Nitrogen budget of Short Rotation forests amended with digestate in highly permeable soils

Bioenergy crops are a promising option for integrating fossil fuels and achieving European environmental targets. Among these, Short Rotation Forestry (SRF) crops and biogas plants have been considered an opportunity for sustainable agricultural development due to their environmental benefits. In this case study, an N balance was performed by comparing an SRF Platanus hispanica plantation with a permanent meadow, both located in an area with highly permeable soils, using two different amounts of organic fertilization (digestate) for each system (0, 170 and 340 kg-N ha−1 y−1). The results obtained indicate that, in the presence of highly permeable soils, the SRF is not effective in retaining N during the initial stage of growth, despite the use of a suitable application rate of digestate. Higher N leaching rates occurred in SRF crops compared to permanent meadows. Moreover, the N potential removal rate did not vary proportionally with the applied dose of digestate. To avoid N leaching excess, the annual applied N should be not only within 170 kg-N ha−1 y−1 (Nitrate Directive legal limits for nitrate vulnerable zone) but should also follow precise and accurate distribution practices, like: controlled grassing between the tree rows and soil’s minimum tillage immediately after the digestate spreading

Self-assembly in solution of a reversible comb-shaped supramolecular polymer

We report a single step synthesis of a polyisobutene with a bis-urea moiety in the middle of the chain. In low polarity solvents, this polymer self-assembles by hydrogen bonding to form a combshaped polymer with a central hydrogen bonded backbone and polyisobutene arms. The comb backbone can be reversibly broken, and consequently, its length can be tuned by changing the solvent, the concentration or the temperature. Moreover, we have proved that the bulkiness of the side-chains have a strong influence on both the self-assembly pattern and the length of the backbone. Finally, the density of arms can be reduced, by simply mixing with a low molar mass bis-urea

Loss of Pediatric Kidney Grafts During the “High–Risk Age Window”: Insights From Pediatric Liver and Simultaneous Liver–Kidney Recipients

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110551/1/ajt12985.pd

The personality of captive lionessess influence their reaction to environmental and social changes?

Studying the personality traits in zoo animals might be useful to better satisfy their behavioral needs and improve individual well-being [1]. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the response of a group of lionesses exposed to environmental and social changes, and to correlate them to their personality profile. The subjects were three lionesses (Panthera leo) housed at Parco Natura Viva. Personality traits were evaluated by rating method [2] and then behavioral observation data were collected (continuous focal animal sampling method) and analyzed (BORIS software [3]) focusing on individual and social behaviours. During the first period (baseline), no changes were introduced in the lioness\u2019s life and environment. In the second period, two male lions arrived at the park, and where hosted in an enclosure near to the study lionesses. In the third period, lionesses were provided with novel objects (panels with pictures). The results showed that personality profiles were different between the study subjects. The results of behavioral observations have highlighted that the arrival of the new males led to behavioral changes in particular in social behavior (Wilcoxon test, p < 0.016) which also differed significantly between the lionesses (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.05). Moreover, the arrival of the two males led the lionesses to perform pacing with differences between them (Kruskal-Wallis test p < 0.05). The introduction of novel objects helps the lionesses to manage the arrival of the new lions (Wilcoxon test (p < 0.016). In conclusion, all the three subjects were affected by the new stimuli, but the extent of the behavioral modification varied significantly from one lioness to the other, confirming various personality profiles previously assessed

Tuning the aggregation behavior of pH-responsive micelles by copolymerization

YesAmphiphilic diblock copolymers, poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-co-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate), P(DEAEMA-co-DMAEMA)-b-PDMAEMA with various amounts of DEAEMA have been synthesized by RAFT polymerization. Their micellization in water has been investigated by scattering measurements over a wide pH range. It appeared that the polymers self-assembled into pH sensitive star like micelles. For a given composition, when the pH is varied the extent of aggregation can be tuned reversibly by orders of magnitude. By varying the copolymer composition in the hydrophobic block, the onset and extent of aggregation were shifted with respect to pH. This class of diblock copolymer offers the possibility to select the range of stimuli-responsiveness that is useful for a given application, which can rarely be achieved with conventional diblock copolymers consisting of homopolymeric blocks.European Science Foundation (ESF), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), BP (Firm), Birmingham Science City, Advantage West Midlands (AWM), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF

Protective role of vitamin B6 (PLP) against DNA damage in Drosophila models of type 2 diabetes

Growing evidence shows that improper intake of vitamin B6 increases cancer risk and several studies indicate that diabetic patients have a higher risk of developing tumors. We previously demonstrated that in Drosophila the deficiency of Pyridoxal 5' phosphate (PLP), the active form of vitamin B6, causes chromosome aberrations (CABs), one of cancer prerequisites, and increases hemolymph glucose content. Starting from these data we asked if it was possible to provide a link between the aforementioned studies. Thus, we tested the effect of low PLP levels on DNA integrity in diabetic cells. To this aim we generated two Drosophila models of type 2 diabetes, the first by impairing insulin signaling and the second by rearing flies in high sugar diet. We showed that glucose treatment induced CABs in diabetic individuals but not in controls. More interestingly, PLP deficiency caused high frequencies of CABs in both diabetic models demonstrating that hyperglycemia, combined to reduced PLP level, impairs DNA integrity. PLP-depleted diabetic cells accumulated Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) that largely contribute to CABs as α-lipoic acid, an AGE inhibitor, rescued not only AGEs but also CABs. These data, extrapolated to humans, indicate that low PLP levels, impacting on DNA integrity, may be considered one of the possible links between diabetes and cancer

A Low Protein Diet Increases the Hypoxic Tolerance in Drosophila

Dietary restriction is well known to increase the life span of a variety of organisms from yeast to mammals, but the relationships between nutrition and the hypoxic tolerance have not yet been considered. Hypoxia is a major cause of cell death in myocardial infarction and stroke. Here we forced hypoxia-related death by exposing one-day-old male Drosophila to chronic hypoxia (5% O(2)) and analysed their survival. Chronic hypoxia reduced the average life span from 33.6 days to 6.3 days when flies were fed on a rich diet. A demographic analysis indicated that chronic hypoxia increased the slope of the mortality trajectory and not the short-term risk of death. Dietary restriction produced by food dilution, by yeast restriction, or by amino acid restriction partially reversed the deleterious action of hypoxia. It increased the life span of hypoxic flies up to seven days, which represented about 25% of the life time of an hypoxic fly. Maximum survival of hypoxic flies required only dietary sucrose, and it was insensitive to drugs such as rapamycin and resveratrol, which increase longevity of normoxic animals. The results thus uncover a new link between protein nutrition, nutrient signalling, and resistance to hypoxic stresses

The Ergogenic Potential of Arginine

Arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid that is involved in protein synthesis, the detoxification of ammonia, and its conversion to glucose as well as being catabolized to produce energy. In addition to these physiological functions, arginine has been purported to have ergogenic potential. Athletes have taken arginine for three main reasons: 1) its role in the secretion of endogenous growth hormone; 2) its involvement in the synthesis of creatine; 3) its role in augmenting nitric oxide. These aspects of arginine supplementation will be discussed as well as a review of clinical investigations involving exercise performance and arginine ingestion