Caracterización superficial de pigmentos sobre artefactos paleolíticos de la zona de los Montes Albanos (Roma, Italia) por microscopía óptica y espectroscopía raman

Preliminary results of the characterization of red pigmentations on paleolithic artefacts from the southern area of Montes Albanos (Rome, Italy) are presented. The set of materials consists of three decorated rounded pebblestones and a cortical flint blade typologically attributable to the Upper Paleolithic (Final Epigravetense, 14,000-12,000 cal BP). The findings were observed with optical microscope Nikon SMZ 1000/800 with magnifications of 1x to 6.3x. In two pebblestones, one decorated with parallel engravings, residues of ocher were detected in association with traces of use. In the third one, stained red dye was observed to form geometric patterns. Finally, reddish pigmentations were located on the cortical dorsal surface of a flint blade. To characterize chemically the coloring agent detected, macro-microscopically, Raman spectroscopy was used, a technique that allowed the study of the nature of the residues and the detection of additional organic materials whose presence must be related to post-depositional contaminations produced by the manipulation or/and surface exposure of artifacts

Genetic heterogeneity among chicken infectious anemia viruses detected in italian fowl

Chicken infectious anemia virus (CIAV) is a pathogen of chickens associated with immuno-suppression and with a disease named chicken infectious anemia. The present survey reports an epidemiological study on CIAV distribution in Italian broiler, broiler breeder and backyard chicken flocks. Twenty-five strains were detected by a specifically developed nested PCR protocol, and molecularly characterized by partial VP1 gene or complete genome sequencing. Viral DNA ampli-fication was successfully obtained from non-invasive samples such as feathers and environmental dust. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis showed the circulation of field or potentially vaccine-derived strains with heterogeneous sequences clustered into genogroups II, IIIa, and IIIb. Marker genome positions, reported to be correlated with CIAV virulence, were evaluated in field strains. In conclusion, this is the first survey focused on the molecular characteristics of Italian CIAVs, which have proved to be highly heterogeneous, implementing at the same time a distribution map of field viruses worldwide

Molecular characterization of the meq gene of Marek\u2019s disease viruses detected in unvaccinated backyard chickens reveals the circulation of low- and high-virulence strains

Marek's disease (MD) is an important lymphoproliferative disease of chickens, caused by Gal lid alphaherpesvirus 2 (GaHV-2). Outbreaks are commonly reported in commercial flocks, but also in backyard chickens. Whereas the molecular characteristics of GaHV-2 strains from the commercial poultry sector have been reported, no recent data are available for the rural sector. To fill this gap, 19 GaHV-2 strains detected in 19 Italian backyard chicken flocks during suspected MD outbreaks were molecularly characterized through an analysis of the meq gene, the major GaHV-2 oncogene. The number of four consecutive prolines (PPPP) within the proline-rich repeats of the Meq transactivation domain, the proline content, and the presence of amino acid (aa) substitutions were determined. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using the Maximum Likelihood method. Sequence analysis revealed a heterogeneous population of GaHV-2 strains circulating in Italian backyard flocks. Seven strains, detected from birds affected by classical MD, showed a unique meq isoform of 418 aa with a very high number of PPPP motifs. Molecular and clinical features are suggestive of a low oncogenic potential of these strains. The remaining 12 strains, detected from flocks experiencing acute MD, transient paralysis, or sudden death, had shorter Meq protein isoforms (298 or 339 aa) with a lower number of PPPP motifs and point mutations interrupting PPPP. These features allow us to assert the high virulence of these strains. These findings reveal the circulation of low and high-virulence GaHV-2 strains in the Italian rural sector

Oneiric stress and safety and security at work: the discovery of a new universal symbol

Cox and Griffiths define as psychosocial risks at work “those aspects of the planning, organization and management of work, which, along with their environmental and social contexts, may affect mental and physical health of the employees, directly or indirectly producing stress”. Therefore, a more effective approach to occupational safety and security should include integrated risk management through the identification of any work stress related problem. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the possible correlation of risk at work with the modification of sleep, and inside it, the specific function of dream activity

Postharvest Ozone Fumigation of Grapes (cv Sangiovese) Differently Affects Volatile Organic Compounds and Polyphenol Profiles of Berries and Wine

Consumers are more and more oriented towards the purchase of safer food and beverages, which is pushing the wine sector to find alternatives to the use of sulfur dioxide. Ozone (O3) is already applied in the wine industry to produce sulfur dioxide-free wines through the patented method Purovino®. The aim of this two-year study was that of evaluating whether the postharvest treatment of grapes with ozone affects volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polyphenol profile in berries, and in turn, wine composition. Grape bunches (Vitis vinifera L.) of cv Sangiovese were fumigated overnight with gaseous ozone (max 20 g·h−1 with 6% w.w−1 of ozone) in a cold room at 4°C (±0.5). After treatment, grapes were processed into wine. In grapes, ozone treatments increased total polyphenol and flavonoid content and upregulated specific genes (phenylalanine ammonia lyase, VvPAL, flavanol synthase 1, and VvFLS1) involved in polyphenol biosynthesis. Wine obtained from ozone-treated grapes had higher flavanol content than the control. Fumigation only slightly affected the different VOC classes of grapes and wine, including aroma compounds derived from the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway. Although a season-dependent effect was observed, results showed that postharvest ozone treatments applied to avoid the use of sulfur dioxide introduced limited but, in general, positive modifications to grape and wine composition. This information provides assurance to winemakers that the maintenance of wine quality and typicity will be guaranteed when using ozone treatments

Colistin Resistance Genes in Broiler Chickens in Tunisia

Simple Summary The extensive use of colistin in livestock is recognized as the main cause of the emergence of colistin resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. This phenomenon represents a public health concern, as colistin is one of the last-resort antibiotics against multidrug-resistant deadly infections in human medicine. In the present survey, DNA extracted from cloacal swabs from 195 broiler chickens in Tunisia was tested by PCR for the ten mobilized colistin resistance (mcr) genes known so far. Of the 195 animals tested, 81 (41.5%) were mcr-1 positive. These results confirm the urgent nature of antimicrobial resistance in the Tunisian poultry sector and suggest the need for cautious use of colistin in the veterinary field. Colistin is a polymyxin antibiotic that has been used in veterinary medicine for decades, as a treatment for enterobacterial digestive infections as well as a prophylactic treatment and growth promoter in livestock animals, leading to the emergence and spread of colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and to a great public health concern, considering that colistin is one of the last-resort antibiotics against multidrug-resistant deadly infections in clinical practice. Previous studies performed on livestock animals in Tunisia using culture-dependent methods highlighted the presence of colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In the present survey, DNA extracted from cloacal swabs from 195 broiler chickens from six farms in Tunisia was tested via molecular methods for the ten mobilized colistin resistance (mcr) genes known so far. Of the 195 animals tested, 81 (41.5%) were mcr-1 positive. All the farms tested were positive, with a prevalence ranging from 13% to 93%. These results confirm the spread of colistin resistance in livestock animals in Tunisia and suggest that the investigation of antibiotic resistance genes by culture-independent methods could be a useful means of conducting epidemiological studies on the spread of antimicrobial resistance

5-10 GeV Neutrinos from Gamma-Ray Burst Fireballs

A gamma-ray burst fireball is likely to contain an admixture of neutrons, in addition to protons, in essentially all progenitor scenarios. Inelastic collisions between differentially streaming protons and neutrons in the fireball produce muon neutrinos (antineutrinos) of ~ 10 GeV as well as electron neutrinos (antineutrinos) of ~ 5 GeV, which could produce ~ 7 events/year in kilometer cube detectors, if the neutron abundance is comparable to that of protons. Photons of ~ 10 GeV from pi-zero decay and ~ 100 MeV electron antineutrinos from neutron decay are also produced, but will be difficult to detect. Photons with energies < 1 MeV from shocks following neutron decay produce a characteristic signal which may be distinguishable from the proton-related MeV photons.Comment: 4 pages, latex, 1 figure, aps style files. Final version, accepted in Phys.Rev.Lett., 6/22/2000; some clarifications in the text, same conclusion

Efeitos Da Clonidina E Da Rilmenidina Sobre Os Sistemas Cardiorrespiratório E Gastrointestinal De Equinos

Clonidine and rilmenidine are drugs used in human medicine as central acting antihypertensive agents due to their actions on the alpha2-adrenoceptor and I1 imidazoline receptors in the central nervous system. Currently, clonidine is also used as a pre-anesthetic medication and in spinal anesthesia, and rilmenidine, despite the lower selectivity for alpha2-adrenergic receptors than clonidine, has also shown antinociceptive potential in experimental pain models. In this study, six horses were submitted to four treatments: R1 group (0.014 mg/kg of rilmenidine); R2 group (0.021 mg/kg of rilmenidine); Clo group (0.002 mg/kg of clonidine), and a control group. The assessment comprehended their heart and respiratory rates, systolic blood pressure and intestinal motility at basal levels and, then, 60 and 120 minutes after the oral administration of the drugs. Rilmenidine decreased heart rate on the two tested doses, which did not occur in the Clonidine treatment; slight variations in systolic blood pressure in all treatments and respiratory rate reduction in treatments with rilmenidine at 0.021 mg/ kg and clonidine at 0.002 mg/kg were also observed. Further studies with different dosages and varied administration routes are still necessary in order to elucidate more effects of these drugs on horses. © 2016, Cienc. anim. bras., Goiânia. All rights reserved.17460861

Validação de marcadores moleculares microssatélites ligados ao gene Rps1-k de resistência à podridão radicular de fitóftora em soja.

O fungo Phytophthora sojae constitui uma das principais doenças que limitam a produtividade da soja. Com isso esse trabalho objetivou a validação de marcadores moleculares microssatélites ligados ao gene Rps1-k, que confere resistência a P. sojae, para serem utilizados no programa de seleção assistida ao melhoramento. Para identificar marcadores ligados ao gene que confere resistência a fitófora, uma população segregante F2 de 138 individuos foram produzidos a partir do cruzamento entre Williams82 (Rps1-k) e BRS133 (suscetível). Os resultados das análises fenotípicas apresentaram 108 individuos resistentes e 30 suscetíveis na geração F2, e o teste de qui-quadrado se ajustou de acordo com a proporção esperada de 3 resistentes: 1 suscetível, sugerindo que a herança de Rps1-k é controlada por um gene dominante de herança monogênica. Cinco marcadores microssatélites foram analisados como ligados ao gene Rps1-k, no cromossomo 3 da soja, sendo o marcador Satt641 posicionado o mais próximo do gene com distância genética de 6,4cM. Assim este marcador pode conferir uma importante estratégia na seleção de genótipos brasileiros de soja resistentes à podridão radicular por fitóftora