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IMMUNE ESCAPE MECHANISMS IN HEMATOLOGICAL DISEASES
No full textThe interactions between the immune system and the tumor cells occur through complex events that lead to tumor eradication or immune evasion by cancer. Recently, the prognostic role of Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) accumulation has been documented for some hematological malignancies where they correlates with disease progression and persistence of minimal residual disease. We first evaluated the change of MDSC frequency in hematological patients during therapy founding a significant correlation between the number of persistent monocytic-MDSC and major molecular response (MMR) value in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with dasatinib. Moreover, our data demonstrated that tumor cells, through the release of soluble factors and exosomes, are able to expand monocytic-MDSC, creating an immunotolerant environment that results in T cell anergy and facilitates tumor growth. In addition, cancer cells are also able to promote immune dysfunction in MSC with their consequent commitment, via TLR4 signaling, toward an activated status promoting immune escape through the polarization of neutrophils in immunosuppressive cells
Design of an automated system for continuous monitoring of dairy cow behaviour in free-stall barns
No full textChange in cows behaviours is one of the indicators useful to help identifying when animals become ill. The need to analyse a large number of animals at a time due to the increase in the herd dimension in intensive farming has led to the use of automated systems. Among automated systems, inertial sensor-based systems have been utilised to distinguish behavioural patterns in livestock animals.
In this field, the overall aim of this thesis work, which was inherent to the field of the Precision Livestock Farming, was to contribute to the improvement of the systems based on wearable sensors that are able to recognise the main behavioural activities (i.e., lying, standing, feeding, and walking) of dairy cows housed in a free-stall barn. This objective was achieved through different steps aimed at producing an advance in the state of the art.
A novel algorithm, characterised by a linear computational time, was implemented with the aim to improve real-time monitoring and analysis of walking behaviour of dairy cows. The algorithm computed the number of steps of each cow from accelerometer data by making use of statistically defined thresholds. Algorithm accuracy was carried out by computing total error (E equal to 9.5 %) and Relative Measurement Error (RME between 2.4% and 4.8%).
A new classifier was assessed to recognise the cow feeding and standing behavioural activities by using statistically defined thresholds computed from accelerometer data. The accuracy of the classification was assessed by computing of the Misclassification Rate (MR equal to 5.56%).
A new data acquisition system assessed in a free-stall barn allowed the acquisition of data from different sensor devices, with a sampling frequency of 4 Hz, during the animals daily routine. It required a simple installation into the building and it did not need any preliminary calibration. The performance of this system was assessed by computing a Stored Data Index (DSI) that resulted equal to 83%.
Finally, the overall design of an automated monitoring system based on wearable sensors was proposed
Hadronization via quark coalescence of the quark gluon plasma at ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions
No full textQuantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the fundamental theory that governs the dynamics of strongly interacting particles and has quarks and gluons as elementary constituents, they represent the fundamental degrees of freedom of the theory carrying the "color" charge. The QCD have two peculiar features: colour confinement and asymptotic freedom. The asymptotic freedom allow us to study the strong interaction in a perturbative regime for sufficiently high energy processes, and implies that under particular condition of temperature or density the strong interaction that confines quarks and gluons becomes smaller enough to release them. Hence a new state of matter can exist in which the colour charges are deconfined in a Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP), the predictions of Lattice QCD indicate that the critical temperature in which the nuclear matter experiences a phase transition is Tc~160 MeV . Heavy Ion Collisions (HIC) at ultrarelativistic energy can be used to probe the properties of nuclear matter under extreme condition. In the studies of the QGP created in HIC is necessary to consider that partonic behaviour in QGP is not directly projected on the observables measured in experiments. This happens because the quark and gluon constituents must combine into hadrons. Thus the choice of the model for Hadronization process is a crucial point in order to have a comparison with experimental data. We are interested on an approach with the problem of hadronization of QGP that takes care about microscopic mechanism of hadronization. In the fragmentation scheme each parton fragments into a jet of hadrons which carries a fraction of initial parton momentum. Instead coalescence model describes the recombination of two or three quarks adding their momenta to form mesons or baryons. The coalescence model can predict the enhancement of baryon to meson ratio and the scaling of elliptic flow (v2) according to the constituent quark number that are observed at RHIC. We have implemented an hadronization model based on a quark coalescence mechanism. Our first purpose has been to reproduce the spectra and the particle ratio at RHIC and LHC implementating a coalescence model applied on a static medium. At RHIC and LHC we obtain a good description of spectrum in the whole pt range. Furthermore our model reproduces experimental data for both proton to pion ratio and Lambda to kaons ratio that was one component of the so-called "baryonic puzzle". We can see that the ratio is quite well predicted from its rise at low pt up to the peak region and then the falling-down behaviour. However in both cases it is clear that in the region high pt there is a lack of baryon yield and one can say that it seems that the spectrum from fragmentation appears too flat. Then we have studied the hadronization effect with a coalescence model applied in the heavy quark sector. Several theoretical efforts show some difficulties to describe simultaneously the Raa and the v2. Coalescence modify the relation between these two observables and is fundamental to reproduce the experimental data. In the final part we have presented a more realistic implementation of coalescence model, in which we have developed a model self-consistently applied to the freeze-out hypersurface of a Boltzmann Transport equation. Comparing the spectra of pions, kaons and protons with the experimental data at RHIC and LHC we find a really good agreement in the intermediate pt region. While for higher pt we slightly underestimate the experimental data, because the partonic spectrum results over-suppressed in the high pt region. Finally we have studied the v2 for pions and we have obtained that the coalescence overestimate the v2 observed experimentally for pt>2 GeV, on the other hand the fragmentation v2 is about two times smaller than the experimental data. But an approach that take in account both coalescence and fragmentation is able to reasonably describe the v2 behaviour in a large pt range
La produzione documentaristica della Panaria Film: dalle carte d'archivio un nuovo quadro interpretativo
No full textLa Panaria Film, fondata nel 1946 da Francesco Alliata e altri tre soci, è stata la più importante casa di produzione cinematografica siciliana. Nota soprattutto per i suoi lungometraggi, tra cui "Vulcano" e "La Carrozza d'oro", ha prodotto e realizzato numerosi cortometraggi, molti dei quali oggi dispersi, cui partecipò saltuariamente anche Fosco Maraini.
La sua produzione documentaristica riflette la fondamentale passione dei suoi fondatori per la Sicilia e il suo patrimonio ambientale e culturale ed è animata da una spinta all innovazione che si traduce innanzitutto nell invenzione o nell adozione di nuova strumentazione di ripresa sia visiva che sonora.
Al contrario della produzione a soggetto, la produzione documentaristica è stata studiata poco e superficialmente. Le dinamiche produttive e l'inquadramento delle vicende della società nel più ampio contesto dell'epoca sono state, invece, del tutto trascurate.
La presente ricerca circoscrive il proprio ambito alla produzione documentaristica dal 1946 al 1949, ovvero fino alla realizzazione di "Vulcano", anno che segna la svolta della società di produzione da indipendente a mainstream.
La possibilità di consultare, per primi, i materiali di archivio della Panaria Film e di Francesco Alliata, insieme ad un'accurata analisi delle opere e alla ricostruzione del più ampio contesto in cui la Panaria Film ha operato e le sue opere sono state concepite e fruite, ha consentito quindi di formulare un nuovo quadro interpretativo: ora emerge uno sperimentalismo prima solo parzialmente valutato che si realizza in formule linguistiche all incrocio tra documentarismo e finzione e che ricerca una diversa codificazione del rapporto tra suono e immagini; una ricerca che, se da una parte approda a risultati a volte sorprendenti seppure imperfetti, dall altra si scontra con l inerzia di pratiche produttive consolidate e con altrettanto resistenti modelli stilistici e abitudini di fruizione. Emerge altresì il profilo di un'impresa abile nello stabilire relazioni con le più importanti realtà produttive e distributive dell'epoca, nel cogliere tempestivamente le opportunità offerte dalle leggi a supporto della produzione cinematografica che allora si succedevano e nel far conoscere i suoi documentari all'estero, tanto nei festival quanto nelle sale del circuito commerciale
Impact of the pre-equilibrium stage of ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions: isotropization, photon production and elliptic flows
No full textThe currently accepted theory that governs the dynamics of quarks and gluons, within the Standard Model of fundamental interactions, is the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). Its non-abelian nature provides two important features: while at high energies the interaction becomes small and quarks and gluons interact weakly (asymptotic freedom), at low energies the interaction becomes strong and quarks are confined inside hadrons (color confinement). The asymptotic freedom of QCD implies the existence of a super-dense and ultra-hot form of matter in which the color charged particles are deconfined, the quark-gluon plasma (QGP).
Many phenomenological approaches and numerical simulations of the QCD clearly indicate the existence of a transition from the hadronic matter to the quark-gluon plasma at large energy density, .
Creating and studying the quark-gluon plasma in laboratory is one of the main challenges of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Through ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions, which generate energies of per nucleon at LHC and per nucleon at RHIC, one try to get detailed information on the high temperature and low baryon density region of the phase diagram of QCD.
In this thesis we present our study, within the framework of relativistic transport kinetic theory, of the formation and the dynamical evolution of the quark gluon plasma in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions. In particular we investigate the time scales and the mechanisms responsible of the isotropization of the fluid produced in the initial out-of-equilibrium stage of the collision, aiming at spotting the impact of this pre-equilibrium phase on collective flows of the bulk matter and on photon observables.
In the first part of this thesis we present our model of the early times dynamics of relativistic heavy ion collisions, in which an initial color-electric field decays to a particle plasma by the Schwinger effect.
One of the main novelties of our work consists in the coupling of field evolution to plasma dynamics by solving consistently the classical field equations and the relativistic Boltzmann equation; the self-consistent solution of the problem allows to take into account the back-reaction of the color currents on the classical field. We find that the color-electric field experiences a rapid decay for small , in both 1+1D and 3+1D space-time configurations; looking at the ratio of longitudinal over transverse pressure we find that the system acquires a substantial degree of isotropy in less than 1 fm/c for , in agreement with the common lore of hydrodynamic approaches.
In the second part of this thesis, we extend our approach up to the implementation of a realistic initial condition in which the color-electric field is smoothly distributed in the transverse plane. This configuration, relevant to heavy ion collisions at RHIC and LHC energies, allows to investigate the effect of the pre-equilibrium dynamics on observables, such as spectrum and elliptic flow of photons emitted from the quark-gluon plasma. To this end we compare the photon production starting from classical color field as discussed above with the standard initial condition of a plasma in thermal equilibrium. We find that the pre-equilibrium stage produces abundantly photons, comparable in number with those produced by the equilibrated quark-gluon plasma during the whole fireball lifetime. This early contribution enhances the spectrum mainly in a transverse momentum range () where thermal emission becomes less important. The pre-equilibrium phase has an impact also on the photon elliptic flow, since photons coming from the early times evolution of the fireball suppress the contribution to the momentum anisotropy brought by QGP thermal photons
Il patrimonio archeologico tra Avola e Pachino Organizzazione topografica della Cuspide Orientale in periodo romano e tardo antico
No full textIl contributo verte sul'inquadramento topografico in periodo antico del territorio di Avola. Il comprensorio investigato negli anni senza una programmazione sistematica delle ricerche, attraverso lo studio del materiale edito; la ricerca dagli archivi della Soprintendenza di Siracusa (materiale archeografico); la programmazione di ricognizioni autoptiche offre spunti interessanti per l'organizzazione delle dinamiche insediative di periodo romano e tardo antico
miRNA expressione profiles in retinal neurodegenerative diseases
No full textMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding small RNAs, which have been found to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional and translational levels. A lot of studies demonstrated that miRNAs regulate various cellular processes, including differentiation, development, aging, apoptosis, oncogenesis and metabolism. Moreover, dysregulation of specific miRNAs is associated with a variety of diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. Identification of differenzial pattern expression of miRNAs could be of value for development of novel biomarkers and discovery of new pharmacological targets for human diseases. The aim of our research was to investigate miRNAs regulation in neurodegenerative diseases. Glaucoma is a progressive optic nerve neuropathy and it is one of the leading cause of blindness in the industrialized countries. Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among people aged 50 and over. Signs of irreversible neurodegeneration in glaucoma, AMD and Alzheimer s disease (AD), are usually evident at least a decade after onset of disease; thus early diagnosis is an urgent need in order to start effective therapy against neurodegenerative process. Identification of deregulated miRNA and associated pathways common to glaucoma, AMD and AD might help in the challenging search of biomarkers and novel therapeutic strategies.
We found, from literature search, 8 deregulated miRNAs in glaucoma, 9 and 23 in AMD and AD, respectively. One miRNA was found to be commonly deregulated in glaucoma and AMD (miR-23a), two miRNA (miR-29a, miR-29b) in glaucoma and AD, and four miRNAs in AMD and AD (miR-9, miR-31, miR-21, miR-34a, miR-146a). Predicted miRNAs common to the three neurodegenerative diseases were 9 (miR-107, miR-137, miR-146a, miR-181c, miR-197, miR-21, miR-22, miR-590, miR-9), which demonstrate to be involved in the regulation of inflammation pathways. Based on prediction of miRNA and associated biochemical pathways, inflammation could represent a therapeutic target common to glaucoma, AMD and AD.
Then we evaluated the differential expression profile of miRNAs in a rat model of AMD and in patients with AMD. Analysis of rat retina revealed that miR-27a, miR-146a and miR-155 are up-regulated in comparison to control rats. Seven miRNA (miR-9, miR-23a, miR-27a, miR-34a, miR-126, miR-146a and miR-155) have been found to be dysregulated in serum of AMD patients in comparison to control group. Dysregulated miRNAs, both in the AMD animal model and in AMD patients, can target genes regulating pathways linked to neurodegeneration and inflammation. Our findings support the assessment of specific miRNAs as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in retinal neurodegenerative diseases by means of preclinical and clinical studies
FOXP3, ICOS and ICOSL polymorphisms in an Italian population affected by systemic sclerosis
No full textAssociated with substantial morbidity and mortality rates, systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by vasculopathy, inflammation, progressive perivascular and interstitial fibrosis. SSc pathogenesis is largely unknown, however strong evidences suggest that genetic predisposition may contribute to SSc development.
Dysregulation of co-stimulatory and/or co-inhibitory signals, including ICOS signalling, can cause a breakdown of self-tolerance, thus leading to autoimmunity. Furthermore, ICOS has been linked to the function of Tregs.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the FOXP3 rs2294020, ICOS rs6726035 and ICOSL rs378299 SNPs and the susceptibility to SSc or to progression from preclinical SSc to definite SSc in a North Italian Caucasian population. Furthermore, we have extended our association analysis of the FOXP3 rs2294020 SNP also in 14 GWAS datasets in order to reveal association between this SNP and susceptibility to other autoimmune diseases in individuals of European ancestry. Autoimmune diseases studied included psoriasis, celiac disease, Crohn s disease, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, vitiligo, type-1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.
Although analysis tests did not show any significant associations between the SNPs under study and SSc, the occurrence of FOXP3 rs2294020 in female patients was associated with an increased risk of progression from early to definite SSc, both in the allelic (HR = 1.43; CI = 1.03-1.99; p=0.03) and in dominant (HR = 1.54; CI = 1.04-2.28; p=0.03) models. The inclusion of presence of ACA, SCL70, and ANA autoantibodies in the model did not significantly change the estimates. Furthermore, the present study shows that rs2204020 may be associated with the susceptibility to autoimmune diseases involving the skin , such as vitiligo and psoriasis (p=0.01 and P=0.038, respectively).
In conclusion, this study provides evidence that rs2294020SNP may have a role in SSc evolution, modulating the time of progression from the diagnosis of early SSc to the diagnosis of definite SSc. Moreover, the results of the present study would suggest a potential involvevement of the rs294020 also in other skin-related autoimmune diseases, including vitiligo and psoriasis
"New Perspective for the Responsibility to Protect: reducing gender inequality as a means to reduce the risk of genocide"
No full textPreventing atrocities saves lives, is less expensive than reaction and rebuilding, and raises fewer difficult questions about the unending tension between State sovereignty and interference. However, it is difficult to translate rhetorical support for the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities into a cohesive strategy. Atrocity prevention requires tailored engagement and, for accurate they are, Risk Assessment and Models for Genocide Prevention are not perfectly accurate yet. Prevention of genocide is still partial and some indicators are still missing. This research seeks to discover what impact gender equality has on genocide to verify whether one of these missing indicators is gender equality. Indeed, many scholars have argued that a domestic environment of gender inequality and violence results in greater likelihood of violence both at national and international level. This project aims at upgrading this line of inquiry. The main hypothesis is that the lower gender equality is, the greater the likelihood that a State will experience genocide is. The aim of this project is to test whether States characterized by lower levels of gender equality are more likely to experience genocide. The hypothesis is confirmed. This should lead to consider the need to add gender indicators to the existing early warning assessment for the prevention of genocide, and the need of greater commitment to improve gender equality, through formulation of policies directed at the improvement of it not just as a means to improve women's conditions but as a tool to reduce the risk of genocide and mass atrocities. Indeed, it might work as a means to reduce the risk of genocide concerning the Responsibility to Protect, for the negative repercussions that gender inequality has at the societal level go beyond the negative impact on women
L'informazione del socio nella società a responsabilità limitata
No full textLa tesi affronta il tema dell informazione del socio nella società a responsabilità limitata alla luce della riforma del diritto societario attuata con il d.lgs. 17 gennaio 2003, n. 6.
L indagine è preceduta da una delimitazione dell oggetto della ricerca che ha lo scopo di fornire una definizione del diritto di informazione. A tal fine vengono analizzati preliminarmente i modi di esercizio di tale diritto nelle società di persone e nella società per azioni e viene evidenziato come la sua estensione sia differente nei diversi tipi societari, sebbene tale eterogeneità non dipenda dal diverso regime di responsabilità patrimoniale, né dalla differente attribuzione del potere di controllo sulla gestione, del quale il diritto di informazione e quello di consultazione costituiscono il momento istruttorio.
La lacunosa formulazione della norma di riferimento, l art. 2476, co. 2, cod. civ., solleva alcune questioni con riferimento sia alla legittimazione all esercizio del diritto ci si interroga, fra l altro, se al socio che abbia comunicato il recesso dalla società sia consentito l esercizio dei diritti di informazione e di consultazione , sia all esistenza di limiti opponibili ai soci nell esercizio dei diritti in questione e alla possibilità di derogare alla disposizione in via statutaria.
La ricerca, anche attraverso un confronto con la disciplina anteriore alla riforma del diritto delle società di capitali e con quelle di alcuni ordinamenti stranieri Germania, Francia, Spagna, Portogallo e Stati Uniti , si propone di ricostruire sistematicamente i limiti all esercizio del diritto di informazione e di consultazione individuando e delineando un diritto della società sull informazione che consenta agli amministratori di tutelare l interesse della società al mantenimento della propria sfera di riservatezza e alla competitività sul mercato.
L ultima parte del lavoro è dedicata alle modalità di regolazione statutaria dei diritti di informazione e ispezione. In questo contesto viene valutato se e in che misura, alla luce delle novità introdotte nella disciplina delle s.r.l. dalla riforma del 2003, i diritti di informazione e di consultazione possano essere considerati diritti disponibili e, conseguentemente, quale sia lo spazio concesso all autonomia statutaria per derogare alla disciplina legale