IRIS Università degli Studi dell'Aquila
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Genetic and Environmental Similarities Drive Repeated Genomic Evolution in Island Lizards
No full textRepeated adaptation provides valuable insights into the predictability of evolution. Population history, selection and stochastic processes can concur to generate a continuum from distinct to highly parallel evolutionary trajectories across replicate populations. Yet, the role of genetic and environmental factors in shaping this continuum remains underexplored. We quantified repeated genetic adaptation in lizards that colonised multiple islands with comparable environmental gradients, investigating whether environmental-dependent and divergence-dependent processes can explain the degree of repeated adaptation (genetic reuse and trajectory similarity). We found 149 genes exhibiting repeated adaptation in multiple islands, some of which are likely involved in thermal physiology and developmental processes. Genetic reuse was stronger at the functional level than at the mutation level and exceeded random expectations, highlighting that different genetic combinations can generate similar functional outcomes. Adaptive trajectories were more similar between islands with low genetic differentiation and similar environmental conditions, but the effects of genetic and environmental factors varied across the diverse facets of repeatability. Overall, our findings reveal the extent and conditions under which local adaptation is, in part, predictable
Keynes, Graziani, and Non-Bank Financial Intermediaries: A Stock-Flow Consistent Analysis
Full text linkSampled-data observer-based exponential stabilization of nonlinear systems with an application to tumor control
No full textEnsuring stability in control systems with incomplete state information poses a significant challenge. This paper addresses this issue for nonlinear systems by leveraging the power of state observers and fast sampling. We demonstrate the following result: if the linearized system exhibits the standard structural properties of stabilizability and detectability, then the sampled-data Euler emulation of a continuous-time (Luenberger) observer-based stabilizer, designed for the linear continuous-time system, also guarantees local exponential convergence to the origin of the nonlinear system state, provided that sampling is sufficiently fast. While the result may seem expected, our work moves beyond conjecture by providing a rigorous proof that establishes this convergence under minimal assumptions. Unlike many approaches that require numerous strong assumptions for global guarantees, we forgo these requirements and accept a local result, which is still valuable in applications where understanding the system behavior around specific points is crucial. As an illustrative example, we show an application of the method to the control of the Hahnfeldt's model of colon tumor angiogenesis, showing the potential and effectiveness of the proposed approach
Dietary data from surface and subterranean populations of Speleomantes cave salamanders
Full text linkA 10-WEEK ACTIVE BREAKS PROGRAM PROPOSAL TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND REDUCE SEDENTARY BEHAVIOURS IN THE ADULT ACADEMIC EMPLOYEES
No full textPurpose: University employees spend most of the day on the work-
place and exhibit sedentary behaviours also beyond the working time, which is linked to health issues. Active breaks (ABs) are short
interruptions in the academic setting where PA is performed.
Recently, ABs have gained prominence in the scientific literature,
especially among university students. However, ABs are not widely
explored across the adult academic employee’s population, leaving
gaps in the understanding of their effectiveness. To assess if a
10-week ABs program can increase moderate-to-vigorous physical
activity (MVPA), physical fitness, improve quality of life, work
ability and decrease sedentary behaviours in employees of an aca-
demic community.
Methods: Participants will be assigned to either an experimental
group (n = 10), which will participate in the ABs program, or a
control group (n = 10). Physical activity levels through wearable
activity tracker (MVPA and daily steps), physical fitness (upper limb
grip strength, lower limb strength, lower back and hamstrings flexi-
bility, cardiorespiratory fitness), quality of life (36-Item Short Form
Health Survey—SF36), work ability (Work Ability Index—WAI) and
sedentary behaviors (Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire—SBQ) will
be assessed before (t0) and after (t1) the intervention. The 10-week
ABs program will consist of a 10-min outdoor supervised walk and a
10-min combined strength and mobility short session on 4 times/
week, plus a 60-min mobility session on a separate day.
Expected results: A tendency to an increase in MVPA, PF, quality of
life, work ability and a decrease in sedentary behaviours are expected at t1 after 10 weeks of ABs program. The results of this research could guide universities toward creating active workplaces and mobility systems to support employees’ well-being, healthier lifestyles and to prevent non-communicable diseases
Codification and research for mass timber buildings in selected seismic regions: An overview
No full textSince the late 2000's, many countries around the world have experienced rising interest in mass timber construction in commercial and mixed-use building applications. Globally, wood design and research communities have invested heavily in research and development (R&D) to make mass timber viable for large scale, multi-story buildings, targeting commercial markets. Due to the difference in historical design/fabrication practices, local regulatory rules, and cultural differences, the status of mass timber codification and research development are not uniform throughout the world. In this paper, an overview of recent trends in manufacture, codification, and research on mass timber systems is provided. Specifically, this overview was divided into five distinct topics, namely mass timber material standards, mandatory building/design requirements, non-mandatory design guidelines, different approaches to lateral design, and notable mass timber research efforts in the recent decades. Due to the limitation of the authors' experience, only selected regions around the world are covered in this review
Normality conditions in the Sylow p-subgroup of Sym(p^n) and its associated Lie algebra
Full text linkIn this work, we give a description of the structure of the normal subgroups of a Sylow p-subgroup W_n of Sym(p^n), showing that they contain a term from the lower central series with bounded index. To this end, we explicitly determine the terms of the upper and the lower central series of W_n. We provide a similar description of these series in the Lie algebra associated to W_n, giving a new proof of the equality of their terms in both the group and algebra contexts. Finally, we calculate the growth of the normalizer chain starting from an elementary abelian regular subgroup of W_n
Ethics label for digital systems to promote transparency and user awareness
No full textBackground
Modern digital systems pose risks to humans, society, and the environment. There is a flourishing of guidelines, recommendations, laws, and regulations, but also of standards that try to regulate and alleviate the lack of good practices for the governance, management, and quality of AI systems. However, having just a mark certifying that the system passed some checks is not enough and is fragile to the ethics washing problem.
Objective
The objective of this work is to go beyond compliance to standards toward an ethics label that enables users to understand the impact of systems on human, societal, and environmental values, both during system development and usage.
Method
To build the ethics label, we analyze guidelines, recommendations, laws and regulations, and quality standards. We validate the proposed ethics label through (i) a proof-of-concept application to the social assistive robotics domain, and (ii) interviews with experts from both academia and industry.
Results
We contribute an ethics label for modern digital systems that promote transparency and user awareness, and enable users to select systems that meet their subjective ethical preferences.
Conclusion
We discuss the problem of ethics washing and propose an ethics label as a means to foster transparency and raise user awareness
