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Insect farming is on the rise to becoming a sustainable and economically viable food and feed industry. The black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens L.) is poised as key species of interest due to its natural bioconversion properties. However, genetic screening and management is currently overlooked. Here, we present the first high coverage (22×) genome-wide assessment of a global sample of BSF individuals (n=54) belonging to both domesticated and wild lineages. We identify a pronounced population structure within BSF explained primarily by captivity status. Phylogenetic reconstruction reveals a deep divergence in BSF lineages. Patterns of introgression are strikingly absent between diverged lineages of wild and domesticated BSF. We also show that commercial activity is dominated by a particular lineage whilst wild populations harbour significant genetic diversity. Recent domestication has had a significant impact on shaping the genomic architecture of captive populations and has left signatures of selective sweeps throughout the genome. This study not only sheds light on the process of domestication but highlights the importance of genetic screening and the introduction of breeding programs to this novel industry.

CHOPS syndrome is a multisystem disorder caused by missense mutations in AFF4. Previously, we reported three individuals whose primary phenotype included cognitive impairment and coarse facies, heart defects, obesity, pulmonary involvement, and short stature. This syndrome overlaps phenotypically with Cornelia de Lange syndrome, but presents distinct differences including facial features, pulmonary involvement, and obesity. Here, we provide clinical descriptions of an additional eight individuals with CHOPS syndrome, as well as neurocognitive analysis of three individuals. All 11 individuals presented with features reminiscent of Cornelia de Lange syndrome such as synophrys, upturned nasal tip, arched eyebrows, and long eyelashes. All 11 individuals had short stature and obesity. Congenital heart disease and pulmonary involvement were common, and those were seen in about 70% of individuals with CHOPS syndrome. Skeletal abnormalities are also common, and those include abnormal shape of vertebral bodies, hypoplastic long bones, and low bone mineral density. Our observation indicates that obesity, pulmonary involvement, skeletal findings are the most notable features distinguishing CHOPS syndrome from Cornelia de Lange syndrome. In fact, two out of eight of our newly identified patients were found to have AFF4 mutations by targeted AFF4 mutational analysis rather than exome sequencing. These phenotypic findings establish CHOPS syndrome as a distinct, clinically recognizable disorder. Additionally, we report three novel missense mutations causative for CHOPS syndrome that lie within the highly conserved, 14 amino acid sequence of the ALF homology domain of the AFF4 gene, emphasizing the critical functional role of this region in human development.

Italy has an indicator of injuries for millions of tep produced lowest than other Countries (0.26 in 2014). Nevertheless the Directorate general for safety - National mining office for hydrocarbons and georesources (DGS-UNMIG) wants to improve the already good safety measures of offshore oil&gas operations in application of D.Lgs 18th august, 2015 n.145 (transportation of Directive 2013/30/UE) and with respect to the D.Lgs 26th june, 2012 n.83. With this prospective DGS-UNMIG started agreements with University, Research Institutions and Authorities obtaining a scientific support (CNR, RSE, INGV, OGS, AMRA, CRIET Navy, Harbor Body and Universities). The interest is on five pillars: “control”, “competence”, “efficiency”, “research & innovation” and “dialog” (Fig. 1). The following tasks have been set up for guarantee-oriented actions:  identification of an measurable index for the evaluation of variation of the offshore installations safety level from the current status and criticalities;  application of a naval-air-satellite integrated system for the daily monitoring of Adriatic Sea, in coordination with MATTM;  check of Adriatic sealines conditions for oil & gas transportation;  check of steel structures conditions of offshore facilities;  offshore operations monitoring: drilling and recording systems for drilling parameters;  evaluation of seismic hazard of existing platforms;  development of feasibility studies for seismic and ground deformation monitoring;  check of the current emissions of installations and their forecast to 2020;  analysis of the environmental effects of the NaTech operations and incident;  collection of information about the activities of Italian institutions for increasing levels of offshore safety and related databases;  geology and stratigraphy analysis of marine areas open to hydrocarbons exploration and production activities;  energetic optimization of the offshore installation even by means of renewable energy sources;  risk