A rate adaptive bit-loading algorithm for in-building power-line communications based on DMT-modulated systems

This paper deals with a variable rate discrete multitone modulation system for broadband power-line communications, based on the bit-loading algorithm proposed by Leke and Cioffi. In the proposed system a suitable least mean square channel estimator is considered, which is based on the insertion of a training sequence (TS). The proposed approach will be compared with the ideal channel estimates, showing its effectiveness. Moreover, different TS lengths will be compared. The system performance, expressed in terms of bit rate and bit-error rate, is derived by simulation with and without estimation errors. The propagation environment has been assumed as a frequency-selective multipath fading channel with additive colored Gaussian noise, according to the in-building networks model.     

In vivo roles of receptor tyrosine kinases and cytokine receptors in early thymocyte development

The early phases of T-cell development require both cell-cell interactions and soluble factors provided by stromal cells within the thymic microenvironment. Still, the precise nature of the signals delivered in vivo by cytokines (resulting in survival, proliferation or differentiation) remains unclear. Recent studies using mice deficient in cytokines or in their receptors have helped to identify essential signaling pathways required for the development of intrathymic precursors to mature alpha beta and gamma delta T cells. In addition, cytokine requirements for the development of natural killer cells were revealed in such mutants. The results obtained demonstrate that the development of all classes of lymphocytes (natural killer, gamma delta T cells and alpha beta T cells) is cytokine dependent, but the specific requirements differ for each lineage.     

Complementary Effects of Carbamylated and Citrullinated LL37 in Autoimmunity and Inflammation in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

LL37 acts as T-cell/B-cell autoantigen in Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and psoriatic disease. Moreover, when bound to “self” nucleic acids, LL37 acts as “danger signal,” leading to type I interferon (IFN-I)/pro-inflammatory factors production. T-cell epitopes derived from citrullinated-LL37 act as better antigens than unmodified LL37 epitopes in SLE, at least in selected HLA-backgrounds, included the SLE-associated HLA-DRB1*1501/HLA-DRB5*0101 backgrounds. Remarkably, while “fully-citrullinated” LL37 acts as better T-cell-stimulator, it loses DNA-binding ability and the associated “adjuvant-like” properties. Since LL37 undergoes a further irreversible post-translational modification, carbamylation and antibodies to carbamylated self-proteins other than LL37 are present in SLE, here we addressed the involvement of carbamylated-LL37 in autoimmunity and inflammation in SLE. We detected carbamylated-LL37 in SLE-affected tissues. Most importantly, carbamylated-LL37-specific antibodies and CD4 T-cells circulate in SLE and both correlate with disease activity. In contrast to “fully citrullinated-LL37,” “fully carbamylated-LL37” maintains both innate and adaptive immune-cells’ stimulatory abilities: in complex with DNA, carbamylated-LL37 stimulates plasmacytoid dendritic cell IFN-α production and B-cell maturation into plasma cells. Thus, we report a further example of how different post-translational modifications of a self-antigen exert complementary effects that sustain autoimmunity and inflammation, respectively. These data also show that T/B-cell responses to carbamylated-LL37 represent novel SLE disease biomarkers.     

Mutual Prodrugs of 5-Fluorouracil: From a Classic Chemotherapeutic Agent to Novel Potential Anticancer Drugs

The development of potent antitumor agents with a low toxicological profile against healthy cells is still one of the greatest challenges facing medicinal chemistry. In this context, the “mutual prodrug” approach has emerged as a potential tool to overcome undesirable physicochemical features and mitigate the side effects of approved drugs. Among broad-spectrum chemotherapeutics available for clinical use today, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the most representative, also included in the World Health Organization model list of essential medicines. Unfortunately, severe side effects and drug resistance phenomena are still the primary limits and drawbacks in its clinical use. This review describes the progress made over the last ten years in developing 5-FU-based mutual prodrugs to improve the therapeutic profile and achieve targeted delivery to cancer tissues.     

Occurrence patterns of alien freshwater turtles in a large urban pond ‘Archipelago’ (Rome,Italy): Suggesting hypotheses on root causes

The patterns of the occurrence and distribution of alien freshwater turtle species in an urban pond archipelago (Rome, Italy) were analysed, with the aim of exploring the role of a set of factors (type of ponds, landscape context, size area, distance from the nearest road) with a generalized linear model approach. A total of 311 ponds subdivided in three types (fountains, small basins, lakes) embedded in different landscape contexts (public parks, private parks, urban areas) at differing distances from the nearest road were sampled. Six non‐native freshwater turtle species in 31 sites were recorded (9.97%). Lakes exhibited the highest occurrence rates of alien freshwater turtles, compared to small basins and fountains. Freshwater turtle species in urbanized areas were only observed in parks (both public and private). In both the public and private parks, the lakes exhibited the highest percentage of occupied sites, with fountains being the lowest. A direct and significant relationship was observed between pond size and species richness. The distance from the nearest road did not appear to affect species richness. A first interpretation of the data from this study facilitated the postulation of two a posteriori hypotheses that should be tested, as follows: (i) the causal process of turtle release is random, and the rate of extinction (and recapture) is higher in smaller ponds, thus producing the observed pattern; and (ii) the turtle release is not random, and people actively select the ponds they consider more suitable for their pet animals. In this study, it appears the lakes were perceived by those who abandon their pets as the most ecologically suitable habitats among other pond types to accommodate the different species of turtles. Knowledge of people's attitudes in regard to releasing pet animals also might assist managers of public green spaces to develop strategies aimed to preserve local biodiversity, and to educate the public about the conservation issue represented by the alien species.     

A universal design resource for rich Internet applications based on design patterns

Rich Internet applications have removed most of the constraints of Web 1.0 while giving users more responsiveness and advanced browsing and interaction experiences. These new horizons, however, raise many challenges for people with disabilities or using limited hardware and software technologies, whose risk to be excluded from the benefits deriving from advanced web applications. To address this problem, WCAG 2.0 guidelines have been released as the newest World Wide Web Consortium recommendation for accessible web content, and WAI-ARIA is a candidate recommendation which provides reference specifications for accessible rich Internet applications. However, both specifications contain a huge amount of information that often discourages most web designers from dealing with accessibility issues. Moreover, guidelines are suitable and usually adopted to judge a design solution a posteriori, but they do not suggest how to face a design problem constructively. This paper proposes a design pattern language for accessibility. The language can be regarded as a universal design resource for helping web designers create accessible rich Internet applications compliant with the most recent standards. Knowledge representation through design patterns reflects the problem-solving approach usually followed by software and web designers, while pattern organization in a structured language aims to guide web designers throughout the design process. The language has been implemented as an accessible rich Internet application itself, thus allowing designers with disabilities to participate in web design. In order to evaluate the design pattern language, a three-step process was carried out including: (1) a heuristic analysis with a group of human–computer interaction experts, (2) a survey study with a group of web designers, and (3) a validation on the field with two designers who have been requested to apply the language in real design cases.     

Aspects of nucleosomal positional flexibility and fluidity

Nucleosomes have been considered until recently to be stable and uniquely localized particles. We focus here on two properties of nucleosomes that are emerging as central attributes of their functions: mobility and multiplicity of localization. The biological relevance of these phenomena is based on the fact that chromatin functions depend on the relative stability of nucleosomes, on their covalent or conformational modifications, their dynamics, their localization, and the density of their distribution. In order to understand these complex behaviors both the structure of the nucleosome core particles and the informational rules governing their interaction with defined DNA sequences are here taken into consideration. The fact that nucleosomes solve the problem of how to locate a specific interaction site on a potentially infinite combination of sequences, with interactions recurring to a controlled level of informational ambiguity and stochasticity, is discussed. Nucleosomes have been shown to slide along DNA. This novel facet of their behavior and its implications in chromatin remodeling are reviewed.     

An analysis of XQuery benchmarks

This paper presents a survey and an analysis of the XQuery benchmark publicly available in 2006—XMach-1, XMark, X007, the Michigan benchmark, and XBench—from different perspectives. We address three simple questions about these benchmarks: How are they used? What do they measure? What can one learn from using them? One focus of our analysis is to determine whether the benchmarks can be used for micro-benchmarking. Our conclusions are based on an usage analysis, on an in-depth analysis of the benchmark queries, and on experiments run on four XQuery engines: Galax, SaxonB, Qizx/Open, and MonetDB/XQuery.     

A large-displacement 65Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–35PbTiO3/Pt bimorph actuator prepared by screen printing

In this paper we present a novel approach to preparing large-displacement 65Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–35PbTiO₃/Pt (65/35 PMN–PT/Pt) bimorph actuators. These “substrate-free”, bending-type actuators were prepared by screen-printing the 65/35 PMN–PT and Pt thick-film pastes as the electrodes on alumina substrates. After this screen printing and the subsequent firing the 65/35 PMN–PT/Pt composites were peeled off from the substrates. Displacements of nearly 100 μm at 18 V were achieved for actuators with dimensions of 1.8 cm × 2.5 mm × 50 μm for the 65/35 PMN–PT layer. The normalized displacement (the displacement per unit length) was 40 μm/cm at 18 V. The experimental results together with a computation procedure were used to obtain the material parameters for a finite-element analysis of the 65/35 PMN–PT/Pt bimorph actuators.