395 results match your criteria: "Universita' dell'Aquila[Affiliation]"

Motor skill development is crucial in human growth, evolving with the maturation of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Quantifying these skills, especially coordinative abilities, remains challenging. This study aimed to assess the performance of five motor tasks in children and adolescents using high-speed video analysis, providing data for movement and health professionals.

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A PDZ tandem repeat folds and unfolds via different pathways.

Protein Sci

December 2024

Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche "A. Rossi Fanelli, " Sapienza Università di Roma, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy.

Protein folding and unfolding experiments are interpreted under the assumption of microscopic reversibility, that is, that at equilibrium one process is the reverse of the other. Single-domain proteins illustrate the validity of such an interpretation, although reversibility does not necessarily hold under the different conditions typically used for folding and unfolding experiments. In fact, more complex proteins, which often exhibit irreversible unfolding, are generally considered not amenable to folding kinetics studies.

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The aim of this scoping review is to shed light on the current state of the art regarding ChatGPT's potential applications in clinical decision support, as well as its accuracy, sensitivity, speed, and reliability in different clinical contexts (diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, triage, surgical support). Most of the articles found were original research articles, with a few reviews and commentaries. A total of 225 articles were found, of which 50 were included based on retrieval and eligibility.

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Doping the Spin-Polarized Graphene Minicone on Ni(111).

Nanomaterials (Basel)

September 2024

Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche e Chimiche, Università dell'Aquila, Via Vetoio 10, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.

Article Synopsis
  • - The study shows that depositing rare-earth elements on graphene over a cobalt substrate effectively creates spin-polarized states, which are crucial for certain electronic applications.
  • - Researchers are now examining a similar method using graphene over a nickel substrate, aiming to achieve spin-polarized states by doping with rare-earth ions.
  • - Through theoretical calculations, the paper identifies specific rare-earth ions that could optimize this doping process, explaining the mechanisms of charge transfer involved.
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Article Synopsis
  • Immunotherapy is a diverse set of cancer treatments that use the immune system to fight cancer and includes methods like immune-checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T therapy.
  • While these treatments can be highly effective, they have been linked to unexpected side effects, especially cardiovascular issues, which have become more documented in recent years.
  • The review emphasizes the need for specialized guidelines to better manage the unique cardiovascular risks associated with immunotherapy, providing insights into how to evaluate and handle these patients effectively.
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Classification systems based on machine learning (ML) models, critical in predictive maintenance and fault diagnosis, are subject to an error rate that can pose significant risks, such as unnecessary downtime due to false alarms. Propagating the uncertainty of input data through the model can define confidence bands to determine whether an input is classifiable, preferring to indicate a result of unclassifiability rather than misclassification. This study presents an electrical fault diagnosis system on asynchronous motors using an artificial neural network (ANN) model trained with vibration measurements.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates electron-boson scattering, moving beyond simple models and weak-coupling methods to provide accurate results at finite temperatures.
  • It reveals that quantum localization occurs even in the absence of external disorder, driven by thermal boson effects, but is only significant for short times before diffusion takes over.
  • Key evidence of this phenomenon is seen in altered optical absorption patterns and decreased conductivity, highlighting a new understanding of unusual metallic behavior in quantum materials.
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The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway is a key signaling cascade responsible for the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, and metabolism in the ovarian microenvironment. The optimal finetuning of this pathway is essential for physiological processes concerning oogenesis, folliculogenesis, oocyte maturation, and embryo development. The dysregulation of PI3K/Akt can impair molecular and structural mechanisms that will lead to follicle atresia, or the inability of embryos to reach later stages of development.

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Folding and Binding Kinetics of the Tandem of SH2 Domains from SHP2.

Int J Mol Sci

June 2024

Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche "A. Rossi Fanelli", Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Rome, Italy.

The SH2 domains of SHP2 play a crucial role in determining the function of the SHP2 protein. While the folding and binding properties of the isolated NSH2 and CSH2 domains have been extensively studied, there is limited information about the tandem SH2 domains. This study aims to elucidate the folding and binding kinetics of the NSH2-CSH2 tandem domains of SHP2 through rapid kinetic experiments, complementing existing data on the isolated domains.

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Background: Urbanisation is a rapidly growing global phenomenon leading to habitat destruction, fragmentation and degradation. However, urban areas can offer opportunities for conservation, particularly through the presence of green spaces which can even provide important habitats for imperilled species. Spiders, which play crucial roles in ecosystem functioning, include many species that can successfully exploit urban environments.

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The Mechanism of Folding of Human Frataxin in Comparison to the Yeast Homologue - Broad Energy Barriers and the General Properties of the Transition State.

J Mol Biol

May 2024

Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche "A. Rossi Fanelli", Sapienza Università di Roma, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, 00185 Rome, Italy. Electronic address:

The funneled energy landscape theory suggests that the folding pathway of homologous proteins should converge at the late stages of folding. In this respect, proteins displaying a broad energy landscape for folding are particularly instructive, allowing inferring both the early, intermediate and late stages of folding. In this paper we explore the folding mechanisms of human frataxin, an essential mitochondrial protein linked to the neurodegenerative disorder Friedreich's ataxia.

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A theoretical-computational procedure, recently proposed for modelling Vibrational Energy Relaxation (VER) processes of a molecule (Quantum Center, QC) embedded in a complex atomic-molecular system, is extended and applied for analyzing in detail the features of the QC density matrix (DM) temporal evolution. The results, obtained using aqueous azide ion as a case study, show the total lack of coherence in the DM, when the system is prepared to be initially in a pure vibrational eigenstate. This finding is fully in line with the statistical interpretation of the process typically adopted also in the experimental studies where the relaxation processes are all described within the typical schemes of chemical kinetics.

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Maternal inactivation of genes encoding components of the subcortical maternal complex (SCMC) and its associated member, PADI6, generally results in early embryo lethality. In humans, SCMC gene variants were found in the healthy mothers of children affected by multilocus imprinting disturbances (MLID). However, how the SCMC controls the DNA methylation required to regulate imprinting remains poorly defined.

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The binding selectivity of the C-terminal SH3 domain of Grb2, but not its folding pathway, is dictated by its contiguous SH2 domain.

J Biol Chem

April 2024

Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche "A. Rossi Fanelli", Sapienza Università di Roma, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy. Electronic address:

The adaptor protein Grb2, or growth factor receptor-bound protein 2, possesses a pivotal role in the transmission of fundamental molecular signals in the cell. Despite lacking enzymatic activity, Grb2 functions as a dynamic assembly platform, orchestrating intracellular signals through its modular structure. This study delves into the energetic communication of Grb2 domains, focusing on the folding and binding properties of the C-SH3 domain linked to its neighboring SH2 domain.

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Exploring the short linear motif-mediated protein-protein interactions of CrkL through ProP-PD.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun

April 2024

Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche "A. Rossi Fanelli", Sapienza Universita di Roma, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, 00185, Rome, Italy. Electronic address:

Adaptor proteins play a pivotal role in cellular signaling mediating a multitude of protein-protein interaction critical for cellular homeostasis. Dysregulation of these interactions has been linked to the onset of various cancer pathologies and exploited by viral pathogens during host cell takeover. CrkL is an adaptor protein composed of an N-terminal SH2 domain followed by two SH3 domains that mediate interactions with diverse partners through the recognition of specific binding motifs.

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We show, for the first time, radio measurements of the depth of shower maximum (X_{max}) of air showers induced by cosmic rays that are compared to measurements of the established fluorescence method at the same location. Using measurements at the Pierre Auger Observatory we show full compatibility between our radio and the previously published fluorescence dataset, and between a subset of air showers observed simultaneously with both radio and fluorescence techniques, a measurement setup unique to the Pierre Auger Observatory. Furthermore, we show radio X_{max} resolution as a function of energy and demonstrate the ability to make competitive high-resolution X_{max} measurements with even a sparse radio array.

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We present a theory for band-tuned metal-insulator transitions based on the Kubo formalism. Such a transition exhibits scaling of the resistivity curves in the regime where Tτ>1 or μτ>1, where τ is the scattering time and μ the chemical potential. At the critical value of the chemical potential, the resistivity diverges as a power law, R_{c}∼1/T.

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Refinement of the diagnostic approach for the identification of children and adolescents affected by familial hypercholesterolemia: Evidence from the LIPIGEN study.

Atherosclerosis

November 2023

Clinical Service for Dyslipidaemias, Study and Prevention of Atherosclerosis in Childhood, Paediatrics Unit, ASST-Santi Paolo e Carlo, 20142, Milan, Italy.

Background And Aims: We aimed to describe the limitations of familiar hypercholesterolemia (FH) diagnosis in childhood based on the presence of the typical features of FH, such as physical sings of cholesterol accumulation and personal or family history of premature cardiovascular disease or hypercholesterolemia, comparing their prevalence in the adult and paediatric FH population, and to illustrate how additional information can lead to a more effective diagnosis of FH at a younger age.

Methods: From the Italian LIPIGEN cohort, we selected 1188 (≥18 years) and 708 (<18 years) genetically-confirmed heterozygous FH, with no missing personal FH features. The prevalence of personal and familial FH features was compared between the two groups.

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Children with chronic disease are at higher risk of invasive infectious disease, including several vaccine-preventable infections. The Italian Association of Pediatric Hospitals (AOPI) carried out a survey of immunization practices: 14/16 AOPI hospitals completed the survey; 50% of them include 100-199 beds, while 21% have <100 beds. In 12/14 hospitals (86%) all vaccinations included in the National Immunization Plan (plus influenza e COVID-19 vaccines) are available for inpatients, in selected wards ( = 4), on single pediatrician initiative ( = 3), by a centralized in-hospital immunization service ( = 2), and the remaining 3 in a "protected vaccination area" or in a COVID-19 pathway.

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A New NILM System Based on the SFRA Technique and Machine Learning.

Sensors (Basel)

May 2023

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e dell'Informazione e di Economia, Università dell'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.

In traditional nonintrusive load monitoring (NILM) systems, the measurement device is installed upstream of an electrical system to acquire the total aggregate absorbed power and derive the powers absorbed by the individual electrical loads. Knowing the energy consumption related to each load makes the user aware and capable of identifying malfunctioning or less-efficient loads in order to reduce consumption through appropriate corrective actions. To meet the feedback needs of modern home, energy, and assisted environment management systems, the nonintrusive monitoring of the power status (ON or OFF) of a load is often required, regardless of the information associated with its consumption.

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The water-soluble glutathione-protected [Au(GSH)] nanocluster was investigated by integrating several methodologies such as molecular dynamics simulations, essential dynamics analysis, and state-of-the-art time-dependent density functional theory calculations. Fundamental aspects such as conformational, weak interactions and solvent effects, especially hydrogen-bonds, were included and found to play a fundamental role in assessing the optical response of this system. Our analysis demonstrated not only that the electronic circular dichroism is extremely sensitive to the solvent presence but also that the solvent itself plays an active role in the optical activity of such system, forming a chiral solvation shell around the cluster.

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The electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra of aqueous d-glucose and d-galactose were modeled using a theoretical-computational approach combining molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and perturbed matrix method (PMM) calculations, hereafter termed MD-PMM. The experimental spectra were reproduced with a satisfactory accuracy, confirming the good performances of MD-PMM in modeling different spectral features in complex atomic-molecular systems, as already reported in previous studies. The underlying strategy of the method was to perform a preliminary long timescale MD simulation of the chromophore followed by the extraction of the relevant conformations through essential dynamics analysis.

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The investigation of the reactivity of an α-amido sulfone derived from 2-formyl benzoate under organocatalytic conditions in the presence of acetylacetone allowed the synthesis of a new heterocyclic hybrid isoindolinone-pyrazole with high enantiomeric excess. Dibenzylamine was also used as a nucleophile to afford an isoindolinone with aminal substituent in 3-position in suitable selectivity. The use of Takemoto's bifunctional organocatalyst not only led to observed enantioselectivity but was also important in accomplishing the cyclization step in both cases.

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Asynchronous motors represent a large percentage of motors used in the electrical industry. Suitable predictive maintenance techniques are strongly required when these motors are critical in their operations. Continuous non-invasive monitoring techniques can be investigated to avoid the disconnection of the motors under test and service interruption.

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Instantons, which are nonperturbative solutions to Yang-Mills equations, provide a signal for the occurrence of quantum tunneling between distinct classes of vacua. They can give rise to decays of particles otherwise forbidden. Using data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory, we search for signatures of such instanton-induced processes that would be suggestive of super-heavy particles decaying in the Galactic halo.

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