Static versus dynamic longevity­ risk hedging

This paper provides the static, swap-based hedge for an annuity, and compares it with the dynamic, delta-based hedge, achieved using longevity bonds. We assume that the longevity intensity is distributed according to a CIR-type process and provide closed-form derivatives prices and hedges, also in presence of an analogous CIR process for interest rate risk. Our calibration to 65-year old UK males shows that – once interest rate risk is perfectly hedged – the average hedging error of the dynamic hedge is moderate, and both its variance and the thickness of the tails of its distribution are decreasing with the rebalancing frequency. The spread over the basic "swap rate" which makes 99.5% quantile of the distribution of the dynamic hedging error equal to the cost of the static hedge lies between 0.01 and 0.04%

MRI Tracking of Macrophages Labeled with Glucan Particles Entrapping a Water Insoluble Paramagnetic Gd-Based Agent.

PURPOSE: This study is aimed at demonstrating the in vivo potential of Gd(III)-loaded glucan particles (Gd-GPs) as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-positive agents for labeling and tracking phagocytic cells. PROCEDURE: GPs were obtained from Saccharomyces cerevisae and loaded with the water-insoluble complex Gd-DOTAMA(C18)2. The uptake kinetics of Gd-GPs by murine macrophages was studied in vitro and the internalization mechanism was assessed by competition assays. The in vivo performance of Gd-GPs was tested at 7.05 T on a mouse model of acute liver inflammation. RESULTS: The minimum number of Gd-GPs-labeled J774.A1 macrophages detected in vitro by MRI was ca. 300 cells/μl of agar, which is the lowest number ever reported for cells labeled with a positive T1 agent. Intravenous injection of macrophages labeled with Gd-GPs in a mouse model of liver inflammation enabled the MRI visualization of the cellular infiltration in the diseased area. CONCLUSIONS: Gd-GPs represent a promising platform for tracking macrophages by MRI as a T1 alternative to the golden standard T2-based iron oxide particles

The weed vegetation of the bean “Fagiolo Cannellino di Atina” and the red pepper “Peperone di Pontecorvo” PDO crops (Latium, central Italy)

The weed vegetation of the bean “Fagiolo Cannellino di Atina” (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and the red pepper “Peperone di Pontecorvo” (Capsicum annuum L.) PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) crops was surveyed by means of 16 relevés, sampled in four farms of southern Latium during July 2019. The relevés were subjected to multivariate analysis, which revealed that the two crops are weeded by vegetation types referable to two different subassociations of Panico-Polygonetum persicariae (Spergulo-Erodion, Eragrostietalia, Digitario-Eragrostietea). Namely, communities colonizing bean fields, which are more mesophilous and richer in Eurasian taxa, are ascribable to the subassociation sorghetosum halepensis. Communities colonizing red pepper fields, which are more thermophilous and richer in Mediterranean taxa, are ascribable to the subassociation cyperetosum rotundi. Floristic, structural, and chorological features of the communities are discussed in relation to environmental factors and agricultural management

UCN-01 enhances cytotoxicity of irinotecan in colorectal cancer stem-like cells by impairing DNA damage response

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and lethal cancers worldwide. Despite recent progress, the prognosis of advanced stage CRC remains poor, mainly because of cancer recurrence and metastasis. The high morbidity and mortality of CRC has been recently ascribed to a small population of tumor cells that hold the potential of tumor initiation, i.e. cancer stem cells (CSCs), which play a pivotal role in cancer recurrence and metastasis and are not eradicated by current therapy. We screened CRC-SCs in vitro with a library of protein kinase inhibitors and showed that CRC-SCs are resistant to specific inhibition of the major signaling pathways involved in cell survival and proliferation. Nonetheless, broad-spectrum inhibition by the staurosporin derivative UCN-01 blocks CRC-SC growth and potentiates the activity of irinotecan in vitro and in vivo CRC-SC-derived models. Reverse-Phase Protein Microarrays (RPPA) revealed that, albeit CRC-SCs display individual phospho-proteomic profiles, sensitivity of CRC-SCs to UCN-01 relies on the interference with the DNA damage response mediated by Chk1. Combination of LY2603618, a specific Chk1/2 inhibitor, with irinotecan resulted in a significant reduction of CRC-SC growth in vivo, confirming that irinotecan treatment coupled to inhibition of Chk1 represents a potentially effective therapeutic approach for CRC treatment

Inclusion of migrants for rural regeneration through cultural and natural heritage valorization

Rural areas all over Europe are facing similar chronic economic, social and environmental problems such as depopulation, reduced service provision, ageing, decline of agriculture income, inhibited accessibility. At the same time, rural landscapes are continuously threatened by loss of biodiversity, climate change impacts and short-term management decisions and perspectives that further aggravate the economic and social conditions of rural communities. Despite these critical socio-economic conditions, rural areas are cradles of civilization, repositories of old traditions, dialects and languages, of uses, handcrafts skills and social practices which must be preserved and exploited. The majority of the European heritage is found in rural areas, therefore Cultural and Natural Heritage can represent a driver for migrants\u2019 integration, by fostering a heritage based sustainable regeneration of rural territories that is able to support a new model of integration. The overall aim of the paper is to investigate the challenges and possibilities offered by migration trends in rural areas to create rural regeneration models for inclusion of migrants and refugees, based on cultural and natural heritage introducing them to the job market. Section 2 explains the methodology of the study and gives an insight of the research topic within the overall RURITAGE project methodology. Two case studies of rural regeneration through the inclusion of migrants into the valorisation processes of cultural and natural heritage are presented in Section 3, while the preliminary results and main findings are discussed in Section 4. In Section 5, conclusions and future research steps are presented

On the compliance of thermal performance requirements for highly insulated building units

The target of the nearly zero-energy building (nZEB), stated by the European Union, represents one of the most strenuous challenges to reduce energy consumptions and greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector. In Italy, the nZEB concept refers to a set of energy performance requirements, fixed at national level and establishing a maximum allowable mean thermal transmittance value of the building envelope, as a function of the heating degree-days and of the shape factor. The building envelope is becoming more and more thermally insulated; this determines the reduction of the energy need for heating, but on the other hand it can cause the indoor overheating and the resulting increase of the energy need for cooling. In the design of highly energy efficient buildings, the different energy needs should be kept in balance as to increase the overall energy performance. The article aims to investigate the conditions and extent for which the envelope insulation is beneficial for containing overall energy needs. A sensitivity analysis that involves different insulation levels of the building envelope is performed on some apartments of a typical residential building, located in three different Italian climatic zones. The energy performance calculations are carried out by means of a detailed dynamic simulation tool (EnergyPlus). The results point out that, whereas the effect of increasing the thermal insulation causes a stable reduction of the energy need for heating, the energy need for cooling is very sensitive to the apartment storey; specifically, it increases in ground-floor apartments, and decreases for topfloor building units. Its reduction becomes progressively more consistent at the decrease of the heating degree-days. Considering the annual imbalances between the energy needs for cooling and heating due to the hyper-insulated envelope, reference values of thermal transmittance can be derived as to maximise the overall energy performance of the building

Explanation of the Charge Trapping Properties of Silicon Nitride Storage Layers for NVMs-Part II: Atomistic and Electrical Modeling

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