23 research outputs found
La letteratura per l'infanzia come strumento delle Medical Humanities. Narrazioni per il benessere e il contrasto alla povertà educativa.
No full textIl saggio analizza il ruolo della letteratura per l’infanzia come strumento narrativo capace di integrare dimensioni educative, cli-niche e sociali nei contesti di vulnerabilità, con un focus sul Meridione d’Italia. Attraverso l’intersezione tra pedagogia, Medical Humanities e medicina narrativa, esplora come fiabe, albi illustrati e silent book favoriscano l’elaborazione di esperienze complesse, promuovendo empatia, benessere e inclusione. Il contributo propone una riflessione critica e interdisciplinare sul potere trasformativo delle storie, intese come dispositivi di cura capaci di rispondere alla povertà educativa e di aprire spazi di senso nei percorsi di crescita, relazione e cura
On the Thermal Activation of Turin Metro Line 2 Tunnels
No full textThe Turin metro Line 2 will extend for nearly 28 km and include 26 stations. It will connect the SW suburbs of the city to the NE ones. The excavation will be performed by means of TBM and Cut & Cover techniques and, once concluded, will host a fully automated driverless light metro. This paper will describe the feasibility study carried out to assess the energy potential of the thermal activation of the line by using an innovative tunnel lining segment (ENERTUN) recently patented and tested in real operating conditions. A novel methodology was adopted, involving thermo-hydraulic 3D FE numerical anal- yses to identify the geothermal potential for the different sections of the line. A study of the possible collectors for the thermal energy produced was also performed considering the planned stations, the existing buildings and the future urban developments
‘Was Science then a Complete Failure?’: Myth in the Work of Elias Canetti
No full textAll’interno di questo contributo, l’autore si sofferma sulla funzione teorica e filosofica del ricorso al mito all’interno dell’opera di Elias Canetti, con particolare riferimento al suo capolavoro da saggista, Massa e potere, e alle sue annotazioni. Nel primo paragrafo, l’autore delinea i tratti principali della riscoperta canettiana del mito e si sofferma sulle sue fonti testuali. Nel secondo paragrafo, l’autore prende in esame il nesso fra il mito e il concetto di metamorfosi, centrale all’interno dell’antropologia filosofica canettiana. Nel terzo paragrafo, l’autore si sofferma sul ricorso di Canetti al mito come risposta ai limiti che caratterizzano la filosofia. Nel quarto e ultimo paragrafo, l’autore prende in esame il potenziale politico insito nel ricorso al mito: in opposizione a un sapere compromesso con il potere, Canetti concepisce il ricorso al mito come un mezzo per portare alla luce il punto di vista degli oppressi, dei dimenticati, dei colonizzati.In this paper, the Author examines the theoretical and philosophical function of the recourse to myth in Elias Canetti’s works, with particular reference to his masterpiece as an essayist, Crowds and Power, and his Aufzeichnungen. In the first section, the Author outlines the main features of Canetti’s rediscovery of myth and mentions its textual sources. In the second section, the Author explores the connection between myth and the concept of metamorphosis, pivotal within Canetti’s philosophical anthropology. In the third section, the Author focuses on Canetti’s recourse to myth as an antidote to the shortcomings that characterize philosophy. In the fourth and final section, the Author takes into account the political potential inherent in myth. In opposition to a knowledge compromised with power, Canetti perceives his reliance on myth as a means to bring to light the point of view of the oppressed, the forgotten, the colonized
The opposite effects of IL-15 and IL-21 on CLL B cells correlate with differential activation of the JAK/STAT and ERK1/2 pathways
No full textStromal-like Wilms tumor cells induce human Natural Killer cell degranulation and display immunomodulatory properties towards NK cells
No full textThe similarity of stromal-like Wilms tumor (str-WT) cells with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), suggests their relevant role in the interplay with immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. We investigated the interaction between str-WT cells and NK cells. We observed that str-WT cells expressed some major ligands for activating and inhibitory NK cell receptors. Moreover, they expressed inhibitory checkpoint molecules involved in the negative regulation of anti-tumor immune response. The analysis of the interaction between str-WT cells and NK lymphocytes revealed that activated NK cells could efficiently degranulate upon interaction with str-WT cells. On the other hand, str-WT cells could exert potent inhibitory effects on cytokine-induced activation of NK cell proliferation and phenotype, which were mediated by the production of IDO and PGE2 inhibitory factors. Our data provide insight into the molecular interactions between str-WT cells and NK lymphocytes that may result in different outcomes possibly occurring in the WT microenvironment
Multi-Analytical Investigation on a Renaissance Polychrome Earthenware Attributed to Giovanni Antonio Amadeo
No full textThis research aimed to characterise pigments used to decorate a polychrome earthenware bas-relief of the 15th century entitled “Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine of Siena, and a Carthusian Prior”, attributed to Giovanni Antonio Amadeo (Pavia, 1447–Milan, 1522) and owned by the Sforzesco Castle Museum of Milan. The artwork underwent a cleaning procedure whose aims were the removal of the dark coating that obscured its surface and restoration work that could bring back its original features. Before the cleaning, six microsamples were collected and analysed using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDXS), and Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy in ATR mode (ATR-FTIR), providing the restorers with decisive information on the materials underlying the coating. After the cleaning, the terracotta appeared vibrantly coloured, mainly with bright red, blue, green, black, and white tones. Then, some in situ, non-destructive, spectroscopic measurements were performed by a portable Raman spectrometer on some of the areas that could not otherwise have been sampled. The analyses revealed the presence of natural pigments, including lead white, azurite, yellow ochre, carbon black, calcite, cinnabar, and gypsum. For Madonna’s mantle, cobalt and Prussian blue were employed. Furthermore, the presence of barium sulphate was widely evidenced on the bas-relief. Albeit cobalt blue is of synthetic origin, its presence is compatible with the 15th-century palette, whereas Prussian blue and barium sulphate could be imputed to a previous restoration. Finally, the use of true gold for the background of the earthenware attests to the artwork’s importance and value
A comparative study of ionospheric IRIEup and ISP assimilative models during some intense and severe geomagnetic storms
No full textThree-dimensional (3-D) electron density matrices, computed in the Mediterranean area by the IRI climatological model and IRIEup and ISP nowcasting models, during some intense and severe geomagnetic-ionospheric storms, were ingested by the ray tracing software tool IONORT, to synthesize quasi-vertical ionograms. IRIEup model was run in different operational modes: (1) assimilating validated autoscaled electron density profiles only from a limited area which, in our case, is the Mediterranean sector (IRIEup_re(V) mode); (2) assimilating electron density profiles from a larger region including several stations spread across Europe: (a) without taking care of validating the autoscaled data in the assimilation process (IRIEup(NV)); (b) validating carefully the autoscaled electron density profiles before their assimilation (IRIEup(V)). The comparative analysis was carried out comparing IRI, IRIEup_re(V), ISP, IRIEup(NV), and IRIEup(V) foF2 synthesized values, with corresponding foF2 measurements autoscaled by ARTIST, and then validated, at the truth sites of Roquetes (40.80°N, 0.50°E, Spain), San Vito (40.60°N, 17.80°E, Italy), Athens (38.00°N, 23.50°E, Greece), and Nicosia, (35.03°N, 33.16°E, Cyprus). The outcomes demonstrate that: (1) IRIEup_re(V), performs better than ISP in the western Mediterranean (around Roquetes); (2) ISP performs slightly better than IRIEup_re(V) in the central part of Mediterranean (around Athens and San Vito); (3) ISP performance is better than the IRIEup_re(V) one in the eastern Mediterranean (around Nicosia); (4) IRIEup(NV) performance is worse than the IRIEup(V) one; (5) in the central Mediterranean area, IRIEup(V) performance is better than the IRIEup_re(V) one, and it is practically the same for the western and eastern sectors. Concerning the overall performance, nowcasting models proved to be considerably more reliable than the climatological IRI model to represent the ionosphere behaviour during geomagnetic-ionospheric storm conditions; ISP and IRIEup(V) provided the best performance, but neither of them has clearly prevailed over the other one
Interleukin-21 receptor (IL-21R) is up-regulated by CD40 triggering and mediates pro-apoptotic signals in chronic lymphocytic leukemia B cells
No full textReal-Life Effectiveness and Safety of Golimumab and Its Predictors of Response in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis
No full textBackground Golimumab is a new anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody for patients with ulcerative colitis. Aims To assess the short- and long-term effectiveness and safety of golimumab in daily clinical practice and to identify predictors of response. Methods Consecutive patients treated with golimumab in 22 Italian centers were enrolled. Clinical, laboratory, and endoscopic data were prospectively collected before and during treatment. A subgroup of patients completed a questionnaire to assess personal satisfaction with a golimumab autoinjector system. Results A total of 196 patients were included. After 3 months, 130 patients were responders (66.3%) and showed significant reductions in mean partial, total, and endoscopic Mayo scores and in mean ESR, C-reactive protein, and fecal calprotectin levels (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that a higher total Mayo score (p < 0.001, OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2-1.8) and naive status to anti-TNF-alpha (p = 0.015, OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.2-7.5) were predictive of a favorable response. Seventy-seven (39.3%) of the 130 responders maintained a response at month 12 of therapy. There were 17 adverse events, 28 patients needed hospitalization, and 15 patients underwent surgery. Self-administration of the drug was appreciated by most patients. Conclusions The efficacy and safety of golimumab in daily clinical practice were confirmed for the short- and long-term treatment of patients with active ulcerative colitis. Patients naive to the anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody and those with a higher total Mayo score were more likely to respond to golimumab
The characterisation of the materials from a Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine of Siena and a Carthusian Prior polychrome earthenware bas-relief attributed to Giovanni Antonio Amadeo: a multi-analytical approach
No full textThis research was devoted to the characterisation of the pigments used to paint a polychrome terracotta bas-relief dating from the 15th century. The artwork, which is entitled "Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine of Siena and a Carthusian Prior", was recently and definitively attributed to Giovanni Antonio Amadeo (Pavia, 1447 - Milan, 1522) and it is now stored in the museum of Sforzesco Castle of Milan [1].
Lately, the masterpiece was subjected to restoration work whose main aim was the withdrawal of a thick, dark coating that was hiding its vivid colours.
During the intervention, six micro-samples were taken and then investigated through Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDXS), and Fourier-Transform Infrared micro spectroscopy in ATR mode (ATR-FTIR). Moreover, some polished sections were prepared and analysed, leading to the complete stratigraphies of the samples and, therefore, to the distribution of the pigments on the different layers. When the cleaning was completed, some in situ Raman analyses were carried out on some of the points wherein no sample could have been taken previously, especially on the black details. The investigation disclosed the contemporary presence of pigments of natural origin (such as lead white, azurite, yellow ochre, carbon black, calcite, cinnabar, and gypsum) and synthetic ones, especially Prussian blue and barium sulphate, whose presence is to be attributed to an earlier restoration intervention. Furthermore, the presence of gold leaf on the background was confirmed as well as some information about its application technique.
Finally, some GC-MS analyses were performed to try to identify both the original binders and the composition of the dark coating that was removed with the restoration [2]. The latter study was especially devoted to the possible elucidation of the environmental factors responsible for that kind of deposit
