Networks in biological systems: An investigation of the Gene Ontology as an evolving network

Many biological systems can be described as networks where diFFerent elements interact, in order to perform biological processes. We introduce a network associated with the Gene Ontology. Specifically, we construct a correlation-based network where the vertices are the terms of the Gene Ontology and the link between each two terms is weighted on the basis of the number of genes that they have in common. We analyze a filtered network obtained from the correlation-based network and we characterize its evolution over different releases of the Gene Ontology.

Exon deletions of the PAH gene in Italian hyperphenylalaninemics

A consistent finding of many studies describing the spectrum of mutant phenylalanine hydroxylase alleles underlying hyperphenylalaninemia is the impossibility of achieving a 100% mutation ascertainment rate using conventional gene-scanning methods such as Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE), Denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatography (DHPLC), direct sequencing. In recent years, it has been shown that a significant proportion of these undetermined alleles consist of large deletions overlapping one or more exons. These deletions have been difficult to detect in compound heterozygotes by gene-scanning methods due to the masking effect by the non-deleted allele. To date no sys…

Proprietà del segnale ESR di dosimetri a tartarato di ammonio irradiati con radiazioni di diverso LET

MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL TOOLS FOR THE RADIOMETRIC FEATURES OF VOLCANIC ISLANDS

The Aeolian Islands represents a Quaternary volcanic arc related to the subduction of the Ionian plate beneath the Calabrian Arc. The geochemical variability of the islands has led to a broad spectrum of magma rocks. Volcanic products from calc-alkaline (CA) to calc-alkaline high in potassium (HKCA) are present throughout the Archipelago, but products belonging to shoshonitic (SHO) and potassium (KS) series characterize the southern portion of Lipari, Vulcano and Stromboli. Tectonics also plays an important role in the process of the islands differentiation. In this work, we want to review and cross-analyze the data on Lipari, Stromboli and Vulcano, collected in measurement and sampling cam…

Dall’analisi del genoma al vocabolario biologico dell’autismo

Trascendental Solutions of the sine-Gordon Equation

Econofisica: il contributo dei fisici allo studio dei sistemi economici

Hierarchical structures in Complex Systems: from DNA to financial markets

In this paper we discuss the concepts of short-range and long-range correlated stochastic processes and we investigate the presence of such variables in two model complex systems. The selected model systems are DNA sequences of complete genomes and financial time series of equities traded in a stock market. Specifically, by starting from our research results, we discuss the statistical properties of (i) coding and non-coding regions of DNA and (ii) equity returns and volatility in financial markets. The stylized facts about these variables are presented and discussed with a focus on the statistical tools already used and/or still needed to better characterize these model complex systems.

Exploratory analysis of safety data and their interrelation with flight trajectories and network metrics

This paper presents an exploratory analysis of the correlation between different network metrics and safety events. The objective is to develop analysis methods and indicators that relate the network structure with safety events. In particular by using data gathered with an automatic tool developed by EUROCONTROL and a database of traffic data, we measured the correlations between the classical metrics of the airspace network, especially the network of navigation points, and the occurrence of Short Term Conflicts Alerts (STCA). The results obtained are not univocal; correlation between STCA occurrences and classical network metrics are present but the correlation coefficient is around 0.7. …

Autism Spectrum Disorders: From Candidate Genes to Candidate Ontology Terms

Genetic heterogeneity for a multifactorial disease such as autism would imply that any two patients are unlikely to share the same susceptibility loci. Since different susceptibility loci may affect the same function and since functions may be considered at different levels of analysis, the following question arises: at what phenotypic levels is convergence attained by different genes in autism ? This is an important question to answer in order to shed light on subcellular, cellular or multicellular structures and functions possibly involved in the pathogenesis of autism. Among the various attempts made to answer this question it is worth mentioning the use of the best available genetic inf…

Complexity in Air Traffic Management, Complex Systems

High frequency data entry: statistical findings at high frequency

We introduce some of the most common types of high-frequency financial data: tick-by-tick data, trade andquote data, order bookdata, andmarket member data. We describe the types of variables that are usually available in the most popular high-frequency financial databases. We discuss the issues related to the handling of these data, including cleaning protocols, timing issues, and issues related to data size. We then briefly consider the issues related to the stylized facts detected in the empirical analysis of high- frequency data. Specifically, we consider (i) the irregular temporal spacing of the events at high frequency and its relevance for the econometric modeling of financial variables, (…

Neurobeachin (NBEA) is downregulated in blood cells from a patient with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)