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Renewable Energy Sources are becoming widely spread, as they are sustainable and low-carbon emission. They are mostly penetrating the MV Distribution Networks as Distributed Generators, which has determined the evolution of the networks’ control and supervision systems, from almost a complete lack to becoming fully centralized. This paper proposes innovative voltage control architectures for the distribution networks, tailored for different development levels of the control and supervision systems encountered in real life: a Coordinated Control for networks with basic development, and an optimization-based Centralized Control for networks with fully articulated systems. The Centralized Control fits the requirements of the network: the challenging harmonization of the generator’s capability curves with the regulatory framework, and modelling of the discrete control of the On-Load Tap Changer transformer. A realistic network is used for tests and comparisons with the Local Strategy currently specified by regulations. The proposed Coordinated Control gives much better results with respect to the Local Strategy, in terms of loss minimization and voltage violations mitigation, and can be used for networks with poorly developed supervision and control systems, while Centralized Control proves the best solution, but can be applied only in fully supervised and controlled networks.

The works published by Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) between 1878 and 1889 exposed Italian culture to the most innovative European literary trend, French Naturalism, and marked a turning point in the landscape of Italian literature. While Verga’s stylistic choices are meant to create, in his own words, ‘the complete illusion of reality’ (having the author disappear from the text in order to make way for a supposedly unmediated representation), I argue that Verga’s Verist fiction ends up emphasizing precisely the ways in which people represent reality according to their own relative point of view. Since the narrative is given from the unreliable perspective of the characters, all the distortions inherent in every storytelling act become apparent. Their viewpoint is purposefully shown as being partial and informed by individual interests, feelings, and desires. These complex dynamics of representation, or misrepresentation, in Verga’s Verist production are at the heart of my enquiry. This critical focus allows me to reevaluate the traditional representation of Verism and Naturalism as backward-looking phenomena, firmly tied to a notion of art as a mirror up to nature. The present study is situated within a growing body of work (inaugurated by Luperini, Pellini, and Merola) that intends to re-frame Verga as having demonstrably paved the way for twentieth-century Modernism. The first chapter interrogates the way in which space is transfigured by characters in I Malavoglia (1881). By looking at how narratives of country vs city, past vs present are formed and shaped by the characters’ relative points of view, I argue that the novel should be read not simply as the account of the modernization of a rural village in post-unification Italy, but mainly as a study into how such oppositional narratives are formed and what aims they serve. The second chapter focuses on a specific character-type, the malevolent observer. I argue that this figure can be seen as a representation of the readers in the texts and that it is instrumental in exemplifying Verga’s skepticism toward the heuristic potential of literature. The third chapter examines the gap between reality and representation as articulated in Mastro-don Gesualdo (1889) by situating Verga in a completely new intellectual framework, that of elite theory as formulated by political theorist Gaetano Mosca (1858-1941) and sociologist Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923). This move allows me to re-read what has become a commonplace of Verga criticism – the theatrical conception of politics in Mastro-don Gesualdo as a bitter commentary on trasformismo – as a much wider point on social history, human nature, and on the inherently slippery essence of language, on its built-in capacity to deceive and dissimulate.

Considered to be a miniature version of the entire Canzoniere, A la dolce ombra de le belle frondi has traditionally been read as the autobiographical account of a journey of faith leading the poet to overcome his love for Laura and to his firm decision to convert to God. However, the story told in the sestina is tortuous and in some points contradictory. The vocabulary remains intertwined with the representation of women and, as in the Secretum, the conversion is projected into an uncertain future. Reflecting on the insistent use of the adjective ‘other’ in the congedo, the present essay shows the ambiguity of the sestina and how it resists an exclusively religious reading. Versione in miniatura dell’intero Canzoniere, A la dolce ombra de le belle frondi è stata tradizionalmente letta come il racconto autobiografico di un percorso di fede che porta al superamento dell’amore per Laura e alla ferma decisione del poeta di convertirsi a Dio. Tuttavia, la storia narrata nella sestina è tortuosa e in certi snodi contraddittoria. Il suo lessico resta intrecciato alla rappresentazione della donna e, come nel Secretum, la conversione è proiettata in un futuro incerto. Riflettendo sull’uso insistito dell’aggettivo ‘altro’ nel congedo, il presente saggio mostra l’ambiguità della sestina e la sua resistenza a ogni lettura esclusivamente religiosa.

Ao responder às apreciações mais influentes sobre o famigerado «último Eça», esta tese propõe a revisão de algumas das suas obras mais problemáticas. Tentar-se-á derrubar a ideia de um regresso do autor a um Romantismo de tintas bucólicas, que vê na natureza um lugar autêntico e feliz. Ao mesmo tempo, contrariar-se-á a concepção de que a influência de Pierre-Joseph Proudhon sobre o autor representa a melhor leitura dos seus textos. Para alcançar estas conclusões será necessário considerar o papel que Eça reservou a alguns dos seus narradores tardios (mas não só), empenhados em defender as próprias teorias e os próprios protagonistas, com muito pouco jeito e credibilidade.

Objective: Several cytokines, particularly IL-2 and interferons, are thought to be effective in the palliative therapy of neoplastic effusions. We report on the activity and toxicity of intracavitary administration of low-dose IL-2 in a case series of 100 cancer patients with neoplastic effusions. Methods: One hundred patients with advanced solid tumors and neoplastic effusions underwent IL-2 intracavitary injection as first-line treatment. The most common sites of fluid accumulation were pleura (n = 68), peritoneum (n = 21) and pericardium (n = 11). Breast cancer, lung cancer and mesothelioma were the most frequent neoplasms in our series. One cycle consisted of intracavitary IL-2 at 6,000,000 IU on days 1 and 7. Results: According to Paladine’s criteria, an objective clinical response was achieved in 72% (complete response in 27% and partial response in 45%), with a median duration of 5 months (range: 1–11 months). The peritoneum was the least responsive site for neoplastic effusion reduction. IL-2 intracavitary injection was well tolerated in all patients; the only toxicity observed was fever >38°C in 6% of the patients. Conclusion: This study shows that intracavitary injection of IL-2 represents a feasible, well-tolerated and effective therapy of neoplastic fluid accumulation. Further studies are needed in order to compare the effectiveness of intracavitary IL-2 with other standard treatments.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is used for the treatment of various malignancies, including leukemias, lymphomas, sarcomas, and bladder, breast, and gynecological cancers in adults, adolescents, and children. However, DOX causes severe side effects in patients, such as cardiotoxicity, which encompasses heart failure, arrhythmia, and myocardial infarction. DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC) is based on the combination of nuclear-mediated cardiomyocyte death and mitochondrial-mediated death. Oxidative stress, altered autophagy, inflammation, and apoptosis/ferroptosis represent the main pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for DIC. In addition, in vitro and in vivo models of DIC sirtuins (SIRT), and especially, SIRT 1 are reduced, and this event contributes to cardiac damage. In fact, SIRT 1 inhibits reactive oxygen species and NF-kB activation, thus improving myocardial oxidative stress and cardiac remodeling. Therefore, the recovery of SIRT 1 during DIC may represent a therapeutic strategy to limit DIC progression. Natural products, i.e., polyphenols, as well as nano formulations of DOX and iron chelators, are other potential compounds experimented with in models of DIC. At present, few clinical trials are available to confirm the efficacy of these products in DIC. The aim of this review is the description of the pathophysiology of DIC as well as potential drug targets to alleviate DIC.

To analyze and compare direct and indirect targeting of the Vim for MRgFUS thalamotomy. We retrospectively evaluated 21 patients who underwent unilateral MRgFUS Vim ablation and required targeting repositioning during the procedures. For each patient, in the three spatial coordinates, we recorded: (i) indirect coordinates; (ii) the coordinates where we clinically observed tremor reduction during the verification stage sonications; (iii) direct coordinates, measured on the dentatorubrothalamic tract (DRTT) at the after postprocessing of DTI data. The agreement between direct and indirect coordinates compared to clinically effective coordinates was evaluated through the Bland–Altman test and intraclass correlation coefficient. The median absolute percentage error was also calculated. Compared to indirect targeting, direct targeting showed inferior error values on the RL and AP coordinates (0.019 vs. 0.079 and 0.207 vs. 0.221, respectively) and higher error values on the SI coordinates (0.263 vs. 0.021). The agreement between measurements was higher for tractography along the AP and SI planes and lower along the RL planes. Indirect atlas-based targeting represents a valid approach for MRgFUS thalamotomy. The direct tractography approach is a valuable aid in assessing the possible deviation of the error in cases where no immediate clinical response is achieved.

Cardiovascular drugs are widely used for the prevention and treatment of various cardiac and vascular disorders. However, some of these drugs can also cause adverse effects on the kidney, leading to acute or chronic renal dysfunction, electrolyte imbalances, and increased mortality. The mechanisms of drug-induced renal toxicity vary depending on the type and class of the drug, the dose and duration of exposure, and the patient’s characteristics and comorbidities. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the renal effects of some common cardiovascular drugs, such as diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, and statins and proton-pump inhibitors. We also discuss the clinical implications and management strategies for preventing or minimizing drug-induced nephrotoxicity, as well as the potential role of oxidative stress in its pathogenesis.