Uniform random colored complexes

We present here random distributions on $(D+1)$-edge-colored, bipartite graphs with a fixed number of vertices $2p$. These graphs are dual to $D$-dimensional orientable colored complexes. We investigate the behavior of quantities related to those random graphs, such as their number of connected components or the number of vertices of their dual complexes, as $p \to \infty$. The techniques involved in the study of these quantities also yield a Central Limit Theorem for the genus of a uniform map of order $p$, as $p \to \infty$.Comment: 36 pages, 9 figures, minor additions and correction

Analysis of navigation pattern in the sport of rowing

The effect of weather and environmental conditions on sports has been extensively studied over the last few years (Pezzoli et al., 2010). Based upon the studies of Lobozewicz (1981) and of Kay and Vamplew (2002), Pezzoli and Cristofori (2008) have studied the impact of some specific environmental parameters over different sports using a particular impact index divided into five classes. This analysis clearly shows that most of the outdoor sport activities are strongly influenced by the variation of meteorological parameters. However the impact of meteorological conditions on outdoor sport activities has not yet been extensively studied. The aim of this research is to show that an accurate assessment of wind and wave parameters enables decisive improvements in both training and race strategy planning. Furthermore this analysis provide a very innovative working method for the applied sport research. The work has been based on in-situ measurements of both environmental and performance parameters (wind direction, wind velocity, boat speed and stroke rate) made over different classes and in different race conditions during the 2009 FISA World Championship (Poznan, Poland). In particular a detailed environmental analysis was performed by measuring the wind direction, the wind speed and by evaluating the significant wave height and the wave peak period for each class during the semi-final phase and the final phase. It should be noted that, since wind is a key parameter affecting not only the boat speed but also the race strategy, the assessment of the wind velocity and of the wind direction has been made in connection with the boat movement. The comparison between coupled wind-wave data, boat speed and stroke rate evidently demonstrates that only crews that managed the adaption to changing in the environmental conditions from semi-final to final phase of the race, were able to get better results. References Kay, J., & Vamplew, W. (2002) Weather beaten: sport in the British climate. London: Ed. Mainstream Publishing. Lobozewicz, T. (1981) Meteorology in sport. Frankfurt: Ed. Sportverlag. Pezzoli, A,, Moncalero, M., Boscolo, A., Cristofori, E., Giacometto, F., Gastaldi, S., & Vercelli, G. (2010) The meteo-hydrological analysis and the sport performance: which are the connections? The case of the XXI Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver 2010, Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 50: 19-20. Pezzoli, A., & Cristofori, E. (2008) Analisi, previsioni e misure meteorologiche applicate agli sport equestri, in: 10th Congress "New findings in equine practices, Druento: Centro Internazionale del Cavallo Ed., p.38-4

Experimental Investigation of a Novel Formulation of a Cyanoacrylate-Based Adhesive for Self-Healing Concrete Technologies

The selection of an appropriate healing agent is critical to the success of vascular and mini-vascular networks. In self-healing concrete technology, commercially available cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesives have been shown to produce good strength recoveries; however, their rapid curing rate and short shelf-life make them unsuitable for site application. The aim of this study was to develop a modified cyanoacrylate (n-CA) with an extended shelf-life suitable for incorporation in a self-healing system. A series of n-CAs were formed from a commercial Ethyl Cyanoacrylate adhesive mixed with acrylic acid (AA) and nitro-anthraquinone (nAq) in varying ratios. When encapsulated within 3D printed mini-vascular networks (MVNs), the n-CAs remained dormant in liquid form for up to 5 days. The contact angle between the n-CAs and the cement mortar substrate, as measured via the sessile drop technique, decreased significantly with increasing AA content. The mechanical properties (bond strength) and the polymerization hardening of the n-CAs were evaluated over a curing period of 7–21 days, via a series of pull-off tests using cement mortar cubes. The 4:1:02 (CA:AA:nAq) n-CA formulation showed a significant increase in bond strength from 14 to 21 days, with a ceiling value of 2.6 MPa, while the 2:1 (CA:AA) n-CA formulation exhibited a good bond strength after 21 days (1 MPa). Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) conducted on the n-CAs suggested the formation of several new polymeric species, whilst differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) on the pre- and post-printed MVN material confirmed no significant changes in chemistry with no evidence of polymer degradation. Considered together, the experimental results show the potential for different n-CA formulations to act efficiently as a healing agent

Acid-sensing ion channel (ASIC) structure and function: insights from spider, snake and sea anemone venoms

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are proton-activated cation channels that are expressed in a variety of neuronal and non-neuronal tissues. As proton-gated channels, they have been implicated in many pathophysiological conditions where pH is perturbed. Venom derived compounds represent the most potent and selective modulators of ASICs described to date, and thus have been invaluable as pharmacological tools to study ASIC structure, function, and biological roles. There are now ten ASIC modulators described from animal venoms, with those from snakes and spiders favouring ASIC1, while the sea anemones preferentially target ASIC3. Some modulators, such as the prototypical ASIC1 modulator PcTx1 have been studied in great detail, while some of the newer members of the club remain largely unstudied. Here we review the current state of knowledge on venom derived ASIC modulators, with a particular focus on their molecular interaction with ASICs, what they have taught us about channel structure, and what they might still reveal about ASIC function and pathophysiological roles

Integrated optical source of polarization entangled photons at 1310 nm

We report the realization of a new polarization entangled photon-pair source based on a titanium-indiffused waveguide integrated on periodically poled lithium niobate pumped by a CW laser at $655 nm$. The paired photons are emitted at the telecom wavelength of $1310 nm$ within a bandwidth of $0.7 nm$. The quantum properties of the pairs are measured using a two-photon coalescence experiment showing a visibility of 85%. The evaluated source brightness, on the order of $10^5$ pairs $s^{-1} GHz^{-1} mW^{-1}$, associated with its compactness and reliability, demonstrates the source's high potential for long-distance quantum communication.Comment: There is a typing mistake in the previous version in the visibility equation. This mistake doesn't change the result

Discovery and molecular interaction studies of a highly stable, tarantula peptide modulator of acid-sensing ion channel 1

Acute pharmacological inhibition of acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is efficacious in rodent models in alleviating symptoms of neurological diseases such as stroke and multiple sclerosis. Thus, ASIC1a is a promising therapeutic target and selective ligands that modulate it are invaluable research tools and potential therapeutic leads. Spider venoms have provided an abundance of voltage-gated ion channel modulators, however, only one ASIC modulator (PcTx1) has so far been isolated from this source. Here we report the discovery, characterization, and chemical stability of a second spider venom peptide that potently modulates ASIC1a and ASIC1b, and investigate the molecular basis for its subtype selectivity. π-TRTX-Hm3a (Hm3a) is a 37-amino acid peptide isolated from Togo starburst tarantula (Heteroscodra maculata) venom with five amino acid substitutions compared to PcTx1, and is also three residues shorter at the C-terminus. Hm3a pH-dependently inhibited ASIC1a with an IC of 1–2 nM and potentiated ASIC1b with an EC of 46.5 nM, similar to PcTx1. Using ASIC1a to ASIC1b point mutants in rat ASIC1a revealed that Glu177 and Arg175 in the palm region opposite α-helix 5 play an important role in the Hm3a-ASIC1 interaction and contribute to the subtype-dependent effects of the peptide. Despite its high sequence similarity with PcTx1, Hm3a showed higher levels of stability over 48 h. Overall, Hm3a represents a potent, highly stable tool for the study of ASICs and will be particularly useful when stability in biological fluids is required, for example in long term in vitro cell-based assays and in vivo experiments. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled ‘Venom-derived Peptides as Pharmacological Tools.

Analysis of navigation pattern in the sport of rowing

The effect of weather and environmental conditions on sports has been extensively studied over the last few years (Pezzoli et al., 2010). Based upon the studies of Lobozewicz (1981) and of Kay and Vamplew (2002), Pezzoli and Cristofori (2008) have studied the impact of some specific environmental parameters over different sports using a particular impact index divided into five classes. This analysis clearly shows that most of the outdoor sport activities are strongly influenced by the variation of meteorological parameters. However the impact of meteorological conditions on outdoor sport activities has not yet been extensively studied. The aim of this research is to show that an accurate assessment of wind and wave parameters enables decisive improvements in both training and race strategy planning. Furthermore this analysis provide a very innovative working method for the applied sport research. The work has been based on in-situ measurements of both environmental and performance parameters (wind direction, wind velocity, boat speed and stroke rate) made over different classes and in different race conditions during the 2009 FISA World Championship (Poznan, Poland). In particular a detailed environmental analysis was performed by measuring the wind direction, the wind speed and by evaluating the significant wave height and the wave peak period for each class during the semi-final phase and the final phase. It should be noted that, since wind is a key parameter affecting not only the boat speed but also the race strategy, the assessment of the wind velocity and of the wind direction has been made in connection with the boat movement. The comparison between coupled wind-wave data, boat speed and stroke rate evidently demonstrates that only crews that managed the adaption to changing in the environmental conditions from semi-final to final phase of the race, were able to get better results. References Kay, J., & Vamplew, W. (2002) Weather beaten: sport in the British climate. London: Ed. Mainstream Publishing. Lobozewicz, T. (1981) Meteorology in sport. Frankfurt: Ed. Sportverlag. Pezzoli, A,, Moncalero, M., Boscolo, A., Cristofori, E., Giacometto, F., Gastaldi, S., & Vercelli, G. (2010) The meteo-hydrological analysis and the sport performance: which are the connections? The case of the XXI Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver 2010, Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 50: 19-20. Pezzoli, A., & Cristofori, E. (2008) Analisi, previsioni e misure meteorologiche applicate agli sport equestri, in: 10th Congress “New findings in equine practices, Druento: Centro Internazionale del Cavallo Ed., p.38-43

A fixel-based analysis of micro- and macro-structural changes to white matter following adult traumatic brain injury

First published: 30 January 2020Diffusion tensor imaging is often used to assess white matter (WM) changes following traumatic brain injury (TBI), but is limited in voxels that contain multiple fibre tracts. Fixel-based analysis (FBA) addresses this limitation by using a novel method of analysing high angular resolution diffusion-weighted imaging (HARDI) data. FBA examines three aspects of each fibre tract within a voxel: tissue micro-structure (fibre density [FD]), tissue macro-structure (fibre-bundle cross section [FC]) and a combined measure of both (FD and fibre-bundle cross section [FDC]). This study used FBA to identify the location and extent of micro- and macro-structural changes in WM following TBI. A large TBI sample (Nmild = 133, Nmoderate-severe = 29) and control group (healthy and orthopaedic; N = 107) underwent magnetic resonance imaging with HARDI and completed reaction time tasks approximately 7 months after their injury (range: 98-338 days). The TBI group showed micro-structural differences (lower FD) in the corpus callosum and forceps minor, compared to controls. Subgroup analyses revealed that the mild TBI group did not differ from controls on any fixel metric, but the moderate to severe TBI group had significantly lower FD, FC and FDC in multiple WM tracts, including the corpus callosum, cerebral peduncle, internal and external capsule. The moderate to severe TBI group also had significantly slower reaction times than controls, but the mild TBI group did not. Reaction time was not related to fixel findings. Thus, the WM damage caused by moderate to severe TBI manifested as fewer axons and a reduction in the cross-sectional area of key WM tracts.Erica J. Wallace, Jane L. Mathias, Lynn Ward, Jurgen Fripp, Stephen Rose, Kerstin Panne