Background A subset of individuals affected by imprinting disorders displays multi-locus imprinting disturbances (MLID). MLID has been associated with maternal-effect variants that alter the maintenance of methylation at germline-derived differentially methylated regions (gDMRs) in early embryogenesis. Pedigrees of individuals with MLID also include siblings with healthy phenotype.

Reputation systems are nowadays widely used to support decision making in networked systems. Parties in such systems rate each other and use shared ratings to compute reputation scores that drive their interactions. The existence of reputation systems with remarkable differences calls for formal approaches to their analysis. We present a verification methodology for reputation systems that is based on the use of the coordination language Klaim and related analysis tools.

Human mesenchymal/stromal stem cells (hMSC) are the most promising cell source for adult cell therapies in regenerative medicine. Many clinical trials have reported the use of autologous transplantation of hMSCs in several disorders, but with limited results. To exert their potential, hMSCs could exhibit efficient homing and migration toward lesion sites among other effects, but the underlying process is not clear enough. To further increase the knowledge, we studied the co-regulation between hypoxia-regulated genes and miRNAs.

We analytically compute the gravitational self-force correction to the gyroscope precession along slightly eccentric equatorial orbits in the Kerr spacetime, generalizing previous results for the Schwarzs-child spacetime. Our results are accurate through the 9.5 post-Newtonian order and to second order in both eccentricity and rotation parameter. We also provide a post-Newtonian check of our results based on the currently known Hamiltonian for spinning binaries.

We develop and study stability properties of a hybrid approximation of functionals of the Bates jump model with stochastic interest rate that uses a tree method in the direction of the volatility and the interest rate and a finite-difference approach in order to handle the underlying asset price process. We also propose hybrid simulations for the model, following a binomial tree in the direction of both the volatility and the interest rate, and a space-continuous approximation for the underlying asset price process coming from a Euler-Maruyama type scheme.

Predicting the release performance of a drug delivery device is an important challenge in pharmaceutics and biomedical science. In this paper, we consider a multi-layer diffusion model of drug release from a composite spherical microcapsule into an external surrounding medium. Based on this model, we present two approaches for estimating the release time, i.e. the time required for the drug-filled capsule to be depleted.

We propose an approach to the numerical simulation of thin-film flows based on the lattice Boltzmann method. We outline the basic features of the method, show in which limits the expected thin-film equations are recovered, and perform validation tests. The numerical scheme is applied to the viscous Rayleigh-Taylor instability of a thin film and to the spreading of a sessile drop toward its equilibrium contact angle configuration. We show that the Cox-Voinov law is satisfied and that the effect of a tunable slip length on the substrate is correctly captured.

To investigate the effects of Glatiramer Acetate (GA) on B cells by an integrated computational and experimental approach. GA is an immunomodulatory drug approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). GA effect on B cells is yet to be fully elucidated. We compared transcriptional profiles of B cells from treatment-naive relapsing remitting MS patients, treated or not with GA for 6 hours in vitro, and of B cells before and after six months of GA administration in vivo.