Pollen, Tapetum, and Orbicule Development in Colletia paradoxa

Tapetum, orbicule, and pollen grain ontogeny in Colletia paradoxa and Discaria americana were studied with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The ultrastructural changes observed during the different stages of development in the tapetal cells and related to orbicule and pollen grain formation are described. The proorbicules have the appearance of lipid globule, and their formation is related to the endoplasmic reticulum of rough type (ERr). This is the first report on the presence of orbicules in the family Rhamnaceae. Pollen grains are shed at the bicellular stage

A bird's eye view on the role of dendritic cells in SARS-CoV-2 infection: Perspectives for immune-based vaccines

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a complex disorder caused by the pandemic diffusion of a novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. Clinical manifestations vary from silent infection to severe pneumonia, disseminated thrombosis, multi-organ failure, and death. COVID-19 pathogenesis is still not fully elucidated, while increasing evidence suggests that disease phenotypes are strongly related to the virus-induced immune system's dysregulation. Indeed, when the virus-host cross talk is out of control, the occurrence of an aberrant systemic inflammatory reaction, named “cytokine storm,” leads to a detrimental impairment of the adaptive immune response. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells able to support innate immune and promote adaptive responses. Besides, DCs play a key role in the anti-viral defense. The aim of this review is to focus on DC involvement in SARS-CoV-2 infection to better understand pathogenesis and clinical behavior of COVID-19 and explore potential implications for immune-based therapy strategies

Adoption of ubiquitous crm for operational sustainability of the firms: Moderating role of technology turbulence

Ubiquitous CRM (UCRM) enhances customer relationship management. It can sense customer needs and demands, to which firms can respond quickly. Therefore, UCRM helps to improve a firm’s agility. There is a growing interest among researchers and practitioners to understand how the adoption of UCRM impacts the sustainability of firms’ operations, but not many studies have investigated this issue. In this context, the aim of this study is to examine how firms’ absorptive capacity and dynamic capability could impact the adoption of UCRM to influence the operational sustainability of the firms and their performance. The study also investigates the moderating role of technology turbulence on the relationship between a firm’s operational sustainability and its per-formance. Using absorptive capacity theory and dynamic capability view theory and reviewing the existing literature, we developed a conceptual model. The model was then validated using a structural equation modeling technique considering 309 usable respondents from different firms that use UCRM for their operational activities. The study found that firms’ absorptive capacity and dynamic capability significantly and positively impact the adoption of UCRM, which in turn significantly and positively impacts firms’ operational sustainability and improves their performance. The study also shows that there is a significant moderating role of technology turbulence on the relationship between operational sustainability and firm performance

Full, hybrid and platform complementarity: Exploring the industry 4.0 technology-performance link

Literature has increasingly recognized that manufacturing companies should implement a synergic bundle of solutions to fully exploit the potential of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), rather than opting for a scattered technological adoption. Enabling I4.0 technologies, such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and additive manufacturing, can be implemented through various combinations to achieve different impacts on a company's performance. But what are the possible ways of combining I4.0 technologies into bundles, and do these ways actually help to achieve a performance that outperforms the adoption of single technologies? This study aims to identify the potential patterns of the technological complementary of I4.0 by considering enabled applications and performance outcomes. We interviewed 13 Italian experts in the I4.0 field, and then combined the obtained information with secondary data collected from more than 150 I4.0 use cases, as well as from websites, reports and press releases. By adopting a systems theory lens, the results of the analysis have allowed us to identify the specific performance effects of both scattered and joint technological adoptions in different application areas. Interestingly, specific examples of I4.0 complementarities emerged, namely full, hybrid and platform complementarity. This study contributes to the growing research on I4.0 outcomes by extending the concept of technological complementary within the I4.0 context. Results show that bundles of technologies have a broader effect on performance than when the same technologies are adopted in isolation, but also that single technologies can impact specific applications and the overall performance of a firm via a systematic I4.0 transformation path

Dendritic Cells Are the Intriguing Players in the Puzzle of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Pathogenesis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most devastating progressive interstitial lung disease that remains refractory to treatment. Pathogenesis of IPF relies on the aberrant cross-talk between injured alveolar cells and myofibroblasts, which ultimately leads to an aberrant fibrous reaction. The contribution of the immune system to IPF remains not fully explored. Recent evidence suggests that both innate and adaptive immune responses may participate in the fibrotic process. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent professional antigen-presenting cells that bridge innate and adaptive immunity. Also, they exert a crucial role in the immune surveillance of the lung, where they are strategically placed in the airway epithelium and interstitium. Immature DCs accumulate in the IPF lung close to areas of epithelial hyperplasia and fibrosis. Conversely, mature DCs are concentrated in well-organized lymphoid follicles along with T and B cells and bronchoalveolar lavage of IPF patients. We have recently shown that all sub-types of peripheral blood DCs (including conventional and plasmacytoid DCs) are severely depleted in therapy naïve IPF patients. Also, the low frequency of conventional CD1c+ DCs is predictive of a worse prognosis. The purpose of this mini-review is to focus on the main evidence on DC involvement in IPF pathogenesis. Unanswered questions and opportunities for future research ranging from a better understanding of their contribution to diagnosis and prognosis to personalized DC-based therapies will be explored

Leaf production and quality of sea beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima) grown with saline drainage water from recirculating hydroponic or aquaculture systems

The application of greenhouse soilless culture (or hydroponics) and recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) is rapidly growing worldwide as these technologies provide controlled growing conditions for crop plants and aquatic organisms, thus enhancing productivity. The wastewater from RAS and hydroponics is generally rich in many essential plant nutrients and could be reused for crop irrigation, thus reducing the costs for both wastewater treatment and fertilizers. Many wild edible plant species are salt-tolerant glycophytes or halophytes and hence are suitable for cultivation with saline wastewater in cascade cropping systems or decoupled aquaponic systems. The goal of this work was to investigate the effects of drainage water from semi-closed substrate plant culture or saltwater RAS on leaf production and quality of sea beet plants (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima) grown hydroponically in a greenhouse. Two experiments were conducted in autumn with plants cultivated in a floating raft system to compare five different nutrient solutions: standard nutrient solution (CNS, control; EC 2.80 dS m−1, Na 0.7 mM); the effluent from a semi-closed substrate culture of tomato used as such (tomato effluent 100%, TE100; EC 6.49 dS m−1, Na 34.9 mM) or diluted (50:50) with CNS (tomato effluent 50%, TE50; EC 4.50 dS m−1, Na 17.8 mM); the effluent from a saltwater RAS with gilthead sea bream, used as such (aquaculture effluent 100%, AE100; EC 42.00 dS m−1, Na 408.6 mM) or diluted (50:50) with CNS (aquaculture effluent 50%, AE50; EC 25.40 dS m−1, Na 204.6 mM). In both experiments, leaf production was significantly reduced in plants grown with AE50 (−46.8%, on average) and AE100 (−70.4%, on average) compared to CNS; on the contrary, no or minor differences were found between CNS, TE50 and TE100 plants. The reduction of crop yield was due to the higher salinity and not to abnormal concentration of some mineral nutrients in AE. In the first experiment, the use of TE and AE also resulted in higher leaf antioxidant capacity and concentration (both expressed on a fresh weight basis) of total chlorophylls, carotenoids, flavonoids, and phenols. In both experiments, leaf concentration of Na and oxalate (both total and soluble) significantly increased with the salinity of the nutrient solution. Due to the less favourable light conditions, leaf nitrate concentration was much higher in the second experiment than in the first one, regardless of the nutrient solution. In conclusion, sea beet could be grown using hydroponic wastewater with moderate salinity with no or minor effect on leaf production and quality. In contrast, the use of highly saline aquaculture effluents markedly reduced crop yield and negatively affected leaf quality due to increased concentration of sodium, oxalate, and nitrate. In general, sea beet leaves were high in oxalate and their consumption should be limited

Exploring the role of blockchain technology in modern high-value food supply chains: global trends and future research directions

Trust, safety, and quality are among the most important factors in the agri-food supply chains. Traceability is a powerful tool to ensure them, but implementing a transparent and effective system is a complex operation. As a result, innovative systems, like blockchain, could be introduced. Although research on its impacts in the agri-food is recent, the literature appears fragmented. The objective is to investigate the studied aspects of the blockchain adoption in agri-food, with the purpose of retrieving meaningful considerations about the current state of the art about strategic high-value supply chains, such as wine and olive oil, particularly subjected to fraudulent behaviors. A productivity measurement was applied to retrieve the evolution of the number of documents through the years, the most productive countries, the sources, the research areas, and the most significant papers in terms of number of citations received. To understand the research trends, a co-occurrence analysis was employed. Results show that most of the existing studies focus on the role of blockchain in the resolution of some critical issues as food safety and frauds. While wine is currently an emerging sector in which this approach can be implemented, olive oil still needs more attention. In both cases, blockchain could potentially help to support the profitability and sustainability of the production. The research underlines the importance of focusing on the environmental and social dimension of the blockchain phenomenon and the use of technology to improve the efficiency of agri-food chains and reduce waste and resource use

Analysis of the Socio-Economic Impacts of a Proposed Highway between Nuevo Italia and Puerto Breu, Peru

Road building is increasingly promoted in the borderlands shared by Peru and Brazil despite an incomplete understanding of the socio-environmental impacts of transportation infrastructure in the region. Amazonian roads often expand informally, without official government process, previous consultation by Indigenous populations, and environmental impact statements.. Amazonian road expansion also often follows a progressive feedback cycle, with new, unplanned roads begetting illegal logging pathways and agricultural expansion which in turn expands and formalizes road systems. One expanding road system is developing between the Ucayali River and the remote headwaters of the Yurua/Jurua River. The Carretera Yurua (officially trail UC-105), extended approximately300 km long in August 2020. Existing research suggests that the unplanned construction of the Yurua road, which originally began as informal logging roads extending off a road to explore fossil fuels, could result in significant land changes and will facilitate ranching, additional illegal timber harvesting, and coca farming, threatening global biodiversity hotspots and conservation areas, and endangered Indigenous cultures and territories. This research spatially analyzes the different waterways, cultural territories, conservation areas and other administrative units crossed by the proposed road. Additional analysis includes the deforestation footprint and downstream impacts of the road. Methods include GIS analysis and remote sensing along with document and internet research of news articles, legal documents, social media communications, interviews from key actors, and studies of similar infrastructure projects in the bio-culturally diverse Amazon borderlands