Urbanization Impacts on Campus Cypress Domes

Cypress domes are terrestrial freshwater ecosystems characterized by the presence of cypress trees (Taxodium spp.) growing in well-defined, dome-shaped clusters throughout the southeastern United States. These systems are one of many ecosystems in Florida facing increasing threats from human expansion and urbanization including fire suppression, logging, and hydrological alterations. This study sought to examine the impacts of urbanization on three cypress domes located on the University of Central Florida Orlando campus. To do this, we measured the defining traits, dendrochronology of Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium, and soil characteristics in each of the three selected domes. The cypress dome defined as most highly impacted had the largest trees compared to the moderate and low impacted domes. With increased urbanization, the soil pH increased while the soil moisture content decreased. Although these results alone are not indicative of the system’s overall health, they can be used in future studies to better explore the relationship between urban interface and the ecosystem. Understanding the impacts of urbanization on these valuable wetland ecosystems can help with long-term protection of these ecosystems, as well as improving natural resource management

Sassi di Matera. Per una nuova stagione

La pubblicazione raccoglie i contributi dei relatori intervenuti nel confronto pubblico di approfondimento dal titolo “Sassi: per un nuovo dialogo in città”, tenutosi a Matera il 14 e 15 dicembre 2018 e organizzato dalla Cattedra UNESCO dell’Università della Basilicata (UniBas) (nel programma ERT-Educazione Ricerca Territorio) e dalla Fondazione Sassi in occasione del venticinquesimo anniversario dell’iscrizione dei Sassi nella Lista UNESCO del Patrimonio Mondiale. In Appendice si trova una Nota di sintesi delle giornate di studio, confronto e partecipazione, che si sono tenute a Matera, in forma di tre eventi, in occasione del venticinquesimo anniversario dell’iscrizione dei Sassi alla lista del patrimonio UNESCO, e come edizione pilota del programma “ERT-Educazione Ricerca Territorio” della Cattedra UNESCO. In tale ambito si inserisce la conversazione pubblica “Sassi: per un nuovo dialogo in citta”, di cui il libro raccoglie i contributi dei relatori intervenuti. Oltre alla Nota di sintesi, è riportato per esteso anche il Report, redatto da Paolo Ceccarelli, di uno dei tre eventi, quello titolato “Patrimonio e sviluppo sostenibile: per una conoscenza circolare”, per i richiami contenuti al progetto dell’Osservatorio Sassi e per il sostegno dichiarato al progetto da parte della rete di Cattedre UNESCO TEST, in virtù dell’interesse metodologico ravvisato in tale prospettiva di lavoro scientifico e di pratica partecipativa

Fatty Acids Abolish Shigella Virulence by Inhibiting Its Master Regulator, VirF

The pathogenicity of Shigella, the intracellular pathogen responsible for human bacillary dysentery, depends on a coordinated and tightly regulated expression of its virulence determinants. This is the result of a cascade organization of its positive regulators, with VirF, a transcriptional activator belonging to the AraC-XylS family, in a pivotal position. VirF itself is submitted to several well-known regulations at the transcriptional level. In this work, we present evidence for a novel posttranslational regulatory mechanism of VirF mediated by the inhibitory interaction with specific fatty acids. By homology modeling and molecular docking analyses, we identify a jelly roll motif in the structure of ViF capable of interacting with medium-chain saturated and long-chain unsaturated fatty acids. In vitro and in vivo assays show that capric, lauric, myristoleic, palmitoleic, and sapienic acids interact effectively with the VirF protein, abolishing its transcription-promoting activity. This silences the virulence system of Shigella, leading to a drastic reduction in its ability to invade epithelial cells and proliferate in their cytoplasm. IMPORTANCE In the absence of a valid vaccine, the main therapeutic approach currently used to treat shigellosis is based on the use of antibiotics. The emergence of antibiotic resistance jeopardizes the future effectiveness of this approach. The importance of the present work resides both in the identification of a new level of posttranslational regulation of the Shigella virulence system and in the characterization of a mechanism offering new opportunities for the design of antivirulence compounds, which may change the treatment paradigm of Shigella infections by limiting the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Matera, storytelling e cinema

I destini dei luoghi sono in relazione con le narrazioni, e Matera ne è un esempio. Negli anni Cinquanta, insieme al paradigma della vergogna, inizia a prendere forma un nuovo immaginario dei Sassi, la magia di un mondo contadino arcaico e sconosciuto. L’inversione del giudizio porta al riconoscimento del valore universale dei Sassi nel 1993, e al titolo di Capitale Europea della Cultura per il 2019. Molta cinematografia, fino alle più recenti esperienze immersive, ha contribuito a costruirne l’immagine e i progetti di futuro

Characterization and kinetics studies of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) myoglobin

The colour of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis L.) meat is darker than bovine meat. Since meat colour depends on the concentration of myoglobin (Mb) and its oxidation state, we have determined the main structural and functional properties of buffalo Mb. Buffalo Mb was purified from longissimus dorsi muscles and its molecular mass determined by ESI Q-TOF mass spectrometry. The molecular mass 17,034.50 was 86.20 Da higher than the bovine Mb. This was confirmed by analysing its primary structure, using a combined approach based on Edman degradation and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Comparing the amino acid sequences of both Mbs, we found three amino acid differences out of 153 amino acid residues. One is a conservative substitution (Dbov141Ebuf), and the other two (Abov19Tbuf and Abov117Dbuf) are nonconservative. These amino acid substitutions are unlikely to cause structural changes because they are located far from the heme binding pocket, as revealed by the 3D structure of buffalo Mb elaborated by homology modelling. Stability analyses show no difference with the bovine Mb for helix E and only minor differences in the stability values for helices A and G. Moreover, autoxidation rates of purified buffalo and bovine myoglobins at 37 °C, pH 7.2, were almost identical, 0.052 ± 0.001 h- 1 and 0.054 ± 0.002 h- 1, respectively, as were their oxygen-binding Kd values, 3.7 ± 0.1 μM and 3.5 ± 0.1 μM, respectively. The percent of MetMb values were almost identical. The results presented here suggest that the darker buffalo meat depends on factors other than the oxidation rate of its Mb, as, for example, the Mb content (0.393 ± 0.005 g/100 g of tissue) and consequently MetMb, which are almost twice as high as bovine meat (Mb: 0.209 ± 0.003 g/100 g of tissue). © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved