TL1A/DR3 axis involvement in the inflammatory cytokine network during pulmonary sarcoidosis

BACKGROUND: TNF-like ligand 1A (TL1A), a recently recognized member of the TNF superfamily, and its death domain receptor 3 (DR3), firstly identified for their relevant role in T lymphocyte homeostasis, are now well-known mediators of several immune-inflammatory diseases, ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to inflammatory bowel diseases to psoriasis, whereas no data are available on their involvement in sarcoidosis, a multisystemic granulomatous disease where a deregulated T helper (Th)1/Th17 response takes place. METHODS: In this study, by flow cytometry, real-time PCR, confocal microscopy and immunohistochemistry analyses, TL1A and DR3 were investigated in the pulmonary cells and the peripheral blood of 43 patients affected by sarcoidosis in different phases of the disease (29 patients with active sarcoidosis, 14 with the inactive form) and in 8 control subjects. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated a significant higher expression, both at protein and mRNA levels, of TL1A and DR3 in pulmonary T cells and alveolar macrophages of patients with active sarcoidosis as compared to patients with the inactive form of the disease and to controls. In patients with sarcoidosis TL1A was strongly more expressed in the lung than the blood, i.e., at the site of the involved organ. Additionally, zymography assays showed that TL1A is able to increase the production of matrix metalloproteinase 9 by sarcoid alveolar macrophages characterized, in patients with the active form of the disease, by reduced mRNA levels of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that TL1A/DR3 interactions are part of the extended and complex immune-inflammatory network that characterizes sarcoidosis during its active phase and may contribute to the pathogenesis and to the progression of the disease

About the parabolic relation existing between the skewness and the kurtosis in time series of experimental data

In this work we investigate the origin of the parabolic relation between skewness and kurtosis often encountered in the analysis of experimental time-series. We argue that the numerical values of the coefficients of the curve may provide informations about the specific physics of the system studied, whereas the analytical curve per se is a fairly general consequence of a few constraints expected to hold for most systems.Comment: To appear in Physica Script

The nonrelativistic limit of the Magueijo-Smolin model of deformed special relativity

We study the nonrelativistic limit of the motion of a classical particle in a model of deformed special relativity and of the corresponding generalized Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations, and show that they reproduce nonrelativistic classical and quantum mechanics, respectively, although the rest mass of a particle no longer coincides with its inertial mass. This fact clarifies the meaning of the different definitions of velocity of a particle available in DSR literature. Moreover, the rest mass of particles and antiparticles differ, breaking the CPT invariance. This effect is close to observational limits and future experiments may give indications on its effective existence.Comment: 10 pages, plain TeX. Discussion of generalized Dirac equation and CPT violation adde

Factors shaping distribution and abundance of raptors wintering in two large Mediterranean islands

A growing number of ecological studies suggest that animal distributions are not only influenced by classical ecological features such as habitat availability, but also by the motion capacity of the studied animal. Here we analyse the diversity and density of two wintering raptor communities from Crete and Sicily, two large Mediterranean islands located along migratory flyways. We performed 611 and 1030 km of transects in Crete and Sicily respectively, examining the spatial distribution of raptors in relation to land use, topography, raptor species diversity and abundance. Our results show that community diversity and specific abundance are strictly related in accordance with the ‘More Individuals Hypothesis’. Comparing the two most common raptors, the density of the Eurasian kestrel was the highest in Sicily and that of the common buzzard in Crete. An overall positive effect of Eurasian kestrel density on that of the common buzzard was found in both islands, but higher in Crete. Our findings suggest that the distribution and density of the Eurasian kestrel, because of its higher movement ability, are less influenced by the presence of ecological barriers along potentially migratory flyways. We cannot exclude that higher inter specific competition with common buzzards in Crete might have pushed the smaller species to cross the Mediterranean Sea in order to overwinter in Africa

Multiphysics simulation of corona discharge induced ionic wind

Ionic wind devices or electrostatic fluid accelerators are becoming of increasing interest as tools for thermal management, in particular for semiconductor devices. In this work, we present a numerical model for predicting the performance of such devices, whose main benefit is the ability to accurately predict the amount of charge injected at the corona electrode. Our multiphysics numerical model consists of a highly nonlinear strongly coupled set of PDEs including the Navier-Stokes equations for fluid flow, Poisson's equation for electrostatic potential, charge continuity and heat transfer equations. To solve this system we employ a staggered solution algorithm that generalizes Gummel's algorithm for charge transport in semiconductors. Predictions of our simulations are validated by comparison with experimental measurements and are shown to closely match. Finally, our simulation tool is used to estimate the effectiveness of the design of an electrohydrodynamic cooling apparatus for power electronics applications.Comment: 24 pages, 17 figure

Routes to multiphoton double ionization in combined extreme ultraviolet and infrared laser pulses

Xenon multiphoton double ionization pathways are studied in a reaction microscope using a pump-probe arrangement of extreme ultraviolet high harmonic and infrared laser radiation. The momentum of photoelectrons is recorded in coincidence with singly or doubly charged ions. Among all possible routes to multiphoton double ionization, sequential processes using ionic excited states as intermediate steps are clearly identified