Possible implications of the channeling effect in NaI(Tl) crystals

The channeling effect of low energy ions along the crystallographic axes and planes of NaI(Tl) crystals is discussed in the framework of corollary investigations on WIMP Dark Matter candidates. In fact, the modeling of this existing effect implies a more complex evaluation of the luminosity yield for low energy recoiling Na and I ions. In the present paper related phenomenological arguments are developed and possible implications are discussed at some extent.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, preprint ROM2F/2007/15, submitted for publicatio

Optimising routing in an agent-centric synchromodal network with shared information

Our research focuses on synchromodal planning problems in which information is shared between all agents in the system and they choose their routes based on an individual optimisation objective. We show the effect of the information availability by developing three different methods to determine the optimal paths, to motivate logistic players to cooperate in a synchromodal system

Changes in Plasma β-NGF and Its Receptors Expression on Peripheral Blood Monocytes During Alzheimer’s Disease Progression

Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is characterized by the deposition of extracellular amyloid-\u3b2 (A\u3b2) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, and by neuroinflammation. During the pathogenesis of AD, monocyte-macrophage lineage cells become increasingly ineffective in clearing A\u3b2 deposits, less able to differentiate, and shift toward pro-inflammatory processes. Beta-nerve growth factor (\u3b2-NGF) and its receptors, TrKA and p75NTR, produce several biological responses, including cell apoptosis and survival, and inflammation. In the central nervous system, the involvement of these receptors in several critical hallmarks of AD is well known, but their role in circulating monocytes during the progression of dementia is unclear. We investigated the relationship between plasma \u3b2-NGF concentration and TrkA/p75NTR receptor expression in monocytes of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), mild AD, and severe AD. We observed that plasma \u3b2-NGF concentration was increased with a higher expression of TrKA, but not of p75NTR, in monocytes from patients with MCI and mild AD, whereas \u3b2-NGF concentration and TrKA expression were decreased and p75NTR expression was increased, associated with caspase 3-mediated apoptosis, in patients with severe AD. In our study, we show evidence of variation in plasmatic \u3b2-NGF and monocytic TrkA/p75NTR receptor expression during the progression of dementia. These novel findings add evidence to support the hypothesis for the involvement of \u3b2-NGF and its receptors on monocytes during AD progression