I Sageti: allevatori di vacche onomasti dell'Eurasia

In questo studio viene proposta una ricostruzione comparativa del nome del popolo progenitore degli Sciti: i *Sagatas, di cui si deduce la traduzione nel greco *Σαγέται, Sageti. Viene inoltre formulata la derivazione del nome *Sagatas dal termine *Swagautas, a cui si attribuisce il significato di “allevatori di vacche”, facendolo a sua volta derivare da *swagaus, composto che può significare “vacca addomesticata” o “mandria”, o dalla sua derivazione *swagauna, “foraggio”. Viene poi presentata una ricostruzione del carattere religioso dei Sageti, confrontato con quello dei popoli affini. Viene infine proposta, sulla base di un’analisi dei toponimi, degli etnonimi e delle testimonianze storiche, una ricostruzione delle migrazioni dei Sageti dalla loro terra di origine, le praterie a Nord della Sogdiana, verso il resto dell’Asia e l’Europa, riconoscendo la loro discendenza nelle popolazioni dei due continenti, dagli Ascaloni ai Balti e dai Caledoni ai Kusana e agli Ainu

The Mixed People of Etruscans

In this work the Etruscan people is studied as a confederation of tribes having different origins. Ancient and modern geographical names and historical people names of Italy are analysed in order to distinguish the main Etruscan lienages. Some migration hypotheses are introduced

Roma diu Valentia vocitata: the origins of Romans and Latins

In this study, some of the most relevant names occurring in the myths concerning the foundation of Rome are analysed in order to obtain confirmations or new informations on the origin of the city and its early inhabitants. In particular, the role of Latin and Etruscan tribes in populating the Roman hills is investigated. The contribution of these peoples is considered together with that of other ancient peoples who have been recognised as migrated in ancient Italy mainly during the II millennium BC, according to a recent diffusion model based on the time and space distributions of ancient and current geographical names and ethnonyms. The analysis of the names reported in the foundation myths leads to the conclusion that Latins originally were a people of the Etruscan federation as well as the peoples who inhabited Volsinii and Felsina at the beginning of the I millennium BC. Moreover, the name of Romans originally was an exonym by which Latins called other peoples of the Etruscan confederation and later was extended to indicate all the inhabitants of Rome. Lastly, most of the names of the mythological founders of Rome or their ancestors are eponyms of the peoples that populated ancient Lazio and contributed to the rise of Rome

The Foundation of Bologna

In this work the ancient peoples that partecipated to the foundation of Bologna are studied. In particular, the Etruscans are considered as a confederation of tribes belonging to two distinct lineages descending from Proto-Altaic and Proto-Indo-European peoples. In Bologna territory the members of these lineages were identified as Rasna and Velsna, or, in the dialect of the latter, Ravona and Volvona. Before Etruscans, the territory around Bologna was inhabitated by Proto-Scythians and Proto-Umbrians. The role of all these peoples in the Bologna foundation is then investigated and referred to the archaeological finds discovered in the area

Integrated apparatus for supporting and cooling a photovoltaic panel

The patented integrated Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) cooling system efficiently and space-savingly removes heat from solar cells during periods of high solar radiation. Unlike existing products that utilise the Peltier and Seebeck effect, in the patented system the Seebeck effect occurs internally in the heat sink itself, which acts entirely as a carrier for the cells, and only a small part of the removed heat is used to provide the required temperature difference. The invention results in a clear simplification of solar cell cooling and thermoelectric conversion technology. This also leads to cascading economic advantages in terms of overall system costs. We have started extensive research into new innovative and efficient materials to further improve the efficiency of the system and provide an increasingly competitive product for the market..We are looking for collaborators, joint-venturers and investors

Analysis of different Hybrid TEG/TEC Configurations

The growing demand for electricity and the looming environmental crisis are the main challenges to be faced and solved today. This calls for innovative energy conversion systems, for which efficiency and reliability are among the most sought-after features. Thermoelectric generators are devices that can offer partial or complete solutions to these challenges of the new millennium. The advantages of these technologically advanced devices are many: they are environmentally friendly, reliable and have a long service life. Furthermore, by applying thermoelectric generators, it is possible to improve the efficiency of existing systems or meet the electricity demand of different systems with high flexibility. At the same time, their low conversion efficiency has so far prevented their wide application, limiting them mainly to research. However, recent advances in thermoelectric materials and devices are pushing this technology to find its place among state-of-the-art energy conversion systems. This review explores the state of the art in terms of research and solutions already on the market, in order to illustrate a comprehensive and realistic perspective of the PV-TEG/TEC structures

Vacuna and Sabus: eponymous deities in the peoples of ancient Italy

In this work the significance of two of the most important Sabine deities, Vacuna and Sabus, is investigated. To this aim. the origin of Sabines is investigated and their relationships with other ancient Italic peoples are analysed. In particular, Proto-Hiberians, Proto-Umbrians, Proto-Etruscans, Proto-Gaul-Latins, and Pelasgians are considered together with their migrations to Italy. The peopling of ancient Central Italy is then reconstructed taking the ancient sources and the most recent theories into account. In such a context, the origin, the developing, and the significance of God Sabus and Godess Vacuna is analysed seeking similarities and identifications with the deities of the other ancient Italic peoples

Analysis and Optimization of a Puffer-type Water Heater☆

Abstract In this paper we present the design optimization of a Puffer-type water heater for sanitary water production in residential buildings. The optimization study is performed with the aim to fulfill the design requirements of the heater, i.e. the provided mass flow rate and the outlet water temperature, while minimizing the surface area of the coil characterizing the Puffer and thus reducing the overall cost of the device. The coil diameter and pitch and the diameter of the pipe composing the coil are analyzed in the optimization study. Starting from available correlations providing the heat transfer rate between the sanitary water and the heated water surrounding the coil, a simplified thermal resistance model of the heat transfer process within the heater is developed. The analysis show a significant impact on the overall heat transfer rate between the sanitary water and the heated water when the geometrical parameters of the coil are varied. Using an optimal value of the pitch to pipe diameter of the coil for a given coil diameter in particular, it is possible to maximize the heat transfer rate and thus minimize the size of the coil. As a first step, the optimization study is performed by introducing sizing constraints allowing for sharing the same coil among several types of water heaters. In this case, a reduction as high as 14% of the coil surface area can be obtained, whereas a reduction as high as 23% can be achieved if the optimization is performed free of such constraints

A New Genetic Risk Score to Predict the Outcome of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Treated With First-Line Exemestane: Results From a Prospective Study

Currently there are no reliable biomarkers to predict outcome of exemestane treatment. We designed a prospective study to investigate whether constitutive genetic background might affect response to therapy. In a population of 302 advanced breast cancer patients treated with exemestane we showed that a 5-polymorphism-based genetic score could be used to identify patients with different risks of progression and death.Introduction: Approximately 50% of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients treated with first-line exemestane do not show objective response and currently there are no reliable biomarkers to predict the outcome of patients using this therapy. The constitutive genetic background might be responsible for differences in the outcome of exemestane-treated patients. We designed a prospective study to investigate the role of germ line polymorphisms as biomarkers of survival. Patients and Methods: Three hundred two locally advanced or MBC patients treated with first-line exemestane were genotyped for 74 germ line polymorphisms in 39 candidate genes involved in drug activity, hormone balance, DNA replication and repair, and cell signaling pathways. Associations with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were tested with multivariate Cox regression. Bootstrap resampling was used as an internal assessment of results reproducibility. Results: Cytochrome P450 19A1-rs10046TC/CC, solute carrier organic anion transporter 1B1-rs4149056TT, adenosine triphosphate binding cassette subfamily G member 2-rs2046134GG, fibroblast growth factor receptor-4-rs351855TT, and X-ray repair cross complementing 3-rs861539TT were significantly associated with PFS and then combined into a risk score (0-1, 2, 3, or 4-6 risk points). Patients with the highest risk score (4-6 risk points) compared with ones with the lowest score (0-1 risk points) had a median PFS of 10 months versus 26.3 months (adjusted hazard ratio [AdjHR], 3.12 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.18-4.48]; P < .001) and a median OS of 38.9 months versus 63.0 months (AdjHR, 2.41 [95% CI, 1.22-4.79], P = .012), respectively. Conclusion: In this study we defined a score including 5 polymorphisms to stratify patients for PFS and OS. This score, if validated, might be translated to personalize locally advanced or MBC patient treatment and management