Concettualizzazione e contestualizzazione dei beni culturali archeologici

This report describes the observations made while developing a new methodology for historic surveys used for the re-contextualisation of archaeological finds. This particular methodology avails itself of both traditional historic surveys as well as the representation of knowledge through ontology. The methodology described here was developed in reference to specific cases of re-contextualisation of archaeological artefacts from Pompeii which are now in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples

Monoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis as a distinct clinical entity A proof-of-concept study

Background: Currently, monoarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (monoJIA) is included in the ILAR classification as oligoarticular subtype although various aspects, from clinical practice, suggest it as a separate entity. Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics of persistent monoJIA. Methods: Patients with oligoJIA and with at least two years follow-up entered the study. Those with monoarticular onset and persistent monoarticular course were compared with those with oligoJIA. Variables considered were: sex, age at onset, presence of benign joint hypermobility (BJH), ANA, uveitis, therapy and outcome. Patients who had not undergone clinical follow-up for more than 12 months were contacted by structured telephone interview. Results: Of 347 patients with oligoJIA, 196 with monoarticular onset entered the study and 118 (60.2%), identified as persistent monoJIA, were compared with 229 oligoJIA. The mean follow-up was 11.4 years. The switch from monoarticular onset to oligoarticular course of 78 patients (38.8%) occurred by the first three years from onset. In comparison with oligoJIA, the most significant features of monoJIA were later age at onset (6.1 vs. 4.7 years), lower female prevalence (70.3 vs. 83.4%), higher frequency of BJH (61.9 vs. 46.3%), lower frequency of uveitis (14.4 vs. 34.1%) and ANA+ (68.6 vs. 89.5%) and better long-term outcome. Conclusions: MonoJIA, defined as persistent arthritis of unknown origin of a single joint for at least three years, seems to be a separate clinical entity from oligoJIA. This evidence may be taken into consideration for its possible inclusion into the new classification criteria for JIA and open new therapeutic perspectives

Sostenibilit\ue0 ambientale dei biocombustibili legnosi: importanza della filiera corta

Il legno \ue8 un materiale disponibile in abbondanza e, se la foresta \ue8 gestita in modo sostenibile, pu\uf2 rappresentare una fonte illimitata di materia prima per diversi settori industriali: dalla costruzione fino alla produzione di energia. Nel settore forestale, come in quello industriale, la domanda di una documentazione relativa alle sue prestazioni ambientali \ue8 in forte crescita. Per esempio, la certificazione ambientale di un prodotto da costruzione diventa necessaria in vista dell\u2019applicazione dei Criteri Ambientali Minimi (CAM) all\u2019edilizia a partire dall\u20191 gennaio 2021 mentre \ue8 gi\ue0 inclusa nella certificazione di qualit\ue0 dei biocombustibili solidi quali pellet (ENplus), bricchetti, cippato e legna da ardere (Biomassplus). Grazie alla competitivit\ue0 del costo della legna da ardere rispetto agli altri combustibili, l\u2019Italia storicamente ha una forte propensione all\u2019utilizzo di questo biocombustibile; tuttavia negli ultimi anni, si \ue8 sempre pi\uf9 sviluppato il mercato di importazione di legna da ardere, in particolar modo proveniente dall\u2019Est-Europa e dai Balcani. Il trasporto su strada della legna da ardere comporta degli input energetici nella filiera e conseguentemente delle emissioni di CO2. Questo studio confronta due diversi approcci di filiera: una filiera corta, in cui la legna da ardere \ue8 prodotta nella regione Veneto e in particolare in Cansiglio, e una filiera lunga, nella quale i tronchi per la produzione della legna da ardere vengono importati da paesi confinanti con l\u2019Italia. I tre obiettivi dello studio sono quelli di (i) valutare l\u2019impatto ambientale delle due filiere utilizzando 4 categorie di impatto, due globali (il potenziale di riscaldamento globale e il potenziale di riduzione dell\u2019ozono) e due locali (la formazione di smog fotochimico e la tossicit\ue0 umana); (ii) eseguire un\u2019analisi di sensitivit\ue0 per determinare la distanza critica del trasporto di legna da ardere e (iii) valutare la compensazione di CO2 in foresta. La metodologia adottata per la valutazione degli impatti ambientali delle due filiere \ue8 l\u2019analisi del ciclo di vita. Lo studio ha evidenziato che, nel caso della filiera corta, la fase critica del ciclo di vita \ue8 la combustione, mentre le operazioni forestali e il trasporto su strada hanno un contributo marginale sull\u2019impatto globale. Passando alla filiera lunga, escludendo le emissioni di CO2 di origine biogenica, il trasporto su strada diventa la fase critica

Second-harmonic generation in silicon waveguides strained by silicon nitride

Silicon photonics meets the electronics requirement of increased speed and bandwidth with on-chip optical networks. All-optical data management requires nonlinear silicon photonics. In silicon only third-order optical nonlinearities are present owing to its crystalline inversion symmetry. Introducing a second-order nonlinearity into silicon photonics by proper material engineering would be highly desirable. It would enable devices for wideband wavelength conversion operating at relatively low optical powers. Here we show that a sizeable second-order nonlinearity at optical wavelengths is induced in a silicon waveguide by using a stressing silicon nitride overlayer. We carried out second-harmonic-generation experiments and first-principle calculations, which both yield large values of strain-induced bulk second-order nonlinear susceptibility, up to 40pm/V at 2.300 nm. We envisage that nonlinear strained silicon could provide a competing platform for a new class of integrated light sources spanning the near- to mid-infrared spectrum from 1.2 to 10 micron

Selection of cooling fluid for an organic Rankine cycle unit recovering heat on a container ship sailing in the Arctic region

As Arctic sea ice coverage declines it is expected that marine traffic could increase in this northern region due to shorter routes. Navigating in the Arctic offers opportunities and challenges for waste heat recovery systems (WHRS). Lower temperatures require larger heating power on board, hence a larger demand for waste heat usage, to cover services and maintaining on board spaces temperatures. However, a lower heat rejection temperature increases the WHRS thermal efficiency. The air temperature for the Arctic route selected is colder than that of the seawater, opening the opportunity of having air as coolant. This paper explores the use of two different coolants, air and seawater, for an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) unit using the available waste heat in the scavenge air system of a container ship navigating in Arctic Circle. Using a two-step single objective optimisation process, detailed models of air and seawater heat exchangers are evaluated as the WHRS condensers. The results suggest that an ORC unit using R1233zd(E) as its working fluid coupled with seawater as its coolant is the preferable option to reduce CO2 emissions. Using the ambient air as the coolant while a less effective option could be cheaper to install

Concurrent Inhibition of IGF1R and ERK Increases Pancreatic Cancer Sensitivity to Autophagy Inhibitors

The aggressive nature of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) mandates the development of improved therapies. As KRAS mutations are found in 95% of PDAC and are critical for tumor maintenance, one promising strategy involves exploiting KRAS-dependent metabolic perturbations. The macrometabolic process of autophagy is upregulated in KRAS-mutant PDAC, and PDAC growth is reliant on autophagy. However, inhibition of autophagy as monotherapy using the lysosomal inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has shown limited clinical efficacy. To identify strategies that can improve PDAC sensitivity to HCQ, we applied a CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screen and found that a top sensitizer was the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R). Additionally, reverse phase protein array pathway activation mapping profiled the signaling pathways altered by chloroquine (CQ) treatment. Activating phosphorylation of RTKs, including IGF1R, was a common compensatory increase in response to CQ. Inhibition of IGF1R increased autophagic flux and sensitivity to CQ-mediated growth suppression both in vitro and in vivo. Cotargeting both IGF1R and pathways that antagonize autophagy, such as ERK-MAPK axis, was strongly synergistic. IGF1R and ERK inhibition converged on suppression of glycolysis, leading to enhanced dependence on autophagy. Accordingly, concurrent inhibition of IGF1R, ERK, and autophagy induced cytotoxicity in PDAC cell lines and decreased viability in human PDAC organoids. In conclusion, targeting IGF1R together with ERK enhances the effectiveness of autophagy inhibitors in PDAC. Significance: Compensatory upregulation of IGF1R and ERK- MAPK signaling limits the efficacy of autophagy inhibitors chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, and their concurrent inhibition synergistically increases autophagy dependence and chloroquine sensitivity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.Peer reviewe

Mini Nutritional Assessment May Identify a Dual Pattern of Perturbed Plasma Amino Acids in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: A Window to Metabolic and Physical Rehabilitation?

Conflicting results about alterations of plasma amino acid (AA) levels are reported in subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current study aimed to provide more homogeneous AA profiles and correlations between AAs and cognitive tests. Venous plasma AAs were measured in 54 fasting patients with AD (37 males, 17 females; 74.63 ± 8.03 yrs; 3.2 ± 1.9 yrs from symptom onset). Seventeen matched subjects without neurodegenerative symptoms (NNDS) served as a control group (C-NNDS). Patients were tested for short-term verbal memory and attention capacity and stratified for nutritional state (Mini Nutritional Assessment, MNA). Compared to C-NNDS, patients exhibited lower plasma levels of aspartic acid and taurine (p < 0.0001) and higher 3-methylhistidine (p < 0.0001), which were independent of patients' MNA. In comparison to normonourished AD, the patients at risk of and with malnutrition showed a tendency towards lower ratios of Essential AAs/Total AAs, Branched-chain AAs/Total AAs, and Branched-chain AAs/Essential AAs. Serine and histidine were positively correlated with verbal memory and attention capacity deficits, respectively. Total AAs negatively correlated with attention capacity deficits. Stratifying patients with AD for MNA may identify a dual pattern of altered AAs, one due to AD per se and the other linked to nutritional state. Significant correlations were observed between several AAs and cognitive tests