Leveraging Semantic Web Service Descriptions for Validation by Automated Functional Testing

Recent years have seen the utilisation of Semantic Web Service descriptions for automating a wide range of service-related activities, with a primary focus on service discovery, composition, execution and mediation. An important area which so far has received less attention is service validation, whereby advertised services are proven to conform to required behavioural specifications. This paper proposes a method for validation of service-oriented systems through automated functional testing. The method leverages ontology-based and rule-based descriptions of service inputs, outputs, preconditions and effects (IOPE) for constructing a stateful EFSM specification. The specification is subsequently utilised for functional testing and validation using the proven Stream X-machine (SXM) testing methodology. Complete functional test sets are generated automatically at an abstract level and are then applied to concrete Web services, using test drivers created from the Web service descriptions. The testing method comes with completeness guarantees and provides a strong method for validating the behaviour of Web services

Influência do espaçamento e da população de plantas de sorgo sacarino em diferentes épocas semeadura.

O trabalho objetivou avaliar a interferência do espaçamento entrelinhas e população de plantas sobre a produção do sorgo sacarino em duas épocas de semeadura, safra e safrinha. Os experimentos foram conduzidos na Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, em Sete Lagoas (MG), em Latossolo Vermelho Distrófi co, na safra 2011/2012. Para as duas épocas de semeadura, as parcelas foram compostas por cinco espaçamentos entrelinhas (50; 60; 70; e 80cm e linha dupla 100x50x50cm), e as subparcelas por quatro populações de plantas de sorgo sacarino (80.000, 100.000, 120.000 e 140.000 plantas ha-1). O delineamento utilizado foi em blocos ao acaso (DBC), com três repetições. Utilizou-se a variedade de sorgo sacarino BRS506. O experimento de safra foi implantado em novembro/2011 e de safrinha em março/2012. A época de semeadura no período de safra resultou em maior rendimento de matéria fresca de colmos, matéria fresca de biomassa total, massa de caldo e Brix do sorgo sacarino, independente do arranjo de plantas. O espaçamento de 50cm entrelinhas resultou em maior produção de biomassa total e massa de caldo ha-1, independente da época de semeadura. O espaçamento duplo resultou em valores similares ao espaçamento de 80cm, para as principais variáveis produtivas, independente da época de semeadura. As populações de plantas não influenciaram o rendimento de matéria fresca de colmos e massa de caldo, independente da época de semeadura

Deep coral oases in the South Tyrrhenian Sea

A Mediterranean ‘‘roche du large’’ ecosystem, represented by four rocky shoals, located a few miles apart on a muddy bottom at 70–130 m depth in the gulf of St. Eufemia (Calabria, South Tyrrhenian Sea), was studied by means of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) photo imaging. The shoals host highly diversified coral communities, mainly composed of arborescent colonies of gorgonians (Callogorgia verticillata, Paramuricea clavata, Paramuricea macrospina, Bebryce mollis, Villogorgia bebrycoides, Corallium rubrum, and Leptogorgia sarmentosa), and antipatharians (Antipathella subpinnata, Antipathes dichotoma and Parantipathes larix). The coral colonies reach high densities (up to ca. 17 colonies m22) and large sizes, such as the over 1.5 m wide antipatharian colonies. We hypothesized that the abundance and composition of the coral assemblages differed significantly among the rocky shoals and with respect to the surrounding soft bottoms. Various environmental variables were tested as possible explanatory factors of the observed differences. Moreover, due to their off- coast localization, we report here that these unique ecosystems are potentially subjected to a strong pressure from the local fishing activities, which were tentatively characterized. The recorded coral b-diversity among the shoals supports the hypothesis that these habitats behave like small oases of hard substrata interspersed in a muddy bottom. Because of their intrinsic beauty and rarity and their biological and ecological value, we stress the need of specific actions aimed at the urgent protection of these oases of biodiversity

MAPK15 protects from oxidative stress-dependent cellular senescence by inducing the mitophagic process

Mitochondria are the major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), whose aberrant production by dysfunctional mitochondria leads to oxidative stress, thus contributing to aging as well as neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Cells efficiently eliminate damaged mitochondria through a selective type of autophagy, named mitophagy. Here, we demonstrate the involvement of the atypical MAP kinase family member MAPK15 in cellular senescence, by preserving mitochondrial quality, thanks to its ability to control mitophagy and, therefore, prevent oxidative stress. We indeed demonstrate that reduced MAPK15 expression strongly decreases mitochondrial respiration and ATP production, while increasing mitochondrial ROS levels. We show that MAPK15 controls the mitophagic process by stimulating ULK1-dependent PRKN Ser108 phosphorylation and inducing the recruitment of damaged mitochondria to autophagosomal and lysosomal compartments, thus leading to a reduction of their mass, but also by participating in the reorganization of the mitochondrial network that usually anticipates their disposal. Consequently, MAPK15-dependent mitophagy protects cells from accumulating nuclear DNA damage due to mitochondrial ROS and, consequently, from senescence deriving from this chronic DNA insult. Indeed, we ultimately demonstrate that MAPK15 protects primary human airway epithelial cells from senescence, establishing a new specific role for MAPK15 in controlling mitochondrial fitness by efficient disposal of old and damaged organelles and suggesting this kinase as a new potential therapeutic target in diverse age-associated human diseases

COVID-19 could accelerate the decline in recreational hunting: A natural experiment from Northern Italy

Although many studies highlighted the potential of COVID-19 to reshape existing models of wildlife management, empirical research on this topic has been scarce, particularly in Europe. We investigated the potential of COVID-19 pandemic to accelerate the ongoing decline in an aging population of recreational hunters in Italy. Namely, we modelled spatiotemporal trends between 2011 and 2021 in the number of recreational hunters in 50 Italian provinces with a varying incidence of COVID-19, and temporally delayed waves of infection. Compared to projections from 2011-2019 data, we detected a lower number of hunters who enrolled for the hunting season, both in 2020 (14 provinces) and in 2021 (15 provinces). The provinces with the highest incidence of COVID-19 in the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions were also those experiencing the most marked decrease in hunting participation. Our findings revealed that a wildlife management system based on recreational hunting can be rapidly destabilized by epidemics and their associated public health measures, particularly when the average age of hunters is high, like in Italy. Considered the high incidence attained by COVID-19 in many European countries, where hunters are pivotal for the management of large ungulates and where they were already declining before the pandemic, our findings call for further large-scale research about the impact of COVID-19 on hunting participation

Produtividade da rebrota de cultivares de sorgo sacarino em diferentes épocas de semeio.

O sorgo sacarino surgiu como importante alternativa para a geração de biomassa na produção de etanol. Nota-se que, após o primeiro corte, as plantas rebrotam, denotando capacidade produtiva sequencial, como ocorre em outras culturas, que têm a rebrota conduzida para um segundo corte. Assim, esse trabalho objetivou avaliar a produtividade da rebrota de duas cultivares de sorgo sacarino, conduzidas em duas épocas de semeadura. Para tanto, foi instalado em Sete Lagoas/MG, na Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, um experimento sob o delineamento em blocos inteiramente casualizados, em esquema fatorial triplo (2 x 2 x 2), com 10 repetições, sendo estudados os fatores: duas épocas de semeio (outubro e novembro), duas épocas de corte (primeiro corte e corte da rebrota) e duas cultivares (BRS 506 e CMSXS 647). Houve interação dupla altamente significativa entre os fatores estudados para maioria das características avaliadas. A maior produtividade de colmos foi obtida com a cultivar CMSXS 647 semeada em outubro (56,17 t ha-1), demonstrando superioridade produtiva dela em relação à cultivar BRS 506 (35,88 t ha-1). A produtividade da cultivar CMSXS 647 foi reduzida com a semeadura de novembro (45,28 t ha-1), apresentando média estatisticamente semelhante à BRS 506 nessa época de semeio. A produtividade da rebrota é significativamente reduzida nas duas épocas de semeadura, sendo mais pronunciada na segunda época de semeio (novembro), passando de 60,25 para 27,16 t ha-1 do primeiro para o segundo corte, respectivamente. Dessa forma, o cultivo da rebrota pode ser prática importante, em ambientes tropicais com temperaturas noturnas elevadas e estáveis ao longo do ano, já que a redução da produtividade de colmos da rebrota, nas condições experimentais estudadas, pode estar atrelada ao desenvolvimento vegetativo do segundo ciclo de corte em condições menos favoráveis para a expressão de altas produtividades, associadas à queda na temperatura noturna, limitante do metabolismo de plantas C4, como o sorgo sacarino.bitstream/item/89986/1/bol-65.pd

Consequences of the marine climate and ecosystem shift of the 1980-90s on the Ligurian Sea biodiversity (NW Mediterranean Sea)

A rapid temperature increase in the 1980-90s has been accompanied by dramatic and unprecedented changes in the biota and communities of the Ligurian Sea. This review uses existing historical series (a few of which have been purposely updated) to assess extent and consequences of such changes. A number of warm-water species, previously absent or occasional in the comparatively cold Ligurian Sea, has recently established thanks to warmer winters. Occurrence among them of invasive alien species is causing concern because of their capacity of outcompeting autochthonous species. Summer heatwaves, on the other hand, caused mass mortalities in marine organisms, some of which found refuge at depth. New marine diseases appeared, as well as other dysfunctions such as the formation of mucilage aggregates that suffocated and entangled benthic organisms. Human pressures have combined with climate change to cause phase shifts (i.e., abrupt variations in species composition and community structure) in different habitats, such as the pelagic environment, seagrass meadows, rocky reefs, and marine caves. These phase shifts implied biotic homogenization, reduction of diversity, and dominance by invasive aliens, and may be detrimental to the resilience of Ligurian Sea ecosystems. Another phase of rapid warming has possibly started in the 2010s and there are clues pointing to a further series of biological changes, but data are too scarce to date for proper assessment. Only well addressed long-term studies will help understanding the future dynamics of Ligurian Sea ecosystems and their possibilities of recovery