IRIS Università degli Studi dell'Aquila
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Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ) Attenuates Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Injury Through the Enhancement of Mitochondrial Function in Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells
Get PDFMitochondrial metabolism in the trabecular meshwork (TM) plays a critical role in maintaining intraocular pressure homeostasis by supporting the energy-demanding processes involved in aqueous humour outflow. In primary open-angle glaucoma, oxidative stress impairs mitochondrial function, leading to TM dysfunction. Therefore, understanding and targeting mitochondrial health in TM cells could offer a novel therapeutic strategy. Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a redox cofactor with antioxidant and mitochondrial-enhancing properties. However, its effects on human TM (HTM) cells remain largely unexplored. This study examined PQQ cytoprotective effects against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in HTM cells. Seahorse analyses revealed that PQQ alone improves mitochondrial respiration and ATP production. Moreover, PQQ mitigates H2O2-induced cellular damage and preserves mitochondrial function by normalising proton leak and increasing ATP levels. Furthermore, TEM and confocal microscopy showed that PQQ can partially alleviate structural damage, restoring mitochondrial network morphology, thereby leading to reduced cell death. Although these protective effects seem not to be mediated by changes in mitochondrial content or activation of the SIRT1/PGC1-alpha pathway, they may involve modulation of SIRT3, a key factor of mitochondrial metabolism and homeostasis. Overall, these results suggest that PQQ may represent a promising candidate for restoring mitochondrial function and reversing oxidative damage in HTM cells
Virtual reality and sports performance: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials exploring balance
Get PDFIntroduction: Our systematic literature review aimed to select randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which virtual reality (VR) has been used in athletes or players to evaluate the effectiveness of this technology in gaining performance. Methods: In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science databases using the keyword set [(Virtual reality) OR (VR)] AND [(Athletes) OR (Players)] AND [(Performance) OR (Balance)]. Peer-reviewed articles published within the last ten years in English and open access were included. The methodological quality of the articles was assessed using the Jadad scale, while the eligibility criteria were evaluated using the PICOS approach. Results: Specifically, six RCTs were selected, one of which scored 5/5 on the Jadad scale, four scored 3/5 and one scored 2/5. Importantly, five RCTs found a positive influence of VR on performance in terms of balance, stability, sprinting, jumping, neurocognitive function, reaction time and technical skills, while only one RCT found no difference in these parameters. Discussion: In conclusion, the results included in our systematic review showed that VR seems to have a positive effect in improving sports performance. However, the heterogeneity of the studies did not allow for a comparison of the data to clarify the relevance of VR technology in performance, suggesting the need for in-depth investigations to confirm its efficacy in sports
Deep Transfer Learning for Intrusion Detection in Edge Computing Scenarios
Get PDFThe rapidly evolving landscape of cyber threats poses significant challenges to network security, particularly in decentralized environments such as edge computing. This paper proposes an enhanced Intrusion Detection System (IDS) architecture that integrates Transfer Learning (TL) to create a unified supermodel, enabling adaptability and scalability for detecting emerging threats across diverse datasets. The key contributions of this study include: (1) leveraging BERT-based feature extraction to enhance the semantic understanding of intrusion patterns, (2) employing an MLP classifier refined through TL to improve classification performance (3) addressing class imbalance using Synthetic Minority Over-Sampling Technique (SMOTE), and (4) optimizing model deployment by distributing the heaviest computational tasks for the creation of the unified supermodel across the edge nodes with the available capacity, thereby reducing latency and enabling accurate real-time threat detection by resource constrained IoT devices. The proposed TL-enabled supermodel is periodically updated and shared with the IoT devices, ensuring robust and adaptive security mechanisms without the need for extensive local training. Our experimental evaluation on CIC-IDS 2017 and NSL-KDD 2009 datasets demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach, achieving 99% accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Our results highlight the scalability, efficiency, and real-world applicability of our IDS framework, reinforcing its role in fortifying network security within highly dynamic cyber threat landscapes
L’OPERETTA-VAUDEVILLE AL TEATRO MILANESE DI CLETTO ARRIGHI: STUDIO DEI CASI DELL’ORFEE IN VIORON E DI ON MILANES IN MAR, CON UNA PROPOSTA DI EDIZIONE CRITICA
Get PDFThe Association Between the Dark Triad and Political Trust: The Mediating Role of Conspiracy Beliefs
Get PDFThis study investigates the mediating role of conspiracy beliefs in the association between the Dark Triad (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) and political trust. A sample of 212 participants (meanage = 31.83 years; SDage = 13.85 years; 106 females) completed self-report measures assessing the Dark Triad, conspiracy beliefs across five domains (government malfeasance, malevolent global conspiracies, extraterrestrial cover-up, personal well-being, and control of information), and political trust. Mediation analyses revealed that government malfeasance, malevolent global conspiracies, and control of information significantly mediated the association between the Dark Triad and political trust. These findings clarify the psychological mechanisms linking malevolent and antagonistic personality traits to institutional distrust, underscoring the pivotal role of specific conspiracy beliefs in shaping political attitudes. Beyond advancing theoretical understanding, the results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing susceptibility to conspiracy beliefs may help counteract personality-driven erosion of political trust. Limitations and avenues for future research are discussed
Analyzing Infrared Linescan Profiles of Steel Strips for Enhanced Cooling Pattern Prediction
No full textReal-time temperature information is crucial for optimizing cooling processes during steel strip rolling, ensuring the attainment of desired microstructural properties and surface quality at an optimal cooling rate. Infrared line scanners emerge as the preferred choice for temperature measurement in highspeed rolling operations, delivering temperature readings with high resolution and enabling the capture of detailed temperature profiles. By analyzing these profiles, cooling systems can be finely adjusted and precisely controlled to optimize the rolling operation. However, developing effective cooling strategies becomes challenging when dealing with temperature profiles comprising numerous discrete data points, often numbering in the thousands per profile. This study presents an innovative approach that integrates the detection of steel strip boundaries within temperature profiles and subsequent temperature pattern characterization using polynomial fitting. A significant advantage is demonstrated by leveraging the coefficients of Legendre polynomials, which provide a concise description of temperature profile shapes, facilitating straightforward approaches to cooling strategies. By integrating boundary detection with temperature characterization, the system enhances its ability to predict tailored cooling patterns, optimizing cooling efficiency, and enhancing product quality in the manufacturing process. Rigorous testing using both synthetic data and real-world applications in cold and hot rolling validates the proposed system's practical utility and reliability. These results underscore its potential to enhance efficiency and quality in industrial steel manufacturing operations.
Estimation of the body condition of European cave salamanders (genus Speleomantes) from digital images
Get PDFTrolox, r-irisin and resveratrol cocktail to counteract osteoblast metabolism alterations in osteoarthritis and osteoporosis
Get PDFIntroductionOsteoarthritis and osteoporosis are age-related musculoskeletal disorders characterized by increased oxidative stress and cellular senescence, which contribute to altered metabolism and disease progression. Although research in this field is constantly evolving, the discovery of new molecular targets and drug combinations to counteract musculoskeletal disorders remains a goal of great interest. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a cocktail of trolox, recombinant irisin (r-irisin) and resveratrol in modulation of osteoblastic metabolism by investigating the expression of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and pentraxin 3 (PTX3).Materials and methods20 male patients undergoing hip arthroplasty were enrolled, including ten patients with coxarthrosis and ten patients with osteoporosis. Femoral head biopsies were taken from each patient to isolate primary osteoblast cultures, which were treated with the cocktail for 6 days.ResultsThe cocktail of trolox, r-irisin and resveratrol increased cell viability, and reduced ROS and senescence beta-galactosidase activity (SA-beta-Gal) levels. In addition, western blotting analysis showed reduced expression of NOX4 and increased expression of SIRT1 and PTX3 in both experimental groups, although with more pronounced effects in osteoarthritic patients, highlighting lower treatment efficacy in the presence of osteoporosis.ConclusionsThe improvement in cell viability and reduction in oxidative stress and cellular senescence observed through treatment-induced modulation of the NOX4-SIRT1 axis and PTX3 suggests a protective role for these biomarkers in bone metabolism. These findings could offer new perspectives in counteracting the effects of aging on the skeletal system by improving bone health and mitigating metabolic alterations
Sistemi wireless a bassa potenza per applicazioni di monitoraggio
No full textSensor networks play a crucial role in the digital evolution across different fields of
research and industrial applications, enabling possibilities that rely on the remote
monitoring of phenomena. Among these, we find predictive maintenance, process
automation, asset tracking, and environmental observation. Wireless enabled sensor
networks are among the scientific fields that have recently experienced a huge growth
and impact, thanks also to new low power technologies and the spreading of low cost
transceiver electronic systems. However, deploying WSNs in rough settings presents
challenges, especially related to power consumption and long-term sustainability,
taking into consideration the overall complexity and cost.
This thesis discusses the applied research activity on energy-efficient solutions
through adaptive power management, low-power communication, and energy
harvesting to enhance the system sustainability and implementation. The research
work presented ranges in different fields of application WSNs, among which the safety
and structural monitoring for construction sites, environmental monitoring of
underground areas subjected to human interaction, and building-efficiency oriented
systems. In this work the development of the aforementioned systems is discussed in
architectural design, prototyping, implementation, and real scenario results, providing
detail at all levels, with the aim of contributing to the spreading of low-power oriented
autonomous monitoring systems