Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
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Understanding how structure shapes the architecture of homologous recombination
No full textCells have evolved multiple pathways to preserve genome integrity, with homologous recombination (HR) playing a central role in the accurate repair of DNA-double strand breaks (DSBs) by using homologous templates. Several proteins are involved in HR, and their mutations have been associated with cancer initiation and progression. In this review, we present an overview of recent structural insights into the HR pathway, highlighting the pivotal role of structural approaches in elucidating this complex and finely regulated DNA repair machinery, with the aim of advancing understanding and informing future research in the field
Diabetic Kidney Disease: Evidence from Two Selected Cohorts of Patients from Low-Middle and High Income Countries
No full textObjectives: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide. Different phenotypes of DKD are emerging, partially attributable to a better glycemic control, partially to concomitant risk factors for kidney disease. Diabetes belongs to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), but poor data about DKD in Low-Middle Income Countries are currently available. In the present paper we compare two cohorts of patients affected by DKD from Tanzania and from Italy.
Study design: Retrospective observational study conducted by NCDs Clinic of Tosamaganga Regional Referral Hospital (Tanzania) and from the Multidisciplinary Diabetological-Nephrological Clinic of Bologna (Italy).
Methods: Included patients' data were analyzed for demographical features, diabetes complications, laboratory findings, and pharmacological therapy at the time of enrollment and after 6-month follow-up.
Results: Tanzanian patients were younger (56.65 vs. 67.66 years, p < 0.001), with a higher prevalence of women (66.9% vs. 25.5%, p < 0.001), and showed lower level of BMI (26.39 vs. 30.18 kg/m2, p < 0.001). Worsened glycemic control could be observed in the Tanzanian cohort (HbA1c 83.71 vs. 56.92 mmol/mol, p < 0.001) and higher eGFR (70.13 ± 31.93 vs. 52.31 ± 23.37 mL/min, p < 0.001). A sharp reduction in albuminuria was observed in both cohorts with an increase in nephroprotective drugs and better glycemic control.
Conclusions: Two phenotypes of diabetic patients have emerged from comparison between two cohorts. Tanzanian patients are mostly female, younger, and with a normal BMI, whereas Italian patients are mainly male, older, and affected by metabolic syndrome and vascular complications. Therapy implementation is associated with a delayed decline of eGFR and downgrading of albuminuria at 6-month follow-up
CO2 monitoring in non-invasive ventilation (NIV) helmets: A bench study assessment of sensor integration
Get PDFNoninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a well-established technique for managing acute respiratory failure in various clinical settings. However, safety concerns in clinical NIV applications emerge due to the absence of robust monitoring and alarm systems, potentially leading to issues such as CO2 rebreathing during flow-block events. This work aims to enhance the safety and monitoring of NIV systems by studying the integration of two types of carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors within NIV helmets. The investigation encompasses two main analyses. The first analysis explores the impact of varying the fresh inlet gas flow rate on local CO2 concentrations within the helmet. The second analysis investigates the response of CO2 sensors during simulated flow-block events, a critical safety concern in NIV therapy. In both analyses the effect of the sensor positioning is also investigated. Results demonstrate that higher fresh gas flow rates enhance CO2 washout within the helmet, highlighting the importance of optimizing gas flow rates to mitigate CO2 rebreathing. The positioning of CO2 sensors within the helmet was also found to significantly influence measurements by affecting signal stability and response to flow-block events. Overall, this study demonstrated the potential of integrating CO2 sensors within NIV helmets to enhance patient safety and treatment effectiveness. The knowledge gained from this study can be used to guide the design and optimization of NIV systems
Unique Performance Considerations for Printable Organic Semiconductor and Perovskite Radiation Detectors: Toward Consensus on Best Practice Evaluation
Get PDFMetal halide perovskites and organic semiconductors have attracted intense interest for ionizing radiation detection due to their advantages of strong attenuation, low leakage currents, synthetic versatility, and simple device manufacturing. These materials present opportunities to develop devices for safer medical imaging and dosimetry, sensing, shielding technologies for space exploration, and improved non-invasive analysis for security, product inspection, and nuclear safety. However, there is currently a glaring lack of standard approaches for testing and reporting the performance of novel organic semiconductor and perovskite-based materials and device architectures for radiation detection. This absence of standardization has resulted in a recent exponential increase in publications that lack consistency in both the experimental procedures used for characterization and the interpretation of performance parameters reported. In this Perspective, the major photophysics of organic semiconductors and perovskite materials under high-energy radiation are summarized, with limitations in evaluating radiation detection performance using metrics designed for highly crystalline inorganic technologies discussed. Finally, key metrics and experimental details that are suggested for reporting in publications to improve reproducibility and enable large data set analysis are identified, noting these procedures are not intended as an exhaustive or definitive list, but rather as a milestone toward enabling improved standardization
Introduction: the new political economy of central banks: reluctant Atlases?
Get PDFAfter gaining independence from political authorities, the past decades, central banks in most of the Global North and some in the Global South have taken on additional goals, acquiring unprecedented powers, many of them in response to crises and a lack of forceful action by the political authorities. Central banks have also been confronted with new issues, such as the greening of the economy and digital finance. They have rediscovered ‘old’ roles–i.e. acting as lender of last resort, overseeing payment systems, supervising banks, issuing currencies (in a digital format)–and have taken on new roles. These roles include: ‘crisis managers’ of first resort, backstopping banks, non-banks, states and fellow central banks; ‘recession fighters’ of second resort as well as ‘quasi’ fiscal authorities; supporters of the green and digital transition; ‘sui generis diplomats’ fostering international cooperation, while behaving as hesitant ‘geoeconomic actors’ in an increasingly geopoliticised world. In the ‘new political economy of central banking’, these institutions can be seen as ‘reluctant Atlases’, at times, suffering from a lack of connection to central fiscal authorities (experiencing ‘loneliness’) and goal overstretching. Recent geopolitical turmoil presents new challenges to the liberal international order to which central banks are still seeking to respond
Da Brera a Palermo: un’altra via per il romanzo futuro con Butor e Simon. “Le armi l’amore” di Emilio Tadini
No full textIl saggio nasce su invito del comitato scientifico del convegno palermitano del 2023 "Il Gruppo 63 Sessanta anni dopo", e si posiziona all'interno di una delle quattro sezioni del convegno medesimo, dal titolo "Numeri primi", destinata a prendere in esame autori non direttamente o continuativamente coinvolti nei lavori del Gruppo 63, come Malerba, Ferretti e Tadini, ma partecipi del clima sperimentale del tempo. Intento del saggio è ricostruire attraverso quali modalità operative Emilio Tadini, con il suo romanzo d'esordio "Le armi l'amore", rielabori le due più eminenti linee di ricerca del romanzo modernista, ossia la linea Proust e la linea Joyce, ma anche in che misura dialoghi con soluzioni più contemporanee: l'eredità di Faulkner, i paralleli percorsi del nouveau roman, la pulsione scopica ed ecfrastica, la tensione che si genera tra l'assenza delle immagini e la costruzione di una diegesi intimamente descrittiva. Si prende in esame l'importanza, per Tadini, della relazione tra il tempo fermo proprio della pittura e della fotografia, e del tempo a flusso dello stream of consciousness joyciano e della memoria involontaria proustiana. In conclusione, si evidenzia come le prove narrative del primo Tadini, pittore e critico d'arte, anticipino di alcuni decenni la presente fortuna del romanzo a fototesto o iconotesto di W.G. Sebald
Functional specialization of the human posterior parietal cortex in visually and proprioceptively driven reaching corrections
Get PDFWhile online adjustments during reaching are essential for interacting with our dynamic environment,the specialized contributions of subregions of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) remain unclear. In thisstudy, we investigate the distinct roles of human medial PPC areas V6A (hV6A) and PEc (hPEc) inmediating online reaching corrections elicited by visual and proprioceptive perturbations. Here wedeliver online repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) during the early stages of reachingcorrections triggered by an unexpected shift of the visual target or by the application of an externalforce to the wrist. Our findings reveal that rTMS over hV6A selectively impairs the ability to correctreach trajectories for visual perturbations, whereas stimulation of hPEc interferes only withproprioceptively driven corrections. These findings confirm the critical role of hV6A in processingvisual feedback, demonstrate the causal involvement of hPEc in integrating proprioceptiveinformation to guide motor adjustments, and show how the PPC selectively engages specializedneural circuits to adapt motor control strategies according to the sensory nature of thereaching perturbation
Peer Relatedness, Working memory and Academic Success: A multilevel analysis of between- and within-person level associations
No full textCybersicurezza e fattore umano: un approccio educativo inclusivo
No full textLa cybersicurezza contemporanea si basa sia sulle soluzioni tecnologiche sia sul
pieno coinvolgimento del fattore umano, riconosciuto oggi come elemento centrale per
garantire la protezione dei sistemi digitali. La consapevolezza, le competenze e i comportamenti
degli utenti possono rafforzare significativamente la resilienza informatica, mentre
errori, disattenzioni e carenze di preparazione restano tra le principali cause di incidenti.
Lo stesso fattore umano può diventare una risorsa strategica se adeguatamente formato,
coinvolto e responsabilizzato. Questo lavoro analizza le strategie educative più efficaci per
rafforzare la resilienza cibernetica attraverso un approccio inclusivo, capace di raggiungere
persone di diversa età, ruolo, competenze e background culturale. L’attenzione è rivolta
alla progettazione di percorsi formativi accessibili, adattivi e culturalmente sensibili, in
grado di tradurre concetti tecnici in esperienze di apprendimento concrete e partecipative.
Il rafforzamento delle competenze digitali, l’etica nell’uso delle tecnologie e l’adozione di
comportamenti sicuri diventano così i pilastri di una cultura condivisa della sicurezza.
L’analisi si completa con esempi di buone pratiche provenienti da ambiti pubblici, aziendali
ed educativi, dimostrando come un investimento mirato sul fattore umano possa ridurre
i rischi informatici e promuovere una cittadinanza digitale più consapevole e responsabile
Introduction
Get PDFAnalyses how book-keeping and estate accounting transformed attitudes and practices in farm management over three centuries of European history