Un giardino in tutti i sensi

L’argomento principale della tesi, è la progettazione ex novo di un giardino che si trova in una struttura privata a Viareggio di recupero per disabili di varia natura, ma aperto al pubblico. Sono state sviluppate, quindi all’interno della tesi, varie argomentazioni che riguardano: la contestualizzazione del centro A.S.L. che ospiterà il giardino e l’analisi delle attività che vi si svolgono; la geografia e le caratteristiche ambientali di Viareggio, sito in cui è ubicato il progetto; le varie fasi che portano alla progettazione di un giardino con caratteristiche adatte ad essere vissuto e percorso da persone diversamente abili; l’analisi delle condizioni del sito allo stato attuale e degli esemplari arborei da abbattere; la realizzazione grafica del giardino tramite l’uso del programma Autocad; la scelta delle piante adatte a richiamare la percezione dei cinque sensi; la stima monetaria dei costi per la realizzazione; l’utilizzo e lo sviluppo dell’horticultural therapy e l’eliminazione delle barriere architettoniche. L’intento principale della mia tesi, è quindi quello di fornire un’esperienza di progettazione accessibile, resa interessante dal fatto di utilizzare piante in grado di risvegliare i cinque sensi e creare quindi un luogo dove rilassarsi imparando a conoscere la natura ma allo stesso tempo stimolare comunque l’esercizio di quelle sensazioni spesso dimenticate. Il giardino viene pensato per essere aperto al pubblico anche se si trova in una struttura privata, e quindi è stato importante seguire le regole principali della progettazione di spazi verdi pubblici, integrandola con i principi base della progettazione accessibile, per rendere il giardino completamente utilizzabile e sicuro per persone disabili, pensando infatti a pavimentazioni e ad arredi appositi. Tutto il lavoro è stato svolto prendendo in considerazione le caratteristiche benefiche che le piante hanno sulle persone, tenendo conto di quella che è la “scienza”dell’horticultural therapy, terapia capace di migliorare lo stato di salute degli individui, sia da un punto di vista prettamente fisico che psicologico, che comprende l'attività di giardinaggio, la coltivazione di piante e di ortaggi; tutte attività che permettono la cura dell’ansia attraverso la stimolazione dei sensi del tatto, dell’olfatto e della vista

An analysis on the application of algebraic geometry in Initial Orbit Determination problems

Initial Orbit Determination (IOD) is a classical problem in astrodynamics. The space around Earth is crowded by a great many objects whose orbits are unknown, and the number of space debris is constantly increasing because of break-up events and collisions. Reconstructing the orbit of a body from observations allows us to create catalogs that are used to avoid collisions and program missions for debris removal. Also, comparing the observations of celestial bodies with predictions of their positions made based on our knowledge of the universe has been in the past, and is still today, one of the most effective means to make improvements in our cosmological model. In this work, a purely geometric solution to the angles-only IOD problem is analyzed, and its performance under various scenarios of observations is tested. The problem formulation is based on a re-parameterization of the orbit as a disk quadric, and relating the observations to the unknowns leads to a polynomial system that can be solved using tools from numerical algebraic geometry. This method is time-free and does not require any type of initialization. This makes it unaffected by the problems related to the estimate of the time-of-flight, that usually affects the accuracy of the solution. A similar approach may be used to analyze the performance of the solver when streaks are used, together with lines of sight, as inputs to the problem. Streaks on digital images form, together with the camera location, planes that are tangent to the orbit. This produces two different types of constraints, that can be written as polynomial equations. The accuracy and the robustness of the solver are decreased by the presence of streaks, but they remain a valid input when diversity in the observed directions guarantees the departure from the singular configuration of almost coplanar observations.M.S

Geometric Solution to the Angles-Only Initial Orbit Determination Problem

Initial orbit determination (IOD) from line-of-sight (i.e., bearing) measurements is a classical problem in astrodynamics. Indeed, there are many well-established methods for performing the IOD task when given three line-of-sight observations at known times. Interestingly, and in contrast to these existing methods, concepts from algebraic geometry may be used to produce a purely geometric solution. This idea is based on the fact that bearings from observers in general position may be used to directly recover the shape and orientation of a three-dimensional conic (e.g., a Keplerian orbit) without any need for knowledge of time. In general, it is shown that five bearings at unknown times are sufficient to recover the orbit -- without the use of any type of initial guess and without the need to propagate the orbit. Three bearings are sufficient for purely geometric IOD if the orbit is known to be (approximately) circular. The method has been tested over different scenarios, including one where extra observations make the system of equations over-determined.Comment: 31 pages excluding back matter, 14 figure

BDNF/TrkB axis activation promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background: Neurotrophins (NT) belongs to a family of growth factors which promotes neurons survival and differentiation. Increasing evidence show that NT and their receptor are expressed in lung tissues suggesting a possible role in lung health and disease. Here we investigated the expression and functional role of the TrkB/BDNF axis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrotic lung (myo)fibroblasts. Methods: Lung fibroblast were isolated from IPF patients and characterized for the expression of mesenchymal markers in comparison to normal lung fibroblasts isolated from non-IPF controls. Results: BDNF treatment promoted mesenchymal differentiation and this effect was counteracted by the TrkB inhibitor K252a. In this regard, we showed that K252a treatment was able to control the expression of transcription factors involved in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Accordingly, K252a treatment reduced matrix metalloproteinase-9 enzyme activity and E-cadherin expression while increased cytoplasmic β-catenin expression. Conclusions: Our results suggest that BDNF/TrkB axis plays a role in EMT promoting the acquisition of (myo)fibroblast cell phenotype in IPF. Targeting BDNF/TrkB seems to represent a viable approach in order to prevent EMT dependent lung fibrosis

In Vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) Berry Juice against Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Small Ruminants

Simple Summary Gastrointestinal nematodes are included worldwide among the most prominent parasites of small ruminants. In past decades, the control of these nematodes mainly relied on the use of synthetic anthelmintic drugs. However, nowadays the exclusive use of anthelmintic drugs is considered an obsolete and unsustainable control strategy due to the onset of anthelmintic-resistant sheep gastrointestinal nematode strains and the issues linked with the environmental pollution and residues in food of animal origin of synthetic anthelmintic drugs. Among alternative or complementary methods, the use of plants endowed with anthelmintic properties has been identified as a valuable option. As a part of this approach, this study evaluated the in vitro anthelmintic properties of two commercial sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) berry juices on sheep gastrointestinal nematodes. Both H. rhamnoides berry juices tested in this study showed interesting anthelmintic properties in vitro. The obtained results are promising regarding the use of sea buckthorn berry juice as a potential tool for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminants. Gastrointestinal nematodes are one of the major threats in small ruminant breeding. Their control is difficult due to the development of anthelmintic resistance, and the search for new molecules endowed with anthelmintic activity (AH) is considered a priority. In this context, we evaluated the in vitro AH activity of two commercial sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) berry juices, namely SBT and SBF. The in vitro evaluation was based on the egg-hatch test and larval exsheathment assay at different concentrations. Data were statistically analysed, and the EC50 was calculated. Chemical analyses were performed to evaluate the total polyphenol content of the juices and chemical profile of the most represented compounds. The role of the polyphenolic fraction in the anthelmintic activity of the juices was also assessed. At the highest concentrations, the activity of SBT was high in both tests and comparable to that observed in the thiabendazole-treated positive controls, while SBF showed a lower efficacy. Glycosylated isorhamnetin and quercetin were the most represented polyphenolic compounds in both juices. In conclusion, both H. rhamnoides berry juices tested in this study showed interesting anthelmintic properties in vitro

Intestinal Strongyle Genera in Different Typology of Donkey Farms in Tuscany, Central Italy

Intestinal strongyles are common helminths of donkeys, in which they may be responsible for disease and poor performance. This study aimed to identify intestinal strongyle genera in 55 naturally infected donkeys from three different farm typologies in Tuscany, central Italy, using morphological and metrical analysis of third stage larvae (L3) obtained from faecal cultures. Larvae were identified using two previous reported morphological identification keys. Moreover, eggs per gram (EPG) data were also evaluated to assess differences, if any, according to the farm typology, sex, and age of the examined donkeys. The results showed that small strongyles were prevalent in all donkey farms. In all examined farms, most (92-100%) of L3 were identified as cyathostomin species of the genera Cylicocyclus spp. and Cylicostephanus spp. Large strongyles of the genera Strongylus spp. and Triodontophorus spp., were identified at low percentage (8%), only in the single organic farm included in the study. A high agreement was observed between the two different morphometric keys used. No significant differences were found for EPG according to farm typology, and sex and age from the examined donkeys. This is the first report about genera identification of intestinal strongyles infecting donkeys in Tuscany, Italy

Histologic analysis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by morphometric and fractal analysis

: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive fibrotic lung disorder, ultimately leading to respiratory failure and death. Despite great research advances in understanding the mechanisms underlying the disease, its diagnosis, and its treatment, IPF still remains idiopathic without known biological or histological markers able to predict disease progression or response to treatment. The histologic hallmark of IPF is usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), with its intricate architectural distortion and temporal inhomogeneity. We hypothesize that normal lung alveolar architecture can be compared to fractals, such as the Pythagoras tree with its fractal dimension (Df), and every pathological insult, distorting the normal lung structure, could result in Df variations. In this study, we aimed to assess the UIP histologic fractal dimension in relationship to other morphometric parameters in newly diagnosed IPF patients and its possible role in the prognostic stratification of the disease. Clinical data and lung tissue specimens were obtained from twelve patients with IPF, twelve patients with non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), and age-matched "healthy" control lung tissue from patients undergoing lung surgery for other causes. Histology and histomorphometry were performed to evaluate Df and lacunarity measures, using the box counting method on the FracLac ImageJ plugin. The results showed that Df was significantly higher in IPF patients compared to controls and fibrotic NSIP patients, indicating greater architectural distortion in IPF. Additionally, high Df values were associated with higher fibroblastic foci density and worse prognostic outcomes in IPF, suggesting that Df may serve as a potential novel prognostic marker for IPF. The scalability of Df measurements was demonstrated through repeated measurements on smaller portions from the same surgical biopsies, which were selected to mimic a cryobiopsy. Our study provides further evidence to support the use of fractal morphometry as a tool for quantifying and determining lung tissue remodeling in IPF, and we demonstrated a significant correlation between histological and radiological Df in UIP pattern, as well as a significant association between Df and FF density. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the scalability and self-similarity of Df measurements across different biopsy types, including surgical and smaller specimens

An Intraoperative β−\beta^- Detecting Probe For Radio-Guided Surgery in Tumour Resection

The development of the $\beta^-$ based radio-guided surgery aims to extend the technique to those tumours where surgery is the only possible treatment and the assessment of the resection would most profit from the low background around the lesion, as for brain tumours. Feasibility studies on meningioma, glioma, and neuroendocrine tumors already estimated the potentiality of this new treatment. To validate the technique, prototypes of the intraoperative probe required by the technique to detect $\beta^-$ radiation have been developed. This paper discusses the design details of the device and the tests performed in laboratory. In such tests particular care has to be taken to reproduce the surgical field conditions. The innovative technique to produce specific phantoms and the dedicated testing protocols is described in detail.Comment: 7 pages, 15 figure

Myoinositol and D-Chiro Inositol in Improving Insulin Resistance in Obese Male Children: Preliminary Data

Myoinositol and D-chiro inositol, which are inositol isomers, have been shown to possess insulin-mimetic properties and to improve insulin resistance, especially in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. However, it has not been determined if this relationship exists also in children. Based on these previous findings, we hypothesized that inositol could be effective in improving insulin sensitivity in children with insulin resistance. To evaluate this hypothesis, we administered both inositol formulations before carrying out an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in a group of obese insulin-resistant male children with high basal insulin levels and compared the values obtained with an OGTT previously conducted without inositol, in the same group, with unchanged BMI. Our results confirm that myoinositol and D-chiro inositol acutely reduce insulin increase after glucose intake mainly in children with high basal insulin level