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Sparta e Taranto. Per un riesame delle forme di culto eroico tra metropolis e apoikia
No full textLo studio intende indagare le modalità di reiterazione dei culti eroici tra Sparta e Taranto, evidenziandone gli elementi di continuità come pure di divergenza nel rapporto tra metropoli e apoikia. La ricerca si incentra sull’analisi delle pratiche cultuali, della distribuzione topografica degli heroa e dei processi di trasmissione e rielaborazione delle figure eroiche nei due contesti, attraverso l’integrazione di dati archeologici, fonti letterarie ed evidenze epigrafiche.
Nel caso spartano, lo studio ricostruisce il pantheon eroico e la sua articolazione nello spazio urbano, periurbano e suburbano, con particolare attenzione ai santuari di Therapne, Amyklai e alle aree cultuali lungo l’Eurota, evidenziando il ruolo del culto eroico nella definizione dell’identità civica e nella strutturazione del paesaggio sacro. A Taranto, nonostante le limitazioni imposte dalla stratificazione moderna, l’analisi dei depositi votive e delle fonti antiche consente di delineare una topografia eroica caratterizzata dalla ricezione selettiva di modelli lacedemoni accanto allo sviluppo di tradizioni locali legate ai fondatori e alle genealogie mitiche.
Il confronto sistematico tra i due contesti permette di cogliere i processi di adattamento, trasformazione e rifunzionalizzazione dei culti eroici nel passaggio dalla madrepatria alla colonia, restituendo il culto eroico come fenomeno dinamico inserito nelle strutture politiche, sociali e territoriali delle poleis
Joseph Edkins and the introduction of western physiology in China through the Shenli qimeng
No full textThis paper offers an introductory analysis of the Shenli qimeng 身理 啟蒙 (A Primer in Physiology), one of the earliest monographs devoted to the introduction and teaching of modern physiological science in China. Notably, the text presents the subject as an autonomous discipline, distinguishing it from its earlier marginal treatment as subordinate to anatomy. After outlining the historical background of secular missionary activity in Late Imperial China and providing a brief biographical account of its author, the British missionary and translator Joseph Edkins (1823–1905), the paper examines the editorial framework, main contents, and stylistic strategies of the Shenli qimeng in light of Edkins’ pedagogical aims. Building on these elements, the study investigates how the text’s distinctive features shaped its reception and whether it played a significant role in the dissemination of modern physiological knowledge within the Chinese intellectual context of the Late Qing period
Polypropylene nanoplastics as PFAS carriers: A computational study of the adsorption mechanism
No full textPolypropylene (PP) is a major constituent of nanoplastics (NPs) found worldwide in aquatic environments, where it promotes the co-transport of contaminants. Of particular concern is the co-transport of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), potentially increasing the uptake and bioaccumulation of PFAS in organisms during simultaneous exposure. Since the adsorption mechanism of PFAS molecules on NPs is still only partially understood, we have carried out a thorough systematic investigation of how a range of PFAS interact with PP nanoplastics. To this end, we developed a computational procedure which combines molecular mechanics, semiempirical methods and density functional theory calculations. We were able to describe quantitatively the adsorption process, revealing similarities and differences in the adsorption behavior as a function of the PFAS length, branching and of the nature of the PFAS polar head. Our findings suggest that the nanoplastic possess a certain degree of local flexibility which allows it to effectively adsorb all the investigated compounds, by modifying its form to maximize the interactions with PFAS. The adsorption mechanism is mainly driven by dispersion forces between the PFAS perfluorinated chain and the nanoplastic polymeric chain, with minor electrostatic contributions. These findings represent a significant step forward in the rationalization of PFAS adsorption behavior, which is essential not only to clarify their environmental fate but also to help develop strategies for PFAS removal from contaminated water sources
Public Television and Young Audiences: Participatory Experiences in Italy, France, and Portugal
No full textThis paper examines participatory experiences of public television in Portugal, Italy, and France, targeting adolescents and young adults. The aim is to understand how public television is implementing effective initiatives to enhance youth involvement and engagement, both to foster loyalty among a declining demographic and to initiate concrete actions. The paper is descriptive and analytical in nature and is organized around the following research sections: a) Context of the Experience; b) Relationship to Programming; c) Target Audience Segmentation; d) Description and Participation Mechanisms; e) Relationship to Public Service Functions; f) Promotion; g) Audience Feedback
Effectiveness of laser technology in autonomous eruption of palatally impacted canines and analysis of five prognostic factors: a clinical study
No full textObiettivo: Questo studio clinico aveva lo scopo di valutare l’efficacia della chirurgia con laser a diodi nel favorire l’eruzione spontanea dei canini inclusi in sede palatale, confrontandola con la chirurgia convenzionale con lama fredda, analizzando l’effetto aggiuntivo della terapia fotobiomodulante (PBMT). Obiettivo secondario dello studio è stato indagare la possibile influenza di cinque fattori prognostici sul processo di eruzione.
Materiali e metodi: Sono stati analizzati 70 canini inclusi palatalmente in 52 pazienti. I fattori prognostici sono stati valutati mediante ortopantomografia e tomografia computerizzata cone beam (CBCT). I pazienti sono stati assegnati in modo casuale a quattro gruppi: laser a diodi (A), lama fredda (B), laser a diodi con PBMT (C) e lama fredda con PBMT (D). L’eruzione è stata monitorata dal momento dell’intervento fino a 16 settimane mediante scanner intraorale Medit i700. I file STL sono stati sovrapposti con il software MeshLab (v.2023.12) per calcolare i valori di eruzione. I dati sono stati analizzati con test ANOVA a una via per i confronti tra gruppi e con regressione lineare multipla per valutare l’influenza dei cinque fattori prognostici sull’entità dell’eruzione (p-value ≤ 0.05).
Risultati: I gruppi A e C hanno mostrato la maggiore eruzione media dei canini inclusi (4,68 ± 0,86 mm e 5,03 ± 1,17 mm), mentre il gruppo B ha registrato la minore (2,99 ± 1,04 mm). Sono state osservate differenze significative tra i gruppi negli intervalli T1–T2 e T0–T2 (p < 0,001). La regressione lineare ha identificato l’altezza di inclusione come principale fattore predittivo dell’eruzione, con l’età significativa nel gruppo A e il sesso prossimo alla significatività nel gruppo C. La valutazione del modello ha evidenziato una capacità predittiva moderata per il gruppo laser a diodi (R2pred = 33%), scarsa per il bisturi e sovra-adattamento per i gruppi PBMT.
Conclusioni: La chirurgia con laser a diodi promuove efficacemente l’eruzione spontanea dei canini palatali inclusi, con risultati comparabili a quelli ottenuti con il laser a diodi combinato con PBMT. L’altezza di inclusione rappresenta il principale fattore prognostico che influenza l’eruzione, mentre età e sesso possono contribuire in specifici gruppi.Aim: This clinical study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of diode laser surgery in promoting the spontaneous eruption of palatally impacted canines, compared with conventional cold blade surgery, and to assess the additional effect of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT). As a secondary aim, the study also investigated the potential influence of five prognostic factors on the eruption process.
Methods: Seventy impacted canines from 52 patients were analyzed. Prognostic factors were assessed using orthopantomography and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Patients were randomly assigned to four groups: diode laser (A), cold blade (B), diode laser and PBMT (C), and cold blade and PBMT (D). Eruption was monitored from surgery (T0) to 16 weeks (T2) using an intraoral scanner (Medit i700, Medit Corp., Seoul, South Korea). STL files were superimposed with MeshLab software (v.2023.12, Visual Computing Lab, Pisa, Italy) to calculate eruption values. Data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA for intergroup comparisons and multiple linear regression to assess the influence of five prognostic factors on eruption outcomes (p-value ≤ 0.05).
Results: Groups A and C showed the highest mean eruption of impacted canines (4.68 ± 0.86 mm and 5.03 ± 1.17 mm, respectively), while Group B had the lowest (2.99 ± 1.04 mm). Significant differences between groups were observed at T1–T2 and T0–T2 (p < 0.001). Linear regression identified height of impaction as a key predictor of eruption, with age additionally significant in Group A and sex approaching significance in Group C. Model evaluation indicated moderate predictive ability for the diode laser group (R2pred = 33%), poor fit for cold blade, and overfitting for PBMT groups.
Conclusion: Diode laser surgery effectively promotes the spontaneous eruption of palatally impacted canines, with results comparable to those observed with diode laser combined with PBMT. Height of impaction is a primary prognostic factor influencing eruption, while age and sex may also contribute in specific groups
Mobility evaluation in Parkinson’s disease: from disease study to therapeutic application
No full textParkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, and the fastest growing. In PD, mobility decline represents a key disabling feature, therefore studying how people with PD (PwPD) move is crucial for disease assessment, monitoring and management. PD symptoms could fluctuate within and between days; therefore, capturing mobility impairment only through laboratory-based tests (capacity) could not be sufficient and requires integrating monitoring in real-world conditions (performance), across the full 24-hour cycle and for multiple days to collect a full picture of PwPD conditions. The advent of consumer wearables, such as smartwatches, made this assessment viable, but most of these devices require validation. Additionally, mobility is not only determined by motor function but is influenced by several personal and environmental factors. This is particularly true in PD, where non-motor symptoms (NMS) are highly impactful. However, the extent to which motor symptoms (MS) and NMS of PD impact both capacity and performance is still unclear. This doctoral thesis addressed these challenges in PD through three complementary sections:
• Validation of a commercial smartwatch for step counting. Four studies were included in this section.
• Assessment of the relationship between in-clinic walking capacity and real-world walking performance, and the contribution of MS and NMS to mobility. Three studies were included in this section.
• Assessment of nocturnal mobility, its association with diurnal mobility, and response to dopaminergic treatment. Two studies were included in this section.
We built a large multimodal dataset of 121 people with PD including demographic, anthropometric, and clinical measures exploring both MS and NMS. We also collected wearable-based measures of supervised (including turning, forward and backward walking) and unsupervised mobility.
In the first section, we demonstrated that average daily steps (AvDS) were accurate and reliable in mild-to-moderate PD under ecological conditions, though influenced by disease stage, phenotype, device placement, and pharmacological state. Importantly, we established, for the first time, the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for AvDS in PD, providing a benchmark to interpret change over time or in response to interventions. Taken together, these findings confirmed the feasibility of smartwatch-based measures as digital mobility outcomes while highlighting disease-specific limitations.
In the second section, we first compared forward walking, backward walking, and turning tasks with AvDS, using Bayesian model averaging. We revealed the limited power of supervised mobility tests in predicting unsupervised mobility. Furthermore, multivariate analyses showed that NMS, particularly executive dysfunction, depression, and fatigue, are major determinants of supervised and unsupervised mobility. Their influence was most evident in complex tasks but also in AvDS, sometimes outweighing MS. These results underscore that mobility in PD is multidimensional, shaped by MS, NMS, and environmental factors.
In the third section, we reported that patients with impaired nocturnal mobility also exhibited poorer daytime mobility, indicating that motor limitations extend across the full 24-hour cycle. Additionally, in a second pilot study, we showed that dopaminergic therapy improved subjective sleep quality but not objective nocturnal mobility, suggesting partially distinct mechanisms. These findings highlight the importance of considering 24-hour mobility patterns in both research and care in PD.
In conclusion, the findings of the present PhD thesis pave the way for more ecologically valid, multidimensional, and patient-centered mobility monitoring strategies. These results can inform clinical decision-making, therapeutic interventions, and the design of meaningful digital mobility outcomes, ultimately improving independence and quality of life in people living with PD
Introduction
No full textIntroduction to the Proceedings of the 1st National Conference of Archaeology Students
A time-scale analysis of financial crises similarity via Earth Mover's Distance
No full textThis paper proposes a novel approach aimed at identifying similarities between portions of financial time series during crisis periods. A pattern observed in a short time interval during a specific crisis may resemble that of another crisis period in a longer time interval. To capture these similarities at different scales, the energy distribution of the wavelet transform of the time series is analyzed within limited portions of the scalogram at different scales. This is achieved by introducing Generalized Heisenberg Boxes (GHBs), which are boxes larger than, yet proportional to, the corresponding classical Heisenberg Boxes. Specifically, since time-scale trajectories of the wavelet transform modulus maxima characterize signal singularities, each GHB is described in terms of intra-and inter-scale relationships of the internal maxima. According to the Wavelet Atoms Approximation Theory, the similarity between GHBs covering a set of singularities is expected to persist across successive scales as long as it is not affected by other singularities. The comparison between GHBs is achieved by means of the Earth Mover's Distance, which allows comparing rectangles of different size. Experimental results on the S&P 500 stock market index, as well as Gold and Crude Oil historical data, have revealed some interesting similarities between well-known financial crises at different scales, confirming the potential of the proposed approach in providing a more in-depth analysis of financial time series
On nonsmooth hierarchical generalized Nash equilibrium problems via hierarchical generalized variational inequalities
No full textWe study hierarchical Generalized Nash Equilibrium Problems whose shared feasible region is implicitly defined as the solution set of a lower-level Nash game. We allow the presence of nonsmooth terms in the objectives of both the players of the GNEP and the NEP. To compute variational equilibria, we design first-order projected Tikhonov-type methods and establish their convergence and complexity guarantees. The practical impact is demonstrated through numerical experiments on a multi-portfolio selection model with real-world financial datasets.
Moreover, we develop a unifying inexactness framework for variational and game-theoretic models (Variational Inequalities, Minty variational inequalities, Natural-Map problems, and Nash Equilibrium Problems).
For each problem class we formalize an inexact counterpart and derive tight implication chains and stability bounds that quantify how approximation errors propagate across formulations. These results clarify how algorithmic stopping tolerances or modeling inaccuracies in one formulation translate into inexactness levels in the others, using only problem-dependent constants and the original inexactness level
Obiezione di coscienza
No full textAnalisi dell'evoluzione dell'obiezione di coscienza al servizio militare e alle arm