The diatoms test in veterinary medicine: a pilot study on cetaceans and sea turtles

Fishing activities are considered one of the most relevant threats for cetaceans and sea turtles con- servation since these animals are sometimes found dead entangled in fishing gears. Currently, postmortem diagnosis is based mainly on the presence of nets and lines on the body and the related marks and injuries evident at gross examination. A more detailed and objective evidence is needed to clarify doubts cases and the diatoms technique, used in forensic human medicine, could support drowning diagnosis also in this field. Diatoms\u2019 investigation was implemented to be applied in ma- rine vertebrate on 8 striped (Stenella coeruleoalba) and 1 bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) dolphins and 5 sea turtles (Caretta caretta) stranded along the Italian coastlines with a likely cause of death hypothized on necropsies carried out by veterinary pathologists. Diatoms were microscopically searched in the bone marrow collected from long bones implementing protocols used in human medicine and their presence was observed in 4 cetaceans and 2 sea turtles. Despite a clear relation between diatoms\u2019 presence and amount and the likely cause of death was not proved due to the poor number of samples, the higher burden of diatoms was found in 3 animals deemed to be death for the interaction with human activity. Despite more studied are necessary to identify the possible relation between the cause of death and diatoms\u2019 findings, the present study implemented this technique to be adapted to marine animals, confirming its possible application also in veterinary forensic medi- cine

Effective Space Confinement by Inverse Miniemulsion for the Controlled Synthesis of Undoped and Eu3+^{3+} -Doped Calcium Molybdate Nanophosphors: A Systematic Comparison with Batch Synthesis

The possibility to precisely control reaction outcomes for pursuing materials with well-defined features is a main endeavor in the development of inorganic materials. Confining reactions within a confined space, such as nanoreactors, is an extremely promising methodology which allows to ensure control over the final properties of the material. An effective room temperature inverse miniemulsion approach for the controlled synthesis of undoped and Eu3+-doped calcium molybdate crystalline nanophosphors was developed. The advantages and the efficiency of confined space in terms of controlling nanoparticle features like size, shape, and functional properties are highlighted by systematically comparing miniemulsion products with calcium molybdate particles obtained without confinement from a typical batch synthesis. A relevant beneficial impact of space confinement by miniemulsion nanodroplets is observed on the control of size and shape of the final nanoparticles, resulting in 12 nm spherical nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution, as compared to the 58 nm irregularly shaped and aggregated particles from the batch approach (assessed by TEM analysis). Further considerable effects of the confined space for the miniemulsion samples are found on the doping effectiveness, leading to a more homogeneous distribution of the Eu$^{3+}$ ions into the molybdate host matrix, without segregation (assessed by PXRD, XAS, and ICP-MS). These findings are finally related to the photoluminescence properties, which are evidenced to be closely dependent on the Eu$^{3+}$ content for the miniemulsion samples, as an increase of the relative intensity of the direct f–f excitation and a shortening of the lifetime (from 0.901 ms for 1 at. % to 0.625 ms for 7 at. % samples) with increasing Eu$^{3+}$ content are observed, whereas no relationship between these parameters and the Eu$^{3+}$ content is evidenced for the batch samples. All these results are ascribed to the uniform and controlled crystallization occurring inside each miniemulsion nanodroplet, as opposed to the less controlled nucleation and growth for a classic nonconfined approach

Sometimes Sperm Whales (Physeter macrocephalus) Cannot Find Their Way Back to the High Seas: A Multidisciplinary Study on a Mass Stranding

BACKGROUND: Mass strandings of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) remain peculiar and rather unexplained events, which rarely occur in the Mediterranean Sea. Solar cycles and related changes in the geomagnetic field, variations in water temperature and weather conditions, coast geographical features and human activities have been proposed as possible causes. In December 2009, a pod of seven male sperm whales stranded along the Adriatic coast of Southern Italy. This is the sixth instance from 1555 in this basin. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Complete necropsies were performed on three whales whose bodies were in good condition, carrying out on sampled tissues histopathology, virology, bacteriology, parasitology, and screening of veins looking for gas emboli. Furthermore, samples for age determination, genetic studies, gastric content evaluation, stable isotopes and toxicology were taken from all the seven specimens. The animals were part of the same group and determined by genetic and photo-identification to be part of the Mediterranean population. Causes of death did not include biological agents, or the "gas and fat embolic syndrome", associated with direct sonar exposure. Environmental pollutant tissue concentrations were relatively high, in particular organochlorinated xenobiotics. Gastric content and morphologic tissue examinations showed a prolonged starvation, which likely caused, at its turn, the mobilization of lipophilic contaminants from the adipose tissue. Chemical compounds subsequently entered the blood circulation and may have impaired immune and nervous functions. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A multi-factorial cause underlying this sperm whales' mass stranding is proposed herein based upon the results of postmortem investigations as well as of the detailed analyses of the geographical and historical background. The seven sperm whales took the same "wrong way" into the Adriatic Sea, a potentially dangerous trap for Mediterranean sperm whales. Seismic surveys should be also regarded as potential co-factors, even if no evidence of direct impact has been detected

Two Methods of Optimization for an AR Project: Mesh Retopology and Use of PBR Materials

In an augmented reality project dealing with complex objects with a large scale, it is necessary to minimize the number of polygons of a mesh. The challenge is trying to find a compromise between accuracy, details and fluidity of the representation. Starting from two different surveys (Laser Scanner and Photogrammetry) with high resolution, two paths have been identified: the first one consists on the retopology of the mesh obtained from the point cloud with the help of software like Instant Mesh; the second one relies on the complete remodelling of the artefact, trying to simplify its structure in macro-elements using Retopoflow tool in Blender. The level of detail is preserved in both cases: in the first, the \u201cquad mesh\u201d keeps complex geometries minimizing the number of polygons; in the other an accurate management of texture of PBR materials returns realism with simple shapes, with a lower number of polygons. These methods have been applied to the reconstruction of San Lorenzo Bridge, one of the ancient monuments of the Roman Padova no longer visible, examined by the research project PD-Invisible. Results validate that the second method is more effective, ensuring an excellent realism in the rendering phases, minimizing the size of the file

Design of Experiment: A Rational and Still Unexplored Approach to Inorganic Materials’ Synthesis

This review was devoted to outlining the use and potential increasing application of the Design of Experiment (DoE) approach to the rational and planned synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials, with a particular focus on polycrystalline nanostructures (metal and alloys, oxides, chalcogenides, halogenides, etc.) produced by sustainable wet chemistry routes based on a multi-parameter experimental landscape. After having contextualised the stringent need for a rational approach to inorganic materials’ synthesis, a concise theoretical background on DoE is provided, focusing on its statistical basis, shortly describing the different sub-methodologies, and outlining the pros and cons of each. In the second part of the review, a wider section is dedicated to the application of DoE to the rational synthesis of different kinds of chemical systems, with a specific focus on inorganic materials

Evaluation of rapid KPC carbapenemase detection method based on MALDI-TOF VITEK MS spectra analysis

Clinical microbiology laboratories in hospital settings need to be able to identify patients who carry carbapenemase-producing bacterial strains quickly in order to contain their spread and initiate proper pharmacological therapy. The aim of this study was to confirm the correlation between KPC production and a characteristic mass spectrometry (MS) peak (11\u200a109 Da\ub18) to validate the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) MS as a rapid screening tool. With this aim, 176 selected clinical samples that were KPC-producing and 260 control samples that were carbapenem-susceptible or carbapenem-resistant through other resistance mechanisms, or were producing hydrolytic enzymes other than KPC, were analysed. The presence of the 11\u200a109 Da peak in the spectra of 99.4\u200a% (175/176) of the KPC-producing strains compared to the controls, which all lacked the peak, confirmed a strong correlation between KPC production and the presence of the 11\u200a109 Da peak in the MALDI-TOF MS spectrum. The high sensitivity (98.7\u200a%) and specificity (100\u200a%) of the peak searching in the MALDI-TOF MS spectra mean that 11\u200a109 Da peak searching is a suitable screening tool in KPC-endemic regions

: (Università degli Studi di Padova)

International audienc