Can dark energy explain the observed outflow in galaxy clusters?

Recent observations of the Virgo cluster and the Local Group suggested that some galaxies are flowing out from their parent cluster. This may be the signature that dark energy (DE) acts significantly also on small cosmological scales. By means of direct N-body simulations we performed several simulations, in which the effect of DE and gravity are taken into account, aiming to determine whether DE can produce an outflow of galaxies compatible with observations. Comparing the different simulations, our results suggest that the observed outflow of galaxies is likely due to the local effect of DE

AMPK in the central nervous system: physiological roles and pathological implications

5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is considered the master metabolic regulator in all eukaryotes, as it maintains cellular energy homeostasis in a variety of tissues, including the brain. In humans, alterations in AMPK activity can lead to a wide spectrum of metabolic disorders. The relevance of this protein kinase in the pathogenesis of diabetes and metabolic syndrome is now well established. On the contrary, correlations between AMPK and brain physiopathology are still poorly characterized. The aim of this review is to summarize and discuss the current knowledge about the prospective involvement of AMPK in the onset and the progression of different neurological diseases

ESO VLT Optical Spectroscopy of BL Lac Objects IV. New spectra and properties of the full sample

We present the last chapter of a spectroscopy program aimed at deriving the redshift or a lower limit to the redshift of BL Lac objects using medium resolution spectroscopy. Here we report new spectra for 33 BL Lac object candidates obtained in 2008-2009 confirming the BL Lac nature of 25 sources and for 5 objects we obtained new redshifts. These new observations are combined with our previous data in order to construct a homogeneous sample of \sim 70 BL Lacs with high quality spectroscopy. All these spectra can be accessed at the website http://www.oapd.inaf.it/zbllac/. The average spectrum, beaming properties of the full sample, discussion on intervening systems and future perspectives are addressed.Comment: 25 pages, 13 Figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

Deregulations of RNA Pol II Subunits in Cancer

Deregulated transcription is a well-known characteristic of cancer cells, with differentially expressed genes being a common feature of several cancers. Often, deregulated transcription is a consequence of alterations in transcription factors (TFs), which play a crucial role in gene expression and can act as tumour suppressors or proto-oncogenes. In eukaryotic organisms, transcription is carried out by three distinct RNA polymerase complexes: Pol I, Pol II, and Pol III. Pol II, specifically, is responsible for transcribing messenger RNA (mRNA), the protein coding part of the genome, as well as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). While there is considerable research on the impact of specific deregulated transcription factors in cancer development, there is a lack of studies focusing on defects within the RNA polymerase complexes and their subunits. This review aims to shed light in particular on the Pol II complex and highlight the deregulation of its subunits that have a significant impact on tumour development, prognosis, and survival. By providing a comprehensive overview of our current understanding of Pol II subunits in cancer, this review emphasizes the importance of further research in this area. It suggests that exploring these subunits’ deregulations could lead to the identification of valuable biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets, making it a topic of collective interest

Multivalent glycan arrays

Glycan microarrays have become a powerful technology to study biological processes, such as cell–cell interaction, inflammation, and infections. Yet, several challenges, especially in multivalent display, remain. In this introductory lecture we discuss the state-of-the-art glycan microarray technology, with emphasis on novel approaches to access collections of pure glycans and their immobilization on surfaces. Future directions to mimic the natural glycan presentation on an array format, as well as in situ generation of combinatorial glycan collections, are discussed

Monitoraggio dei flussi migratori nel Mar Mediterraneo con satelliti ottici e SAR

Il Mediterraneo è sempre stato considerato un’area di intensi scambi politici, economici e culturali, ma nell’ultimo decennio è diventato anche luogo di intensi flussi migratori dal Nordafrica verso l’Europa. L’immigrazione illegale via mare ha ormai assunto una dimensione tale che nei soli primi due mesi del 2016 oltre 110.000 migranti hanno attraversato il Mediterraneo (fonte: UNHCR). Alla luce di questi numeri, in continua crescita, le istituzioni europee stanno cercando nuove soluzioni per rafforzare il monitoraggio dei confini esterni dell’Unione Europea. Tale operazione, che coinvolge un’area geografica molto estesa, risulta però complessa e costosa se svolta solamente con i mezzi tradizionali (radar di terra, mezzi aerei e navali). In questo contesto, il progetto Space Shepherd cofinanziato dal Politecnico di Milano nell’ambito del programma Polisocial Award, si è occupato dello studio di fattibilità di un sistema integrato ottico-radar per l’individuazione, il monitoraggio e il tracciamento d’imbarcazioni sconosciute in navigazione nel Mar Mediterraneo utilizzando asset speziali già esistenti (Topputo et al., 2015b). L’utilizzo congiunto d’immagini ottiche e radar è in grado di garantire un’osservazione continua e non dipendente dalle condizioni atmosferiche o di illuminazione e una complementarietà in termini di copertura geografica e dettaglio geometrico