Poincaré and Hardy Inequalities on Homogeneous Trees

We study Hardy-type inequalities on infinite homogeneous trees. More precisely, we derive optimal Hardy weights for the combinatorial Laplacian in this setting and we obtain, as a consequence, optimal improvements for the Poincaré inequality

Understanding decentralization: deconcentration and devolution processes in the French and Italian cultural sectors

none3noPurpose – Decentralization is a widespread and international phenomenon in public administration. Despite the interest of public management scholars, an in-depth analysis of the interrelationship between two of its forms – deconcentration and devolution – and its impact on policy and management capacities at the local level is seldom investigated. Design/methodology/approach – This article addresses this gap by examining the implementation of deconcentration and devolution processes in France and Italy in the cultural field, combining the analysis of national reform processes with in-depth analyses of two regional cases. The research is the result of document analysis, participatory observation and semi-structured interviews. Findings – The article reconstructs the impacts of devolution and deconcentration processes on the emergence of policy and management capacity in two regions (Rhone-Alpes and Piedmont) in the cultural sector. The article shows that decentralization in the cultural sector in France and Italy is the result of different combinations of devolution and deconcentration processes, that the two processes mutually affect their effectiveness, and that this effectiveness is deeply linked to the previous policy and management capacity of the central state in a specific field/country. Originality/value – The article investigates decentralization as a result of the combination of deconcentration and devolution in comparative terms and in a specific sector of implementation, highlighting the usefulness of this approach also for other sectors/countries.mixedSantagati, Maria Elena; Bonini Baraldi, Sara; Zan, LucaSantagati, Maria Elena; Bonini Baraldi, Sara; Zan, Luc

3D #DigitalInvasions: a crowdsourcing project for mobile user generated content

This paper introduces the #InvasioniDigitali project which is an online crowdsourcing initiative started in Italy in 2013 with the aim to promote the value of and engagement with local heritage. The paper focuses on two case studies of pilot ‘invasions’ using 3D data capture by students at museums and heritage sites in Sicily

STUDY OF THE O-18+Ni-64 TWO-NEUTRON TRANSFER REACTION AT 84 MeV BY MAGNEX

A study of the two-neutron transfer reaction of the O-18 + Ni-64 system at 84 MeV incident energy to the ground and first 2(+) excited state of the residual Ni-66 nucleus is presented. The experiment was performed at the INFN-LNS (Italy) by using the large acceptance MAGNEX spectrometer. Theoretical models are used in order to disentangle the competition between long-range and short-range correlations

Long-range versus short-range correlations in the two-neutron transfer reaction Ni 64 (O 18, O 16) Ni 66

Recently, various two-neutron transfer studies using the (18O,16O) reaction were performed with a large success. This was achieved because of a combined use of the microscopic quantum description of the reaction mechanism and of the nuclear structure. In the present work we use this methodology to study the two-neutron transfer reaction of the 18O+64Ni system at 84 MeV incident energy, to the ground and first 2+ excited state of the residual 66Ni nucleus. All the experimental data were measured by the large acceptance MAGNEX spectrometer at the Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare \u2013Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (Italy). We have performed exact finite range cross section calculations using the coupled channel Born approximation (CCBA) and coupled reaction channel (CRC) method for the sequential and direct two-neutron transfers, respectively. Moreover, this is the first time that the formalism of the microscopic interaction boson model (IBM-2) was applied to a two-neutron transfer reaction. From our results we conclude that for two-neutron transfer to the ground state of 66Ni, the direct transfer is the dominant reaction mechanism, whereas for the transfer to the first excited state of 66Ni, the sequential process dominates. A competition between long-range and short-range correlations is discussed, in particular, how the use of two different models (Shell model and IBM's) help to disentangle long- and short-range correlations

In vitro skin permeation of idebenone from lipid nanoparticles containing chemical penetration enhancers

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been proposed as carriers for drug skin delivery and targeting. As LNPs effectiveness could be increased by the addition of chemical penetration enhancers (PE), in this work, the feasibility of incorporating PE into LNPs to improve idebenone (IDE) targeting to the skin was investigated. LNPs loading IDE 0.7% w/w were prepared using hydrophilic (propylene glycol, PG, 10% w/w or N-methylpyrrolidone, NMP, 10% w/w) and/or lipophilic PE (oleic acid, OA, 1% w/w; isopropyl myristate, IPM, 3.5% w/w; a mixture of 0.5% w/w OA and 2.5% w/w IPM). All LNPs showed small sizes (<60 nm), low polydispersity index and good stability. According to the obtained results, IDE release from LNPs was not the rate-limiting step in IDE skin penetration. No IDE permeation was observed through excised pigskin from all LNPs, while the greatest increase of IDE penetration into the different skin layers was obtained using the mixture OA/IPM. The antioxidant activity of IDE-loaded LNPs, determined by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay, was greater than that of free IDE. These results suggest that the use of suitable PE as LNPs components could be regarded as a promising strategy to improve drug targeting to the skin

Weekly administration of vincristine, cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone and bleomycin (VEMB) in the treatment of elderly aggressive non Hodgkin's lymphoma

Background and Objective. Aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of VEMB, a short-lasting therapeutic regimen (50 days) which alternates two myelotoxic drugs (cyclophosphamide and mitoxantrone) every week with two less hematologically toxic drugs (vincristine and bleomycin) in the treatment of aggressive NHL in the elderly (over 70). Design and Methods. Between November 1994 and March 1996, 37 patients aged more than 70 years, with highly or moderately malignant NHL (according to the Working Formulation) have been enrolled into the study. The stage of the disease ranged between II and IV according to Ann Arbor. Mean age was 77 years; 14 patients (38%) had stage IV; 19 patients (51%) had LDH higher than normal; 26 patients (70%) had extranodal and 9 patients (24%) had bulky disease at time of diagnosis. Results. Sixty-two percent of patients achieved a complete and 22% a partial remission. Non-responders amounted to 5%. Four patients (11%) died during the therapy; Nine patients (24%) experienced grade III-IV neutropenia. The most frequently observed event was mild neurotoxicity (43% of cases). The overall survival rate at 30 months was 55%. DFS at 24 months was 66%. Interpretation and Conclusions. VEMB is a therapeutic regimen whose efficacy is comparable to that of the other derived MACOP-B therapeutic regimens used in the elderly NHL. It has proved to have a good feasibility, though the number of toxic deaths should not be neglected

SK-ER3 neuroblastoma cells as a model for the study of estrogen influence on neural cells

The neuroblastoma SK-ER3 cell line obtained by stable transfection of the human SK-N-BE cell line is proposed as a model for the study of estrogen receptor activity in cells of neural origin, In the SK-ER3 cell line the estrogen receptor, once activated, initiates a differentiation program leading to growth arrest, morphological changes, and acquisition of the dopaminergic phenotype, In the absence of estrogens, this program can be triggered by IGF-I, which can activate the unliganded estrogen receptor via the ras-pathway, It is proposed that this model system might recapitulate the events occurring in vivo during the differentiation of the nervous system and that IGF-I may play an important role in the activation of estrogen receptor at the very early stage of brain development affecting the differentiation of a number of hypothalamic and extrahypothalamic brain regions. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc