Playing with fermion couplings in Higgsless models

We discuss the fermion couplings in a four dimensional SU(2) linear moose model by allowing for direct couplings between the left-handed fermions on the boundary and the gauge fields in the internal sites. This is realized by means of a product of non linear $\sigma$-model scalar fields which, in the continuum limit, is equivalent to a Wilson line. The effect of these new non local couplings is a contribution to the $\epsilon_3$ parameter which can be of opposite sign with respect to the one coming from the gauge fields along the string. Therefore, with some fine tuning, it is possible to satisfy the constraints from the electroweak data.Comment: Latex file, 20 pages, 4 eps figure

Isola di Vulcano (Isole Eolie) movimenti verticali del suolo: livellazione di precisione ottobre 2003

The levelling network installed and managed by the Osservatorio Vesuviano for monitoringvertical ground movements on Volcano island is currently made up of 100 benchmarks(bm) and extends about 24 km as a whole. The reference benchmark for calculating height variations is benchmark 1A located at Volcano Piano, which is a relatively stable area as compared with the northern part of the island. The presently operating network has been enlarged and thickened several times since June 1976, when the first levelling line was installed and surveyed. Twentyseven surveys has been conducted between June 1976 and October 2003. Actually, the configuration of the network presents a greater density of benchmarks in the center-northern sector of the island. The measurement tecnique used is precise levelling. The surveys are performed with autolevelling instruments (Wild NA2) equipped with optical micrometers and invar rods. The last levelling survey has been carried out in the first two weeks of October 2003. The comparison of September 1999 (previous levelling) with October 2003 data indicates a significant subsidence of the center-northern area of the island

5-(carbamoylmethylene)-oxazolidin-2-ones as a promising class of heterocycles inducing apoptosis triggered by increased ROS levels and mitochondrial dysfunction in breast and cervical cancer

Oxazolidinones are antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis by binding the 50S ribosomal subunit. Recently, numerous worldwide researches focused on their properties and possible involvement in cancer therapy have been conducted. Here, we evaluated in vitro the antiproliferative activity of some 5-(carbamoylmethylene)-oxazolidin-2-ones on MCF-7 and HeLa cells. The tested compounds displayed a wide range of cytotoxicity on these cancer cell lines, measured by MTT assay, exhibiting no cytotoxicity on non-tumorigenic MCF-10A cells. Among the nine tested derivatives, four displayed a good anticancer potential. Remarkably, OI compound showed IC50 values of 17.66 and 31.10 µM for MCF-7 and HeLa cancer cells, respectively. Furthermore, we assessed OI effect on the cell cycle by FACS analysis, highlighting a G1 phase arrest after 72 h, supported by a low expression level of Cyclin D1 protein. Moreover, mitochondrial membrane potential was reduced after OI treatment driven by high levels of ROS. These findings demonstrate that OI treatment can inhibit MCF-7 and HeLa cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by caspase-9 activation and cytochrome c release in the cytosol. Hence, 5-(carbamoylmethylene)-oxazolidin-2-ones have a promising anticancer activity, in particular, OI derivative could represent a good candidate for in vivo further studies and potential clinical use

Ascorbic acid supplementation of a high sucrose diet on rat oral tissue glycoprotein and lipid levels

PLEASE NOTE: This work is protected by copyright. Downloading is restricted to the BU community: please click Download and log in with a valid BU account to access. If you are the author of this work and would like to make it publicly available, please contact [email protected] (M.Sc.D.)--Boston University, Henry M. Goldman School of Graduate Dentistry, 1983 (Nutritional sciences)Bibliography : leaves 43-45.The objective of this study was to explore some major biochemical parameters in selected oral tissues (oral mucosa and submandibular salivary glands) following the feeding of diets high in sucrose and/or ascorbic acid; any observations would be compared to hepatic tissue. The animals selected for this study were forty (40) twenty-one day old male rats. The rats were divided into four dietary groups (control group, control plus ascorbic acid, high sucrose group, and the high sucrose plus ascorbic acid). At the end of fourteen days) analyses for DNA, total protein,protein-bound hexoses, protein-bound fucose, total lipids, neutral lipids, polar lipids, free fatty acids, triglycerides, mono and di-glycerides, methyl ester derivatives of free fatty acids) lysophosphatidyl choline) sphingomyelin, phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl inositol and serine, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidic acid, cholesterol, and cholesterol esters were determined. The lipid analyses were carried out only in the salivary glands while the other analyses were determined for all tissues. The results showed that those rats fed the high sucrose diet supplemented with ascorbic acid had a significant increase in hepatic protein-bound hexose levels. This suggests a possible increase of internal glycosylations. In oral mucosa, the high sucrose regimen favored lower levels of bound hexoses. When such a diet was supplemented with ascorbic acid, the hexose levels were restored to control values. In submandibular salivary glands, ascorbic acid supplementation only elevated the total cholesterol level and had little or no effect on the other lipid fractions. These findings support the need for additional research on specific biochemical systems following such dietary manipulations. Such research should include mature animals as well

Buildings as a seismic source: analysis of a release test at Bagnoli, Italy

Taking advantage of a large displacement-release experiment on a twostory reinforced concrete building located in Bagnoli (Naples, Italy), we performed free-field measurements using 3D seismometers, accelerometers, and a 100-m-long vertical array. The ground motion was noticeable: near the building, the acceleration exceeded 5% g. At each measurement point, it was possible to recognize two source terms, due to the tested building and to the reaction structure. The two sources generated different wave trains. High-frequency accelerations propagated as Rayleigh waves, whereas 1–2 Hz waves carrying most of the displacement propagated only as body waves. The experiment lends further support to the hypothesis that buildings are able to modify substantially the free-field ground motion in their proximity: the peak ground acceleration we observed is the 20% of the ground acceleration required to produce a displacement on the building equal to the one imposed during the release test. We recognize, however, the difficulty of a realistic modeling of wave propagation in the topmost layer of a densely urbanized area

Celiac disease in pediatric patients according to HLA genetic risk classes: a retrospective observational study

Background: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy in which HLA-DQ haplotypes define susceptibility. Our aim was to evaluate if belonging to a certain HLA-DQ class risk could be associated to the clinical, serological and histological presentation of CD. Methods: We performed a retrospective observational monocentric study including all 300 patients diagnosed with CD, who underwent HLA typing. Clinical, serological and histological data was collected from clinical records and their association with HLA-DQ class risk was verified through statistical tests. Results: In our sample mean age at onset was 6.7 ± 4.2 years, with a prevalence of females (n = 183; 61%), typical symptoms (n = 242; 80.6%) and anti-tTG IgA ≥ 100 U/mL (n = 194; 64.7%). Family history was present only in 19% (n = 57) of patients, and it was not significantly associated with any of the clinical and demographical data analyzed or the belonging to a certain HLA-DQ class risk. We found in the male population more frequently a coexistence of CD and atopic syndrome (males: n = 47; 40.2%; females: n = 50; 27.3%; p = 0.020). Early age of onset, instead, was associated with typical symptoms (m = 6.4 ± 4; p = 0.045) and elevated liver enzymes (m = 5 ± 3.8; p < 0.001), while later age of onset was associated with presence of other autoimmune diseases (m = 8.2 ± 4; p = 0.01). We observed statistically significant influences of HLA class risk on antibodies and liver enzymes levels: G1, G4 and G2 classes showed more frequently anti-tTG IgA ≥ 100 U/mL (n = 44; 80%, n = 16; 69.6%, n = 48; 67.6% respectively; p-value = 0.037), and in patients from G2 class we found enhanced liver enzymes (n = 28; 39.4%; p-value = 0.005). HLA class risk was still significantly associated with anti-tTG ≥ 100 (p = 0.044) and with hypertransaminasemia (p = 0.010) after a multiple logistic regression adjusted for the effect of gender, age at onset and family history. Conclusions: We failed to prove an association between HLA-DQ genotypes and the clinical features in our CD pediatric patients. Although, our results suggest an effect of the DQB1–02 allele not only on the level of antibodies to tTG, but possibly also on liver involvement