IN MEMORIAM Donald L. Shaw (February 11, 1930-January 30, 2017): Scholar, Mentor, Friend

In April 2006 at the annual Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (KFLC), Decimonónica sponsored a session honoring Donald Leslie Shaw’s broad scholarly contributions to Hispanism. It was one of five different panels organized for this renowned scholar in addition to a grand luncheon that celebrated his remarkable career and presented him Modernisms and Modernities: Studies in Honor of Donald L. Shaw, a Festschrift edited by Susan Carvalho that included her 12-page introduction, a wonderful biographical sketch of Shaw. Those of us present for these various tributes in Kentucky will never forget how visibly overwhelmed Shaw was by the multiple public gestures, to include his induction into the prestigious Orden de Don Quijote, one of the highest international honors of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society. And although these various recognitions reconfirmed the huge impact Shaw had made on both Latin American and Spanish literary studies, the fact that the venue was his beloved Kentucky Foreign Language Conference, an annual “pilgrimage” he refused to miss because of its reunion with dear students, colleagues and friends, made the collective homage even more meaningful

Change Detection Techniques with Synthetic Aperture Radar Images: Experiments with Random Forests and Sentinel-1 Observations

This work aims to clarify the potential of incoherent and coherent change detection (CD) approaches for detecting and monitoring ground surface changes using sequences of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Nowadays, the growing availability of remotely sensed data collected by the twin Sentinel-1A/B sensors of the European (EU) Copernicus constellation allows fast mapping of damage after a disastrous event using radar data. In this research, we address the role of SAR (amplitude) backscattered signal variations for CD analyses when a natural (e.g., a fire, a flash flood, etc.) or a human-induced (disastrous) event occurs. Then, we consider the additional pieces of information that can be recovered by comparing interferometric coherence maps related to couples of SAR images collected between a principal disastrous event date. This work is mainly concerned with investigating the capability of different coherent/incoherent change detection indices (CDIs) and their mutual interactions for the rapid mapping of "changed" areas. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have been demonstrated to be beneficial for handling the different information coming from coherent/incoherent CDIs in a unique corpus. Specifically, we used CDIs that synthetically describe ground surface changes associated with a disaster event (i.e., the pre-, cross-, and post-disaster phases), based on the generation of sigma nought and InSAR coherence maps. Then, we trained a random forest (RF) to produce CD maps and study the impact on the final binary decision (changed/unchanged) of the different layers representing the available synthetic CDIs. The proposed strategy was effective for quickly assessing damage using SAR data and can be applied in several contexts. Experiments were conducted to monitor wildfire's effects in the 2021 summer season in Italy, considering two case studies in Sardinia and Sicily. Another experiment was also carried out on the coastal city of Houston, Texas, the US, which was affected by a large flood in 2017; thus, demonstrating the validity of the proposed integrated method for fast mapping of flooded zones using SAR data

Translesion synthesis polymerases contribute to meiotic chromosome segregation and cohesin dynamics in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Translesion synthesis polymerases (TLSPs) are non-essential error-prone enzymes that ensure cell survival by facilitating DNA replication in the presence of DNA damage. In addition to their role in bypassing lesions, TLSPs have been implicated in meiotic double-strand break repair in several systems. Here, we examine the joint contribution of four TLSPs to meiotic progression in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We observed a dramatic loss of spore viability in fission yeast lacking all four TLSPs, which is accompanied by disruptions in chromosome segregation during meiosis I and II. Rec8 cohesin dynamics are altered in the absence of the TLSPs. These data suggest that the TLSPs contribute to multiple aspects of meiotic chromosome dynamics

Private Plaintiffs\u27 Use of Equitable Remedies Under the RICO Statute: A Means to Reform Corrupted Labor Unions

Part I of this Article outlines the government\u27s approach to civil RICO actions involving labor unions, including an overview of the government\u27s prior civil RICO actions and a summary of the types of issues that often arise in such actions. Part II examines the unique issues involved in a civil RICO action brought by a private plaintiff. The principal issue addressed in this Part is whether a private plaintiff can bring an action under the equitable remedies provisions of the RICO statute. This Part also addresses the issues of how a private plaintiff can gain access to information that may be required to prosecute a civil RICO action and how a private plaintiff could pay for such an action

Translesion synthesis polymerases contribute to meiotic chromosome segregation and cohesin dynamics in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Translesion synthesis polymerases (TLSPs) are non-essential error-prone enzymes that ensure cell survival by facilitating DNA replication in the presence of DNA damage. In addition to their role in bypassing lesions, TLSPs have been implicated in meiotic double-strand break repair in several systems. Here, we examine the joint contribution of four TLSPs to meiotic progression in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We observed a dramatic loss of spore viability in fission yeast lacking all four TLSPs, which is accompanied by disruptions in chromosome segregation during meiosis I and II. Rec8 cohesin dynamics are altered in the absence of the TLSPs. These data suggest that the TLSPs contribute to multiple aspects of meiotic chromosome dynamics

Oregano and its potential use as bioherbicide

Widespread use of synthetic herbicides in weed control could result in negative impact on human health and on the environment. Natural compounds could be successfully used as bioherbicides because they are potentially more environmental friendly and safe. Plants are an important source of active compounds. In particular, many species belonging to the Labiate family produce essential oils containing compounds that could act as natural herbicides. In this paper we report on preliminary studies about the effects on seed germination and plant growth of an oregano hybrid (Origanum vulgare L. ssp. virilidum × O. vulgare L. ssp. hirtum (Link) Iestwart). Experiments were done both in pots and in the field. Increasing amounts of chopped leaves and stems of oregano were added to the soil. In the pots, several weed species were sown, whereas naturally occurring infestation was evaluated in the field. In comparison with the control, a reduced number of weeds was observed where oregano biomass was added. The above-mentioned trend was more visible in the pots than in the field. The results suggest that the hybrid of oregano used in the trial could be an interesting source of natural compounds effective against weeds. Hence, further studies with this plant are likely to be successful

Chicory and Jerusalem artichoke productivity in different areas of Italy, in relation to water availability and time of harvest

Inulin is an important polysaccharide synthesised by different crops, which, in the EU has been included in the system of sugar quotas since 1994. Currently, one of the major problems of the agro-industry is the need to extend the length of the sugar crop harvest season. It was therefore decided, also in relation to the increased demand for inulin, to study the two main inulin producing crops in Italy (chicory and Jerusalem artichoke), to verify yield and quality potential and stability in relation to some important agronomic factors such as irrigation and time of harvest. The work was conducted in 1999 and 2000 in four areas of Italy (Udine, Rovigo, Bologna and Bari). The effects evaluated were time of harvest (3 for chicory and 2 for Jerusalem artichoke) and irrigation system (evapotranspiration replacement and dry regime, with irrigation applied only when strictly necessary) on the production of storage organs, sugars and inulin in the two crops. The highest chicory root yield was in Bologna, with an average production of 65.6 t ha -1 (fresh weight), compared to Rovigo (54.4 t ha -1 ), Bari (46.5 t ha -1 ) and Udine (38.7 t ha -1). For final tuber yield in Jerusalem artichoke, Bari was the most productive environment with an average of 80 t ha -1 , followed by Bologna (61 t ha -1 ) and Udine (55.5 t ha -1 ). However, when this crop is whole-plant harvested (stalks and tubers) at pre-flowering, Bologna, with high stalk yields (58.7 t ha -1) appeared to be the most suitable environment. This type of harvesting was also shown to be more productive in terms of sugar and inulin yield. The total sugar content in the different organs analysed (roots, stalk and tubers) was always higher in Udine compared to Bologna, for both crops. Lastly, the length of the inulin chain (average degree of polymerisation [DP]) diminishes with the delaying of the harvest in both crops. The Bologna area had the highest potential in terms of chicory root production, while for the tubers yield of Jerusalem artichoke, the Bari environment was the most productive. But, when Jerusalem artichoke is instead considered as a crop for whole-plant harvest (stalks and tubers), Bologna, with a very high stalk yields, becomes the most suitable area. The highest sugar content in roots, stalks and tubers of both crops was found in the Udine tria

Intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone versus oral megestrol for the control of postmenopausal hot flashes in breast cancer patients: a randomized study

n/