Analysis of the Rockfall Phenomena Contributing to the Evolution of a Pocket Beach Area Using Traditional and Remotely Acquired Data (Lo Zingaro Natu…

2023

The coastal domain of central western Sicily is characterized by the presence of rocky coasts, which mainly consist of pocket beaches situated between bedrock headlands that constitute ecological niches of great touristic and economic value. In this peculiar morphodynamic system, the sedimentary contributions are mainly derived from the rockfall that affects the back of nearby cliffs or the sediment supply of small streams that flow into it. In this study, we investigated the geomorphological processes and related landforms that contribute to the evolution of a pocket beach area located in a coastal sector of NW Sicily Island. The cliffs in this are affected by several rockfalls, and deposi…

Pharmacological Properties and use of Ganoderma Lucidum in modern medicine

2023

Currently, lignicolous fungi, commonly referred to as polypores, belonging to the division of Basidiomycota (basidiomycetes), are of great interest. Ganoderma lucidum is one of the representatives. They grow and develop in the wood of trees and shrubs, both living and dead ones. These fungi belong to the world’s most valued and sought-after medicinal plants, used as dietary supplements and applied in medicine. Fungal extracts can be used both for the purposes of prevention and treatment of the acute and chronic diseases. Clinical studies have confirmed the unique characteristics of parasitic medicinal fungi: wide possibilities of application, a high supportive and enhancing role taking into…

Students' Perceptions on Engaging Database Domains and Structures

2023

Several educational studies have argued for the contextualization of assignments, i.e., for providing a context or a story instead of an abstract or symbolic problem statement. Such contextualization may have beneficial effects such as higher student engagement and lower dropout rates. In the domain of database education, textbooks and educators typically provide an example database for context. These are then used to introduce key concepts related to database design, and to illustrate querying. However, it remains unstudied what kinds of database contexts are engaging for novices. In this paper, we study which aspects of database domain and complexity students find engaging through student…

Artificial intelligence centric scientific research on COVID-19 : an analysis based on scientometrics data

2023

AbstractWith the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease throughout the geographies of the globe, expertise from every field has been sought to fight the impact of the virus. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially, has been the center of attention due to its capability to produce trustworthy results in a reasonable time. As a result, AI centric based research on coronavirus (or COVID-19) has been receiving growing attention from different domains ranging from medicine, virology, and psychiatry etc. We present this comprehensive study that closely monitors the impact of the pandemic on global research activities related exclusively to AI. In this article, we produce highly info…

Immuno-oncological treatment of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) in advanced stage with Nivolumab

2023

Immuno-oncology marked a therapeutic revolution in the treatment of cancer. Thanks to the new strategy that aims to awaken the immune system to fight cancer cells, there has been a change in the clinical course in the treatment of advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Our study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of nivolumab monotherapy in the treatment of patients with advanced stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer beyond the second line. The results showed a progression-free survival of 7.35 months and an improvement in the quality of life of patients compared to other treatments. In addition, no type 3 and type 4 adverse reactions were detected in patients treated with …

Recent Developments in the Inhibition of Bacterial Adhesion as Promising Anti-Virulence Strategy

2023

Infectious diseases caused by antimicrobial-resistant strains have become a serious threat to global health, with a high social and economic impact. Multi-resistant bacteria exhibit various mechanisms at both the cellular and microbial community levels. Among the different strategies proposed to fight antibiotic resistance, we reckon that the inhibition of bacterial adhesion to host surfaces represents one of the most valid approaches, since it hampers bacterial virulence without affecting cell viability. Many different structures and biomolecules involved in the adhesion of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens can be considered valuable targets for the development of promising tools t…

RTIndeX: Exploiting Hardware-Accelerated GPU Raytracing for Database Indexing

2023

Data management on GPUs has become increasingly relevant due to a tremendous rise in processing power and available GPU memory. Just like in the CPU world, there is a need for performant GPU-resident index structures to speed up query processing. Unfortunately, mapping indexes efficiently to the highly parallel and hard-to-program hardware is challenging and often fails to yield the desired performance and flexibility. Therefore, we advocate to take a different route. Instead of proposing yet another hand-tailored index, we investigate whether we can exploit an indexing mechanism that is already built into modern GPUs: The raytracing hardware accelerator provided by NVIDIA RTX cards. To do …

Asymmetric Twisting of Coronal Loops

2023

The bright solar corona entirely consists of closed magnetic loops rooted in the photosphere. Photospheric motions are important drivers of magnetic stressing, which eventually leads to energy release into heat. These motions are chaotic and obviously different from one footpoint to the other, and in fact, there is strong evidence that loops are finely stranded. One may also expect strong transient variations along the field lines, but at a glance, coronal loops ever appear more or less uniformly bright from one footpoint to the other. We aim to understand how much coronal loops can preserve their own symmetry against asymmetric boundary motions that are expected to occur at loop footpoints…

Iron(II) Complexes of 2,6-Di[4-(ethylcarboxy)pyrazol-1-yl]pyridine with Reversible Guest-Modulated Spin-Crossover Behavior

2023

Tres solvatomorfos del complejo de hierro(II) de 2,6-di[4-(etilcarboxi)pirazol-1-il]piridina (bpCOOEt2p) de fórmulas [Fe(bpCOOEt2p)2](ClO4)2·1.5MeNO2 (1) , [Fe(bpCOOEt2p)2](ClO4)2·MeNO2 (2) y [Fe(bpCOOEt2p)2](ClO4)2·2MeNO2 (3) han sido preparados y caracterizados. Muestran interesantes propiedades de cruce de espín (SCO) que van desde transiciones de espín térmico parciales a completas y un efecto de captura de estado de espín excitado inducido por la luz (LIESST). En solvatomorph 2, se forma una estructura robusta con canales que permiten la entrada o eliminación de moléculas de solvente por difusión de vapor sin perder la cristalinidad. Por lo tanto, las muestras intercambiadas con disolv…

Early Results from GLASS-JWST. XX. Unveiling a Population of “Red Excess” Galaxies in Abell2744 and in the Coeval Field

2023

We combine JWST/NIRCam imaging and MUSE data to characterize the properties of galaxies in different environmental conditions in the cluster Abell2744 ($z=0.3064$) and in its immediate surroundings. We investigate how galaxy colors, morphology and star forming fractions depend on wavelength and on different parameterizations of environment. Our most striking result is the discovery of a ``red-excess'' population in F200W$-$F444W colors both in the cluster regions and the field. These galaxies have normal F115W$-$F150W colors, but are up to 0.8 mag redder than red sequence galaxies in F200W$-$F444W. They also have rather blue rest frame B$-$V colors. {Galaxies in the field and at the cluster…

A Particular Focus on the Prevalence of α- and β-Thalassemia in Western Sicilian Population from Trapani Province in the COVID-19 Era

2023

Thalassemia is a Mendelian inherited blood disease caused by α- and β-globin gene mutations, known as one of the major health problems of Mediterranean populations. Here, we examined the distribution of α- and β-globin gene defects in the Trapani province population. A total of 2,401 individuals from Trapani province were enrolled from January 2007 to December 2021, and routine methodologies were used for detecting the α- and β-globin genic variants. Appropriate analysis was also performed. Eight mutations in the α globin gene showed the highest frequency in the sample studied; three of these genetic variants represented the 94% of the total α-th…

Reproductive and Obstetric Outcomes after UAE, HIFU, and TFA of Uterine Fibroids: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2023

Novel treatment options for uterine fibroids, such as uterine artery embolization (UAE), ultrasound-guided and magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU and MRgHIFU), and transcervical radiofrequency ablation (TFA) methods, are widely used in clinical practice. This systematic review and meta-analysis (CRD42022297312) aims to assess and compare reproductive and obstetric outcomes in women who underwent these minimally invasive approaches for uterine fibroids. The search was performed in PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science and Embase. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) and Cochrane guidelines…

Konstruktivismi on vaarallista!

2023

Molecular Pathways Implicated in Radioresistance of Glioblastoma Multiforme: What Is the Role of Extracellular Vesicles?

2023

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a primary brain tumor that is very aggressive, resistant to treatment, and characterized by a high degree of anaplasia and proliferation. Routine treatment includes ablative surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, GMB rapidly relapses and develops radioresistance. Here, we briefly review the mechanisms underpinning radioresistance and discuss research to stop it and install anti-tumor defenses. Factors that participate in radioresistance are varied and include stem cells, tumor heterogeneity, tumor microenvironment, hypoxia, metabolic reprogramming, the chaperone system, non-coding RNAs, DNA repair, and extracellular vesicles (EVs). We direct our a…

Transnational Religious Practices as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Complex Case of the Traditional Latin Mass

2023

The 2003 UNESCO Convention definition of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) covers religious practices and rites, as can be seen from normative descriptions and dozens of actual examples, many of which are Catholic religious traditions. The Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), practiced in one form or another for over 1500 years by an ever-increasing number of peoples and nations and in possession of a common stable set of rules, meets the UNESCO criteria for listing as ICH; in fact, it is arguably the best possible example. It is also a complicated one. After the Catholic Church’s liturgical reform in the 1960s and 1970s, new rites were introduced and the old rites were officially abandoned; neve…

Adopting sustainable irrigation technologies in Italy: a study on the determinants of inter- and intra-farm diffusion

2023

This paper analyses the drivers for adopting irrigation systems with water conservation and saving technologies (WCSTs) by Italian farmers. The agricultural sector in Italy, like in other Mediterranean countries, suffers from water scarcity and water endowment variability. Water resources play a decisive role in agricultural production and in implementing large-scale WCSTs capable of improving the resilience of the whole agricultural sector. This study uses a microeconomic panel data approach to estimate farmers' decisions in adopting (inter-farm) sustainable irrigation technologies and assesses the intensity of (intra-farm) water-saving practices. Our analysis identifies the main determina…

Kenen ehdoilla ja mille perustalle työelämäkuntoutuksessa rakennetaan toivoa?

2023

Microwave-assisted chemical modification of g-C3N4 for photoinduced processes: organic degradation, hydrogen production and selective oxidation of al…

2023

g-C3N4 powders were treated by means of the microwave technique in three different aqueous and organic media (HNO3, NaOH and N,N-dimethylformamide). All powders were analyzed by XRD reveling that g-C3N4 maintains its structure. The morphology of the samples was analyzed with scanning electron microscopy, where the micrographs reveals that the modifcation occurs on the surface of the g-C3N4. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated in the degradation of ciprofoxacin, hydrogen production and for the selective partial oxidation of 4-methoxybenzylalcohol (4-MBA) to its aldehyde. The sample treated with HNO3 (C3N4-HNO3) shows the best photocatalytic performance in the degradation…

The interconnection between Covid-19, sarcopenia and lifestyle.

2023

not available

The marketplace of ideas and its externalities: Who pays the cost of online fake news?

2023

Since the nineteenth century, thanks to J.S. Mill, an argument against limiting the freedom of expression has been gaining ground, namely that the truth of an argument is the result of free competition between different ideas in a “marketplace of ideas” and that this competition can yield an approximate form of the truth or a robust argument. In this paper I will argue that Mill’s model of the marketplace of ideas is an “idealised” model because it assumes that there is a subject who seeks to know in a detached manner, without being influenced by his or her expectations, needs, ideologies, or biases. However, the metaphor of the marketplace of ideas is still relevant because it also harbour…

Stepping up to genome scan allows stock differentiation in the worldwide distributed blue shark Prionace glauca

2023

The blue shark Prionace glauca is a top predator with one of the widest geographic distributions of any shark species, yet classified as critically endangered in the Mediterranean Sea, and Near Threatened globally. Previous genetic studies did not reject the null hypothesis of a single global population across the worldwide species range. Blue shark situation was proposed as a possible archetype of the ‘grey zone of population differentiation’, coined to designate cases where population structure may be too recent or too faint to be detected using a limited set of markers. Here, blue shark samples collected throughout its global range were sequenced using a specific ddRAD method (DArTseq; G…

Towards a business model for second-life batteries: Barriers, opportunities, uncertainties, and technologies

2023

Electric vehicles (EVs) and the recent pandemic outbreak give cities a new trend to primarily private and shared mobility with low noise and less air pollution. Crucial factors for the widespread of EVs are the electrical charging infrastructure, driving range, and the reduction of the cost of battery packets. For this reason, there is a massive effort from manufacturers, governments, and the scientific community to reduce battery costs and boost sustainable electrical production and distribution. Battery reuse is an alternative to reduce batteries’ costs and environmental impacts. Second-life batteries can be used in a wide variety of secondary applications. Second-life batteries can be co…

A scoping review on how physical fitness is evaluated in sitting volleyball players

2023

Introduction: Sitting volleyball is a widely practiced paralympic sport. A correct and standardized physical evaluation helps coaches to plan and manage the training. It is also important to evaluate physical fitness accurately and adopt standardized protocols to compare and normalize the data. The aim of the study was to evaluate physical fitness evaluation methods adopted in sitting volleyball and to eventually propose standard operating procedures. Evidence acquisition: English-written and peer-reviewed original articles were included in this review. The population studied was composed only of athletes practicing sitting volleyball. Articles were searched on the electronic databases PubM…

Effects of temporal abiotic drivers on the dynamics of an allometric trophic network model

2023

Current ecological research and ecosystem management call for improved understanding of the abiotic drivers of community dynamics, including temperature effects on species interactions and biomass accumulation. Allometric trophic network (ATN) models, which simulate material (carbon) transfer in trophic networks from producers to consumers based on mass-specific metabolic rates, provide an attractive framework to study consumer–resource interactions from organisms to ecosystems. However, the developed ATN models rarely consider temporal changes in some key abiotic drivers that affect, for example, consumer metabolism and producer growth. Here, we evaluate how temporal changes in carrying ca…

Amphiphilic peptide-tagged N-cadherin forms radial glial-like fibers that enhance neuronal migration in injured brain and promote sensorimotor recove…

2023

The mammalian brain has very limited ability to regenerate lost neurons and recover function after injury. Promoting the migration of young neurons (neuroblasts) derived from endogenous neural stem cells using biomaterials is a new and promising approach to aid recovery of the brain after injury. However, the delivery of sufficient neuroblasts to distant injured sites is a major challenge because of the limited number of scaffold cells that are available to guide neuroblast migration. To address this issue, we have developed an amphiphilic peptide [(RADA)3-(RADG)] (mRADA)-tagged N-cadherin extracellular domain (Ncad-mRADA), which can remain in mRADA hydrogels and be injected into deep brain…

lNTRODUZlONE

2023

Brief introduction to the volume "Viaggiare nell’immaginario. Immaginare il viaggio" edited by Giulia de Spuches and Leonardo Mercatanti.

Il diritto all’oblio tra definizione sostanziale e rimedi di tutela. Riflessioni alla luce della giurisprudenza più re cente della Corte di Cassazion…

2023

The most recent judgements of the Court of Cassation and the Court of Justice of the European Union offer food for thought, to outline the different attitude of the balance between the protection of personal data and the right to information in the digital environment. These rulings in particular point out the reference to de-indexing as a useful remedy for the purpose of balancing opposing interests that does not disproportionately penalize the right to information, according to methods which, after some uncertainties, seem to highlight elements of convergence in the relative protection between the State level and the European level.

Riflessioni comparatistiche sulla revoca della cittadinanza per reati di terrorismo

2023

l fenomeno dei cosiddetti “foreign fighters” e il verificarsi di attacchi terroristici in alcuni paesi dell’Unione europea hanno sollevato la questione relativa alla privazione della cittadinanza come misura di contrasto e tutela della sicurezza pubblica. Questo articolo intende contribuire al dibattito sulla legittimità giuridica di tale misura, esaminando i recenti sviluppi della legislazione in materia e le sue applicazioni in Belgio, Francia, Regno Unito e Italia.

Ruthenium‐assisted tellurium abstraction in bis(thiophen‐2‐yl) ditelluride

2023

The reaction of [RuCl2(CO)3]2 and Te2Tpn2 (Tpn = thiophen-2-yl, C4H3S) in the absence of light resulted in the formation of cct-[RuCl2(CO)2(TeTpn2)2] (1) [cis(Cl)-cis(CO)-trans(TeTpn2)] and TeTpn2 (2) together with the precipitation of tellurium. The complex 1 and the monotelluride 2 were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The decomposition of Te2Tpn2 to TeTpn2 has been monitored by 125Te NMR spectroscopy and seemed to be faster than the ligand substitution in [RuCl2(CO)3]2 by TeTpn2. A catalytic cycle is proposed for the decomposition of Te2Tpn2 to TeTpn2 based on the PBE0-D3/def2-TZVP calculations. peerReviewed

Open strategizing on social media: A process model of emotional mechanisms and outcomes from un-orchestrated participation  

2023

This study extends the discussion on open strategizing by following the development of unlimited participation in an ex-ante city merger case where participation was not orchestrated. The findings unravel how the aggregation of emotional expressions on social media results in an escalating conflict, and initiates attempts to mitigate grounded in decision-makers’ reflexiveness of social becoming(s). We theorize three emotional mechanisms – acceleration of emotional interaction, reinforcement of hostility as a discursive norm, and emotional empowerment – and outcomes originating from uncontrolled dynamics of inclusion and transparency. As such, we theorize open strategy as emerging organicall…

“Sources of Research” for the Virtual Reconstruction of Ancient Monuments: The Case of Architectural Models

2023

The use of architectural scale models, also known by the French word maquette or the Italian names plastico or modello, is an ancient practice, which prob-ably began when architecture emerged from its purely practical and utilitarian phase to become a formal category of knowledge with specifically sought-after and deliber-ately selected characteristics, linked to the increased dimensions and the enrichment of forms [1]. The model constitutes a representation, generally on a smaller scale and made of different materials but similar in effect, of a work to be created. Models are made of various materials, in accordance with the tastes of Scholars and with need, such as wood, wax, terracotta, …

La recente riforma della disciplina italiana del subappalto nella prospettiva del bid rigging

2023

L’articolo analizza in chiave critica la disciplina nazionale del subappalto nell’ambito delle gare pubbliche, così come recentemente riformata a seguito di diversi interventi normativi in ottemperanza alla procedura d’infrazione avviata dalla Commissione UE. Stando alla tesi dell’A., l’attuale quadro normativo – caratterizzato dalla quasi totale eliminazione delle limitazioni previgenti (probabilmente anche spingendosi oltre ciò che la Commissione UE ha richiesto) – difetta nel trovare un equo bilanciamento tra il principio della massima partecipazione alla gara, da un lato, e l’esigenza di prevenire e svelare potenziali condotte collusive, dall’altro. La suddetta conclusione, peraltro, ap…

Sviluppo di spugne bioerodibili multifunzionali per la promozione di processi riparativi mediante il rilascio controllato di agenti antibiotici e ant…

2023

La salute delle strutture molli e dure del cavo orale è essenziale non solo per preservare le funzioni ad esse direttamente associate, ma anche per promuovere la salute generale dell’organismo. Tra le problematiche di maggiore interesse clinico a carico della cavità orale ritroviamo: i) le complicazioni post-operatorie che possono verificarsi a seguito di comuni avulsioni dentali che, se non trattate tempestivamente, possono sfociare in gravi parodontiti; ii) i fenomeni di osteonecrosi a carico di mascella e mandibola associate a trattamenti farmacologici nonché alla radioterapia; iii) il carcinoma orale a cellule squamose (OSCC) che è tra i più aggressivi tumori del collo e della testa, ca…

EDU-SOCIAL ALGORITHM: A METHODOLOGICAL MODEL FOR USING SMARTPHONES AND INSTAGRAM IN GENERATION ALPHA’S EDUCATION THROUGH A COMMUNITY OF VIRTUAL PRACT…

2023

The Edu-social Algorithm research project aims to construct a micro-pedagogical, experimental, digital research action to create a methodological model using the functions and algorithms found in social media used by Generation Alpha (specifically Instagram). The project is the manifestation of an explorative research path seeking to alter the algorithms that form the basis of all the major platforms in current cyberspace, and in “Big Tech”. This alteration is possible through the development of a community of virtual practice, consisting of students and faculty working within Instagram through an interactive approach, to take pedagogical advantage of their mobile phones and apps. The quali…

Carlo Attanasio: obblighi legali a contrarre e tutela della concorrenza

2023

L'A. passa criticamente in rassegna il Volume recensito, evidenziandone struttura e iter argomentativo. L'impianti complessivo del lavolo e la sua tesi di fondo vengono fatti oggetto di articolate obizioni; specifico risalto viene poi dedicato al terreno - pure non indagato dall?A. - dei mercati digitali

Karthago provinciae nostrae magistra venerabilis. Uno sguardo su Cartagine: i Florida di Apuleio

2023

This paper proposes a focus on the city of Carthage through Florida: Apuleius lavishes continuous and extraordinary praise on Carthage and its citizens. It becomes clear how the city, in Apuleius' time, was by then an established and ‘Romanised’ cultural centre. In Apuleius' words, Carthage appears as the only city capable of competing with Rome.