Le zone ornitologiche della Sicilia: un metodo per l'individuazione oggettiva di ecoregioni.

Gli autori presentano una zonizzazione ecologica della Sicilia costruita in maniera oggettiva su base ornitologica con i dati sulla distribuzione delle specie nidificanti raccolti nei periodi 1979-1984, 1985-1992 e 1993-2006. Le maglie quadrate 10x10 km in cui erano riportati i dati originali sono state raggruppate con una cluster analysis sulla base della somiglianza della comunità ornitica nidifican- te, utilizzando le specie indicatrici per individuare il livello ottimale di raggruppamento che caratte- rizza ciascun gruppo e, insieme alle categorie di uso del suolo, fitoclimatiche e geologiche prevalen- ti al loro interno, i caratteri ecologici principali di ciascun gruppo. Sono state individuate nel complesso sette zone ornitologiche: (1) isole circumsiciliane, (2) pianure costiere mediterranee, (3) sistemi agricoli mediterranei della vite, (4) sistemi agricoli mediterranei steppici, (5) sistemi agricoli mesomediterranei (6), montagne mesomediterranee e (7) montagne temperate. La zona (1) risulta ben caratterizzata da uccelli marini (Calonectris diomedea, Puffinus yelkouan, Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis) e specie legate a scogliere ed ambienti rocciosi (Falco eleonorae, Falco peregrinus, Monti- cola solitarius). La zona (2) è caratterizzata da specie legate ai litorali (Charadrius alexandrinus) o agli ambienti umidi (es.: Himantopus himantopus, Ixobrychus minutus, Anas platyrhynchos) e compren- de, in sostanza, ambienti prevalentemente costieri, pianeggianti e non aridi, anche coltivati (Cistico- la juncidis). Carattere decisamente agricolo hanno le zone (3), (4) e (5), con la zona (3) priva di spe- cie indicatrici e che comprende i sistemi più poveri dal punto di vista ornitologico e la zona (4) invece, che include le aree con carattere più steppico (specie indicatrici: Sturnus unicolor, Falco biar- micus, Burhinus oedicnemus). La zona (6) è quella più eterogenea, caratterizzata da moltissime spe- cie indicatrici, legate alle rupi (Neophron percnopterus, Aquila chrysaetos, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), alle aree aperte (Alauda arvensis, Lullula arborea, Anthus campestris) con alberi sparsi (Lanius sena- tor), ai boschi (Turdus viscivorus, Certhia brachydactyla); molte di queste specie sono di elevato inte- resse (es.: Milvus milvus, Milvus migrans), indicando la grande importanza conservazionistica di que- sta zona ornitologica. La zona (7) è ben caratterizzata da specie legate al bosco e a climi freschi (Phylloscopus collybita, Periparus ater, Poecile palustris siculus, Sitta europaea). In generale le zone ornitologiche mostrano una corrispondenza molto limitata con zonizzazioni su base fitoclimatica e una maggiore corrispondenza invece con le classificazioni dei sistemi di paesaggio che includono anche gli aspetti dell’azione storica dell’uomo sul territorio

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum 1792) develop a more robust body shape under organic rearing

Prolonged exposure to captive conditions has led to the development of a rainbow trout ‘farmed’ pheno- type, which is different from that of wild trout. Selec- tion for desirable productive traits in hatcheries has resulted in the development of some morphological traits that are maladaptive in nature. The recent development of organic aquaculture, guided by the well-being of the fish, could potentially produce a new farmed phenotype that would be more adaptive in nature. In this study, rainbow trout reared in intensive and organic farms were compared by means of shape analysis, to detect patterns of shape variation associated with rearing environment. The results of this study highlight a significant effect of the rearing method on rainbow trout shape: organi- cally reared trout showed a higher body profile, in particular in the head and trunk regions, shorter median fins and a deeper caudal peduncle. A combined effect of density and habitat complexity could have contributed to the observed shape differences: in organic rearing systems, lower densi- ties and steady water could increase territoriality and aggressive interactions, promoting body designs more functional in rapid attacks and escapes

Vertebrate-mediated seed rain and artificial perches contribute to overcome seed dispersal limitation in a Mediterranean old field

Natural regeneration of vegetation is a frequent outcome of land abandonment, although the rate and diversity of such regeneration may be severely restricted by seed dispersal limitation, among other factors. In spite of this, studies aiming to quantify seed rain and test methods to enhance it, such as artificial perches, are still underrepresented in the Mediterranean. In our study, we quantified seed rain density and richness and tested the effects of artificial perches on such rain over a distance gradient on seven Mediterranean island old fields. In each of the seven sites, we positioned three sampling stations, each consisting of 1 seed trap under an artificial perch and 1 as a control on the ground, distributed at 30, 60, and 90 m from natural vegetation remnant. All traps received seeds, suggesting no overall dispersal limitation. Of the 11 seed species found, 10 were fleshy-fruited and dispersed by vertebrates. Seed traps under perches received significantly higher seed rain of fleshy-fruited species dispersed by birds, while ground traps received significantly more seeds of the species also dispersed by mammals, especially Rubus ulmifolius. The distance from the seed source was nonsignificant in all cases. Our study demonstrates the key role of vertebrate-mediated seed dispersal services to overcome dispersal limitation in old fields, as well as the effective contribution of even small artificial perches in contrasting such limitation. The lack of differences over the distance gradient reveal that the upper spatial limit of dispersal limitation was not achieved

Acid microenvironment promotes cell survival of human bone sarcoma through the activation of cIAP proteins and NF-κB pathway

Extracellular acidification is a very common cause of stress in tumor microenvironment and of Darwinian pressure. In acid areas of the tumor, most cancer cells are-albeit slowly proliferating-more resistant to cell death than those in well-perfused regions. Tumor acidosis can directly regulate the expression of pro-survival proteins since a low extracellular pH activates the caspase-dependent cell death machinery. This mechanism has never been explored in bone sarcomas. We cultured osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma cells under low pH (pH 6.5), and we performed deep-sequencing and protein analysis. Both in in vitro and in vivo models, acidification activity enhanced tumor cells survival. However, we did not observe any change in ERK1 phosphorylation. On the contrary, both at the mRNA and protein level, we found a significant induction of TRAF adaptor proteins and of cIAP proteins (BIRC2 and/or BIRC3). As a consequence, the downstream nuclear transcription factor kappa B (NF-κB) survival pathway was increased. Furthermore, the treatment with the cIAP inhibitor LCL161 reverted the protection from apoptosis under low pH. In vitro results were confirmed both in Ewing sarcoma xenograft and in osteosarcoma patients, since the analysis of tumor tissues demonstrated that the levels of expression of TRAF1 or NF-κB1 significantly correlate with the level of expression of the vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase), the most important proton pump in eukaryotes. Moreover, in the tissue sections of xenograft model, the nuclear translocation of RelB, a key subunit of the NF-κB transcriptional complex, localized in the tumor region that also corresponded to the acid microenvironment associated with the highest levels of expression of LAMP2 and V-ATPase, in the internal area of the tumor, as revealed by immunohistochemistry. Our data confirm that tumor acid microenvironment activates a stress-regulated switch to promote cell survival of bone sarcoma, and support the hypothesis that this mechanism is mediated by the recruitment of TRAF/cIAP complexes. Altogether, these results suggest that TRAF/cIAP can be considered as a target for anti-cancer therapies

Evaluation of Leaf Spot Resistance in Wild \u3ci\u3eArachis\u3c/i\u3e Species of Section \u3ci\u3eArachis\u3c/i\u3e

Wild diploid Arachis species are potential sources of resistance to early (ELS) and late (LLS) leaf spot diseases caused by Passalora arachidicola (syn. Cercospora arachidicola Hori), and Nothopassalora personata (syn. Cercosporidium personatum (Berk. & Curt.) Deighton), respectively. Within section Arachis, limited information is available on the extent of genetic variation for resistance to these fungal pathogens. A collection of 78 accessions representing 15 wild species of Arachis section Arachis from the U.S peanut germplasm collection was evaluated for resistance to leaf spots. Screening was conducted under field (natural inoculum) conditions in Dawson, Georgia, during 2017 and 2018. Accessions differed significantly (P , 0.01) for all three disease variables evaluated, which included final defoliation rating, ELS lesion counts, and LLS lesion counts. Relatively high levels of resistance were identified for both diseases, with LLS being the predominant pathogen during the two years of evaluation. This research documents new sources of resistance to leaf spot diseases selected from an environment with high inoculum pressure. The presence of ELS and LLS enabled the selection of resistant germplasm for further introgression and pre-breeding

The Discordance of Mass-Loss Estimates for Galactic O-Type Stars

We have determined accurate values of the product of the mass-loss rate and the ion fraction of P^{4+}, Mdot q(P^{4+}), for a sample of 40 Galactic O-type stars by fitting stellar-wind profiles to observations of the P V resonance doublet obtained with FUSE, ORFEUS/BEFS, and Copernicus. When P^{4+} is the dominant ion in the wind, Mdot q(P^{4+}) approximates the mass-loss rate to within a factor of 2. Theory predicts that P^{4+} is the dominant ion in the winds of O7-O9.7 stars, though an empirical estimator suggests that the range from O4-O7 may be more appropriate. However, we find that the mass-loss rates obtained from P V wind profiles are systematically smaller than those obtained from fits to Halpha emission profiles or radio free-free emission by median factors of about 130 (if P^{4+} is dominant between O7 and O9.7) or about 20 (if P^{4+} is dominant between O4 and O7). These discordant measurements can be reconciled if the winds of O stars in the relevant temperature range are strongly clumped on small spatial scales. We use a simplified two-component model to investigate the volume filling factors of the denser regions. This clumping implies that mass-loss rates determined from "density squared" diagnostics have been systematically over-estimated by factors of 10 or more, at least for a subset of O stars. Reductions in the mass-loss rates of this size have important implications for the evolution of massive stars and quantitative estimates of the feedback that hot-star winds provide to their interstellar environments.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in Ap

CalFUSE v3: A Data-Reduction Pipeline for the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer

Since its launch in 1999, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) has made over 4600 observations of some 2500 individual targets. The data are reduced by the Principal Investigator team at the Johns Hopkins University and archived at the Multimission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST). The data-reduction software package, called CalFUSE, has evolved considerably over the lifetime of the mission. The entire FUSE data set has recently been reprocessed with CalFUSE v3.2, the latest version of this software. This paper describes CalFUSE v3.2, the instrument calibrations upon which it is based, and the format of the resulting calibrated data files.Comment: To appear in PASP; 29 pages, 13 figures, uses aastex, emulateap

Post-operative maternal morbidity and mortality after caesarean delivery and laparotomy for uterine rupture at the gynecology and obstetrics service of the Ignace Deen National Hospital in Guinea

Background: The aim of the work was to study post-operative maternal morbidity and mortality after caesarean delivery and laparotomy for uterine failure, to describe the main causes and to analyze the risk factors.Methods: It was a descriptive, comparative and analytical study lasting 2 years with data collection in 2 phases, one of which was a retrospective study lasting one year from July 2018 to June 2019 and the other a prospective study also lasting one year, from July 2019 to June 2020. It concerned all pregnant women who had been caesarized or had had a laparotomy for uterine rupture with complications and those who had not developed any complications. The parameters studied were types of complications, risk factors and maternal mortality. The Chi-square test was used to compare the two populations with a significance level p=0.05.Results: During the study period, 6141 hospitalizations were recorded among which 5682 surgical procedures were performed, i.e. 92.52% of hospitalizations. Caesarean delivery accounted for 90.55% of surgical procedures and laparotomy for uterine rupture for 1.10%. The overall maternal post-operative morbidity rate was 7.60%. Post-operative anemia was by far the most common complication (75.76%) followed by infection (23.46%). The maternal death rate was 0.92% with a ratio of 409.97 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and more than 2/3 of these deaths were due to caesarean delivery. Anemia and septic shock were the main causes of death. Factors related to this post-operative maternal morbidity were: age greater than or equal to 40 years, multi-parity, illiteracy, emergency obstetric evacuation, low socio-economic level, poor quality of prenatal follow-up and rupture of membranes before admission.Conclusion: In the emergency context concerning majority of our cesarean deliveries and the totality of uterine ruptures predispose the mother to high significant morbidity and mortality

Áreas protegidas no Pantanal ? entre a intenção e a implantação, o que mudou de 1998 a 2006?

O estabelecimento de áreas prioritárias para conservação é a intenção que o governo e a sociedade têm para criação de possíveis áreas protegidas. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho é identificar e analisar a evolução das Unidades de Conservação (UCs), bem como realizar uma comparação entre estas e as áreas prioritárias para conservação, contidas no Pantanal entre os anos de 1998 e 2006. Foram recuperadas informações espaciais nos sites do MMA, SEMA-MT e Imasul-MS e inseridas num banco de dados geográfico. No período analisado observou-se um crescimento significativo na implantação de UCs no Pantanal, tanto no número, quanto na área, sendo que estas implantações têm boa aderência com as áreas prioritárias sugeridas. No entanto, este crescimento ainda não é suficiente para garantir a proteção da biodiversidade da região.GeoPantanal 2009