Radionuclides for theranostic applications

High Specific Activity Radionuclides (HSARNs), obtained by either proton, deuteron or alpha cyclotron irradiation, followed by selective radiochemical separation from the irradiated target in No Carrier Added (NCA) form represent a powerful analytical tool in pure and applied sciences and technologicies. One of the main applications of HSARNs concern medical radiodiagnostics and metabolic radiotherapy in the relatively novel theranostic paradigm that involves individual \u201cdual-purpose\u201d radionuclides or radionuclide pairs with emissions suitable for both imaging and therapy in the contest of the age-long dream of personalized medicine. We present some examples of radionuclides produced by deuteron beams irradiation, suitable for theranostics applications

Stage per studenti delle scuole secondarie nell’ambito del PLS-Fisica

Il Piano Lauree Scientifiche Fisica pone da sempre grande attenzione alla partecipazione di studenti delle scuole secondarie ad attivita' laboratoriali e stage organizzati presso le strutture universitarie al fine di stimolare la curiosit`a, incoraggiare la passione per la scienza, illustrare il percorso accademico in fisica e le prospettive lavorative. Le iniziative sono ricche e variegate in tutte le sedi e riscontrano sempre un elevato gradimento da parte di studenti, insegnanti e famiglie. La comunicazione che proponiamo illustra lo stato dell\u2019arte di queste iniziative, i loro punti di forza e le criticit`a, anche confrontandosi con la letteratura scientifica di riferimento

Digital representation of park use and visual analysis of visitor activities

Urban public parks can serve an important function by contributing to urban citizens' quality of life. At the same time, they can be the location of processes of displacement and exclusion. Despite this ambiguous role, little is known about actual park use patterns. To learn more about park use in three parks in Zurich, Switzerland, extensive data on visitor activities was collected using a new method based on direct recording via a portable GIS solution. Then, the data was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. This paper examines whether geographic visualization of these data can help domain experts like landscape designers and park managers to assess park use. To maximize accessibility, the visualizations are made available through a web-interface of a common, off-the-shelf GIS. The technical limitations imposed by this choice are critically assessed, before the available visualization techniques are evaluated in respect to the needs and tasks of practitioners with limited knowledge on spatial analysis and GIS. Key criteria are each technique's level of abstraction and graphical complexity. The utility and suitability of the visualization techniques is characterized for the distinct phases of exploration, analysis and synthesis. The findings suggest that for a target user group of practitioners, a combination of dot maps showing the raw data and surface maps showing derived density values for several attributes serves the purpose of knowledge generation best

Evaluating the effectiveness of interactive map interface designs: a case study with eye movement analysis

This paper proposes combining traditional usability methods with the analysis of eye movement recordings to evaluate interactive map interfaces, and presents a case study in support of this approach. This case study evaluates of two informationally equivalent but differently-designed online interactive map interfaces presented to users. In a mixed factorial experiment thirty participants were asked to solve three typical map use tasks using one of the two interfaces, while we measured user Satisfaction, Efficiency (completion time) and Effectiveness (accuracy) with standard SEE usability metrics. While traditional (bottom line) usability metrics can reveal a range of usability problems, they may be enhanced by additional procedural measures such as eye movement recordings. Eye movements have been shown to reveal the amount of cognitive processing a display requires and where these cognitive resources are required. Therefore, we can establish how a display may or may not facilitate task completion by analyzing eye movement recordings. User satisfaction information related to stimuli (i.e., collected through standardized questionnaires) can also be linked to eye tracking data for further analysis. We hope that the presented methodology and case study will help cartographers and map interface designers to better identify design issues in their products, and that these insights will eventually lead to more effective and efficient online map interfaces

Small city public space

La piccola città rappresenta una situazione urbana particolare. Nel corso del tempo questa realtà, caratterizzata in apparenza da una ristrettezza di risorse, ha subito delle trasformazioni significative innescate dalla globalizzazione: se prima rappresentava il gradino più basso di un’ipotetica gerarchia urbana, oggi s’approccia alle grandi città in termini comparativi e non solo di dipendenza. La piccola città è in costante ridefinizione e sembra oscillare tra uno stato d’intensità urbana, che la rende dinamica, diversa, imprevedibile, vitale, intrigante, unica e competitiva; e uno d’inconsistenza urbana quindi prevedibile, statica e monotona. In quest’ottica, è proprio lo spazio pubblico che è in grado di far tendere la piccola città in direzione di una delle due propensioni. La tesi ha l’intenzione di analizzare la piccola città per evidenziare le particolarità, le contraddizioni e le problematiche che emergono in questo contesto urbano. Per confrontarsi al meglio con questi temi, è significativo indagare da un lato le caratteristiche dello spazio pubblico e dall’altro i suoi fruitori. Sono stati selezionati i giovani come gruppo sociale pertinente per lo spazio pubblico della piccola città, poiché si può presumere che siano dei forti utilizzatori, in prevalenza in modo non funzionale. Le teorie della territorialità umana aiuteranno a intuire le modalità e logiche che regolano l’appropriazione giovanile dello spazio pubblico. [...