The INFN Cloud project was launched at the beginning of 2020, aiming to build a distributed Cloud infrastructure and provide advanced services for the INFN scientific communities. A Platform as a ...Service (PaaS) was created inside INFN Cloud that allows the experiments to develop and access resources as a Software as a Service (SaaS), and CYGNO is the betatester of this system. The aim of the CYGNO experiment is to realize a large gaseous Time Projection Chamber based on the optical readout of the photons produced in the avalanche multiplication of ionization electrons in a GEM stack. To this extent, CYGNO exploits the progress in commercial scientific Active Pixel Sensors based on Scientific CMOS for Dark Matter search and Solar Neutrino studies. CYGNO, like many other astroparticle experiments, requires a computing model to acquire, store, simulate and analyze data typically far from High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments. Indeed, astroparticle experiments are typically characterized by being less demanding of computing resources with respect to HEP ones but have to deal with unique and unrepeatable data, sometimes collected in extreme conditions, with extensive use of templates and montecarlo, and are often re-calibrated and reconstructed many times for a given data set. Moreover, the varieties and the scale of computing models and requirements are extremely large. In this scenario, the Cloud infrastructure with standardized and optimized services offered to the scientific community could be a useful solution able to match the requirements of many small/medium size experiments. In this work, we will present the CYGNO computing model based on the INFN cloud infrastructure where the experiment software, easily extendible to similar experiments to similar applications on other similar experiments, provides tools as a service to store, archive, analyze, and simulate data.
Substitution of the methyl group from the H-BPMP (HLCH 3 ) ligand (2,6-bis(bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amino)methyl-4-methylphenol) by electron withdrawing (F or CF3) or electron donating (OCH3) groups ...afforded a series of dinucleating ligand (HLOCH 3 , HLF, HLCF 3 ), allowing one to understand the changes in the properties of the corresponding dicopper complexes. Dinuclear CuII complexes have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic (UV−vis, EPR, 1H NMR) as well as electrochemical techniques and, in some cases, by single-crystal X-ray diffraction: Cu2(LOCH 3 )(μΟΗ)(ClO4)2·C4H8O, Cu2(LF)(μΟΗ)(ClO4)2, Cu2(LF)(H2O)2(ClO4)3·C3D6O, and Cu2(LCF 3 )(H2O)2(ClO4)3·4H2O. Significant differences are observed for the Cu−Cu distance in the two μ-hydroxo complexes (2.980 Å (R = OCH3) and 2.967 Å (R = F)) compared to the two bis aqua complexes (4.084 Å (R = F) and 4.222 Å (R = CF3)). The μ-hydroxo and bis aqua complexes are reversibly interconverted upon acid/base titration. In basic medium, new species are reversibly formed and identified as the bis hydroxo complexes except for the complex from HLCF 3 which is irreversibly transformed near pH = 10. pH-driven interconversions have been studied by UV−vis, EPR, and 1H NMR, and the corresponding pK are determinated. In addition, with the fluorinated complexes, the changes in the coordination sphere around the copper centers and in their redox states are evidenced by the fluorine chemical shift changes (19F NMR). For all the complexes described here, investigations of the catechol oxidase activities (oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol to the corresponding quinone) are of interest in modeling the catecholase enzyme active site and in understanding aspects of structure/reactivity. These studies show the pH-dependence for the catalytic abilities of the complexes, related with changes in the coordination sphere of the metal centers: only the μ-hydroxo complexes from HLCH 3 , HLF, and HLOCH 3 exhibit a catecholase activity. Modification on R-substituent induces a drastic effect on the catecholase activity: the presence of an electron donating group on the ligand increases this activity; the reverse effect is observed with an electron withdrawing group.
The dinucleating ligand 2,6-bis(bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amino)methyl-4-methylphenol (H−BPMP) has been used to synthesize the three dinuclear Cu(II) complexes Cu2(BPMP)(OH)ClO42·0.5C4H8O (1), ...Cu2(BPMP)(H2O)2(ClO4)3·4H2O (2), and Cu2(H−BPMP)(ClO4)4·2CH3CN (3). X-ray diffraction studies reveal that 1 is a μ-hydroxo, μ-phenoxo complex, 2 a diaqua, μ-phenoxo complex, and 3 a binuclear complex with Cu−Cu distances of 2.96, 4.32, and 6.92 Å, respectively. Magnetization measurements reveal that 1 is moderately antiferromagnetically coupled while 2 and 3 are essentially uncoupled. The electronic spectra in acetonitrile or in water solutions give results in accordance with the solid-state structures. 1 is EPR-silent, in agreement with the antiferromagnetic coupling between the two copper atoms. The X-band spectrum of powdered 2 is consistent with a tetragonally elongated square pyramid geometry around the Cu(II) ions, in accordance with the solid-state structure, while the spectrum in frozen solution suggests a change in the coordination geometry. The EPR spectra of 3 corroborate the solid-state and UV−visible studies. The 1H NMR spectra also lead to observations in accordance with the conclusions from other spectroscopies. The electrochemical behavior of 1 and 2 in acetonitrile or in water solutions shows that the first reduction (Cu(II)Cu(II)−Cu(II)Cu(I) redox couple) is reversible and the second (formation of Cu(I)Cu(I)) irreversible. In water, 1 and 2 are reversibly interconverted upon acid/base titration (pK 4.95). In basic medium a new species, 4, is reversibly formed (pK 12.0), identified as the bishydroxo complex. Only 1 exhibits catecholase activity (oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol to the corresponding quinone, v max = 1.1 × 10-6 M-1 s-1 and K M = 1.49 mM). The results indicate that the pH dependence of the catalytic abilities of the complexes is related to changes in the coordination sphere of the metal centers.
Over the past 15 years the causative genes of several inherited muscular dystrophies have been identified. These genes encode sarcolemmal, extracellular matrix, sarcomeric, and nuclear envelope ...proteins. Although the post-translational processing of muscle proteins has a significant role in their correct assembly and function, these processes have not been shown to be primarily involved in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophies until recently. In the past 18 months, four different forms of inherited muscular dystrophy in human beings have been associated with mutations in genes encoding for putative glycosyltransferases. Aberrant glycosylation of alpha-dystroglycan, an external membrane protein expressed in muscle, brain, and other tissues, is a common feature in these disorders. alpha-dystroglycan is highly glycosylated, its sugar components varying in different tissues and controlling its interaction with extracellular matrix partners. Disrupted glycosylation of alpha-dystroglycan results in a loss of these interactions, giving rise to both progressive muscle degeneration and abnormal neuronal migration in the brain.
Kevin Campbell and colleagues have recently demonstrated that patients with muscle-eye-brain disease (MEB) and Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD), as well as the myodystrophy (myd) mouse, have an abnormally glycosyated form of alpha-dystroglycan (Nature 2002; 418: 417-22 and 422-25). The abnormally glycosylated protein did not bind to three of its extracellular matrix ligands, laminin alpha2 chain, agrin, and neurexin. The investigators also showed that a neuronal migration disorder occurs in both the myd mouse and in a brain-restricted alpha-dystroglycan knock-out mouse that is similar to that seen in patients with MEB and FCMD. These results identify alpha-dystroglycan as having an essential role in both muscle and brain development and function.
Emphasis is moving away from identifying the protein components of the muscle fibre that are involved in muscular dystrophies towards the post-translational processing of proteins and the enzymes involved in these modifications. This opens up new avenues of research. Abnormal glycosylation of alpha-dystroglycan may underlie other as yet uncharacterised forms of muscular dystrophy and neuronal migration disorders.
Basic thermodynamic considerations are used to rationalize the formation of thermotropic mesophases incorporating aromatic ligands for trivalent lanthanide metal ions (Ln). Standard flat and bent ...molecular interfaces, separating the central binding unit from the lateral, flexible alkoxy chains, provide programmed lamellar and columnar organization in the mesophases, which are removed upon complexation to Ln(NO3)3 and Ln(CF3CO2)3. Only significantly curved aromatic/aliphatic interfaces, found in polycatenar ligands, are able to overcome the considerable perturbations of the intermolecular interactions produced by the introduction of the bulky metallic core. A rich mesomorphism results, which can be tuned by a judicious control of the metallic coordination sphere. The exploitation of specific, metal‐centered luminescence for probing phase transitions and microscopic environments in mesophases is also discussed, as is the use of ionic liquids for producing tunable luminescent mesophases.
Judicious tailoring of molecular shapes and interfaces in lanthanide complexes (see Figure) can produce rational control of the thermodynamic parameters responsible for the formation of thermotropic liquid‐crystalline phases with predetermined macroscopic organizations. These complexes and their specific metal‐centered luminescence can be exploited for probing phase transitions and microscopic environments in mesophases.
