Topological two-body bound states in the interacting Haldane model

We study the topological properties of the two-body bound states in an interacting Haldane model as a function of interparticle interactions. In particular, we identify topological phases where the two-body edge states have either the same or the opposite chirality as compared to single-particle edge states. We highlight that in the moderately interacting regime, which is relevant for the experimental realization with ultracold atoms, the topological transition is affected by the internal structure of the bound state, and the phase boundaries are consequently deformed

Long non-coding RNA H19 enhances the pro-apoptotic activity of ITF2357 (a histone deacetylase inhibitor) in colorectal cancer cells

: Introduction: Long non-coding RNA H19 (lncH19) is highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) and plays critical roles in tumor development, proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Indeed, the expression of lncH19 usually affects the outcomes of chemo-, endocrine, and targeted therapies. ITF2357 (givinostat) is a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) that revealed a significant anti-tumor action by inducing apoptosis in different tumor models, including leukemia, melanoma, and glioblastoma. However, no data are present in the literature regarding the use of this compound for CRC treatment. Here, we investigate the role of lncH19 in ITF2357-induced apoptosis in CRC cells. Methods: The HCT-116 CRC cell line was stably silenced for H19 to investigate the role of this lncRNA in ITF2357-induced cell death. Cell viability assays and flow cytometric analyses were performed to assess the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of ITF2357 in CRC cell lines that are silenced or not for lncH19. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to study the effects of ITF2357 on autophagy and apoptosis markers. Finally, bioinformatics analyses were used to identify miRNAs targeting pro-apoptotic factors that can be sponged by lncH19. Results: ITF2357 increased the expression levels of H19 and reduced HCT-116 cell viability, inducing apoptosis, as demonstrated by the increase in annexin-V positivity, caspase 3 cleavage, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP-1) degradation. Interestingly, the apoptotic effect of ITF2357 was much less evident in lncH19-silenced cells. We showed that lncH19 plays a functional role in the pro-apoptotic activity of the drug by stabilizing TP53 and its transcriptional targets, NOXA and PUMA. ITF2357 also induced autophagy in CRC cells, which was interpreted as a pro-survival response not correlated with lncH19 expression. Furthermore, ITF2357 induced apoptosis in 5-fluorouracil-resistant HCT-116 cells that express high levels of lncH19. Conclusion: This study shows that lncH19 expression contributes to ITF2357-induced apoptosis by stabilizing TP53. Overall, we suggest that lncH19 expression may be exploited to favor HDACi-induced cell death and overcome 5-fluorouracil chemoresistance

Spatial abilities and the gender gap in mathematics (Matabì)

Learning mathematics is a general problem in Italy, but it is more relevant for females. Male students typically outperform their female classmates in maths test scores from the earliest years of schooling, and the gap worsens as school grades progress. The different experiences and expectations about potential abilities of boys and girls are key to understanding the possible causes of the observed relative differences in education performance. Early life experiences are essential for developing a child’s cognitive capacities, and environmentally induced gender differences may arise when children are exposed to heterogeneous sources of development opportunities. One of the sources of gender inequalities in mathematics is related to differences in the acquisition of visuospatial abilities between girls and boys from a very young age. Existing works find that playing with specific toys facilitates learning in maths and science. Boys usually gain more experience than girls because of different parental and educators’ beliefs and behaviour regarding the gender-specific suitability of toys. Moreover, self-confidence and anxiety are not gender-neutral and can affect educational outcomes. The Matabì project aims to enhance spatial abilities and reduce the gender gap via construction play (i.e., by using building toys and Lego Duplo brick sets). Using the bricks should help students process abstract concepts, while the playful approach should reduce maths anxiety. Girls should benefit more from Matabì than males, who are (on average) able to develop these skills early on in life. The project started in October 2022, so we would present the overall structure and what has been accomplished so far. This should be engaging in three respects: the teachers' reinforcement of their spatial abilities, the instruments used to collect the outcomes, and the impact evaluation design conducted with Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Teachers’ training includes a pre- and post-standardised test, the mental rotation section of the Revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Test. The RCT involves around 60 classes in five schools in Torino (60 teachers and 1200 third and fourth grade pupils). Within each school, we randomly assigned a third of the teachers to the control group and two-thirds to the treatment group. The study will provide evidence of the effects of teaching methods exploiting construction play. The primary research questions are: 1- What is the impact on the spatial abilities of teachers? 2- What is the impact on the spatial abilities of pupils? 3- How does the impact differ by gender? 4- How does the treatment affect the gender gap in mathematics

Update on gingival overgrowth by cyclosporine A in renal transplants

Severe gingival overgrowth is one of the most frequent side effects in renal transplant patients associated with assumption of cyclosporine A. Several associations with age, sex, dosage, duration of therapy or interval since transplantation have been hypothesized. The introduction of alternative immunosuppressant drugs have been suggested to permit better long-term transplant outcomes and a decrease in incidence of gingival overgrowth. The aim of the present paper is to summarize current knowledge regarding aetiology, pathogenesis and management of gingival overgrowth induced by Cyclosporine A

Comparison of Antarctic polar stratospheric cloud observations by ground-based and space-borne lidar and relevance for chemistry–climate models

Abstract. A comparison of polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) occurrence from 2006 to 2010 is presented, as observed from the ground-based lidar station at McMurdo (Antarctica) and by the satellite-borne CALIOP lidar (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) measuring over McMurdo. McMurdo (Antarctica) is one of the primary lidar stations for aerosol measurements of the NDACC (Network for Detection of Atmospheric Climate Change). The ground-based observations have been classified with an algorithm derived from the recent v2 detection and classification scheme, used to classify PSCs observed by CALIOP. A statistical approach has been used to compare ground-based and satellite-based observations, since point-to-point comparison is often troublesome due to the intrinsic differences in the observation geometries and the imperfect overlap of the observed areas. A comparison of space-borne lidar observations and a selection of simulations obtained from chemistry–climate models (CCMs) has been made by using a series of quantitative diagnostics based on the statistical occurrence of different PSC types. The distribution of PSCs over Antarctica, calculated by several CCMVal-2 and CCMI chemistry–climate models has been compared with the PSC coverage observed by the satellite-borne CALIOP lidar. The use of several diagnostic tools, including the temperature dependence of the PSC occurrences, evidences the merits and flaws of the different models. The diagnostic methods have been defined to overcome (at least partially) the possible differences due to the resolution of the models and to identify differences due to microphysics (e.g., the dependence of PSC occurrence on T−TNAT). A significant temperature bias of most models has been observed, as well as a limited ability to reproduce the longitudinal variations in PSC occurrences observed by CALIOP. In particular, a strong temperature bias has been observed in CCMVal-2 models with a strong impact on PSC formation. The WACCM-CCMI (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model – Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative) model compares rather well with the CALIOP observations, although a temperature bias is still present

Two-body physics in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Two-body physics in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe