Responsabilità Sociale d' Impresa e modelli di organizzazione, gestione e controllo ex D.Lgs.231/2001

2008/2009Nella prima parte della ricerca indagheremo, in ambito economico-aziendale, il fenomeno della Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa (RSI) cercando di tracciare un breve percorso per comprendere la nascita nell’impresa dell’esigenza di rendicontare le performance, non solo economiche, ma anche sociali ed ambientali, redigendo, accanto al bilancio d’esercizio anche quello sociale o di sostenibilità. Nella seconda parte cercheremo di dimostrare come l’interesse dell’impresa al controllo della regolarità e della legalità dell’operato sociale – in buona sostanza l’orientamento alla RSI – possa ridurre il rischio di incorrere nella responsabilità penale degli enti introdotta per la prima volta nel nostro ordinamento dal Decreto Legislativo 8 giugno 2001, n. 231. Inoltre, evidenzieremo che la responsabilità amministrativa degli enti rientra nel più ampio tema della responsabilità d’impresa e stimola l’adozione di regole sugli assetti di governo e organizzativi volti al controllo preventivo dei rischi ed a rafforzare la fiducia non solo degli investitori ma di tutti gli stakeholders. Infine, proporremo il percorso d’adozione dei Modelli organizzativi previsti dal Decreto/231 in un gruppo di imprese italiane che hanno comunicato il loro orientamento alla Responsabilità d’Impresa considerandolo parte integrante della visione aziendaleXXII Ciclo196

Monte Carlo validation of a mu-SPECT imaging system on the lightweight grid CiGri

à paraître dans Future Generation Computer SystemsMonte Carlo Simulations (MCS) are nowadays widely used in the field of nuclear medicine for system and algorithms designs. They are valuable for accurately reproducing experimental data, but at the expense of a long computing time. An efficient solution for shorter elapsed time has recently been proposed: grid computing. The aim of this work is to validate a small animal gamma camera MCS and to confirm the usefulness of grid computing for such a study. Good matches between measured and simulated data were achieved and a crunching factor up to 70 was attained on a lightweight campus grid

Evaluation de radiotraceurs spécifiques de la plaque d'athérome vulnérable et de l'angiogenèse myocardique

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Coronary events are mainly caused by coronary plaque rupture or erosion. However, at present, there is no noninvasive tool available for the detection of vulnerable plaques. The first part of thesis is about evaluation of new radiotracers for the detection of atherosclerotic vulnerable plaques. 99mTc-B2702p, 20 derivatives, 99mTc-VP and 99mTc-VINP28 were evaluated in an experimental model of atherosclerosis (ApoE-/- mice with left carotid artery ligation). 99mTc- B2702p1 is a potentially useful radiotracer for the in vivo molecular imaging of VCAM-1 expression in atherosclerotic plaques. Myocardial angiogenesis is an important post infarction phenomenon. Angiogenic therapy improves experimentally cardiac parameters. However, clinical trials using the same therapy are more controversial. At present, clinical imaging tools don't allow us to assess angiogenesis therapy. The second part of thesis is about validation of 99mTc-RAFT-RGD in the detection of myocardial angiogenesis. 99mTc-RAFT-RGD allow us to perform noninvasive molecular imaging of myocardial angiogenesis in an experimental model.Les maladies cardiovasculaires représentent la première cause de mortalité dans le monde. Plus de 42 % de cette mortalité est imputable à la maladie coronaire causée par la rupture ou l'érosion de plaques d'athérome vulnérable. A l'heure actuelle, aucune technique ne permet de détecter de manière non invasive les plaques d'athérome vulnérables. La 1ère partie de cette thèse porte sur l'évaluation de nouveaux radiotraceurs pour la détection des plaques d'athérome vulnérables. Les radiotraceurs 99mTc-B2702p, ses 20 dérivés, 99mTc-VP et 99mTc-VINP28, ont été évalués dans un modèle expérimentale de lésion athérosclérotique induite par ligature de la carotide gauche chez la souris Apo E-/- hypercholestérolémique. Seul le dérivé 99mTc-B2702p1 a permis de réaliser l'imagerie de la lésion athérosclérotique chez la souris Apo E-/-. L'angiogenèse myocardique est un phénomène important qui se met en place après un infarctus du myocarde. Expérimentalement, les traitements pro-angiogéniques améliorent les paramètres cardiaques. Cependant, les études cliniques réalisées ne présentent pas de consensus sur l'amélioration de la perfusion myocardique suite à l'administration de ces mêmes traitements. Les techniques d'imagerie utilisées actuellement en clinique ne permettent pas de contrôler l'efficacité des traitements pro-angiogéniques administrés après un infarctus du myocarde. La 2ème partie de cette thèse porte sur la validation du 99mTc-RAFT-RGD dans la détection de l'angiogenèse myocardique. Le 99mTc-RAFT-RGD, administré dans un modèle d'ischémie-reperfusion de rat, a permis de réaliser l'imagerie non invasive de l'angiogenèse myocardique

Discrete element simulation of the charge in the hopper of a blast furnace, calibrating the parameters through an optimization algorithm

The purpose of this study is to simulate the distribution of a coarse granular material discharged in a hopper via a conveyor belt. This simulation is intended to be a model calibration for an optimization that will be later performed to obtain a proper material distribution device. From the hopper, the material is discharged in a blast furnace. Hence, achieving an adequate distribution in the hopper is crucial, since that distribution is directly linked to how the material spreads in the blast furnace, and this heavily influences the efficiency of the whole steel-making process. The apparatus is modeled by online three dimensional Computer-Aided Design software Onshape. Rocky DEM, a Computer-Aided Engineering software based on Discrete Element Method, is used to simulate the charge. The parameters of the numerical model are calibrated through an optimization algorithm. This phase is realized thanks to the optimization platform modeFRONTIER, using an algorithm that exploits meta-models to reduce the computational time of the optimization. By comparing the simulated results with the visual data obtained from blast furnace plant, the goal is to validate the model and to better understand the behavior of the whole charging process

Spunti di riflessione sulle attestazioni ex art. 67 L.F. Un esempio di applicazione del metodo Monte Carlo

L’art. 67, comma 3, lett. d), Legge Fallimentare, prescrive, a pena di inefficacia dell’esenzione da revocatoria e dai reati di bancarotta che il piano di risanamento sia «… idoneo a consentire il risanamento della esposizione debitoria dell’impresa e ad assicurare il riequilibrio della sua situazione finanziaria…». Il piano deve quindi essere caratterizzato da fattibilità, intesa quale ragionevole probabilità di realizzazione, e idoneità per il superamento dello stato di crisi debitoria/finanziaria. Questo contributo evidenzia i pregi di un approccio interattivo e visuale alla valutazione del piano, ove le variabili rilevanti vengono testate con metodi Monte Carlo. La discussione viene accompagnata da un caso aziendale

CFD Analysis of Low-Cost Solutions to Minimize Gas and Dust Emissions during the Emergency Opening of Blast Furnace Bleeders

The article presents the solution adopted in an existing blast furnace with only two safety valves to minimize the dust and gas emissions to the atmosphere, in case of emergency relief due to abnormal overpressure during operating issues in the blast furnace process. Before the implementation of the system, several openings of the emergency bleeder valves were observed: These led to sensitive pollutant emissions, also in terms of acoustic and visive events, with high impact on the surrounding environment. The new relief system, in addition to the existing bleeder valves, has been engineered with a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis using Ansys Fluent to find out the most effective solution and to minimize modifications on the plant. Few plant modifications, while guaranteeing the achievement of the target of reducing the bleeder openings, allow to reduce the plant shutdown costs for the modifications themselves and the maintenance costs during plant operation and to simplify the operating logic of the blast furnace overpressure control systems. The new installation increased the safety operation of the blast furnace, and it drastically reduced the bleeder valves openings—4% of the pre-intervention total opening time per year—and the associated emissions in spite of the rise of the pig iron production, as recorded by the monitoring and supervision system

Molecular imaging of pulmonary diseases

Abstract Imaging holds an important role in the diagnosis of lung diseases. Along with clinical tests, noninvasive imaging techniques provide complementary and valuable information that enables a complete differential diagnosis. Various novel molecular imaging tools are currently under investigation aimed toward achieving a better understanding of lung disease physiopathology as well as early detection and accurate diagnosis leading to targeted treatment. Recent research on molecular imaging methods that may permit differentiation of the cellular and molecular components of pulmonary disease and monitoring of immune activation are detailed in this review. The application of molecular imaging to lung disease is currently in its early stage, especially compared to other organs or tissues, but future studies will undoubtedly reveal useful pulmonary imaging probes and imaging modalities

A Novel Monoclonal Antibody Targeting Cancer-Specific Plectin Has Potent Antitumor Activity in Ovarian Cancer

Cancer-specific plectin (CSP) is a pro-tumorigenic protein selectively expressed on the cell surface of major cancers, including ovarian cancer (OC). Despite its assessable localization, abundance, and functional significance, the therapeutic efficacy of targeting CSP remains unexplored. Here, we generated and investigated the anticancer effects of a novel CSP-targeting monoclonal antibody, 1H11, in OC models. Its therapeutic efficacy as a monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy was evaluated in vitro using two OC cell lines and in vivo by a subcutaneous ovarian cancer model. 1H11 demonstrated rapid internalization and high affinity and specificity for both human and murine CSP. Moreover, 1H11 induced significant and selective cytotoxicity (EC50 = 260 nM), G0/G1 arrest, and decreased OC cell migration. Mechanistically, these results are associated with increased ROS levels and reduced activation of the JAK2-STAT3 pathway. In vivo, 1H11 decreased Ki67 expression, induced 65% tumor growth inhibition, and resulted in 30% tumor necrosis. Moreover, 1H11 increased chemosensitivity to cisplatin resulting in 60% greater tumor growth inhibition compared to cisplatin alone. Taken together, CSP-targeting with 1H11 exhibits potent anticancer activity against ovarian cancer and is deserving of future clinical development

A novel system for the abatement of fugitive emissions during charging in a by-product coke oven

The article presents a study on the measures adopted in an existing coke plant in order to reduce levels of benzo(a)pyrene dispersed in the environment surrounding the facility. The area has been affected by significant levels of pollution from polycyclic aromatic compounds due to the fugitive emissions from the coke oven, which did not comply with the most recent regulation. A monitoring programme was therefore launched in order to support a framework for intervention. Several problems with the battery made it necessary to implement a novel system to collect and abate fugitive emissions during the operations. The monitoring of the fugitive emissions from the coke oven, before, during and after the implementation of the system, has shown a drop of the visible emission time at charging below 30 s, matched by the return of pollution from benzo(a)pyrene in the area below the legal limits (1 ng/Nm3). When compared to the installation costs, these results suggest that the proposed solution can be replicated in other existing byproduct coke plants