904 research outputs found
Advanced technologies to target cardiac cell fate plasticity for heart regeneration
The adult human heart can only adapt to heart diseases by starting a myocardial remodeling process to compensate for the loss of functional cardiomyocytes, which ultimately develop into heart failure. In recent decades, the evolution of new strategies to regenerate the injured myocardium based on cellular reprogramming represents a revolutionary new paradigm for cardiac repair by targeting some key signaling molecules governing cardiac cell fate plasticity. While the indirect reprogramming routes require an in vitro engineered 3D tissue to be transplanted in vivo, the direct cardiac reprogramming would allow the administration of reprogramming factors directly in situ, thus holding great potential as in vivo treatment for clinical applications. In this framework, cellular reprogramming in partnership with nanotechnologies and bioengineering will offer new perspectives in the field of cardiovascular research for disease modeling, drug screening, and tissue engineering applications. In this review, we will summarize the recent progress in developing innovative therapeutic strategies based on manipulating cardiac cell fate plasticity in combination with bioengineering and nanotechnology-based approaches for targeting the failing heart
The key role of micrornas in self-renewal and differentiation of embryonic stem cells
Naïve pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) represent distinctive developmental stages, mimicking the pre-and the post-implantation events during the embryo development, respectively. The complex molecular mechanisms governing the transition from ESCs into EpiSCs are orchestrated by fluctuating levels of pluripotency transcription factors (Nanog, Oct4, etc.) and wide-ranging remodeling of the epigenetic landscape. Recent studies highlighted the pivotal role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in balancing the switch from self-renewal to differentiation of ESCs. Of note, evidence deriving from miRNA-based reprogramming strategies underscores the role of the non-coding RNAs in the induction and maintenance of the stemness properties. In this review, we revised recent studies concerning the functions mediated by miRNAs in ESCs, with the aim of giving a comprehensive view of the highly dynamic miRNA-mediated tuning, essential to guarantee cell cycle progression, pluripotency maintenance and the proper commitment of ESCs
Dataset for multimodal fake news detection and verification tasks
The proliferation of online disinformation and fake news, particularly in the context of breaking news events, demands the development of effective detection mechanisms. While textual content remains the predominant medium for disseminating misleading information, the contribution of other modalities is increasingly emerging within online outlets and social media platforms. However, multimodal datasets, which incorporate diverse modalities such as texts and images, are not very common yet, especially in low-resource languages. This study addresses this gap by releasing a dataset tailored for multimodal fake news detection in the Italian language. This dataset was originally employed in a shared task on the Italian language. The dataset is divided into two data subsets, each corresponding to a distinct sub-task. In sub-task 1, the goal is to assess the effectiveness of multimodal fake news detection systems. Sub-task 2 aims to delve into the interplay between text and images, specifically analyzing how these modalities mutually influence the interpretation of content when distinguishing between fake and real news. Both sub-tasks were managed as classification problems. The dataset consists of social media posts and news articles. After collecting it, it was labeled via crowdsourcing. Annotators were provided with external knowledge about the topic of the news to be labeled, enhancing their ability to discriminate between fake and real news. The data subsets for sub-task 1 and sub-task 2 consist of 913 and 1350 items, respectively, encompassing newspaper articles and tweets
Single-mode regime in large-mode-area rare-earth-doped rod-type PCFs
In this paper, large-mode-area, double-cladding, rare-earth-doped photonic crystal fibers are investigated in order to understand how the refractive index distribution and the mode competition given by the amplification can assure singlemode
propagation. Fibers with different core diameters, i.e., 35,60, and 100 μm, are considered. The analysis of the mode effective index, overlap, effective area, gain, and power evolution along the doped fiber provides clear guidelines on the fiber physical characteristics to be matched in the fabrication process to obtain a truly or effectively single-mode output beam
MicroRNA Roles in Cell Reprogramming Mechanisms
Cell reprogramming is a groundbreaking technology that, in few decades, generated a new paradigm in biomedical science. To date we can use cell reprogramming to potentially generate every cell type by converting somatic cells and suitably modulating the expression of key transcription factors. This approach can be used to convert skin fibroblasts into pluripotent stem cells as well as into a variety of differentiated and medically relevant cell types, including cardiomyocytes and neural cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying such striking cell phenotypes are still largely unknown, but in the last decade it has been proven that cell reprogramming approaches are significantly influenced by non-coding RNAs. Specifically, this review will focus on the role of microRNAs in the reprogramming processes that lead to the generation of pluripotent stem cells, neurons, and cardiomyocytes. As highlighted here, non-coding RNA-forced expression can be sufficient to support some cell reprogramming processes, and, therefore, we will also discuss how these molecular determinants could be used in the future for biomedical purposes
Self-similarity under inflation and level statistics: a study in two dimensions
Energy level spacing statistics are discussed for a two dimensional
quasiperiodic tiling. The property of self-similarity under inflation is used
to write a recursion relation for the level spacing distributions defined on
square approximants to the perfect quasiperiodic structure.
New distribution functions are defined and determined by a combination of
numerical and analytical calculations.Comment: Latex, 13 pages including 6 EPS figures, paper submitted to PR
Caratteristiche sismostratigrafiche di strutture sedimentarie diagnostiche dicorrenti di fondo nell\u2019off-shore del Golfo di Taranto.
L\u2019analisi integrata di dati multibeam e sismici ad altissima risoluzione (Chirp Sub-Bottom), acquisiti in
un settore del Golfo di Taranto (Mare Ionio), ha permesso di identificare e classificare strutture sedimentarie
diagnostiche di correnti di fondo (conturiti), formatesi nel tardo Quaternario. La classificazione proposta \ue8
basata sia su criteri sismo-stratigrafici che sulla comparazione con strutture analoge documentate da
precedenti autori nei bacini oceanici [Faugeres et al., 1999 con rif.].
Nell\u2019area in esame sono stati identificati quattro settori (Alto dell\u2019Amendolara, Bacino di Corigliano,
Bacino dell\u2019Amendolara ed Alto di Rossano-Cariati) caratterizzati da morfologia, pendenza e profondit\ue0
differente. Le strutture conturitiche sono state riconosciute prevalentemente nei settori NW e SE dell\u2019alto
dell\u2019Amendolara, ad una profondit\ue0 compresa tra 130 m e 400 m e le geometrie interne ed esterne mostrano
caratteristiche deposizionali ed erosive. Sono state classificate come sheeted drift le strutture sviluppate subparallelamente
al profilo batimetrico, infill drift ed elongated drift le strutture caratterizzate da fosse ben
sviluppate ed elementi erosivi quali fosse ed abraded surface. Sono stati osservati inoltre osservati sediment
waves nel settore SW dell\u2019alto strutturale.
Dall\u2019analisi integrata dei nuovi dati con quelli disponibili in letteratura \ue8 possibile ipotizzare che i
fattori che hanno maggiormente influenzato tipologia, distribuzione areale e batimetrica dei depositi
conturitici e degli elementi erosivi sono: a) morfologia del fondo marino; b) caratteristiche dei sedimenti (es.
tessitura); c) variazione della velocit\ue0 della \u201cLevantine Intermediate Water come conseguenza delle d)
variazioni eustatiche.
Sono stati inoltre applicati in cascata i modelli bidimensionali CMS- Wave [Lin et al, 2006] per la
propagazione dello spettro d\u2019onda, e CMS- Flow [Buttolph et al, 2006] per la circolazione interna,
prendendo in considerazione i dati meteo marini forniti dall\u2019ECMWF nel punto di coordinate 39,5\ub0N, 17\ub0E,
in modo da valutare le condizioni idrodinamiche in prossimit\ue0 del paraggio in esame.
L\u2019integrazione dei dati indicati geologici/geofisici e dei risultati del codice di calcolo numerico ha
permesso di ipotizzare un modello di circolazione della corrente \u201cLevantine Intermediate Water\u201d e valutare
l\u2019influenza delle morfostrutture sulla circolazione delle acque profonde durante l\u2019ultima fase di
abbassamento e stazionamento basso del livello del mare.
Bibliografia
Buttolph, A.,D., Reed, C.W., Kraus N., Wamsley, T.V., Ono, N., Larson, M.,Camenen, B., Hanson, H.
Zundel, A.K., (2006). Two-Dimensional Depth-Averaged Circulation Model CMS-M2D: Version 3.0,
Report 2, Sediment Transport and Morphology Change. ERDC/CHL TR-06-9 Vicksburg, MS: U.S.
Army Engineer
Research and Development Center.
Lin, L., H. Mase, F. Yamada, and Z. Demirbilek. (2006). Wave-action balance equation diffraction
(WABED) model: Tests of wave diffraction and reflection at inlets. Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering
Technical Note ERDC/CHL CHETN-III-73. Vicksburg, MS: U.S. Army Engineer Research and
Development Center.
Faug\ue8res, J.C., Stow, D.A.V., Imbert, P., Viana, A.R. (1999). Seismic feature diagnostic of contourite drifts.
Marine Geology 162, pp. 1-38
Morfologia e morfometria del settore ionico del Golfo di Taranto.
Il versante Ionico del Golfo di Taranto \ue8 caratterizzato dalla presenza di alti strutturali e bacini che
rappresentano l\u2019espressione morfologica di sistemi di faglie pleistoceniche transpressive. La dorsale di
Amendolara si estende per 45 Km in direzione N130\ub0E, ed \ue8 caratterizzato dalla presenza di tre alti
batimetrici minori (denominati Amendolara, Rossano e Cariati). Verso NE, la dorsale di Capo Spulico si
estende per 40 Km in direzione !N115\ub0E.
Durante la Campagna Oceanografica \u201cTeatioca\u201d sono stati acquisiti 1100Km2 di dati batimetrici
multibeam e profili sismici monocanale ad alta (Sparker) ed altissima risoluzione (Subbottom Chirp).
L\u2019analisi integrata dei nuovi dati ha consentito di ottenere una sintesi morfostrutturale preliminare dell\u2019area
sud-orientale del Golfo di Taranto [Santoro et al., 2012].
L\u2019insieme dei dati morfometrici evidenzia un ruolo chiave nell\u2019attivit\ue0 traspressiva della faglia che borda
a SW la dorsale di Amendolara, in quanto la regolarit\ue0 dei pendii rivolti a S \ue8 legata alla deformazione e
sollevamento dei versanti, che tende a superare l\u2019effetto dei processi erosivi (versanti a controllo morfostrutturale).
Il processo di basculamento guidato dall\u2019azione della faglia sembra essere all\u2019originedei processi
responsabili dell\u2019erosione gravitazionale canalizzata sui pendii esposti a nord (versanti a controllo morfosedimentario).
Sette ordini di terrazzi sono stati riconosciuti sul top del Banco di Amendolara, attraverso tecniche di
analisi dei picchi nel diagramma di distribuzione delle quote [Passaro et al., 2011]. Tale dato e le statistiche
sui profili estratti dal DTM testimoniano la presenza di tassi differenziali di sollevamento ed un complessivo
tilt (verso E) del settore frontale ionico dell\u2019Appennino Meridionale, in accordo con quanto suggerito in
letteratura [Ferranti et al., 2009].
Bibliografia
Ferranti, L., Santoro, E., Mazzella, M.E., Monaco, C., Morelli, D., (2009). Active transpression in the
northern Calabria Apennines, southern Italy. Tectonophysics, 476 (1-2), 226-251.
Passaro, S., Ferranti, L., de Alteriis, G., (2011). The use of high resolution elevation histograms for mapping
submerged terraces: a test from the Eastern Tyrrhenian Sea and the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. Quat. Int.,
232, 1-2, 238-249.
Santoro, E., Ferranti, L., Passaro, S., Burrato, P., Morelli, D., (2012). Morphometric analysis in the offshore
of the southern Taranto Gulf: unveiling the structures controlling the Late Pleistocene-Holocene
bathymetric evolution. Rend. On. Soc. Geol. It., 21 (2), 1132-1135
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