Metodi di interpolazione razionale e applicazioni

L'interpolazione di funzioni o di dati sperimentali, e un argomento molto vasto (che mi e' sempre piaciuto molto). Certo richiederebbe una trattazione di alcune migliaia di pagine. Non potendomi, ovviamente, soffermare cosi' a lungo, ho preferito introdurre il discorso in modo generale elencando solo alcune casistiche interessanti. Quindi ho approfondito l'aspetto dell'interpolazione razionale per poi introdurre Spline e B-spline in modo da arrivare alle NURBS.openCorso di Laurea in Matematic

Assessment of clinical and radiological response to sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma patients

Sorafenib is an effective anti-angiogenic treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The assessment of tumor progression in patients treated with sorafenib is crucial to help identify potentially-resistant patients, avoiding unnecessary toxicities. Traditional methods to assess tumor progression are based on variations in tumor size and provide unreliable results in patients treated with sorafenib. New methods to assess tumor progression such as the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors or European Association for the Study of Liver criteria are based on imaging to measure the vascularization and tumor volume (viable or necrotic). These however fail especially when the tumor response results in irregular development of necrotic tissue. Newer assessment techniques focus on the evaluation of tumor volume, density or perfusion. Perfusion computed tomography and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced-UltraSound can measure the vascularization of HCC lesions and help predict tumor response to anti-angiogenic therapies. Mean Transit Time is a possible predictive biomarker to measure tumor response. Volumetric techniques are reliable, reproducible and time-efficient and can help measure minimal changes in viable tumor or necrotic tissue, allowing the prompt identification of non-responders. Volume ratio may be a reproducible biomarker for tumor response. Larger trials are needed to confirm the use of these techniques in the prediction of response to sorafenib

Clinical trial units and clinical research coordinators: a system facing crisis?

We are currently witnessing an increase in procedural and managerial complexities within the field of clinical research, which require greater human and infrastructural resources as well as imply the need for a greater skill set and expertise on the part of professionals. Within this frame of reference clinical trial units and clinical research coordinators play a vital role in the design and conduct of clinical trials in Italy. There is a current recruitment and retention crisis for this specialist role due to a complex set of factors, most likely to have come to a head due to the lack of recognition at the Italian institutional level, that lead to precarious work contracts, lack of identity, and excessive turnover at experimental sites. This article, led by the Italian Group of Clinical Research Coordinator (GIDMcrc), presents some of the issues and ways in which national stakeholders may be able to address this

Transarterial radioembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: An update and perspectives

In the last decade trans-arterial radioembolization has given promising results in the treatment of patients with intermediate or advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), both in terms of disease control and tolerability profile. This technique consists of the selective intra-arterial administration of microspheres loaded with a radioactive compound (usually Yttrium90), and exerts its therapeutic effect through the radiation carried by these microspheres. A careful and meticulous selection of patients is crucial before performing the radioembolization to correctly perform the procedure and reduce the incidence of complications. Radioembolization is a technically complex and expensive technique, which has only recently entered clinical practice and is supported by scant results from phase III clinical trials. Nevertheless, it may represent a valid alternative to transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the treatment of intermediate-stage HCC patients, as shown by a comparative retrospective assessment that reported a longer time to progression, but not of overall survival, and a more favorable safety profile for radioembolization. In addition, this treatment has reported a higher percentage of tumor shrinkage, if compared to TACE, for pre-transplant downsizing and it represents a promising therapeutic option in patients with large extent of disease and insufficient residual liver volume who are not immediately eligible for surgery. Radioembolization might also be a suitable companion to sorafenib in advanced HCC or it can be used as a potential alternative to this treatment in patients who are not responding or do not tolerate sorafenib

Smoke, curtains and mirrors: the production of race through time and title registration

This article analyses the temporal effects of title registration and their relationship to race. It traces the move away from the retrospection of pre-registry common law conveyancing and toward the dynamic, future-oriented Torrens title registration system. The Torrens system, developed in early colonial Australia, enabled the production of ‘clean’, fresh titles that were independent of their predecessors. Through a process praised by legal commentators for ‘curing’ titles of their pasts, this system produces indefeasible titles behind its distinctive ‘curtain’ and ‘mirror’, which function similarly to magicians’ smoke and mirrors by blocking particular realities from view. In the case of title registries, those realities are particular histories of and relationships with land, which will not be protected by property law and are thus made precarious. Building on interdisciplinary work which theorises time as a social tool, I argue that Torrens title registration produces a temporal order which enables land market coordination by rendering some relationships with land temporary and making others indefeasible. This ordering of relationships with land in turn has consequences for the human subjects who have those relationships, cutting futures short for some and guaranteeing permanence to others. Engaging with Renisa Mawani and other critical race theorists, I argue that the categories produced by Torrens title registration systems materialise as race

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5-11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12-18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19-25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased from one in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons. In conclusion, we designed an RT-qPCR assay capable to detect the Omicron variant, which can be successfully used for the purpose of wastewater-based epidemiology. We also described the history of the introduction and diffusion of the Omicron variant in the Italian population and territory, confirming the effectiveness of sewage monitoring as a powerful surveillance tool

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5–11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12–18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19–25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased fromone in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons