Passenger Travel Demand Models: Factors Underlying Work & Study-Related Travel

Il lavoro affronta la problematica dei modelli di generazione della domanda, utilizzati allo scopo di stimare gli spostamenti delle persone secondo l'area di origine. A partire da un'applicazione per la stima degli spostamenti per motivi di studio e di lavoro a livello provinciale, basata esclusivamente su variabili aggregate, vengono successivamente proposti modelli fondati sull'integrazione di data base contenenti sia informazioni individuali sia a livello territoriale aggregato. E' presentata un'applicazione condotta con alberi di regressione che ha consentito, a livello regionale, di stimare e di prevedere per un triennio il numero di spostamenti secondo diverse tipologie. Un'altra applicazione, tuttora in corso di realizzazione, riguarda l'integrazione dei dati censuari sul pendolarismo con archivi con informazioni a livello comunale

Development of high-resolution 3D printable polymerizable ionic liquids for antimicrobial applications

In recent years, 3D printing has undergone a significant transformation, expanding beyond its initial niche applications, such as rapid prototyping and hobbyist projects. This evolution has been characterized by advancements in equipment, software, and, most notably, materials. However, the development of materials that present high-resolution and advanced tunable functionalities is still a challenge. Herein, we report the development of modular 3D-printable antimicrobial polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) scaffolds with in situ formation of copper-based nanoparticles within the polymeric matrix (Cu@PILs). A variety of formulations were specially designed and optimized to be printed by digital light processing and masked stereolithography techniques at high resolution. The antimicrobial activity as well as the biocompatibility of the different formulations was tested, changing the monomeric ionic liquid and the photoinitiator. Tailor-made objects were successfully manufactured, and as a demonstrator, a geometry compatible with a medical stent was printed

Development of high-resolution 3D printable polymerizable ionic liquids for antimicrobial applications

In recent years, 3D printing has undergone a significant transformation, expanding beyond its initial niche applications, such as rapid prototyping and hobbyist projects. This evolution has been characterized by advancements in equipment, software, and, most notably, materials. However, the development of materials that present high-resolution and advanced tunable functionalities is still a challenge. Herein, we report the development of modular 3D-printable antimicrobial polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) scaffolds with in situ formation of copper-based nanoparticles within the polymeric matrix (Cu@PILs). A variety of formulations were specially designed and optimized to be printed by digital light processing and masked stereolithography techniques at high resolution. The antimicrobial activity as well as the biocompatibility of the different formulations was tested, changing the monomeric ionic liquid and the photoinitiator. Tailor-made objects were successfully manufactured, and as a demonstrator, a geometry compatible with a medical stent was printed

Nonmotor symptoms in Parkinson's disease: Investigating early-phase onset of behavioral dysfunction in the 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rat model

To investigate the psychiatric symptoms accompanying the early phases of Parkinson's disease (PD), we injected adult rats with 10.5 μg 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) bilaterally into the dorsal striatum. The resulting neurodegeneration led, 12 weeks after injection, to a mild (36%) reduction of striatal dopamine. We tested the behavioral response of sham and 6-OHDA-lesioned animals at different time points after injection to evaluate the onset and progression of behavioral abnormalities. The results showed that such a mild reduction of dopamine levels was associated with a decrease in anxiety-like behavior, an increase in "depression"-like behavior, and a marked change in social behavior. Learning and memory abilities were not affected. Overall, the PD rat model used here displays behavioral alterations having face validity with psychiatric symptoms of the pathology and thus appears to be a valuable tool for investigating the neural bases of the early phases of PD. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Prior activation of 5-HT7 receptors modulates the conditioned place preference with methylphenidate

The serotonin receptor subtype 7 (5-HT7R) is clearly involved in behavioral functions such as learning/memory, mood regulation and circadian rhythm. Recent discoveries proposed modulatory physiological roles for serotonergic systems in reward-guided behavior. However, the interplay between serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in reward-related behavioral adaptations needs to be further assessed. TP-22 is a recently developed arylpiperazine-based 5-HT7R agonist, which is also showing high affinity and selectivity towards D1 receptors. Here, we report that TP-22 displays D1 receptor antagonist activity. Moreover, we describe the first in vivo tests with TP-22: first, a pilot experiment (assessing dosage and timing of action) identified the 0.25 mg/kg i.v. dosage for locomotor stimulation of rats. Then, a conditioned place preference (CPP) test with the DA-releasing psychostimulant drug, methylphenidate (MPH), involved three rat groups: prior i.v. administration of TP-22 (0.25 mg/kg), or vehicle (VEH), 90 min before MPH (5 mg/kg), was intended for modulation of conditioning to the white chamber (saline associated to the black chamber); control group (SAL) was conditioned with saline in both chambers. Prior TP-22 further increased the stimulant effect of MPH on locomotor activity. During the place-conditioning test, drug-free activity of TP-22+MPH subjects remained steadily elevated, while VEH+MPH subjects showed a decline. Finally, after a priming injection of TP-22 in MPH-free conditions, rats showed a high preference for the MPH-associated white chamber, which conversely had vanished in VEH-primed MPH-conditioned subjects. Overall, the interaction between MPH and pre-treatment with TP-22 seems to improve both locomotor stimulation and the conditioning of motivational drives to environmental cues. Together with recent studies, a main modulatory role of 5-HT7R for the processing of rewards can be suggested. In the present study, TP-22 proved to be a useful psychoactive tool to better elucidate the role of 5-HT7R and its interplay with DA in reward-related behavior

Genomic and physiological resilience in extreme environments are associated with a secure attachment style

Understanding individual capability to adjust to protracted confinement and isolation may inform adaptive plasticity and disease vulnerability/resilience, and may have long-term implications for operations requiring prolonged presence in distant and restricted environments. Individual coping depends on many different factors encompassing psychological dispositional traits, endocrine reactivity and their underlying molecular mechanisms (e.g. gene expression). A positive view of self and others (secure attachment style) has been proposed to promote individual resilience under extreme environmental conditions. Here, we tested this hypothesis and investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms in 13 healthy volunteers confined and isolated for 12 months in a research station located 1670 km away from the south geographic pole on the Antarctic Plateau at 3233 m above sea level. Study participants, stratified for attachment style, were characterised longitudinally (before, during and after confinement) for their psychological appraisal of the stressful nature of the expedition, diurnal fluctuations in endocrine stress reactivity, and gene expression profiling (transcriptomics). Predictably, a secure attachment style was associated with reduced psychological distress and endocrine vulnerability to stress. In addition, while prolonged confinement and isolation remarkably altered overall patterns of gene expression, such alteration was largely reduced in individuals characterised by a secure attachment style. Furthermore, increased resilience was associated with a reduced expression of genes involved in energy metabolism (mitochondrial function and oxidative phosphorylation). Ultimately, our data indicate that a secure attachment style may favour individual resilience in extreme environments and that such resilience can be mapped onto identifiable molecular substrates

Gating of aquaporins by heavy metals in Allium cepa L. epidermal cells

Changes in the water permeability, aquaporin (AQP) activity, of leaf cells were investigated in response to different heavy metals (Zn2+, Pb2+, Cd2+, Hg2+). The cell pressure probe experiments were performed on onion epidermal cells as a model system. Heavy metal solutions at different concentrations (0.05 μM–2 mM) were used in our experiments. We showed that the investigated metal ions can be arranged in order of decreasing toxicity (expressed as a decrease in water permeability) as follows: Hg>Cd>Pb>Zn. Our results showed that β-mercaptoethanol treatment (10 mM solution) partially reverses the effect of AQP gating. The magnitude of this reverse differed depending on the metal and its concentration. The time course studies of the process showed that the gating of AQPs occurred within the first 10 min after the application of a metal. We also showed that after 20–40 min from the onset of metal treatment, the water flow through AQPs stabilized and remained constant. We observed that irrespective of the metal applied, the effect of AQP gating can be recorded within the first 10 min after the administration of metal ions. More generally, our results indicate that the toxic effects of investigated metal ions on the cellular level may involve AQP gating

B cell and/or autoantibody deficiency do not prevent neuropsychiatric disease in murine systemic lupus erythematosus

Background: Neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE) can be one of the earliest clinical manifestations in human lupus. However, its mechanisms are not fully understood. In lupus, a compromised blood-brain barrier may allow for the passage of circulating autoantibodies into the brain, where they can induce neuropsychiatric abnormalities including depression-like behavior and cognitive abnormalities. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of B cells and/or autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of murine NPSLE. Methods: We evaluated neuropsychiatric manifestations, brain pathology, and cytokine expression in constitutively (JhD/MRL/lpr) and conditionally (hCD20-DTA/MRL/lpr, inducible by tamoxifen) B cell-depleted mice as compared to MRL/lpr lupus mice. Results: We found that autoantibody levels were negligible (JhD/MRL/lpr) or significantly reduced (hCD20-DTA/MRL/lpr) in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid, respectively. Nevertheless, both JhD/MRL/lpr and hCD20-DTA/MRL/lpr mice showed profound depression-like behavior, which was no different from MRL/lpr mice. Cognitive deficits were also observed in both JhD/MRL/lpr and hCD20-DTA/MRL/lpr mice, similar to those exhibited by MRL/lpr mice. Furthermore, although some differences were dependent on the timing of depletion, central features of NPSLE in the MRL/lpr strain including increased blood-brain barrier permeability, brain cell apoptosis, and upregulated cytokine expression persisted in B cell-deficient and B cell-depleted mice. Conclusions: Our study surprisingly found that B cells and/or autoantibodies are not required for key features of neuropsychiatric disease in murine NPSLE