Declarative Programming with Intensional Sets in Java Using JSetL

Intensional sets are sets given by a property rather than by enumerating their elements. In previous work, we have proposed a decision procedure for a first-order logic language which provides Restricted Intensional Sets (RIS), i.e., a sub-class of intensional sets that are guaranteed to denote finite---though unbounded---sets. In this paper we show how RIS can be exploited as a convenient programming tool also in a conventional setting, namely, the imperative O-O language Java. We do this by considering a Java library, called JSetL, that integrates the notions of logical variable, (set) unification and constraints that are typical of constraint logic programming languages into the Java language. We show how JSetL is naturally extended to accommodate for RIS and RIS constraints, and how this extension can be exploited, on the one hand, to support a more declarative style of programming and, on the other hand, to effectively enhance the expressive power of the constraint language provided by the library

Design of a High-Speed Ferrite-based Brushless DC Machine for Electric Vehicles

In the present paper an analytic procedure for the preliminary design of a High-Speed ferrite-based Brushless DC Machine (HS-BLDC) has been proposed. In particular, mechanical and electromagnetic modeling have been developed in order to take into account their mutual influence in the definition of the geometry of the electrical machine. In addition, suitable design targets have been imposed in accordance with electric vehicle application requirements. Hence, several mechanical and electromagnetic constraints have been introduced in order to comply with high-speed operation, preventing demagnetization issues of ferrite magnets as well. Subsequently, an HS-BLDC characterized by an inner rotor configuration has been designed in accordance with the proposed methodology. The analytical procedure and the corresponding results have been reported and validated by means of Finite Element Analyses (FEAs), highlighting the effectiveness of the proposed configuration and design solutions

Synthesis and study of polyhydroxylated phenol derivatives with potential cosmetic and phytoiatric applications

Tyrosinase (polyphenol oxidase, E.C. 1.14.18.1) and laccase (phenol oxidase, E.C. 1.10.3.2) are multifunctional copper-containing enzymes, that are keys in melanin biosynthesis, melanisation in animals and browning in plants. Our study is aimed to prepare new monomer and dimer phenol derivatives as potential inhibitors of melanin production starting from natural hydroxylated aromatic units

Autophagic process is sexually different in VSMCs from human male and female neonates

Sex has largely been neglected in cellular studies. Autophagy is a sophisticatedly reg- ulated homeostatic mechanism, which ensures cell’s constituent turnover. Under physiological conditions, autophagy levels are usually low (constitutive autophagy), but can be induced by numerous cellular stresses such as starvation. The influence of sex on autophagy has been studied either in vitro or in vivo, and previous our findings demonstrated the existence of sex differences in rat heart and HUVECs. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are a good experimental model for studying the physiopatholo- gy of the cardiovascular system, in which autophagy plays an important physiological role. Therefore, we investigated the occurrence of sexual dimorphism in constitutive and starvation-induced autophagy between the VSMCs obtained from human umbilical cord arteries (HUASMCs) of male (MHUASMCs) and female (FHUASMCs) neonates. HUASMCs were isolated from the umbilical cord of healthy and normal weight male and female neonates. The expression of oestrogen receptor (ER-α and ER-β) and the primary molecules involved in autophagic process [the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), beclin-1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)] were analysed by western blotting. Both cell types expressed both isoforms of the oestrogen receptor (ER): ER-β was higher expressed in the MHUASMCs than the FHUASMCs while ER-α was similarly expressed in both sexes. The level of constitutive autophagy, measured as LC3II/I ratio was higher in FHUASMCs than in MHUASMCs, while male cells had an higher expression of Beclin-1, indicating that constitutive autophagy was at least partly beclin-1-independent. mTOR activity, a regulator of autophagy, did not vary between the sexes, indicating that the observed differences could not be attributed to this central pathway. Starvation promoted autophagy in both MHUASMCs and FHUASMCs, but the increase was more pro- nounced in FHUASMCs. Our results show that sex-differences start in utero and are parameter-specific, suggesting that HUASMCs of both sexes are necessary in in vitro studies to elevate the quality and translational value of research results. The observed differences in the autophagic process could help to emeliorate our knowledge on sex-differences observed in cardiovascular diseases

Molecular Signature of Biological Aggressiveness in Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney (CCSK)

: Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) is a rare pediatric renal tumor with a worse prognosis than Wilms' tumor. Although recently, BCOR internal tandem duplication (ITD) has been found as a driver mutation in more than 80% of cases, a deep molecular characterization of this tumor is still lacking, as well as its correlation with the clinical course. The aim of this study was to investigate the differential molecular signature between metastatic and localized BCOR-ITD-positive CCSK at diagnosis. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-transcriptome sequencing (WTS) were performed on six localized and three metastatic BCOR-ITD-positive CCSKs, confirming that this tumor carries a low mutational burden. No significant recurrences of somatic or germline mutations other than BCOR-ITD were identified among the evaluated samples. Supervised analysis of gene expression data showed enrichment of hundreds of genes, with a significant overrepresentation of the MAPK signaling pathway in metastatic cases (p < 0.0001). Within the molecular signature of metastatic CCSK, five genes were highly and significantly over-expressed: FGF3, VEGFA, SPP1, ADM, and JUND. The role of FGF3 in the acquisition of a more aggressive phenotype was investigated in a cell model system obtained by introducing the ITD into the last exon of BCOR by Crispr/Cas9 gene editing of the HEK-293 cell line. Treatment with FGF3 of BCOR-ITD HEK-293 cell line induced a significant increase in cell migration versus both untreated and scramble cell clone. The identification of over-expressed genes in metastatic CCSKs, with a particular focus on FGF3, could offer new prognostic and therapeutic targets in more aggressive cases

Long-acting combination of cabotegravir plus rilpivirine: A picture of potential eligible and ineligible HIV-positive individuals from the Italian ARCA cohort

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of people living with HIV (PLWH) eligible for the long-acting injectable (LAI) regimen with cabotegravir (CAB) and rilpivirine (RPV), in comparison with ineligible individuals. Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study from the ARCA cohort, including virologically suppressed PLWH with at least one genotypic resistance testing (GRT) for reverse transcriptase and integrase from plasma and/or PBMCs. Eligibility criteria for LAI CAB+RPV were: negative HBsAg, absence of previous virological failures and/or resistance-associated mutations for non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) and/or integrase strand transfer inhibitors. Potential differences between eligible and ineligible individuals were investigated by univariable and multivariable analyses. Results: A total of 514 individuals were included: 377 (73.3%) were male, median age was 51 (IQR: 43–58), on ART for 9 years (IQR: 4–17), virologically suppressed for 63 months (IQR: 35–105). Eligible individuals for CAB+RPV were 229 (44.5%, 95%CI: 40.8–48.8); compared with ineligible individuals, they received a lower number of previous regimens (aOR 0.76, 95% CI 0.71–0.83, P < 0.001) and were on current NNRTIs (aOR 2.16, 95% CI 1.38–3.37, P = 0.001). Conclusions: Less than half of virologically suppressed PLWH in the ARCA cohort were potentially eligible for CAB+RPV. They seem to be “less complicated” with shorter exposure to ART and preferably already on NNRTIs

elaboracion de papel vegetal que cumpla las normas tappi para el diseno e impresion a partir de la fibra de la cascara del platano verde

En la presente investigación se elaborará un manual para la elaboración de papel vegetal que cumpla las normas TAPPI para el diseño e impresión a partir de la fibra de la cascara del plátano verde ya que estas técnicas antiguas que inusualmente se usan para la elaboración de papel artesanal han funcionado bien debido a que ha sido destinado para impresión serigrafía o manual que no demanden mayor calidad ni parámetros técnicos de su constitución. Hay que tener en ceunta que la fabricación del papel a mano es una técnica que a pesar de tener miles de años de antigüedad no ha sido explotada adecuadamente y no se consigue papel de buena calidad que pueda reemplazar a los que usamos normalmente. Muchos artesanos hacen papel a mano sin una técnica científica que permita conocer las propiedades de las fibras a utilizar para elaborar papel para imprenta o impresoras comunes. En nuestro caso elaboraremos papel vegetal a partir de la fibra de la cascara del plátano verde que presente las mejores propiedades de formación física y óptica.</p

Impact of alien insect pests on Sardinian landscape and culture

Geologically Sardinia is a raft which, for just under thirty million years, has been crossing the western Mediterranean, swaying like a pendulum from the Iberian to the Italian Peninsula. An island so large and distant from the other lands, except for its "sister" Corsica, has inevitably developed an autochthonous flora and fauna over such a long period of time. Organisms from other Mediterranean regions have added to this original contingent. These new arrivals were not randomly distributed over time but grouped into at least three great waves. The oldest two correspond with the Messinian salinity crisis about 7 million years ago and with the ice age, when, in both periods, Sardinia was linked to or near other lands due to a fall in sea level. The third, still in progress, is linked to human activity. Man has travelled since ancient times and for many centuries introduced allochthonous species to Sardinia which radically modified the native flora and fauna, but always at a very slow and almost unnoticeable rate. The use of sailing or rowing boats, with their low speeds, hindered the transport of living organisms from one place to another. The use of the steam boat, introduced around 1840 but widely diffuse around 1870-1880, opened the doors to more frequent arrivals and also to organisms from the American Continent. This technical innovation had an influence over the whole world economy, with its well-known grain crisis, and coincided in Sardinia with the arrival of Roman dairymen, producers of pecorino cheese and the beginning of the expansion of sheep farming which would continue uninterrupted until the present day. In this period of sudden social and environmental change, an insect was introduced which would turn out to be probably the most economically devastating agricultural pest in Europe: the Grape Phylloxera. The vineyard and wine business collapsed first in France then in Italy. The Phylloxera arrived in Sardinia in 1883 and wine production crashed a very short time later and only resumed after the distribution of American vine rootstock at the beginning of the 20th Century. From then, vine cultivation in Europe was modified with the essential use of this rootstock. Since then methods of transport have increased enormously in number and speed. The number of allochthonous and invasive species has increased proportionally: some of them along with exotic plants which are cultivated on the island, others following man in his activities. Often these new pests attack and destroy ornamental plants which have become part of the Sardinian landscape, causing it to change; just as often their presence requires methods of pest management which are different from the traditional methods on specific crops; finally in at least one case (the Asian tiger mosquito) they pose a threat to our health

Human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) and sex differences

HUVECs are worldwide used to study the endothelial physiology and pathology that might be involved in sex and gender differences detected at the cardiovascular level. The present work characterised the phenotype of HUVECs in terms of morphology, proliferative and migratory capacity and in the gene expression of oestrogen and androgen receptors and nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) to evaluated if they are sexually dimorphic. Moreover, autophagic process was analysed in male and female HUVECs (MHUVECs and FHUVECs), as autophagy is influenced by sex. Umbilical cords were obtained from healthy, normal weight, male and female neonates born to healthy non-obese and non-smoking women. HUVECs morphology was analysed by electron microscopy, and their function was investigated by proliferation, viability, wound healing and chemotaxis assays. Real-time PCR was used to evaluate gene expression for oestrogen and androgen receptors and for NOS3, while the expression of the primary molecules involved in autophagic process [(Akt, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), beclin-1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)] and NOS3 were analysed by western blotting. FHUVECs showed significantly higher proliferation and migration rate, and NOS3 mRNA and protein expression than MHUVECs. Conversely, beclin-1 and the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio were higher in MHUVECs than in FHUVECs, indicating a higher autophagy in male cells as also indicated by ultrastructural analysis showing a buildup of autophagic vacuoles at different stages in MHUVECs. The expression of oestrogen and androgen receptor genes, the protein expression of Akt, mTOR, and cellular size and shape were not influenced by sex. Male and female neonates did not differ in body weight, but the weight of male babies was positively associated with the weight of the mother, suggesting that the weight of the mother may exert a different influence on male and female babies. Our findings indicate that sex differences exist from prenatal life and are parameter- specific, suggesting that a better quality of the research on the endothelium in vitro can be obtained by analyzing HUVECs of both sexes as well as its translational value. Moreover, the sex differences observed in HUVECs could help the diseases of adulthood because endothelial dysfunction has a key role in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, neurodegeneration and immune diseases