Homodyne detection as a near-optimum receiver for phase-shift keyed binary communication in the presence of phase diffusion

We address binary optical communication channels based on phase-shift keyed coherent signals in the presence of phase diffusion. We prove theoretically and demonstrate experimentally that a discrimination strategy based on homodyne detection is robust against this kind of noise for any value of the channel energy. Moreover, we find that homodyne receiver beats the performance of Kennedy receiver as the signal energy increases, and achieves the Helstrom bound in the limit of large noise

The neoaorta in patients with transposition of the great arteries after arterial switch operation : imaging and computational study

LAUREA MAGISTRAL

The appeal of neo-fascism in times of crisis. The experience of CasaPound Italia

The present works sets up to analyze the relationship between radical right activism and the unfolding of the financial crisis in Europe, investigating the extent to which the current economic circumstances have influenced right-wing movements’ political supply and repertoires of action. Using the case study of the Italian neo-fascist group CasaPound, and based on a mix of historiography and ethnographic methods, the present work systematically analyzes the ways in which the group tackles the economic crisis. We find that the crisis offers a whole new set of opportunities for the radical right to reconnect with its fascist legacy, and to develop and innovate crisis-related policy proposals and practices. The crisis shapes the groups’ self-understanding and its practices of identity building, both in terms of collective rediscovery of the fascist regime’s legislation, and in terms of promotion of the fascist model as a ‘third way’ alternative to market capitalism. Even more importantly, the financial crisis plays the role of the enemy against which the fascist identity is built, and enables neo-fascist movements to selectively reproduce their identity and ideology within its practices of protest, propaganda, and consensus building

Kidney, kidney-pancreas and liver-kidney transplantation in HIV infected individuals: the Italian experience

Until a few years ago, HIV infection was considered an exclusion criteria for organ transplantation. However, more recently, because of the significant increase in life expectancy of HIV-infected persons with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), kidney, kidney-pancreas, heart, lung and liver transplantation have been introduced in this patients population in several centers around the world. To evaluate the possible extension of the indications of kidney transplantation to HIV-infected individuals, the Italian National Centre for Transplantation has designed a protocol to be applied on a national basis. Inclusion criteria required a CD4 count ≥200/mm3 and undetectable HIV viral load for at least 3 months for patients on HAART.The program was voluntarily adopted by 4 transplant centres. From January 2006 through November 2007 a total of 13 HIV infected patients (9 male and 4 female, mean age 46.4 years, range 35-56) underwent cadaveric kidney transplantation (including two kidney-pancreas and two liver-kidney) after a median waiting time of 142 days (range 58-650). Median CD4 cells count at the time of transplantation was 449 (range 210-782) and the HIV-RNA was undetectable in all recipients. HAART was started in all recipients after transplantation and HIV-RNA remain undetectable in all patients. Five patients (38.4%) experienced an episode of biopsy proven acute rejection (steroid resistant in one). Drug-drug interactions between antiretrovirals and immunosuppressive agents required frequent dosage modifications. Graft and patient survival was 100% at a median follow-up of 161 days after transplantation (range 8-669). Despite the limited number of patients and the shortness of the follow-up, our study confirms excellent short term results of kidney transplantation in HIV-infected individuals

A biologically-validated HCV E1E2 heterodimer structural model

The design of vaccine strategies and the development of drugs targeting the early stages of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are hampered by the lack of structural information about its surface glycoproteins E1 and E2, the two constituents of HCV entry machinery. Despite the recent crystal resolution of limited versions of both proteins in truncated form, a complete picture of the E1E2 complex is still missing. Here we combined deep computational analysis of E1E2 secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure with functional and immunological mutational analysis across E1E2 in order to propose an in silico model for the ectodomain of the E1E2 heterodimer. Our model describes E1-E2 ectodomain dimerization interfaces, provides a structural explanation of E1 and E2 immunogenicity and sheds light on the molecular processes and disulfide bridges isomerization underlying the conformational changes required for fusion. Comprehensive alanine mutational analysis across 553 residues of E1E2 also resulted in identifying the epitope maps of diverse mAbs and the disulfide connectivity underlying E1E2 native conformation. The predicted structure unveils E1 and E2 structures in complex, thus representing a step towards the rational design of immunogens and drugs inhibiting HCV entry

The uncommon cryptobenthic Millerigobius macrocephalus (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae) along the Coast of Salento, with a revision of its distribution in Italian Waters

ItIl gobide criptobentonico Millerigobius macrocephalus (Kolombatovic, 1891) viene segnalato per due località lungo la costa salentina (Mar Grande di Taranto e Gallipoli). Ambedue le segnalazioni sono supportate da dati genetici e, oltre a confermare la presenza di M. macrocephalus lungo la costa salentina, rappresentano la prima segnalazione della specie per il Mar Ionio settentrionale. Questo risultato è particolarmente rilevante, dato che l'unica altra segnalazione per la costa salentina, relativa al lago di Acquatina, potrebbe essere erronea; di fatto, recenti studi hanno evidenziato la presenza nel lago di Acquatina di una specie superficialmente simile, Zebrus pallaoroi, cui le segnalazioni storiche potrebbero riferirsi. Un confronto tra le sequenze di citocromo c ossidasi subunità I ottenute in questo studio e quelle presenti in banca dati mette in evidenza una divergenza lievemente inferiore al 3% tra gli individui salentini e greci e gli individui turchi, suggerendo la possibilità che M. macrocephalus possa rappresentare un complesso di specie, al pari di altri gobidi mediterranei. Infine, la distribuzione della specie nel Mar Mediterraneo è rivista sulla base della letteratura disponibile, con particolare attenzione alle segnalazioni lungo la costa italiana. Questa analisi ha messo in evidenza diverse segnalazioni trascurate dalla letteratura e permette di confermare la presenza della specie in diverse località del Mar Ionio e del Mar Tirreno, suggerendo che M. macrocephalus possa essere più comune e diffuso di quanto al momento si ritiene.EnNew records of the cryptobenthic goby Millerigobius macrocephalus (Kolombatovic, 1891) are reported for two localities in Puglia (Mar Grande of Taranto and Gallipoli), confirming the occurrence of this species along the coast of Salento. All records were checked by DNA barcoding and represent the first occurrences of this species in the northern Ionian Sea. Molecular data highlight a divergence between individuals from Salento and Greece and individuals from Türkiye, suggesting that M. macrocephalus might represent a species complex, and deserve further studies. Literature dealing with this species is critically re-examined, allowing to identify three records for Italian waters that were overlooked by recent literature

Easyfood : un'applicazione per la valutazione semantica della similarità fra ricette

LAUREA SPECIALISTIC

Response to COVID-19: was Italy (un)prepared?

On 31st January 2020, the Italian cabinet declared a 6-month national emergency after the detection of the first two COVID-19 positive cases in Rome, two Chinese tourists travelling from Wuhan. Between then and the total lockdown introduced on 22nd March 2020 Italy was hit by an unprecedented crisis. In addition to being the first European country to be heavily swept by the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy was the first to introduce stringent lockdown measures. The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and related COVID-19 pandemic have been the worst public health challenge endured in recent history by Italy. Two months since the beginning of the first wave, the estimated excess deaths in Lombardy, the hardest hit region in the country, reached a peak of more than 23,000 deaths. The extraordinary pressures exerted on the Italian Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN) inevitably leads to questions about its preparedness and the appropriateness and effectiveness of responses implemented at both national and regional levels. The aim of the paper is to critically review the Italian response to the COVID-19 crisis spanning from the first early acute phases of the emergency (March-May 2020) to the relative stability of the epidemiological situation just before the second outbreak in October 2020