Studio di un beamformer adattivo per un sonar ad alta frequenza per unità navali di superficie

In questa tesi è trattato, prima, il beamforming tradizionale (delay & sum) focalizzando l'attenzione sul problema della discretizzazione dei ritardi, successivamente è trattato un particolare metodo adattivo: il Generalized Sidelobe Canceller. Sono state valutate inoltre le prestazioni di quest'ultimo algoritmo e la complessità del'implementazione hardware corrispondente utilizzando dei programmi sviluppati appositamente in ambiente MatLab da parte dell'autore della presente tesi

Pipeline per la caratterizzazione di atmosfere esoplanetarie con spettroscopia ad alta risoluzione: dall’acquisizione degli spettri al retrieval dei parametri atmosferici

Questa tesi ha come obbiettivo la descrizione della pipeline che permette di caratterizzare le atmosfere di pianeti extrasolari con la spettroscopia di trasmissione ad alta e bassa risoluzione. Ogni capitolo riporta una breve spiegazione dei vari passi principali di questa procedura. Nella prima parte vengono descritti tutti i processi di acquisizione degli spettri, parlando della strumentazione usata e della formattazione dei dati. Qui si fa riferimento al luogo delle osservazioni, ovvero La Palma, e al telescopio utilizzato, cioè il Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. Lo strumento usato per le rilevazioni, invece, è uno spettrometro ad alta risoluzione denominato GIANO-B. Il reticolo che permette la diffrazione della radiazione elettromagnetica incidente è un reticolo echelle, che suddivide lo spettro stesso in ordini multipli. Nella tesi è presente una descrizione dettagliata del funzionamento di tutti questi elementi. Successivamente si affronta il tema della riduzione degli spettri acquisiti. Il procedimento è suddiviso in più sotto-parti, a partire dall’estrazione, che viene svolta utilizzando la pipeline ufficiale dello strumento, Gofio. Successivamente avviene l’allineamento degli ordini spettrali e la loro calibrazione in lunghezza d’onda. L’ultimo passo riguarda le procedure di rimozione dello spettro tellurico tramite tecniche matematiche, quali la Principal Component Analysis (PCA) o l’Independent Component Analysis (ICA). Nel penultimo capitolo, invece, viene descritta l'interfaccia grafica sviluppata da me per eseguire il software di caratterizzazione delle atmosfere ideato dal Dr. Giacobbe. Vengono riportati anche i grafici scientifici che si ottengono dall'esecuzione dei retrieval, sfruttando come esempi i risultati ottenuti dall'analisi di HD189733Ab, un gioviano caldo distante 63 anni luce da noi. L'ultimo capitolo descrive gli obbiettivi futuri del nostro team

Analisi, progettazione e sviluppo di software PLC per l'automazione industriale

La tesi si pone come obbiettivo quello di descrivere il processo di analisi, progettazione e programmazione di un software PLC in ambito industriale. Viene descritto l'automa in tutte le sue parti, compreso di componenti, interazioni e movimenti svolti da quest'ultimi. Sono allegati UML e screen del codice principale con annessa spiegazione al fine di far intendere al meglio la relazione tra la parte software e hardware. Viene rappresentato, inoltre, il diagramma a stati sul quale si basa il funzionamento della macchina, quindi il fulcro del progetto stesso, che serve ad evidenziare le caratteristiche degli automi di questa azienda, garantendo prevenzione nei confronti della macchina e sicurezza per gli operatori che si rapportano con essa

Association between attention and heart rate fluctuations in pathological worriers

Recent data suggests that several psychopathological conditions are associated with alterations in the variability of behavioral and physiological responses. Pathological worry, defined as the cognitive representation of a potential threat, has been associated with reduced variability of heart beat oscillations (i.e., decreased heart rate variability; HRV) and lapses of attention indexed by reaction times (RTs). Clinical populations with attention deficit show RTs oscillation around 0.05 and 0.01 Hz when performing a sustained attention task. We tested the hypothesis that people who are prone to worry do it in a predictable oscillating pattern revealed through recurrent lapses in attention and concomitant oscillating HRV. Sixty healthy young adults (50% women) were recruited: 30 exceeded the clinical cut-off on the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ; High-Worry, HW); the remaining 30 constituted the Low-Worry (LW) group. After a diagnostic assessment, participants performed two 15-min sustained attention tasks, interspersed by a standardized worry-induction procedure. RTs, HRV and moods were assessed. The analyses of the frequency spectrum showed that the HW group presents a significant higher and constant peak of RTs oscillation around 0.01 Hz (period 100 s) after the induction of worry, in comparison with their baseline and with the LW group that was not responsive to the induction procedure. Physiologically, the induction significantly reduced high-frequency HRV and such reduction was associated with levels of self-reported worry. Results are coherent with the oscillatory nature of the default mode network (DMN) and further confirm an association between cognitive rigidity and autonomic nervous system inflexibility

The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) among Italian children: A cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To examine prevalence and modalities of CAM use in children living in Novara, a northern Italian city, and to estimate the prescription rate from paediatricians. METHOD: We administered a phone questionnaire to the parents of a sample of 147 children, asking questions about CAM use, children's health profile, parental socio-economic status, use modalities, effectiveness perceptions, and motivations. A parallel survey was conducted by e-mail by investigating family paediatricians attitudes about CAM. RESULTS: Among 147 children whose families responded to our survey 48.3% was treated with CAM at least once in life and 38,1% during the previous year. Children treated with CAM were on average younger than those who were not. The types of CAM used were herbal medicine and homeopathy. Parents who choose CAM for their children were more skeptical about vaccinations. CAM were most frequently used to treat pathologies of ear, nose and throat. 85.9% of parents was willing to use CAM in future, 78.9% would pass to conventional medicine if CAM failed. Among paediatricians 81.5% prescribed CAM at least once, but only 13.6% received specific CAM training. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of children using CAM in Novara is high, in line with investigations conducted in Northern European countries. The distribution of pathologies treated with CAM, parental socio-economic status and general scepticism towards vaccination are consistent with the literature. Physicians should keep themselves up-to-date also about evidence-based CAM therapies and, most importantly, should have an open dialogue about CAM with their patients

Zoledronic acid increases docetaxel cytotoxicity through pMEK and Mcl-1 inhibition in a hormone-sensitive prostate carcinoma cell line

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In prostate cancer, the identification of drug combinations that could reduce the tumor cell population and rapidly eradicate hormone-resistant cells potentially present would be a remarkable breakthrough in the treatment of this disease.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was performed on a hormone-sensitive prostate cancer cell line (LNCaP) grown in normal or hormone-deprived charcoal-stripped (c.s.) medium. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed by SRB assay and Annexin-V/TUNEL assays, respectively. Activated caspase-3, p21, pMEK and MCL-1 expression levels were detected by western blotting.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The simultaneous exposure of zoledronic acid [100 μM] and docetaxel [0.01 μM] for 1 h followed by treatment with zoledronic acid for 72, 96 or 120 h produced a high synergistic interaction (R index = 5.1) with a strong decrease in cell viability. This cytotoxic effect was associated with a high induction of apoptosis in both LNCaP and in c.s. LNCaP cells. The induction of apoptosis was paralleled by a decrease in pMEK and Mcl-1 expression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The zoledronic acid-docetaxel combination produced a highly significant synergistic effect on the LNCaP cell line grown in normal or hormone-deprived medium, the principal molecular mechanisms involved being apoptosis and decreased pMEK and Mcl-1 expression. This experimentally derived schedule would seem to prevent the selection and amplification of hormone-resistant cell clones and could thus be potentially used alongside standard androgen deprivation therapy in the management of hormone-sensitive prostate carcinoma.</p

Study of molecular mechanisms of pro-apoptotic activity of NCX 4040, a novel nitric oxide-releasing aspirin, in colon cancer cell lines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite numerous studies aimed at verifying the antitumor activity of nitric oxide-releasing nonsteroidal antiflammatory drugs (NO-NSAIDs), little is known about the molecular targets responsible for their antineoplastic properties. In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the cytotoxicity of NCX 4040, a novel NO-aspirin with promising antineoplastic action, in <it>in vitro </it>human colon cancer models.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The effect on tumor growth was evaluated in four human colon cancer cell lines (LoVo, LRWZ, WiDr and LoVo Dx) by sulforhodamine B assay, oxidative stress by immunohistochemistry, apoptosis by laddering assay, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ_m) by flow cytometry, and apoptosis- and chemoresistance-related markers by western-blot and real-time method, respectively. Prostaglandin E₂levels were determined by ELISA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>NCX 4040 produced a higher cytotoxic effect in all the cell lines than that produced by other NO donors tested. In particular, in LoVo and LRWZ cells, NCX 4040 induced a cytocidal effect and apoptosis through p53 and NAG-1 expression, an early ΔΨ_mcollapse, and a sequential release of cytoplasmatic cytochrome c and caspase -9 and -3 active forms. 8-hydroxyguanine lesions, indicative of oxidative stress, were also observed. Conversely, in WiDr line, the drug caused a cytocidal effect, albeit not through apoptosis, and a concomitant increase in COX-2 activity. In LoVo Dx line, characterized by high levels drug resistance and DNA repair-related markers, only a cytostatic effect was observed, again in concomitance with the increase in COX-2 enzyme activity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study highlights the multiplicity of mechanisms involved in sensitivity or resistance to NCX 4040 and could provide useful indications for tailored therapy by identifying potentially drug-responsive tumors.</p

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of NCX 4040 cytotoxic activity in human colon cancer cell lines

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide-releasing nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NO-NSAIDs) are reported to be safer than NSAIDs because of their lower gastric toxicity. We compared the effect of a novel NO-releasing derivate, NCX 4040, with that of aspirin and its denitrated analog, NCX 4042, in in vitro and in vivo human colon cancer models and investigated the mechanisms of action underlying its antitumor activity. METHODS: In vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated on a panel of colon cancer lines (LoVo, LoVo Dx, WiDr and LRWZ) by sulforhodamine B assay. Cell cycle perturbations and apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry. Protein expression was detected by Western blot. In the in vivo experiments, tumor-bearing mice were treated with NCX 4040, five times a week, for six consecutive weeks. RESULTS: In the in vitro studies, aspirin and NCX 4042 did not induce an effect on any of the cell lines, whereas NCX 4040 produced a marked cytostatic dose-related effect, indicating a pivotal role of the -NO(2 )group. Furthermore, in LoVo and LRWZ cell lines, we observed caspase-9 and -3-mediated apoptosis, whereas no apoptotic effect was observed after drug exposure in WiDr or LoVo Dx cell lines. In in vivo studies, both NCX 4040 and its parental compound were administered per os. NCX 4040 induced a 40% reduction in tumor weight. Conversely, aspirin did not influence tumor growth at all. CONCLUSIONS: NCX 4040, but not its parental compound, aspirin, showed an in vitro and in vivo antiproliferative activity, indicating its potential usefulness to treat colon cancer

Narratologia su YouTube Italia

This paper explores a group of YouTube channels dealing with narratology and creative writing in Italy. The first part presents the state of the art of Digital Humanities' analysis on YouTube, showing a dearth of material about the narratologists, thus leaving space for cutting-edge research on the matter. Then, we present the research methodology and the selected sample of channels, divided into three classes (masters, coaches and disseminators). Finally, we discuss the different modes and strategies of these three groups of content creators