Combined endophytic inoculants enhance nickel phytoextraction from serpentine soil in the hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens

This study assesses the effects of specific bacterial endophytes on the phytoextraction capacity of the Ni-hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens, spontaneously growing in a serpentine soil environment. Five metal-tolerant endophytes had already been selected for their high Ni tolerance (6 mM) and plant growth promoting ability. Here we demonstrate that individual bacterial inoculation is ineffective in enhancing Ni translocation and growth of N. caerulescens in serpentine soil, except for specific strains Ncr-1 and Ncr-8, belonging to the Arthrobacter and Microbacterium genera, which showed the highest indole acetic acid production and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid-deaminase activity. Ncr-1 and Ncr-8 co-inoculation was even more efficient in promoting plant growth, soil Ni removal, and translocation of Ni, together with that of Fe, Co, and Cu. Bacteria of both strains densely colonized the root surfaces and intercellular spaces of leaf epidermal tissue. These two bacterial strains also turned out to stimulate root length, shoot biomass, and Ni uptake in Arabidopsis thaliana grown in MS agar medium supplemented with Ni. It is concluded that adaptation of N. caerulescens in highly Ni-contaminated serpentine soil can be enhanced by an integrated community of bacterial endophytes rather than by single strains; of the former, Arthrobacter and Microbacterium may be useful candidates for future phytoremediation trials in multiple metal-contaminated sites, with possible extension to non-hyperaccumulator plants

Sustainability assessment: an integrated approach with inhabitant participation

The research has led us to develop a method for formulating sustainability strategies for neighborhood rehabilitation. This method is targeted to decision-makers in charge of implementing projects for the regeneration of the built environment at various levels within the urban and building scales. The methods and tools suggested here, which have been tested in collaboration with Comune di Bologna –the Bologna City Council- and ACER Bologna –the local Agency for public housing- make use of both technical/objective parameters and a participative approach to address the environmental and social sustainability requirements of citizens, local policies, and EU indications

Violenza domestica: quali competenze e conoscenze dell’infermiere in emergenza?

Il fenomeno della violenza domestica e le condotte di approccio a questo problema assumono una particolare rilevanza sia sociale che sanitaria. Lo scopo della ricerca è quello di misurare le conoscenze e le competenze degli infermieri che prestano servizio nelle realtà operative di ED (Emergenza Dipartimento) rispetto alla gestione in urgenza della donna che ha subito violenza domestica. E’ stato effettuato uno studio osservazionale trasversale che ha coinvolto gli infermieri del servizio di emergenza intraospedaliera (EDI) e Extraospedaliera (EDE) in tre ambiti territoriali afferenti ad una Azienda Sanitaria del nord Italia. Il campione è di tipo non probabilistico. Il questionario scelto è stato Help– Knowledge and Attitudes of Gender – Based Violence. Si evidenzia un risultato con un range di risposte corrette che vanno dal 72,6% al 99%. La comparazione fra gli infermieri dell’EDE e quelli dell’EDI ha evidenziato una maggiore comprensione del fenomeno dell’IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) da parte di questi ultimi; ciò con molta probabilità può essere dovuto, da un lato, al fatto che i secondi possiedono più strumenti e tempo per riconoscere i segni di maltrattamento, mentre la donna, dall’altro, ha la possibilità di ricercare maggiore empatia, un sostegno psicologico e una guida ai servizi che possano aiutare la propria famiglia. Le correlazioni provano, inoltre, una notevole sensibilità che il personale di ED ha sulle diverse tipologie di maltrattamenti, non solo fisiche, ma anche psicologiche, economiche e sessuali. Con molta probabilità tali conoscenze sono legate all’esperienza sul campo in quanto il 56,6% (n=56) del campione ha un’anzianità di servizio che va dagli 11 ai 30 anni. Le phénomène de la violence conjugale et les différentes approches à ce problème sont particulièrement importants sur les plans social et sanitaire. Le but de cette recherche est d’évaluer les compétences et les connaissances des infirmiers travaillant aux services d’urgence (ED) et qui assurent la prise en charge des femmes victimes de violence conjugale. Une étude par observation a été menée impliquant les infirmiers des services d’urgence intrahospitaliers (EDI) et extrahospitaliers (EDE) de trois territoires liés à une unité de soins du nord de l’Italie. Il s’agissait d’un échantillon non probabiliste et le questionnaire choisi était le Help–Knowledge and Attitudes of Gender–Based Violence. Le résultat a été globalement positif et les réponses correctes allait de 72,6 % à 99 % selon les questions. La comparaison entre infirmiers de l’EDE et de l’EDI a montré que ces derniers ont une meilleure connaissance du phénomène de la violence d’un partenaire intime (IPV – Intimate Partner Violence) par rapport aux premiers. Cela est peut-être dû au fait que, d’un côté, les infirmiers EDI ont davantage d’outils et de temps pour reconnaître les signes d’abus, tandis que la femme, de l’autre, a la possibilité de recevoir davantage d’empathie, un soutien psychologique et un guide aux services du territoire pour aider sa famille. En outre, les corrélations démontrent que le personnel ED est très conscient des différentes formes de maltraitance, qui ne concernent pas seulement le cadre physique, mais aussi les domaines psychologiques, économiques et sexuels. Il est fort probable que ces connaissances soient liées à leur expérience car 56,6 % des personnes interrogées travaillent dans ce secteur depuis au moins 11 ans. The phenomenon of domestic violence and the different approaches to this are especially important both from a social and health point of view. The aim of the survey is to measure the skills and knowledge of the nurses who work in Emergency Departments providing medical care to women who are victims of domestic violence. An observational study was implemented involving the nurses of the Intra-hospital Emergency Services (EDI) and of the Extra-hospital Emergency Services (EDE) of three territories linked to a Northern Italian healthcare unit. The sample is a non-probabilistic one. The title of the administered questionnaire is Help-Knowledge and Attitudes of Gender–Based Violence. There was a positive result overall with a range of correct answers ranging from 72.6% to 99% depending on the question. The comparison between EDE and EDI nurses showed a better understanding of the IPV phenomenon (Intimate Partner Violence) amongst the latter. This may be due to the fact, on the one hand, that EDI nurses have more tools and time in order to recognize the signs of abuse, while women, using the other services, have the possibility to get more empathy and psychological support along with information about assistance provided by territorial services available for families. Correlations demonstrate, moreover, that EDI staff have a strong awareness of the various kinds of abuse, not only physical but also psychological, economical and sexual ones. This particular knowledge is most likely linked to their experience because 56.6% of respondents have been working in this field for 11 to 30 years

Effects of Gender and Personality on First Impression.

The present study explores whether and to what extent individual differences (i.e., gender and personality traits of perceiver) predict inferences of trustworthiness from emotionally neutral unfamiliar faces and the related confidence in judgment. Four hundred and ten undergraduate students participated in the study. Personality was assessed using the Big Five model (i.e., Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Openness to experience) and measures of trait anxiety and aggression. The results suggest that trustworthiness judgments are affected by the gender of the perceiver, although this effect depends on the valence of the face. Women tend to judge trustworthy-looking faces as significantly more trustworthy than men do, and this is particularly pronounced for judgments of female faces. There were no gender differences for judgments of untrustworthy-looking or neutral faces. Gender also seems to affect the confidence in judgment. Specifically, women were generally less confident than men in judging trustworthiness of unfamiliar faces. Personality also affected judgment. Both low agreeable individuals and high trait aggressive individuals tend to perceive unfamiliar faces as less trustworthy. The present findings suggest that both gender and personality traits are relevant for understanding how people evaluate the trustworthiness of others. Whom we decide to trust is a function not only of their facial features but also of gender and individual differences in personality traits

Controlling Dynamic DNA Reactions at the Surface of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Electrodes to Design Hybridization Platforms with a Specific Amperometric Readout

: Carbon nanotube (CNT)-based electrodes are cheap, highly performing, and robust platforms for the fabrication of electrochemical sensors. Engineering programmable DNA nanotechnologies on the CNT surface can support the construction of new electrochemical DNA sensors providing an amperometric output in response to biomolecular recognition. This is a significant challenge, since it requires gaining control of specific hybridization processes and functional DNA systems at the interface, while limiting DNA physisorption on the electrode surface, which contributes to nonspecific signal. In this study, we provide design rules to program dynamic DNA structures at the surface of single-walled carbon nanotubes electrodes, showing that specific DNA interactions can be monitored through measurement of the current signal provided by redox-tagged DNA strands. We propose the use of pyrene as a backfilling agent to reduce nonspecific adsorption of reporter DNA strands and demonstrate the controlled formation of DNA duplexes on the electrode surface, which we then apply in the design and conduction of programmable DNA strand displacement reactions. Expanding on this aspect, we report the development of novel amperometric hybridization platforms based on artificial DNA structures templated by the small molecule melamine. These platforms enable dynamic strand exchange reactions orthogonal to conventional toehold-mediated strand displacement and may support new strategies in electrochemical sensing of biomolecular targets, combining the physicochemical properties of nanostructured carbon-based materials with programmable nucleic acid hybridization

Doctoral supervisor development in Australian universities: Preparing research supervisors to teach writing

In recent years, Australian doctoral education has diversified and expanded, with concomitant shifts in the format and purpose of the PhD. While there is now a considerable body of research into what constitutes good quality, effective supervision of PhD projects within this environment, there is surprisingly little about the training or professional development supervisors receive in or-der to succeed in this demanding task. Even less is reported on how supervisors learn to develop their students’ writing. This paper reports on an Australia-wide study that sought to find out how institutions support their research supervisors through centrally provisioned professional development, with a particular focus on elements of those programs related to doctoral student writing. We mapped the current supervisor development offerings in Australian universities through a study of publicly available websites and interviews with key personnel involved in organising those programs. Our research reveals the enormous diversity of the preparation that research supervisors receive, and points to the opportunities this might afford for Academic Language and Learning specialists to play an important role in the professional development of supervisors.Cally Guerin, Ruth Walker, Claire Aitchison, Madeleine Mattarozzi Laming, Meeta Chatterjee Padmanabhan and Bronwyn Jame

A self-calibrating IoT portable electrochemical immunosensor for serum human epididymis protein 4 as a tumor biomarker for ovarian cancer

Nowadays analytical techniques are moving towards the development of smart biosensing strategies for point-of-care accurate screening of disease biomarkers, such as human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), a recently discovered serum markers for early ovarian cancer diagnosis. In this context, the present work represents the first implementation of a competitive enzyme-labelled magneto-immunoassay exploiting a homemade IoT Wi-Fi cloud-based portable potentiostat for differential pulse voltammetry readout. The electrochemical device was specifically designed capable of autonomous calibration and data processing, switching between calibration and measurement modes: in particular, firstly a baseline estimation algorithm is applied for correct peak computation, then calibration function is built by interpolating data with a four-parameter logistic function. The calibration function parameters are stored on the cloud for inverse prediction to determine the concentration of unknown samples. Interpolation function calibration and concentration evaluation are performed directly on-board, reducing the power consumption. The analytical device was validated in human serum, demonstrating good sensing performance for analysis of HE4 with detection and quantitation limits in human serum of 3.5 and 29.2 pM, respectively, reaching the sensitivity required for diagnostic purposes, with high potential for applications as portable and smart diagnostic tool for point-of-care testing

Optimization of a rapid QuEChERS sample treatment method for HILIC-MS2 analysis of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins in mussels

A rapid and simple QuEChERS sample treatment was proposed for the development of a selective hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-ESI-MS2-based method for the determination of saxitoxins (STXs) in mussel samples. Among different sorbents, ABS Elut-NEXUS phase, composed of polystyrene cross-linked with 50 % divinyl benzene and poly(methyl methacrylate), provided the best results. The effects of experimental parameters, including sorbent amount, vortexing time and centrifugation time were investigated and optimized by experimental design. In particular, regression models and desirability functions were applied to find the experimental conditions providing the highest global extraction response. The method was validated under the optimized conditions; detection and quantification limits in the 3-159 μg/kg and 7-436 μg/kg ranges respectively were obtained, except for C2 for which highest values were calculated due to its low ESI ionization efficiency. Finally, the analysis of twenty-eight mussel samples permitted to detect and quantify some of the investigated STXs, proving the applicability of the devised method

Reduced recognition of facial emotional expressions in global burnout and burnout depersonalization in healthcare providers

The healthcare provider profession strongly relies on the ability to care for others' emotional experiences. To what extent burnout may relate to an actual alteration of this key professional ability has been little investigated. In an experimentally controlled setting, we investigated whether subjective experiences of global burnout or burnout depersonalization (the interpersonal component of burnout) relate to objectively measured alterations in emotion recognition and to what extent such alterations are emotion specific. Healthcare workers (n = 90) completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a dynamic emotion recognition task in which faces with neutral emotional expressions gradually changed to display a specific basic emotion (happiness, anger, fear, or sadness). Participants were asked to identify and then classify each displayed emotion. Before the task, a subsample of 46 participants underwent two salivary cortisol assessments. Individuals with global burnout were less accurate at recognizing others' emotional expressions of anger and fear, tending to misclassify these as happiness, compared to individuals without global burnout. Individuals with high burnout depersonalization were more accurate in recognizing happiness and less accurate in recognizing all negative emotions, with a tendency to misclassify the latter as positive ones, compared to healthcare workers with moderate/low depersonalization. Moreover, individuals with high depersonalization-but not participants with global burnout-were characterized by higher cortisol levels. These results suggest that the subjective burnout experience relates to an actual, but selective, reduction in the recognition of facial emotional expressions, characterized by a tendency to misclassify negative emotional expressions as positive ones, perhaps due to an enhanced seeking of positive social cues. This study adds to the understanding of emotional processing in burnout and paves the way for more nuanced studies on the role of altered processing of threat signals in the development and/or persistence of burnout