Il secolarismo all’ombra dei minareti: il principio costituzionale di laicità nella Turchia moderna e contemporanea

SOMMARIO: 1. Premessa introduttiva - 2. La Türkiye Cumhuriyeti tra eredità islamica e legittimazione internazionale - 3. La laicità dello Stato: il fondamento della nuova identità nazionale - 4. Le forze armate e la Corte costituzionale: i ‘custodi’ della laiklik - 5. La parabola dell’AKP: dall’impulso riformista alla recente involuzione autoritaria - 6. Le implicazioni giuridiche del fallito golpe del 2016.Secularism in the shadow of the minarets: the constitutional principle of secularism in modern and contemporary TurkeyABSTRACT: The present essay deals with the so-called ‘laiklik’, namely the Kemalist understanding of the constitutional principle of secularism implemented in the Turkish legal framework over the last century. The analysis takes as a starting point the establishment of the modern Republic of Turkey and focuses firstly on the staunch protection of secularism by its traditional ‘guardians’ (i.e. the army and the Constitutional Court). In particular, it is argued that the rhetoric of secularism has been exploited by the ruling élites with the aim to curb religious, cultural and political pluralism. Subsequently, the paper investigates the controversial policies adopted by the AKP - the moderate pro-Islamic party in power uninterruptedly since 2002 - and the rule of law crisis recently occurred in the country. In this regard, the author eventually seeks to assess the aftermath of the coup attempt failed in July 2016, by giving special attention to its short and long-term implications in the light of Turkish secularism

Simulazioni di dinamica molecolare classica con modelli a bassa risoluzione della proteasi di HIV-1

La proteasi del virus HIV-1 è una proteasi aspartica attiva come un omodimero simmetrico, formata cioè da due monomeri uguali aventi una lunghezza di 99 amminoacidi. Questo enzima svolge un ruolo fondamentale nella fase finale del processo di maturazione del virione di HIV tagliando tramite idrolisi del legame peptidico, le poliproteine Gag e Gag-Pol in elementi funzionali costitutivi del virione infettivo. L'inibizione di questo processo produce virioni non infettivi, ed è tutt'ora considerata una delle migliori strategie contro l'AIDS. In questo lavoro di Tesi si studia la dinamica molecolare del processo di azione della proteasi sulla Gag, allo scopo di individuarne possibili strategie inibitorie. Il complesso Gag-proteasi è relativamente grande su scala atomica, comprendendo due proteine ciascuna composta da diversi domini. La Gag, infatti, pure essendo costituita da un'unica catena polipeptidica, è strutturata in domini relativamente rigidi, collegati da parti destrutturate e flessibili, di solito contenenti i siti di taglio che la proteasi riconosce. Inoltre, è noto da dati sperimentali di varia natura che il processo di apertura del sito attivo della proteasi ed aggancio alla Gag avviene su scale dell'ordine del micro-millisecondo. La combinazione di grandi dimensioni spaziali e scale temporali lunghe rende il problema difficilmente affrontabile con metodi di dinamica molecolare classica al livello atomistico. Si è pertanto usato un modello a bassa risoluzione, precisamente al livello di un singolo centro interattivo per amminoacido. Questo riduce notevolmente il numero di gradi di libertà interni rendendo possibile la simulazione del processo con risorse computazionali modeste. La proteasi idrolizza la Gag in diversi punti, generando così diverse proteine del nuovo virione. Questo lavoro si focalizza su uno specifico sito di taglio, quello tra i domini MA e CA, che genera una proteina costitutiva del capside del nuovo virione, ed è quindi un passo essenziale della maturazione del virus. La scelta dello specifico sito di taglio è stata operata dopo un'analisi statistica dei possibili siti di taglio che è interessante di per sé perché dà informazioni sui meccanismi di riconoscimento e specificità della proteasi dell'HIV. Per la proteasi, si è utilizzato un modello precedente esistente in letteratura, che mostrava di riprodurre correttamente la dinamica e la statistica di apertura e chiusura del sito attivo. Per la Gag e per le interazioni proteasi-Gag, invece si è costruito de novo un modello compatibile con quello della proteasi. Nel modello della Gag sono stati incorporati i dati strutturali disponibili, sia da cristallografia a raggi X che NMR. Il modello di Gag è stato validato con simulazioni della Gag isolata, che mostrano riprodurre la flessibilità attesa della proteina, grazie all'utilizzo di forme funzionali non standard ed una accurata parametrizzazione. I modelli di Gag e proteasi sono stati poi accoppiati per simulare la dinamica di aggancio della proteasi alla Gag. Questa è la prima simulazione di questo genere in cui l'intero dominio di interesse della Gag viene incluso, e rivela alcuni dettagli molecolari della dinamica di apertura del sito, del riconoscimento della sequenza di taglio. L'analisi delle simulazioni rivela il ruolo della flessibilità della Gag nel processo e dà indicazioni su possibili strategie di inibizione. Questo modello apre ad un elevato numero di possibili sviluppi. Da una parte, si potrà simulare una porzione macroscopica realistica del virus, disponendo le Gag in un reticolo esagonale nel modo in cui si trovano all'interno del virione e introducendo nella simulazione un numero statisticamente sufficiente di proteasi. Questo comporta solamente aumentare il numero di molecole presenti nel sistema attuale, lasciando invariato il modello, ed è numericamente realizzabile su sistemi di calcolo anche modestamente paralleli. Questa sarebbe la prima simulazione dinamica su scala macroscopica dell'interno del virus di HIV. Dal punto di vista biochimico, le simulazioni rivelano alcune strategie inibitorie di tipo allosterico, evidenziando alcuni siti interessanti da considerare come bersagli per la progettazione di farmaci anti-AIDS. Questo apre la strada verso strategie chemioterapeutiche alternative, possibilmente più selettive e quindi meno tossiche al livello sistemico

Man shall not live by bread alone? Freedom of worship, COVID-19 and the Courts

This article discusses the application of the proportionality test which the Court of Session in Scotland and the European Court of Human Rights carried out when reviewing the limitations to worship and public gatherings imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article concludes that judges should not use the proportionality standard of review as an avenue to circumvent their duty of neutrality towards religious dogmas

The effects of MgO, Na2O and SO3 on industrial clinkering process: phase composition, polymorphism, microstructure and hydration, using a multidisciplinary approach

Preprint publicado en: Materials Characterization Volume 155, September 2019, 109809The present investigation deals with how minor elements (their oxides: MgO, Na2O and SO3) in industrial kiln feeds affect (i) chemical reactions upon clinkering, (ii) resulting phase composition and microstructure of clinker, (iii) hydration process during cement production. Our results show that all these points are remarkably sensitive to the combination and interference effects between the minor chemical species mentioned above. Upon clinkering, all the industrial raw meals here used exhibit the same formation temperature and amount of liquid phase. Minor elements are preferentially hosted by secondary phases, such as periclase. Conversely, the growth rate of the main clinker phases (alite and belite) is significantly affected by the nature and combination of minor oxides. MgO and Na2O give a very fast C3S formation rate at T > 1450 K, whereas Na2O and SO3 boost C2S After heating, if SO3 occurs in combination with MgO and/or Na2O, it does not inihibit the C3S crystallisation as expected. Rather, it promotes the stabilisation of M1-C3S, thus indirectly influencing the aluminate content, too. MgO increseases the C3S amount and promotes the stabilisation of M3-C3S, when it is in combination with Na2O. Na2O seems to be mainly hosted by calcium aluminate structure, but it does not induce the stabilisation of the orhtorhombic polymorph, as supposed to occur. Such features play a key role in predicting the physicalmechanical performance of a final cement (i.e. rate of hydration and hardening) when used as a bulding material.The present study has been partly funded by the project PRIN 2017 (2017L83S77), of the Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research (MIUR)

The role of amyloid-β in white matter damage: possible common pathogenetic mechanisms in neurodegenerative and demyelinating diseases

Just as multiple sclerosis (MS) has long been primarily considered a white matter (WM) disease, Alzheimer's disease (AD) has for decades been regarded only as a grey matter disorder. However, convergent evidences have suggested that WM abnormalities are also important components of AD, at the same extent as axonal and neuronal loss is critically involved in MS pathophysiology since early clinical stages. These observations have motivated a more thorough investigation about the possible mechanisms that could link neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, focusing on amyloid-β (Aβ). Neuroimaging studies have found that patients with AD have widespread WM abnormalities already at the earliest disease stages and prior to the presence of Aβ plaques. Moreover, a correlation between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ levels and WM lesion load was found. On the other hand, recent studies suggest a predictive role for CSF Aβ levels in MS, possibly due in the first instance to the reduced capacity for remyelination, consequently to a higher risk of WM damage progression, and ultimately to neuronal loss. We undertook a review of the recent findings concerning the involvement of CSF Aβ levels in the MS disease course and of the latest evidence of AD related WM abnormalities, with the aim to discuss the potential causes that may connect WM damage and amyloid pathology

The laser-matter interaction meets the high energy physics: Laser-plasma accelerators and bright X/gamma-ray sources

Laser matter interaction in the regime of super-intense and ultra-short laser pulses is discovering common interests and goals for plasma and elementary particles physics. Among them, the electron laser wakefield acceleration and the X/γ tunable sources, based on the Thomson scattering (TS) of optical photons on accelerated electrons, represent the most challenging applications. The activity of the Intense Laser Irradiation Laboratory in this field will be presented

Broadband, picosecond two-stage optical parametrical chirped pulse amplification system at 100 Hz

We report on a broadband, picosecond two-stage optical parametrical chirped pulse amplification system, pumped at 515 nm by a frequency doubled Yb regenerative amplifier. The system, designed to be part of the new petawatt picosecond front end, delivers 30  μJ pulses at a central wavelength of 870 nm with about 200 nm bandwidth at 100 Hz. The overall efficiency of the system (pump signal) is 8% while the second stage presents ∼17% conversion efficiency

Monitoring Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: How Molecular Tools May Drive Therapeutic Approaches

More than 15 years ago, imatinib entered into the clinical practice as a "magic bullet"; from that point on, the prognosis of patients affected by chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) became comparable to that of aged-matched healthy subjects. The aims of treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are for complete hematological response after 3 months of treatment, complete cytogenetic response after 6 months, and a reduction of the molecular disease of at least 3 logs after 12 months. Patients who do not reach their goal can switch to another TKI. Thus, the molecular monitoring of response is the main consideration of management of CML patients. Moreover, cases in deep and persistent molecular response can tempt the physician to interrupt treatment, and this "dream" is possible due to the quantitative PCR. After great international effort, today the BCR-ABL1 expression obtained in each laboratory is standardized and expressed as "international scale." This aim has been reached after the establishment of the EUTOS program (in Europe) and the LabNet network (in Italy), the platforms where biologists meet clinicians. In the field of quantitative PCR, the digital PCR is now a new and promising, sensitive and accurate tool. Some authors reported that digital PCR is able to better classify patients in precise "molecular classes," which could lead to a better identification of those cases that will benefit from the interruption of therapy. In addition, digital PCR can be used to identify a point mutation in the ABL1 domain, mutations that are often responsible for the TKI resistance. In the field of resistance, a prominent role is played by the NGS that enables identification of any mutation in ABL1 domain, even at sub-clonal levels. This manuscript reviews how the molecular tools can lead the management of CML patients, focusing on the more recent technical advances

Experimental study of picosecond laser plasma formation in thin foils

A high performance, fully controlled picosecond laser system has been designed and built with the aid of a numerical code capable of simulating the temporal behavior of the laser system, including each active and passive component. The laser performance was characterized with an optical streak camera, equivalent plane monitor, and calorimeter measurements. The laser pulse was focused on 150-nm thick foils to investigate plasma formation and the related transmittivity of the laser light. The experimental data are in very good agreement with the predictions of a simple, 2D analytical model that takes into account the actual shot-to-shot features of the laser pulse. The temporal profile of the pulse and the intensity distribution in the focal spot were found to play a key role in determining the transmission properties of the laser-irradiated foil. This work may be relevant to a wide class of laser exploded foil plasma experiments

Biosourced Aromatic Derivatives in the Upcycling of Recycled PET: Mellophanic Dianhydride as a Chain Extender

The synthesis of mellophanic dianhydride (MEDA) from biosourced 1,2,3,4-benzene tetracarboxylic derivatives and its use as a chain extender for mechanically recycled PET (R-PET) as an alternative to traditional oil-based pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) is reported. The rheological tests performed on the R-PET extruded with MEDA have shown similar results to those obtained with PMDA, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) showed that, in the 90–110 °C range (i.e., the temperature range commonly used for blow molding of bottles), Young’s modulus of R-PET containing MEDA is about 20% higher in comparison to that of pristine R-PET. The advantage of MEDA is that it can be prepared using building blocks obtained from agricultural waste via a sustainable protocol, whereas PMDA is a product of oil-based chemistr