Archivio della ricerca della Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
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Assessing disease phenotypes in Behçet’s syndrome: insights from a multiple correspondence analysis
No full textIntroduction: Behçet’s syndrome (BS) is a rare systemic vasculitis. Clinical manifestations in BS are frequently clustered rather than discrete, and the concept that distinct clinical phenotypes may exist in BS has recently emerged. The aim of the present work was to identify and analyze the disease phenotypes in a monocentric historical cohort of patients with BS. Methods: A total of 202 patients with BS diagnosis followed up at the Behçet Clinic of the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana were identified, and demographics, clinical, and therapeutic data were retrospectively collected. Pairwise correlation among variables was evaluated by means of Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficient. A multiple correspondence analysis was performed to investigate the possible phenotypes resulting from the different patterns of associations among the demographic and clinical variables. Results: Most of the patients were female (67%), Caucasian (92%), and HLA-B51 carriers (65.5%). Mean age at disease onset was 30.06 ± 11.39 years, and oral ulcers (OU) and genital ulcers (GU) were the most common manifestations (96% and 61%, respectively). According to bivariate correlation analysis, significant positive correlations were observed between skin lesions and both OU (p = 0.005) and arthritis (p = 0.014), as well as pathergy (p = 0.001), gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (p = 0.001), and other involvement (fever and serositis) (p = 0.015). Neurological involvement was significantly and positively associated with ocular lesions (p = 0.0114), GI symptoms (p = 0.030), pathergy (rho = 0.147, p = 0.037) and vein thromboses (p = 0.037). Despite the high heterogeneity, four disease phenotypes emerged from the MCA: (A) male Caucasians with greater age at onset and at diagnosis than the median values, with OU and GU, skin lesions, erythema nodosum (EN), arthritis, and GI symptoms; (B) co-existence of benign subset and pathergy; (C) orchitis/epididymitis associated with neurological involvement and ocular lesions; and (D) GI symptoms plus endoscopic lesions, large vessel disease (both arterial and venous), and other involvement. Discussion: This study provides valuable insights into the possible BS clinical phenotypes, and the results partially agree with previous association studies on European and extra-European cohorts. Observational comparative studies are warranted to assess the response of tailored phenotype-based therapeutic approaches
Beyond the life cycle: assessing business models for the circular economy through life-cycle-based methodologies
No full textPhenotyping and expression profile of clones of the olive cultivar Leccino for the resistance to Xylella fastidiosa
No full textGli stili di vita degli adolescenti nelle aree interne della Toscana: primi risultati dell'Osservatorio della Popolazione
No full textImmaginario robotico e immaginario cibernetico. Alcuni cenni
No full textRobotic and Cybernetic Plots in the Global Imaginary
The article focuses on a qualitative interpretation (carried out by means of transcultural hermeneutical methods) of the crucial the role of robotic and cybernetic plots in science fiction and in drawn literature, as distinctive elements of global imaginary . Specific attention is devoted to the still unexplored interrelations between some Western attitudes towards artificial beings and some symbolic patterns at home in the Japanese and Far Eastern imaginary: Given that such patterns are steadily embedded in contemporary social frames of ancient origins, they able to shed light on a latent posthuman attitude towards both mythical and tecnolological hybridisation among human and non human, among «natural» and artificial
Women Directors and R&D Investments Relationship: Does Their Intellectual Capital Matter?
No full textRecent corporate governance literature highlights the crucial role of women directors in shaping firms' strategic investments, particularly in research and development (R&D). Although existing studies often measure gender diversity by the percentage of women on boards, they overlook women directors' specific roles and characteristics. This study addresses this gap by exploring the conditions necessary to comprehend how and whether women directors influence R&D investments. Drawing on the intellectual capital-based view theory, we examine the moderating effect of women directors' intellectual capital on the relationship between board gender diversity and corporate R&D investments. A Tobit model is applied to a unique hand-collected dataset of Italian-listed industrial companies. Our findings confirm the hypotheses, revealing that foreign (human capital), interlocked (relational capital) and tenured (structural capital) women directors positively moderate the relationship between the proportion of women on the board and the firms' R&D expenditures
Exploring Osseoperception at the Wrist: Towards an Augmented Sensory Feedback Interface
No full textRegaining impaired sensorimotor functions is still an open challenge. Osseoperception has emerged as a potential sensory feedback modality. However, this phenomenon has been little explored upon stimulation of the distal bones in the upper limb. This study aimed to preliminarily explore osseoperception by applying vibratory stimuli at different frequencies to the pisiform bone at the wrist of four healthy participants. The lowest perception threshold (0.006 ± 0.002 N) was found at 200 Hz and the highest (0.50 ± 0.26 N) at 1500 Hz, frequencies similar to those reported in previous studies on invasive stimulation. This first insight highlights the wrist as a potential point to evoke osseoperception, which could be used to deliver augmented sensory feedback to people with neuromotor impairments
Structural properties in the diffusion of the solar photovoltaic in Italy: individual people/householder vs firms
No full textThis paper develops two mathematical models to understand subjects’ behavior in response
to the urgency of a change and inputs from governments e.g., (subsides) in the context of the
diffusion of the solar photovoltaic in Italy. The first model is a Markovian model of interacting
particle systems. The second one, instead, is a Mean Field Game model. In both cases, we derive
the scaling limit deterministic dynamics, and we compare the latter to the Italian solar photovoltaic
data. We identify periods where the first model describes the behavior of domestic data well and a
period where the second model captures a particular feature of data corresponding to companies.
The comprehensive analysis, integrated with a philosophical inquiry focusing on the conceptual
vocabulary and correlative implications, leads to the formulation of hypotheses about the efficacy
of different forms of governmental subsidies
Navigating Acceptance of Paradoxical Tensions: A Self-Efficacy Perspective on Paradox and Goal Setting Theories
No full textThis study examines how individuals accept and navigate paradoxical tensions within a sustainability context, using a multiple case study of five Italian companies implementing circularity measurement tools. By exploring the interplay between self-efficacy and acceptance of paradoxical tensions, drawing upon the Goal Setting and Paradox theories, we found that self-efficacy and collective efficacy are significant drivers for accepting paradoxical tensions at the individual level. The study contributes to the literature on Corporate Sustainability by better understanding tension management through two key findings. Firstly, based on our results, we propose a model that describes the motivational roles of self-efficacy and collective efficacy within “reactive-leader centric” and “proactive-team centric” organisations. Secondly, it reveals how training and information sharing reinforce self-efficacy and collective efficacy. This study also offers practical managerial insights, suggesting strategies for enhancing self-efficacy and collective efficacy in organisational settings, thereby facilitating the successful navigation of paradoxical tensions in pursuing circular economy goals
The Food Acquisition Program as a tool to stimulate economic activities in Brazilian family farming
No full textWith the second volume of the book Agriculture and Diversity: Trajectories, Regional Challenges, and Public Policies in Brazil, the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA) once again contributes to this topic in a collaborative research effort. Written by several authors, the book also portrays the efforts made by researchers from two departments of the institute, as well as other partner institutions, covering social, economic, and environmental issues, with regional and urban perspectives, in addition to the productive functions of agriculture