Are the X-ray Spectra of Flat-spectrum Radio Quasars and BL Lacertae Objects Different?

We study the X-ray spectra of 114 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ) using the hardness ratios as given in the WGA catalogue of ROSAT sources. This sample includes all WGA FSRQ with high-quality data and comprises about 20 per cent of presently known such objects, which makes this the largest FSRQ sample ever studied in the X-ray band. We find that FSRQ have a distribution of energy spectral indices ranging between 0 and 3 with a mean value alpha_x ~ 1. This is consistent with that of low-energy cutoff BL Lacs (LBL; alpha_x ~ 1.1), generally found in radio surveys, but significantly different from that of high-energy cutoff BL Lacs (HBL), normally selected in the X-ray band, which display steeper X-ray spectra (alpha_x ~ 1.5). The shape of the optical-to-X-ray continuum is concave (that is alpha_x < alpha_ox) for the majority of FSRQ, as found for LBL, supporting a dominance of inverse Compton emission in the X-ray band in most objects. Our results are at odds with previous studies of the X-ray spectra of FSRQ, which were however plagued by low spectral resolution and/or small number statistics and selection effects, and have important implications for the proposed connections between FSRQ and BL Lacs.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, TeX file, uses mn.tex and psfig.tex. To appear in MNRAS. TeX and postscript files also available at http://itovf2.roma2.infn.it/padovani/xray_spectra/diff.htm

regulation of self renewal in breast stem cells

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On cold diluted plasmas hit by short laser pulses

Adapting a plane hydrodynamical model we briefly revisit the study of the impact of a very short and intense laser pulse onto a diluted plasma, the formation of a plasma wave, its wave-breaking, the occurrence of the slingshot effect.Comment: Latex file, 7 pages, 3 figures, now with higher resolution. To appear in NIMA. Proceedings of Proceedings of the "3rd European Advanced Accelerator Concepts (EAAC) Workshop", September 2017, Isola d'Elb

APPROCCIO SISTEMICO E GESTIONE MULTISCALA DEI DATI. 'Il caso studio ‘frigorifero'. / A SYSTEM APPROACH AND MULTISCALE DATA MANAGEMENT. A ‘refrigerator’ case study.

Numerose tecnologie digitali come l’Intenet of Things, l’Intelligenza Artificiale e il Ma-chine Learning potrebbero stravolgere il modo di concepire il processo progettuale, soprattutto quando impiegate per reperire informazioni indispensabili alla definizione del problema, individuare i requisiti e sostenere decisioni progettuali, tipiche della fase di pre-design. In questo saggio si riflette sulla complessità del progetto, sulla necessità di un approccio sistemico basato su metodi partecipativi e sull’utilizzo di prototipi co-me strumenti per sbloccare il potenziale, ancora ampiamente inesplorato, dell’utilizzo dei dati ai fini progettuali. In seguito a un esperimento condotto su un frigorifero, sono state inoltre tratte conclusioni su visioni future, aspetti metodologici di progettazione nell’ambito del design sistemico e sulla relazione tra dato e sostenibilità. Many digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Ma-chine Learning, could radically change the way of conceiving a design process, espe-cially when they are used to retrieve essential information to define a problem, identify the requirements and support design decisions, all of which are typical of the pre-de-sign phase. In this essay, we reflect on the complexity of designing, on the need for a systemic approach based on participatory methods and on the use of prototypes as tools to unlock the potential, albeit still largely untapped, use of data for design pur-poses. An experiment has been conducted on a refrigerator and conclusions have been drawn on future visions, methodological aspects in the field of systemic design and the relationship between data and sustainability

It's HIP to be a hub: new trends for old-fashioned proteins

Many endocytic proteins shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm; however, their putative function in the nucleus is unclear. Now, new data demonstrate that huntingtin interacting protein 1 (HIP1), an endocytic protein, modulates the transcriptional activity of nuclear hormone receptors. In network theory, therefore, HIP1 can be regarded as a hub connecting heterogeneous functional “territories:” a possibility with important physiological and pathological implications

Iodine, thyroid autoimmunity and cancer

This review focuses on two different topics: (a) iodine and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) and (b) AITD and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Iodine intake modifies the expression of thyroid diseases and has been associated with induction of AITD. Thyroglobulin (Tg) is an important target in iodine-induced autoimmune response due to post-translational modifications of iodinated Tg, as suggested in animal models. We have shown that the unmasking of a cryptic epitope on Tg contributes to iodine-induced thyroid autoimmunity in humans. The relationship between AITD and PTC has been suggested in many studies. The presence of two different mechanisms has been hypothesized, one typical of AITD and the other of an immune reaction to PTC. We have shown that in AITD, the pattern of Tg recognition by anti-Tg antibodies (TgAb) is 'restricted' to the immunodominant regions of Tg, while in patients with non-AITD, such as nodular goiter and PTC devoid of thyroid lymphocytic infiltration at histology, TgAb show a less restricted epitopic pattern and bind also to other regions of Tg. Thyroid function may also affect the frequency of PTC, the risk of cancer increasing with serum TSH levels. We have shown that this mechanism, rather than thyroiditis per se, plays a major role in the association of PTC with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, as a consequence of the autoimmune process leading to a progressive increase of serum TSH in these patients

Contamination Lab of Turin (CLabTo): how to teach entrepreneurship education to all kinds of university students

Interest in offering Entrepreneurship Education (EE) to all kinds of university students is increasing. Therefore, universities are increasing the number of entrepreneurship courses intended for students from different fields of study and with different education levels. Through a single case study of the Contamination Lab of Turin (CLabTo), we suggest how EE may be taught to all kinds of university students. We have combined design methods with EE to create a practical-oriented entrepreneurship course which allows students to work in transdisciplinary teams through a learning-by-doing approach on real-life projects. Professors from different departments have been included to create a multidisciplinary environment. We have drawn on programme assessment data, including pre- and postsurveys. Overall, we have found a positive effect of the programme on the students’ entrepreneurial skills. However, when the data was broken down according to the students’ fields of study and education levels, mixed results emerged