Cancer microenvironment and endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Different stressful conditions such as hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, pH changes, or reduced vascularization, potentially able to act as growth-limiting factors for tumor cells, activate the unfolded protein response (UPR). UPR is therefore involved in tumor growth and adaptation to severe environments and is generally cytoprotective in cancer. The present review describes the molecular mechanisms underlying UPR and able to promote survival and proliferation in cancer. The critical role of UPR activation in tumor growth promotion is discussed in detail for a few paradigmatic tumors such as prostate cancer and melanoma

Measurement-based Energy Consumption Profiling of Mobile Radio Networks

Abstract —The exponential growth of mobile traffic is forcing operators to increase quickly the capacity of their network and extend it with new technologies and improved topologies, such as heterogeneous layouts with small cells. However, since revenues cannot grow at the same rate of traffic, the main challenge is to manage capacity expansion with reduced costs. In addi- tion to fixed costs for the new network infrastructures, operational costs are becoming critical, mainly for en- ergy bill component. Moreover, the carbon footprint of mobile access networks is considered one of the largest of the whole ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sector and its reduction is fundamental for the environmental sustainability of the Internet economy. Due to these reasons, improving the energy efficiency of the access network is crucial for mobile operators. In order to do that, monitoring the energy consumption of the network components and defining models of energy profile are valuable approaches for es- timating energy costs and identifying the most efficient configurations. In this paper, we present an energy consumption monitoring system that has been designed and im- plemented in three different countries using separate sensors for the radio and base-band components of second, third and fourth generation systems. We also propose an energy profiling approach that simplifies the characterization of the different components and allows the estimation of the energy efficiency based on traffic statistics

Estimation of recharge in mountain hard-rock aquifers based on discrete spring discharge monitoring during base-flow recession

Estimation of aquifer recharge is key to effective groundwater management and protection. In mountain hard-rock aquifers, the average annual discharge of a spring generally reflects the vertical aquifer recharge over the spring catchment. However, the determination of average annual spring discharge requires expensive and challenging field monitoring. A power-law correlation was previously reported in the literature that would allow quantification of the average annual spring discharge starting from only a few discharge measurements in the low-flow season, in a dry summer climate. The correlation is based upon the Maillet model and was previously derived by a 10-year monitoring program of discharge from springs and streams in hard-rock aquifers composed of siliciclastic and calcareous turbidites that did not have well defined hydrogeologic boundaries. In this research, the same correlation was applied to two ophiolitic (peridotitic) hard-rock aquifers in the Northern Apennines (Northern Italy) with well-defined hydrogeologic boundaries and base-outflow springs. The correlation provided a reliable estimate of the average annual spring discharge thus confirming its effectiveness regardless of bedrock lithology. In the two aquifers studied, the measurable annual outputs (i.e. sum of average annual spring discharges) could be assumed equal to the annual inputs (i.e. vertical recharge) based on the clear-cut aquifer boundaries and a quick groundwater circulation inferable from spring water parameters. Thus, in such setting, the aforementioned correlation also provided an estimate of the annual aquifer recharge allowing the assessment of coefficients of infiltration (i.e. ratio between aquifer recharge and total precipitation) ranging between 10 and 20%

Block-Goettsche invariants from wall-crossing

We show how some of the refined tropical counts of Block and Goettsche emerge from the wall-crossing formalism. This leads naturally to a definition of a class of putative q-deformed Gromov-Witten invariants. We prove that this coincides with another natural q-deformation, provided by a result of Reineke and Weist in the context of quiver representations, when the latter is well defined

Integrative systems medicine approaches to identify molecular targets in lymphoid malignancies

Although survival rates for lymphoproliferative disorders are steadily increasing both in the US and in Europe, there is need for optimizing front-line therapies and developing more effective salvage strategies. Recent advances in molecular genetics have highlighted the biological diversity of lymphoproliferative disorders. In particular, integrative approaches including whole genome sequencing, whole exome sequencing, and transcriptome or RNA sequencing have been instrumental to the identification of molecular targets for treatment. Herein, we will discuss how genomic, epigenomic and proteomic approaches in lymphoproliferative disorders have supported the discovery of molecular lesions and their therapeutic targeting in the clinic

District heating network maintenance planning optimization

To ensure the correct functioning of district heating networks and minimize critical failures, utilities allocate every year a significant part of their budget to maintenance operations. In the present work we describe a risk-based approach implemented to tackle the problem of designing optimal multi-year maintenance campaigns, applied to the Italian city of Brescia, showing how data-driven techniques can help decision makers assess the long terms impacts of budget allocations

In Vivo and post-mortem performances of Marchigiana and Romagnola Breeds

The aim of these studies was to evaluate the in vivo and post-mortem performances of Marchigiana and Romagnola cattle. The results provide updated information that suggest that the selection index of some parameters should be revised to improve the dressing, which is one of the limitations of these breeds

Article microgravity induces transient emt in human keratinocytes by early down-regulation of e-cadherin and cell-adhesion remodeling

Changes in cell–matrix and cell-to-cell adhesion patterns are dramatically fostered by the microgravity exposure of living cells. The modification of adhesion properties could promote the emergence of a migrating and invasive phenotype. We previously demonstrated that short exposure to the simulated microgravity of human keratinocytes (HaCaT) promotes an early epithelial– mesenchymal transition (EMT). Herein, we developed this investigation to verify if the cells maintain the acquired invasive phenotype after an extended period of weightlessness exposure. We also evaluated cells’ capability in recovering epithelial characteristics when seeded again into a normal gravitational field after short microgravity exposure. We evaluated the ultra-structural junctional features of HaCaT cells by Transmission Electron Microscopy and the distribution pattern of vinculin and E-cadherin by confocal microscopy, observing a rearrangement in cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions. These results are mirrored by data provided by migration and invasion biological assay. Overall, our studies demonstrate that after extended periods of microgravity, HaCaT cells recover an epithelial phenotype by re-establishing E-cadherin-based junctions and cytoskeleton remodeling, both being instrumental in promoting a mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET). Those findings suggest that cytoskeletal changes noticed during the first weightlessness period have a transitory character, given that they are later reversed and followed by adaptive modifications through which cells miss the acquired mesenchymal phenotype