Prediction of Displacements in Unstable Areas Using a Neural Model

In pipeline management the accurate prediction of weak displacements is a crucial factor in drawing up a prevention policy since the accumulation of these displacements over a period of several years can lead to situations of high risk. This work addresses the specific problem related to the prediction of displacements induced by rainfall in unstable areas, of known geology, and crossed by underground pipelines. A neural model has been configured which learns of displacements from instrumented sites (where inclinometric measurements are available) and is able to generalise to other sites not equipped with inclinometers

Biochemical Diversification through Foreign Gene Expression in Bdelloid Rotifers

Bdelloid rotifers are microinvertebrates with unique characteristics: they have survived tens of millions of years without sexual reproduction; they withstand extreme desiccation by undergoing anhydrobiosis; and they tolerate very high levels of ionizing radiation. Recent evidence suggests that subtelomeric regions of the bdelloid genome contain sequences originating from other organisms by horizontal gene transfer (HGT), of which some are known to be transcribed. However, the extent to which foreign gene expression plays a role in bdelloid physiology is unknown. We address this in the first large scale analysis of the transcriptome of the bdelloid Adineta ricciae: cDNA libraries from hydrated and desiccated bdelloids were subjected to massively parallel sequencing and assembled transcripts compared against the UniProtKB database by blastx to identify their putative products. Of ∼29,000 matched transcripts, ∼10% were inferred from blastx matches to be horizontally acquired, mainly from eubacteria but also from fungi, protists, and algae. After allowing for possible sources of error, the rate of HGT is at least 8%–9%, a level significantly higher than other invertebrates. We verified their foreign nature by phylogenetic analysis and by demonstrating linkage of foreign genes with metazoan genes in the bdelloid genome. Approximately 80% of horizontally acquired genes expressed in bdelloids code for enzymes, and these represent 39% of enzymes in identified pathways. Many enzymes encoded by foreign genes enhance biochemistry in bdelloids compared to other metazoans, for example, by potentiating toxin degradation or generation of antioxidants and key metabolites. They also supplement, and occasionally potentially replace, existing metazoan functions. Bdelloid rotifers therefore express horizontally acquired genes on a scale unprecedented in animals, and foreign genes make a profound contribution to their metabolism. This represents a potential mechanism for ancient asexuals to adapt rapidly to changing environments and thereby persist over long evolutionary time periods in the absence of sex

Identification of mobile lipids in human cancer tissues by ex vivo diffusion edited HR-MAS MRS

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy visible mobilelipids are considered important markers in the diagnosis ofhuman cancer and are thought to be closely involved in variousaspects of tumour transformation, such as cell proliferation,necrosis, apoptosis, hypoxia and drug resistance. A methodallowing the straightforward identification of the lipid classescontributing to the mobile lipids in human malignant tissuesis highly advisable. Ex vivo High Resolution Magic AngleSpinning Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy was done directlyon human cerebral, renal and colorectal malignant tissuespecimens. A diffusion edited sequence, based on stimulatedecho and bipolar gradient pulses, was used to characterizemolecules with low diffusion rates, arising from mobile lipidcomponents. Cholesterol, triglycerides and phosphatidylcholineare simultaneously detected and all contribute to the mobilelipid resonances present in malignant glioma and clear cellrenal carcinoma tissue specimens spectra. On the contrary,papillary cell renal carcinoma spectrum is predominated byphosphatidylcholine resonances and that of colorectal adenocarcinoma is characterized by signals arising from triglycerides. Ex vivo diffusion edited High Resolution Magic AngleSpinning Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, done on intacttissue, is a powerful analytical tool to obtain a simple andimmediate identification of mobile lipid components. This can offer a significant contribution to better understanding their involvement in cancer tissues. Furthermore, ex vivo high resolution spectroscopic measurements allow to improve the interpretation of in vivo Magnetic Resonance spectra, increasing its clinical potentiality

Conceptual Architecture and Service-oriented Implementation of a Regional Geoportal for Rice Monitoring

Agricultural monitoring has greatly benefited from the increased availability of a wide variety of remote-sensed satellite imagery, ground-sensed data (e.g., weather station networks) and crop models, delivering a wealth of actionable information to stakeholders to better streamline and improve agricultural practices. Nevertheless, as the degree of sophistication of agriculture monitoring systems increases, significant challenges arise due to the handling and integration of multi-scale data sources to present information to decision-makers in a way which is useful, understandable and user friendly. To address these issues, in this article we present the conceptual architecture and service-oriented implementation of a regional geoportal, specifically focused on rice crop monitoring in order to perform unified monitoring with a supporting system at regional scale. It is capable of storing, processing, managing, serving and visualizing monitoring and generated data products with different granularity and originating from different data sources. Specifically, we focus on data sources and data flow, and their importance for and in relation to different stakeholders. In the context of an EU-funded research project, we present an implementation of the regional geoportal for rice monitoring, which is currently in use in Europe’s three largest rice-producing countries, Italy, Greece and Spain

Performance Of A Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber Exposed To The WANF Neutrino Beam

We present the results of the first exposure of a Liquid Argon TPC to a multi-GeV neutrino beam. The data have been collected with a 50 liters ICARUS-like chamber located between the CHORUS and NOMAD experiments at the CERN West Area Neutrino Facility (WANF). We discuss both the instrumental performance of the detector and its capability to identify and reconstruct low multiplicity neutrino interactions.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. Submitted for publication to Physical Review

ITA-MNGIE: an Italian regional and national survey for mitochondrial neuro-gastro-intestinal encephalomyopathy

Mitochondrial neuro-gastro-intestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is a rare and unavoidably fatal disease due to mutations in thymidine phosphorylase (TP). Clinically it is characterized by gastrointestinal dysfunction, malnutrition/cachexia and neurological manifestations. MNGIE diagnosis remains a challenge mainly because of the complexity and rarity of the disease. Thus, our purposes were to promote a better knowledge of the disease in Emilia-Romagna region (ERR) by creating an accurate and dedicated network; to establish the minimal prevalence of MNGIE in Italy starting from ERR. Blood TP activity level was used as screening test to direct candidates to complete diagnostic work-up. During the study period of 1 year, only 10/71 units of ERR recruited 14 candidates. Their screening did not show TP activity changes. An Italian patient not resident in ERR was actually proved to have MNGIE. At the end of study in Italy there were nine cases of MNGIE; thus, the Italian prevalence of the disease is ~0.15/1,000,000 as a gross estimation. Our study confirms that MNGIE diagnosis is a difficult process which reflects the rarity of the disease and, as a result, a low level of awareness among specialists and physicians. Having available novel therapeutic options (e.g., allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and, more recently, liver transplantation) and an easy screening test, an early diagnosis should be sought before tissue damage occurs irreversibly

Shotgun Proteomics Identifies Serum Fibronectin as a Candidate Diagnostic Biomarker for Inclusion in Future Multiplex Tests for Ectopic Pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is difficult to diagnose early and accurately. Women often present at emergency departments in early pregnancy with a 'pregnancy of unknown location' (PUL), and diagnosis and exclusion of EP is challenging due to a lack of reliable biomarkers. The objective of this study was to identify novel diagnostic biomarkers for EP. Shotgun proteomics, incorporating combinatorial-ligand library pre-fractionation, was used to interrogate pooled sera (n = 40) from women undergoing surgery for EP, termination of viable intrauterine pregnancy and management of non-viable intrauterine pregnancy. Western blot was used to validate results in individual sera. ELISAs were developed to interrogate sera from women with PUL (n = 120). Sera were collected at time of first symptomatic presentation and categorized according to pregnancy outcome. The main outcome measures were differences between groups and area under the receiver operating curve (ROC). Proteomics identified six biomarker candidates. Western blot detected significant differences in levels of two of these candidates. ELISA of sera from second cohort revealed that these differences were only significant for one of these candidates, fibronectin. ROC analysis of ability of fibronectin to discriminate EP from other pregnancy outcomes suggested that fibronectin has diagnostic potential (ROC 0.6439; 95% CI 0.5090 to 0.7788; P>0.05), becoming significant when 'ambiguous' medically managed PUL excluded from analysis (ROC 0.6538; 95% CI 0.5158 to 0.7918; P<0.05). Fibronectin may make a useful adjunct to future multiplex EP diagnostic tests

Tracing deep fluid source contribution to groundwater in an active seismic area (central Italy): A combined geothermometric and isotopic (δ13C) perspective

An understanding of the origin and migration pathways of geofluids in an active seismic area is of paramount importance in terms of societal challenges such as mitigation of seismic hazards. This study investigates the relationship between the stable isotope ratio 13C/12C of deep CO2 and geothermometry in selected groundwater samples located close to extensional faults in central Italy. The temperature range is inferred from an equation based on the Na/Li ratio and chemical geothermal modelling: 113–130 °C. Globally, the calculated temperature range agrees with that resulting from deep boreholes in the Northern Apennines. An alternative method is also included to better evaluate the difference in isotopic composition between the aqueous and gaseous δ13C(CO2) at deep condition. A review of previously published data shows that monitoring of the isotopic composition of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in springs fed by meteoric origin located in seismically active areas must take into account mass and isotopic balance to correctly evaluate the component, and the role, of deep fluid during seismic events. In particular, the coupled (and corrected) isotope and geothermometrical monitoring of the springs could help to distinguish between deep gas or deep fluid contributions to shallow aquifers. The results of this study indicate that faults play a crucial role in controlling the migration of crustal fluids. In addition, they reveal that possible evaluation of potential seismic precursors mandatorily requires a long period of monthly monitoring