THE CO.TR.I.S SYSTEM: TOWARDS A SMARTER COASTAL TRANSPORT NETWORK FOR SMART ISLANDS

The Coastal Transport Information System (Co.Tr.I.S) is a multifunction information system that is developed for the effective design of coastal transportation lines. The system incorporates several subsystems which include the models, tools, and techniques that support the design of improved coastal networks. Co.Tr.I.S main aim is to support any decision making process of the involved players (Ministry, Maritime companies, Local Authorities, Travel Agencies, Passengers, etc) regarding the improvement & the optimal use of a coastal transport network. Co.Tr.I.S data retrieval, analysis, visualization, network design & decision support can accelerate the very slow (currently annual in Aegean) rate of coastal transport network update/upgrade procedures, and, create smarter network implementations that may adapt online on the various demand or requirement changes or updates. Connections, transportation, mobility, as well as port automation are some of the key factors for the “smartification” of entire islands especially in an archipelago like the Aegean Sea. In this work, we present the network design optimization functionality of Co.Tr.I.S, the various optimization stages, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) implementations and its potential to propose a better network design based on each user preferences. A sample case study is given to show its smartness & adaptability to each user needs and, finally, a discussion follows on how it could be complemented by emerging smart technologies for smarter islands

Clinical expression of plakophilin-2 mutations in familial arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

Background - Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited cardiac disorder characterized by loss of cardiomyocytes and their replacement by adipose and fibrous tissue. It is considered a disease of cell adhesion because mutations in desmosomal genes, desmoplakin and plakoglobin, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ARVC. In a recent report, mutations in plakophilin-2, a gene highly expressed in cardiac desmosomes, have been shown to cause ARVC.Methods and Results - We investigated 100 white patients with ARVC for mutations in plakophilin-2. Nine different mutations were identified by direct sequencing in 11 cases. Five of these mutations are novel (A733fsX740, L586fsX658, V570fsX576, R413X, and P533fsX561) and predicted to cause a premature truncation of the plakophilin-2 protein. Family studies showed incomplete disease expression in mutation carriers and identified a number of individuals who would be misdiagnosed with the existing International Task Force and modified diagnostic criteria for ARVC.Conclusions - In this study, we provide new evidence that mutations in the desmosomal plakophilin-2 gene can cause ARVC. A systematic clinical evaluation of mutation carriers within families demonstrated variable phenotypic expression, even among individuals with the same mutation, and highlighted the need for a more accurate set of diagnostic criteria for ARVC

Mechanism of the Aryl-F Bond-Forming Step from Bi(V) Fluorides.

In this article, we describe a combined experimental and theoretical mechanistic investigation of the C(sp2)-F bond formation from neutral and cationic high-valent organobismuth(V) fluorides, featuring a dianionic bis-aryl sulfoximine ligand. An exhaustive assessment of the substitution pattern in the ligand, the sulfoximine, and the reactive aryl on neutral triarylbismuth(V) difluorides revealed that formation of dimeric structures in solution promotes facile Ar-F bond formation. Noteworthy, theoretical modeling of reductive elimination from neutral bismuth(V) difluorides agrees with the experimentally determined kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. Moreover, the addition of external fluoride sources leads to inactive octahedral anionic Bi(V) trifluoride salts, which decelerate reductive elimination. On the other hand, a parallel analysis for cationic bismuthonium fluorides revealed the crucial role of tetrafluoroborate anion as fluoride source. Both experimental and theoretical analyses conclude that C-F bond formation occurs through a low-energy five-membered transition-state pathway, where the F anion is delivered to a C(sp2) center, from a BF4 anion, reminiscent of the Balz-Schiemann reaction. The knowledge gathered throughout the investigation permitted a rational assessment of the key parameters of several ligands, identifying the simple sulfone-based ligand family as an improved system for the stoichiometric and catalytic fluorination of arylboronic acid derivatives

Functional Brain Imaging with Multi-Objective Multi-Modal Evolutionary Optimization

Functional brain imaging is a source of spatio-temporal data mining problems. A new framework hybridizing multi-objective and multi-modal optimization is proposed to formalize these data mining problems, and addressed through Evolutionary Computation (EC). The merits of EC for spatio-temporal data mining are demonstrated as the approach facilitates the modelling of the experts' requirements, and flexibly accommodates their changing goals

PhOTO Zebrafish: A Transgenic Resource for In Vivo Lineage Tracing during Development and Regeneration

Background: Elucidating the complex cell dynamics (divisions, movement, morphological changes, etc.) underlying embryonic development and adult tissue regeneration requires an efficient means to track cells with high fidelity in space and time. To satisfy this criterion, we developed a transgenic zebrafish line, called PhOTO, that allows photoconvertible optical tracking of nuclear and membrane dynamics in vivo. Methodology: PhOTO zebrafish ubiquitously express targeted blue fluorescent protein (FP) Cerulean and photoconvertible FP Dendra2 fusions, allowing for instantaneous, precise targeting and tracking of any number of cells using Dendra2 photoconversion while simultaneously monitoring global cell behavior and morphology. Expression persists through adulthood, making the PhOTO zebrafish an excellent tool for studying tissue regeneration: after tail fin amputation and photoconversion of a ~100µm stripe along the cut area, marked differences seen in how cells contribute to the new tissue give detailed insight into the dynamic process of regeneration. Photoconverted cells that contributed to the regenerate were separated into three distinct populations corresponding to the extent of cell division 7 days after amputation, and a subset of cells that divided the least were organized into an evenly spaced, linear orientation along the length of the newly regenerating fin. Conclusions/Significance: PhOTO zebrafish have wide applicability for lineage tracing at the systems-level in the early embryo as well as in the adult, making them ideal candidate tools for future research in development, traumatic injury and regeneration, cancer progression, and stem cell behavior

Hybrid integration of microfabricated chemοcapacitor arrays with miniaturized read-out electronics towards low-power gas sensing module

AbstractA hybrid gas sensing module consisting of an array of 8 polymer coated capacitive sensors and low power read-out electronics is introduced. The chemocapacitor array is fabricated with standard microelectronics/micromachining processes allowing for the realization of planar InterDigitated Electrodes (IDEs). The read-out electronics sub- module consists of an analog multiplexer for the sequential measurement of the sensor array elements, a capacitance to 24-bit converter and a USB to I2C interface. The compact hybrid module has been successfully applied in the detection of sub-100ppm concentrations of p-xylene and toluene. The responses to various humidity levels have been also evaluated

Pathwise Sensitivity Analysis in Transient Regimes

The instantaneous relative entropy (IRE) and the corresponding instanta- neous Fisher information matrix (IFIM) for transient stochastic processes are pre- sented in this paper. These novel tools for sensitivity analysis of stochastic models serve as an extension of the well known relative entropy rate (RER) and the corre- sponding Fisher information matrix (FIM) that apply to stationary processes. Three cases are studied here, discrete-time Markov chains, continuous-time Markov chains and stochastic differential equations. A biological reaction network is presented as a demonstration numerical example