APostrophe WiFi Sharing

Negli ultimi anni il tema dell’economia della condivisione ha assunto un piano sempre più attuale, lo sviluppo delle tecnologie mobile, contempora- neamente, è in continua ed esponenziale crescita, le applicazioni necessitano sempre più di un accesso alla rete internet sicuro ed efficiente. Questa tesi è incentrata sullo sviluppo di un’applicazione per sistemi An- droid che consenta la creazione di un network di utenti e permetta loro di condividere il proprio router casalingo. I dispositivi condivisi saranno collocati sulla mappa tramite un algoritmo di posizionamento che abbina le meccaniche di geolocalizzazione a quelle del WiFi Manager presente sui dispositivi. Selezionando l’hotspot più vicino sarà quindi possibile richiedere la con- nessione per un periodo limitato di tempo così da avere accesso ai servizi Facebook, Instagram, Maps e YouTube. Per la progettazione e l’implementazione di Apostrofe sono stati affron- tati e approfonditi argomenti riguardanti: l’implementazione di un algorit- mo di posizionamento , l’implementazione di un web service , cifratura e trasmissione dati tramite protocollo HTTP

Is the Traditional Banking Model a Survivor?

We test whether small US commercial banks that use a traditional business model are more likely to survive than non-traditional banks during both good and bad economic climates. Our concept of bank survival is derived from Stigler (1958) and includes any bank that does not fail or is not acquired. We define traditional banking by four hallmark characteristics: Relationship loans, core deposit funding, revenue streams from traditional banking services, and physical bank branches. Banks that adhered more closely to this business strategy were an estimated 8 to 13 percentage points more likely to survive from 1997 through 2012 compared to other small banks using less traditional business strategies. This survival advantage approximately doubled during the financial crisis period

Sassi di Matera. Per una nuova stagione

La pubblicazione raccoglie i contributi dei relatori intervenuti nel confronto pubblico di approfondimento dal titolo “Sassi: per un nuovo dialogo in città”, tenutosi a Matera il 14 e 15 dicembre 2018 e organizzato dalla Cattedra UNESCO dell’Università della Basilicata (UniBas) (nel programma ERT-Educazione Ricerca Territorio) e dalla Fondazione Sassi in occasione del venticinquesimo anniversario dell’iscrizione dei Sassi nella Lista UNESCO del Patrimonio Mondiale. In Appendice si trova una Nota di sintesi delle giornate di studio, confronto e partecipazione, che si sono tenute a Matera, in forma di tre eventi, in occasione del venticinquesimo anniversario dell’iscrizione dei Sassi alla lista del patrimonio UNESCO, e come edizione pilota del programma “ERT-Educazione Ricerca Territorio” della Cattedra UNESCO. In tale ambito si inserisce la conversazione pubblica “Sassi: per un nuovo dialogo in citta”, di cui il libro raccoglie i contributi dei relatori intervenuti. Oltre alla Nota di sintesi, è riportato per esteso anche il Report, redatto da Paolo Ceccarelli, di uno dei tre eventi, quello titolato “Patrimonio e sviluppo sostenibile: per una conoscenza circolare”, per i richiami contenuti al progetto dell’Osservatorio Sassi e per il sostegno dichiarato al progetto da parte della rete di Cattedre UNESCO TEST, in virtù dell’interesse metodologico ravvisato in tale prospettiva di lavoro scientifico e di pratica partecipativa

Performances on simulator and da Vinci robot on subjects with and without surgical background

Objective: To assess whether previous training in surgery influences performance on da Vinci Skills Simulator and da Vinci robot. Material and methods: In this prospective study, thirty-seven participants (11 medical students, 17 residents, and 9 attending surgeons) without previous experience in laparoscopy and robotic surgery performed 26 exercises at da Vinci Skills Simulator. Thirty-five then executed a suture using a da Vinci robot. Results: The overall scores on the exercises at the da Vinci Skills Simulator show a similar performance among the groups with no statistically significant pair-wise differences (p < .05). The quality of the suturing based on the unedited videos of the test run was similar for the intermediate (7 (4, 10)) and expert group (6.5 (4.5, 10)), and poor for the untrained groups (5 (3.5, 9)), without statistically significant difference (p < .05). Conclusion: This study showed, for subjects new to laparoscopy and robotic surgery, insignificant differences in the scores at the da Vinci Skills Simulator and at the da Vinci robot on inanimate model

Antiviral therapy in acute viral hepatitis B: why and when

Acute viral hepatitis B is cleared in more than 95% of patients, while the remainder ones may develop either chronic HBV infection or, rarely, fulminant hepatitis

Laparoscopic treatment of splenic artery aneurysms

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to report a series of 16 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic treatment of splenic artery aneurysms. METHODS: Over a period of 8 years, patients were selected for the laparoscopic option by a team of specialists that included the vascular surgeon, the interventional radiologist, and the laparoscopic surgeon. The mean size of the aneurysm was 32 mm and most was located at the splenic hilum. They were twice as common in females as in males. Ultrasonography with color Doppler function was used to define intraoperative strategy. RESULTS: The laparoscopic treatment entailed excision of the aneurysm or its exclusion, usually reserved for distally located lesions. In one patient, laparoscopic resection and robotic anastomosis of the splenic artery was performed to re-establish flow to the spleen. In two patients, the intraoperative decision was added to combine a laparoscopic splenectomy due to insufficient residual arterial flow to the spleen. There was no conversion, or need for re-operation or related mortality. Analysis of intraoperative arterial flow data avoided unnecessary splenectomy following noncritical reduction of flow to the spleen. CONCLUSIONS: The use of intraoperative color Doppler ultrasonography is essential in deciding the appropriate procedure and whether the spleen should be removed or saved. Early control of the splenic artery proximal to the aneurysm can limit the risk of conversion due to intraoperative bleeding. Distally located aneurysms are more difficult to manage and entail a higher risk of associated splenectomy. The laparoscopic option offers some advantages over the endovascular treatment in selected patients. A multidisciplinary approach is the key to a successful treatment of this uncommon disease

Regulatory T cells with multiple suppressive and potentially pro-tumor activities accumulate in human colorectal cancer

Tregs can contribute to tumor progression by suppressing antitumor immunity. Exceptionally, in human colorectal cancer (CRC), Tregs are thought to exert beneficial roles in controlling pro-tumor chronic inflammation. The goal of our study was to characterize CRC-infiltrating Tregs at multiple levels, by phenotypical, molecular and functional evaluation of Tregs from the tumor site, compared to non-tumoral mucosa and peripheral blood of CRC patients. The frequency of Tregs was higher in mucosa than in blood, and further significantly increased in tumor. Ex vivo, those Tregs suppressed the proliferation of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. A differential compartmentalization was detected between Helioshigh and Helioslow Treg subsets (thymus-derived versus peripherally induced): while Helioslow Tregs were enriched in both sites, only Helioshigh Tregs accumulated significantly and specifically in tumors, displayed a highly demethylated TSDR region and contained high proportions of cells expressing CD39 and OX40, markers of activation and suppression. Besides the suppression of T cells, Tregs may contribute to CRC progression also through releasing IL-17, or differentiating into Tfr cells that potentially antagonize a protective Tfh response, events that were both detected in tumor-associated Tregs. Overall, our data indicate that Treg accumulation may contribute through multiple mechanisms to CRC establishment and progression

Obesity and common pathways of cancer and cardiovascular disease

Abstract Obesity is constantly increasing worldwide due to the progressive globalization of sedentary lifestyle and diet rich in lipids and processed food. Cardiovascular complications and cancer are the two most fearsome long-term sequelae of obesity that justify the recent definition of this threaten as 'obesity epidemic'. Shared biological pathways can be recognized for obesity-induced cardiovascular and oncological complications that might prompt targeted interventions with potentially double beneficial effect. The present review aims at summarizing main common biological pathways linking obesity with cardiovascular diseases and cancer in order to provide a research framework within which therapeutic strategies might have at the same time cardiovascular-protective and cancer-preventive effects