ARPI e Linee di indirizzo dell’Università di Pisa sull’accesso aperto. Un lungo percorso appena iniziato

Il percorso dell'Università di Pisa sul tema dell'Open Access. A oltre dieci anni dall'adesione alla Dichiarazione di Berlino: azioni, reazioni, percezioni. Cosa è cambiato e quali i possibili sviluppi

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

3D bioprinting and Rigenera® micrografting technology: A possible countermeasure for wound healing in spaceflight

Plant and animal life forms have progressively developed mechanisms for perceiving and responding to gravity on Earth, where homeostatic mechanisms require feedback. Lack of gravity, as in the International Space Station (ISS), induces acute intra-generational changes in the quality of life. These include reduced bone calcium levels and muscle tone, provoking skin deterioration. All these problems reduce the work efficiency and quality of life of humans not only during exposure to microgravity (mu G) but also after returning to Earth. This article discusses forthcoming experiments required under gravity and mu G conditions to ensure effective and successful medical treatments for astronauts during long-term space missions, where healthcare is difficult and not guaranteed

O tratamento do câncer infantojuvenil: desvelando as vivências dos pais

OBJECTIVE: to understand the experiences of parents of children and adolescents with cancer undergoing treatment. METHOD: qualitative research, based on Heidegger's existential phenomenology, in which 13 parents of eight patients under 19 years of age, assisted by a charity association, were interviewed. RESULTS: three topics resulted from the analysis: "Experiencing the unpleasantness of the treatment"; "Fearing the possibility of a frightening situation" and "Experiencing the carelessness of another person". It was showed that during and after the treatment, the parents experience the fear of the unknown and the uncertainty of the future of their children, especially as they witness the death of other children; they also experience the indifference of professionals working in the local healthcare units and feel helpless and insecure. CONCLUSION: It is essential that the healthcare professionals, particularly the nurses, reflect about their care actions focused on the parents of children with cancer, recognizing their existential needs with the purpose of assisting them in their situation.OBJETIVO: comprender las experiencias de padres/madres de niños y adolescentes con cáncer, en tratamiento. MÉTODO: investigación cualitativa, basada en la fenomenología existencial de Heidegger, siendo entrevistados 13 padres de ocho pacientes, menores de 19 años, asistidos por una asociación de beneficencia. RESULTADOS: del análisis surgieron tres temáticas: "Experimentando los problemas del tratamiento"; "Temiendo la posibilidad de asustarse" y "Experimentando el descuido del otro". Evidenciamos que durante y después del tratamiento los padres experimentaban el miedo a lo desconocido y la incertidumbre del porvenir de sus hijos, especialmente al observar la muerte de otros niños; también, experimentan la indiferencia de los profesionales de los servicios de salud local, así sintiéndose desamparados e inseguros. CONCLUSIÓN: consideramos indispensable que los profesionales del área de la salud, con destaque para los de enfermería, reflexionen sobre sus acciones de cuidados orientadas a los padres de hijos con cáncer, reconociendo sus necesidades existenciales y objetivando auxiliarlos en su facticidad.OBJETIVO: compreender as vivências de pais/mães de crianças e adolescentes com câncer, em tratamento. MÉTODO: pesquisa qualitativa, baseada na fenomenologia existencial heideggeriana, sendo entrevistados 13 pais de oito pacientes, menores de 19 anos, assistidos por uma associação beneficente. RESULTADOS: da análise emergiram três temáticas: "vivenciando os dissabores do tratamento", "temendo a possibilidade do amedrontador" e "experienciando o descuido do outro". Evidencia-se que, durante e após o tratamento, os pais vivenciam o medo do desconhecido e a incerteza do porvir de seus filhos, especialmente ao testemunharem a morte de outras crianças; experienciam também a indiferença de profissionais dos serviços de saúde local, sentindo-se desamparados e inseguros. CONCLUSÃO: considera-se indispensável que os profissionais da área da saúde, com destaque para os de enfermagem, reflitam sobre suas ações de cuidados voltadas aos pais de filhos com câncer, reconhecendo suas necessidades existenciais, visando auxiliá-los em sua facticidade

Artificial Neural Network Detects Hip Muscle Forces as Determinant for Harmonic Walking in People after Stroke

Many recent studies have highlighted that the harmony of physiological walking is based on a specific proportion between the durations of the phases of the gait cycle. When this proportion is close to the so-called golden ratio (about 1.618), the gait cycle assumes an autosimilar fractal structure. In stroke patients this harmony is altered, but it is unclear which factor is associated with the ratios between gait phases because these relationships are probably not linear. We used an artificial neural network to determine the weights associable to each factor for determining the ratio between gait phases and hence the harmony of walking. As expected, the gait ratio obtained as the ratio between stride duration and stance duration was found to be associated with walking speed and stride length, but also with hip muscle forces. These muscles could be important for exploiting the recovery of energy typical of the pendular mechanism of walking. Our study also highlighted that the results of an artificial neural network should be associated with a reliability analysis, being a non-deterministic approach. A good level of reliability was found for the findings of our study

Lo scambio della conoscenza attraverso il canale della ricerca a contratto: un’analisi dei “conto terzi” delle Università di Trieste e Udine

3nonenoneBenedetti G.; De Stefano D.; Salera A.Benedetti, MARIA GABRIELLA; DE STEFANO, Domenico; Salera, Antoni

NMR Structure and CD Titration with Metal Cations of Human Prion α2-Helix-Related Peptides

The 173–195 segment corresponding to the helix 2 of the C-globular prion protein domain could be one of several “spots” of intrinsic conformational flexibility. In fact, it possesses chameleon conformational behaviour and gathers several disease-associated point mutations. We have performed spectroscopic studies on the wild-type fragment 173–195 and on its D178N mutant dissolved in trifluoroethanol to mimic the in vivo system, both in the presence and in the absence of metal cations. NMR data showed that the structure of the D178N mutant is characterized by two short helices separated by a kink, whereas the wild-type peptide is fully helical. Both peptides retained these structural organizations, as monitored by CD, in the presence of metal cations. NMR spectra were however not in favour of the formation of definite ion-peptide complexes. This agrees with previous evidence that other regions of the prion protein are likely the natural target of metal cation binding

c-Myc Sustains Pancreatic Cancer Cell Survival and mutp53 Stability through the Mevalonate Pathway

It has been shown that wild-type (wt)p53 inhibits oncogene c-Myc while mutant (mut)p53 may transactivate it, with an opposite behavior that frequently occurs in the crosstalk of wt or mutp53 with molecules/pathways promoting carcinogenesis. Even if it has been reported that mutp53 sustains c-Myc, whether c-Myc could in turn influence mutp53 expression remains to be investigated. In this study, we found that pharmacological or genetic inhibition of c-Myc downregulated mutp53, impaired cell survival and increased DNA damage in pancreatic cancer cells. At the molecular level, we observed that c-Myc inhibition reduced the expression of mevalonate kinase (MVK), a molecule belonging to the mevalonate pathway that-according to previous findings-can control mutp53 stability, and thus contributes to cancer cell survival. In conclusion, this study unveils another criminal alliance between oncogenes, such as c-Myc and mutp53, that plays a key role in oncogenesis

Structural determinants of unexpected agonist activity in a retro‐peptide analogue of the SDF‐1α N‐terminus

We have synthesised two retro‐peptide analogues of the stromal cell derived growth factor 1 (SDF‐1α) segment known to be critical for CXCR4 receptor binding, corresponding to the sequences HSEFFRCPCRFFESH and HSEFFRGGGRFFESH. We have assayed the ability of these peptides to activate extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation in cells over expressing the SDF‐1α receptor, finding that the first variant was able to serve as an agonist of CXCR4, whereas the second one was inactive. Finally, by comparing representative solution structures of the two peptides, we have found that the biological response of HSEFFRCPCRFFESH may be ascribed to a β‐β‐type turn motif centred on Phe4–Phe5