Spatially resolved refractive index profiles of electrically switchable computer-generated holographic gratings

We describe a spatially resolved interferometric technique combined with a phase reconstruction method that provides a quantitative two-dimensional profile of the refractive index and spatial distribution of the optical contrast between the on-off states of electrically switchable diffraction gratings as a function of the external electric field. The studied structures are holographic gratings optically written into polymer/liquid crystal composites through single-beam spatial light modulation by means of computer-generated holograms. The electro-optical response of the gratings is also discussed. The diffraction efficiency results to be dependent on the incident light polarization suggesting the possibility to develop polarization dependent switching devices

Multistep, sequential control of the trafficking and function of the multiple sulfatase deficiency gene product, SUMF1 by PDI, ERGIC-53 and ERp44.

Sulfatase modifying factor 1 (SUMF1) encodes for the formylglicine generating enzyme, which activates sulfatases by modifying a key cysteine residue within their catalytic domains. SUMF1 is mutated in patients affected by multiple sulfatase deficiency, a rare recessive disorder in which all sulfatase activities are impaired. Despite the absence of canonical retention/retrieval signals, SUMF1 is largely retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where it exerts its enzymatic activity on nascent sulfatases. Part of SUMF1 is secreted and paracrinally taken up by distant cells. Here we show that SUMF1 interacts with protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and ERp44, two thioredoxin family members residing in the early secretory pathway, and with ERGIC-53, a lectin that shuttles between the ER and the Golgi. Functional assays reveal that these interactions are crucial for controlling SUMF1 traffic and function. PDI couples SUMF1 retention and activation in the ER. ERGIC-53 and ERp44 act downstream, favoring SUMF1 export from and retrieval to the ER, respectively. Silencing ERGIC-53 causes proteasomal degradation of SUMF1, while down-regulating ERp44 promotes its secretion. When over-expressed, each of three interactors favors intracellular accumulation. Our results reveal a multistep control of SUMF1 trafficking, with sequential interactions dynamically determining ER localization, activity and secretion

An abstract argumentation approach for the prediction of analysts’ recommendations following earnings conference calls

Financial analysts constitute an important element of financial decision-making in stock exchanges throughout the world. By leveraging on argumentative reasoning, we develop a method to predict financial analysts' recommendations in earnings conference calls (ECCs), an important type of financial communication. We elaborate an analysis to select those reliable arguments in the Questions Answers (QA) part of ECCs that analysts evaluate to estimate their recommendation. The observation date of stock recommendation update may variate during the next quarter: it can be either the day after the ECC or it can take weeks. Our objective is to anticipate analysts' recommendations by predicting their judgment with the help of abstract argumentation. In this paper, we devise our approach to the analysis of ECCs, by designing a general processing framework which combines natural language processing along with abstract argumentation evaluation techniques to produce a final scoring function, representing the analysts' prediction about the company's trend. Then, we evaluate the performance of our approach by specifying a strategy to predict analysts recommendations starting from the evaluation of the argumentation graph properly instantiated from an ECC transcript. We also provide the experimental setting in which we perform the predictions of recommendations as a machine learning classification task. The method is shown to outperform approaches based only on sentiment analysis

Loss-of-rescue of Ryr1I4895T-related pathology by the genetic inhibition of the ER stress response mediator CHOP

RYR1 is the gene encoding the ryanodine receptor 1, a calcium release channel of the endo/sarcoplasmic reticulum. I4898T in RYR1 is one of the most common mutations that give rise to central core disease (CCD), with a variable phenotype ranging from mild to severe myopathy to lethal early-onset core-rod myopathy. Mice with the corresponding I4895T mutation in Ryr1 present mild myopathy when the mutation is heterozygous while I4895T homozygous is perinatal-lethal. Here we show that skeletal muscles of I4895T homozygous mice at birth present signs of stress of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress) and of the related unfolded protein response (UPR) with increased levels of the maladaptive mediators CHOP and ERO1. To gain information on the role of CHOP in the pathogenesis of RYR1I4895T-related myopathy, we generated compound Ryr1I4895T, Chop knock-out (-/-) mice. However, the genetic deletion of Chop, although it attenuates ER stress in the skeletal muscle of the newborns, does not rescue any phenotypic or functional features of Ryr1I4895T in mice: neither the perinatal-lethal phenotype nor the inability of Ryr1I4895T to respond to its agonist caffeine, but protects from ER stress-induced apoptosis. These findings suggest that genetic deletion of the ER stress response mediator CHOP is not sufficient to counteract the pathological Ryr1I4895T phenotype

Acoustical performance of an innovative dry-wall facade system with high thermal properties

INTESA (INTegrazione ed elevata Efficienza con sistemi a Secco per l’Abitare, Integration and high efficiency with drywall technology for building envelopes) is an innovative solu-tion of a drywall façade embedding electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, especially de-signed for residential needs. The INTESA system is usable either for new and retrofit design and is competitive with the traditional wet technology made of clay bricks or blocks. Since the early stage of the project, an integrated approach has been the key element to design the wall system in order to obtain an easy and efficient way of assembling, a perfect integration of the plants, as well as high thermal and acoustical performances. In-field INTESA perfor-mances were tested in laboratory and in a real case study through the construction of a proto-type building located in Calliano d’Asti, near Turin, where the following acoustical parame-ters were measured: the apparent sound reduction index (R’), the standardized sound level difference of a façade (D2m,nT) and the vibration sound reduction index (Kij), a quantity relat-ed to the vibrational power transmission over a junction between structural elements

INTESA System: A New High-performance and Highly Integrated Drywall Façade

INTESA is an innovative vertical envelope for residential, industrial and service tertiary buildings. It is a drywall façade system with high thermal and acoustic properties, embedding electrical and plumbing systems. The system was developed over two years by a multidisciplinary team, which involved researchers, manufacturers and consultants. An integrated approach has been the key element to design and prototype an innovative double cavity drywall façade, composed by plasterboard layers and blown-in cellulose flakes, with and without a thin layer of Phase Change Material. Thermal and acoustical properties have been optimized through laboratory measurements and simulations and later tested in a prototype building

A new tool for investigation platelet activation in endometriosis patients

Objectives: Endometriosis (EM) is a gynecological disease characterized by chronic inflammation, due to the interaction of inflammatory cells with ectopic endometrium (1). Platelets (PLTs), recruited by procoagulant factors released from endometriotic stromal cells, secrete angiogenetic factors and induce overexpression of genes involved in pro-survival/ anti-apoptotic propensity, inflammationand extracellular matrix remodeling (2). We aimed to develop a tool to measure PLT activation (by small extracellular vesicles, s-EVs) in EM peritoneal fluids, as a potential predictive marker of EM severity. Materials & methods: S-EVs were isolated from EM peritoneal fluids and characterized with imaging (Atomic Force Microscopy; AFM) and protein expression analyses (Western blot, WB) (3). We explored gene expression in peritoneum and EM lesions using EndometDB (4). Results: We demonstrated the presence of s-EVs isolated from EM peritoneal fluids by liquid AFM, as showed by contact angle vs diameter scatterplot (Fig.1A-B), and by WB detecting the s-EV markers CD63, CD9, and TSG101 (Fig.1C). Using Endomet-DB, we highlighted the differentially expressed genes between control and EM peritoneum samples (Fig.1D). The protein expression of a panel of biomarkers of PTL in s-EVs was further confirmed by WB (Fig.1E). Conclusions: We propose applying s-EV research to EM investigation, generating a novel biochemical tool for PLT activation assessment and for the development of new diagnostics and therapies

Higher reliability of 18F-FDG target background ratio compared to standardized uptake value in vulnerable carotid plaque detection: a pilot study.

Objective: To evaluate the role of [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography [18F-FDG PET/CT] comparing target background ratio (TBR) and standardized uptake value (SUV) with the histopathological inflammatory status of the carotid plaques. Background: Vulnerable carotid plaques are the primary cause of acute cerebrovascular events. 18F-FDG PET/CT represents a morpho-functional technique able to identify the highly inflamed and most vulnerable carotid plaques. Several literature studies experimented this new method to identify vascular inflammation, but few have effectively compared PET/CT results with plaque histological data and no studies had directly compared TBR to SUV. Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients (20 men and 12 women, mean age 74 ± 8 years) undergoing carotid endarterectomy were enrolled and studied with carotid 18F-FDG PET/CT. Maximum and mean SUV and TBR were used to quantify 18F-FDG uptake while surgical specimens were analyzed by optical microscopy to identify inflamed carotid plaques, with evaluation of macrophages infiltration by mean of immunohistochemistry. On the basis of the presence of inflammation at the histological analysis, we divided population in two groups: group A (n = 12) patients with inflamed carotid plaques and group B (n = 20) patients with non-inflamed ones, then crossed and evaluated the histological data with 18F-FDG PET/CT findings. Results: SUV max and SUV mean values resulted higher in group A (respectively, 2.14 ± 0.77 and 1.99 ± 0.68) than in group B (respectively, 1.79 ± 0.37 and 1.64 ± 0.34) without reaching a statistical significance (p = ns). TBR max and TBR mean values resulted higher in group A (respectively, 1.42 ± 0.32 and 1.34 ± 0.26) than in group B (respectively, 1.16 ± 0.19 and 1.03 ± 0.20) with a statistically significant differences between the two groups and carotid inflammation (respectively, p < 0.01 and p < 0.001). Conclusion: TBR (max and mean values) is a more reliable parameter than SUV in identifying inflamed plaques. Although limited by the small population analyzed, our results suggest the important role of 18F-FDG PET/CT, using TBR, in identification of high-risk carotid atherosclerotic plaques. © 2014 The Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine