High Enthalpy Flow Characterization Using Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy

This research aims at analysing thermo-chemical properties of the hypersonic high-enthalpy flow in the L2K wind tunnel, situated in Köln at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). In the L2K wind tunnel, Martian atmosphere can be created, and the facility can simulate heat load conditions encountered during atmospheric entry of Martian missions. The focus of this project is the analysis of the non-intrusive experimental technique "Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy" (TDLAS), based on line of sight absorption spectroscopy, and applied to hypersonic flow. A simplified Martian atmosphere (97% CO2 and 3% N2) was used. A new interpretation for CO-TDLAS experimental technique applied to hypersonic wind tunnel flow analysis was developed. Numerical simulations with the DLR-TAU non-equilibrium flow solver were used as support of this analysis, and match between simulations and experiments was observed. Flow speed and absorption line’s width were measured, and the knowledge of L2K’s flow structure was extended

Cardiovascular risk in patients with severe mental illness in Italy

Background: Patients with severe mental illness (SMI), such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorders, are more frequently affected by metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular (CV) diseases than the general population, with a significant reduction in life expectancy. Beyond metabolic syndrome, quantifying the risk of CV morbidity in the long-term may help clinicians to put in place preventive strategies. In this study, we assessed 10-year CV risk in patients with SMI and healthy individuals using an algorithm validated on the Italian general population. Methods: Patients aged 35-69 years diagnosed with SMI were consecutively recruited from psychiatric acute care units. Single CV risk factors were assessed, and 10-year CV risk calculated by means of the CUORE Project 10-year CV risk algorithm, based on the combination of the following risk factors: age, systolic blood pressure, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diabetes, smoking habit, and hypertensive treatment. Patients' data were compared with those from the general population. The 10-year CV risk was log-transformed, and multivariable linear regression was used to estimate mean ratios, adjusting for age, and education. Results: Three hundred patients and 3,052 controls were included in the analysis. Among men, the 10-year CV risk score was very similar between patients with SMI and the general population (mean ratio [MR]: 1.02; 95%CI 0.77-1.37), whereas a 39% increase in 10-year CV risk was observed in women with SMI compared to the general population (MR: 1.39; 95%CI 1.16-1.66). Conclusions: In our study, women with SMI were consistently more at risk than the general population counterpart, even at younger age

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Earthquake Research: Implementation of a Geochemical Geographic Information System for the Gargano Site, Southern Italy

A priority task for correct environmental planning is to evaluate Natural Hazards, especially in highly populated areas. In particular, thorough investigations based on different Earth Science techniques must be addressed for the Seismic Hazard Assessment (SHA) in tectonically active areas. Not only the management but also the multidisciplinary analysis of all the SHA-related data sets is best performed using a Geographic Information System. In this paper we show how a researchoriented GIS is built and used in a practical case. The Geochemical Geographic Information System (G2IS) was developed and applied to the Gargano promontory (southern Italy) in the framework of an EC research project, the Geochemical Seismic Zonation (GSZ) Project. This multidisciplinary – multiscaling powerful tool is described in its structure, updating procedures and manipulation techniques. Preliminary results are presented on the detection of geochemically active fault zones and their correlation with remote sensing data and other evidences of seismogenic structures.Published255-278JCR Journalreserve

Collagen gene variants and anterior cruciate ligament rupture in Italian athletes: a preliminary report

several studies have investigated the role of genetics in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, often returning conflicting results. the present pilot study aimed to analyze the association between six Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1800012; rs12722; rs13946; rs240736; rs970547; and rs4870723, located on the COL1A1, COL5A1, COL12A1, and COL14A1 genes), and ACL rupture, among Italian athletes. A hypothesis-driven association study was conducted. In total, 181 male and female athletes (n = 86 injured; n = 96 non-injured) were genotyped for the prioritized variants. All polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR RFLP, with the only exception being the rs1800012 on the COL1A1 gene, which was detected using MTPA PCR. The allele frequency distribution fell within the worldwide range. Despite the evident population variability, no selective pressure signals were recorded using PBS analysis. No significant difference was detected between the cases and controls for any of the SNPs (rs1800012; rs13946; rs240736; rs970547, and rs4870723) included in the analyses (p > 0.008, Bonferroni-adjusted for multiple comparisons). Moreover, no significant differences were found when males and females were assessed separately. Further investigations based on a larger sample size are needed, in order to draw solid conclusions for the influence between collagen genes and ACL rupture

Effects of miRNA-15 and miRNA-16 expression replacement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia : implication for therapy

This work was supported by: Associazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) Grant 5 x mille n.9980, (to M.F., F.M. A. N., P.T. and M.N.) ; AIRC I.G. n. 14326 (to M.F.), n.10136 and 16722 (A.N.), n.15426 (to F.F.). AIRC and Fondazione CaRiCal co-financed Multi Unit Regional Grant 2014 n.16695 (to F.M.). Italian Ministry of Health 5x1000 funds (to S.Z. and F.F). A.G R. was supported by Associazione Italiana contro le Leucemie-Linfomi-Mielomi (AIL) Cosenza - Fondazione Amelia Scorza (FAS). S.M. C.M., M.C., L.E., S.B. were supported by AIRC.Peer reviewedPostprin

Vegetative growth and water use characterization of a maize introgression library

Previous work showed that a maize introgression library (IL) derived from the cross between Gasp\ue9 Flint (an early flowering Canadian landrace) and B73 (the reference maize line) segregated for phenology as well for seminal root architecture (SRA) traits. In this experiment, the IL was evaluated in the high-throughput phenotyping platform PhenoArch (INRA, Montpellier

Plasma and CSF Neurofilament Light Chain in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study

Background: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a validated biofluid marker of neuroaxonal damage with great potential for monitoring patients with neurodegenerative diseases. We aimed to further validate the clinical utility of plasma (p) vs. CSF (c) NfL for distinguishing patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) from ALS mimics. We also assessed the association of biomarker values with clinical variables and survival and established the longitudinal changes of pNfL during the disease course. Methods: We studied 231 prospectively enrolled patients with suspected ALS who underwent a standardized protocol including neurological examination, electromyography, brain MRI, and lumbar puncture. Patients who received an alternative clinical diagnosis were considered ALS mimics. We classified the patients based on the disease progression rate (DPR) into fast (DPR > 1), intermediate (DPR 0.5–1), and slow progressors (DPR < 0.5). All patients were screened for the most frequent ALS-associated genes. Plasma and CSF samples were retrospectively analyzed; NfL concentrations were measured with the SIMOA platform using a commercial kit. Results: ALS patients (n = 171) showed significantly higher pNfL (p < 0.0001) and cNfL (p < 0.0001) values compared to ALS mimics (n = 60). Both cNfL and pNfL demonstrated a good diagnostic value in discriminating the two groups, although cNfL performed slightly better (cNfL: AUC 0.924 ± 0.022, sensitivity 86.8%, specificity 92.4; pNfL: AUC 0.873 ± 0.036, sensitivity 84.7%, specificity 83.3%). Fast progressors showed higher cNfL and pNfL as compared to intermediate (p = 0.026 and p = 0.001) and slow progressors (both p < 0.001). Accordingly, ALS patients with higher baseline cNfL and pNfL levels had a shorter survival (highest tertile of cNfL vs. lowest tertile, HR 4.58, p = 0.005; highest tertile of pNfL vs. lowest tertile, HR 2.59, p = 0.015). Moreover, there were positive associations between cNfL and pNfL levels and the number of body regions displaying UMN signs (rho = 0.325, p < 0.0001; rho = 0.308, p = 0.001). Finally, longitudinal analyses in 57 patients showed stable levels of pNfL during the disease course. Conclusion: Both cNfL and pNfL have excellent diagnostic and prognostic performance for symptomatic patients with ALS. The stable longitudinal trajectory of pNfL supports its use as a marker of drug effect in clinical trials

A new system for animal products traceability and authentication: use of DNA analysis of natural tracers and example of application to dry cured hams

AbstractA few DNA based approaches have been developed to trace animal products from the farm to the consumer "fork". These approaches make use of the animal DNA that can be recovered during all steps of the production chain directly as part of the products that are obtained from them. This direct link between the animals and the products can be assessed using DNA markers like, for example, single nucleotide polymorphisms and microsatellites, for individual or population based (breed) traceability systems. However, these methods, in general, rely on the possibility to constitute banks of animal biological samples for critical/important steps of the production chain and analyse a large number of samples (individual traceability) or to identify breed/population multilocus informative markers or few specific mutations that can distinguish the breed/population of origin (breed traceability). Here we developed a new traceability and authentication system that makes use of the DNA contained in an added material..