Plunging into the wave’s ebb: Sufi words, biographies of humanity

Inherent in the meaning which the word ‘identity’ bears in Arabic (huwiyya) is a perception of the human self as an ideal place for both stability and change, both sense of belonging and openness to diversity. Such a dichotomy represents a potentially unique source of intercultural dialogue, when it contributes to shaping ‘identities in motion’, stirred by an unyielding desire for self realization and knowledge. Nevertheless, individual and communal selves develop within the framework of distinctive cultures, moulding their path to identity into collectively shared discourses and representations. In this perspective, the paper aims at highlighting the connection between classical Sufism, generally interpreted as Islamic mysticism, and the concept of identity, looking at how the latter relates to the Islamic spiritual tradition as handed down in the works of some representative medieval Sufis. Furthermore, by dealing with issues ranging from the use of language to themes of love and knowledge, this work intends to emphasize the role of the spiritual dimension as the base for those universal values which are at the core of multicultural societies, and to illustrate how the process of acquiring personal inward awareness can improve intrapersonal relationships while spurring an active participation in social life.

Multidimensional spectral analysis of the ultrasonic radiofrequency signal for characterization of media

AbstractThe importance of the analysis of the radiofrequency signal is by now recognized in the field of tissue characterization via ultrasound. The RF signal contains a wealth of information and structural details that are usually lost in the B-Mode representation. The HyperSPACE (Hyper SPectral Analysis for Characterization in Echography) algorithm presented by the authors in previous papers for clinical applications is based on the radiofrequency ultrasonic signal. The present work describes the method in detail and evaluates its performance in a repeatable and standardized manner, by using two test objects: a commercial test object that simulates the human parenchyma, and a laboratory-made test object consisting of human blood at different dilution values. In particular, the sensitivity and specificity in discriminating different density levels were estimated. In addition, the robustness of the algorithm with respect to the signal-to-noise ratio was also evaluated

NYMPHE Experience - managing data in Horizon project

La presentazione illustra la strategia di Gestione dei dati della Ricerca adottata all'interno del progetto europeo Nymph

Subset Wavelet Trees

Given an alphabet Σ of σ = |Σ| symbols, a degenerate (or indeterminate) string X is a sequence X = X[0],X[1]…, X[n-1] of n subsets of Σ. Since their introduction in the mid 70s, degenerate strings have been widely studied, with applications driven by their being a natural model for sequences in which there is a degree of uncertainty about the precise symbol at a given position, such as those arising in genomics and proteomics. In this paper we introduce a new data structural tool for degenerate strings, called the subset wavelet tree (SubsetWT). A SubsetWT supports two basic operations on degenerate strings: subset-rank(i,c), which returns the number of subsets up to the i-th subset in the degenerate string that contain the symbol c; and subset-select(i,c), which returns the index in the degenerate string of the i-th subset that contains symbol c. These queries are analogs of rank and select queries that have been widely studied for ordinary strings. Via experiments in a real genomics application in which degenerate strings are fundamental, we show that subset wavelet trees are practical data structures, and in particular offer an attractive space-time tradeoff. Along the way we investigate data structures for supporting (normal) rank queries on base-4 and base-3 sequences, which may be of independent interest. Our C++ implementations of the data structures are available at https://github.com/jnalanko/SubsetWT.Peer reviewe

Spectral Analysis of Ultrasonic and Photo Acoustic Signals Generated by a Prototypal Fiber Microprobe for Media Characterization

AbstractCombination of photoacoustics and ultrasound can provide complemental features and mutual benefits, useful for a complete tissue characterization and consequently for early diagnosis or therapy monitoring. Furthermore, minimally invasive techniques are required both to reach organs or tissue not accessible and to reduce patient discomfort and costs. This work has tested a prototypal microprobe for media characterization analysing their optical and mechanical features. Two different transmitters compose the miniaturized probe: one for large bandwidth ultrasonic signals generation and one for guiding the laser light into tissue to photogenerate ultrasound. The aim is to evaluate the possibility of employing in the future this new type of microprobe to characterize internal tissue, combining ultrasound and photoacoustic investigations. A calibrated commercial hydrophone has been used to detect generated signals, with the aim to provide repeatable and reliable results. Dedicated test objects have been realized by using solutions of corn starch flour and of Chinese ink with different and calibrated dilutions. The spectral algorithm HyperSPACE (Hyper SPectral Analysis for Characterization in Echography), applied on ultrasonic and photoacoustic signals has allowed differentiating scatterers' concentration and distribution

Esperienze urbane. Spazi pubblici e citt\ue0 contemporanea

Come un modulo formativo, sviluppato nell\u2019ambito dei percorsi in continuit\ue0 e alternanza scuola-universit\ue0, pu\uf2 offrire l\u2019opportunit\ue0 per sperimentare nuovi modi per costruire e trasmettere conoscenze sulla citt\ue0 e sul suo progetto? \uc8 questa la domanda che ha guidato le autrici nell'organizzazione di un processo di esplorazione e progetto degli spazi pubblici in un quartiere di edilizia pubblica di Trieste. Un processo di apprendimento fondato sul fare esperienza dello e nello spazio urbano, mettendo in campo diversi sguardi e competenze (dell'etnografo, dell'urbanista, dell'artista), e utilizzando categorie di lettura percettiva. Un percorso formativo e di riflessione che ha portato a interrogarsi su significati, forme e possibilit\ue0 di riqualificazione degli spazi aperti pubblici, ma anche sul ruolo che l'Universit\ue0 pu\uf2 rivestire nel promuovere una rinnovata consapevolezza dei valori spaziali della citt\ue0 e sulla necessit\ue0 di contribuire a supportare forme di cittadinanza pi\uf9 attiva

High taxonomic level fingerprint of the human intestinal microbiota by Ligase Detection Reaction - Universal Array approach

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Affecting the core functional microbiome, peculiar high level taxonomic unbalances of the human intestinal microbiota have been recently associated with specific diseases, such as obesity, inflammatory bowel diseases, and intestinal inflammation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In order to specifically monitor microbiota unbalances that impact human physiology, here we develop and validate an original DNA-microarray (HTF-Microbi.Array) for the high taxonomic level fingerprint of the human intestinal microbiota. Based on the Ligase Detection Reaction-Universal Array (LDR-UA) approach, the HTF-Microbi.Array enables specific detection and approximate relative quantification of 16S rRNAs from 30 phylogenetically related groups of the human intestinal microbiota. The HTF-Microbi.Array was used in a pilot study of the faecal microbiota of eight young adults. Cluster analysis revealed the good reproducibility of the high level taxonomic microbiota fingerprint obtained for each of the subject.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The HTF-Microbi.Array is a fast and sensitive tool for the high taxonomic level fingerprint of the human intestinal microbiota in terms of presence/absence of the principal groups. Moreover, analysis of the relative fluorescence intensity for each probe pair of our LDR-UA platform can provide estimation of the relative abundance of the microbial target groups within each samples. Focusing the phylogenetic resolution at division, order and cluster levels, the HTF-Microbi.Array is blind with respect to the inter-individual variability at the species level.</p

Tissue-scale microbiota of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and its relationship with the environment

Abstract In this study, we characterize the structural variation of the microbiota of Mytilus galloprovincialis at the tissue scale, also exploring the connection with the microbial ecosystem of the surrounding water. Mussels were sampled within a farm located in the North-Western Adriatic Sea and microbiota composition was analyzed in gills, hemolymph, digestive glands, stomach and foot by Next Generation Sequencing marker gene approach. Mussels showed a distinctive microbiota structure, with specific declinations at the tissue level. Indeed, each tissue is characterized by a distinct pattern of dominant families, reflecting a peculiar adaptation to the respective tissue niche. For instance, the microbiota of the digestive gland is characterized by Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae, being shaped to ferment complex polysaccharides of dietary origin into short-chain fatty acids, well matching the general asset of the animal gut microbiota. Conversely, the gill and hemolymph ecosystems are dominated by marine microorganisms with aerobic oxidative metabolism, consistent with the role played by these tissues as an interface with the external environment. Our findings highlight the putative importance of mussel microbiota for different aspects of host physiology, with ultimate repercussions on mussel health and productivity