IoT sensors for modern structural health monitoring. A new frontier

The problem of determining the structural safety level of buildings and civil engineering infrastructures (CEIs) is raising growing concern worldwide. Most of the reinforced concrete constructions have a design life not greater than 100 years, and today it is necessary to face the problem of assessing their level of safety and structural integrity. Such problem is even more pressing when a construction is subjected to extreme environmental conditions. The long-term goal of this study is the realization of wireless low- cost devices, and a data management software, for the structural health monitoring of buildings and CEIs, with remotely controlled sensors embedded in, or installed on, the structural elements, to measure stresses together with accelerations. Once equipped with such system, each construction can become part of the Internet of Things, permitting users and authorities to be alerted in case structural safety is diminished or compromised. A crucial aspect is the unaltered preservation of measurement data over time, which cannot just rely on third parties, and for which it is necessary the exploitation of suitable data-protection technologies. This study have been carried out by experimental testing and validation, both in lab and on site, of the monitoring devices designed and realized. Results show that it is possible to realize low-cost monitoring systems, and related installation techniques, for integration in every new or existing buildings and CEIs

La compra de oficios como vía de acceso a las varas de justicia. venalidad y coaliciones políticas en un cabildo rioplatense: la “casa de los Monje” (Santa Fe, 1700-1750).

This article attempts to highlight the mechanisms through which a family clan (the Martinez del Monje) could get an almost hegemonic presence in their local judicial functions -secular and ecclesiastical- in Santa Fe del Río de la Plata. The work is a contribution to the study of venality of judicial positions as well as the dynamics of political power in a peripheral seat of the Spanish monarchy during the first half of the eighteenth centuryEste artículo intenta poner en evidencia los mecanismos a través de los cuales un clan familiar (los Martínez del Monje) pudo conseguir una presencia casi hegemónica de sus en funciones judiciales locales –seculares y eclesiásticas– en Santa Fe del Río de la Plata. El trabajo constituye un aporte al estudio de la venalización de cargos judiciales así como al de las dinámicas del poder político en una sede periférica de la Monarquía hispánica durante la primera mitad del siglo XVIII

Cyclin D3 deficiency promotes a slower, more oxidative skeletal muscle phenotype and ameliorates pathophysiology in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

We previously reported that cyclin D3-null mice display a shift toward the slow, oxidative phenotype in skeletal muscle, improved exercise endurance, and increased energy expenditure. Here, we explored the role of cyclin D3 in the physiologic response of skeletal muscle to external stimuli and in a model of muscle degenerative disease. We show that cyclin D3-null mice exhibit a further transition from glycolytic to oxidative muscle fiber type in response to voluntary exercise and an improved response to fasting. Since fast glycolytic fibers are known to be more susceptible to degeneration in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), we examined the effects of cyclin D3 inactivation on skeletal muscle phenotype in the mdx mouse model of DMD. Compared with control mdx mice, cyclin D3-deficient mdx mice display a higher proportion of slower and more oxidative myofibers, reduced muscle degenerative/regenerative processes, and reduced myofiber size variability, indicating an attenuation of dystrophic histopathology. Furthermore, mdx muscles lacking cyclin D3 exhibit reduced fatigability during repeated electrical stimulations. Notably, cyclin D3-null mdx mice show enhanced performance during recurrent trials of endurance treadmill exercise, and post-exercise muscle damage results decreased while the regenerative capacity is boosted. In addition, muscles from exercised cyclin D3-deficient mdx mice display increased oxidative capacity and increased mRNA expression of genes involved in the regulation of oxidative metabolism and the response to oxidative stress. Altogether, our findings indicate that depletion of cyclin D3 confers benefits to dystrophic muscle, suggesting that cyclin D3 inhibition may represent a promising therapeutic strategy against DMD

Permanent monitoring of thin structures with low-cost devices

Recently, structural monitoring technology invested in methodologies that give direct information on structures' stress state. Optic fibers, strain gauges, pressure cells give real-time data on the stress condition of a structural element, often determining the area where peak stresses have been reached, with a clear advantage over other less direct monitoring methodologies, such as, e.g., the use of accelerometers and inverse analysis to estimate internal forces. In addition, stresses can be recorded in a data log for analysis after a loading event, as well as for taking into account the lifelong stress state of the structure. Beams and columns of a reinforced concrete frame can be effectively monitored for flexural loads. Differently, thin shells are most of their lifespan under membrane regime, and, when properly designed, they rarely move to the bending regime. Our proposal is to monitor the stress in thin structures by small-sized low- cost devices able to record the stress history at key locations, sending alerts when necessary, with the aim of ensuring safety against the risk of collapse, or simply to perform maintenance/repairing activities. Such devices are realized with cheap off-the-shelf electronics and traditional strain gauges. The application examples are given as laboratory tests performed on a reinforced concrete plate, a masonry panel, and a steel beam. Results shows that the permanent monitoring control of stresses can be conveniently carried out on new structures using low-cost devices of the type we designed and realized in-house

Large genomic aberrations detected by SNP array are independent prognosticators of a shorter time to first treatment in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with normal FISH

Background Genomic complexity can predict the clinical course of patients affected by chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with a normal FISH. However, large studies are still lacking. Here, we analyzed a large series of CLL patients and also carried out the so far largest comparison of FISH versus single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array in this disease. Patients and methods SNP-array data were derived from a previously reported dataset. Results Seventy-seven of 329 CLL patients (23%) presented with a normal FISH. At least one large (>5 Mb) genomic aberration was detected by SNP array in 17 of 77 patients (22%); this finding significantly affected TTT. There was no correlation with the presence of TP53 mutations. In multivariate analysis, including age, Binet stage, IGHV genes mutational status and large genomic lesion, the latter three factors emerged as independent prognosticators. The concordance between FISH and SNP array varied between 84 and 97%, depending on the specific genomic locus investigated. Conclusions SNP array detected additional large genomic aberrations not covered by the standard FISH panel predicting the outcome of CLL patient

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing the clinical course of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia: prognostic markers with pathogenetic relevance

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most frequent leukemia in the Western world, is characterized by extremely variable clinical courses with survivals ranging from 1 to more than 15 years. The pathogenetic factors playing a key role in defining the biological features of CLL cells, hence eventually influencing the clinical aggressiveness of the disease, are here divided into "intrinsic factors", mainly genomic alterations of CLL cells, and "extrinsic factors", responsible for direct microenvironmental interactions of CLL cells; the latter group includes interactions of CLL cells occurring via the surface B cell receptor (BCR) and dependent to specific molecular features of the BCR itself and/or to the presence of the BCR-associated molecule ZAP-70, or via other non-BCR-dependent interactions, e.g. specific receptor/ligand interactions, such as CD38/CD31 or CD49d/VCAM-1. A putative final model, discussing the pathogenesis and the clinicobiological features of CLL in relationship of these factors, is also provided

The SF3B1 inhibitor spliceostatin A (SSA) elicits apoptosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells through downregulation of Mcl-1

The pro-survival Bcl-2 family member Mcl-1 is expressed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), with high expression correlated with progressive disease. The spliceosome inhibitor spliceostatin A (SSA), is known to regulate Mcl-1 and so here we assessed the ability of SSA to elicit apoptosis in CLL. SSA induced apoptosis of CLL cells at low nanomolar concentrations in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but independently of SF3B1 mutational status, IGHV status and CD38 or ZAP70 expression. However, normal B and T cells were less sensitive than CLL cells (P=0.006 and P<0.001, respectively). SSA altered the splicing of anti-apoptotic MCL-1L to MCL-1s in CLL cells coincident with induction of apoptosis. Overexpression studies in Ramos cells suggested Mcl-1 was important for SSA-induced killing since its expression inversely correlated with apoptosis (P=0.001). IL4 and CD40L, present in patient lymph nodes, are known to protect tumor cells from apoptosis and significantly inhibited SSA, ABT-263 and ABT-199 induced killing following administration to CLL cells (P=0.008). However, by combining SSA with the Bcl-2/Bcl-xL antagonists ABT-263 or ABT-199, we were able to overcome this pro-survival effect. We conclude that SSA combined with Bcl-2/Bcl-xL antagonists may have therapeutic utility for CL