The challenge of tunneling through Mediterranean karst aquifers: the case study of Trieste (Italy)

After the 1st May 2004, when new countries joined the European Union, the need was felt to link these states through an infrastructure network of motorway and railway link (high speed—HS/high capacity—HC) easily able to transport all possible goods throughout Europe. Within this framework, 14 different projects were developed with the aim of linking important cities. One of these link is the Corridor V connecting Lisbon (Portugal) to Kiev (Ukraine) and assigning a strategic role to Italy with respect to the integration process of these countries. In detail, part of the Corridor V is expected to start from Venice, reaching Trieste and from here on to Ljubljana (Slovenia) before proceeding to Budapest and finally reaching Kiev in Ukraine. The whole development (from Portugal to Ukraine) is approximately 4,000 km long of which, about 30 km (less than 1 % of the entire route), falls within the Italian Classical Karst area, a highly karstified zone, renowned worldwide as one of the best karst landscapes on the planet. The present paper regards the GIS statistical methodological approach used to identify the degree of karstification of the Italian Classical Karst providing the stakeholders all the necessary information while planning possible railway HS/HC solutions

Genome-Level Longitudinal Expression of Signaling Pathways and Gene Networks in Pediatric Septic Shock

We have conducted longitudinal studies focused on the expression profiles of signaling pathways and gene networks in children with septic shock. Genome-level expression profiles were generated from whole blood-derived RNA of children with septic shock (n = 30) corresponding to day one and day three of septic shock, respectively. Based on sequential statistical and expression filters, day one and day three of septic shock were characterized by differential regulation of 2,142 and 2,504 gene probes, respectively, relative to controls (n = 15). Venn analysis demonstrated 239 unique genes in the day one dataset, 598 unique genes in the day three dataset, and 1,906 genes common to both datasets. Functional analyses demonstrated time-dependent, differential regulation of genes involved in multiple signaling pathways and gene networks primarily related to immunity and inflammation. Notably, multiple and distinct gene networks involving T cell- and MHC antigen-related biology were persistently downregulated on both day one and day three. Further analyses demonstrated large scale, persistent downregulation of genes corresponding to functional annotations related to zinc homeostasis. These data represent the largest reported cohort of patients with septic shock subjected to longitudinal genome-level expression profiling. The data further advance our genome-level understanding of pediatric septic shock and support novel hypotheses