Scaling laws and universality in the choice of election candidates

Nowadays there is an increasing interest of physicists in finding regularities related to social phenomena. This interest is clearly motivated by applications that a statistical mechanical description of the human behavior may have in our society. By using this framework, we address this work to cover an open question related to elections: the choice of elections candidates (candidature process). Our analysis reveals that, apart from the social motivations, this system displays features of traditional out-of-equilibrium physical phenomena such as scale-free statistics and universality. Basically, we found a non-linear (power law) mean correspondence between the number of candidates and the size of the electorate (number of voters), and also that this choice has a multiplicative underlying process (lognormal behavior). The universality of our findings is supported by data from 16 elections from 5 countries. In addition, we show that aspects of network scale-free can be connected to this universal behavior.Comment: Accepted for publication in EP

Geoneutrinos and reactor antineutrinos at SNO+

In the heart of the Creighton Mine near Sudbury (Canada), the SNO+ detector is foreseen to observe almost in equal proportion electron antineutrinos produced by U and Th in the Earth and by nuclear reactors. SNO+ will be the first long baseline experiment to measure a reactor signal dominated by CANDU cores ($\sim$55\% of the total reactor signal), which generally burn natural uranium. Approximately 18\% of the total geoneutrino signal is generated by the U and Th present in the rocks of the Huronian Supergroup-Sudbury Basin: the 60\% uncertainty on the signal produced by this lithologic unit plays a crucial role on the discrimination power on the mantle signal as well as on the geoneutrino spectral shape reconstruction, which can in principle provide a direct measurement of the Th/U ratio in the Earth.Comment: 7 pages including 2 figures and 1 table, in XIV International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP 2015) IOP Publishing , published on Journal of Physics: Conference Series 718 (2016) 06200

Overexpression and alternative splicing of NF-YA in breast cancer

NF-Y is a CCAAT-binding trimeric transcription factor, whose regulome, interactome and oncogenic potential point to direct involvement in cellular transformation. Yet little is known about the levels of NF-Y subunits in tumors. We focused on breast carcinomas, and analyzed RNA-Seq datasets of TCGA and 54 BRCA cell lines at gene and isoforms level. We partitioned all tumors in the four major subclasses. NF-YA, but not histone-fold subunits NF-YB/NF-YC, is globally overexpressed, correlating with the proliferative Ki67 marker and a common set of 840 genes, with cell-cycle, metabolism GO terms. Their promoters are enriched in NF-Y, GC-rich and E2F sites. Surprisingly, there is an isoform switch, with the "short" isoform -NF-YAs- becoming predominant in tumors. E2F genes are also overexpressed in BRCA, but no switch in isoforms is observed. In Basal-like Claudinlow cell lines and tumors, expression of NF-YAl -long- isoform is high, together with 11 typical EMT markers and low levels of basal Keratins. Analysis of Progression-Free-Intervals indicates that tumors with unbalance of NF-YA isoforms ratios have worst clinical outcomes. The data suggest that NF-YA overexpression increases CCAAT-dependent, pro-growth genes in BRCA. NF-YAs is associated with a proliferative signature, but high levels of NF-YAl signal loss of epithelial features, EMT and acquisition of a more aggressive behavior in a subset of Claudinlow Basal-like tumors

NEUROD1 mutation in an Italian patient with maturity onset diabetes of the young 6: a case report

Background: Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) is a monogenic, autosomal, dominant disease that results in beta-cells dysfunction with consequent hyperglycaemia. It represents a rare form of diabetes (1–2% of all the cases). Sulphonylureas (SUs) represent the first-line treatment for this form of diabetes mellitus. NEUROD1 is expressed by the nervous and the pancreatic tissues, and it is necessary for the proper development of beta cells. A neurogenic differentiation factor 1 (NEUROD1) gene mutation causes beta-cells dysfunction, inadequate insulin secretion, and hyperglycaemia (MODY 6). Case presentation: We have documented a new missense mutation (p.Met114Leu c.340A > C) of the NEUROD1 gene, pathogenetic for diabetes mellitus, in a 48 years-old man affected by diabetes since the age of 25 and treated with insulin basal-bolus therapy. Unfortunately, an attempt to replace rapid insulin with dapagliflozin has failed. However, after the genetic diagnosis of MODY6 and treatment with SUs, he was otherwise able to suspend rapid insulin and close glucose monitoring. Interestingly, our patient had an early onset dilated cardiomyopathy, though no data about cardiac diseases in patients with MODY 6 are available. Conclusions: Diagnostic criteria for MODY can overlap with other kinds of diabetes and most cases of genetic diabetes are still misdiagnosed as diabetes type 1 or 2. We encourage to suspect this disease in patients with a strong family history of diabetes, normal BMI, early-onset, and no autoimmunity. The appropriate therapy simplifies disease management and improves the quality of the patient’s life

Taxonomy and phylogeny of European Monochamus species: first molecular and karyological data

The worldwide distributed genus Monochamus Megerle, 1821 (Coleoptera Cerambicydae) comprises beetles that may become pests of economic importance in conifer stands in the Nearctic and Palearctic Regions. Besides direct damage due to the larval tunnelling habits, they have also been recognized as main vectors of the phytoparasitic nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner & Buhrer, 1934) (Nematoda Aphelenchoididae). We analysed the complete mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene and a fragment of the small subunit RNA gene sequences (1536 base pairs) in the five European species. These are: Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier, 1795), morphologically distinguished in two subspecies M. galloprovincialis galloprovincialis (Olivier, 1795) and M. galloprovincialis pistor (Germar, 1818); Monochamus sutor (Linneus 1758); Monochamus saltuarius (Gebler 1830); Monochamus sartor (Fabricius, 1787) and Monochamus urussovi (Fischer, 1806). For appropriate comparisons, also the Asiatic Monochamus alternatus Hope, 1842 and a Japanese M. saltuarius sample have been analysed. Both genes show an absolute identity between the two subspecies of M. galloprovincialis and a strong affinity between M. sartor and M. urussovi: the morphological subdivisions of the former taxon in two subspecies and of the latter in two entities of specific level are therefore not supported genetically. On the other hand, the Italian and the Japanese samples of M. saltuarius always cluster together in all trees, and for the remaining taxa, no doubt about their rank of specific differentiation emerges from present analyses. From a phyletic point of view, tree topology indicates the Japanese M. alternatus as the most differentiated taxon and the Euroasiatic M. saltuarius as basal to all other strictly European entities. Chromosome analyses show that the diploid autosomal complement ranges from 18 in M. saltuarius to 20 in M. galloprovincialis, and 22 in M. sartor, but a XX–Xyp sex determining system is shared by all analysed taxa. The M. saltuarius karyotype appears as the most primitive from which the others may be derived through Robertsonian fissions. Karyological data therefore agree with molecular analyses in indicating a basal position of Euroasiatic M. saltuarius with respect to the group of European Monochamus taxa; among these, M. galloprovincialis and M. sartor represent two clearly diverging evolutionary units. Furthermore, karyotype analyses substantiate molecular conclusions about the identity between M. galloprovincialis galloprovincialis and M. galloprovincialis pistor. Zusammenfassung Die weltweit verbreitete Gattung Monomachus Megerle, 1821 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) enthalt Kaferarten, die in den Nadelwaldern der nearktischen und palaarktischen Regionen zu wirtschaftlich bedeutenden Schadlingen werden konnen. Neben dem direkten Schaden durch die minierenden Larven sind sie auch als Hauptvektoren des Nematoden Bursaphelenchus xylophilus bekannt geworden. Wir haben das gesamte Gen der mitochondrialen Cytochromoxidase I und ein Stuck des ssRNA-Gens (1536 bp) der funf europaischen Arten (M. galloprovincialis, mit den zwei Unterarten M. g. galloprovincials und M. g. pistor, M. sutor, M. saltuarius, M. sartor und M. urossovi, sowie fur einen Vergleich auch von der asiatischen Art M. alternatus und aus dem japanischen Verbreitungsgebietes der Art M. saltuarius analysiert. Beide Gene erweisen sich fur die beiden Unterarten M. g. galloprovincials und M. g. pistor als vollkommen identisch und weisen auf eine nahe Verwandtschaft zwischen M. sartor und M. urossovi hin; die morphologische Unterteilung in die beiden Unterarten und die Auftrennung dieser beiden Spezies auf Artniveau wird also genetisch nicht unterstutzt. Auf der anderen Seite clustern die italienischen und die japanischen Stichproben von M. saltuarius in allen Dendrogrammen sehr eng, so das ihr Status als Art gegenuber den anderen Taxons nicht bezweifelt werden kann. Vom phylogenetischen Standpunkt beurteilt weist die Topologie der Baume darauf hin, das die japanische Art M. alternatus die am meisten abweichende Spezies und die eurasische Art M. saltuarius die ursprunglichste unter den streng europaischen Monomachus-Arten ist. Die Chromosomenanalyse ergibt, das die diploide Chromosomenzahl sich von 18 bei M. saltuarius auf 20 bei M. galloprovincialis und auf 22 bei M. sartor erhoht, das geschlechtsdeterminierende System aber bei allen Taxa gemeinsam dem Typ XX-Xyp entspricht. Der Karyotyp von M. saltuarius scheint der ursprunglichste zu sein, von dem die anderen durch Robertsonsche Fissionen abgeleitet werden konnen. Die karyologischen Daten stimmen auch mit den molekularen uberein, indem sie der eurasischen Art M. saltuarius eine, zu den europaischen Arten basale Position zuweisen. Unter diesen stellen die Arten M. galloprovincialis und M. sartor zwei deutlich divergierende evolutionare Einheiten dar. Auserdem bestatigen die karyotypischen Analysen die molekulare Schlusfolgerung, das die zwei Unterarten M. g. galloprovincials und M. g. pistor identisch sind