Presenza italiana nell'Africa settentrionale durante l'età moderna: il caso dei liguri di Tunisia (1741-1855)

Tra il XVIII e il XIX secolo un cospicuo gruppo di persone di origine o provenienza ligure visse e lavorò in Tunisia. Si trattava, in particolare, di commercianti, attivi soprattutto nelle esportazioni dei prodotti tunisini, e di una serie di artigiani ed altri lavoratori ad essi collegati, che mantennero comunque specifici tratti culturali e identitari nell'ambito della presenza europea nel Paese nordafricano. In questo lavoro sono quindi analizzati, principalmente attraverso lo studio di documenti conservati in archivi italiani e francesi, i più importanti aspetti della presenza ligure in Tunisia tra Settecento e Ottocento, con estremi cronologici rappresentati dal 1741 e dal 1855, rispettivamente gli anni dell'occupazione tunisina dell'isola di Tabarca e della morte del bey riformatore Ahmad I. Il testo è diviso in cinque parti: nella prima sono analizzate le caratteristiche delle fonti e le tendenze storiografiche; nella seconda la presenza ligure viene inserita nel contesto storico e sono presentate le sue principali componenti; la terza è dedicata alle professioni dei liguri residenti in Tunisia e ai loro rapporti con la popolazione locale; la quarta è relativa al ruolo ligure nel commercio e nella navigazione tra Tunisi e i porti di Genova, Livorno e Marsiglia; la quinta è infine incentrata sulla figura di Giuseppe Raffo, magnate della pesca del tonno e membro della cerchia governativa tunisina di origine ligure.Between the 18th and 19th centuries, a large group of people of Ligurian origin or provenance lived and worked in Tunisia. They were traders, mainly active in the export of Tunisian products, and craftsmen and other related workers, who nevertheless maintained specific cultural and identity traits within the European presence in the North African country. In this work, therefore, the main aspects of the Ligurian presence in Tunisia between the 18th and 19th centuries are analysed, mainly through the analysis of documents preserved in Italian and French archives, with the chronological extremes represented by 1741 and 1855, respectively the years of the Tunisian occupation of the island of Tabarca and the death of the reforming bey Ahmad I. The text is divided into five parts: in the first one, the characteristics of the sources and historiographical trends are analysed; in the second one, the Ligurian presence is placed in historical context and its main components are presented; the third one is dedicated to the professions of Ligurians living in Tunisia and their relations with the local population; the fourth one relates to the Ligurian role in trade and navigation between Tunis and the ports of Genoa, Lenghorn and Marseille; the fifth one focuses on the figure of Giuseppe Raffo, a fishing entrepreneur and member of the Tunisian governmental circle of Ligurian origin

SIOUX project: a simultaneous multiband camera for exoplanet atmospheres studies

The exoplanet revolution is well underway. The last decade has seen order-of-magnitude increases in the number of known planets beyond the Solar system. Detailed characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres provide the best means for distinguishing the makeup of their outer layers, and the only hope for understanding the interplay between initial composition chemistry, temperature-pressure atmospheric profiles, dynamics and circulation. While pioneering work on the observational side has produced the first important detections of atmospheric molecules for the class of transiting exoplanets, important limitations are still present due to the lack of sys- tematic, repeated measurements with optimized instrumentation at both visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. It is thus of fundamental importance to explore quantitatively possible avenues for improvements. In this paper we report initial results of a feasibility study for the prototype of a versatile multi-band imaging system for very high-precision differential photometry that exploits the choice of specifically selected narrow-band filters and novel ideas for the execution of simultaneous VIS and NIR measurements. Starting from the fundamental system requirements driven by the science case at hand, we describe a set of three opto-mechanical solutions for the instrument prototype: 1) a radial distribution of the optical flux using dichroic filters for the wavelength separation and narrow-band filters or liquid crystal filters for the observations; 2) a tree distribution of the optical flux (implying 2 separate foci), with the same technique used for the beam separation and filtering; 3) an exotic solution consisting of the study of a complete optical system (i.e. a brand new telescope) that exploits the chromatic errors of a reflecting surface for directing the different wavelengths at different foci

Amorphous-silicon visible-light detector integrated on silicon nitride waveguides

: Visible-light integrated photonics is emerging as a promising technology for the realization of optical devices for applications in sensing, quantum information and communications, imaging, and displays. Among the existing photonic platforms, high-index-contrast silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguides offer broadband transparency in the visible spectral range and a high scale of integration. As the complexity of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) increases, on-chip detectors are required to monitor their working point for reconfiguration and stabilization operations. In this Letter, we present a semi-transparent in-line power monitor integrated on Si3N4 waveguides that operates in the red-light wavelength range (660 nm). The proposed device exploits the photoconductivity of a hydrogenated amorphous-silicon (a-Si:H) film that is evanescently coupled to an optical waveguide. Experimental results show a responsivity of 30 mA/W, a sensitivity of -45 dBm, and a sub-µs time response. These features enable the use of the proposed photoconductor for high-sensitivity monitoring and control of visible-light Si3N4 PICs

A chemogenomic screening identifies CK2 as a target for pro-senescence therapy in PTEN-deficient tumours

Enhancement of cellular senescence in tumours triggers a stable cell growth arrest and activation of an antitumour immune response that can be exploited for cancer therapy. Currently, there are only a limited number of targeted therapies that act by increasing senescence in cancers, but the majority of them are not selective and also target healthy cells. Here we developed a chemogenomic screening to identify compounds that enhance senescence in PTEN-deficient cells without affecting normal cells. By using this approach, we identified casein kinase 2 (CK2) as a pro-senescent target. Mechanistically, we show that Pten loss increases CK2 levels by activating STAT3. CK2 upregulation in Pten null tumours affects the stability of Pml, an essential regulator of senescence. However, CK2 inhibition stabilizes Pml levels enhancing senescence in Pten null tumours. Taken together, our screening strategy has identified a novel STAT3-CK2-PML network that can be targeted for pro-senescence therapy for cancer

Efecto de la heterogeneidad sobre las isotermas de adsorción de carbones activados

Los carbones activados (CA) son materiales microporosos que poseen gran capacidad de adsorción. La heterogeneidad de cualquier adsorbente, en particular la de los CA, puede ser separada en dos grandes familias: energética (o superficial) y estructural. La heterogeneidad estructural es causada por la presencia de poros de diferentes tamaños y formas, y por su posible interconexión; mientras que la heterogeneidad energética se origina por las irregularidades superficiales, así como por la presencia de grupos funcionales y/o impurezas. En este trabajo se discutirán diferentes modelos de heterogeneidad superficial en materiales con poros de geometría, tipo placas paralelas, y su efecto sobre las isotermas de adsorción y en las distribuciones de tamaño de poros

The absolute calibration strategy of the ASTRI SST-2M telescope proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array and its external ground-based illumination system

ASTRI is the end-to-end prototype for the CTA small-size class of telescopes in a dual-mirror configuration (SST-2M) proposed by the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) in the framework of the Cherenkov Telescope Array. ASTRI SST-2M has been installed at the Serra La Nave Astrophysical Observatory on Mount Etna (Sicily) and its Performance Verification Phase will start in autumn 2016. For the relative pixel calibration and gain monitoring, the ASTRI SST-2M camera is equipped with an internal illumination device, while an external, portable, illumination system, placed at a few km distance from the telescope, will be used for the absolute end-to-end calibration of the telescope spectral response. Moreover analysis of signals induced in the camera pixels by the night sky background (diffuse emission and reference stars) will be used to monitor the long term evolution of the telescope calibration. We present an overview of the ASTRI SST-2M absolute calibration strategy and the external illuminating device that will be used for its spectral calibratio

Lynx x-ray optics based on thin monolithic shells: design and development

Lynx is the future x-ray observatory with superb imaging capabilities (2 effective area @ 1 keV), which is being considered in the U.S. to take over Chandra. The implementation of the x-ray mirror module represents a very challenging aspect, and different approaches are being considered. Thin and low-weight substrates, working in grazing incidence configuration, are necessary to meet the severe mass constraints, but they have to also preserve the requirement of an excellent angular resolution. The use of monolithic glass (fused silica) shells is an attractive solution, provided that their thickness is kept very small [<4 mm for mirror shells up of 3-m diameter]. We present the optomechanical design of the Lynx mirror assembly based on this approach, together with the ongoing technological development process. In particular, we discuss the figuring process, which is based on direct polishing followed by an ion-beam figuring correction. A temporary structure is specifically devoted to support the shell during the figuring and polishing operations and to manage the handling of the shell through all phases up to integration into the final telescope supporting spoke wheel. The results achieved so far on a prototype shell will be discussed

Effects of Neonatal Neural Progenitor Cell Implantation on Adult Neuroanatomy and Cognition in the Ts65Dn Model of Down Syndrome

As much of the aberrant neural development in Down syndrome (DS) occurs postnatally, an early opportunity exists to intervene and influence life-long cognitive development. Recent success using neural progenitor cells (NPC) in models of adult neurodegeneration indicate such therapy may be a viable option in diseases such as DS. Murine NPC (mNPC, C17.2 cell line) or saline were implanted bilaterally into the dorsal hippocampus of postnatal day 2 (PND 2) Ts65Dn pups to explore the feasibility of early postnatal treatment in this mouse model of DS. Disomic littermates provided karyotype controls for trisomic pups. Pups were monitored for developmental milestone achievement, and then underwent adult behavior testing at 14 weeks of age. We found that implanted mNPC survived into adulthood and migrated beyond the implant site in both karyotypes. The implantation of mNPC resulted in a significant increase in the density of dentate granule cells. However, mNPC implantation did not elicit cognitive changes in trisomic mice either neonatally or in adulthood. To the best of our knowledge, these results constitute the first assessment of mNPC as an early intervention on cognitive ability in a DS model

Common variants in Alzheimer’s disease and risk stratification by polygenic risk scores

Funder: Funder: Fundación bancaria ‘La Caixa’ Number: LCF/PR/PR16/51110003 Funder: Grifols SA Number: LCF/PR/PR16/51110003 Funder: European Union/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Number: 115975 Funder: JPco-fuND FP-829-029 Number: 733051061Genetic discoveries of Alzheimer's disease are the drivers of our understanding, and together with polygenetic risk stratification can contribute towards planning of feasible and efficient preventive and curative clinical trials. We first perform a large genetic association study by merging all available case-control datasets and by-proxy study results (discovery n = 409,435 and validation size n = 58,190). Here, we add six variants associated with Alzheimer's disease risk (near APP, CHRNE, PRKD3/NDUFAF7, PLCG2 and two exonic variants in the SHARPIN gene). Assessment of the polygenic risk score and stratifying by APOE reveal a 4 to 5.5 years difference in median age at onset of Alzheimer's disease patients in APOE ɛ4 carriers. Because of this study, the underlying mechanisms of APP can be studied to refine the amyloid cascade and the polygenic risk score provides a tool to select individuals at high risk of Alzheimer's disease

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele