Realization of a Low Emission University Campus Trough the Implementation of a Climate Action Plan

AbstractThe Climate Action Plan (CAP) experience started a few years ago with the aim to manage carbon and energy more efficiently. CAP is a roadmap to get Universities to the goals of climate protection, defining a carbon footprint, identifying priority actions, milestones to measure progresss and target dates, raising funding opportunities. The methodological approach for the realization of a Low Emission Campus through the implementation of a CAP at the South East European University (SEEU) in Tetovo (Macedonia) foresees the analysis of the current energy consumptions and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and the integrated planning for the implementation of carbon friendly measures. CAP provides the cost-benefit analysis of the most suitable projects and associated yearly and cumulative GHG reductions, and defines the schedule for their gradual implementation. The Climate Action Planning process represents a valuable learning opportunity for the whole SEEU campus community, especially for students, providing additional opportunities for educational and research activities

The long non-coding RNAs in neurodegenerative diseases : novel mechanisms of pathogenesis

Background: Long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), RNA molecules longer than 200 nucleotides, have been involved in several biological processes and in a growing number of diseases, controlling gene transcription, pre-mRNA processing, the transport of mature mRNAs to specific cellular compartments, the regulation of mRNA stability, protein translation and turnover. The fundamental role of lncRNAs in central nervous system (CNS) is becoming increasingly evident. LncRNAs are abundantly expressed in mammalian CNS in a specific spatio-temporal manner allowing a quick response to environmental/molecular changes. Methods: This article reviews the biology and mechanisms of action of lncRNAs underlying their potential role in CNS and in some neurodegenerative diseases. Results: an increasing number of studies report on lncRNAs involvement in different molecular mechanisms of gene expression modulation in CNS, from neural stem cell differentiation mainly by chromatin remodeling, to control of neuronal activities. More recently, lncRNAs have been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer\u2019s Disease, where the role of BACE1-AS lncRNA has been widely defined. BACE1-AS levels are up-regulated in AD brains where BACE1-AS acts by stabilizing BACE1 mRNA thereby increasing BACE1 protein content and A\u3b242 formation. In Frontotemporal dementia and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis the lncRNAs NEAT1_2 and MALAT1 co-localize at nuclear paraspeckles with TDP-43 and FUS proteins and their binding to TDP-43 is markedly increased in affected brains. In Parkinson\u2019s Disease the lncRNA UCHL1-AS1 acts by directly promoting translation of UCHL1 protein leading to perturbation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Different lncRNAs, such as HTT-AS, BDNF-AS and HAR1, were found to be dysregulated in their expression also in Huntington\u2019s Disease. In Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Fragile X tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) patients, the presence of CGG repeats expansion alters the expression of the lncRNAs FMR1-AS1 and FMR6. Interestingly, they are expressed in peripheral blood leukocytes, suggesting these lncRNAs may represent biomarkers for FXS/FXTAS early detection and therapy. Finally, the identification of the antisense RNAs SCAANT1-AS and ATXN8OS in spinocerebellar ataxia 7 and 8, respectively, suggests that very different mechanisms of action driven by lncRNAs may trigger neurodegeneration in these disorders. The emerging role of lncRNAs in neurodegenerative diseases suggests that their dysregulation could trigger neuronal death via still unexplored RNA-based regulatory mechanisms which deserve further investigation. The evaluation of their diagnostic significance and therapeutic potential could also address the setting up of novel treatments in diseases where no cure is available to date

Candidate Genes and MiRNAs Linked to the Inverse Relationship Between Cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease: Insights From Data Mining and Enrichment Analysis

The incidence of cancer and Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD) increases exponentially with age. A growing body of epidemiological evidence and molecular investigations inspired the hypothesis of an inverse relationship between these two pathologies. It has been proposed that the two diseases might utilize the same proteins and pathways that are, however, modulated differently and sometimes in opposite directions. Investigation of the common processes underlying these diseases may enhance the understanding of their pathogenesis and may also guide novel therapeutic strategies. Starting from a text-mining approach, our in silico study integrated the dispersed biological evidence by combining data mining, gene set enrichment, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses while searching for common biological hallmarks linked to AD and cancer. We retrieved 138 genes (ALZCAN gene set), computed a significant number of enriched gene ontology clusters, and identified four PPI modules. The investigation confirmed the relevance of autophagy, ubiquitin proteasome system, and cell death as common biological hallmarks shared by cancer and AD. Then, from a closer investigation of the PPI modules and of the miRNAs enrichment data, several genes (SQSTM1, UCHL1, STUB1, BECN1, CDKN2A, TP53, EGFR, GSK3B, and HSPA9) and miRNAs (miR-146a-5p, MiR-34a-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-9-5p, and miR-16-5p) emerged as promising candidates. The integrative approach uncovered novel miRNA-gene networks (e.g., miR-146 and miR-34 regulating p62 and Beclin1 in autophagy) that might give new insights into the complex regulatory mechanisms of gene expression in AD and cancer

Produtividade de Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Stapf cv. Marandu sob diferentes arranjos estruturais de sistema agrossilvipastoril com eucalipto.

O sucesso de sistemas de produção sustentáveis tem como aspecto fundamental a escolha das espécies. O conhecimento da tolerância da Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Stapf ao sombreamento e seu desempenho em consórcio com eucalipto implica na recomendação desta forrageira para implantação de sistemas agrossilvipastoris. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar quantitativa e qualitativamente a produtividade de Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Stapf cv. Marandu sob diferentes arranjos estruturais de sistema agrossilvipastoril com eucalipto. Realizou-se o plantio de mudas clonais de um híbrido natural de Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh com Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake, em dezembro de 1999, em área de cerrado, no noroeste deMinas Gerais (Paracatu MG, Brasil). Fez-se o plantio em consórcio com arroz no primeiro ano, soja no segundo e em seguida braquiária, semeada em dezembro de 2001. O experimento foi implantado no delineamento blocos casualizados, em esquema de parcelas subdivididas, com quatro repetições. Nas parcelas foram alocados os arranjos do eucalipto, em linhas duplas: (3 x 3)+10m, (3 x 4)+7 m, (3 x 4)+10 m, (3 x 4)+7+10 m, (3 x 3)+15 m; e linhas simples: 10x3m, e 10x4m. As subparcelas corresponderam às avaliações na linha e na entrelinha de plantio. Foram avaliados o rendimento e aspectos de qualidade da forragem, bem como a densidade de fluxo de fótons fotossinteticamente ativos no subbosque, em cada arranjo. Verificou-se que a forragem disponível (matéria natural e matéria seca) foi sempre maior na entrelinha do que na linha de plantio, independente do arranjo. Os variados arranjos do sistema agrossilvipastoril praticamente não provocaram variação no teor de fibras, N e P na forragem. As concentrações de Ca, K e Mn foram maiores na braquiária sob as linhas de plantio do eucalipto e as oncentrações de Mg e Zn maiores na entrelinha de plantio

Radiação solar no sub-bosque de sistema agrossilvipastoril com eucalipto em diferentes arranjos estruturais.

A radiação solar no sub-bosque de povoamentos de eucalipto torna-se decisiva para implantação de culturas intercalares e consórcio com pastagens em sistemas agrossilvipastoris. Objetivou-se determinar a incidência e distribuição da densidade de fluxo de fótons, radiação solar global e iluminância no sub-bosque de diferentes arranjos estruturais de sistema agrossilvipatoril com eucalipto. O experimento foi implantado em dezembro de 1999, em área de cerrado. Realizou-se o plantio de mudas clonais de um híbrido natural de Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh com Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake, em consórcio com arroz no primeiro ano, soja no segundo e pastagem de Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Stapf cv. Marandu nos anos consecutivos. O delineamento utilizado foi blocos casualizados em esquema de parcelas subdivididas, com cinco repetições. Nas parcelas, estudou-se o efeito dos arranjos 3,33 x 2 m, 3,33 x 3 m, 5 x 2 m, 10 x 2 m, 10 x 3 m, 10 x 4 m, (3 x 4)+7 m, (3 x 3)+10 m, (3 x 4)+10 m e (3 x 3)+15 m. As subparcelas corresponderam às avaliações na linha e entrelinha de plantio, realizadas aos 27, 38 e 54 meses. A radiação solar no subbosque varia em função dos arranjos. Nos 3,33 x 2 m e 3,33 x 3 m, o fechamento do dossel promove sombreamento geral do sub-bosque aos dois anos. Nos arranjos mais amplos, a distribuição espacial da radiação solar e o sombreamento variam com a época do ano