Abstract: The present invention relates to a peptide having the sequence from N-terminus to C-terminus X-2X-1ZX1X2X3X4X5 wherein Z is tyrosine, phosphotyrosine or a non-natural analogue of phosphotyrosine, such as phosphonodifluoromethyl phenylalanine (F2Pmp) X-2 is a hydrophobic amino acid, such as Leu, Ile, Val, Phe, Tyr, Trp and Met X-1 is any amino acid X1 is a hydrophobic amino acid, such as Ile, Leu, Val, Phe, Tyr, Trp and Met X3 is a hydrophobic amino acid, such as Leu, Ile, Val, Phe, Tyr, Trp and Met X5 is a hydrophobic amino acid, such as Trp, Ile, Val, Phe, Tyr, and Met X2 and X4 are anionic amino acids, preferably each independently is Asp or Glu. The peptide inhibits protein-protein interactions of the Src homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP2), for the treatment of cancer and RASopathies and as a biomedical research tool.

Abstract: The subject of the present invention is a peptide, natural or synthetic, which comprises an amino acid sequence that has at least 80% sequence identity with the sequence SDRSLHLEANEKGENVNVHVTKTRADKSKIKVSVRQYADINEKGEAQYKCP-VAQLE (SEQ ID NO: 1). A further object of the present invention is said peptide which has at least 80% sequence identity with the sequence SEQ ID NO: 1 which is a JNK3 inhibitor for use in the prevention and / or treatment of neurodegenerative or neurodevel-opmental diseases.

Abstract: The present invention relates to peroxiredoxin 6 or a synthetic analogue thereof for use as a hypoglycaemic agent, for example in the treatment of diabetes, such as type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Abstract: The present invention concerns methods, in particular in vitro methods, for diagnosing liver fibrosis in a subject suffering from obesity, or for selecting a subject suffering from obesity for liver biopsy or for treatment. The present invention also pertains to methods for screening a probiotic, a prebiotic, a chemical compound or a biological compound suitable for preventing and/or treating liver fibrosis.

Abstract: A method for the preparation of nanocomposite plastic materials includes coating thermoplastic polymer granules with sizes from 0.5 to 5 mm, using a physical vapor deposition (PVD) sputtering technique, with a coating layer from 1 to 100 nm of a material dispersible in a matrix of said thermoplastic polymer to form coated thermoplastic polymer granules, and thereafter plasticizing and injection moulding the coated thermoplastic polymer granules at high pressure into a closed mould.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for locating non-cooperating objects by means of a random or pseudo-random noisy type waveform generator, an amplifier, of said waveforms and an antenna which radiates them towards the object, which object generates an electromagnetic echo which is detected by a passive subsystem of antennas and receivers. The time delay and Doppler shift values are determined in the latter subsystem and in turn forwarded from encoding and modulating blocks to a central processor which estimates the position and the speed of the object. The passive subsystem receives, through a transmission channel or storage element, the reference signal which represents the transmitted noisy type waveform and uses it for calculating the bi-dimensional cross correlation (ambiguity function), which permits to estimate the time delay and the Doppler shift.

Abstract: The invention relates to sphingosine derivative compounds, like D-erythro-sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1 P), to be used as immunomodulators in a microbicidal treatment of infections derived from bacteria and specifically Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Such compounds are characterised in that they stimulate macrophagic Phospholipase D (PLD) (FIG. 1). The invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing sphingosine derivative compounds and diagnostic methods for the preparation thereof. Further objects of the invention are methods of inducing or restoring the microbicidal activity in vitro of macrophages for monitoring the efficiency of phagocytosis and degradation processes performed by the same and assay methods suitable to evaluate therapeutic effectiveness of candidate microbicides.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the synthesis and characterisation of biotinylated analogue of N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA) and its use as a tool to study AEA transport and trafficking through biochemical and morphological techniques. In particular biotinylated AEA (b-AEA, for which we propose the common name MM22) is suitable to design highly sensitive and simple methods for the non-radioactive detection and quantitation of AEA from complex samples, which would offer a useful alternative approach to the routinely used radiometric assays. The invention also relates to the use of b-AEA as a potential therapeutic and diagnostic agent.

Abstract: A system able to locate and identify aircraft and vehicles based on the reception and processing, with novel means and methods, of signals emitted by the transponder of the secondary surveillance radar, shortly SSR. The system has a number of fixed stations distributed in the area of interest, e.g. in the airport area; any signal (the well known SSR reply/squitter) transmitted by the on-board transponder is received by four or more stations and the measurement of three or more differences of times of arrival (TOA) permits the reconstruction of the position of the transponder in spite of the fact that the transmission time is unknown. Suitable algorithms based on optimal estimation enhance both the accuracy of TOA measurements and the accuracy of the reconstructed position. The effects of possible overlapping of signal in time are avoided or mitigated by multiple source separation techniques based on least squares algebraic processing.

Abstract: A single-input multi-output control system particularly useful to equally distributing the noise effects and/or the parametric variations among the multiple outputs, comprising two or more control sub-systems, each of said two or more control sub-systems having a corresponding error node (Nei) and an output (Yi) coincident with one of said multiple outputs, and an auxiliary node (Nc) adapted to connect said error nodes (Nei) with one another.

Abstract: Derivatives of the heterocyclic compound known as 7-nitro-benzofurazan or 7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole, are agents having a strong inhibiting activity towards members of the glutathione S-transferase (GST) superfamily that are hyperexpressed in cancer cells, and make them particularly resistant to many stress factors. These compounds are useful in the production of pharmaceutical drugs to be used in anticancer therapy, and may be employed either alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents.

Abstract: Methods of treating viral disorders comprising administering indomethacin (INDO) and its derivatives and salts as antiviral drugs.