University of Siena

About: University of Siena is a education organization based out in Siena, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 12179 authors who have published 33334 publications receiving 1008287 citations. The organization is also known as: Università degli studi di Siena & Universita degli studi di Siena.

Fitness-Dependent Topological Properties of the World Trade Web

Abstract: Among the proposed network models, the hidden variable (or good get richer) one is particularly interesting, even if an explicit empirical test of its hypotheses has not yet been performed on a real network. Here we provide the first empirical test of this mechanism on the world trade web, the network defined by the trade relationships between world countries. We find that the power-law distributed gross domestic product can be successfully identified with the hidden variable (or fitness) determining the topology of the world trade web: all previously studied properties up to third-order correlation structure (degree distribution, degree correlations, and hierarchy) are found to be in excellent agreement with the predictions of the model. The choice of the connection probability is such that all realizations of the network with the same degree sequence are equiprobable.

Evidence for a Mass Dependent Forward-Backward Asymmetry in Top Quark Pair Production

Abstract: We present a new measurement of the inclusive forward-backward t{bar t} production asymmetry and its rapidity and mass dependence. The measurements are performed with data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.3 fb{sup -1} of p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV, recorded with the CDF II Detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. Significant inclusive asymmetries are observed in both the laboratory frame and the t{bar t} rest frame, and in both cases are found to be consistent with CP conservation under interchange of t and {bar t}. In the t{bar t} rest frame, the asymmetry is observed to increase with the t{bar t} rapidity difference, {Delta}y, and with the invariant mass M{sub t{bar t}} of the t{bar t} system. Fully corrected parton-level asymmetries are derived in two regions of each variable, and the asymmetry is found to be most significant at large {Delta}y and M{sub t{bar t}}. For M{sub t{bar t}} {ge} 450 GeV/c{sup 2}, the parton-level asymmetry in the t{bar t} rest frame is A{sup t{bar t}} = 0.475 {+-} 0.114 compared to a next-to-leading order QCD prediction of 0.088 {+-} 0.013.

Identification of Germ-Line E-cadherin Mutations in Gastric Cancer Families of European Origin

Abstract: E-cadherin germ-line mutations have recently been described as a molecular basis for early-onset familial gastric cancer in Maori kindred. We screened 18 gastric cancer families of European origin for germ-line mutations to determine the proportion in which E-cadherin mutations occur and the clinical characteristics of the affected families. Truncating mutations were identified in three kindred with familial diffuse gastric cancer. In these families, the age of onset of gastric cancer was variable, the penetrance was incomplete, and one kindred contained individuals with cancers at other sites. Here, we show that a proportion of diffuse gastric cancer families of European origin have germ-line E-cadherin mutations; however, these mutations are absent in intestinal gastric cancer families.

Carbonate dissolution during subduction revealed by diamond-bearing rocks from the Alps

Abstract: .Carbon should therefore be retained in the slab and transportedto great depths in the mantle, rather than supply the arcvolcanoes. Here we identify diamonds in ultrahigh-pressurerocks from the Italian western Alps that have an oceanicorigin. We assess the geochemistry of diamond-bearing fluidinclusions and find that they contain bicarbonate, carbonateand sulphate ions, silica monomers, and crystals of carbonateand silicate. This fluid geochemistry indicates that carbon wasreleased from the slab at relatively shallow depths throughdissolution, not decarbonation. We conclude that dissolution,driven by fluids released from the subducted slab, is animportant mechanism for the transfer of carbon into themantle and ultimately back into the atmosphere, helping tobalance the carbon flux.

The role of mitochondria in energy production for human sperm motility.

Abstract: Mitochondria of spermatozoa are different from the corresponding organelles of somatic cells, in both their morphology and biochemistry. The biochemical differences are essentially related to the existence of specific enzyme isoforms, which are characterized by peculiar kinetic and regulatory properties. As mitochondrial energy metabolism is a key factor supporting several sperm functions, these organelles host critical metabolic pathways during germ cell development and fertilization. Furthermore, spermatozoa can use different substrates, and therefore activate different metabolic pathways, depending on the available substrates and the physico-chemical conditions in which they operate. This versatility is critical to ensure fertilization success. However, the most valuable aspect of mitochondria function in all types of cells is the production of chemical energy in the form of ATP which can be used, in the case of spermatozoa, for sustaining sperm motility. The latter, on the other hand, represents one of the major determinants of male fertility. Accordingly, the presence of structural and functional alterations in mitochondria from asthenozoospermic subjects confirms the important role played by these organelles in energy maintenance of sperm motility. The present study gives an overview of the current knowledge on the energy-producing metabolic pathways operating inside human sperm mitochondria and critically analyse the differences with respect to somatic mitochondria. Such a comparison has also been carried out between the functional characteristics of human sperm mitochondria and those of other mammalian species. A deeper understanding of mitochondrial energy metabolism could open up new avenues of investigation in bioenergetics of human sperm mitochondria, both in physiological and pathological conditions.