255 research outputs found
Training in Honey Bee Veterinary Medicine in Italy: An Observational Study and Practical Proposals to Face Professional Challenges
Honey bees, like other livestock, may be affected by infectious, parasitic, and abiotic diseases that need proper sanitary monitoring and control. Currently, there are limited opportunities for undergraduate students to receive education in Honey Bee Veterinary Medicine (HBVM) as part of their regular degree program, despite the professional requirements for veterinarians to carry out the increasing tasks related to honey bee health and production. Additionally, postgraduate training and specialization in HBVM is also underdeveloped. This study was an observational survey that evaluated the educational opportunities available in HBVM for current and future veterinarians in Italy. The survey analyzed both undergraduate and postgraduate programs, including Undergraduate Degree Programs in Veterinary Medicine (UDPVM), âScuole di Specializzazioneâ, Masters, and other postgraduate courses. The results indicate that the current training available for veterinarians in the field of apiculture, both before and after graduation, is also insufficient in Italy, as already reported in other EU- and extra-EU countries. Finally, a roadmap for veterinary training in HBVM is developed here describing objectives and teachings aimed at fulfilling the needs of the profession in the field of beekeeping, considering the existing rules and regulations governing public health and possible evolution of this legal framework in the futur
Detection of honey bee viruses in larvae of Vespa orientalis
: The Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) is one of the major predators of honey bees. It has been demonstrated that adults of V. orientalis can harbor honey bee viruses, however the transmission route of infection is still not clear. The aim of this study was to study the possible presence of honey bee viruses in V. orientalis larvae and honey bees collected from the same apiary. Therefore, 29 samples of V. orientalis larvae and 2 pools of honey bee (Apis mellifera). samples were analyzed by multiplex PCR to detect the presence of six honeybee viruses: Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV), Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV), Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV), Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV) and Sac Brood Virus (SBV). Biomolecular analysis of V. orientalis larvae revealed that DWV was present in 24/29 samples, SBV in 10/29, BQCV in 7/29 samples and ABPV in 5/29 samples, while no sample was found positive for CBPV or KBV. From biomolecular analysis of honey bee samples DWV was the most detected virus, followed by SBV, BQCV, ABPV. No honey bee sample was found positive for CBPV or KBV. Considering the overlapping of positivities between V.orientalis larvae and honey bee samples, and that V.orientalis larvae are fed insect proteins, preferably honey bees, we can suggest the acquisition of viral particles through the ingestion of infected bees. However, future studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis and rule out any other source of infection
Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in equine sarcoid
Background:
Sarcoids are the mostcommon skin tumors in horses, ch
aracterized by rare regression, invasiveness and
high recurrence following surgical intervention and Delta Papillomaviruses are widely recognized as the causative agents
of the disease. In order to gain new insights into equine sarco
id development, we have evaluated, in 25 equine sarcoids,
by immunohistochemistry and western blotting analysis, the expression levels of VEGF, Ki67 and bcl-2. Moreover, we have
measured microvessel density an
d specific vessel parameters.
Results:
All sarcoid samples showed a strong and finely granular cytoplasmatic staining for VEGF in the majority (90%)
of keratinocytes, sarcoid fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Numerous small blood vessels, immunostained with Von
Willebrand factor, often appeared irregular in shape and without a distinct lumen, with mean values of microvessel
area and perimeter lower than normal. Moreover, in all sarcoid samples, Ki67 immunoreactivity was moderately positive
in 5
â
10% of dermal sarcoid fibroblasts, while Bcl2 immunoreactivity was detected in 52% of the sarcoid samples, with a
weak staining in 20
â
50% of dermal sarcoid fibroblasts. Biochemical analysis was consistent with immunohistochemical
results.
Conclusions:
This study has provided evidence that in equine sarcoid: VEGF was strongly expressed; the increased
number of vessels was not associated with their complete maturation, probably leading to a hypoxic condition, which
could increase VEGF synthesis; the levels of sarcoid fibroblasts proliferation were very low. Concluding, VEGF may have
a role in equine sarcoid development, not only through the increase of angiogenesis, but also through the control of
sarcoid fibroblast activity
Discovery of the heavily obscured supernova 2002cv
On the 13th of May 2002, supernova 2002cv was discovered using a
near-infrared camera working at the AZT-24 1.1m telescope at Campo Imperatore
(AQ-Italy). After the infrared detection a simultaneous photometric follow-up
was started at optical wavelengths. The preliminary results confirm a heavily
obscured object with a V-K color not lower than 6 magnitudes, making SN 2002cv
the most reddened supernova ever observed. This finding, along with the recent
discovery of another obscured supernova, suggests a critical revision of the
rates known to date. The estimate of the visual extinction and the light curves
are provided here. These latter indicate that our SN 2002cv observations are
the earliest available for a type-Ia supernova at IR wavelengths.Comment: 4 page
The effect of radiation pressure on virial black hole mass estimates and the case of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies
We consider the effect of radiation pressure from ionizing photons on black
hole (BH) mass estimates based on the application of the virial theorem to
broad emission lines in AGN spectra. BH masses based only on the virial product
V^2R and neglecting the effect of radiation pressure can be severely
underestimated especially in objects close to the Eddington limit. We provide
an empirical calibration of the correction for radiation pressure and we show
that it is consistent with a simple physical model in which BLR clouds are
optically thick to ionizing radiation and have average column densities of
NH~10^23 cm^-2. This value is remarkably similar to what is required in
standard BLR photoionization models to explain observed spectra. With the
inclusion of radiation pressure the discrepancy between virial BH masses based
on single epoch spectra and on reverberation mapping data drops from 0.4 to 0.2
dex rms. The use of single epoch observations as surrogates of reverberation
mapping campaigns can thus provide more accurate BH masses than previously
thought. Finally, we show that Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies have
apparently low BH masses because they are radiating close to their Eddington
limit. After the radiation pressure correction, NLS1 galaxies have BH masses
similar to other broad line AGNs and follow the same MBH-sigma/L relations as
other active and normal galaxies. Radiation forces arising from ionizing photon
momentum deposition constitute an important physical effect which must be taken
into account when computing virial BH masses.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal, May 1 issu
Expression pattern of estroprogestinic receptors in sinonasal inverted papilloma
open13openSerra A; Caltabiano R; Spinato G; Gallina S; Caruso S; Rapisarda V; Di Mauro P; Castro V; Conti A; Licciardello L; Maiolino L; Lanzafame S; Cocuzza SSerra, A; Caltabiano, R; Spinato, G; Gallina, S; Caruso, S; Rapisarda, V; Di Mauro, P; Castro, V; Conti, A; Licciardello, L; Maiolino, L; Lanzafame, S; Cocuzza,
Kiloparsec-scale gaseous clumps and star formation at z = 5â7
We investigate the morphology of the [Cii] emission in a sample of ânormalâ star-forming
galaxies at 5 < z < 7:2 in relation to their UV (rest-frame) counterpart. We use new ALMA
observations of galaxies at z 6 7, as well as a careful re-analysis of archival ALMA data. In
total 29 galaxies were analysed, 21 of which are detected in [Cii]. For several of the latter the
[Cii] emission breaks into multiple components. Only a fraction of these [Cii] components,
if any, is associated with the primary UV systems, while the bulk of the [Cii] emission is
associated either with fainter UV components, or not associated with any UV counterpart
at the current limits. By taking into account the presence of all these components, we find
that the L[CII]-SFR relation at early epochs is fully consistent with the local relation, but it
has a dispersion of 0.48 0.07 dex, which is about two times larger than observed locally.
We also find that the deviation from the local L[CII]-SFR relation has a weak anti-correlation
with the EW(Ly ). The morphological analysis also reveals that [Cii] emission is generally
much more extended than the UV emission. As a consequence, these primordial galaxies are
characterised by a [Cii] surface brightness generally much lower than expected from the local
[CII] SFR relation. These properties are likely a consequence of a combination of di erent
e ects, namely: gas metallicity, [Cii] emission from obscured star-forming regions, strong
variations of the ionisation parameter, and circumgalactic gas in accretion or ejected by these
primeval galaxies.European Research Council
RM acknowledges ERC Advanced Grant 695671 âQUENCHâ. AF acknowledges support from the ERC Advanced Grant INTERSTELLAR H2020/740120
On the Evolution of the Star Formation Rate Function of Massive Galaxies. Constraints at 0.4<z<1.8 from the GOODS-MUSIC Catalogue
[abridged] We study the evolution of the Star Formation Rate Function (SFRF)
of massive galaxies over the 0.4<z<1.8 redshift range and its implications for
our understanding of the physical processes responsible for galaxy evolution.
We use multiwavelength observations included in the GOODS-MUSIC catalogue,
which provides a suitable coverage of the spectral region from 0.3 to 24 micron
and either spectroscopic or photometric redshifts for each object. Individual
SFRs have been obtained by combining UV and 24 micron observations, when the
latter were available. For all other sources an "SED fitting" SFR estimate has
been considered. We then define a stellar mass limited sample, complete in the
Mstar>1.e10 Msun range and determine the SFRF using the 1/Vmax algorithm. We
define simulated galaxy catalogues based on three different semi-analytical
models of galaxy formation and evolution. We show that the theoretical SFRFs
are well described by a double power law functional form and its redshift
evolution is approximated with high accuracy by a pure evolution of the typical
SFR. We find good agreement between model predictions and the high-SFR end of
the SFRF, when the observational errors on the SFR are taken into account.
However, the observational SFRF is characterised by a double peaked structure,
which is absent in its theoretical counterparts. At z>1.0 the observed SFRF
shows a relevant density evolution, which is not reproduced by SAMs, due to the
well known overprediction of intermediate mass galaxies at z~2. The agreement
at the low-SFR end is poor: all models overpredict the space density of SFR~1
Msun/yr and no model reproduces the double peaked shape of the observational
SFRF. If confirmed by deeper IR observations, this discrepancy will provide a
key constraint on theoretical modelling of star formation and stellar feedback.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures and 3 table. Accepted for publication by MNRAS -
updated reference
- âŠ