RNomics: a computational search for box C/D snoRNA genes in the D. melanogaster genome.

Motivation: In eukaryotes, the family of non-coding RNA genes includes a number of genes encoding small nucleolar RNAs (mainly C/D and H/ACA snoRNAs), which act as guides in the maturation or post-transcriptional modifications of target RNA molecules. Since in Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) only few examples of snoRNAs have been identified so far by cDNA libraries screening, integration of the molecular data with in silico identification of these types of genes could throw light on their organization in the Dm genome. Results: We have performed a computational screening of the Dm genome for C/D snoRNA genes, followed by experimental validation of the putative candidates. Few of the 26 confirmed snoRNAs had been recognized by cDNA library analysis. Organization of the Dm genome was also found to be more variegated than previously suspected, with snoRNA genes nested in both the introns and exons of protein-coding genes. This finding suggests that the presence of additional mechanisms of snoRNA biogenesis based on the alternative production of overlapping mRNA/snoRNA molecules. Availability: Additional information is available at http://www. bioinformatica.unito.it/bioinformatics/snoRNA

Synthesis of easily sinterable ceramic electrolytes based on Bi-doped 8YSZ for IT-SOFC applications

Ceramic electrolytes formed by Bi (4 mol%)-doped 8YSZ, i.e., Y2O3 (8 mol%)-doped ZrO2, were synthesized by a simple co-precipitation route, using ammonia solution as precipitating agent. The amorphous as-synthesized powders convert into zirconia-based single phase with fluorite structure through a mild calcination step at 500 \ub0C. The calcined powders were sintered at very low temperatures (i.e., 900-1100 \ub0C) achieving in both cases very high values of relative densities (i.e., > 95%); the corresponding microstructures were highly homogeneous and characterized by micrometric grains or sub-micrometric grains for sintering at 1100 \ub0C and 900 \ub0C, respectively. Very interesting electrochemical properties were determined by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) in the best samples. In particular, their total ionic conductivity, recorded at 650 \ub0C, are 6.06 7 10-2S/cm and 4.44 7 10-2S/cm for Bi (4 mol%)-doped 8YSZ sintered at 1100 \ub0C and 900 \ub0C, respectively. Therefore, Bi was proved to be an excellent sintering aid dopant for YSZ, highly improving its densification at lower temperatures while increasing its total ionic conductivity

Nanostructures based on monoolein or diolein and amphiphilic gadolinium complexes as MRI contrast agents

Highly ordered two or three dimensional mesophases in aqueous solution could be usefully obtained by using monoolein (MO) or diolein (DO) monomers. Nanostructures (also indicated as nanoparticles, NPs) of MO or DO containing different amounts (1%, 5%, 10% and 20%) of the synthetic amphiphilic gadolinium complex (C18)2DTPA(Gd) have been prepared and characterized for their relaxometric and structural behaviors. The nanostructure is found in the 110–200 nm range for all investigated systems, while the presence of the gadolinium containing monomer produces a partial loss of the cubic symmetry, as shown by Cryo-TEM images of NPs doped with 10% w/w of (C18)2DTPA(Gd). Gadolinium containing nanostructures display high relaxivity values (in the 10–15 mM1 s1 range at 25 and 20 MHz, with a further increase at 37°C for DO based NPs), and interesting relaxometric properties for their possible use as MRI contrast agents. NPs containing 10% w/w of (C18)2DTPA(Gd) (MO3-NPs and DO3-NPs) have been also derivatized by introducing 3% wt of (C18)2–Peg3000–FA to obtain targeted aggregates (MO3-NP–FA, DO3-NP–FA). A preferential uptake efficiency of DO3-NP–FA in IGROV-1 cells with respect to DO-NPs without folic acid is observed, specially when cells are incubated with low concentrations of nanostructures or at short incubation times, thus indicating its potential use as a target-selective delivery system for MRI contrast agents on tumor cells overexpressing the folate receptor

Toward cognitive digital twins using a BIM-GIS asset management system for a diffused university

The integrated use of building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information system (GIS) is promising for the development of asset management systems (AMSs) for operation and maintenance (O & M) in smart university campuses. The combination of BIM-GIS with cognitive digital twins (CDTs) can further facilitate the management of complex systems such as university building stock. CDTs enable buildings to behave as autonomous entities, dynamically reacting to environmental changes. Timely decisions based on the actual conditions of buildings and surroundings can be provided, both in emergency scenarios or when optimized and adaptive performances are required. The research aims to develop a BIM-GIS-based AMS for improving user experience and enabling the optimal use of resources in the O & M phase of an Italian university. Campuses are complex assets, mainly diffused with buildings spread across the territory, managed with still document-based and fragmented databases handled by several subjects. This results in incomplete and asymmetrical information, often leading to ineffective and untimely decisions. The paper presents a methodology for the development of a BIM-GIS web-based platform (i.e., AMS-app) providing the real-time visualization of the asset in an interactive 3D map connected to analytical dashboards for management support. Two buildings of the University of Turin are adopted as demonstrators, illustrating the development of an easily accessible, centralized database by integrating spatial and functional data, useful also to develop future CDTs. As a first attempt to show the AMS app potential, crowd simulations have been conducted to understand the buildings' actual level of safety in case of fire emergency and demonstrate how CDTs could improve it. The identification of data needed, also gathered through the future implementation of suitable sensors and Internet of Things networks, is the core issue together with the definition of effective asset visualization and monitoring methods. Future developments will explore the integration of artificial intelligence and immersive technologies to enable space use optimization and real-time wayfinding during evacuation, exploiting digital tools to alert and drive users or authorities for safety improvement. The ability to easily optimize the paths with respect to the actual occupancy and conditions of both the asset and surroundings will be enabled

The PRIMA fringe sensor unit

The Fringe Sensor Unit (FSU) is the central element of the Phase Referenced Imaging and Micro-arcsecond Astrometry (PRIMA) dual-feed facility and provides fringe sensing for all observation modes, comprising off-axis fringe tracking, phase referenced imaging, and high-accuracy narrow-angle astrometry. It is installed at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and successfully servoed the fringe tracking loop during the initial commissioning phase. Unique among interferometric beam combiners, the FSU uses spatial phase modulation in bulk optics to retrieve real-time estimates of fringe phase after spatial filtering. A R=20 spectrometer across the K-band makes the retrieval of the group delay signal possible. The FSU was integrated and aligned at the VLTI in summer 2008. It yields phase and group delay measurements at sampling rates up to 2 kHz, which are used to drive the fringe tracking control loop. During the first commissioning runs, the FSU was used to track the fringes of stars with K-band magnitudes as faint as m_K=9.0, using two VLTI Auxiliary Telescopes (AT) and baselines of up to 96 m. Fringe tracking using two Very Large Telescope (VLT) Unit Telescopes (UT) was demonstrated. During initial commissioning and combining stellar light with two ATs, the FSU showed its ability to improve the VLTI sensitivity in K-band by more than one magnitude towards fainter objects, which is of fundamental importance to achieve the scientific objectives of PRIMA.Comment: 19 pages, 23 figures. minor changes and language editing. this version equals the published articl

A computational search for box C/D snoRNA genes in the Drosophila melanogaster genome

Abstract Motivation: In eukaryotes, the family of non-coding RNA genes includes a number of genes encoding small nucleolar RNAs (mainly C/D and H/ACA snoRNAs), which act as guides in the maturation or post-transcriptional modifications of target RNA molecules. Since in Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) only few examples of snoRNAs have been identified so far by cDNA libraries screening, integration of the molecular data with in silico identification of these types of genes could throw light on their organization in the Dm genome. Results: We have performed a computational screening of the Dm genome for C/D snoRNA genes, followed by experimental validation of the putative candidates. Few of the 26 confirmed snoRNAs had been recognized by cDNA library analysis. Organization of the Dm genome was also found to be more variegated than previously suspected, with snoRNA genes nested in both the introns and exons of protein-coding genes. This finding suggests that the presence of additional mechanisms of snoRNA biogenesis based on the alternative production of overlapping mRNA/snoRNA molecules. Availability: Additional information is available at http://www.bioinformatica.unito.it/bioinformatics/snoRNA

Effect of RE3+ on Structural Evolution of Rare-Earth Carbonates Synthesized by Facile Hydrothermal Treatment

In this work, nanoparticles of cerium hydroxycarbonates were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal treatment at 120°C with ammonium carbonate as the precipitating/mineralizer agent in diluted solution. The as-formed amorphous coprecipitate undergoes several morphological and structural modifications as a function of the duration of the hydrothermal treatment, leading after 8 h to the formation of monosized nanoparticles of hexagonal CeCO3OH. A similar behavior has been found when neodymium-based precursors are used as well, whereas the same treatment produces very different results by using different lanthanides-based precursors in terms of formed phases and morphologies, thus leading to the formation of pure tengerite-type structure phases, biphasic systems (tengerite type and hexagonal), or even entirely amorphous systems. Furthermore, the hydrothermal transformation is influenced by the redox behavior of the rare-earth cation (i.e., cerium) too, eventually resulting in the formation of fluorite-like structures. Therefore, a specific pathway of Ce(III) precursor transformations during hydrothermal treatment is proposed in this paper. Definitely, our results show that ammonium carbonate can be used as the precipitating/mineralizer agent to obtain cerium, doped-cerium, and neodymium hydroxycarbonates, which show excellent morphologies (i.e., characterized by spherical, nanosized particles with monomodal size distribution). Therefore, they can be used as optimal precursors for oxide powders. Conversely, when tengerite-type carbonate precursors are formed, their morphology is characterized by large and acicular particles

Pain Control: Opioid vs. Nonopioid Analgesia During the Immediate Postoperative Period

Background Opioid analgesia has become the mainstay for acute pain management in the postoperative setting. However, the use of opioid medications comes with significant risks and side effects. Due to increasing numbers of prescriptions to those with chronic pain, opioid medications have become more expensive while becoming less effective due to the buildup of patient tolerance. The idea of opioid-free analgesic techniques has rarely been breached in many hospitals. Emerging research has shown that opioid-sparing approaches have resulted in lower reported pain scores across the board, as well as significant cost reductions to hospitals and insurance agencies. In addition to providing adequate pain relief, the predicted cost burden of an opioid-free or opioid-sparing approach is significantly less than traditional methods. Methods The following groups were considered in our inclusion criteria: those who speak the English language, all races and ethnicities, male or female, home medications, those who are at least 18 years of age and able to provide written informed consent, those undergoing inpatient or same-day surgical procedures. In addition, our scoping review includes the following exclusion criteria: those who are non-English speaking, those who are less than 18 years of age, those who are not undergoing surgical procedures while admitted, those who are unable to provide numeric pain score due to clinical status, those who are unable to provide written informed consent, and those who decline participation in the study. Data was extracted by one reviewer and verified by the remaining two group members. Extraction was divided as equally as possible among the 11 listed references. Discrepancies in data extraction were discussed between the article reviewer, project editor, and group leader. Results We identified nine primary sources addressing the use of ketamine as an alternative to opioid analgesia and post-operative pain control. Our findings indicate a positive correlation between perioperative ketamine administration and postoperative pain control. While this information provides insight on opioid-free analgesia, it also revealed the limited amount of research conducted in this area of practice. The strategies for several of the clinical trials limited ketamine administration to a small niche of patients. The included studies provided evidence for lower pain scores, reductions in opioid consumption, and better patient outcomes. Implications for Nursing Practice Based on the results of the studies’ randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses, the effects of ketamine are shown as an adequate analgesic alternative to opioids postoperatively. The cited resources showed that ketamine can be used as a sole agent, or combined effectively with reduced doses of opioids for multimodal therapy. There were noted limitations in some of the research articles. Not all of the cited studies were able to include definitive evidence of proper blinding techniques or randomization methods. Small sample sizes and the inclusion of specific patient populations identified within several of the studies can skew data in one direction or another; therefore, significant clinical results cannot be generalized to patient populations across the board