Setting up of a theoretical-experimental approach for the measurement of the vibrational impact on cultural heritages due to vehicular traffic

During the last years, the constant increase of the request for transport by road and by rail, connected to the economic and social development process, has provoked the birth of the phenomenon of the vibrations induced by the means of transports, with the result of stimulating the resident population's curiosity and the technical personnel's interest. Into the historic centres of the towns, it is possible to trace a series of concomitant factors that tend further to increase this process: the road superstructure mostly used in the historical centres are often stony, and their usage is due mainly to aesthetic reasons; the no-measurement or the lack of maintenance are often the causes of high levels of roughness; the buildings set into the historical centres have got a historical-art value of primary importance and some part of them (such as mosaics, pictures, etc.) are very sensitive to vibrations, being sticking to the outside walls; According to what said above, the noisy and vibrations provoked by the road traffic are becoming even more one of the main cause of the environmental damage

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and the viral infection

Exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a widespread highly toxic environmental contaminant, suppresses immune response and leads to an increased susceptibility to infectious agents. In particular, several studies have provided evidence that TCDD decreases resistance to numerous viruses. Indeed, in vivo and in vitro investigations showed that the presence of TCDD is able to interfere with the replication of both human and animal viruses, such as influenza A viruses, coxsackie virus B3, immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1), cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex II, and bovine herpesvirus 1. Moreover, TCDD could induce an exacerbation of latent infection produced by HIV-1, CMV or Epstein-Barr virus. In this review, we first describe the general effects of TCDD exposure on mammalian cells, then we focus on its influence on the viral infections. Overall, the available data support the concept that TCDD exposure may act as an additional risk factor in promoting of viral diseases

Linestrength ratio spectroscopy as a new primary thermometer for redefined Kelvin dissemination

Experimental methods for primary thermometry, after Kelvin unit redefinition on May 2019, become based on a known value of the Boltzmann constant rather than by measuring temperature with respect to a reference point. In this frame, we propose Linestrength Ratio Thermometry (LRT) as a candidate method for primary thermometry in the 9-700 K temperature range. Temperature accuracies at the ppm level are prospected for LRT applied to optical transitions of the CO molecule in the range 80-700 K and of a rare-earth-doped crystal in the 9-100 K one. Future implementations of this technique can contribute to measure the calibration- discrepancies in the ITS-90 metrological scale of thermodynamic temperature which can have a measurable impact in applications ranging from fundamental-physics to meteorology and climatology

Could dietary restrictions affect periodontal disease? A systematic review

ObjectiveThis review aimed at evaluating the possible benefits that caloric restriction (CR) may provide to periodontal disease progression and response to treatment.Material and methodsElectronic search on Medline, Embase and Cochrane, and manual search were performed to identify pre-clinical and on human studies reporting the consequences of CR on clinical and inflammatory parameters related to periodontitis. Newcastle Ottawa System and SYRCLE scale were used to assess the risk of bias.ResultsFour thousand nine hundred eighty articles were initially screened, and a total of 6 articles were finally included, consisting of 4 animal studies and 2 studies in humans. Due to the limited number of studies and heterogeneity of the data, results were presented in descriptive analyses. All studies showed that, compared to the normal (ad libitum) diet, CR might have the potential to reduce the local and systemic hyper-inflammatory state as well as disease progression in periodontal patients.ConclusionsWithin the existing limitations, this review highlights that CR showed some improvements in the periodontal condition by reducing the local and systemic inflammation related to the periodontitis and by improving clinical parameters. However, the results should be interpreted with caution since robust research such as randomized clinical trials is still missing.Clinical relevanceThis review shows that some dietary/caloric restrictions approaches may have the potential to improve periodontal conditions and, in addition, highlights a need for human studies with a robust methodology in order to draw stronger evidence-based conclusions

ITSoneDB: a reliable resource for the investigation of the human mycobiome

Aim: In the last ten years the human microbiome investigation has raised a constantly increasing interest both in the scientific community and in public opinion. The gained evidences have clearly defined how it deeply influences both the physiological and pathological processes. Even if most of the attention was focused on prokaryotes, more recently the survey of fungal communities, the so called mycobiome [1], gained momentum. In this framework, the advent of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies and the DNA metabarcoding (exploits marker genes to taxonomically classify species) has allowed to rapidly and accurately investigate complex microbiomes. Regarding the mycobiome, the ITS1 (Internal Transcribed Spacer 1) of the eukaryotic ribosomal gene cluster is the most promising marker. The taxonomic annotation of microbial species relies on well-curated databases. In this respect we carried out a benchmark assessment of ITSoneDB [2] and UNITE [3] as reference databases for the investigation of fungal communities. Method: In order to obtain an in-silico fungal mock community we have randomly drawn 1,000 fungal genomes from the Genome NCBI database. The ITS1 regions were in-silico amplified by using primersearch and an in-house developed Python script. Then, Illumina 2x250 paired end ITS1 sequence amplicons have been generated in silico by using the Art-Illumina software. The obtained mock community includes 109 Families, 163 Genera and 73 Species. The sequences have been analysed by using QIIME2 by using both ITSoneDB and UNITE as reference databases. Results: The databases performances in correctly profiling the mycobiome relative abundances have been assessed at Family, Genus and Species ranks by using the Pearson correlation (R2). Both ITSoneDB and UNITE have shown a R2=1 at Family and Genera level. At the Species level ITSoneDB outperformed UNITE by obtaining more accurate results both in terms of classified sequences (Table 1) and relative abundance correlation (Figure 1). Conclusion: UNITE taxonomic assignments were very consistent at Family and Genus levels but not at species rank. Remarkably, as ITSoneDB results are consistent at every taxonomic level it represents a state of the art resource for the metabarcoding-based investigation of fungal microbial communities

X-ray fluorescence applied to yellow pigments based on lead, tin and antimony: comparison of laboratory and portable instrumentation

X-ray fluorescence is a diagnostic approach particularly suited to be utilized in cultural heritage sector since it falls in the non-destructive and non-invasive analytical tools. However there are big differences between portable and laboratory instrumentation that make difficult to perform a comparison in terms of quality and reliability of the results. The present study is specifically addressed to investigate these differences in respect of the same analytical sample-set. To reach this goal a comparison was thus carried out between portable and bench top devices X-ray fluorescence devices and techniques were used on different type of yellow pigments based on lead, tin and antimony obtained in laboratory, reproducing the instructions described in “old” recipes, that is: i) mortar of lead and tin produced on the basis of the recipe 13 /c V of the “Manuscript of Danzica” and “ Li tre libri dell’arte del Vasaio” by Cipriano Piccolpasso; ii) two types of lead and tin yellow (Pb2SnO4 and PbSnO3) produced starting from the indications of the 272 and 273 recipes of the “Bolognese Manuscript”; iii) lead antimonate (Pb2Sb2O7) obtained by following the instructions of the Piccolpasso’s treatise and those contained on the “Istoria delle pitture in maiolica fatte in Pesaro e ne’ luoghi circonvicini di Giambattista Passeri” and finally iv) lead, tin and antimony yellow (Pb2SnSbO6,5) obtained starting from the information contained in the paper 30 R of “Manuscript of Danzica” [1]. The XRF analysis were performed using a laboratory instrumentation (Bruker M4 Tornado) and a handset analytical device (Assing Surface Monitor). In order to perform a significant statistical comparison among acquired and processed data, all the analyses have been carried out utilizing the same sample, the same acquisition set up and operative conditions. A chemometric approach, based on the utilization of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and multivariate analytical based tools [2], was utilized in order to verify the spectral differences, and related informative content, among the different produced yellow pigments. The multivariate approach on the results revealed instrumental differences between the two systems and allowed to compare the common characteristics of the set of pigments analyzed

Hypovitaminosis D: a novel finding in primary ciliary dyskinesia

BACKGROUND: A relationship between low levels of serum vitamin D and respiratory infections has been established. No study has examined the frequency and clinical relevance of vitamin D deficiency in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). METHODS: Vitamin D levels were measured in 22 PCD patients (7 females, 10.5 years, range, 2-34 years). In PCD, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), sputum microbiology, self-reported physical activity (PA) level, and quality of life (QoL) by means of the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), were also assessed. RESULTS: Seventy-two percent of PCD patients were vitamin-D deficient-to-insufficient and 28% were sufficient. No differences in PFTs parameters were found between vitamin D deficiency-to-insufficiency and sufficiency groups. Patients with vitamin D deficiency-to-insufficiency had significantly higher SGRQ total scores, and thus poorer QoL (p = 0.03). Seventy-nine percent of PCD subjects had limitations in performing vigorous activities, and 53% performed less than 3 hours of PA per week. Vitamin D deficiency-to-insufficiency and sufficiency groups did not show any differences in age at PCD diagnosis or at onset of respiratory symptoms, BMI, atopy, current asthma or bronchiectasis. However, 79% of patients with bronchiectasis had vitamin D deficiency-to-insufficiency. No differences were found in the rate of positive sputum cultures and in the number of antibiotic courses between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Hypovitaminosis D is common in PCD patients, and is associated with poorer QoL. We recommend the assessment and treatment of hypovitaminosis D to be included in the routine management of PCD

Parental origin and somatic mosaicism of PHOX2B mutations in Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome.

Heterozygous polyalanine repeat expansions of PHOX2B have been associated with Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome, a rare neurocristopathy characterized by absence of adequate control of respiration during sleep. Here we report a PHOX2B mutational screening in 63 CCHS patients, 58 of whom presenting with poly-A expansions or frameshift, missense and nonsense mutations. To assess a somatic or germline occurrence of poly-A length variations, the relative amounts of mutant and wild type alleles have been quantified in 20 selected CCHS patients presenting with an expansion, and in their parents. Somatic mosaicism was shown in four parents, while no mosaic was found among CCHS patients. Moreover, while co-segregation analysis of the PHOX2B poly-A expansions with selected marker alleles in the same 20 CCHS trios has not demonstrated any parent-of-origin effect of the mutations, it has provided further clues to clarify the molecular mechanism underlying the expansion occurrence. Finally, the segregation of PHOX2B poly-A anomalous tracts within family members has allowed us to exclude tendency of polymorphic variations towards expansion. This strengthens the notion that expanded polyalanine tracts, identified as frequent disease-causing mutations also in other human diseases, are mitotically and meiotically stable

cDNA Sequence and Genomic Structure of the Rat Ret Proto-Oncogene

The RET proto-oncogene, a member of the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase family, plays a crucial role during the development of the excretory system and the enteric nervous system, as demonstrated by in vivo animal studies and by its involvement in the pathogenesis of several human neurocristopathies like Hirschsprung disease and Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2. Using a multistep RT-PCR approach we have isolated and sequenced the cDNA of the whole rat RET proto-oncogene, reporting the deduced amino acid sequence in comparison with the human and mouse counterparts. Moreover, two different isoforms (RET9 and RET51) have been confirmed in the rat, while a third RET isoform demonstrated in human (RET43) has not resulted to be conserved in this species. Finally, we have determined the genomic structure of the rat RET proto-oncogene comparing the exon-intron boundaries and intron sizes with the known structure of the human homologous gene. Our findings will facilitate the molecular study of appropriate rat models of RET related human diseases

Autonomous navigation of micro aerial vehicles using high-rate and low-cost sensors

The final publication is available at link.springer.comThe combination of visual and inertial sensors for state estimation has recently found wide echo in the robotics community, especially in the aerial robotics field, due to the lightweight and complementary characteristics of the sensors data. However, most state estimation systems based on visual-inertial sensing suffer from severe processor requirements, which in many cases make them impractical. In this paper, we propose a simple, low-cost and high rate method for state estimation enabling autonomous flight of micro aerial vehicles, which presents a low computational burden. The proposed state estimator fuses observations from an inertial measurement unit, an optical flow smart camera and a time-of-flight range sensor. The smart camera provides optical flow measurements up to a rate of 200 Hz, avoiding the computational bottleneck to the main processor produced by all image processing requirements. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of extending the use of these smart cameras from hovering-like motions to odometry estimation, producing estimates that are usable during flight times of several minutes. In order to validate and defend the simplest algorithmic solution, we investigate the performances of two Kalman filters, in the extended and error-state flavors, alongside with a large number of algorithm modifications defended in earlier literature on visual-inertial odometry, showing that their impact on filter performance is minimal. To close the control loop, a non-linear controller operating in the special Euclidean group SE(3) is able to drive, based on the estimated vehicle’s state, a quadrotor platform in 3D space guaranteeing the asymptotic stability of 3D position and heading. All the estimation and control tasks are solved on board and in real time on a limited computational unit. The proposed approach is validated through simulations and experimental results, which include comparisons with ground-truth data provided by a motion capture system. For the benefit of the community, we make the source code public.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft