HARMONIA: strategy of an integrated resilience assessment platform (IRAP) with available tools and geospatial services

The huge amount of the available data nowadays has raised some major challenges which are related to the storage, fusion, structure, streaming and processing of these data. In this paper, we present the development of a holistic framework, entitled HARMONIA, that encompasses State-of-The-Art solutions for the emerging issues related to Climate Change, natural and/or man-made hazards and urban/peri-urban risks. The Horizon 2020 HARMONIA project is developing an Integrated Resilience Assessment Platform (IRAP) which plans to provide targeted services for different groups of end-users. In particular, it will actively support urban decision-makers in strategic decisions and planning and citizens in facing daily effects and risks of Climate Change. Additionally, the platform will be a place to interconnect cities which end up facing similar Climate Change effects. HARMONIA IRAP leverages cuttingedge technologies (i.e., explainable Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining, multi-criteria analysis, dynamic programming) and services (ie., Virtual Machines, Containers) in order to provide solutions considering the complexity and diversity of extreme earth and non-earth data. In addition, this platform includes a Decision Support System providing early-warning feedback and recommendations to the end-users. In this way the HARMONIA IRAP design tends to address these challenges by offering the corresponding dynamic, scalable and robust mechanisms with the aim to provide useful integrated tools for the related users. Datacubes architecture, which is a major part of the IRAP, offers the opportunity to investigate more sophisticated correlations among the data and provide a more tangible representation of the extracted information

ART – BASED TRAINING METHODS FOR EMPOWERING ADULTS IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Since the dawn of humanity, dancing has been central to life occasions, for celebration, mourning, entertaining or even communicating. Still, it remains a vital practice around the world. With the development of technology, many efforts have been made to adapt specific choreographies and dancing rituals to the modern era, via digital platforms. However, these sequences cannot be construed as realistic when they are viewed through computers, because the actual expressions are lost in the translation. A lot of attempts have been made to provide a solution to this issue, but the most successful are the motion capturing devices and equipment. In this research, we focus on the recording of choreographies, which represent important social concepts, using a Microsoft Kinect sensor as a motion capturing device. Microsoft Kinect is chosen because it is a low-cost device that can deliver adequate results. The outcome of the research is a “handbook” in virtual reality environment, which can be used as an educational tool by anyone. The project aims at being a response to the global need of today’s world for creation of inclusive environments, where socially aware people can peacefully co – exist. The digital handbook can enhance the skills and competences of adult trainers in arts and culture and every participant gets in touch with sensitive concepts and develops social awareness. Inspiration for the project is drawn via social and humanistic values stemming from philosophical, sociological and psychological texts and it is innovative not only for its content but also for the way this is developed

Angiomyofibroblastoma of the spermatic cord: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Angiomyofibroblastoma is a benign soft tissue tumor with tendency to arise in the vulva.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a 36-year-old Greek Caucasian man presenting with a left inguinal painless mass. This is the second case of angiomyofibroblastoma of the spermatic cord. At operation, a 4.5 cm well-circumscribed solid tumor was found adherent to the spermatic cord. The tumor consisted of spindle-shaped cells proliferating in short fascicles between numerous medium-sized blood vessels with thin and hyalinized walls. Neoplastic cells had eosinophilic cytoplasm with neither mitotic figures nor nuclear atypia. The stroma included abundant mast cells and few mature lypocytes. Immunostaining showed positivity for vimentin, CD34, desmin and smooth muscle actin. Our patient was treated by simple excision and was followed up for five years with clinical examination and ultrasonography, revealing no evidence of local recurrence or metastasis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This unusual neoplasm should be distinguished from aggressive angiomyxoma and other myxoid malignant tumors with widespread metastatic potential.</p

Increased fidelity of protein synthesis extends lifespan

Loss of proteostasis is a fundamental process driving aging. Proteostasis is affected by the accuracy of translation, yet the physiological consequence of having fewer protein synthesis errors during multi-cellular organismal aging is poorly understood. Our phylogenetic analysis of RPS23, a key protein in the ribosomal decoding center, uncovered a lysine residue almost universally conserved across all domains of life, which is replaced by an arginine in a small number of hyperthermophilic archaea. When introduced into eukaryotic RPS23 homologs, this mutation leads to accurate translation, as well as heat shock resistance and longer life, in yeast, worms, and flies. Furthermore, we show that anti-aging drugs such as rapamycin, Torin1, and trametinib reduce translation errors, and that rapamycin extends further organismal longevity in RPS23 hyperaccuracy mutants. This implies a unified mode of action for diverse pharmacological anti-aging therapies. These findings pave the way for identifying novel translation accuracy interventions to improve aging

Incorporating real time velocity map image reconstruction into closed-loop coherent control

We report techniques developed to utilize three-dimensional momentum information as feedback in adaptive femtosecond control of molecular dynamics. Velocity map imaging is used to obtain the three-dimensional momentum map of the dissociating ions following interaction with a shaped intense ultrafast laser pulse. In order to recover robust feedback information, however, the two-dimensional momentum projection from the detector must be inverted to reconstruct the full three-dimensional momentum of the photofragments. These methods are typically slow or require manual inputs and are therefore accomplished offline after the images have been obtained. Using an algorithm based upon an “onion-peeling” (also known as “back projection”) method, we are able to invert 1040 × 1054 pixel images in under 1 s. This rapid inversion allows the full photofragment momentum to be used as feedback in a closed-loop adaptive control scheme, in which a genetic algorithm tailors an ultrafast laser pulse to optimize a specific outcome. Examples of three-dimensional velocity map image based control applied to strong-field dissociation of CO and O2 are presented

CD8+ lymphocytes/ tumour-budding index: an independent prognostic factor representing a ‘pro-/anti-tumour' approach to tumour host interaction in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: The tumour-host interaction at the invasive front of colorectal cancer, including the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and its hallmark 'tumour budding', is an important area of investigation in terms of prognosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic impact of a 'pro-/anti-tumour' approach defined by an established 'pro-tumour' (tumour budding) and host-related 'anti-tumour' factor of the adaptive immunological microenvironment (CD8+ lymphocytes). METHODS: Double immunostaining for CK22/CD8 on whole tissue sections (n=279; Cohort 1) and immunohistochemistry for CD8+ using tissue microarrays (n=191; Cohort 2) was carried out. Tumour buds, CD8+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes : tumour buds indices were evaluated per high-power field. RESULTS: In Cohort 1, a low-CD8+/ buds index was associated with lymph node metastasis (P>0.001), vascular invasion (P=0.009), worse survival in univariate (P>0.001) and multivariable (P>0.001) analysis, and furthermore in lymph node-negative patients (P=0.002). In Cohort 2, the CD8+/ buds index was associated with T stage (P>0.001), N stage (P=0.041), vascular invasion (P=0.005) and survival in patients with TNM stage II (P=0.019), stage III (P=0.004), and adjuvantly untreated (P=0.009) and treated patients (P>0.001). CONCLUSION: The CD8+ lymphocyte : tumour-budding index is an independent prognostic factor in colorectal cancer and a promising approach for a future prognostic score for patients with this disease

Lithium suppresses Aβ pathology by inhibiting translation in an adult Drosophila model of Alzheimer's disease

The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is age, and changes in the ageing nervous system are likely contributors to AD pathology. Amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation, which occurs as a result of the amyloidogenic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP), is thought to initiate the pathogenesis of AD, eventually leading to neuronal cell death. Previously, we developed an adult-onset Drosophila model of AD. Mutant Aβ42 accumulation led to increased mortality and neuronal dysfunction in the adult flies. Furthermore, we showed that lithium reduced Aβ42 protein, but not mRNA, and was able to rescue Aβ42-induced toxicity. In the current study, we investigated the mechanism/s by which lithium modulates Aβ42 protein levels and Aβ42 induced toxicity in the fly model. We found that lithium caused a reduction in protein synthesis in Drosophila and hence the level of Aβ42. At both the low and high doses tested, lithium rescued the locomotory defects induced by Aβ42, but it rescued lifespan only at lower doses, suggesting that long-term, high-dose lithium treatment may have induced toxicity. Lithium also down-regulated translation in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe associated with increased chronological lifespan. Our data highlight a role for lithium and reduced protein synthesis as potential therapeutic targets for AD pathogenesis

Caffeine as a tool for investigating the integration of Cdc25 phosphorylation, activity and ubiquitin-dependent degradation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The evolutionarily conserved Cdc25 phosphatase is an essential protein that removes inhibitory phosphorylation moieties on the mitotic regulator Cdc2. Together with the Wee1 kinase, a negative regulator of Cdc2 activity, Cdc25 is thus a central regulator of cell cycle progression in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The expression and activity of Cdc25 is dependent on the activity of the Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (TORC1). TORC1 inhibition leads to the activation of Cdc25 and repression of Wee1, leading to advanced entry into mitosis. Withdrawal of nitrogen leads to rapid Cdc25 degradation via the ubiquitin- dependent degradation pathway by the Pub1 E3- ligase. Caffeine is believed to mediate the override of DNA damage checkpoint signalling, by inhibiting the activity of the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)/Rad3 homologues. This model remains controversial, as TORC1 appears to be the preferred target of caffeine in vivo. Recent studies suggest that caffeine induces DNA damage checkpoint override by inducing the nuclear accumulation of Cdc25 in S. pombe. Caffeine may thus modulate Cdc25 activity and stability via inhibition of TORC1. A clearer understanding of the mechanisms by which caffeine stabilises Cdc25, may provide novel insights into how TORC1 and DNA damage signalling is integrated

Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a specialized health coaching intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention in women: the HIPP study

BackgroundPregnancy is a time of significant physiological and physical change for women. In particular, it is a time at which many women are at risk of gaining excessive weight. We describe the rationale and methods of the Health in Pregnancy and Post-birth (HIPP) Study, a study which aims primarily to determine the effectiveness of a specialized health coaching (HC) intervention during pregnancy, compared to education alone, in preventing excessive gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention 12 months post birth. A secondary aim of this study is to evaluate the mechanisms by which our HC intervention impacts on weight management both during pregnancy and post birth.Methods/DesignThe randomized controlled trial will be conducted with 220 women who have a BMI &gt; 18.5 (American IOM cut-off for normal weight), are 18 years of age or older, English speaking, no history of disordered eating or diabetes and are less than 18 weeks gestation at recruitment. Women will be randomly allocated to either a specialized HC intervention group or an Education Alone group. Our specialized HC intervention has two components: (1) one-on-one sessions with a Health Coach, and (2) two by two hour educational group sessions led by a Health Coach. Women in the Education Alone group will receive two by two hour educational group sessions with no HC components. Body Mass Index, waist circumference, and psychological factors including motivation, readiness to change, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and body dissatisfaction will be assessed at baseline (14-16 weeks gestation), and again at follow-up: 32 weeks gestation, 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months postpartum.DiscussionOur study responds to the urgent need to design effective interventions in pregnancy to prevent excessive gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention. Our pregnancy HC intervention is novel and innovative and has been designed to be easily adopted by health professionals who work with pregnant women, such as obstetricians, midwives, allied health professionals and health psychologists. <br /