Nuove forme di protagonismo urbano: servizi e strumenti per la città policentrica

Nella città contemporanea il dibattito sui “beni comuni” è evidentemente legato alla necessità di ridiscutere la fornitura pubblica di servizi e infrastrutture, aprendosi a nuovi organismi insorgenti nelle comunità locali. Oggi l'inefficacia delle formule di regolamentazione tradizionali imbrigliano le organizzazioni sociali in formule rigide incapaci di rispondere ad efficaci regimi di produzione. In particolare il sistema normativo ha spesso impedito una diffusione su larga scala di nuovi esperimenti istituzionali da parte degli attori privati, considerandoli come marginali, più indirizzati a soddisfare solamente i propri interessi che quelli “comuni”. Il contributo proposto mira a investigare le caratteristiche ed il funzionamento di questi meccanismi operativi, mostrando la capacità di produzione di un “servizio collettivo” come espressione di iniziative volontarie e indipendenti delle comunità locali. L'analisi si concentrerà sull'approfondimento di due strumenti particolari: l'utilizzo della rendita per nuove formule finanziarie private di fornitura di servizi urbani collettivi; gli schemi istituzionali contrattuali per la gestione di servizi energetici locali. Attraverso questi strumenti si definisce una strategia per la città policentrica, ossia capace di accogliere le aspirazioni dei propri cittadini, abilitandoli ad agire liberamente ed indipendentemente dalla posizione e dal ruolo che rivestono in ambito urbano. Questo aspetto consente alla città di adattarsi ai repentini cambiamenti dei paradigmi tecnologici, economici ed ambientali, rispondendo concretamente alle esigenze delle comunità locali

Neutralization and clearance of GM-CSF by autoantibodies in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a severe autoimmune disease caused by autoantibodies that neutralize GM-CSF resulting in impaired function of alveolar macrophages. In this study, we characterize 21 GM-CSF autoantibodies from PAP patients and find that somatic mutations critically determine their specificity for the self-antigen. Individual antibodies only partially neutralize GM-CSF activity using an in vitro bioassay, depending on the experimental conditions, while, when injected in mice together with human GM- CSF, they lead to the accumulation of a large pool of circulating GM-CSF that remains partially bioavailable. In contrast, a combination of three non-cross-competing antibodies completely neutralizes GM-CSF activity in vitro by sequestering the cytokine in high-molecular-weight complexes, and in vivo promotes the rapid degradation of GM-CSF-containing immune complexes in an Fc-dependent manner. Taken together, these findings provide a plausible explanation for the severe phenotype of PAP patients and for the safety of treatments based on single anti-GM-CSF monoclonal antibodies

Doping-dependent charge order correlations in electron-doped cuprates

Understanding the interplay between charge order (CO) and other phenomena (for example, pseudogap, antiferromagnetism, and superconductivity) is one of the central questions in the cuprate high-temperature superconductors. The discovery that similar forms of CO exist in both hole- and electron-doped cuprates opened a path to determine what subset of the CO phenomenology is universal to all the cuprates. We use resonant x-ray scattering to measure the CO correlations in electron-doped cuprates (La2−xCexCuO4 and Nd2−xCexCuO4) and their relationship to antiferromagnetism, pseudogap, and superconductivity. Detailed measurements of Nd2−xCexCuO4 show that CO is present in the x = 0.059 to 0.166 range and that its doping-dependent wave vector is consistent with the separation between straight segments of the Fermi surface. The CO onset temperature is highest between x = 0.106 and 0.166 but decreases at lower doping levels, indicating that it is not tied to the appearance of antiferromagnetic correlations or the pseudogap. Near optimal doping, where the CO wave vector is also consistent with a previously observed phonon anomaly, measurements of the CO below and above the superconducting transition temperature, or in a magnetic field, show that the CO is insensitive to superconductivity. Overall, these findings indicate that, although verified in the electron-doped cuprates, material-dependent details determine whether the CO correlations acquire sufficient strength to compete for the ground state of the cuprates

Molecularly specific detection of bacterial lipoteichoic acid for diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection of the bone

Discriminating sterile inflammation from infection, especially in cases of aseptic loosening versus an actual prosthetic joint infection, is challenging and has significant treatment implications. Our goal was to evaluate a novel human monoclonal antibody (mAb) probe directed against the Gram-positive bacterial surface molecule lipoteichoic acid (LTA). Specificity and affinity were assessed in vitro. We then radiolabeled the anti-LTA mAb and evaluated its effectiveness as a diagnostic imaging tool for detecting infection via immunoPET imaging in an in vivo mouse model of prosthetic joint infection (PJI). In vitro and ex vivo binding of the anti-LTA mAb to pathogenic bacteria was measured with Octet, ELISA, and flow cytometry. The in vivo PJI mouse model was assessed using traditional imaging modalities, including positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]FDG and [18F]NaF as well as X-ray computed tomography (CT), before being evaluated with the zirconium-89-labeled antibody specific for LTA ([89Zr]SAC55). The anti-LTA mAb exhibited specific binding in vitro to LTA-expressing bacteria. Results from imaging showed that our model could reliably simulate infection at the surgical site by bioluminescent imaging, conventional PET tracer imaging, and bone morphological changes by CT. One day following injection of both the radiolabeled anti-LTA and isotype control antibodies, the anti-LTA antibody demonstrated significantly greater (P < 0.05) uptake at S. aureus-infected prosthesis sites over either the same antibody at sterile prosthesis sites or of control non-specific antibody at infected prosthesis sites. Taken together, the radiolabeled anti-LTA mAb, [89Zr]SAC55, may serve as a valuable diagnostic molecular imaging probe to help distinguish between sterile inflammation and infection in the setting of PJI. Future studies are needed to determine whether these findings will translate to human PJI

Fano interference of the Higgs mode in cuprate high-Tc superconductors

Despite decades of search for the pairing boson in cuprate high-Tc superconductors, its identity still remains debated to date. For this reason, spectroscopic signatures of electron-boson interactions in cuprates have always been a center of attention. For example, the kinks in the quasiparticle dispersion observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies have motivated a decade-long investigation of electron-phonon as well as electron-paramagnon interactions in cuprates. On the other hand, the overlap between the charge-order correlations and the pseudogap in the cuprate phase diagram has also generated discussions about the potential link between them. In the present study, we provide a fresh perspective on these intertwined interactions using the novel approach of Higgs spectroscopy, i.e. an investigation of the amplitude oscillations of the superconducting order parameter driven by a terahertz radiation. Uniquely for cuprates, we observe a Fano interference of its dynamically driven Higgs mode with another collective mode, which we reveal to be charge density wave fluctuations from an extensive doping- and magnetic field-dependent study. This finding is further corroborated by a mean field model in which we describe the microscopic mechanism underlying the interaction between the two orders. Our work demonstrates Higgs spectroscopy as a novel and powerful technique for investigating intertwined orders and microscopic processes in unconventional superconductors

Development of broad‐spectrum human monoclonal antibodies for rabies post‐exposure prophylaxis

Currently available rabies post‐exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for use in humans includes equine or human rabies immunoglobulins (RIG). The replacement of RIG with an equally or more potent and safer product is strongly encouraged due to the high costs and limited availability of existing RIG. In this study, we identified two broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies that represent a valid and affordable alternative to RIG in rabies PEP. Memory B cells from four selected vaccinated donors were immortalized and monoclonal antibodies were tested for neutralizing activity and epitope specificity. Two antibodies, identified as RVC20 and RVC58 (binding to antigenic site I and III, respectively), were selected for their potency and broad‐spectrum reactivity. In vitro, RVC20 and RVC58 were able to neutralize all 35 rabies virus (RABV) and 25 non‐RABV lyssaviruses. They showed higher potency and breath compared to antibodies under clinical development (namely CR57, CR4098, and RAB1) and commercially available human RIG. In vivo, the RVC20–RVC58 cocktail protected Syrian hamsters from a lethal RABV challenge and did not affect the endogenous hamster post‐vaccination antibody response

Structural basis for broad HIV-1 neutralization by the MPER-specific human broadly neutralizing antibody LN01

Potent and broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) are the hallmark of HIV-1 protection by vaccination. The membrane-proximal external region (MPER) of the HIV-1 gp41 fusion protein is targeted by the most broadly reactive HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies. Here, we examine the structural and molecular mechansims of neutralization by anti-MPER bnAb, LN01, which was isolated from lymph-node-derived germinal center B cells of an elite controller and exhibits broad neutralization breadth. LN01 engages both MPER and the transmembrane (TM) region, which together form a continuous helix in complex with LN01. The tilted TM orientation allows LN01 to interact simultaneously with the peptidic component of the MPER epitope and membrane via two specific lipid binding sites of the antibody paratope. Although LN01 carries a high load of somatic mutations, most key residues interacting with the MPER epitope and lipids are germline encoded, lending support for the LN01 epitope as a candidate for lineage-based vaccine development

Turning innovativeness into domestic and international corporate venturing:The moderating effect of high family ownership and influence

Stemming from socioemotional wealth preservation arguments, the aim of this paper is to analyse whether high family ownership and influence moderate the relationship between innovativeness and modes of corporate venturing activities (national vs. international venturing). The main hypotheses are tested on a sample of 235 firms using structural equation modelling techniques in the form of partial least squares regression. Our main findings suggest that there is a significant positive relationship between innovativeness and corporate venturing activities, both in family and non-family firms. This relationship is much stronger for national than international corporate venturing. Moreover, high family ownership and influence negatively affect only the innovativeness-national venturing relationship, while this negative effect is less manifest for the case of international venturing

A Study of Secondary Art Teachers' Knowledge, Interpretation, and Implementation of Major Art Education Reform Initiatives With Implications for Art Teacher Education

273 p.Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2002.Recommendations include increased funding for art programs; intensification of specialized in-service/staff development training on discipline-based art education and the inclusion of multicultural content; increased cooperation or collaboration among teachers in the development of art curriculum to increase students' understanding of art content and relationship to other subjects; and rethinking of roles by university-based art educators and school-based art teachers to develop a creative partnership and facilitate art education reforms agenda.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

GUESSS National Report Italy 2018: Entrepreneurial intentions and behaviors of Italian University students

GUESSS (‘Global University Entrepreneurial Spirits Students Survey’) is an international research project aimed at tracking entrepreneurial intentions and activities of university students. In recent years, the publications based on GUESSS data in top entrepreneurship journals have rapidly grown, while the importance of the project in the academic community has increasingly been recognized. In Italy the survey has been coordinated by the Center for Young and Family Enterprise (CYFE) – University of Bergamo. This report describes data collected from the Italian sample, including students’ responses about entrepreneurial intentions, the number of active entrepreneurs and nascent entrepreneur as well as students’ socio-demographic background. The Italian survey collected 7,122 students’ responses, coming from 21 universities