Gli aspetti innovativi della norma UNI EN ISO 9001:2015. L'applicazione dello standard in Palladio Group S.p.a.

Lo standard UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 sui Sistemi di Gestione per la Qualità è il risultato di un processo di revisione che ha avuto come scopo quello di rispondere alla necessità di fornire alle organizzazioni requisiti coerenti, comprensibili, meno orientati alla formazione di un Sistema fine a sè stesso e maggiormente rivolti alla soddisfazione del cliente e delle parti interessate. Il presente lavoro di tesi, dopo avere fornito una definizione del concetto di “Qualità” e di come questa possa essere gestita all’interno di un’organizzazione, si propone di analizzare i nuovi contenuti normativi dello standard e di confrontarne i requisiti rispetto alla precedente revisione. Verranno descritti i singoli capitoli dello standard e i due concetti più innovativi: l’approccio per processi e il Risk Based Thinking. Nell’ultima parte verrà descritto il caso della Palladio Group Spa: una cartotecnica, con sedi in Italia e all’estero, che opera da oltre 70 anni prestando particolare attenzione alla qualità dell’azienda. La mia analisi è stata svolta all’interno dello stabilimento di Pontedera dove, grazie alla collaborazione della Responsabile Assicurazione Qualità, è stato possibile analizzare come la società applica lo standard e quali sono le procedure aziendali, in particolare è stata analizzata la procedura per la scelta e il monitoraggio dei fornitori

Promuovere il benessere e contrastare la povertà educativa: Una sintesi narrativa della letteratura

The contribution presents a narrative synthesis of the literature on the concepts of poverty and well-being, assumed in their multidimensional character, considering the consequences of the pandemic emergency. The aim is to identify among the recent pedagogical literature the dimensions that should be addressed in order to develop educational pathways aimed at ensuring equality. We also intend to reflect on the role of teachers and educational communities to plan these pathways. The process of researching the literature on the adressed issues has produced a collection of 12 articles that have been analyzed using the software MAXQDA. Here we illustrate the multiple dimensions that emerged at the individual and community level, their interconnections and pedagogical implications for educational theory and practice.Il contributo propone una sintesi narrativa della letteratura sui concetti di povertà e benessere, assunti nel loro carattere multidimensionale e alla luce delle conseguenze dell’emergenza pandemica. L’obiettivo è quello di individuare nella letteratura pedagogica recente le dimensioni che dovrebbero essere prese in considerazione per implementare percorsi educativi mirati all’equità. Ci si propone, inoltre, di riflettere su quale sia il ruolo delle e degli insegnanti e delle comunità educanti nel progettare tali percorsi. Il processo di ricerca della letteratura sui temi in esame ha prodotto un corpus di 12 articoli sui quali sono state condotte successive analisi attraverso il software MAXQDA. Saranno illustrate le molteplici dimensioni emerse, a livello individuale e sociale, le loro interconnessioni e le implicazioni pedagogiche per la teoria e la pratica educativa

LPS-induced TNF-α factor mediates pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrogenic pattern in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is currently considered one of the major players in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis and progression. Here, we aim to investigate the possible role of LPS-induced TNF-α factor (LITAF) in inducing a pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrogenic phenotype of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).We found that children with NAFLD displayed, in different liver-resident cells, an increased expression of LITAF which correlated with histological traits of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. Total and nuclear LITAF expression increased in mouse and human hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Moreover, LPS induced LITAF-dependent transcription of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in the clonal myofibroblastic HSC LX-2 cell line, and this effect was hampered by LITAF silencing. We showed, for the first time in HSCs, that LITAF recruitment to these cytokine promoters is LPS dependent. However, preventing LITAF nuclear translocation by p38MAPK inhibitor, the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α was significantly reduced with the aid of p65NF-ĸB, while IL-1β transcription exclusively required LITAF expression/activity. Finally, IL-1β levels in plasma mirrored those in the liver and correlated with LPS levels and LITAF-positive HSCs in children with NASH.In conclusion, a more severe histological profile in paediatric NAFLD is associated with LITAF over-expression in HSCs, which in turn correlates with hepatic and circulating IL-1β levels outlining a panel of potential biomarkers of NASH-related liver damage. The in vitro study highlights the role of LITAF as a key regulator of the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory pattern in HSCs and suggests p38MAPK inhibitors as a possible therapeutic approach against hepatic inflammation in NASH

unraveling the molecular mechanisms of color expression in anthocyanins

The complex behavior underlying color expression in this broad family of natural dyes is revealed through multi-scale simulations in excellent agreement with experimental spectra

Erectile dysfunction in hyperuricemia: A prevalence meta‐analysis and meta‐regression study

AbstractBackgroundWhether and to what extent an association exists between hyperuricemia and erectile dysfunction (ED) has not yet been fully determined.ObjectiveTo define pooled prevalence estimates and correlates of erectile dysfunction in men with hyperuricemic disorders.Materials and methodsA thorough search of Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases was performed. Data were combined using random‐effects models and the between‐study heterogeneity was assessed by Cochrane's Q and I2 tests. A funnel plot was used to assess publication bias.ResultsOverall, 8 studies included gave information about 85,406 hyperuricemic men, of whom 5023 complained of erectile dysfunction, resulting in a pooled erectile dysfunction prevalence estimate of 33% (95% Confidence Interval: 13–52%; I² = 99.9%). The funnel plot suggested the presence of a publication bias. At the meta‐regression analyses, among the available covariates that could affect estimates, only type 2 diabetes mellitus was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of erectile dysfunction (β = 0.08; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.01, 0.15, p = 0.025). At the sub‐group analysis, the pooled erectile dysfunction prevalence decreased to 4% (95% Confidence Interval: 0%–8%) when only the largest studies with the lowest prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus were included and increased up to 50% (95% Confidence Interval: 17%–84%) when the analysis was restricted to studies enrolling smaller series with higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.ConclusionsA not negligible proportion of men with hyperuricemia can complain of erectile dysfunction. While a pathogenetic contribution of circulating uric acid in endothelial dysfunction cannot be ruled out, the evidence of a stronger association between hyperuricemia and erectile dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus points to hyperuricemia as a marker of systemic dysmetabolic disorders adversely affecting erectile function

A Single-Center, Randomized Controlled Trial to Test the Efficacy of Nurse-Led Motivational Interviewing for Enhancing Self-Care in Adults with Heart Failure

Background: The role of nurse-led motivational interviewing (MI) in improving self-care among patients with heart failure (HF) is promising, even if it still requires further empirical evidence to determine its efficacy. For this reason, this study tested its efficacy in enhancing self-care maintenance (primary endpoint), self-care management, and self-care confidence after three months from enrollment in adults with HF compared to usual care, and assessed changes in self-care over follow-up times (3, 6, 9, and 12 months). Methods: A single-center, randomized, controlled, parallel-group, superiority study with two experimental arms and a control group was performed. Allocation was in a 1:1:1 ratio between intervention groups and control. Results: MI was effective in improving self-care maintenance after three months when it was performed only for patients (arm 1) and for the patients-caregivers dyad (arm 2) (respectively, Cohen's d = 0.92, p-value < 0.001; Cohen's d = 0.68, p-value < 0.001). These effects were stable over the one-year follow-up. No effects were observed concerning self-care management, while MI moderately influenced self-care confidence. Conclusions: This study supported the adoption of nurse-led MI in the clinical management of adults with HF

The European Language Resources and Technologies Forum: Shaping the Future of the Multilingual Digital Europe

Proceedings of the 1st FLaReNet Forum on the European Language Resources and Technologies, held in Vienna, at the Austrian Academy of Science, on 12-13 February 2009

Quantitative study of hydration of C3S and C2S by thermal analysis. Evolution and composition of C-S-H gels formed

This research is part of a European project (namely, CODICE project), main objective of which is modelling, at a multi-scale, the evolution of the mechanical performance of non-degraded and degraded cementitious matrices. For that, a series of experiments were planned with pure synthetic tri-calcium silicate (C3S) and bi-calcium silicate (C2S) (main components of the Portland cement clinker) to obtain different calcium–silicate–hydrate (C–S–H) gel structures during their hydration. The characterization of those C–S–H gels and matrices will provide experimental parameters for the validation of the multi-scale modelling scheme proposed. In this article, a quantitative method, based on thermal analyses, has been used for the determination of the chemical composition of the C–S–H gel together with the degree of hydration and quantitative evolution of all the components of the pastes. Besides, the microstructure and type of silicate tetrahedron and mean chain length (MCL) were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and 29Si magic-angle-spinning (MAS) NMR, respectively. The main results showed that the chemical compositions for the C–S–H gels have a CaO/SiO2 M ratio almost constant of 1.7 for both C3S and C2S compounds. Small differences were found in the gel water content: the H2O/SiO2 M ratio ranged from 2.9 ± 0.2 to 2.6 ± 0.2 for the C3S (decrease) and from 2.4 ± 0.2 to 3.2 ± 0.2 for the C2S (increase). The MCL values of the C–S–H gels, determined from 29Si MAS NMR, were 3.5 and 4 silicate tetrahedron, for the hydrated C3S and C2S, respectively, remaining almost constant at all hydration periods