Production of biodiesel from acid oil using sulfuric acid as catalyst: Kinetics study

Biodiesel production is becoming more relevant due to its environmental advantages together with the global petroleum situation regarding decreases of the reserves, instability of the prices and so on. The kinetics of the esterification and transesterification reaction of an acid oil (10% of initial free fatty acid) was studied using ethanol and a homogenous acid catalyst. The controlling step method was employed to obtain the kinetic equations, and nonlinear multiparametric routine was implemented to estimate the kinetic parameters. The selected reaction rate represented the experimental data for several operating conditions satisfactorily.Fil: Marchetti, Jorge Mario. Norwegian University of Science and Technology; NoruegaFil: Pedernera, Marisa Noemi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Schbib, Noemi Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentin

Towards a Timely Prediction of Earthquake Intensity with Social Media

A growing number of people is turning to Social Media in the aftermath of emergencies to search and publish critical and up to date information. Retrieval and exploitation of such information may prove crucial to decision makers in order to minimize the impact of disasters on the population and the infrastructures. Yet, to date, the task of the automatic assessment of the consequences of disasters has received little to no attention. Our work aims to bridge this gap, merging the theory behind statistical learning and predictive models with the data behind social media. Here we investigate the exploitation of Twitter data for the improvement of earthquake emergency management. We adopt a set of predictive linear models and evaluate their ability to map the intensity of worldwide earthquakes. The models build on a dataset of almost 5 million tweets and more than 7,000 globally distributed earthquakes. We run and discuss diagnostic tests and simulations on generated models to assess their significance and avoid overfitting. Finally we deal with the interpretation of the relations uncovered by the linear models and we conclude by illustrating how findings reported in this work can be leveraged by existing emergency management systems. Overall results show the effectiveness of the proposed techniques and allow to obtain an estimation of the earthquake intensity far earlier than conventional methods do. The employment of the proposed solutions can help understand scenarios where damage actually occurred in order to define where to concentrate the rescue teams and organize a prompt emergency response

Web Language Identification Testing Tool

Nowadays a variety of tools for automatic language identification are available. Regardless of the approach used, at least two features can be identified as crucial to evaluate the performances of such tools: the precision of the presented results and the range of languages that can be detected. In this work we shall focus on a subtask of written language identification that is important to preserve and enhance multilinguality in the Web, i.e. detecting the language of a Web page given its URL. Most specifically, the final aim is to verify to which extent under-represented languages are recognized by available tools. The main specificity of Web Language Identification (WLI) lies in the fact that often an HTML page can provide interesting extralinguistic clues (URL domain name, metadata, encoding, etc) that can enhance accuracy. We shall first provide some data and statistics on the presence of languages on the web, secondly discuss existing practices and tools for language identification according to different metrics - for instance the approaches used and the number of supported languages - and finally make some proposals on how to improve current Web Language Identifiers. We shall also present a preliminary WLI service that builds on the Google Chromium Compact Language Detector; the WLI tool allows us to test the Google n-gram based algorithm against an adhoc gold standard of pages in various languages. The gold standard, based on a selection of Wikipedia projects, contains samples in languages for which no automatic recognition has been attempted; it can thus be used by specialists to develop and evaluate WLI systems

The need for herbicide use in direct seeding, promotes more sustainable and implementation of integrated systems.

Technological advances the Argentine has been in recent years such that now stands at the forefront worldwide. The explosion of agriculture, tillage, GM crops and the widespread use of glyphosate have raised controversy, especially regarding the toxicity of the latter. Before weeds are controlled with tillage and these involve serious problems of erosion and soil degradation. Tillage and herbicides have changed the situation and consequently the sustainability of production systems. Glyphosate plays an important role in this transformation, but were allowed to use, would be replaced by more expensive and dangerous herbicides. Under that is essential to achieve these objectives through high yields very tech practice, it is necessary to introduce new technologies to assist the sector mitigation tools and can coexist using those chemicals that may mitigate high exposure to them through technology capabilities to detoxify crops. This tech package is just something known by the scientific-technical and production industry, but that has innovation in its application. The use of PGPR as biofertilizers is a widespread technique that has been installed as a enhancer of crops and environmentally friendly. Our study is based on countering the abuseof chemicals through a complementary technology to mitigate residual glyphosate in crops.Fil: Luna, Virginia. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Masciarelli, Oscar Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Travaglia, Claudia Noemi. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Área Morfología Vegetal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Marchetti, Gisella. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Lucero, Martín. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Reinoso, Herminda Elmira. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Área Morfología Vegetal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

MicroRNA expression analysis of in vitro dedifferentiated human pancreatic islet cells reveals the activation of the pluripotency-related microRNA cluster miR-302s

β-cell dedifferentiation has been recently suggested as an additional mechanism contributing to type-1 and to type-2 diabetes pathogenesis. Moreover, several studies demonstrated that in vitro culture of native human pancreatic islets derived from non-diabetic donors resulted in the generation of an undifferentiated cell population. Additional evidence from in vitro human β-cell lineage tracing experiments, demonstrated that dedifferentiated cells derive from β-cells, thus representing a potential in vitro model of β-cell dedifferentiation. Here, we report the microRNA expression profiles analysis of in vitro dedifferentiated islet cells in comparison to mature human native pancreatic islets. We identified 13 microRNAs upregulated and 110 downregulated in islet cells upon in vitro dedifferentiation. Interestingly, among upregulated microRNAs, we observed the activation of microRNA miR-302s cluster, previously defined as pluripotency-associated. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that miR-302s are predicted to target several genes involved in the control of β-cell/epithelial phenotype maintenance; accordingly, such genes were downregulated upon human islet in vitro dedifferentiation. Moreover, we uncovered that cell-cell contacts are needed to maintain low/null expression levels of miR-302. In conclusion, we showed that miR-302 microRNA cluster genes are involved in in vitro dedifferentiation of human pancreatic islet cells and inhibits the expression of multiple genes involved in the maintenance of β-cell mature phenotype

L’evoluzione del contagio in relazione ai territori delle Marche

This chapter discusses the trend of contagion during the first wave of Covid-19 in the Marche Region, in relation to the specific demographic, socio-cultural and economic characteristics of the territory. In particular, the following aspects were taken into consideration: I) location of the main aggregative events that may have contributed to the spread of the virus, II) distribution and evolution of the infection, III) estimate of mortality attributable to the virus, IV) structure of the population by age group and aging index, V) structure of the social-health assistance system, VI) levels of NO2 and PM10 pollution, VII) production system and intra- and extra-regional commuting regimen. Results underline the significant influence of territorial and social dynamics in the spread of Covid-19 in the Marche Region

Increased Expression of Viral Sensor MDA5 in Pancreatic Islets and in Hormone-Negative Endocrine Cells in Recent Onset Type 1 Diabetic Donors

The interaction between genetic and environmental factors determines the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Some viruses are capable of infecting and damaging pancreatic β-cells, whose antiviral response could be modulated by specific viral RNA receptors and sensors such as melanoma differentiation associated gene 5 (MDA5), encoded by the IFIH1 gene. MDA5 has been shown to be involved in pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory outcomes, thus determining the response of pancreatic islets to viral infections. Although the function of MDA5 has been previously well explored, a detailed immunohistochemical characterization of MDA5 in pancreatic tissues of nondiabetic and T1D donors is still missing. In the present study, we used multiplex immunofluorescence imaging analysis to characterize MDA5 expression and distribution in pancreatic tissues obtained from 22 organ donors (10 nondiabetic autoantibody-negative, 2 nondiabetic autoantibody-positive, 8 recent-onset, and 2 long-standing T1D). In nondiabetic control donors, MDA5 was expressed both in α- and β-cells. The colocalization rate imaging analysis showed that MDA5 was preferentially expressed in α-cells. In T1D donors, we observed an increased colocalization rate of MDA5-glucagon with respect to MDA5-insulin in comparison to nondiabetic controls; such increase was more pronounced in recent-onset with respect to long-standing T1D donors. Of note, an increased colocalization rate of MDA5-glucagon was found in insulin-deficient-islets (IDIs) with respect to insulin-containing-islets (ICIs). Strikingly, we detected the presence of MDA5-positive/hormone-negative endocrine islet-like clusters in T1D donors, presumably due to dedifferentiation or neogenesis phenomena. These clusters were identified exclusively in donors with recent disease onset and not in autoantibody-positive nondiabetic donors or donors with long-standing T1D. In conclusion, we showed that MDA5 is preferentially expressed in α-cells, and its expression is increased in recent-onset T1D donors. Finally, we observed that MDA5 may also characterize the phenotype of dedifferentiated or newly forming islet cells, thus opening to novel roles for MDA5 in pancreatic endocrine cells

Reduced miR-184-3p expression protects pancreatic β-cells from lipotoxic and proinflammatory apoptosis in type 2 diabetes via CRTC1 upregulation

The loss of functional beta-cell mass in type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with molecular events that include beta-cell apoptosis, dysfunction and/or dedifferentiation. MicroRNA miR-184-3p has been shown to be involved in several beta-cell functions, including insulin secretion, proliferation and survival. However, the downstream targets and upstream regulators of miR-184-3p have not been fully elucidated. Here, we show reduced miR-184-3p levels in human T2D pancreatic islets, whereas its direct target CREB regulated transcription coactivator 1 (CRTC1) was increased and protects beta-cells from lipotoxicity- and inflammation-induced apoptosis. Downregulation of miR-184-3p in beta-cells leads to upregulation of CRTC1 at both the mRNA and protein levels. Remarkably, the protective effect of miR-184-3p is dependent on CRTC1, as its silencing in human beta-cells abrogates the protective mechanism mediated by inhibition of miR-184-3p. Furthermore, in accordance with miR-184-3p downregulation, we also found that the beta-cell-specific transcription factor NKX6.1, DNA-binding sites of which are predicted in the promoter sequence of human and mouse MIR184 gene, is reduced in human pancreatic T2D islets. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis and mRNA silencing experiments, we demonstrated that NKX6.1 directly controls both human and murine miR-184 expression. In summary, we provide evidence that the decrease in NKX6.1 expression is accompanied by a significant reduction in miR-184-3p expression and that reduction of miR-184-3p protects beta-cells from apoptosis through a CRTC1-dependent mechanism

Customized Treatment in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Based on EGFR Mutations and BRCA1 mRNA Expression

BACKGROUND: Median survival is 10 months and 2-year survival is 20% in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. A small fraction of non-squamous cell lung cancers harbor EGFR mutations, with improved outcome to gefitinib and erlotinib. Experimental evidence suggests that BRCA1 overexpression enhances sensitivity to docetaxel and resistance to cisplatin. RAP80 and Abraxas are interacting proteins that form complexes with BRCA1 and could modulate the effect of BRCA1. In order to further examine the effect of EGFR mutations and BRCA1 mRNA levels on outcome in advanced NSCLC, we performed a prospective non-randomized phase II clinical trial, testing the hypothesis that customized therapy would confer improved outcome over non-customized therapy. In an exploratory analysis, we also examined the effect of RAP80 and Abraxas mRNA levels. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We treated 123 metastatic non-squamous cell lung carcinoma patients using a customized approach. RNA and DNA were isolated from microdissected specimens from paraffin-embedded tumor tissue. Patients with EGFR mutations received erlotinib, and those without EGFR mutations received chemotherapy with or without cisplatin based on their BRCA1 mRNA levels: low, cisplatin plus gemcitabine; intermediate, cisplatin plus docetaxel; high, docetaxel alone. An exploratory analysis examined RAP80 and Abraxas expression. Median survival exceeded 28 months for 12 patients with EGFR mutations, and was 11 months for 38 patients with low BRCA1, 9 months for 40 patients with intermediate BRCA1, and 11 months for 33 patients with high BRCA1. Two-year survival was 73.3%, 41.2%, 15.6% and 0%, respectively. Median survival was influenced by RAP80 expression in the three BRCA1 groups. For example, for patients with both low BRCA1 and low RAP80, median survival exceeded 26 months. RAP80 was a significant factor for survival in patients treated according to BRCA1 levels (hazard ratio, 1.3 [95% CI, 1-1.7]; P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Chemotherapy customized according to BRCA1 expression levels is associated with excellent median and 2-year survival for some subsets of NSCLC patients , and RAP80 could play a crucial modulating effect on this model of customized chemotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: (ClinicalTrials.gov) NCT00883480

Contributi per una flora vascolare di Toscana. XII (739-812)

Vengono presentate nuove località e/o conferme relative a 74 taxa specifici e sottospecifici di piante vascolari della flora vascolare to- scana, appartenenti a 69 generi e 28 famiglie: Bunium, Trinia (Apia- ceae), Nerium (Apocynaceae), Lemna (Araceae), Artemisia, Bidens, Centaurea, Crupina, Gazania, Hieracium, Rhagadiolus, Symphyotri- chum, Tagetes, Tripleurospermum (Asteraceae), Impatiens (Balsami- naceae), Anredera (Basellaceae), Cynoglottis, Phacelia (Boraginaceae), Cardamine, Diplotaxis, Hornungia (Brassicaceae), Campanula, Lobe- lia (Campanulaceae), Cerastium, Dianthus, Polycarpon, Spergularia, Stellaria (Caryophyllaceae), Commelina (Commelinaceae), Fallopia (Convolvulaceae), Sempervivum (Crassulaceae), Dryopteris (Dryopte- ridaceae), Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae), Lathyrus, Medicago, Ononis, Trigonella (Fabaceae), Geranium (Geraniaceae), Lycopus, Stachys (Lamiaceae), Malva (Malvaceae), Anacamptis, Cephalanthera, Epi- pactis, Orchis (Orchidaceae), Linaria (Plantaginaceae), Ceratochloa, Eragrostis, Festuca, Gastridium, Hyparrhenia, Molineriella, Phalaris, Phyllostachys, Setaria, Sporobolus, Stipellula (Poaceae), Anogramma (Pteridaceae), Anemonoides, Ranunculus (Ranunculaceae), Reseda (Resedaceae), Alchemilla, Kerria, Pyracantha, Rosa, Rubus (Rosa- ceae), Galium, Valantia (Rubiaceae), Thesium (Santalaceae). Infine, viene discusso lo status di conservazione delle entità e gli eventuali vincoli di protezione dei biotopi segnalati