723 research outputs found
Framework for Designing 3D Virtual Environments
The process of design and development of virtual environments can be supported by tools and frameworks, to save time in technical aspects and focusing on the content. In this paper we present an
academic framework which provides several levels of abstraction to ease
this work. It includes state-of-the-art components we devised or integrated adopting open-source solutions in order to face specific problems.
Its architecture is modular and customizable, the code is open-source
Solitary lower lumbar osteochondroma (spinous process of L3 involvement): a case report
Solitary osteochondromas, which are the most common benign bone tumors of long bones, are rarely found in the vertebral column. A 16-year-old female patient presented with a hard palpable mass at lower lumbar region like a congenital deformity. Plain radiography illustrated a well-defined solid mass arising from the posterior elements of the L3 and ruled out any congenital anomalies. A computed tomography scan further determined a mass that arose from the spinous process of L3. The tumor was excised en bloc through a posterior approach and histopathological examination verified the diagnosis of osteocondroma
Analytical Solution for the Deformation of a Cylinder under Tidal Gravitational Forces
Quite a few future high precision space missions for testing Special and
General Relativity will use optical resonators which are used for laser
frequency stabilization. These devices are used for carrying out tests of the
isotropy of light (Michelson-Morley experiment) and of the universality of the
gravitational redshift. As the resonator frequency not only depends on the
speed of light but also on the resonator length, the quality of these
measurements is very sensitive to elastic deformations of the optical resonator
itself. As a consequence, a detailed knowledge about the deformations of the
cavity is necessary. Therefore in this article we investigate the modeling of
optical resonators in a space environment. Usually for simulation issues the
Finite Element Method (FEM) is applied in order to investigate the influence of
disturbances on the resonator measurements. However, for a careful control of
the numerical quality of FEM simulations a comparison with an analytical
solution of a simplified resonator model is beneficial. In this article we
present an analytical solution for the problem of an elastic, isotropic,
homogeneous free-flying cylinder in space under the influence of a tidal
gravitational force. The solution is gained by solving the linear equations of
elasticity for special boundary conditions. The applicability of using FEM
codes for these simulations shall be verified through the comparison of the
analytical solution with the results gained within the FEM code.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figure
Micro- and Nanoplasticsâ Effects on Protein Folding and Amyloidosis
A significant portion of the world's plastic is not properly disposed of and, through various processes, is degraded into microscopic particles termed micro- and nanoplastics. Marine and terrestrial faunae, including humans, inevitably get in contact and may inhale and ingest these microscopic plastics which can deposit throughout the body, potentially altering cellular and molecular functions in the nervous and other systems. For instance, at the cellular level, studies in animal models have shown that plastic particles can cross the blood-brain barrier and interact with neurons, and thus affect cognition. At the molecular level, plastics may specifically influence the folding of proteins, induce the formation of aberrant amyloid proteins, and therefore potentially trigger the development of systemic and local amyloidosis. In this review, we discuss the general issue of plastic micro- and nanoparticle generation, with a focus on their effects on protein folding, misfolding, and their possible clinical implications
Genomic and clinical findings in myeloid neoplasms with PDGFRB rearrangement
Platelet-derived growth factor receptor B (PDGFRB) gene rearrangements define a unique subgroup of myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms frequently associated with eosinophilia and characterized by high sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibition. To date, various PDGFRB/5q32 rearrangements, involving at least 40 fusion partners, have been reported. However, information on genomic and clinical features accompanying rearrangements of PDGFRB is still scarce. Here, we characterized a series of 14 cases with a myeloid neoplasm using cytogenetic, single nucleotide polymorphism array, and next-generation sequencing. We identified nine PDGFRB translocation partners, including the KAZN gene at 1p36.21 as a novel partner in a previously undescribed t(1;5)(p36;q33) chromosome change. In all cases, the PDGFRB recombination was the sole cytogenetic abnormality underlying the phenotype. Acquired somatic variants were mainly found in clinically aggressive diseases and involved epigenetic genes (TET2, DNMT3A, ASXL1), transcription factors (RUNX1 and CEBPA), and signaling modulators (HRAS). By using both cytogenetic and nested PCR monitoring to evaluate response to imatinib, we found that, in non-AML cases, a low dosage (100â200 mg) is sufficient to induce and maintain longstanding hematological, cytogenetic, and molecular remissions
Approccio globale alle mucopolisaccaridosi: applicazione di metodi altamente specifici per la diagnosi neonatale: risultati preliminari su campione di urina
Scopo dello studio
Le Mucopolisaccaridosi (MPS) sono patologie multisistemiche ed invalidanti ad alto grado di mortalit\ue0 e morbidit\ue0, spesso diagnosticate in ritardo quando si sono gi\ue0 verificati danni irreversibili agli organi. Una diagnosi precoce ed accurata risulta quindi importante per la consulenza genetica alla famiglia e per ottimizzare le terapie che risultano pi\uf9 efficaci se attuate sin dalle prime settimane di vita del neonato, anche in assenza di un\u2019evidente sintomatologia.
Obiettivo dello studio \ue8 quello di individuare marker affidabili, in grado di identificare diverse forme di MPS in una singola analisi. Campioni di sangue su spot (DBS) saranno analizzati attraverso una tecnica HPLC per la determinazione quantitativa e qualitativa dei disaccaridi che compongono i GAG, dopo il trattamento con enzimi specifici. Come controllo, i campioni di urine degli stessi soggetti verranno analizzati attraverso metodi standard: il saggio al colorante DMB e l\u2019elettroforesi su acetato di cellulosa. Vengono qui presentati i risultati della valutazione quantitativa e qualitativa dei GAG urinari.
Metodi utilizzati
Sono stati raccolti campioni di urina da 450 neonati sani a termine, dal 3\ub0 al 5\ub0 giorno di vita. La determinazione quantitativa dei GAG urinari totali \ue8 stata condotta mediante DMB test ed elettroforesi su acetato di cellulosa per identificare il pattern dei GAG escreti.
Risultati
La valutazione quantitativa dei GAG totali, con un valore medio di 227 \ub1 91 \ub5g GAG/mg di creatinina, ha messo in evidenza quantit\ue0 di GAG superiori (>50%) rispetto al valore medio di riferimento (114 \ub1 57 \ub5g GAG/mg di creatinina nella fascia di et\ue0 0-1 anno). Tutti i soggetti finora analizzati hanno mostrato all\u2019elettroforesi un pattern qualitativo normale rispetto ai patologici utilizzati come controllo.
Conclusioni
Lo studio si inserisce nell\u2019ambito di un progetto multicentrico triennale e fornir\ue0 un\u2019analisi di distribuzione dei valori normali dei GAG urinari nei primi giorni di vita, una valutazione dell\u2019affidabilit\ue0 del nuovo metodo per la determinazione dei disaccaridi su DBS e una stima della sua applicabilit\ue0.
Ricerca in parte finanziata con fondi Progetto PRIN 201
Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with 39 Gamma-Ray Bursts Using Data from the Second, Third, and Fourth LIGO Runs
We present the results of a search for short-duration gravitational-wave
bursts associated with 39 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by gamma-ray
satellite experiments during LIGO's S2, S3, and S4 science runs. The search
involves calculating the crosscorrelation between two interferometer data
streams surrounding the GRB trigger time. We search for associated
gravitational radiation from single GRBs, and also apply statistical tests to
search for a gravitational-wave signature associated with the whole sample. For
the sample examined, we find no evidence for the association of gravitational
radiation with GRBs, either on a single-GRB basis or on a statistical basis.
Simulating gravitational-wave bursts with sine-gaussian waveforms, we set upper
limits on the root-sum-square of the gravitational-wave strain amplitude of
such waveforms at the times of the GRB triggers. We also demonstrate how a
sample of several GRBs can be used collectively to set constraints on
population models. The small number of GRBs and the significant change in
sensitivity of the detectors over the three runs, however, limits the
usefulness of a population study for the S2, S3, and S4 runs. Finally, we
discuss prospects for the search sensitivity for the ongoing S5 run, and beyond
for the next generation of detectors.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, 14 tables; minor changes to text and Fig. 2;
accepted by Phys. Rev.
Search for gravitational waves from binary inspirals in S3 and S4 LIGO data
We report on a search for gravitational waves from the coalescence of compact
binaries during the third and fourth LIGO science runs. The search focused on
gravitational waves generated during the inspiral phase of the binary
evolution. In our analysis, we considered three categories of compact binary
systems, ordered by mass: (i) primordial black hole binaries with masses in the
range 0.35 M(sun) < m1, m2 < 1.0 M(sun), (ii) binary neutron stars with masses
in the range 1.0 M(sun) < m1, m2 < 3.0 M(sun), and (iii) binary black holes
with masses in the range 3.0 M(sun)< m1, m2 < m_(max) with the additional
constraint m1+ m2 < m_(max), where m_(max) was set to 40.0 M(sun) and 80.0
M(sun) in the third and fourth science runs, respectively. Although the
detectors could probe to distances as far as tens of Mpc, no gravitational-wave
signals were identified in the 1364 hours of data we analyzed. Assuming a
binary population with a Gaussian distribution around 0.75-0.75 M(sun), 1.4-1.4
M(sun), and 5.0-5.0 M(sun), we derived 90%-confidence upper limit rates of 4.9
yr^(-1) L10^(-1) for primordial black hole binaries, 1.2 yr^(-1) L10^(-1) for
binary neutron stars, and 0.5 yr^(-1) L10^(-1) for stellar mass binary black
holes, where L10 is 10^(10) times the blue light luminosity of the Sun.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure
All-sky search for periodic gravitational waves in LIGO S4 data
We report on an all-sky search with the LIGO detectors for periodic
gravitational waves in the frequency range 50-1000 Hz and with the frequency's
time derivative in the range -1.0E-8 Hz/s to zero. Data from the fourth LIGO
science run (S4) have been used in this search. Three different semi-coherent
methods of transforming and summing strain power from Short Fourier Transforms
(SFTs) of the calibrated data have been used. The first, known as "StackSlide",
averages normalized power from each SFT. A "weighted Hough" scheme is also
developed and used, and which also allows for a multi-interferometer search.
The third method, known as "PowerFlux", is a variant of the StackSlide method
in which the power is weighted before summing. In both the weighted Hough and
PowerFlux methods, the weights are chosen according to the noise and detector
antenna-pattern to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio. The respective
advantages and disadvantages of these methods are discussed. Observing no
evidence of periodic gravitational radiation, we report upper limits; we
interpret these as limits on this radiation from isolated rotating neutron
stars. The best population-based upper limit with 95% confidence on the
gravitational-wave strain amplitude, found for simulated sources distributed
isotropically across the sky and with isotropically distributed spin-axes, is
4.28E-24 (near 140 Hz). Strict upper limits are also obtained for small patches
on the sky for best-case and worst-case inclinations of the spin axes.Comment: 39 pages, 41 figures An error was found in the computation of the C
parameter defined in equation 44 which led to its overestimate by 2^(1/4).
The correct values for the multi-interferometer, H1 and L1 analyses are 9.2,
9.7, and 9.3, respectively. Figure 32 has been updated accordingly. None of
the upper limits presented in the paper were affecte
A Joint Search for Gravitational Wave Bursts with AURIGA and LIGO
The first simultaneous operation of the AURIGA detector and the LIGO
observatory was an opportunity to explore real data, joint analysis methods
between two very different types of gravitational wave detectors: resonant bars
and interferometers. This paper describes a coincident gravitational wave burst
search, where data from the LIGO interferometers are cross-correlated at the
time of AURIGA candidate events to identify coherent transients. The analysis
pipeline is tuned with two thresholds, on the signal-to-noise ratio of AURIGA
candidate events and on the significance of the cross-correlation test in LIGO.
The false alarm rate is estimated by introducing time shifts between data sets
and the network detection efficiency is measured with simulated signals with
power in the narrower AURIGA band. In the absence of a detection, we discuss
how to set an upper limit on the rate of gravitational waves and to interpret
it according to different source models. Due to the short amount of analyzed
data and to the high rate of non-Gaussian transients in the detectors noise at
the time, the relevance of this study is methodological: this was the first
joint search for gravitational wave bursts among detectors with such different
spectral sensitivity and the first opportunity for the resonant and
interferometric communities to unify languages and techniques in the pursuit of
their common goal.Comment: 18 pages, IOP, 12 EPS figure
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