77 research outputs found
A conditional result on exponential sums over primes in short intervals
The aim of this work is to illustrate a conditional result involving the
exponential sums over primes in short intervals under the assumption that both
the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis and the Density Hypothesis for Dirichlet
-functions are true.Comment: 15 page
Experimental results of an innovative NIR- solar façade panels-based polygeneration system
This paper intends to present the experimental results
of an integrated polygeneration system based on
innovative thermal solar façade panels working with
Near-InfraRed (NIR) radiation. The research goal is the
evaluation of thermal energy performances of the
integrated system based on innovative NIR façade
panels and including different other devices for
thermal and electrical energy production (i.e.
prototype heat pump and CHP mGT). The innovative
solution has been developed in the framework of
âENVISIONâ H2020 European Project whose aim is the
demonstration of a full renovation concept that
harvests energy from all available building surfaces
allowing visible aspects to be retained. In this paper,
the âENVISIONâ Southern Demosite, located at the
Savona University Campus (one of the venues of the
University of Genoa), is presented together with the
description of the solar panelsâ main characteristics,
their site installation, and the thermal power
calculation performed using experimental dat
The treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) as a possible source of micro- and nano-plastics and bioplastics in agroecosystems: a review
AbstractPlastics fragmentation into smaller debris, namely, micro- and nano-plastics (MPs and NPs), is a matter of global concern because of their wide distribution in terrestrial and marine environments. The latest research has focused mainly on aquatic ecosystems, and fragmentation of bioplastics into micro- and nano-particles (MBPs and NBPs) is not considered. The distribution, concentration, fate and major source of MPs, NPS, MBPs and NBPs in agroecosystems still need to be understood. The use of composts and sewage sludge from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) treatment plants as soil amendments is likely to represent a major input of these debris. The present review provides insights into the current evidence of pollution from micro- and nano-particles of both fossil- and bio-origin in the OFMSW treatment, and aims at evaluating if the recycling of organic waste and its application as a soil fertilizer outweigh the risk of pollution in terrestrial environments. Huge unpredictability exists due to the limited numbers of data on their quantification in each source of possible solution. Indeed, the major hurdles arise from the difficult to quantify the micro-, especially the nano-, particles and subsequently assess the concentrations in the environments, as well as bioaccumulation risks, and toxic effects on organisms.
Graphical Abstrac
Probing the influence of citrate-capped gold nanoparticles on an amyloidogenic protein
Nanoparticles (NPs) are known to exhibit distinct physical and chemical properties compared with the same materials in bulk form. NPs have been repeatedly reported to interact with proteins, and this interaction can be exploited to affect processes undergone by proteins, such as fibrillogenesis. Fibrillation is common to many proteins, and in living organisms, it causes tissue-specific or systemic amyloid diseases. The nature of NPs and their surface chemistry is crucial in assessing their affinity for proteins and their effects on them. Here we present the first detailed structural characterization and molecular mechanics model of the interaction between a fibrillogenic protein, \u3b22-microglobulin, and a NP, 5 nm hydrophilic citrate-capped gold nanoparticles. NMR measurements and simulations at multiple levels (enhanced sampling molecular dynamics, Brownian dynamics, and Poisson-Boltzmann electrostatics) explain the origin of the observed protein perturbations mostly localized at the amino-terminal region. Experiments show that the protein-NP interaction is weak in the physiological-like, conditions and do not induce protein fibrillation. Simulations reproduce these findings and reveal instead the role of the citrate in destabilizing the lower pH protonated form of \u3b22-microglobulin. The results offer possible strategies for controlling the desired effect of NPs on the conformational changes of the proteins, which have significant roles in the fibrillation process
PHOX2B-Mediated Regulation of ALK Expression: In Vitro Identification of a Functional Relationship between Two Genes Involved in Neuroblastoma
BACKGROUND: Neuroblastoma (NB) is a severe pediatric tumor originating from neural crest derivatives and accounting for 15% of childhood cancer mortality. The heterogeneous and complex genetic etiology has been confirmed with the identification of mutations in two genes, encoding for the receptor tyrosine kinase Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) and the transcription factor Paired-like Homeobox 2B (PHOX2B), in a limited proportion of NB patients. Interestingly, these two genes are overexpressed in the great majority of primary NB samples and cell lines. These observations led us to test the hypothesis of a regulatory or functional relationship between ALK and PHOX2B underlying NB pathogenesis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Following this possibility, we first confirmed a striking correlation between the transcription levels of ALK, PHOX2B and its direct target PHOX2A in a panel of NB cell lines. Then, we manipulated their expression in NB cell lines by siRNA-mediated knock-down and forced over-expression of each gene under analysis. Surprisingly, PHOX2B- and PHOX2A-directed siRNAs efficiently downregulated each other as well as ALK gene and, consistently, the enhanced expression of PHOX2B in NB cells yielded an increment of ALK protein. We finally demonstrated that PHOX2B drives ALK gene transcription by directly binding its promoter, which therefore represents a novel PHOX2B target. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings provide a compelling explanation of the concurrent involvement of these two genes in NB pathogenesis and are going to foster a better understanding of molecular interactions at the base of the disease. Moreover, this work opens new perspectives for NBs refractory to conventional therapies that may benefit from the design of novel therapeutic RNAi-based approaches for multiple gene targets
Modeling of GERDA Phase II data
The GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment at the Gran Sasso underground
laboratory (LNGS) of INFN is searching for neutrinoless double-beta
() decay of Ge. The technological challenge of GERDA is
to operate in a "background-free" regime in the region of interest (ROI) after
analysis cuts for the full 100kgyr target exposure of the
experiment. A careful modeling and decomposition of the full-range energy
spectrum is essential to predict the shape and composition of events in the ROI
around for the search, to extract a precise
measurement of the half-life of the double-beta decay mode with neutrinos
() and in order to identify the location of residual
impurities. The latter will permit future experiments to build strategies in
order to further lower the background and achieve even better sensitivities. In
this article the background decomposition prior to analysis cuts is presented
for GERDA Phase II. The background model fit yields a flat spectrum in the ROI
with a background index (BI) of cts/(kgkeVyr) for the enriched BEGe data set and
cts/(kgkeVyr) for the
enriched coaxial data set. These values are similar to the one of Gerda Phase I
despite a much larger number of detectors and hence radioactive hardware
components
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Modeling of GERDA Phase II data
The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) experiment at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS) of INFN is searching for neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay of 76Ge. The technological challenge of Gerda is to operate in a âbackground-freeâ regime in the region of interest (ROI) after analysis cuts for the full 100 kg¡yr target exposure of the experiment. A careful modeling and decomposition of the full-range energy spectrum is essential to predict the shape and composition of events in the ROI around Qββ for the 0νββ search, to extract a precise measurement of the half-life of the double-beta decay mode with neutrinos (2νββ) and in order to identify the location of residual impurities. The latter will permit future experiments to build strategies in order to further lower the background and achieve even better sensitivities. In this article the background decomposition prior to analysis cuts is presented for Gerda Phase II. The background model fit yields a flat spectrum in the ROI with a background index (BI) of 16.04+0.78â0.85â
10â3 cts/(keV¡kg¡yr) for the enriched BEGe data set and 14.68+0.47â0.52â
10â3 cts/(keV¡kg¡yr) for the enriched coaxial data set. These values are similar to the one of Phase I despite a much larger number of detectors and hence radioactive hardware components
Oltre lâemergenza: perdita del lavoro e nuova progettualitĂ familiare
Le misure avviate per contrastare lâespansione della pandemia da Covid-19 hanno avuto conseguenze economiche e sociali drammatiche nella vita delle persone. In particolare, la perdita del lavoro ha generato condizioni di povertĂ e solitudine. Nella famiglia, pertanto, ritroviamo le conseguenze negative della difficoltĂ occupazionale di uno o piĂš componenti; è in questo spazio relazionale che si amplifica il disagio. Il lavoro è una delle componenti di cui la persona ha bisogno per realizzare sĂŠ stessa, non è soltanto una fonte di reddito: è unâesperienza carica di significati che contribuisce a definire lâidentitĂ sociale della persona. Per le famiglie investite da tale fenomeno si prospettano importanti sfide da superare, per riuscire a ricostruire il benessere e lâequilibrio dellâintero sistema familiare. La riflessione pedagogica può aiutare a mettere in luce il rapporto tra vita lavorativa e andamento educativo delle relazioni familiari
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