Computer Analysis of Talk-Silence Sequences: The FIASSCO System

The study of simple talk and silence indices that characterize conversation is limited by the costly, labor-intensive character of data collection and analysis. In the face of results demonstrating the significance of these data in interpersonal judgments (Hayes & Meltzer, 1972; Lustig, Note I), more efficient collection, storage, and analysis methods are required. This report describes a hardware and software system, FIASSCO, that collects, stores, and analyzes two-person separate-channel audio-recorded conversations for various indices of talk and silence. Data output are both continuous and discrete measures in time sequence. Further, data on the validity and reliability of FIASSCO output are provided along with sample analyses of computer results

MicroRNA-222 regulates muscle alternative splicing through Rbm24 during differentiation of skeletal muscle cells

A number of microRNAs have been shown to regulate skeletal muscle development and differentiation. MicroRNA-222 is downregulated during myogenic differentiation and its overexpression leads to alteration of muscle differentiation process and specialized structures. By using RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) pulldown followed by RNA sequencing, combined with in silico microRNA target prediction, we have identified two new targets of microRNA-222 involved in the regulation of myogenic differentiation, Ahnak and Rbm24. Specifically, the RNA-binding protein Rbm24 is a major regulator of muscle-specific alternative splicing and its downregulation by microRNA-222 results in defective exon inclusion impairing the production of muscle-specific isoforms of Coro6, Fxr1 and NACA transcripts. Reconstitution of normal levels of Rbm24 in cells overexpressing microRNA-222 rescues muscle-specific splicing. In conclusion, we have identified a new function of microRNA-222 leading to alteration of myogenic differentiation at the level of alternative splicing, and we provide evidence that this effect is mediated by Rbm24 protei

DAMA/NaI results

The DAMA/NaI set-up of the DAMA experiment has been operative during seven annual cycles and has investigated several rare processes. In particular, it has been realised in order to investigate the model independent annual modulation signature for Dark Matter particles in the galactic halo. With the total exposure collected in the seven annual cycles (107731 kg day) a model independent evidence for the presence of a Dark Matter particle component in the galactic halo has been pointed out at 6.3 sigma C.L.. Some of the many possible corollary model dependent quests for the candidate particle have been presented as well.Comment: Contributed paper to the Rencontres de Moriond "Electroweak Interactions and Unified Theories", La Thuile, Aosta Valley, Italy, March 200

Investigating electron interacting dark matter

Some extensions of the Standard Model provide Dark Matter candidate particles which can have a dominant coupling with the lepton sector of the ordinary matter. Thus, such Dark Matter candidate particles ($\chi^{0}$) can be directly detected only through their interaction with electrons in the detectors of a suitable experiment, while they are lost by experiments based on the rejection of the electromagnetic component of the experimental counting rate. These candidates can also offer a possible source of the 511 keV photons observed from the galactic bulge. In this paper this scenario is investigated. Some theoretical arguments are developed and related phenomenological aspects are discussed. Allowed intervals and regions for the characteristic phenomenological parameters of the considered model and of the possible mediator of the interaction are also derived considering the DAMA/NaI data.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in PRD. One typo correcte

Investigating halo substructures with annual modulation signature

Galaxy hierarchical formation theories, numerical simulations, the discovery of the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy (SagDEG) in 1994 and more recent investigations suggest that the dark halo of the Milky Way can have a rich phenomenology containing non thermalized substructures. In the present preliminary study, we investigate the case of the SagDEG (the best known satellite galaxy in the Milky Way crossing the solar neighbourhood) analyzing the consequences of its dark matter stream contribution to the galactic halo on the basis of the DAMA/NaI annual modulation data. The present analysis is restricted to some WIMP candidates and to some of the astrophysical, nuclear and particle Physics scenarios. Other candidates such as e.g. the light bosonic ones, we discussed elsewhere, and other non thermalized substructures are not yet addressed here.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, to appear in Eur. Phys. J.

Investigating pseudoscalar and scalar dark matter

In this paper another class of Dark Matter candidate particles: the pseudoscalar and scalar light bosonic candidates, is discussed. Particular care is devoted to the study of the processes for their detection (which only involves electrons and photons/X-rays) in a suitable underground experimental set-up. For this purpose the needed calculations are developed and various related aspects and phenomenologies are discussed. In particular, it is shown that - in addition to the WIMP cases already discussed elsewhere - there is also possibility for a bosonic candidate to account for the 6.3 sigma C.L. model independent evidence for the presence of a particle DM component in the galactic halo observed by DAMA/NaI. Allowed regions in these scenarios are presented also paying particular care on the cosmological interest of the bosonic candidate.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A (in press