Essential (Mg,Fe, Zn and Cu) and Non-Essential (Cd and Pb) Elements in Predatory Insects (Vespa crabro and Vespa velutina): A Molecular Perspective

The recent introduction of the Asian yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina, into Europe has raised concern regarding the threat to honeybees and the competition with the European hornet, Vespa crabro. The aim of this study was to investigated essential (Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu) and non-essential (Cd and Pb) elements in these two species. Element concentrations were determined in the whole body and separately in the head, thorax and abdomen using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The changes in essential element concentration and speciation during metamorphosis were also studied using size exclusion chromatography followed by AAS and proteomic analysis. In both species, the essential elements were more concentrated in the abdomen due to the presence of fat bodies. Magnesium, Fe and Zn concentrations were significantly higher in V. crabro than in V. velutina and could have been related to the higher aerobic energy demand of the former species required to sustain foraging flight. Low concentrations of Cd and Pb were indicative of low environmental exposure. The concentration and speciation of essential elements, particularly Fe, varied among the developmental stages, indicating a modification of ligand preferences during metamorphosis. Overall, the results in the present study provide a better understanding of the hornet metal metabolism and a foundation for additional studies.     

Differences in PARP Inhibitors for the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer: Mechanisms of Action,Pharmacology, Safety,and Efficacy

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP) are proteins responsible for DNA damage detection and signal transduction. PARP inhibitors (PARPi) are able to interact with the binding site for PARP cofactor (NAD+) and trapping PARP on the DNA. In this way, they inhibit single-strand DNA damage repair. These drugs have been approved in recent years for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Although they share some similarities, from the point of view of the chemical structure and pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic properties, these drugs also have some substantial differences. These differences may underlie the different safety profiles and activity of PARPi.     

Role of Epithelial–Mesenchymal Plasticity in Pseudomyxoma Peritonei: Implications for Locoregional Treatments

The mechanisms by which neoplastic cells disseminate from the primary tumor to metastatic sites, so-called metastatic organotropism, remain poorly understood. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a role in cancer development and progression by converting static epithelial cells into the migratory and microenvironment-interacting mesenchymal cells, and by the modulation of chemoresistance and stemness of tumor cells. Several findings highlight that pathways involved in EMT and its reverse process (mesenchymal–epithelial transition, MET), now collectively called epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity (EMP), play a role in peritoneal metastases. So far, the relevance of factors linked to EMP in a unique peritoneal malignancy such as pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) has not been fully elucidated. In this review, we focus on the role of epithelial–mesenchymal dynamics in the metastatic process involving mucinous neoplastic dissemination in the peritoneum. In particular, we discuss the role of expression profiles and phenotypic transitions found in PMP in light of the recent concept of EMP. A better understanding of EMP-associated mechanisms driving peritoneal metastasis will help to provide a more targeted approach for PMP patients selected for locoregional interventions involving cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.     

Partial indexing for nonuniform data distributions in relationalDBMS's

It is well known that the effectiveness of relational database systems is greatly dependent on the efficiency of the data access strategies. For this reason, much work has been devoted to the development of new access techniques, supported by adequate access structures such as the B⁺trees. The effectiveness of the B ⁺tree also depends on the data distribution characteristics; in particular, poor performance results when the data show strong key value distribution unbalancing. The aim of this paper is to present the partial index: a new access structure that is useful in such cases of unbalancing, as an alternative to the B⁺tree unclustered indexes. The access structures are built in the physical design phase, and at execution (or compilation) time, the optimizer chooses the most efficient access path. Thus, integration of the partial indexing technique in the design and in the optimization process are also described     

Comparison between normal and reverse thin crystalline silicon solar cells

The newly developed ingot growing techniques, as the three-grain and the columnar multigrain ingot processes, are now offering the possibility of slicing thinner wafers (≤ 100 μm). In this paper we present the results obtained on p type large area (≥ 100 cm²) and 100 μm thick wafers by using both conventional and reverse cell manufacturing technologies.The conventional cells are provided with aluminium or boron BSF plus screen-printed silver mirror or a silver-aluminium net; the reverse cells have a FSF and the deep back junction completely covered by a screen-printed or CVD silver layer.The constructing parameters have been chosen on the base of one and two dimensions modeling and both raw material and devices have been completely characterized.This work shows that very thin wafers do not introduce serious problems for the conventional manufacturing of solar cells. The efficiencies of the normal and of the reverse cells are found to be comparable and are of the same order than those of thicker cells, however at a significant lower cost. The main obtained result has to be related to the demonstration of a cell manufacturing feasibility starting from very thin wafers.     

Energy use in the life cycle of conventional and low-energy buildings: A review article

A literature survey on buildings’ life cycle energy use was performed, resulting in a total of 60 cases from nine countries. The cases included both residential and non-residential units. Despite climate and other background differences, the study revealed a linear relation between operating and total energy valid through all the cases. Case studies on buildings built according to different design criteria, and at parity of all other conditions, showed that design of low-energy buildings induces both a net benefit in total life cycle energy demand and an increase in the embodied energy. A solar house proved to be more energy efficient than an equivalent house built with commitment to use “green” materials. Also, the same solar house decreased life cycle energy demand by a factor of two with respect to an equivalent conventional version, when operating energy was expressed as end-use energy and the lifetime assumed to be 50 years. A passive house proved to be more energy efficient than an equivalent self-sufficient solar house. Also, the same passive house decreased life cycle energy demand by a factor of three – expected to rise to four in a new version – with respect to an equivalent conventional version, when operating energy was expressed as primary energy and the lifetime assumed to be 80 years.     

Neuroprotective Effects of Testosterone in the Hypothalamus of an Animal Model of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is known to be associated to inflammation and alteration in the hypothalamus, a brain region implicated in the control of several physiological functions, including energy homeostasis and reproduction. Previous studies demonstrated the beneficial effects of testosterone treatment (TTh) in counteracting some MetS symptoms in both animal models and clinical studies. This study investigated the effect of TTh (30 mg/kg/week for 12 weeks) on the hypothalamus in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced animal model of MetS, utilizing quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analyses. The animal model recapitulates the human MetS features, including low testosterone/gonadotropin plasma levels. TTh significantly improved MetS-induced hypertension, visceral adipose tissue accumulation, and glucose homeostasis derangements. Within hypothalamus, TTh significantly counteracted HFD-induced inflammation, as detected in terms of expression of inflammatory markers and microglial activation. Moreover, TTh remarkably reverted the HFD-associated alterations in the expression of important regulators of energy status and reproduction, such as the melanocortin and the GnRH-controlling network. Our results suggest that TTh may exert neuroprotective effects on the HFD-related hypothalamic alterations, with positive outcomes on the circuits implicated in the control of energy metabolism and reproductive tasks, thus supporting a possible role of TTh in the clinical management of MetS.     

Simulating protection rackets: a case study of the Sicilian Mafia

Protection racketeering groups are powerful, deeply entrenched in multiple societies across the globe, and they harm the societies and economies in which they operate in multiple ways. These reasons make their dynamics important to understand and an objective of both scientific and application-oriented interest. Legal and social norm-based approaches arguably play significant roles in influencing protection racket dynamics. We propose an agent-based simulation model, the Palermo Scenario, to enrich our understanding of these influences and to test the effect of different policies on protection racket dynamics. Our model integrates the legal and the social norm-based approaches and uses a complex normative agent architecture that enables the analysis of both agents’ behaviours and mental normative representations driving behaviour. We demonstrate the usefulness of the model and the benefits of using this complex normative architecture through a case study of the Sicilian Mafia.     

Fibroblast protein profile analysis highlights the role of oxidative stress and vitamin K recycling in the pathogenesis of pseudoxanthoma elasticum

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a genetic disorder associated to mutations in the ABCC6 gene; however, the pathogenetic mechanisms leading to elastic fibre calcifications and to clinical manifestations are still unknown. Dermal fibroblasts, directly involved in the production of the extracellular milieu, have been isolated from healthy subjects and from patients affected by PXE, cultured in vitro and characterized for their ability to produce reactive oxygen species, for structural and functional properties of their cell membranes, for changes in their protein profile. Data demonstrate that oxidative stress has profound and endurable consequences on PXE fibroblast phenotype being responsible for: reduced levels of global DNA methylation, increased amount of carbonylated proteins and of lipid peroxidation products, altered structural properties of cell membranes, modified protein expression. Data shed new light on the pathogenetic pathways in PXE, by identifying a network of proteins affecting elastic fibre calcification through inefficient vitamin K recycling, and highlight the role of differentially expressed proteins as targets for validating the efficacy of future therapeutic strategies aiming to delay and/or revert the pathologic phenotype of PXE fibroblasts. Moreover, data open new perspectives for investigating PXE-like phenotypes in the absence of ABCC6 mutations.     

Main and interactive effects of shiftwork, age and work stress on health in an Italian sample of healthcare workers

Among healthcare workers, shiftwork (mostly if nightwork is also included), ageing and work-related stress may be factors leading to impaired health. Such risk factors may also operate in interaction, resulting in an even increased harm for health. The present study aims at evaluating these relationships in a sample of 1842 hospital workers in Northern Italy. Subjects were mainly women, 33.1% were aged > or = 45 yr, and they were almost evenly distributed between dayworkers and rotating shiftworkers (nights included). Shiftwork was associated with poor sleep, while it was protective against gastrointestinal disorders, poor work ability and job dissatisfaction. Work stress was the risk factor with the highest relevance for poor health. Ageing was associated with lower physical health. Few significant interactions were observed. Shiftwork with nights and high work stress significantly interacted in increasing the risk for poor sleep. The "healthy worker effect" may have played a strong role in study findings.