Evidence of slope instability in the Southwestern Adriatic Margin

International audienceThe Southwestern Adriatic Margin (SAM) shows evidence of widespread failure events that generated slide scars up to 10 km wide and extensive slide deposits with run out distances greater than 50 km. Chirp-sonar profiles, side-scan sonar mosaics, multibeam bathymetry and sediment cores document that the entire slope area underwent repeated failures along a stretch of 150 km and that mass-transport deposits, covering an area of 3320 km2, are highly variable ranging from blocky slides to turbidites, and lay on the lower slope and in the basin. The SAM slope between 300?700 m is impacted by southward bottom currents shaping sediment drifts (partly affected by failure) and areas of dominant erosion of the seafloor. When slide deposits occur in areas swept by bottom currents their fresh appearence and their location at seafloor may give the misleading impression of a very young age. Seismic-stratigraphic correlation of these deposits to the basin floor, however, allow a more reliable age estimate through sediment coring of the post-slide unit. Multiple buried failed masses overlap each other in the lower slope and below the basin floor; the most widespread of these mass-transport deposits occurred during the MIS 2-glacial interval on a combined area of 2670 km2. Displacements affecting Holocene deposits suggest recent failure events during or after the last phases of the last post-glacial eustatic rise. Differences in sediment accumulation rates at the base or within the sediment drifts and presence of downlap surfaces along the slope and further in the basin may provide one or multiple potential weak layers above which widespread collapses take place. Neotectonic activity and seismicity, together with the presence of a steep slope, represent additional elements conducive to sediment instability and failure along the SAM. Evidence of large areas still prone to failure provides elements of tsunamogenic hazard

CDK4/6 Inhibitors in Melanoma: A Comprehensive Review

Historically, metastatic melanoma was considered a highly lethal disease. However, recent advances in drug development have allowed a significative improvement in prognosis. In particular, BRAF/MEK inhibitors and anti-PD1 antibodies have completely revolutionized the management of this disease. Nonetheless, not all patients derive a benefit or a durable benefit from these therapies. To overtake this challenges, new clinically active compounds are being tested in the context of clinical trials. CDK4/6 inhibitors are drugs already available in clinical practice and preliminary evidence showed a promising activity also in melanoma. Herein we review the available literature to depict a comprehensive landscape about CDK4/6 inhibitors in melanoma. We present the molecular and genetic background that might justify the usage of these drugs, the preclinical evidence, the clinical available data, and the most promising ongoing clinical trials

Multiple Disguises for the Same Party: The Concepts of Morphogenesis and Phenotypic Variations in Cryptococcus neoformans†

Although morphological transitions (such as hyphae and pseudohyphae formation) are a common feature among fungi, the encapsulated pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans is found during infection as blastoconidia. However, this fungus exhibits striking variations in cellular structure and size, which have important consequences during infection. This review will summarize the main aspects related with phenotypic and morphological variations in C. neoformans, which can be divided in three classes. Two of them are related to changes in the capsule, while the third one involves changes in the whole cell. The three morphological and phenotypic variations in C. neoformans can be classified as: (1) changes in capsule structure, (2) changes in capsule size, and (3) changes in the total size of the cell, which can be achieved by the formation of cryptococcal giant/titan cells or microforms. These changes have profound consequences on the interaction with the host, involving survival, phagocytosis escape and immune evasion and dissemination. This article will summarize the main features of these changes, and highlight their importance during the interaction with the host and how they contribute to the development of the disease

An environment to share in-service training on the net: An action-research about charge in primary and middle school

The net was one of the determining factors in a training of a Group of 4 primary and middle school teachers (L. M. in Forni Di Sopra and C. D. F. in Villa Santina, P. C. in Tolmezzo and D. S. in Gemona, all places in the mountains of Friuli, in the Nord-East of Italy) in an action-research on the electric charge. It was developed through meetings with researchers in physics education and Exchange and sharing of experiences and projects on the net, in an environment designed for teaching activities and under the guidance of a project tutor. The environment allowed to establish different kinds of relations: between teachers, between them and researchers, between classes. It offered to teachers (two in middle school and two in primary school) a place for discussions during the design of paths to be presented to their classes, to structure and share the products of their training both during and after it, to reflect on their training path

Ab-initio investigations of LuLiF4 compound under pressure

We have performed ab-initio calculations for the structural and mechanical properties of sheelite compound LuLiF4 under pressure. A good agreement with experimental results has been obtained

Ab initio investigation of phonon spectra in GdLiF4 compound under hydrostatic pressure

Employing density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation, the GdLiF4 structure has been studied for a pressure range from 0 to 12 GPa. The influence of pressure on the lattice vibrational spectrum of the scheelite phase (I41/a, Z = 4) has been evaluated by means the "direct" approach, i.e., using force constants calculated from atomic displacements. As a result the Raman and infrared modes have been identified and their dependencies on pressure have been investigated and compared with available experimental data. It has been found that instability of the crystal structure appears at pressures above 6 GPa. © 2014 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Ab-initio investigation of GdLiF4 structure under pressure

This work is devoted to the ab-initio studies of rare-earth double fluoride GdLiF4 under external hydrostatic pressure. Structural and mechanical properties were considered by means of Vienna Ab-initio Simulation Program (VASP). A good agreement of lattice parameters and bulk modulus with experimental data has been obtained. The seven independent elastic constants of I41/a GdLiF4 structure were calculated from stress-strain method. The provideab-initio studies has revealed the instability of GdLiF 4 crystal structure above 10 GPa in accordance with available experimental findings

Pressure-induced ferroelastic phase transition in LuLiF<inf>4</inf> compound

© 2015 Taylor & Francis. The behavior of LuLiF4 sheelite (I41/a, Z = 4) under hydrostatic pressure was investigated by means of first principles calculations. The ferroelastic phase transition from the tetragonal structure of LuLiF4 to the fergusonite structure (C12/c1, Z = 4) has been found at 10.5 GPa. It has been determined that this is the second-order phase transition

17β-Oestradiol Protects from Hepatitis C Virus Infection through Induction of Type I Interferon

Background and Aims: Sex hormones are widely recognised to act as protective factors against several viral infections. Specifically, females infected by the hepatitis C virus display higher clearance rates and reduced disease progression than those found in males. Through modulation of particle release and spread, 17β-oestradiol controls HCV’s life cycle. We investigated the mechanism(s) behind oestrogen’s antiviral effect. Methods: We used cell culture-derived hepatitis C virus in in vitro assays to evaluate the effect of 17β-oestradiol on the innate immune response. Host immune responses were evaluated by enumerating gene transcripts via RT-qPCR in cells exposed to oestrogen in the presence or absence of viral infection. Antiviral effects were determined by focus-forming unit assay or HCV RNA quantification. Results: Stimulation of 17β-oestradiol triggers a pre-activated antiviral state in hepatocytes, which can be maintained for several hours after the hormone is removed. This induction results in the elevation of several innate immune genes, such as interferon alpha and beta, tumour necrosis factor, toll-like receptor 3 and interferon regulatory factor 5. We demonstrated that this pre-activation of immune response signalling is not affected by a viral presence, and the antiviral state can be ablated using an interferon-alpha/beta receptor alpha inhibitor. Finally, we proved that the oestrogen-induced stimulation is essential to generate an antiviral microenvironment mediated by activation of type I interferons. Conclusion: Resulting in viral control and suppression, 17β-oestradiol induces an interferon-mediated antiviral state in hepatocytes. Oestrogen-stimulated cells modulate the immune response through secretion of type I interferon, which can be countered by blocking interferon-alpha/beta receptor alpha signalling