A model for the generation of social network graphs

In this paper we present and evaluate a social network model which exploits fundamental results coming from the social anthropology literature. Specifically, our model focuses on ego networks, i.e., the set of active social relationships for a given individual. The model is based on a function that correlates the level of emotional closeness of a social relationship to the time invested in it. The size of the social network is limited by the time budget a person invests in socializing. We exploit the model to define a constructive algorithm to generate synthetic social networks. Experimental results show that our model satisfies, on average, known properties of ego networks such as the size, the composition and the hierarchical structure

The polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) inhibitor NMS-P937 is effective in a new model of disseminated primary CD56+ acute monoblastic leukaemia

CD56 is expressed in 15–20% of acute myeloid leukaemias (AML) and is associated with extramedullary diffusion, multidrug resistance and poor prognosis. We describe the establishment and characterisation of a novel disseminated model of AML (AML-NS8), generated by injection into mice of leukaemic blasts freshly isolated from a patient with an aggressive CD56+ monoblastic AML (M5a). The model reproduced typical manifestations of this leukaemia, including presence of extramedullary masses and central nervous system involvement, and the original phenotype, karyotype and genotype of leukaemic cells were retained in vivo. Recently Polo-Like Kinase 1 (PLK1) has emerged as a new candidate drug target in AML. We therefore tested our PLK1 inhibitor NMS-P937 in this model either in the engraftment or in the established disease settings. Both schedules showed good efficacy compared to standard therapies, with a significant increase in median survival time (MST) expecially in the established disease setting (MST = 28, 36, 62 days for vehicle, cytarabine and NMS-P937, respectively). Importantly, we could also demonstrate that NMS-P937 induced specific biomarker modulation in extramedullary tissues. This new in vivo model of CD56+ AML that recapitulates the human tumour lends support for the therapeutic use of PLK1 inhibitors in AML

Location determinants of green technological entry: evidence from European regions

In this paper, we explore the spatial distribution and the location determinants of new green technology-based firms across European regions. Integrating insights from evolutionary economic geography and the literature on knowledge spillovers, we study the importance of new knowledge creation and the conditioning role played by regional technological relatedness in fostering combinatorial opportunities underlying the process of green technological entry. The analysis is based on a dataset covering over 900 NUTS3 regions for 15 European countries obtained merging economic data from ESPON-Eurostat and patent information from the PATSTAT-CRIOS database for the period 1996–2006. Our results show that the geographical distribution of green technological entry across European regions is not evenly distributed, offering evidence of spatial path dependence. In line with this, we find evidence of a significant role played by the characteristics of the regional innovation system. New green innovators are more likely to develop in regions defined by higher levels of technological activity underlying knowledge spillovers and more dynamism in technological entry. Moreover, our findings point to an inverted-U relationship between regional technological relatedness and green technological entry. Regions whose innovation activity is defined by cognitive proximity to environmental technologies support interactive learning and knowledge spillovers underlying entrepreneurship in this specific area. However, too much relatedness may cause technological lock-ins and reduce the set of combinatorial opportunities

\u201cIl meccanismo della falsificazione e della perversione nel pensiero auto lesivo\u201d

Questo lavoro tenta di dimostrare che l\u2019autolesionismo \ue8 caratterizzato dalla perversione e dalla falsificazione. Viene proposto il caso di una giovane donna ricoverata in un reparto psichiatrico che presenta un comportamento autolesivo. Attraverso meccanismi di idealizzazione e di negazione la paziente attua una falsificazione della realt\ue0 e del pensiero. La gravit\ue0 e la profondit\ue0 del disturbo impediscono alla paziente di utilizzare adeguatamente la metafora (il pensiero metaforico). Viene proposto un confronto con il concetto di bugia, seguendo le indicazioni di Bion. This study suggests that self-injury is characterized by perversion and by falsification. We report the case of a young woman hospitalized in a psychiatric department, who presented self-injurious behaviour. Through mechanisms of idealization and negation the patient effects a falsification of reality and thought. The severity and depth of her disorders prevent the patient from adequately using metaphoric thought. We propose a comparison with the concept of lie,on the basis of Bion\u2019s theories