Sapienza University of Rome

About: Sapienza University of Rome is a education organization based out in Rome, Lazio, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 62002 authors who have published 155468 publications receiving 4397244 citations. The organization is also known as: La Sapienza & Università La Sapienza di Roma.

A Polytene Chromosome Analysis of the Anopheles gambiae Species Complex

Abstract: Field-collected specimens of all known taxa in the Anopheles gambiae complex were analyzed on the basis of chromosome inversions with reference to a standard polytene chromosome map. The phylogenetic relationships among the seven described species in the complex could be inferred from the distribution of fixed inversions. Nonrandom patterns of inversion distribution were observed and, particularly on chromosome arm 2R, provided evidence for genetically distinct populations in A. gambiae, A. arabiensis, and A. melas. In A. gambiae from Mali, stable genetic differentiation was observed even in populations living in the same region, suggesting a process of incipient speciation which is being confirmed by studies with molecular markers. The possible role of chromosome differentiation in speciation of the A. gambiae complex and in the emergence of distinct chromosomal forms within the nominal species is discussed in relation to human malaria.

Communicating While Computing: Distributed mobile cloud computing over 5G heterogeneous networks

Abstract: Current estimates of mobile data traffic in the years to come foresee a 1,000 increase of mobile data traffic in 2020 with respect to 2010, or, equivalently, a doubling of mobile data traffic every year. This unprecedented growth demands a significant increase of wireless network capacity. Even if the current evolution of fourth-generation (4G) systems and, in particular, the advancements of the long-term evolution (LTE) standardization process foresees a significant capacity improvement with respect to third-generation (3G) systems, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has established a roadmap toward the fifth-generation (5G) system, with the aim of deploying a commercial system by the year 2020 [1]. The European Project named ?Mobile and Wireless Communications Enablers for the 2020 Information Society? (METIS), launched in 2012, represents one of the first international and large-scale research projects on fifth generation (5G) [2]. In parallel with this unparalleled growth of data traffic, our everyday life experience shows an increasing habit to run a plethora of applications specifically devised for mobile devices, (smartphones, tablets, laptops)for entertainment, health care, business, social networking, traveling, news, etc. However, the spectacular growth in wireless traffic generated by this lifestyle is not matched with a parallel improvement on mobile handsets? batteries, whose lifetime is not improving at the same pace [3]. This determines a widening gap between the energy required to run sophisticated applications and the energy available on the mobile handset. A possible way to overcome this obstacle is to enable the mobile devices, whenever possible and convenient, to offload their most energy-consuming tasks to nearby fixed servers. This strategy has been studied for a long time and is reported in the literature under different names, such as cyberforaging [4] or computation offloading [5], [6]. In recent years, a strong impulse to computation offloading has come through cloud computing (CC), which enables the users to utilize resources on demand. The resources made available by a cloud service provider are: 1) infrastructures, such as network devices, storage, servers, etc., 2) platforms, such as operating systems, offering an integrated environment for developing and testing custom applications, and 3) software, in the form of application programs. These three kinds of services are labeled, respectively, as infrastructure as a service, platform as a service, and software as a service. In particular, one of the key features of CC is virtualization, which makes it possible to run multiple operating systems and multiple applications over the same machine (or set of machines), while guaranteeing isolation and protection of the programs and their data. Through virtualization, the number of virtual machines (VMs) can scale on ?demand, thus improving the overall system computational efficiency. Mobile CC (MCC) is a specific case of CC where the user accesses the cloud services through a mobile handset [5]. The major limitations of today?s MCC are the energy consumption associated to the radio access and the latency experienced in reaching the cloud provider through a wide area network (WAN). Mobile users located at the edge of macrocellular networks are particularly disadvantaged in terms of power consumption and, furthermore, it is very difficult to control latency over a WAN. As pointed out in [7]?[9], humans are acutely sensitive to delay and jitter: as latency increases, interactive response suffers. Since the interaction times foreseen in 5G systems, in particular in the so-called tactile Internet [10], are quite small (in the order of milliseconds), a strict latency control must be somehow incorporated in near future MCC. Meeting this constraint requires a deep ?rethinking of the overall service chain, from the physical layer up to virtualization.

Clinical definition of sarcopenia.

Abstract: Sarcopenia is a condition characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. Although it is primarily a disease of the elderly, its development may be associated with conditions that are not exclusively seen in older persons. Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength and it is strictly correlated with physical disability, poor quality of life and death. Risk factors for sarcopenia include age, gender and level of physical activity. In conditions such as malignancy, rheumatoid arthritis and aging, lean body mass is lost while fat mass may be preserved or even increased. The loss in muscle mass may be associated with increased body fat so that despite normal weight there is marked weakness, this is a condition called sarcopenic obesity. There is an important correlation between inactivity and losses of muscle mass and strength, this suggests that physical activity should be a protective factor for the prevention but also the management of sarcopenia. Furthermore one of the first step to be taken for a person with sarcopenia or clinical frailty is to ensure that the sarcopenic patient is receiving correct and sufficient nutrition. Sarcopenia has a greater effect on survival. It should be important to prevent or postpone as much as possible the onset of this condition, to enhance survival and to reduce the demand for long-term care. Interventions for sarcopenia need to be developed with most attention on exercise and nutritional interventions.

Timed picture naming in seven languages

Abstract: Timed picture naming was compared in seven languages that vary along dimensions known to affect lexical access. Analyses over items focused on factors that determine cross-language universals and cross-language disparities. With regard to universals, number of alternative names had large effects on reaction time within and across languages after target-name agreement was controlled, suggesting inhibitory effects from lexical competitors. For all the languages, word frequency and goodness of depiction had large effects, but objective picture complexity did not. Effects of word structure variables (length, syllable structure, compounding, and initial frication) varied markedly over languages. Strong cross-language correlations were found in naming latencies, frequency, and length. Other-language frequency effects were observed (e.g., Chinese frequencies predicting Spanish reaction times) even after within-language effects were controlled (e.g., Spanish frequencies predicting Spanish reaction times). These surprising cross-language correlations challenge widely held assumptions about the lexical locus of length and frequency effects, suggesting instead that they may (at least in part) reflect familiarity and accessibility at a conceptual level that is shared over languages.

Solutions of the Vector Nonlinear Schrödinger Equations: Evidence for Deterministic Rogue Waves

Abstract: We construct and discuss a semirational, multiparametric vector solution of coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equations (Manakov system). This family of solutions includes known vector Peregrine solutions, bright- and dark-rogue solutions, and novel vector unusual freak waves. The vector rogue waves could be of great interest in a variety of complex systems, from optics and fluid dynamics to Bose-Einstein condensates and finance.