Giocando con le equivalenze

In questo laboratorio i ragazzi della classe terza (età 16-17 anni) del Liceo Linguistico Europeo “Paolino d’Aquileia” (Gorizia), accompagnati dalla loro insegnante, hanno creato un percorso, articolato in più postazioni-gioco, volto a sviluppare l’intuizione sul concetto di equivalenza, in maniera quanto più semplice e naturale possibile, affinché anche i visitatori più piccini (a partire dalla classe terza della scuola primaria) potessero orientarsi con successo. Partendo dall’equivalenza tra figure piane, si è analizzato il legame con il concetto di congruenza. Si è passati poi all’equivalenza tra solidi, introducendo anche il principio di Cavalieri e il metodo degli indivisibili, proponendo ai visitatori più grandi anche l’analisi (e simulazione con Cabri) di due teoremi di Torricelli, studiati dall’originale in latino, in cui si prova l’equivalenza tra una sfera e un cono, con altezza pari al raggio della sfera, e raggio del cerchio di base pari al diametro della sfera.In this workshop the students, aged 16-17, who attend the 3rd year of Liceo Linguistico Europeo “Paolino d’Aquileia” in Gorizia, were led by their teacher to create a pathway organized into several game-posts. This pathway was aimed at developing intuitively the concept of equivalency, which should be understood very easily in order to allow younger learners, 8-9 years old, to grasp it. First of all, the equivalence between plane figures has been analysed, also in the light of the concept of congruency. The analysis then moved to the equivalence between solid figures. The Cavalieri’s Principle and the method of indivisibles were introduced. The analysis of two theorems of Torricelli (and a simulation applying Cabri) were also shown to the older visitors. Torricelli’s theorems, which demonstrate the equivalence between a sphere and a cone, provided that its height equals the sphere radius and that the radius of the base circle equals the sphere diameter, had been previously considered by the students in the original text in Latin

Pancreatic cancer : prevention through improved diagnostics in individuals at risk

With the intent of timely detecting malignant precursors or pancreatic cancer (PC) in an early stage, current guidelines recommend surveillance for patients with pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCNs), such as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN), and individuals at risk (IAR) for familiar/hereditary pancreatic cancer (PC). This surveillance is mainly performed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, despite the associated examination time and costs, MRI is still suboptimal regarding its accuracy in predicting malignancy. This thesis aims to contribute towards improved secondary prevention of PC through more efficient and accurate diagnostic methods in patients with IPMN and familiar/hereditary PC through (i) a shorter MRI protocol, (ii) new imaging features and radiomics models for the prediction of malignancy, (iii) a better understanding of the surveillance program for IAR. In Study I, we compared a short (SP) and a comprehensive pancreatic MRI protocol (CP), with an acquisition time of approximately 8 and 35 minutes, respectively, in a cohort of 154 patients with PCNs. Our results showed that the SP provided equivalent clinical information in evaluating mural nodules, as well as cystic and main pancreatic duct diameters, compared to the more time-consuming and expensive CP in the surveillance of PCNs. In Study II, we assessed whether two novel features, such as volumetry and elongation value (EV) and other routinely used resection criteria, could predict malignancy in a cohort of 106 patients operated for BD- and mixed-type IPMN. Cases with mass-forming PC were excluded as a possible cause of main pancreatic duct (MPD) dilatation. Our results showed that volumetry and EV were not predictive for malignancy. Only elevated serum levels of CA19-9, mural nodules and dilated MPD (in the absence of stricturing masses) were associated with malignancy. In Study III, we evaluated the performance of MRI-based radiomics models in the preoperative prediction of malignancy in 130 patients operated for BD and mixed-type IPMN after exclusion of mass-forming PC. The radiomics models were internally cross-validated. Our results showed that a “pure” radiomics model outperformed a model including standard clinical and imaging features, suggesting that it might effectively predict malignancy in BD-IPMN even without standard clinical/imaging information. In Study IV, we described the imaging findings and the performance of a mainly MRI-based surveillance program in a cohort of 278 individuals at risk (IAR) for familial/hereditary PC. Our results showed that focal pancreatic lesions were identified in over half of IAR, the vast majority being small cysts. No lesions with high-grade dysplasia were detected. Five patients had PC, with the same prevalence of stage I and stage IV. The sensitivity and positive predictive values for detecting PC and its precursors were low (60% and 37%, respectively). In conclusion, a short pancreatic MRI protocol can be safely used in the surveillance of PCNs without losing relevant clinical information. Although novel imaging features cannot predict malignancy in IPMN, radiomics have shown its potentiality. In the context of individuals at risk for familial or hereditary PC undergoing surveillance, the early diagnosis of PC is still challenging with “traditional” cross-imaging methods such as MRI

Endovascular Interventional Radiology of the Urogenital Tract

Interventional radiology of the male urogenital system includes percutaneous and endovascular procedures, and these last consist mostly of transcatheter arterial embolizations. At the kidney level, arterial embolizations are performed mainly for palliative treatment of parenchymal tumors, for renal traumas and, less frequently, for arteriovenous fistulas and renal aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms. These latter may often require emergency intervention as they can cause renal or peri-renal hematomas or significant hematuria. Transcatheter arterial embolization is also an effective therapy for intractable severe bladder hematuria secondary to a number of neoplastic and inflammatory conditions in the pelvis, including unresectable bladder cancer and radiation-induced or cyclophosphamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis. Endovascular interventional procedures for the penis are indicated for the treatment of post-traumatic priapism. In this article, we review the main endovascular radiological interventions of the male urogenital system, describing the technical aspects, results, and complications of each procedure at the various anatomical districts

Chinese overseas M&A: overcoming cultural and organisational divides

This article contributes to the existing knowledge on the difficulties and critical aspects of the post-acquisition phase of an emerging market multinational. To establish the context, a literature review on multinational companies from emerging countries, and specifically on the internationalisation initiatives of Chinese companies, is provided, along with a framework to analyse cultural and management-related differences related to mergers and acquisitions (M&As). This review and framework is followed by a case study of a Chinese M&A in Italy. The case illustrates how Chinese companies use Italy to access Western markets (and strategic logistical services), as well as a wide range of distinct skills/intangible assets, such as brands, know-how and technology, particularly in the manufacturing industries. The findings suggest that while superficial product-portfolio and cost benefits can accrue due to the acquisition, cultural and administrative differences and lack of synergies can prevent the acquirer from fully integrating the intangible assets, particularly human resource talent, of the acquired firm

National Culture for a Participatory Time-driven Activity Based Costing: A Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda

National culture has a well-recognized role in management practices especially in shaping participatory decision-making processes (PDM). The article aims to provide a conceptual framework where national culture is considered as a potential moderator in a PDM when designing a Time-Driven Activity Based Costing (TDABC). The purpose is to identify a set of dimensions when designing time equations, on which the costing system is based on, to be then linked to national culture. Moreover, a research agenda is also presented in order to validate the proposed framework, outlining directions for futures research as well as managerial implications

Chinese Overseas M&A: Overcoming Cultural and Organizational Divides

This article contributes to the existing knowledge on the difficulties and critical aspects of the post-acquisition phase of an emerging market multinational. To establish the context, a literature review on multinational companies from emerging countries, and specifically on the internationalization initiatives of Chinese companies, is provided, along with a framework to analyze cultural and management-related differences related to mergers and acquisitions (M&As). This review and framework is followed by a case study of a Chinese motorbike M&A in Italy. The case illustrates how Chinese companies use Italy to access Western markets (and strategic logistical services), as well as a wide range of distinct skills/intangible assets, such as brands, know-how and technology, particularly in the manufacturing industries. The findings suggest that while superficial product-portfolio and cost benefits can accrue due to the acquisition, cultural and administrative differences and lack of synergies between the two companies prevented the acquirer from fully integrating the intangible assets, particularly human resource talent, of the acquired firm

Tra Mnemosyne e Pop Art. Intervista a Roberto Baldazzini

The interview aims to analyse the multifaceted career of Roberto Baldazzini. Self-taught, collector of women’s magazines, essayist, he is recognized as a master of erotic comics especially in the French context. His style is inspired by Roy Lichtenstein, the famous member of Pop Art group, especially for his clear synthesis of lines and backgrounds. The artist studies the surrounding reality through photography: natural elements, spectacular and unusual camera angles. Cinema and photo story books and his great passion for female icons make Roberto Baldazzini’s talent an emblem of how the ‘social memory’, theorised by Aby Warburg in ancient and modern art, is conveyed through the media in contemporary age.Since Stella Noris, than in his paintings dedicated to Sophia Loren and Betty Page, star of Who Killed Betty? comic strip, passing through his recent exhibitions Creatures and Hollywoodland − work in progress of his latest graphic novel for Bonelli Publishing Company −, feminine concept is analysed in all its shades: delicate, sensual, fetish and star-like.Baldazzini also demonstrates his skillful style in advertising: really significant are his campaigns for TIM, Alessi, Zanotti and Axe. Two further important thematic points in this dialogue are Baldazzini’s relationship with art and social networks. The artist also dedicated a comic story to his place of birth: The Winter of Diego, a historical comic book set in Modenese Apennines during the Resistance.L’intervista si propone di analizzare la multiforme opera del fumettista Roberto Baldazzini. Autodidatta, collezionista di periodici al femminile e saggista, riconosciuto, soprattutto in ambito francese, come maestro del fumetto erotico. La fotografia è il mezzo attraverso il quale l’artista studia la realtà circostante, carpendo elementi naturali, scenografici e inquadrature inedite. Il mondo del cinema e del fotoromanzo e la grande passione per le icone femminili degli anni ’50, estratte dalle sue riviste, fanno del talento di Roberto Baldazzini emblema di quanto la “memoria sociale”, teorizzata da Aby Warburg in ambito antico e moderno, sia veicolata dai mass media nell’ambito contemporaneo. Da Stella Noris, passando per le opere pittoriche dedicate a Sophia Loren e Betty Page, protagonista del fumetto Who Killed Betty?, per poi approdare alle sue recenti mostre Creature e Hollywoodland, work in progress del suo ultimo romanzo a fumetti per la Bonelli Editore, il femminile è analizzato in tutte le sue sfumature: delicate, sensuali, fetish e divistiche. L’artista attraversa abilmente il media pubblicitario: di particolare rilevanza sono le sue campagne per TIM, Alessi, Zanotti e Axe. Altri due nodi tematici toccati in questo dialogo sono il rapporto di Baldazzini con l’arte e con i social network, visto come un terreno di condivisione del proprio immaginario. La carriera dell’artista non trascura grandi temi radicati nella sua terra, come ne L’inverno di Diego, un racconto storico a fumetti che affronta il tema della Resistenza nell’Appennino modenese

Dall'homo Sapiens all'Homo Responsabilis. Verso una Mutazione Antropologica

La responsabilità verso la terra e tutte le forme di vita è lo strumento per riconoscere l’ambivalenza bene/male presente in ogni uomo, decostruire l'antropocentrismo, proporre una paideia non violenta. Nell'uscita dall'antropocene, dal collettivismo spersonalizzante e dall'era dei diritti, l’unico modo per portare rispetto a tutti i viventi e alla madre Terra è il percorrere la via verso l'autopurificazione ed il ri-conoscimento del sacro che pervade le nostre vite