stampa retti da giornalisti. Proprio su quest’ultimo fronte, la nuova normativa ha dato impulso alla nascita di uffici espressamente dedicati alle relazioni con il mondo dei mass media, in particolare nelle amministrazioni territoriali o nei principali centri di ricerca, parchi scientifici e università italiani. Ciò vale, per esempio, per i parchi scientifici come AREA Science Park di Trieste, che, nel loro ruolo di ponte tra ricerca scientifica e mondo delle imprese, trovano nella comunicazione un fattore chiave di success

Non solo entrate: il percorso della conoscenza attraverso i conti terzi delle Università di Trieste e Udine

This paper focuses on the contract research (contratto in conto terzi), a frequent observed type of linkage between university and business but largely neglected in economic studies. The goal of the is twofold: i) to identify the characteristics of this specific “channel” of knowledge transfer (exchange); ii) to specify these relations in terms of network links between universities and external partners. In this paper we study the interactions established in terms of contract research, by the Departments of Universities of the Friuli Venezia Giulia, a northern-east Italian region. Applying Social Network Analysis to data drawn from the administrative databases of two regional Universities, significant interactions between the University Departments and the outside world are shown. Particular attention is paid to the relationships activated with firms, grouped by sector and location, in order to stress the importance of geographical proximity in facilitating university-business relationships. The results support the existence of different knowledge exchange patterns between the two Universities, strongly influenced by the relational behavior and the scientific specialization of the most “central” Departments

Pharmacological inhibition of PKCθ counteracts muscle disease in a mouse model of duchenne muscular dystrophy

Inflammation plays a considerable role in the progression of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a severe muscle disease caused by a mutation in the dystrophin gene. We previously showed that genetic ablation of Protein Kinase C θ (PKCθ) in mdx, the mouse model of DMD, improves muscle healing and regeneration, preventing massive inflammation. To establish whether pharmacological targeting of PKCθ in DMD can be proposed as a therapeutic option, in this study we treated young mdx mice with the PKCθ inhibitor Compound 20 (C20). We show that C20 treatment led to a significant reduction in muscle damage associated with reduced immune cells infiltration, reduced inflammatory pathways activation, and maintained muscle regeneration. Importantly, C20 treatment is efficient in recovering muscle performance in mdx mice, by preserving muscle integrity. Together, these results provide proof of principle that pharmacological inhibition of PKCθ in DMD can be considered an attractive strategy to modulate immune response and prevent the progression of the disease

Increased levels of interleukin-6 exacerbate the dystrophic phenotype in mdx mice

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is characterized by progressive lethal muscle degeneration and chronic inflammatory response. The mdx mouse strain has served as the animal model for human DMD. However, while DMD patients undergo extensive necrosis, the affected muscles of adult mdx mice rapidly regenerates and regains structural and functional integrity. The basis for the mild effects observed in mice compared with the lethal consequences in humans remains unknown. In this study, we provide evidence that interleukin-6 (IL-6) is causally linked to the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophy. We report that forced expression of IL-6, in the adult mdx mice, recapitulates the severe phenotypic characteristics of DMD in humans. Increased levels of IL-6 exacerbate the dystrophic muscle phenotype, sustaining inflammatory response and repeated cycles of muscle degeneration and regeneration, leading to exhaustion of satellite cells. The mdx/IL6 mouse closely approximates the human disease and more faithfully recapitulates the disease progression in humans. This study promises to significantly advance our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms that lead to DMD

ProNGF-p75NTR axis plays a proinflammatory role in inflamed joints. A novel pathogenic mechanism in chronic arthritis

To identify the role of mature nerve growth factor (mNGF), its immature form proNGF and their receptors in arthritis inflammatio