Search

Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus sp. are commonly used in wastewater treatment due to their fast growth rates and ability to tolerate a range of environmental conditions. This study explored the cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus sp. using wastewater from the food industry, particularly from Italian basil pesto production tanks. The experiment involved different carbon dioxide concentrations and light conditions with a dilution rate of basil pesto wastewater at 1:2. Both microalgae strains were able to grow on pesto wastewater, and biomass characterization highlighted the influence of CO2 supply and light irradiation. The highest lipid storage was 79.3 ± 11.4 mg gdry biomass−1 and 75.5 ± 13.3 mg gdry biomass−1 for C. vulgaris and S. obliquus under red light (5% CO2 supply) and white light (0.04% CO2 supply), respectively. Protein storage was detected at 20.3 ± 1.0% and 24.8 ± 1.3% in C. vulgaris and S. obliquus biomasses under white light with a 5% CO2 and 0.04% CO2 supply, respectively. The removal of P, N, chemical oxygen demand, and biological oxygen demand resulted in 80–100%, 75–100%, 26–35%, and 0–20%, respectively.

In Italy, watermelon cultivation spans 9510 hectares, with production levels largely influenced by seasonal market demand. As a result, surplus watermelon left unsold by September often remain in the fields, where they decompose naturally and go to waste. A chemical analysis of the watermelon liquid fraction waste (WW) indicates a high carbohydrate concentration, highlighting the potential for biotechnological valorization of this waste stream, converting it into lipids or exopolysaccharides (EPSs). This study investigates the feasibility of utilizing WW as an alternative growth substrate for microalgae, aligning with circular economy principles and advancing sustainable agricultural practices. By repurposing agricultural byproducts, this research supports biorefinery objectives, aiming to convert biomass into high-value secondary products, including biofuels, pigments, and nutraceuticals. Scenedesmus and Chlorella strains demonstrated promising growth and adaptability in WW, achieving biomass yields of 0.95 ± 0.07 g L−1 and 0.37 ± 0.02 g L−1, respectively, with a significant EPS production observed as medium gelation. Although lipid accumulation was limited in this case by the WW substrate, the lipid profiles of both strains were distinctively altered, notably lacking linolenic acid.

We report on a clinical case of capecitabine-induced acute ileitis in a patient treated with pre-operative concurrent chemoradiation with capecitabine for locally advanced rectal cancer and provide a comprehensive literature review. This a rare, but life-threatening, clinical situation, that clinicians should be aware of. Severe persistent diarrhea is the most frequent clinical feature and computed tomography is a valid tool for diagnosis. Conservative management includes capecitabine withdrawal, antidiarrheal therapy and endovenous hydration, together with dietary modifications and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Pelvic irradiation represents an adjunctive risk factor, which may increase the likelihood of occurrence of terminal ileitis. Early recognition and prompt intervention are crucial for successful clinical management.

Recently, we showed that three months of resistance exercise significantly alters 18 canonical pathways related to chronic inflammation in PBMCs of older adults. In this exploratory sub-study, the aim is to explore whether resistance exercise enhances the PBMCs stress response by mimicking an acute infection through in vitro LPS stimulation. Women (≥65 years) were randomly divided into intensive strength training (IST), strength endurance training (SET), or flexibility training (as control group, CON) groups. PBMCs were isolated and cultured with and without LPS for 24 h. Their RNA was analyzed via targeted RNA sequencing of 407 inflammation-related genes, with relevant fold-changes defined as ≤0.67 or ≥1.5 (3 months vs. baseline). A pathway analysis using ingenuity pathway analyses identified significant pathways among 407 genes with p < 0.05 and z-scores of ≤−2 or ≥2. Fourteen women were included in the analyses. A total of 151 genes with a significant fold-change were identified. In the CON group, a less-pronounced effect was observed. Strength training altered 23 pathways in the LPS-stimulated PBMCs, none of which overlapped between the IST and SET groups. A balanced exercise program that includes both IST and SET could beneficially adapt the immune responses in older adults by inducing alterations in the inflammatory stress response of PBMCs through different genes and pathways.

The use of synthetic materials with high corrosion resistance in a concrete matrix yields structures that are more durable and suitable for use in aggressive environments, eliminating the need for frequent maintenance. Examples of such materials include glass (GFRP) and basalt (BFRP) fiber-reinforced polymer bars (FRP). Due to the low modulus of elasticity of these bars, concrete elements reinforced with FRP longitudinal rebars tend to exhibit cracks with wider openings and greater depths compared to those reinforced with steel rebars, which diminishes the element’s shear resistance. The addition of discontinuous fibers into the concrete aims to maintain stress transfer across the cracks, thereby enhancing the shear capacity and ductility of FRP-reinforced structures. This study evaluates the impact of fiber addition on the shear resistance of concrete beams reinforced with FRP rebars. An experimental investigation was conducted, focusing on the partial and complete substitution of stirrups with polypropylene macro fibers in concrete beams reinforced with FRP longitudinal rebars and stirrups. This research examined beams reinforced with glass (GFRP) and basalt (BFRP) fiber-reinforced polymer bars. For the initial set of beams, all stirrups were replaced with synthetic macro fibers. In the subsequent set, macro fibers were added to beams with insufficient stirrups. Although the complete replacement of GFRP and BFRP stirrups with polypropylene macro fibers did not alter the brittle shear failure mode, it did enhance the shear resistance capacity by 78.5% for GFRP-reinforced beams and 60.4% for BFRP-reinforced beams. Furthermore, the addition of macro fibers to beams with insufficient stirrups, characterized by excessive spacing, changed the failure mode from brittle shear to pseudo-ductile flexural failure due to concrete crushing. In such instances, the failure load increased by 18.8% for beams with GFRP bars and 22.8% for beams with BFRP bars.

Endoscopic spine surgery (ESS) began more than 20 years ago as percutaneous endoscopic discectomy and has evolved to the present day. This technique offers many advantages, including a short hospital stay, minimal trauma and blood loss, the option of local or epidural anesthesia with sedation, a low rate of nosocomial infections, early recovery, and a quick return to work and daily activities. The success rate of this technique ranges from 83% to 90% in operated patients. This article aims to provide an overview of indications, versatility of the technique, advantages, contraindications and limitations, and also a reflection on the possible contraindications and limitations of the technique.

This retrospective study aims to further investigate the effects of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) treatment on respiratory function in growing patients with contracted upper airways, by assessing nasal resistance using active anterior rhinomanometry (AAR). Methods: At T0 (pre-RME), 122 orthodontic patients aged 5 to 12 years, exhibiting oral breathing and/or snoring along with maxillary contraction, underwent AAR with a mask using the ATMOS Rhino 31 rhinomanometer. Additionally, the SRDB or PSQ-SRDB Questionnaire was utilized to validate the orthodontic history of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). If AAR results at T0 were clinically significant, they were repeated at T1, corresponding to a period of three months after screw fixation, to evaluate changes in nasal resistance values between pre- and post-treatment. Results: The study group comprised 42 oral respiratory patients with a mean age of 7.71 years, suspected of pediatric OSAS. Although the questionnaires did not yield statistically significant results, the therapy induced an overall reduction in airflow resistance values from both nostrils (−24.63% in the right nostril; −26.65% in the left nostril). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the beneficial effects of orthodontic treatment with RME on nasal function in terms of airflow resistance in cases of maxillary contraction.

Background: Although endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) using lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) has become one of the treatments of choice for acute cholecystitis (AC) in fragile patients, scant data are available on real-life settings and long-term outcomes. Methods: We performed a multicenter retrospective study including EUS-guided GBD using LAMS for AC in 19 Italian centers from June 2014 to July 2020. The primary outcomes were technical and clinical success, and the secondary outcomes were the rate of adverse events (AE) and long-term follow-up. Results: In total, 116 patients (48.3% female) were included, with a mean age of 82.7 ± 11 years. LAMS were placed, transgastric in 44.8% of cases, transduodenal in 53.3% and transjejunal in 1.7%, in patients with altered anatomy. Technical success was achieved in 94% and clinical success in 87.1% of cases. The mean follow-up was 309 days. AEs occurred in 12/116 pts (10.3%); 8/12 were intraprocedural, while 1 was classified as early (15 days). According to the ASGE lexicon, two (16.7%) were mild, three (25%) were moderate, and seven (58.3%) were severe. No fatal AEs occurred. In subgroup analysis of 40 patients with a follow-up longer than one year, no recurrence of AC was observed. Conclusions: EUS-GBD had high technical and clinical success rates, despite the non-negligible rate of AEs, thus representing an effective treatment option for fragile patients.

Collocations are one of the most studied types of word combinations. Their intricate nature, based on varying degrees of restriction, begs the question as to how modifications in their typical form influence the way they are processed by native speakers and learners. In this study, an eye-tracking experiment was carried out. We compared native speakers and learners of Italian when processing typical (i.e., common) and atypical (i.e., uncommon) collocations of Italian. Atypical collocations were developed by manipulating the grammatical and lexical components of a set of typical collocations. We also investigated how the online processing was affected by the different modifications (i.e., lexical and grammatical) performed and proficiency levels included. Both kinds of modifications disrupt collocation processing, with lexical modification being generally more salient than grammatical modification in terms of processing costs. Further, proficiency level influences phraseological processing, with varying effects related to the different kinds of modifications. The findings of our study are largely in line with previous research, while providing new insights into how lexis and grammar affect phraseological processing. They contribute to the evidence on languages other than English, a still under-researched domain in second language acquisition as a whole.

This retrospective cohort study included one hundred fifty-seven medium and large-size dogs with the aim of evaluating the effect of signalment and echocardiographic features on complications, outcomes and left ventricular modifications before and after patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure. The patients were divided in two groups based on the heart remodeling after closure: Group A included dogs that had a reduction in the end-systolic volume index (ESVI) after closure compared to the ESVI measured before; Group B included dogs without a reduction in ESVI after closure. Body weight, minimal ductal diameter (MDD) of PDA, end-diastolic volume index and presence of arrhythmias at presentation were significantly higher in Group B compared to Group A. The shortening fraction and ejection fraction after closure were reduced in both groups, but in Group B there was a major reduction, and the mean values indicated a possible systolic dysfunction. Complications during the procedure and death due to cardiac reasons were greater in Group B compared to Group A. In conclusion, a higher body weight, a larger MDD, a more severe heart enlargement or arrhythmias at presentation increased the risk of developing a worsening structural and functional condition after ductal closure, and this can be associated with perioperative complications and cardiac death.

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) provides cerebral oxygenation and blood flow (CBF) during neonatal congenital heart surgery, but the impacts of CPB on brain oxygen supply and metabolic demands are generally unknown. To elucidate this physiology, we used diffuse correlation spectroscopy and frequency-domain diffuse optical spectroscopy to continuously measure CBF, oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), and oxygen metabolism (CMRO2) in 27 neonatal swine before, during, and up to 24 h after CPB. Concurrently, we sampled cerebral microdialysis biomarkers of metabolic distress (lactate–pyruvate ratio) and injury (glycerol). We applied a novel theoretical approach to correct for hematocrit variation during optical quantification of CBF in vivo. Without correction, a mean (95% CI) +53% (42, 63) increase in hematocrit resulted in a physiologically improbable +58% (27, 90) increase in CMRO2 relative to baseline at CPB initiation; following correction, CMRO2 did not differ from baseline at this timepoint. After CPB initiation, OEF increased but CBF and CMRO2 decreased with CPB time; these temporal trends persisted for 0–8 h following CPB and coincided with a 48% (7, 90) elevation of glycerol. The temporal trends and glycerol elevation resolved by 8–24 h. The hematocrit correction improved quantification of cerebral physiologic trends that precede and coincide with neurological injury following CPB.

Bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (BHJs) are competitive within the emerging photovoltaic technologies for solar energy conversion because of their unique advantages. Their development has been boosted recently by the introduction of nonfullerene electron acceptors (NFAs), to be used in combination with a polymeric electron donor in the active layer composition. Many of the recent advances in NFAs are attributable to the class of fused-ring electron acceptors (FREAs), which is now predominant, with one of the most notable examples being formed with a fused five-member-ring indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b′]dithiophene (IDT) core. Here, we propose a novel and more sustainable synthesis for the IDT core. Our approach bypasses tin derivatives needed in the Stille condensation, whose byproducts are toxic and difficult to dispose of, and it makes use of cascade reactions, effectively reducing the number of synthetic steps.

Microalgae, renowned for their high photosynthetic efficiency and minimal competition with land-based crops, hold great promise in the biofixation of CO2 from waste sources, making them valuable for diverse applications, including biofuels, food production, and biomaterials. An innovative technology, the integrated carbonate-based carbon capture and algae biofixation system is emerging as an alternative to traditional carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) methods. This closed-loop system utilizes bicarbonates as inorganic carbon sources, which can directly enter microalgae photosynthesis, subsequently regenerating carbonates for another cycle of carbon capture. This system offers significant advantages, including cost savings in carbon supply, simplified photobioreactor development, and reduced labor and energy requirements. Nevertheless, further research is essential to evaluate the suitability of various microorganisms and search for optimal growth conditions. In this study, we assessed the performance of two strains of Spirulina within the integrated system. Employing a Design of Experiments approach, we simultaneously varied temperature, bicarbonate concentration, and light irradiation while operating within a lab-scale photobioreactor. We achieved remarkable results, with a biomass productivity of 875 mg/L·d and an impressive CO2 utilization efficiency of 58%. These findings indicate a genuine opportunity for further exploration and scaling of this approach in industrial settings.

The security of Cloud applications is a major concern for application developers and operators. Protecting users’ data confidentiality requires methods to avoid leakage from vulnerable software and unreliable Cloud providers. Recently, trusted execution environments (TEEs) emerged in Cloud settings to isolate applications from the privileged access of Cloud providers. Such hardware-based technologies exploit separation kernels, which aim at safely isolating the software components of applications. In this article, we propose a methodology to determine safe partitionings of Cloud applications to be deployed on TEEs. Through a probabilistic cost model, we enable application operators to select the best trade-off partitioning in terms of future re-partitioning costs and the number of domains. To the best of our knowledge, no previous proposal exists addressing such a problem. We exploit information-flow security techniques to protect the data confidentiality of applications by relying on declarative methods to model applications and their data flow. The proposed solution is assessed by executing a proof-of-concept implementation that shows the relationship among the future partitioning costs, number of domains and execution times.

Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) is an economically important aromatic herb; in Italy, approximately 1000 ha of “Genovese-type” basil are grown annually in greenhouses and open fields and are subjected to Downy Mildew (DM) disease, caused by Peronospora belbahrii, leading to huge crop losses. Mutation of the Susceptibility (S) gene DMR6 (Downy Mildew Resistant 6) has been proven to confer a broad-spectrum resistance to DM. In this work, an effective Genome Editing (GE) approach mediated by CRISPR/Cas9 in O. basilicum ‘Italiko’, the élite cultivar used to produce “Pesto Genovese D.O.P”, was developed. A highly efficient genetic transformation method mediated by A. tumefaciens has been optimized from cotyledonary nodes, obtaining 82.2% of regenerated shoots, 84.6% of which resulted in Cas9+ plants. Eleven T0 lines presented different type of mutations in ObDMR6; 60% were indel frameshift mutations with knock-out of ObDMR6 of ‘FT Italiko’. Analysis of six T1 transgene-free seedlings revealed that the mutations of T0 plants were inherited and segregated. Based on infection trials conducted on T0 plants, clone 22B showed a very low percentage of disease incidence after 14 days post infection. The aromatic profile of all in vitro edited plants was also reported; all of them showed oxygenated monoterpenes as the major fraction.

Climate change is causing an increase in dry spells, altering rainfall patterns and soil moisture, and affecting water and nutrient plant uptake, which inevitably affects vegetable production. To mitigate this issue, some technologies that allow the maintenance of the ideal soil moisture for the uptake process are being investigated. Considering this, we hypothesize that the use of water treated with a magnetic field can increase water use efficiency in lettuce crop production. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the irrigation rate of magnetically treated water on biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake by lettuce plants. An experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with a 2 × 5 factorial arrangement of two water sources (conventional water and magnetically treated water) and five irrigation application rates to replace crop evaporation: 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125%, with five replicates. The use of magnetically treated water increased the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in leaves, meaning that it induced higher nitrogen assimilation, leading to increases in agronomical characteristics (leaf number, fresh and dry shoot weight, fresh and dry root weight). The conclusions of this study showcase that magnetically treated water has beneficial effects on lettuce plants, improving their nutritional status and yield. Moreover, the results presented can lead to an increase in water use efficiency, thus optimizing irrigation management.

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.; Fam. Lamiaceae) is an annual herbaceous plant with a high economic value used in folk medicine, pharmacology, and food production. In Italy, most of the varieties are used to produce the famous “pesto” sauce; however, almost all of them are susceptible to basil downy mildew (BDM) disease, strongly decreasing the growth of the fresh leaves and the survival of the whole plant. Nowadays, CRISPR/Cas9 technology is recognized to be a prominent way to enhance basil genetic breeding. In this work, we present an optimized protocol for in vitro direct regeneration of an elite cultivar, which is the major limiting factor for the transformation of O. basilicum. Regeneration has been obtained from different explants (leaves, cotyledons, cotyledonary nodes); the highest frequency has been obtained from cotyledonary nodes of seedlings germinated on MS medium containing TDZ. This protocol may be used for biotechnological applications as genome editing techniques to obtain basil-downy-mildew-disease-resistant clones.

The antimicrobial properties of two lichen extracts (LC1 and LC2 solutions extracted in acetone and cyclohexane, respectively) were investigated against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms through the agar well diffusion assay. Results displayed that both samples were similarly effective against all the indicator strains. The antimicrobial activity was maintained up to 30 days against Candida albicans ATCC 10231 with an inhibition zone of 38 mm and 37 mm for the LC1 and LC2 solutions extracted, respectively. In order to separate the single chemical components and to associate them with the biological activity, the two extracts were subjected to an activity-guided fractionation followed by a liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC–MS) Ion Trap 6310A for the chemical characterization. Chromatogram analysis of each sample that maintained an antimicrobial activity revealed the presence of a significant peak, at a retention time (tR) of 10.8 min, corresponding to a scabrosin derivative that could likely be associated with the antimicrobial activity. Results obtained in the present investigation, especially against the opportunistic pathogen C. albicans, are encouraging and could represent a preliminary step to a future solution toward a microorganism responsible for fungal infections, mainly occurring in immunocompromised patients and recently caused by drug-resistant strains.

With regards to oil-based diesel fuel, the adoption of bio-derived diesel fuel was estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 75%, considering the whole life cycle. In this paper, we present a novel continuous-flow process able to transfer an equimolar amount of CO2 (through urea) to glycerol, producing glycerol carbonate. This represents a convenient tool, able to both improve the efficiency of the biodiesel production through the conversion of waste streams into added-value chemicals and to beneficially contribute to the whole carbon cycle. By means of a Design of Experiments approach, the influence of key operating variables on the product yield was studied and statistically modeled.

A direct sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sELISA) was developed for the detection of the atypical β2-toxin (CPB2) of Clostridium perfringens. Polyclonal (PAbs) and monoclonal (MAbs) antibodies were previously obtained employing recombinant CPB2 produced in the baculovirus system as antigen. In the current study, PAbs were used as capture molecules, while purified MAbs conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (MAbs-HRP) were used for the detection of atypical CPB2 toxin. MAbs 5C11E6 and 2G3G6 showed high reactivity, sensitivity and specificity when tested on 232 C. perfringens cell culture isolates. In addition, a reactivity variation among different strains producing atypical CPB2 toxin was observed using the conformation-dependent MAb 23E6E6, suggesting the hypothesis of high instability and/or the existence of different three-dimensional structures of this toxin. Results obtained by sELISA and Western blotting performed on experimentally CPB2-contaminated feces revealed a time-dependent proteolytic degradation as previously observed with the consensus allelic form of CPB2. Finally, the sELISA and an end-point PCR, specific for the atypical cpb2 gene, were used to test field samples (feces, rectal swabs and intestinal contents) from different dead animal species with suspected or confirmed clostridiosis. The comparison of sELISA data with those obtained with end-point PCR suggests this method as a promising tool for the detection of atypical CPB2 toxin.

The paper considers a neural network with a class of real extended memristors obtained via the parallel connection of an ideal memristor and a nonlinear resistor. The resistor has the same rectifying characteristic for the current as that used in relevant models in the literature to account for diode-like effects at the interface between the memristor metal and insulating material. The paper proves some fundamental results on the trajectory convergence of this class of real memristor neural networks under the assumption that the interconnection matrix satisfies some symmetry conditions. First of all, the paper shows that, while in the case of neural networks with ideal memristors, it is possible to explicitly find functions of the state variables that are invariants of motions, the same functions can be used as Lyapunov functions that decrease along the trajectories in the case of real memristors with rectifying characteristics. This fundamental property is then used to study convergence by means of a reduction-of-order technique in combination with a Lyapunov approach. The theoretical predictions are verified via numerical simulations, and the convergence results are illustrated via the applications of real memristor neural networks to the solution of some image processing tasks in real time.

We report on the effect of naked CaS nanostructures on the proliferation of carcinoma cancer cells and normal fibroblasts in vitro. The CaS nanostructures were prepared via the microwave-mediated decomposition of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the presence of calcium acetate Ca(CH3CO2)2. Light scattering measurements revealed that dispersions contain CaS nanostructures in the size range of a few Å to about 1 nanometer, and are formed when DMSO is decomposed in the presence of Ca(CH3CO2)2. Theoretical calculations at the DFT/B3LYP/DGDZVP level of theory on (CaS)n clusters (n = 1, 2, 3, and 4) are consistent with clusters in this size range. The absorption spectra of the CaS nanostructures are dominated by strong bands in the UV, as well as weaker absorption bands in the visible. We found that a single dose of CaS nanoclusters smaller than 0.8 nm in diameter does not affect the survival and growth rate of normal fibroblasts and inhibits the proliferation rate of carcinoma cells in vitro. Larger CaS nanostructures, approximately (1.1 ± 0.2) nm in diameter, have a similar effect on carcinoma cell proliferation and survival rate. The CaS nanoclusters have little effect on the normal fibroblast cell cycle. Human carcinoma cells treated with CaS nanocluster dispersion exhibited a decreased ability to properly enter the cell cycle, marked by a decrease in cell concentration in the G0/G1 phase in the first 24 h and an increase in cells held in the SubG1 and G0/G1 phases up to 72 h post-treatment. Apoptosis and necrotic channels were found to play significant roles in the death of human carcinoma exposed to the CaS nanoclusters. In contrast, any effect on normal fibroblasts appeared to be short-lived and non-detrimental. The interaction of CaS with several functional groups was further investigated using theoretical calculations. CaS is predicted to interact with thiol (R-SH), hydroxide (R-OH), amino (R-NH2), carboxylic acid (R-COOH), ammonium (R-NH3+), and carboxylate (R-COO−) functional groups. None of these interactions are predicted to result in the dissociation of CaS. Thermodynamic considerations, on the other hand, are consistent with the dissociation of CaS into Ca2+ ions and H2S in acidic media, both of which are known to cause apoptosis or cell death. Passive uptake and extracellular pH values of carcinoma cells are proposed to result in the observed selectivity of CaS to inhibit cancer cell proliferation with no significant effect on normal fibroblast cells. The results encourage further research with other cell lines in vitro as well as in vivo to translate this nanotechnology into clinical use.

Increasing evidence in the field of bioprospection fosters the necessity of studying poorly investigated poisonous marine invertebrates to expand knowledge on animal venom biology. Among marine annelids, amphinomid fireworms are notorious for their bearded trunk equipped with a powerful stinging capacity. Here, a methodological workflow based on analytical chemistry techniques (compound isolation followed by mass spectrometry and spectroscopy analyses) was applied to gain new insights, leading to the identification and structural elucidation of an array of natural products from Mediterranean specimens of Hermodice carunculata. Eight betaine-derived unprecedented compounds, named “carunculines”, were detected, bearing two terminal ammonium groups tri-and disubstituted at the Cα (A, B) and a series of different alkyl chains (I–VIII). The mixture of chemicals was found in all the body parts of H. carunculata, supporting a mechanism of action triggered by their vehiculation inside the dorsal chaetae, and subsequent injection when chaetae break off on contact. Preliminary investigations to understand adaptive features were also performed, showing a trend in carunculine abundance that fits into the evolutionary history of these worms. These findings shed light on the chemical ecology of amphinomids, giving reasons for the success of H. carunculata in benthic environments and providing promising novel metabolites for biotechnological implications.

Plants have long been considered passive, static, and unchanging organisms, but this view is finally changing. More and more knowledge is showing that plants are aware of their surroundings, and they respond to a surprising variety of stimuli by modifying their growth and development. Plants extensively communicate with the world around them, above and below ground. Although communication through mycorrhizal networks and Volatile Organic Compounds has been known for a long time, acoustic perception and communication are somehow a final frontier of research. Perhaps surprisingly, plants not only respond to sound, they actually seem to emit sound as well. Roots emit audible clicks during growth, and sounds are emitted from xylem vessels, although the nature of these acoustic emissions still needs to be clarified. Even more interesting, there is the possibility that these sounds carry information with ecological implications, such as alerting insects of the hydration state of a possible host plant, and technological implications as well. Monitoring sound emissions could possibly allow careful monitoring of the hydration state of crops, which could mean significantly less water used during irrigation. This review summarizes the current knowledge on sound perception communication in plants and illustrates possible implications and technological applications.

Neonates undergoing cardiac surgery involving aortic arch reconstruction are at an increased risk for hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Deep hypothermia is utilized to help mitigate this risk when periods of circulatory arrest are needed for surgical repair. Here, we investigate correlations between non-invasive optical neuromonitoring of cerebral hemodynamics, which has recently shown promise for the prediction of postoperative white matter injury in this patient population, and invasive cerebral microdialysis biomarkers. We compared cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (StO2), relative total hemoglobin concentration (rTHC), and relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measured by optics against the microdialysis biomarkers of metabolic stress and injury (lactate–pyruvate ratio (LPR) and glycerol) in neonatal swine models of deep hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (DHCPB), selective antegrade cerebral perfusion (SACP), and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). All three optical parameters were negatively correlated with LPR and glycerol in DHCA animals. Elevation of LPR was found to precede the elevation of glycerol by 30–60 min. From these data, thresholds for the detection of hypoxic-ischemia-associated cerebral metabolic distress and neurological injury are suggested. In total, this work provides insight into the timing and mechanisms of neurological injury following hypoxic-ischemia and reports a quantitative relationship between hypoxic-ischemia severity and neurological injury that may inform DHCA management.

Neural networks with memristors are promising candidates to overcome the limitations of traditional von Neumann machines via the implementation of novel analog and parallel computation schemes based on the in-memory computing principle. Of special importance are neural networks with generic or extended memristor models that are suited to accurately describe real memristor devices. The manuscript considers a general class of delayed neural networks where the memristors obey the relevant and widely used generic memristor model, the voltage threshold adaptive memristor (VTEAM) model. Due to physical limitations, the memristor state variables evolve in a closed compact subset of the space; therefore, the network can be mathematically described by a special class of differential inclusions named differential variational inequalities (DVIs). By using the theory of DVI, and the Lyapunov approach, the paper proves some fundamental results on convergence of solutions toward equilibrium points, a dynamic property that is extremely useful in neural network applications to content addressable memories and signal-processing in real time. The conditions for convergence, which hold in the general nonsymmetric case and for any constant delay, are given in the form of a linear matrix inequality (LMI) and can be readily checked numerically. To the authors knowledge, the obtained results are the only ones available in the literature on the convergence of neural networks with real generic memristors.

Here, we investigate changes in inflammation-related gene-expression in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC) by strength training. A total of 14 women aged ≥65 years were randomized into 3 months of either 3×/week intensive strength training (IST: 3×10 rep at 80% 1RM), strength endurance training (SET: 2×30 reps at 40% 1RM) or control (CON: 3×30 sec stretching). Differentially expressed genes (fold change ≤0.67 or ≥1.5) were identified by targeted RNA-sequencing of 407 inflammation-related genes. A total of 98 genes (n = 61 pro-inflammatory) were significantly affected. IST and SET altered 14 genes in a similar direction and 19 genes in the opposite direction. Compared to CON, IST changed the expression of 6 genes in the same direction, and 17 genes in the SET. Likewise, 18 and 13 genes were oppositely expressed for, respectively, IST and SET compared to CON. Changes in gene expression affected 33 canonical pathways related to chronic inflammation. None of the altered pathways overlapped between IST and SET. Liver X Receptor/Retinoid X Receptor Activation (LXR/RXR) and Triggering Receptor Expressed On Myeloid Cells 1 (TREM1) pathways were enriched oppositely in both training groups. We conclude that three months IST and SET can induce changes in CLIP-related gene expression in PBMC, but by affecting different genes and related pathways.

Escherichia coli C is a strong biofilm producer in comparison to E. coli K-12 laboratory strains due to higher expression of the pgaABCD operon encoding the enzymes for the biosynthesis of the extracellular polysaccharide poly-β-1,6-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG). The pgaABCD operon is negatively regulated at the post-transcriptional level by two factors, namely CsrA, a conserved RNA-binding protein controlling multiple pathways, and the RNA exonuclease polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase). In this work, we investigated the molecular bases of different PNAG production in C-1a and MG1655 strains taken as representative of E. coli C and K-12 strains, respectively. We found that pgaABCD operon expression is significantly lower in MG1655 than in C-1a; consistently, CsrA protein levels were much higher in MG1655. In contrast, we show that the negative effect exerted by PNPase on pgaABCD expression is much stronger in C-1a than in MG1655. The amount of CsrA and of the small RNAs CsrB, CsrC, and McaS sRNAs regulating CsrA activity is dramatically different in the two strains, whereas PNPase level is similar. Finally, the compensatory regulation acting between CsrB and CsrC in MG1655 does not occur in E. coli C. Our results suggest that PNPase preserves CsrA-dependent regulation by indirectly modulating csrA expression.

The Mediterranean-style diet is rich in fruit and vegetables and has a great impact on the prevention of major chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In this work we investigated the ability of spinach extracts obtained by different extraction methods and of the single main components of the phytocomplex, alone or mixed, to modulate proliferation, antioxidant defense, and genotoxicity of HT29 human colorectal cells. Spinach extracts show dose-dependent activity, increasing the level of intracellular endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) when tested at higher doses. In the presence of oxidative stress, the activity is related to the oxidizing agent involved (H2O2 or menadione) and by the extraction method. The single components of the phytocomplex, alone or mixed, do not alter the intracellular endogenous level of ROS but again, in the presence of an oxidative insult, the modulation of antioxidant defense depends on the oxidizing agent used. The application of the phytocomplex extracts seem to be more effective than the application of the single phytocomplex components.

In this paper, we present a study of tungsten disulfide (WS2) two-dimensional (2D) crystals, grown on epitaxial Graphene. In particular, we have employed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and µRaman spectroscopy combined with multifunctional scanning probe microscopy (SPM), operating in peak force–quantitative nano mechanical (PF-QNM), ultrasonic force microscopy (UFM) and electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) modes. This comparative approach provides a wealth of useful complementary information and allows one to cross-analyze on the nanoscale the morphological, mechanical, and electrostatic properties of the 2D heterostructures analyzed. Herein, we show that PF-QNM can accurately map surface properties, such as morphology and adhesion, and that UFM is exceptionally sensitive to a broader range of elastic properties, helping to uncover subsurface features located at the buried interfaces. All these data can be correlated with the local electrostatic properties obtained via EFM mapping of the surface potential, through the cantilever response at the first harmonic, and the dielectric permittivity, through the cantilever response at the second harmonic. In conclusion, we show that combining multi-parametric SPM with SEM and µRaman spectroscopy helps to identify single features of the WS2/Graphene/SiC heterostructures analyzed, demonstrating that this is a powerful tool-set for the investigation of 2D materials stacks, a building block for new advanced nano-devices.

In 2009, sulfluramid, the main ingredient in toxic baits for leaf-cutting ant control, was included in Annex B of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. This resulted in interest in the use of entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria bassiana and Trichoderma harzianum for leaf-cutting ant control. The efficiency of these fungi in controlling these insects and the way that ants react individually or in group to the biological risks posed by these fungi is poorly understood. For this reason, we assessed the effects of B. bassiana and T. harzianum on Atta sexdens rubropilosa larvae, pupae and workers. Moreover, we investigated whether the number of contaminated individuals within a group has an influence in controlling the spread of fungi among workers. We found that the fungus T. harzianum showed high pathogenicity against A. sexdens rubropilosa larvae and pupae, leading to faster mortality and a survival rates. On the other hand, the fungus B. bassiana was responsible for causing faster worker mortality and lower survival rates. In addition, we observed that an increase in individuals contaminated with B. bassiana or T. harzianum in the group decreases its survival rate. The results support the hypothesis that entomopathogenic fungi are efficient in controlling leaf-cutting ants when contaminated workers are allocated to groups of healthy workers.

Within the contemporary art system complex, constantly-changing cultural features coexist with stratified acts of dealing. The art market operates as a collective mediation structure, developing a multiple agency: financial and economic, educational, political and social. In this article, we offer the result of an empirical test dedicated to the identification of unseen changes in the informal organizational pattern of the market. Observing the behavior of selected samples, we focused, firstly, on the networks of artists and commercial galleries at the Art Basel fair; and, secondly, on the group and solo shows organized by a relevant sample of international contemporary art museums and exhibitions spaces. These analyses offer an insight into the changes that occurred from 2005 to 2013, encompassing the quantitative growth of the art system infrastructure and the effects of the crisis of 2008.

This work introduces an automatic classification system for measuring the complexity level of a given Italian text under a linguistic point-of-view. The task of measuring the complexity of a text is cast to a supervised classification problem by exploiting a dataset of texts purposely produced by linguistic experts for second language teaching and assessment purposes. The commonly adopted Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels were used as target classification classes, texts were elaborated by considering a large set of numeric linguistic features, and an experimental comparison among ten widely used machine learning models was conducted. The results show that the proposed approach is able to obtain a good prediction accuracy, while a further analysis was conducted in order to identify the categories of features that influenced the predictions.

Clostridium (C.) perfringens is the causative agent of several diseases and enteric infections in animals and humans. The pathogenicity of the bacterium is largely mediated by the production of a wide range of toxins. Individual C. perfringens strains produce only subsets of this toxin repertoire, which permits the classification in seven toxinotypes (A–G). In addition, a variety of minor toxins further characterizes the single strains. The aim of this work was to evaluate, using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assays, the diversity of 632 C. perfringens strains isolated in Italy over 15 years. The genotyped strains were analyzed to determine the presence of major and minor toxins (cpe, consensus, and atypical cpb2), their geographical origins, and the source of isolation (animal species or food). Our study shows that toxinotype A had the greatest representation (93%) and correlated mainly with consensus cpb2 in a variety of animal species, as well as with atypical cpb2 in the five food samples. Type D, associated with cpe and atypical cpb2 minor toxins, was identified in 3% of the cases, and type F was identified in 2.5%. Seven type C isolates (1.1%) were detected in cattle, whereas the only type B atypical cpb2 isolated in Italy was detected in a goat, and one type E cpe+atypical cpb2 was detected in a sheep. Type G was not detected.

LpxT is an inner membrane protein that transfers a phosphate group from the essential lipid undecaprenyl pyrophosphate (C-55PP) to the lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharide, generating a lipid A tris-phosphorylated species. The protein is encoded by the non-essential lpxT gene, which is conserved in distantly related Gram-negative bacteria. In this work, we investigated the phenotypic effect of lpxT ectopic expression from a plasmid in Escherichia coli. We found that lpxT induction inhibited cell division and led to the formation of elongated cells, mostly with absent or altered septa. Moreover, the cells became sensitive to detergents and to hypo-osmotic shock, indicating that they had cell envelope defects. These effects were not due to lipid A hyperphosphorylation or C-55PP sequestering, but most likely to defective lipopolysaccharide transport. Indeed, lpxT overexpression in mutants lacking the L,D-transpeptidase LdtD and LdtE, which protect cells with outer membrane defects from osmotic lysis, caused cell envelope defects. Moreover, we found that pyrophosphorylated lipid A was also produced in a lpxT deletion mutant, indicating that LpxT is not the only protein able to perform such lipid A modification in E. coli.

Thirteen Non-Conventional Yeasts (NCYs) have been investigated for their ability to reduce activated C=C bonds of chalcones to obtain the corresponding dihydrochalcones. A possible correlation between bioreducing capacity of the NCYs and the substrate structure was estimated. Generally, whole-cells of the NCYs were able to hydrogenate the C=C double bond occurring in (E)-1,3-diphenylprop-2-en-1-one, while worthy bioconversion yields were obtained when the substrate exhibited the presence of a deactivating electron-withdrawing Cl substituent on the B-ring. On the contrary, no conversion was generally found, with a few exceptions, in the presence of an activating electron-donating substituent OH. The bioreduction aptitude of the NCYs was apparently correlated to the logP value: Compounds characterized by a higher logP exhibited a superior aptitude to be reduced by the NCYs than compounds with a lower logP value.

The rising consumer requests for natural flavors and fragrances have generated great interest in the aroma industry to seek new methods to obtain fragrance and flavor compounds naturally. An alternative and attractive route for these compounds is based on bio-transformations. In this review, the application of biocatalysis by Non Conventional Yeasts (NCYs) whole cells for the production of flavor and fragrances is illustrated by a discussion of the production of different class of compounds, namely Aldehydes, Ketones and related compounds, Alcohols, Lactones, Terpenes and Terpenoids, Alkenes, and Phenols.

Intracellular peptides are produced by proteasomes following degradation of nuclear, cytosolic, and mitochondrial proteins, and can be further processed by additional peptidases generating a larger pool of peptides within cells. Thousands of intracellular peptides have been sequenced in plants, yeast, zebrafish, rodents, and in human cells and tissues. Relative levels of intracellular peptides undergo changes in human diseases and also when cells are stimulated, corroborating their biological function. However, only a few intracellular peptides have been pharmacologically characterized and their biological significance and mechanism of action remains elusive. Here, some historical and general aspects on intracellular peptides’ biology and pharmacology are presented. Hemopressin and Pep19 are examples of intracellular peptides pharmacologically characterized as inverse agonists to cannabinoid type 1 G-protein coupled receptors (CB1R), and hemopressin fragment NFKF is shown herein to attenuate the symptoms of pilocarpine-induced epileptic seizures. Intracellular peptides EL28 (derived from proteasome 26S protease regulatory subunit 4; Rpt2), PepH (derived from Histone H2B type 1-H), and Pep5 (derived from G1/S-specific cyclin D2) are examples of peptides that function intracellularly. Intracellular peptides are suggested as biological functional molecules, and are also promising prototypes for new drug development.

Fruits and vegetables are a good source of potentially biologically active compounds. Their regular consumption in the human diet can help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Plants produce additional chemical substances when subject to abiotic stress or infected by microorganisms. The phytochemical profile of spinach leaves (Spinacia oleracea L.), which is a vegetable with widely recognized health-promoting activity, has been affected by applying root hypoxic and re-oxygenation stress during plant growth. Leaf juice at different sampling times has been subject to liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MSn) analysis and tested on the human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line HT29 by using the Comet assay. The cells were previously treated with H2O2 to simulate the presence of an oxidative stress (as in colon cancer condition) and the leaf juice application resulted in a significant antioxidant and protective in vitro effect. The duration of the hypoxic/re-oxygenation stress imposed on the plant reflects the antioxidant leaf juice content. After hypoxic stress (24 h) and reoxygenation (2 h), we show a decrease (50%) of the relative abundance of the principal identified antioxidant molecules but a higher antioxidant activity of the spinach juice on HT29 cells (20%). Data shows a complex relation between plant growing conditions and the modulation of secondary metabolites content in leaf juice that results in different chemo-protective activities in colon cancer cells.

While food and nutrition security are issues that national and international organizations are tackling, one of the central problems often overlooked is the essential role of soils in providing nutritious food. Soils are the base for food production and food security. However, the majority of soils are in fair and poor conditions, with the most significant threats being erosion and loss of nutrients. In this study, we estimate the potential of soil loss, agricultural productivity loss, and nutrient loss for Brazil’s most important agricultural region, the Brazilian Cerrado, for the years 2000 and 2012. For this, we applied the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model integrated with a geographical information system (GIS) to estimate annual soil loss rate and agricultural productivity loss, and used total nitrogen and total phosphorus in soil to estimate the annual nutrient loss rate caused by soil loss. All model factors and data were obtained from the literature. The results show that agricultural expansion in the Brazilian Cerrado is increasing the area of severe erosion, occasioning agricultural productivity decrease and soil nutrient depletion. The annual soil loss rate increased from 10.4 (2000) to 12.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1 (2012). Agricultural productivity loss occurred in more than 3 million hectares of crops and silviculture in 2000 and in more than 5.5 million hectares in 2012. Severely eroded areas lost between 13.1 and 25.9 times more nutrients than areas with low and moderate soil loss rates. These findings show that government policy should be directed to ensure the sustainable use of soils, mainly in agriculturally consolidated regions of the Brazilian Cerrado.

As part of a program aiming at the selection of yeast strains which might be of interest as sources of natural flavours and fragrances, the bioreduction of (4R)-(−)-carvone and (1R)-(−)-myrtenal by whole-cells of non-conventional yeasts (NCYs) belonging to the genera Candida, Cryptococcus, Debaryomyces, Hanseniaspora, Kazachstania, Kluyveromyces, Lindnera, Nakaseomyces, Vanderwaltozyma and Wickerhamomyces was studied. Volatiles produced were sampled by means of headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and the compounds were analysed and identified by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Yields (expressed as % of biotransformation) varied in dependence of the strain. The reduction of both (4R)-(−)-carvone and (1R)-(−)-myrtenal were catalyzed by some ene-reductases (ERs) and/or carbonyl reductases (CRs), which determined the formation of (1R,4R)-dihydrocarvone and (1R)-myrtenol respectively, as main flavouring products. The potential of NCYs as novel whole-cell biocatalysts for selective biotransformation of electron-poor alkenes for producing flavours and fragrances of industrial interest is discussed.

Leaf-cutting ants are insects that use plant material to grow fungus from which they feed. These fungus-growing ants perform various behavioral activities to establish an environment conducive to the fungus. Among these behaviors are activities that can serve to detect materials harmful to the colony, such as licking, scraping, chopping, etc. However, there are substances that may not be detected as harmful to the fungus on first contact. Cycloheximide (CHX) is one such substance, described as a fungicide that inhibits the synthesis of proteins in eukaryotes, although its mechanism of action remains unclear. The present study aimed at evaluating the behavioral changes of worker ants, time carrying orange pellets, waste deposition and mortality, when subjected to seven days of CHX-incorporated pellets and another seven days of CHX-free pellets. The fungicide adversely and structurally affected the leaf-cutter ant colonies. Their behavior went through changes, such as an increase in pellet-licking frequencies and cleaning among the ants from the third day onward. Moreover, there was an increase in time carrying orange pellets, as well as in the mortality of workers during CHX incorporation.

Studies related to the demography of individual members from ant colonies have received little attention, although they are the basis to understanding the population dynamics of colonies. Thus, the objective of this work was to study the queen oviposition rate and the duration of the life cycle and longevity of Acromyrmex rugosus rugosus workers. To determine the oviposition rate, queens from three colonies were individually placed in plastic containers, and the eggs laid were quantified over a 96 h period. The development of the immature forms was observed every 24 h, with which the duration of each stage of development was determined. To verify the longevity of workers, the newly emerged adults were marked and daily observations were made. According to the results, there is variation in the development time of immature forms within the colony itself and between colonies. In addition, the number of eggs deposited was also inconstant in the three colonies, ranging from 5 to 119 eggs per day, while the longevity of workers varied from 3 to 7 months. Occasionally, it was found that the workers feed on the eggs produced by the queen; besides, there was a disappearance of larvae and pupae during the research, indicating a possibility of the practice of cannibalism in this species.

It is still unclear whether early glycemic profile after admission for acute ischemic stroke (IS) has the same prognostic significance in patients with lacunar and non-lacunar infarction. Data from 4011 IS patients admitted to a Stroke Unit (SU) were retrospectively analyzed. Lacunar IS was diagnosed by clinical criteria. A continuous indicator of early glycemic profile was calculated as the difference of fasting serum glucose (FSG) measured within 48 h after admission and random serum glucose (RSG) measured on admission. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association with a combined poor outcome defined as early neurological deterioration, severe stroke at SU discharge, or 1-month mortality. Among patients without hypoglycemia (RSG and FSG > 3.9 mmol/L), an increasing glycemic profile increased the likelihood of a poor outcome for non-lacunar (OR, 1.38, 95%CI, 1.24-1.52 in those without diabetes; 1.11, 95%CI, 1.05-1.18 in those with diabetes) but not for lacunar IS. Among patients without sustained or delayed hyperglycemia (FSG < 7.8 mmol/L), an increasing glycemic profile was unrelated to outcome for non-lacunar IS but decreased the likelihood of poor outcome for lacunar IS (OR, 0.63, 95%CI, 0.41-0.98). Early glycemic profile after acute IS has a different prognostic significance in non-lacunar and lacunar patients.