The quarries of the El Haouaria coast (north east of Tunisia): identitary heritage and scientific and landscaping value

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Testing the models of X-ray driven photoevaporation with accreting stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster

Recent works highlight the importance of stellar X-rays on the evolution of the circumstellar disks of young stellar objects, especially for disk photoevaporation. A signature of this process may be seen in the so far tentatively observed dependence of stellar accretion rates on X-ray luminosities. According to models of X-ray driven photoevaporation, stars with higher X-ray luminosities should show lower accretion rates, on average, in a sample with similar masses and ages. To this aim, we have analyzed X-ray properties of young stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster determined with Chandra during the COUP observation as well as accretion data obtained from the photometric catalog of the HST Treasury Program. With these data, we have performed a statistical analysis of the relation between X-ray activity and accretion rates using partial linear regression analysis. The initial anticorrelation found with a sample of 332 young stars is considerably weaker compared to previous studies. However, excluding flaring activity or limiting the X-ray luminosity to the soft band (0.5 - 2.0 keV) leads to a stronger anticorrelation, which is statistically more significant. Furthermore, we have found a weak positive correlation between the higher component of the plasma temperature gained in the X-ray spectral fitting and the accretion rates, indicating that the hardness of the X-ray spectra may influence the accretion process. There is evidence for a weak anticorrelation, as predicted by theoretical models, suggesting that X-ray photoevaporation modulates the accretion rate through the inner disk at late stages of disk evolution, leading to a phase of photoevaporation-starved accretion.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Splicy: a web-based tool for the prediction of possible alternative splicing events from Affymetrix probeset data

BACKGROUND: The Affymetrix technology is nowadays a well-established method for the analysis of gene expression profiles in cancer research studies. However, changes in gene expression levels are not the only way to link genes and disease. The existence of gene isoforms specifically linked with cancer or apoptosis is increasingly found in literature. Hence it is of great interest to associate the results of a gene expression study with updated evidences on the transcript structure and its possible variants. RESULTS: We present here a web-based software tool, Splicy, whose primary task is to retrieve data on the mapping of Affymetrix probes to single exons of gene transcripts and displaying graphically this information projected on the gene physical structure.Starting from a list of Affymetrix probesets the program produces a series of graphical displays, each relative to a transcript associated with the gene targeted by a given probe. The information on the transcript-by-transcript and exon-by-exon mapping of probe pairs can be retrieved both graphically and in the form of tab-separated files. The mapping of single probes to NCBI RefSeq or EMBL cDNAs is handled by the ISREC mapping tables used in the CleanEx Expression Reference Database Project. We currently maintain these mappings for most popular human and mouse Affymetrix chips, and Splicy can be queried for matches with human and mouse NCBI RefSeq or EMBL cDNAs. CONCLUSION: Splicy generates probeset annotations and images describing the relation between the single probes and intron/exon structure of the target transcript in all its known variants. We think that Splicy will be useful for giving to the researcher a clearer picture of the possible transcript variants linked with a given gene and an additional view on the interpretation of microarray experiment data. Splicy is publicly available and has been realized in the framework of a bioinformatics grant from the Italian Cancer Research Association

Examining Abnormal Non-stenotic Renal Arteries in Children With Hypertension

Secondary hypertension is more common in children than adults, and renal disease is themost common cause. Several studies have shown a relationship between abnormalitiesin renal arterial vascularity and the onset of hypertension. We reported a case ofhypertension in a 10-year-old girl with elevated plasma renin and normal aldosteronelevels. Antihypertensive therapy was necessary to achieve blood pressure control, andthe final diagnosis of hypertension was obtained from Computed Tomography (CT)angiography demonstrating unusual renal vascular abnormalities

Defining the Value of Injection Current and Effective Electrical Contact Area for EGaIn-Based Molecular Tunneling Junctions

Analysis of rates of tunneling across self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of n-alkanethiolates SCn (with n = number of carbon atoms) incorporated in junctions having structure AgTS-SAM//Ga2O3/EGaIn leads to a value for the injection tunnel current density J0 (i.e., the current flowing through an ideal junction with n = 0) of 103.6±0.3 A·cm–2 (V = +0.5 V). This estimation of J0 does not involve an extrapolation in length, because it was possible to measure current densities across SAMs over the range of lengths n = 1–18. This value of J0 is estimated under the assumption that values of the geometrical contact area equal the values of the effective electrical contact area. Detailed experimental analysis, however, indicates that the roughness of the Ga2O3 layer, and that of the AgTS-SAM, determine values of the effective electrical contact area that are 10–4 the corresponding values of the geometrical contact area. Conversion of the values of geometrical contact area into the corresponding values of effective electrical contact area results in J0(+0.5 V) = 107.6±0.8 A·cm–2, which is compatible with values reported for junctions using top-electrodes of evaporated Au, and graphene, and also comparable with values of J0 estimated from tunneling through single molecules. For these EGaIn-based junctions, the value of the tunneling decay factor β (β = 0.75 ± 0.02 Å–1; β = 0.92 ± 0.02 nC–1) falls within the consensus range across different types of junctions (β = 0.73–0.89 Å–1; β = 0.9–1.1 nC–1). A comparison of the characteristics of conical Ga2O3/EGaIn tips with the characteristics of other top-electrodes suggests that the EGaIn-based electrodes provide a particularly attractive technology for physical-organic studies of charge transport across SAMs.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog

Dietary intake of fish and PUFA, and clinical depressive and anxiety disorders in women

Fish and PUFA consumption are thought to play a role in mental health; however, many studies do not take into account multiple sources of PUFA. The present study analysed data from a sample of 935 randomly selected, population-based women aged 20–93 years. A validated and comprehensive dietary questionnaire ascertained the consumption of n-3 and n-6 PUFA. Another assessed fish and energy intake and provided data for a dietary quality score. The General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) measured psychological symptoms and a clinical interview (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Research Version, Non-patient edition) assessed depressive and anxiety disorders. Median dietary intakes of long-chain n-3 fatty acids (310 mg/d) were below suggested dietary target levels. The only PUFA related to categorical depressive and anxiety disorders was DHA. There was a non-linear relationship between DHA intake and depression; those in the second tertile of DHA intake were nearly 70 % less likely to report a current depressive disorder compared to those in the first tertile. The relationship of DHA to anxiety disorders was linear; for those in the highest tertile of DHA intake, the odds for anxiety disorders were reduced by nearly 50 % after adjustments, including adjustment for diet quality scores, compared to the lowest tertile. Those who ate fish less than once per week had higher GHQ-12 scores, and this relationship was particularly obvious in smokers. These are the first observational data to indicate a role for DHA in anxiety disorders, but suggest that the relationship between DHA and depressive disorders may be non-linear

Evaluación conjunta de la población de la anchoa del Mar Adriático septentrional y central: comparación entre dos métodos de dinámica poblacional

Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus, L.) is one of the most important commercial species of the northern and central Adriatic Sea, as well as one of the most productive fisheries in the whole Mediterranean. In the Adriatic Sea the stock of anchovy is shared between Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. A joint stock assessment was carried out using catch data from all the fleets for the time interval 1975-2009. Analyses were performed using estimates of natural mortality at age obtained by means of two different methods and two population dynamics methods based on the analysis of catch-at-age data: Laurec-Sheperd virtual population analysis (VPA) and integrated catch-at-age (ICA), both tuned to acoustic estimates of abundance. Gislason’s estimates for natural mortality appeared to be more realistic and were thus preferred for short-lived species. The general trend of biomass and fishing mortality is similar for the two models, highlighting the major collapse of the stock in 1987. Nevertheless, ICA has enough flexibility to combine all the data available without adding too much complexity in comparison with a VPA approach and seems to perform better in terms of the spawning stock biomass/recruitment relationship and diagnostics (i.e. the retrospective pattern). For the stock status, the exploitation rate from ICA is higher than the suggested threshold of 0.4 proposed by Patterson for small pelagic species.La anchoa (Engraulis encrasicolus, L.) es una de las especies comerciales más importantes del mar Adriático central y septentrional, a la vez que es una de las actividades pesqueras más productivas en todo el Mediterráneo. La población de anchoa en el mar Adriático es compartida por Croacia, Italia y Eslovenia: una evaluación conjunta de la población fue realizada usando los datos de captura de todas las flotas para el periodo 1975-2009. Se efectuaron análisis usando estimaciones de la mortalidad natural por edad obtenidos mediante dos métodos diferentes y dos métodos de dinámica poblacional basados en el análisis de datos de captura por edad: Análisis de Población Virtual (VPA) de Laurec-Sheperd y Análisis de Captura Integrada por Edad (ICA), ambos acordados en las estimaciones acústicas de la abundancia. Las estimaciones de mortalidad natural de Gislason aparentaban ser más realísticas y por lo tanto daba preferencia a especies de vida corta. La tendencia general de la biomasa y de la mortalidad por pesca es similar en los dos modelos, destacando la fuerte disminución de la población en 1987. Sin embargo, ICA permite una flexibilidad suficiente para combinar todos los datos disponibles sin agregar excesivas complejidades con respecto al enfoque VPA y aparenta un mejor desempeño en términos de relación de SSB-R y en términos of diagnósticos (por ejemplo: el patrón retrospectivo). En relación al estado de la población, la tasa de explotación del ICA es más alta que el umbral sugerido de 0.4 propuesto por Patterson para las especies de pequeños pelágicos

Tissue- and Cell Type-Specific Expression of the Long Noncoding RNA Klhl14-AS in Mouse

lncRNAs are acquiring increasing relevance as regulators in a wide spectrum of biological processes. The extreme heterogeneity in the mechanisms of action of these molecules, however, makes them very difficult to study, especially regarding their molecular function. A novel lncRNA has been recently identified as the most enriched transcript in mouse developing thyroid. Due to its genomic localization antisense to the protein-encoding Klhl14 gene, we named it Klhl14-AS. In this paper, we highlight that mouse Klhl14-AS produces at least five splicing variants, some of which have not been previously described. Klhl14-AS is expressed with a peculiar pattern, characterized by diverse relative abundance of its isoforms in different mouse tissues. We examine the whole expression level of Klhl14-AS in a panel of adult mouse tissues, showing that it is expressed in the thyroid, lung, kidney, testis, ovary, brain, and spleen, although at different levels. In situ hybridization analysis reveals that, in the context of each organ, Klhl14-AS shows a cell type-specific expression. Interestingly, databases report a similar expression profile for human Klhl14-AS. Our observations suggest that this lncRNA could play cell type-specific roles in several organs and pave the way for functional characterization of this gene in appropriate biological contexts

Final results of the second prospective AIEOP protocol for pediatric intracranial ependymoma

BACKGROUND: This prospective study stratified patients by surgical resection (complete = NED vs incomplete = ED) and centrally reviewed histology (World Health Organization [WHO] grade II vs III). METHODS: WHO grade II/NED patients received focal radiotherapy (RT) up to 59.4 Gy with 1.8 Gy/day. Grade III/NED received 4 courses of VEC (vincristine, etoposide, cyclophosphamide) after RT. ED patients received 1-4 VEC courses, second-look surgery, and 59.4 Gy followed by an 8-Gy boost in 2 fractions on still measurable residue. NED children aged 1-3 years with grade II tumors could receive 6 VEC courses alone. RESULTS: From January 2002 to December 2014, one hundred sixty consecutive children entered the protocol (median age, 4.9 y; males, 100). Follow-up was a median of 67 months. An infratentorial origin was identified in 110 cases. After surgery, 110 patients were NED, and 84 had grade III disease. Multiple resections were performed in 46/160 children (28.8%). A boost was given to 24/40 ED patients achieving progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates of 58.1% and 68.7%, respectively, in this poor prognosis subgroup. For the whole series, 5-year PFS and OS rates were 65.4% and 81.1%, with no toxic deaths. On multivariable analysis, NED status and grade II were favorable for OS, and for PFS grade II remained favorable. CONCLUSIONS: In a multicenter collaboration, this trial accrued the highest number of patients published so far, and results are comparable to the best single-institution series. The RT boost, when feasible, seemed effective in improving prognosis. Even after multiple procedures, complete resection confirmed its prognostic strength, along with tumor grade. Biological parameters emerging in this series will be the object of future correlatives and reports