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Safeguarding Amsterdam's heritage: predicting sapwood width to preserve ancient wooden foundations
No full textWooden piles are the most common foundation system in the historic city of Amsterdam (NL). The piles are fully submerged below water table and subject to bacterial decay. This study investigated sapwood and heartwood proportions in spruce, pine, and fir piles from different construction periods, in relation to their degradation. X-ray computed tomography scans on 49 wet discs were performed to measure the piles' sapwood width, which was then validated against an empirical model based on annual rings and growth rate. Degraded areas, identified with micro-drilling measurements, were found to affect sapwood only. These outcomes were further validated on 201 pile segments, with the predicted sapwood widths being greater than or equal to the decayed portions, even in 300-year-old piles. Therefore, estimating sapwood width can contribute to determine the remaining sound cross section of the piles, providing useful input for service life models for planning timely maintenance interventions
Beyond purinergic signaling: Dual ligand approaches to multitarget drug discovery
No full textPurinergic receptors represent an attractive target for treating numerous multifactorial diseases currently considered incurable. Multitargeted agents binding purinergic receptors show considerable promise in preclinical studies in several diseases. Most of the multifactorial pathologies for which no therapy is currently known represent the greatest challenge for the pharmaceutical community. Molecules directed simultaneously toward multiple targets could counteract the redundancy phenomena typical of biological systems and avoid the side effects associated with drug cocktails. This review is intended to provide a summary of the most significant dual ligands able to interact with purinergic receptors and other G-protein-coupled receptors or enzymes
A Framework for Supporting Decentralised Applications Analysis
No full textBlockchain technology has enabled the development of decentralised applications, which rely on smart contracts to implement their core logic. A critical phase in the development of such applications is the verification and analysis of the underlying smart contracts. The execution of these contracts can lead to unexpected behaviours caused by vulnerabilities or logical flaws. While various techniques have been established to analyse security aspects and prevent such issues, less attention has been given to execution data. This data is produced during the actual execution of smart contracts and exposes how these applications behave in practice. By analysing this data, domain experts can access novel perspectives of the application and uncover meaningful insights or patterns.
In this work, we present a framework designed to support the analysis of decentralised applications. It provides functionalities to analyse and visualise execution data of smart contracts. The framework was implemented as a web-based application and evaluated by analysing its performance over synthetic logs
Influence of knowledge uncertainties on the safety assessment of existing post-tensioned concrete bridges
No full textThe assessment of existing bridges constitutes a serious challenge for the researchers since their safety evaluation is a complex task due to several sources of uncertainty affecting the knowledge process. In particular, a high level of uncertainties may arise in the case of prestressing systems requiring special investigation strategies and experimental technologies. The paper aims to investigate how the knowledge uncertainties influence the safety assessment of existing post-tensioned bridges using the semi-probabilistic approach. Uncertainties related to the knowledge process are described considering the number of tests, the confidence level assumed for the estimation of the problem parameters, and the measurement errors of in-situ tests. Results concerning a typical post-tensioned bridge are reported and the variability of the outcomes is discussed and compared with a reference case of “perfect knowledge”. The main results of the study confirm the general robustness of the semi-probabilistic Eurocodes safety format and provide an overview of dispersion due to different choices regarding the number of tests and confidence level. The measurement errors may lead to significant underestimation of the computed structural capacity with respect to the reference one, up to -40% of the reference case considering standard confidence levels
Il design nella televisione italiana degli anni ’70: dalla frammentarietà alla serialità. Un’analisi della programmazione RAI come strumento di divulgazione della cultura del progetto
No full textIl contributo indaga il rapporto tra televisione e design nell’Italia degli anni Settanta, periodo in cui la RAI passa da una trattazione episodica a una programmazione strutturata e seriale che riconosce il design come campo interdisciplinare tra arte, industria, società e tecnologia. Attraverso un’analisi sistematica del Catalogo Multimediale RAI e del Radiocorriere TV, integrata da fonti storiche, lo studio esamina format, contenuti e strategie narrative di programmi chiave quali Habitat (1970), Dall’artigianato all’industria (1971), Ritratto d’autore (1974) e Inchiesta sulle professioni (1974). Emergono tre principali modalità di rappresentazione: un approccio documentaristico centrato su figure e casi; la lettura del rapporto design–industria con focus sul Made in Italy; una dimensione educativa orientata alla divulgazione. I risultati evidenziano gli anni Settanta come punto di svolta nella mediatizzazione del design, gettando le basi per narrazioni televisive che hanno contribuito a consolidarne l’identità e a democratizzarne la cultura presso il grande pubblico
Impact of ingredients added in sweet and savory biscuits on the contents of furanic compounds and 3-methylbutanal
No full textIngredients and processing conditions influence the content of volatile compounds and heat-generated contaminants in baked products including biscuits. However, limited research has focused on the effect of specific ingredients. Hence, the present study investigated the influence of various added ingredients in sweet and savory biscuits – including dried plums and apricots, roasted pistachios and peeled almonds for sweet biscuits; and black olives (with and without brine), sunflower and sesame seeds for savory biscuits - on the contents of furan derivatives and 3-methylbutanal, analyzing the final products, raw doughs and individual ingredients by HS-SPMEGC–MS instrument. The content of furanic compounds was higher in ingredients added in sweet preparations especially in dried plums and apricots. In addition, sweet biscuits were richer in furan derivatives especially those formulated with dried plum. Therefore, careful selection of ingredients together with processing optimization are crucial to balancing both safety and sensory quality features of baked products
Clinical, Psychological, Epigenetic, and Medico-Legal Aspects related to the Development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Violence Against Women
No full textViolence against women represents both a critical public health issue and a profound social problem,
with severe consequences for victims. These repercussions extend beyond immediate physical harm,
exerting long-term psychological effects, including the development of post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). While the correlation between epigenetic modifications and exposure to traumatic
environmental factors has been extensively studied in other contexts —such as among war veterans—
its exploration within the framework of gender-based violence remains largely uncharted.
This PhD thesis, developed within the Epigenetics for Women (EpiWE) project of the “Italian Higher
Institute of Health” (ISS), aimed to conduct an initial pilot study to assess: whether exposure to
violence induces PTSD; whether epigenetic modifications occur in victims of violence and how these
alterations evolve over time; and the feasibility of such an investigation given the inherent
vulnerabilities of the study population. A multidisciplinary approach integrating medico-legal,
psychiatric, and genetic expertise was adopted. The research focused on a panel of ten genes,
analyzing methylation pattern variations. Three genes —IGF2, DRD2, and BDNF— exhibited
significant epigenetic modifications in response to trauma.
In addition, the study identified critical challenges in research involving victims of violence,
particularly difficulties in recruiting participants and the lack of sustained support mechanisms, which
hindered the creation of a standardized follow-up protocol. From a forensic medicine perspective,
this thesis also explores the potential utility of these epigenetic markers in both therapeutic
interventions and legal contexts, raising the possibility of their application in judicial proceedings.
In conclusion, the findings underscore the potential of an epigenetic approach to the study of violence
against women, marking a crucial preliminary first step that will premise the implementation of
subsequent studies
Heteroscorpionate copper complexes functionalized with memantine: as novel antiglioblastoma agents
No full textOver the years, copper coordination compounds have attracted considerable attention in the field of medicinal inorganic chemistry due to their rich redox behavior, variable coordination environments, and potential for therapeutic applications. Herein, as part of our ongoing research into the antitumor properties of Cu complexes of ligands conjugated to biologically active molecules, we present the synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of new Cu(I) and Cu(II) complexes incorporating memantine ring-conjugated bis(pyrazolyl)acetate ligands. As coordinating agents, the bis(pyrazolyl)- and bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)-acetic acids were chosen thanks to their κ3N,N’,O coordination mode and presence of a carboxylic group suitable for the coupling with the primary amine group of memantine drug yielding the new ligands LMem and L2Mem (Figure 1). All the complexes were fully characterized both in solid state and in solution and their electronic and molecular structures were investigated by XPS, NEXAFS and, XAS. In addition, X-ray diffraction analysis was carried out on the ligands LMem and L2Mem, along with complexes [(PPh3)Cu(L2Mem)]PF6 and [Cu(L2Mem)2Cl2]. The cytotoxicity of the ligands and their corresponding Cu(I) and Cu(II) complexes was investigated against glioblastoma cell lines
Representations of the p-adic three-dimensional rotation group: towards p-adic quantum computing
No full textThis dissertation investigates geometry, structure and representation theory of
the compact p-adic special orthogonal groups, with particular attention to that
of degree three, SO(3)p. In addition to its mathematical significance, SO(3)p and
its unitary representations are predicted to play a central role in the development
of angular momentum and spin in p-adic quantum mechanics. In particular,
those representations of dimension two provide a suitable model of p-adic qubit,
at the foundations of a burgeoning p-adic theory of quantum information and
computation. Thus, we propose to build quantum information processing using
elements from the same representations of SO(3)p as quantum logic gates.
The study begins with the classification of p-adic quadratic forms, according
to which, compact p-adic special orthogonal groups exist only of degree two, three
and four. This yields a unique group SO(3)p of rotations on Q3
p
, a unique group
of degree four, but several incarnations of the group of rotations on the p-adic
plane. SO(3)p shows similarities with its real counterpart, while also revealing
differences due to the number-theoretic properties of Qp, depending on the prime
p. The even prime p = 2 exhibits some peculiarities, therefore it occasionally
necessitates a separate and cautious treatment. The entire group SO(3)p admits
a representation in terms of Cardano (aka nautical) “angles”, however, this works
only for certain orderings of the product of rotations around the reference axes,
depending on the prime; furthermore, there is no general Euler decomposition.
For p = 2, no Euler or Cardano decomposition exists.
We express the Haar measure on SO(3)p, as well as on the other compact
p-adic special orthogonal groups, employing two approaches: (1) an inverse-limit
machinery of counting measures, since these groups are profinite, and (2) a gen-
eral integral formula for the Haar measure on p-adic Lie groups, to be exploited
together with the quaternion realisations of p-adic rotations. This paves the way
for harmonic analysis on these groups, and specifically for their representations
by invoking the Peter-Weyl theorem.
Since all the finite-dimensional projective unitary representations of SO(3)p
factorise on some quotient modulo p
k
, k ∈ N, we embark on the path of studying
the representations of SO(3)p starting from those induced by SO(3)p mod p. In
particular, we explicitly find p-adic qubits for every prime p. We further address
the Clebsch-Gordan problem and identify entangled states for composite systems
of two p-adic qubits. We finally begin to work on logic gates operating on two
qubits, from the known four-dimensional unitary representations of SO(3)p, with
the ultimate aim to provide a universal set of gates
Multi-Target Computer-Vision Monitoring of Multi-Story Buildings During Shake Table Tests
No full textComputer-vision methods have attracted much attention in recent years thanks to the possibility of measuring displacement time-histories in an unprecedented number of points using a single sensor not requiring stationary points close to the structure. The hardware has accessible costs and is simple to set up and operate with basic video photography knowledge and programming skills. Past experimental studies showed the potentiality of computer-vision algorithms to provide accurate results that can be equivalent to those obtained from other contact sensors as accelerometers and displacement transducers. This is made possible thanks to the development of sophisticated and computationally efficient computer-vision algorithms able to achieve resolutions as small as a fraction of a single pixel in the captured video footage, while being able to track also large displacements. The objective of this article is to present a vision-based methodology for contactless acquisition of absolute and relative horizontal displacement time-histories of multi-story buildings during shake table tests, using a couple of video cameras, one inside and the other outside of the monitored building. The combination of the two cameras provides redundancy of the measurements which can be used for the compensation of the inevitable disturbances in the internal video camera. The advantages of the proposed methodology are discussed based on the results of its first application that took place during the shake table testing of a full-scale six-story mass timber structure tested on the world’s largest 6-DOF outdoor shake table at the University of California San Diego