A come aborto: la “lettera scarlatta” del XXI secolo nel Giardino degli angeli

SOMMARIO: 1. Il caso - 2. La normativa di riferimento - 3. Interruzione di gravidanza e diritto alla privacy - 4. Nel nome della madre e del figlio mai nato - 5. I cimiteri dei feti - 6. Osservazioni conclusive. A for abortion: The Scarlet Letter in XXI century in the “Garden of angels”. ABSTRACT: The work analyzes in a juridical key the story of the burial of an abortive product, in the "garden of the angels" (Flaminio cemetery in Rome). The burial, which took place without the mother's consent, is marked by a cross with the woman's personal data. This circumstance raises several critical profiles, examined in the article, regarding the right to privacy, the right to self-determination and freedom of conscience

Gli atei sono una minoranza religiosa? La condizione giuridica dell’ateismo in Italia e in alcuni Paesi dell’Unione europea

SOMMARIO: 1. Teismo/ateismo: l’eredità storica di una presunta dicotomia - 2. La polifonia “in crescendo” del nuovo panorama religioso - 3. Confessione religiosa, esser(lo) o non esser(lo): questo è il dilemma - 4. Associazioni ateiste: minoranze religiose escluse? Osservazioni conclusive. Are atheists a religious minority? The legal status of atheism in Italy and in some countries of the European Union. ABSTRACT: “Religion” and “confession” are terms without an established definition in sociology and the legal sciences. The absence of a definition allows us to consider the religious phenomenon in its complexity, including both belief and unbelief. The analysis tries to understand if a common legal discipline is possible for theistic and non-theistic phenomenon. The analysis focuses on the legal status of non-believers minority in Italy and in some countries of the European Union

La tutela dell'ateismo in Italia. Elementi comparativi con i sistemi giuridici di alcuni Paesi Europei

The Legal Protection of Atheism in Italy. Comparative elements with the Legal Systems of some European Countries. From the very beginning of the Constituent Assembly, the protection of Atheism has assumed ambiguous profiles. Protection of non-believers, freedom of conscience and Principle of Secularism don’t have an explicit reference in our Constitution. As a consequence of this, the jurisprudence practice had to face many criticisms which led to a heated doctrinal debate, still alive today. A substantial deficit in the legal protection of non-believers can be found through the study of historical legal cases, the analysis of some of the current practical problems of freedom in religion and beliefs and the comparison between Italian law and European Legal Systems. This doctoral dissertation, transposing all the evolutionary inputs from European and international law, is not only theoretical but it also proposes hypotheses of operational strategies in order to make Italian Legal System more responsive to the effective implementation of the Supreme Principle of Secularism

Brevi considerazioni a margine della proposta di legge n. 387 del 2018 “Disposizioni concernenti l’esposizione del Crocifisso nelle scuole e nelle pubbliche amministrazioni”

SOMMARIO: 1. Premessa − 2. Quadro normativo di riferimento ­− 3. Sulla valenza culturale del crocifisso − 4. Laicità, imparzialità, neutralità dei luoghi pubblici - 5. La rimozione dei crocifissi: una condotta da sanzionare? - 6. Osservazioni conclusive. Draft law n. 387/18, “Provisions concerning the crucifix exhibition in schools and public administrations”: brief reflections. ABSTRACT: The draft law n. 387 of March 26, 2018, (obligation to expose the Crucifix in schools and public administrations), is part of a complex legal-constitutional context of relations between state and religious phenomenon, characterized by multiple unresolved issues and problematic profiles. The law refers to the theory of cultural and identity value of the symbol, sustained with continuity by the administrative jurisprudence in disputes concerning the regulations governing the exposure of the crucifix. The questionability of this hermeneutical perspective, largely outdated, is clear and evident if we consider the most current judgments on the subject. The most critical issues of the current proposal will be examined

Human Factors in Software Development Processes: Measuring System Quality

Software Engineering and Human-Computer Interaction look at the development process from different perspectives. They apparently use very different approaches, are inspired by different principles and address different needs. But, they definitively have the same goal: develop high quality software in the most effective way. The second edition of the workshop puts particular attention on efforts of the two communities in enhancing system quality. The research question discussed is: who, what, where, when, why, and how should we evaluate?

MEASURING REGULARITY OF FINE UPPER LIMB MOVEMENTS WITH A HAPTIC PLATFORM FOR MOTOR LEARNING AND REHABILITATION

Robot-assisted systems for arm training are being increasingly used to target moderate-to-severe upper limb impairments in rehabilitation facilities, while hand fine motor skills are seldom being targeted by these machines. This manuscript describes and tests the feasibility of a system based on a haptic interface aimed to complement the efficacy of robotic training in the rehabilitation and motor learning associated with upper extremities movements. End-effector kinematics associated with different trajectory tasks performed by 11 healthy adults were used to extract measures of smoothness, under different testing conditions that included the presence or absence of visual and haptic feedback, the use of dominant vs. non dominant hand, different shapes (crosses and circles), and the verse with which movements were done. The normalized mean square jerk, extracted from the system together with specific speed parameters, was able to capture differences in regularity between the different shapes (MSJratio significantly higher when drawing crosses, p < 1.0 E-4), and that haptic feedback significantly influences this smoothness measure (MSJratio significantly higher when haptic feedback is present, p < 5.0 E-4). The proposed system may be used as a means to monitor the progress of movement regularity in robot-mediated therapy, and the results obtained experimentally highlight the influence of haptic feedback on the smoothness of finalized upper extremity fine movements

MEASURING REGULARITY OF FINE UPPER LIMB MOVEMENTS WITH A HAPTIC PLATFORM FOR MOTOR LEARNING AND REHABILITATION

Robot-assisted systems for arm training are being increasingly used to target moderate-to-severe upper limb impairments in rehabilitation facilities, while hand fine motor skills are seldom being targeted by these machines. This manuscript describes and tests the feasibility of a system based on a haptic interface aimed to complement the efficacy of robotic training in the rehabilitation and motor learning associated with upper extremities movements. End-effector kinematics associated with different trajectory tasks performed by 11 healthy adults were used to extract measures of smoothness, under different testing conditions that included the presence or absence of visual and haptic feedback, the use of dominant vs. non dominant hand, different shapes (crosses and circles), and the verse with which movements were done. The normalized mean square jerk, extracted from the system together with specific speed parameters, was able to capture differences in regularity between the different shapes (MSJratio significantly higher when drawing crosses, p < 1.0 E-4), and that haptic feedback significantly influences this smoothness measure (MSJratio significantly higher when haptic feedback is present, p < 5.0 E-4). The proposed system may be used as a means to monitor the progress of movement regularity in robot-mediated therapy, and the results obtained experimentally highlight the influence of haptic feedback on the smoothness of finalized upper extremity fine movements

HMGA1 positively regulates the microtubule-destabilizing protein stathmin promoting motility in TNBC cells and decreasing tumour sensitivity to paclitaxel

High Mobility Group A1 (HMGA1) is an architectural chromatin factor involved in the regulation of gene expression and a master regulator in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). In TNBC, HMGA1 is overexpressed and coordinates a gene network that controls cellular processes involved in tumour development, progression, and metastasis formation. Here, we find that the expression of HMGA1 and of the microtubule-destabilizing protein stathmin correlates in breast cancer (BC) patients. We demonstrate that HMGA1 depletion leads to a downregulation of stathmin expression and activity on microtubules resulting in decreased TNBC cell motility. We show that this pathway is mediated by the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(kip1) (p27). Indeed, the silencing of HMGA1 expression in TNBC cells results both in an increased p27 protein stability and p27-stathmin binding. When the expression of both HMGA1 and p27 is silenced, we observe a significant rescue in cell motility. These data, obtained in cellular models, were validated in BC patients. In fact, we find that patients with high levels of both HMGA1 and stathmin and low levels of p27 have a statistically significant lower survival probability in terms of relapse-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) with respect to the patient group with low HMGA1, low stathmin, and high p27 expression levels. Finally, we show in an in vivo xenograft model that depletion of HMGA1 chemo-sensitizes tumour cells to paclitaxel, a drug that is commonly used in TNBC treatments. This study unveils a new interaction among HMGA1, p27, and stathmin that is critical in BC cell migration. Moreover, our data suggest that taxol-based treatments may be more effective in reducing the tumour burden when tumour cells express low levels of HMGA1

Managing of Migraine in the Workplaces: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Italian Occupational Physicians

Background and Objectives: Migraine is a debilitating disorder, whose incidence peak in the age group of 30-39 years overlaps with the peak of employment years, potentially representing a significant issue for occupational physicians (OP). The present study was performed in order to characterize their knowledge, attitudes and practices on migraine in the workplaces. Materials and Methods: A convenience sample of 242 Italian OP (mean age 47.8 +/- 8.8 years, males 67.4%) participated in an internet-based survey by completing a structured questionnaire. Results: Adequate general knowledge of migraine was found in the majority of participants. Migraine was identified as a common and severe disorder by the majority of respondents (54.0% and 60.0%). Overall, 61.2% of participants acknowledged migraine as difficult to manage in the workplace, a status that made it more likely for OP understanding its potential frequency (Odds Ratio [OR] 3.672, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.526-8.831), or reported previous managing of complicated cases requiring conditional fitness to work judgement (OR 4.761, 95%CI 1.781-2.726). Moreover, professionals with a qualification in occupational medicine (OR 20.326, 95%CI 2.642-156.358), acknowledging the difficult managing of migraine in the workplaces (OR 2.715, 95%CI 1.034-7.128) and having received any request of medical surveillance for migraine (OR 22.878, 95%CI 4.816-108.683), were more likely to recommend specific requirements for migraineur workers. Conclusions: Migraine was recognized as a common disorder, but also as a challenging clinical problem for OP. Participating OP exhibited a substantial understanding of migraine and its triggers, but residual false beliefs and common misunderstanding may impair the proper management of this disorder, requiring improved and specifically targeted interventions