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Due to climate change, decreasing ice cover and increasing industrial activities, Arctic marine ecosystems are expected to face higher levels of anthropogenic stress. To sustain healthy and productive ocean ecosystems, it is imperative to build baseline data to assess future climatic and environmental changes. Herein, a natural oil seep site offshore western Svalbard (Prins Karls Forland, PKF, 80–100 m water depth), discovered using satellite radar images, was investigated using an extensive multiscale and multisource geospatial dataset collected by satellite, aerial, floating, and underwater platforms. The investigated PKF seep area covers roughly a seafloor area of 30,000 m2 and discharges oil from Tertiary or younger source rocks. Biomarker analyses confirm that the oil in the slicks on the sea surface and from the seep on the seafloor have the same origin. Uranium/Thorium dating of authigenic carbonate crusts indicated that the seep had emanated since the Late Pleistocene when ice sheet melting unlocked the hydrocarbons trapped beneath the ice. The faunal communities at the PKF seep are a mix of typical high latitude fauna and taxa adapted to reducing environments. Remarkably, the inhospitable oil-impregnated sediments were also colonized by abundant infaunal organisms. Altogether, in situ observations obtained at the site provide essential insights into the characteristics of high–latitude oil seeps and can be used as a natural laboratory for understanding the potential impacts of human oil discharge into the ocean.

Splenic artery steal syndrome is a rare complication after liver transplant. It could lead to rapidly evolving major issues such as ischemic cholangiopathy and acute graft failure. Although the pathophysiology is not yet well understood, if diagnosed in time it could be easily managed with interventional radiology treatments. We present a case of a 47-year-old man presented to our institute with radiological findings typical for multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma in a cirrhotic liver. After therapy he underwent transplant. Some days after surgery he developed signs of acute liver failure. Steal syndrome was suspected by laboratory tests and radiology exams. The syndrome was confirmed by angiography and treated. The graft was saved, and the patient is still alive and free of disease. The purpose of this paper is to explain the importance of radiology exams in the diagnosis of splenic steal syndrome, explain its pathogenesis and describe the interventional management of this complication.

Il contributo passa in rassegna le principali modalità attraverso le quali l'Istituto per la Musica della Fondazione Giorgio Cini di Venezia valorizza pubblicamente i documenti conservati nei Fondi musicali.

Dry and early lactation periods represent the most critical phases for udder health in cattle, especially in highly productive breeds, such as the Holstein Friesian (HF). On the other hand, some autochthonous cattle breeds, such as the Rendena (REN), have a lower prevalence of mastitis and other transition-related diseases. In this study, milk microbiota of 6 HF and 3 REN cows, all raised on the same farm under the same conditions, was compared. A special focus was placed on the transition period to define bacterial groups’ prevalence with a plausible effect on mammary gland health. Four time points (dry-off, 1 d, 7–10 d and 30 d after calving) were considered. Through 16S rRNA sequencing, we characterized the microbiota composition for 117 out of the 144 milk samples initially collected, keeping only the healthy quarters, in order to focus on physiological microbiome changes and avoid shifts due to suspected diseases. Microbial populations were very different in the two breeds along all the time points, with REN milk showing a significantly lower microbial biodiversity. The taxonomic profiles of both cosmopolitan and local breeds were dominated by Firmicutes, mostly represented by the Streptococcus genus, although in very different proportions (HF 27.5%, REN 68.6%). Large differences in HF and REN cows were, also, evident from the metabolic predictive analysis from microbiome data. Finally, only HF milk displayed significant changes in the microbial composition along the transition period, while REN maintained a more stable microbiota. In conclusion, in addition to the influence on the final characteristics of dairy products obtained from milk of the two breeds, differences in the milk microbiome might, also, have an impact on their mammary gland health.

In Holstein Friesian dairy cows, selective pressure for increased milk production has led to a higher propensity to disease, including mastitis, when compared to less selected and lower producing dairy breeds. The biology underpinning the higher resistance to disease of such “local breeds” is not fully understood. With the aim of investigating the factors associated to this phenomenon, we applied a multidisciplinary approach to compare innate immune response patterns, metabolic parameters, milk protein profiles and the milk microbiota in Holstein Friesian and Rendena cows reared in the same farm and under the same management conditions. Quarter milk samples and blood plasma were collected from all cows at dry-off, 1 day after calving, 7–10 days after calving and 30 days after calving. Quarter milk samples were subjected to bacteriological culture, characterization of the milk microbiota by 16S metagenomics, milk protein profiling by electrophoresis and densitometry, somatic cell counting, measurement of the inflammation marker cathelicidin and assessment of different innate immune-related mediators such as lysozyme, CD45, IL-1Î2, TNF-α, PTX3, IL-1R8. In parallel, the main inflammometabolic parameters were measured in blood plasma samples. Despite having relatively few animals (6 moderate-yielding Holstein Friesian and 4 low-yielding Rendena) some important differences were apparent. Holstein Friesian cows showed a more severe fat mobilization and systemic inflammatory response postpartum in comparison with Rendena cows, which had a greater postpartum muscle mass and an increased amino acid mobilization compared to Holstein Friesians. Upon bacteriological analysis, contagious bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae were absent, but significant differences were seen in the general composition of the milk microbiota of the two breeds. Concerning the milk protein abundance profile, pronounced differences were seen in colostrum, wi

Many production diseases of dairy cows are related to digestive troubles. The rumen subacute acidosis is the most relevant one, albeit not easily recognized. Recent studies suggest that forestomachs can perform regulatory actions at both regional and systemic levels, since forestomach walls express immune receptors and cytokines, and the rumen liquor is infiltrated by leukocytes. Therefore, the rumen fluid could be conveniently collected for investigating metabolic production diseases. Thus, we investigated the origin of the leukocytes of the rumen fluid and demonstrated that they partly derive from saliva. Next, we carried out a field survey of innate immunity in rumen fluids of 128 cows from 12 dairy farms, along with clinical inspections, assessment of milk yield, rumen pH, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and major inflammo-metabolic parameters. Significant statistical correlations were found between immune markers in rumen fluids and biochemical parameters. A significant negative correlation was found in rumen between CD45 gene expression (leukocyte infiltration) and pH level. B cells were the most frequent mononuclear leukocyte population in the rumen liquor and their infiltration was negatively affected by low ruminal pH and high concentrations of VFA. Moreover, total Ig and IgM in rumen fluids were negatively correlated with ruminal pH and positively correlated with uremia. Our data suggest that forestomach immune responses could be directed to “dangers” arising within the forestomach environment. The immune markers could integrate consolidated diagnostic parameters (e.g. rumen pH) and contribute to robust, early diagnosis of tricky digestive troubles of cattle.

In the last decades, human action processing has been the research focus of a series of studies aimed at investigating the brain mechanisms underlying this complex process. Converging neurophysiological and functional neuroimaging literature suggested that human actions processing is associated with a large scale network involving areas within the temporal, parietal and frontal cortices. Against the amount of literature available on the localization of these areas, the temporal course of their activations is poorly understood. The purpose of the present project was to explore the temporal dynamics associated with human action perception investigating the neural responses to different aspects of human behavior by means of a series of high-density electrophysiological recording experiments combined with source localization methods. Specifically, the motor (Chapter 1), the semantic (Chapter 2) and the social (Chapter 3) aspects were investigated. Results highlighted a crucial role of the social/affective content, revealing a very early recognition (at 170 ms) operated by the temporal and limbic areas, of this aspect of the human behavior. Starting from 250 ms the processing of the different aspects occurs temporally aligned, involving firstly the mid-superior temporal sulcus (STS) and subsequently the fronto-parietal mirror (hMNS) circuit. Evidence from the source localization analysis suggested also a later involvement of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), associated with mentalizing process. A deepening of the social content of actions was then performed (Chapter 4). Specifically, the modulation of the neural response to particular social actions, that is the communicative actions, caused by the different role held by the observer was investigated using fMRI. Activations in the brain circuits associated with action perception, namely the STS, the hMNS and the mPFC, were recorded only when participants were the addressees of the communicative actions, clearly indica

Previous studies have shown a reduced lateralization of brain functions in women compared with men. Similarly, some studies have shown that the inter-hemispheric transfer (IHTT) of information is asymmetric in men, with faster latencies in the RH→LH compared with the LH→RH direction, and symmetric in women.The aim of the present study was to investigate IHTT and hemispheric lateralization during face processing in the two sexes. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in strictly right-handed people (16 men and 17 women) engaged in a face-sex categorization task. Occipital P1 and occipito/temporal N170 were left lateralized in women and bilateral in men. Overall the data suggest a certain involvement of the LH in face feature analysis (possibly related to sex-coding) in both sexes. N170 to contralateral stimuli was larger over the RH in men and the LH in women. IHTT was approximately 4. ms at the P1 level and approximately 8. ms at the N170 level. It was asymmetric in men, with faster latencies in the left visual field (LVF)/RH→LH (170. ms) direction than in the right-visual field (RVF)/LH→RH (185. ms) direction and symmetric in women. These findings suggest that the asymmetry in callosal transfer times might be due to faster transmission times of face-related information via fibers departing from the more efficient to the less efficient hemisphere. Overall, our findings also support the notion that the transfer time of visual inputs might be more rapid and symmetric in women than in men. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

It is known that infant faces stimulate visual and anterior brain regions belonging to the mesocortical limbic system (orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and nucleus accumbens) as well as the fusiform gyrus during face coding, suggesting a preferential response to baby schema. In the present investigation, faces of infants, children, and adults were presented to 40 male and female right-handed university students with technological objects (and inanimate scenarios to serve as targets) in a randomly mixed fashion. EEG was recorded from 128 scalp sites. In both sexes, the N1 response to infant faces was larger than the response to adult faces; however, the baby-specific N1 response was much larger in women than in men across the left hemisphere. The anterior N2 response to infants was greater than the response to children only in women, whereas the response to children of any age was larger than the response to adults inmen. LORETA identified the intracranial sources of N2 response to infants in the left fusiform gyrus (FG), as well as the uncus, cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortices. The FG, the limbic, and especially the orbito-frontal sources were much larger in women than in men. The data suggest a sex difference in the brain response to faces of different ages and in the preferential response to infants, especially with regard to activation of the mesocorticolimbic system. © 2011 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

La tesi “Agri-culture della montagna e paesaggi di genere nel Garhwal Himalaya” è uno studio sulle dimensioni sociali dell’agricoltura himalayana con particolare attenzione alle dinamiche di genere che la caratterizzano. Pratiche agricole, rituali connessi alla produttività, modelli di sviluppo, immaginari collettivi e movimenti sociali sono le lenti attraverso cui viene analizzata la trasformazione radicale delle culture contadine dell’India Nord-occidentale.

In the current research we used a neurolinguistic paradigm (N400), in which brain activation to semantically congruent and incongruent actions (with respect to the context) was compared in men and women. Twenty-three right-handed students viewed 260 pictures portraying people engaged in simple actions. Perception of plausible and understandable actions (e.g., smiling couple clinking glasses of champagne) was contrasted with that of implausible and unintelligible actions (e.g., businesswoman balancing on one foot in desert). ERP data showed early processing of the action’s purpose in the female brain, with a larger parietal N200 to understandable behavior. Source reconstruction (swLORETA) located the neural generators of this effect in the inferior/parietal, left inferior/frontal, left and right premotor areas, right cingulate cortex, right superior/temporal and extra-striate cortex belonging to the so-called “human mirror-neuron system (MNS)”. Anterior N400 discriminative response (implausible–plausible) was greater in women than men. The data suggest that congruent/incongruent actions are processed differently from the two sexes, with a prevalence of limbic and cingulate activation in women, and orbito/frontal one in men, along with a right STG activation of comparable amplitude in men and women

BACKGROUND: Physiological studies of perfectly still observers have shown interesting correlations between increasing effortfulness of observed actions and increases in heart and respiration rates. Not much is known about the cortical response induced by observing effortful actions. The aim of this study was to investigate the time course and neural correlates of perception of implied motion, by presenting 260 pictures of human actions differing in degrees of dynamism and muscular exertion. ERPs were recorded from 128 sites in young male and female adults engaged in a secondary perceptual task. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our results indicate that even when the stimulus shows no explicit motion, observation of static photographs of human actions with implied motion produces a clear increase in cortical activation, manifest in a long-lasting positivity (LP) between 350-600 ms that is much greater to dynamic than less dynamic actions, especially in men. A swLORETA linear inverse solution computed on the dynamic-minus-static difference wave in the time window 380-430 ms showed that a series of regions was activated, including the right V5/MT, left EBA, left STS (BA38), left premotor (BA6) and motor (BA4) areas, cingulate and IF cortex. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Overall, the data suggest that corresponding mirror neurons respond more strongly to implied dynamic than to less dynamic actions. The sex difference might be partially cultural and reflect a preference of young adult males for highly dynamic actions depicting intense muscular activity, or a sporty context.

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate the visual processing of actions belonging to the typical human repertoire. Two hundred and sixty coloured pictures representing persons differing in number, age and gender, engaged in simple actions, were presented to 23 right-handed students. Perception of meaningful actions (e.g., young woman trying shoes in shop) was contrasted with perception of actions lacking an understandable goal (e.g., businesswoman balancing on one foot in desert). The results indicated early recognition of comprehensible behaviour in the form of an enhanced posterior “recognition potential” (RP) (N250), which was followed by a larger negativity (N400) in response to incongruent actions. The results suggest that incoming visual information regarding human gestures is processed similarly to linguistic inputs from a conceptual point of view, thus eliciting a posterior RP when the action code is visually recognized and comprehended, and a later N400 when the action is not recognized or is difficult to integrate with previous knowledge.

BACKGROUND: Physiological studies of perfectly still observers have shown interesting correlations between increasing effortfulness of observed actions and increases in heart and respiration rates. Not much is known about the cortical response induced by observing effortful actions. The aim of this study was to investigate the time course and neural correlates of perception of implied motion, by presenting 260 pictures of human actions differing in degrees of dynamism and muscular exertion. ERPs were recorded from 128 sites in young male and female adults engaged in a secondary perceptual task. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our results indicate that even when the stimulus shows no explicit motion, observation of static photographs of human actions with implied motion produces a clear increase in cortical activation, manifest in a long-lasting positivity (LP) between 350-600 ms that is much greater to dynamic than less dynamic actions, especially in men. A swLORETA linear inverse solution computed on the dynamic-minus-static difference wave in the time window 380-430 ms showed that a series of regions was activated, including the right V5/MT, left EBA, left STS (BA38), left premotor (BA6) and motor (BA4) areas, cingulate and IF cortex. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Overall, the data suggest that corresponding mirror neurons respond more strongly to implied dynamic than to less dynamic actions. The sex difference might be partially cultural and reflect a preference of young adult males for highly dynamic actions depicting intense muscular activity, or a sporty context.

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate the visual processing of actions belonging to the typical human repertoire. Two hundred and sixty coloured pictures representing persons differing in number, age and gender, engaged in simple actions, were presented to 23 right-handed students. Perception of meaningful actions (e.g., young woman trying shoes in shop) was contrasted with perception of actions lacking an understandable goal (e.g., businesswoman balancing on one foot in desert). The results indicated early recognition of comprehensible behaviour in the form of an enhanced posterior “recognition potential” (RP) (N250), which was followed by a larger negativity (N400) in response to incongruent actions. The results suggest that incoming visual information regarding human gestures is processed similarly to linguistic inputs from a conceptual point of view, thus eliciting a posterior RP when the action code is visually recognized and comprehended, and a later N400 when the action is not recognized or is difficult to integrate with previous knowledge.