The extragalactic optical-infrared background radiations, their time evolution and the cosmic photon-photon opacity

The background radiations in the optical and the infrared constitute a relevant cause of energy loss in the propagation of high energy particles through space. In particular, TeV observations with Cherenkov telescopes of extragalactic sources are influenced by the opacity effects due to the interaction of the very high-energy source photons with the background light. With the aim of assessing with the best possible detail these opacity terms, we have modelled the extragalactic optical and IR backgrounds using available information on cosmic sources in the universe from far-UV to sub-mm wavelengths over a wide range of cosmic epochs. We have exploited the relevant cosmological survey data - including number counts, redshift distributions, luminosity functions - from ground-based observatories in the optical, near-IR, and sub-mm, as well as multi-wavelength information coming from space telescopes, HST, ISO and Spitzer. Additional constraints have been used from direct measurements or upper limits on the extragalactic backgrounds by dedicated missions (COBE). All data were fitted and interpolated with a multi-wavelength backward evolutionary model, allowing us to estimate the background photon density and its redshift evolution. From the redshift-dependent background spectrum, the photon-photon opacities for sources of high-energy emission at any redshifts were then computed. The same results can also be used to compute the optical depths for any kind of processes in the intergalactic space involving interactions with background photons (like scattering of cosmic-ray particles). We have applied our photon-photon opacity estimates to the analysis of spectral data at TeV energies on a few BLAZARs of particular interest. [abridged]Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The current paper has been corrected for a small error in eq.(13) appearing in the previous versio

I FATTI SCIENTIFICI NELLA GIURISPRUDENZA COSTITUZIONALE. IL CASO DEL DIRITTO ALLA SALUTE

This research concerns the relationship between law and science, from the perspective of the Italian constitutional Court. The analysis focuses on the link between statutory documents and science in specific fields, considering that the technical scientific datum sometimes represents a concrete limit for the statutory discretional activity: in this cases it is necessary a “strict scrutiny” in the constitutional control on the evaluation of these requirements by the legislator, in particular referring to the protection of fundamental rights, especially to the right to health (which is highly influenced by scientific progress). The thesis in structured on “concentric circles”: after a general analysis of the role of “legislative facts” in the constitutional Court’s adjudication, it will be firstly considered the more specific topic of scientific data, and then the role of science within constitutional judgments on fundamental rights. This way, each chapter’s conclusion is the starting point for next chapter. In particular, the employment of scientific data within constitutional court will be in depth examined, in order to verify if (and under which conditions) a constitutional control on statutory laws’ scientific premises is possible. The study of the most important Court’s decisions, in which science has been involved (i.e. transsexual issues, death definitions, penal detention of AIDS affected people, compulsory vaccinations, etc.) points out how scientific data can be the centre of the juridical reasoning, both in case of dismissal and grant of the constitutional complaint. In conclusion it emerges the importance of technical scientific data relies upon three elements: their connection with the ratio of the rule; the effective possibility for the judge to modify the statutory basis (for example, operating throughout interpretative decisions which allow the judge to make a concrete balance); the scientific points raised by the a quo judge. These conclusions are supported by the analysis of the constitutional case law on right to health, which shows how the Court has considered and deepened the scientific requirements of the challenged statute: a) in order to determine the essential content of right to health and to verify its correct balance with other rights; b) to demonstrate the law’s excessive rigidity towards health protection; c) to define the content of the right to health and acknowledge new constitutional rights connected to it. In several occasions, the Court has underlined the need for the safeguard of fundamental rights through a deep constitutional control which, while checking the reasonableness of the legislative choice, takes into account scientific data, useful for the decision. The last part of the thesis deals with the ways of entrance of scientific information in the constitutional judgment (memories of the parties, case file of the a quo process, Court’s investigation powers). During the decision, the Court is not always able to verify the parliamentary evaluation of the factual requirements while approving a normative text. A hypothetical solution to this problem may be found using the constitutional investigation as an instrument of dialogue between the Court and the legislator who, on the judicial request, could justify his normative choice. Moreover, when technical-scientific data are challenged, the cross-examination between the parties can become a fundamental passage of the Court’s decision. Lastly, attention will be focused on the possibility of outlining a methodological bond for the legislator: statutory interventions within scientific-sensitive topics should come after a suitable legislative inquiry and should be supported by a reasoned motivation, able to justify the chosen scientific approach. The constitutional Court, which always more often plays a role as “judge of rights”, should give a convincing and persuasive motivation as to its decisions in these fields (maybe also through the use of dissenting opinions), giving account of the technical-scientific context within which the concerned discipline sets and pointing out the non involvement of Court’s intervention in political logics

Gli ammortizzatori sociali in costanza di rapporto di lavoro: evoluzione normativa, disciplina e prospettive

L’obiettivo di questo studio è quello di esaminare, dopo aver passato in rassegna i principali provvedimenti in materia di ammortizzatori sociali che si sono succeduti dal dopoguerra ad oggi, prima la normativa del D.Lgs. n.148/2015, che è stata modificata da ultimo, dalla L. n. 234/2021, passando attraverso le disposizioni contenute nei vari decreti-legge che si sono succeduti a ritmo serrato durante la pandemia da Covid-19 negli anni 2020-2021. Infatti dapprima la legge delega n. 183/2014 (c.d. “Jobs Act”) ha delegato il Governo ad adottare uno o più decreti legislativi finalizzati al riordino della normativa in materia di ammortizzatori sociali, tenuto conto della peculiarità dei diversi settori produttivi. L’intervento normativo, in attuazione di tale disegno, ha comportato, sul versante delle politiche passive, la riscrittura della disciplina degli ammortizzatori sociali in costanza di rapporto, ad opera del D.Lgs. n.148/2015. Ciò per razionalizzare la normativa in materia al momento disseminata in molteplici testi normativi, nonché le disposizioni concernenti gli strumenti di tutela del reddito in costanza di lavoro, con contestuale abrogazione di tutte le disposizioni che fino a prima regolavano la materia. Al fine di fronteggiare l'emergenza epidemiologica da Covid-19 e la conseguente sospensione dell’attività lavorativa allo scopo di contenere e contrastare la diffusione del virus, sono stati realizzati diversi interventi normativi e introdotte molteplici misure. Dal punto di vista lavoristico, le predette misure sono state indirizzate, tra l'altro, alla tutela dei lavoratori, con l'obiettivo, in particolare, di favorire lo svolgimento dell'attività lavorativa in modalità agile e di predisporre strumenti di sostegno al reddito in conseguenza della riduzione o sospensione del lavoro conseguente all'emergenza. L’ impulso per la riforma organica di tutto il sistema degli ammortizzatori sociali si è reso necessario e urgente, anche per via degli effetti socio-economici determinati dalla pandemia da COVID-19, che hanno inizialmente spinto l’Esecutivo a mettere in atto interventi emergenziali susseguitisi con soluzione di continuità, diretti a sostenere imprese e mercato del lavoro, per evitare conseguenze ancora più drammatiche dal punto di vista sociale. Le misure hanno riguardato il blocco dei licenziamenti e l’estensione degli schemi di protezione sociale, oltre a misure di sostegno settoriali specifiche, contro il rischio di disoccupazione. Ciò anche e soprattutto con l’ausilio degli strumenti finanziari europei che, sia con il meccanismo SURE, che con il Next Generation EU, hanno consentito, seppure in una situazione emergenziale, la tutela del mercato del lavoro. Con la ripresa delle attività produttive e il miglioramento dei principali indicatori occupazionali, il legislatore con la L. n.234/2021 “c.d. Legge di Bilancio 2022” ha previsto la realizzazione di un sistema maggiormente universale ed inclusivo, affinché tutti i lavoratori, compresi quelli momentaneamente privi di impiego, non risultino esclusi dal sistema di protezione sociale. Tra gli obiettivi vi è quello di garantire tutele adeguate non più attraverso misure assistenziali, ma dirette a favorire maggiori garanzie del lavoro e politiche attive attraverso la ricollocazione e la mobilità professionale verso le reali esigenze del mercato del lavoro, garantendo un impianto capace di adattarsi alle dinamiche in corso, consentendo così un adeguamento dei trattamenti, secondo le caratteristiche settoriali e dimensionali delle aziende. In tale contesto, sono stati trattati i controlli ispettivi in materia di ammortizzatori sociali, secondo le disposizioni legislative e le circolari esplicative, per contrastare l’uso distorto degli stessi da parte delle aziende.L’obiettivo di questo studio è quello di esaminare, dopo aver passato in rassegna i principali provvedimenti in materia di ammortizzatori sociali che si sono succeduti dal dopoguerra ad oggi, prima la normativa del D.Lgs. n.148/2015, che è stata modificata da ultimo, dalla L. n. 234/2021, passando attraverso le disposizioni contenute nei vari decreti-legge che si sono succeduti a ritmo serrato durante la pandemia da Covid-19 negli anni 2020-2021. Infatti dapprima la legge delega n. 183/2014 (c.d. “Jobs Act”) ha delegato il Governo ad adottare uno o più decreti legislativi finalizzati al riordino della normativa in materia di ammortizzatori sociali, tenuto conto della peculiarità dei diversi settori produttivi. L’intervento normativo, in attuazione di tale disegno, ha comportato, sul versante delle politiche passive, la riscrittura della disciplina degli ammortizzatori sociali in costanza di rapporto, ad opera del D.Lgs. n.148/2015. Ciò per razionalizzare la normativa in materia al momento disseminata in molteplici testi normativi, nonché le disposizioni concernenti gli strumenti di tutela del reddito in costanza di lavoro, con contestuale abrogazione di tutte le disposizioni che fino a prima regolavano la materia. Al fine di fronteggiare l'emergenza epidemiologica da Covid-19 e la conseguente sospensione dell’attività lavorativa allo scopo di contenere e contrastare la diffusione del virus, sono stati realizzati diversi interventi normativi e introdotte molteplici misure. Dal punto di vista lavoristico, le predette misure sono state indirizzate, tra l'altro, alla tutela dei lavoratori, con l'obiettivo, in particolare, di favorire lo svolgimento dell'attività lavorativa in modalità agile e di predisporre strumenti di sostegno al reddito in conseguenza della riduzione o sospensione del lavoro conseguente all'emergenza. L’ impulso per la riforma organica di tutto il sistema degli ammortizzatori sociali si è reso necessario e urgente, anche per via degli effetti socio-economici determinati dalla pandemia da COVID-19, che hanno inizialmente spinto l’Esecutivo a mettere in atto interventi emergenziali susseguitisi con soluzione di continuità, diretti a sostenere imprese e mercato del lavoro, per evitare conseguenze ancora più drammatiche dal punto di vista sociale. Le misure hanno riguardato il blocco dei licenziamenti e l’estensione degli schemi di protezione sociale, oltre a misure di sostegno settoriali specifiche, contro il rischio di disoccupazione. Ciò anche e soprattutto con l’ausilio degli strumenti finanziari europei che, sia con il meccanismo SURE, che con il Next Generation EU, hanno consentito, seppure in una situazione emergenziale, la tutela del mercato del lavoro. Con la ripresa delle attività produttive e il miglioramento dei principali indicatori occupazionali, il legislatore con la L. n.234/2021 “c.d. Legge di Bilancio 2022” ha previsto la realizzazione di un sistema maggiormente universale ed inclusivo, affinché tutti i lavoratori, compresi quelli momentaneamente privi di impiego, non risultino esclusi dal sistema di protezione sociale. Tra gli obiettivi vi è quello di garantire tutele adeguate non più attraverso misure assistenziali, ma dirette a favorire maggiori garanzie del lavoro e politiche attive attraverso la ricollocazione e la mobilità professionale verso le reali esigenze del mercato del lavoro, garantendo un impianto capace di adattarsi alle dinamiche in corso, consentendo così un adeguamento dei trattamenti, secondo le caratteristiche settoriali e dimensionali delle aziende. In tale contesto, sono stati trattati i controlli ispettivi in materia di ammortizzatori sociali, secondo le disposizioni legislative e le circolari esplicative, per contrastare l’uso distorto degli stessi da parte delle aziende

Mightee-hi: Evolution of hi scaling relations of star-forming galaxies at z < 0.5*

We present the first measurements of H I galaxy scaling relations from a blind survey at z > 0.15. We perform spectral stacking of 9023 spectra of star-forming galaxies undetected in H I at 0.23 < z < 0.49, extracted from MIGHTEE-H I Early Science data cubes, acquired with the MeerKAT radio telescope. We stack galaxies in bins of galaxy properties (stellar mass M*, star formation rateSFR, and specific star formation rate sSFR, with sSFR ≡ M*/SFR), obtaining 5σ detections in most cases, the strongest H I-stacking detections to date in this redshift range. With these detections, we are able to measure scaling relations in the probed redshift interval, finding evidence for a moderate evolution from the median redshift of our sample zmed ∼ 0.37 to z ∼ 0. In particular, low-M* galaxies ( ~ * log 9 10( ) M M ) experience a strong H I depletion (∼0.5 dex in log10( ) M M H I ), while massive galaxies ( ~ * log 11 10( ) M M ) keep their H I mass nearly unchanged. When looking at the star formation activity, highly star-forming galaxies evolve significantly in MH I ( fH I, where fH I ≡ MH I/M*) at fixed SFR (sSFR), while at the lowest probed SFR (sSFR) the scaling relations show no evolution

Mise en abyme : l'esperienza espansa della moda nell'et\ue0 della mixed reality

The article investigates the 21st-century fashion through the theoretical lens of the mise en abyme,focusing on the mixed reality as an extended panorama between physical and digital. Four case studieswere chosen within the Italian context, deemed as a place of experimentation and interaction betweendigital innovation and manufacturing tradition. Those cases have developed projects in mixed realityduring the months of social distancing imposed by Covid-19, with significant consequences on creati-ve processes, production, distribution, communication and consumption of fashion. In this scenario,the article questions the expansion of fashion experience, the ongoing transformation of the digitalobject, the conception and perception of time and the idea of intimacy at the time of covid

Comparative investigation of chemical and structural properties of charred fir wood samples by Raman and FTIR spectroscopy as well as X-ray-micro-CT technology

Wood surface charring is a treatment method commonly employed to enhance weather protection and aesthetic appearance of building exteriors. This study aims to investigate the differences between two wood surface charring processes: the traditional Japanese method known as Yakisugi and an alternative charring technique industrially manufactured with a gas burner. The objective of the study was to assess whether a thicker layer after Yakisugi treatment has any advantages over a thinner layer after the alternative process. Vibrational spectroscopy techniques including UV resonance Raman (UVRR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, were utilized in conjunction with X-ray-micro-CT analysis. The findings revealed that ATR-FTIR spectroscopy detected the degradation of carbohydrates and changes in lignin within the charred surface, although both processes exhibited similar vibrational contributions. In contrast, UVRR spectroscopy provided insights into the carbonized layers, revealing spectral differences indicating variations in temperature during the charring processes. X-ray micro-CT analysis visually highlighted significant differences in the coal layers, suggesting distinct combustion profiles. Remarkably, the macrostructure of wood treated with Yakisugi remained intact despite a thicker charred layer compared to the alternative charring techniques. However, further investigations are required to assess the weather stability of the alternative charring method for a comprehensive understanding.O

Cytotoxic Effects of 5-Azacytidine on Primary Tumour Cells and Cancer Stem Cells from Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: An In Vitro FTIRM Analysis

In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of 5-azacytidine on primary Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma cells (OSCCs) from human biopsies, and on Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) from the same samples, were investigated by an in vitro Fourier Transform InfraRed Microscospectroscopy (FTIRM) approach coupled with multivariate analysis. OSCC is an aggressive tumoral lesion of the epithelium, accounting for ~90% of all oral cancers. It is usually diagnosed in advanced stages, and this causes a poor prognosis with low success rates of surgical, as well as radiation and chemotherapy treatments. OSCC is frequently characterised by recurrence after chemotherapy and by the development of a refractoriness to some employed drugs, which is probably ascribable to the presence of CSCs niches, responsible for cancer growth, chemoresistance and metastasis. The spectral information from FTIRM was correlated with the outcomes of cytotoxicity tests and image-based cytometry, and specific spectral signatures attributable to 5-azacytidine treatment were identified, allowing us to hypothesise the demethylation of DNA and, hence, an increase in the transcriptional activity, together with a conformational transition of DNA, and a triggering of cell death by an apoptosis mechanism. Moreover, a different mechanism of action between OSSC and CSC cells was highlighted, probably due to possible differences between OSCCs and CSCs response

Cubic and Hexagonal Mesophases for Protein Encapsulation: Structural Effects of Insulin Confinement

Monoolein-based cubic and hexagonal mesophases were investigated as matrices for insulin loading, at low pH, as a function of temperature and in the presence of increasing amounts of oleic acid, as a structural stabilizer for the hexagonal phase. Synchrotron small angle X-ray diffraction, rheological measurements, and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to study the effects of insulin loading on the lipid mesophases and of the effect of protein confinement in the 2D-and 3D-lipid matrix water channels on its stability and unfolding behavior. We found that insulin encapsulation has only little effects both on the mesophase structures and on the viscoelastic properties of lipid systems, whereas protein confinement affects the response of the secondary structure of insulin to thermal changes in a different manner according to the specific mesophase: in the cubic structure, the unfolding toward an unordered structure is favored, while the prevalence of parallel β-sheets, and nuclei for fibril formation, is observed in hexagonal structures

AKARI Deep Field South: spectroscopic observations of infrared sources

We present a summary of our spectroscopic redshift catalogue of 404 sources in the AKARI Deep Field South (ADF-S). We have used the AAOmega spectrograph to target mid-infrared and far-infrared sources selected primarily from AKARI observations in this field for which we were able to obtain optical counterparts. Our sources with identified redshifts include 316 with Hα detections at z ≤ 0.345 and 15 sources at z > 1 with MgII or Lα emission lines. About 13% of our z ≤ 0.345 sources are dominated by active galactic nuclei (AGN) emission, although many show emission from both star formation and AGNs. The median Balmer decrement is 5.9. Ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) were found only in the higher-redshift sources. Optical and near infrared data will be available shortly, enabling calibration of the line luminosities and spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting for these sources