Multiple magma degassing sources at an explosive volcano

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Erratum to: Proteomics and diabetic nephropathy: what have we learned from a decade of clinical proteomics studies?

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Foreground Enhancement and Background Suppression in Human Early Visual System During Passive Perception of Natural Images

One of the major challenges in visual neuroscience is represented by foreground-background segmentation, a process that is supposed to rely on computations in cortical modules, as information progresses from V1 to V4. Data from nonhuman primates (Poort et al., 2016) showed that segmentation leads to two distinct, but associated processes: the enhancement of cortical activity associated to figure processing (i.e., foreground enhancement) and the suppression of ground-related cortical activity (i.e., background suppression). To characterize foreground-background segmentation of natural stimuli in humans, we parametrically modulated low-level properties of 334 images and their behaviorally segmented counterparts. A model based on simple visual features was then adopted to describe the filtered and intact images, and to evaluate their resemblance with fMRI activity in different visual cortices (V1, V2, V3, V3A, V3B, V4, LOC). Results from representational similarity analysis (Kriegeskorte et al., 2008) showed that the correspondence between behaviorally segmented natural images and brain activity increases throughout the visual processing stream. We found evidence of foreground enhancement for all the tested visual regions, while background suppression occurs in V3B, V4 and LOC. Our results suggest that foreground-background segmentation is an automatic process that occurs during natural viewing, and cannot be merely ascribed to differences in objects size or location. Finally, neural images reconstructed from V4 and LOC fMRI activity revealed a preserved spatial resolution of foreground textures, indicating a richer representation of the salient part of natural images, rather than a simplistic model of objects shape

modality independent encoding of individual concepts in the left parietal cortex

Abstract The organization of semantic information in the brain has been mainly explored through category-based models, on the assumption that categories broadly reflect the organization of conceptual knowledge. However, the analysis of concepts as individual entities, rather than as items belonging to distinct superordinate categories, may represent a significant advancement in the comprehension of how conceptual knowledge is encoded in the human brain. Here, we studied the individual representation of thirty concrete nouns from six different categories, across different sensory modalities (i.e., auditory and visual) and groups (i.e., sighted and congenitally blind individuals) in a core hub of the semantic network, the left angular gyrus, and in its neighboring regions within the lateral parietal cortex. Four models based on either perceptual or semantic features at different levels of complexity (i.e., low- or high-level) were used to predict fMRI brain activity using representational similarity encoding analysis. When controlling for the superordinate component, high-level models based on semantic and shape information led to significant encoding accuracies in the intraparietal sulcus only. This region is involved in feature binding and combination of concepts across multiple sensory modalities, suggesting its role in high-level representation of conceptual knowledge. Moreover, when the information regarding superordinate categories is retained, a large extent of parietal cortex is engaged. This result indicates the need to control for the coarse-level categorial organization when performing studies on higher-level processes related to the retrieval of semantic information

Assessment of full carbon budget of Italy: the CarbIUS project

Regional carbon balances, funded, for the Italian side, by the Italian Ministry of Environment in the context of a bilateral agreement to develop scientific collaborations in Global Change Research between Italy and USA signed in 2001. The two regions selected are Italy and Oregon-California; there are many similarities between these two regions (climate, vegetation, topography, population pressure, etc.) but, on other hand, there are also interesting contrasts in societal aspects like demography, land-use history and emissions. The main CarbIUS objectives are 1) the identification of spatial and temporal variability of carbon sources and sinks and the relative contribution of the different anthropogenic and biogenic components, 2) the impact of land use changes and human population dynamics on the carbon balance, 3) the quantification of the effects of climate and natural disturbances on the terrestrial carbon stocks and fluxes and 4) the application of new methodologies to investigate carbon metabolism at the plot, ecosystem and regional scale. In this paper will be presented the methodologies that we are using to assess the contribution of the different components to the full carbon budget, like carbon stocks and fluxes, disturbances (harvesting, wild forest fires and forest pathology), CH4 and NO2 fluxes and anthropogenic emissions. All these information will be input in a Data Assimilation System and the results will be validated using sub-regional airborne measurements of carbon fluxes

Cellular Interaction of Human Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 1A Isoforms

Besides its canonical role in protein synthesis, the eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A) is also involved in many other cellular processes such as cell survival and apoptosis. We showed that eEF1A phosphorylation by C-Raf in vitro occurred only in the presence of eEF1A1 and eEF1A2, thus suggesting that both isoforms interacted in cancer cells (heterodimer formation). This hypothesis was recently investigated in COS-7 cells where fluorescent recombinant eEF1A isoforms colocalized at the level of cytoplasm with a FRET signal more intense at plasma membrane level. Here, we addressed our attention in highlighting and confirming this interaction in a different cell line, HEK 293, normally expressing eEF1A1 but lacking the eEF1A2 isoform. To this end, His-tagged eEF1A2 was expressed in HEK 293 cells and found to colocalize with endogenous eEF1A1 in the cytoplasm, also at the level of cellular membranes. Moreover, FRET analysis showed, in this case, the appearance of a stronger signal mainly at the level of the plasma membrane. These results confirmed what was previously observed in COS-7 cells and strongly reinforced the interaction among eEF1A isoforms. Moreover, the formation of eEF1A heterodimer in cancer cells could also be important for cytoskeleton rearrangements rather than for phosphorylation, most likely occurring during cell survival and apoptosis

Harmonic technology versus neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser and electrocautery for lung metastasectomy: An experimental study

We compared the efficacy of non-anatomical lung resections with that of three other techniques: monopolar electrocautery; neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser and harmonic technology. We hypothesized that the thermal damage with harmonic technology could be reduced because of the lower temperatures generated by harmonic technology compared with that of other devices.OBJECTIVES We compared the efficacy of non-anatomical lung resections with that of three other techniques: monopolar electrocautery; neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser and harmonic technology. We hypothesized that the thermal damage with harmonic technology could be reduced because of the lower temperatures generated by harmonic technology compared with that of other devices. METHODS Initial studies were performed in 13 isolated pig lungs for each group. A 1.5-cm capsule was inserted within the lung to mimic a tumour and a total of 25 non-anatomical resections were performed with each device. The damage of the resected lung surface and of the tumour border were evaluated according to the colour (ranging from 0 - pink colour to 4 - black colour), histological (ranging from Score 0 - no changes to Score 3 - presence of necrotic tissue) and radiological (ranging from Score 0 - isointense T2 signal at magnetic resonance imaging to Score 3 - hyperintense T2 signal) criteria. A total of seven non-anatomical resections with harmonic technology were also performed in two live pigs to assess if ex vivo results could be reproducible in live pigs with particular attention to haemostatic and air-tightness properties. RESULTS In the ex vivo lung, there was a statistical significant difference between depth of thermal damage (P < 0.0001) in electrocautery (1.3 [1.2-1.4]), laser (0.9 [0.6-0.9]) and harmonic (0.4 [0.3-0.5]) groups. Electrocautery had a higher depth of thermal damage compared with that of the laser (P = 0.01) and harmonic groups (P = 0.0005). The harmonic group had a less depth of thermal damage than that of the laser group (P = 0.01). Also, histological damages of tumour borders (P < 0.001) and resected lung surface (P < 0.001), radiological damage of tumour borders (P < 0.001) and resected lung surface (P < 0.001) and colour changes (P < 0.001) were statistically different between three study groups. Resections of in vivo pig lungs showed no bleeding; 2 of 7 cases of low air leaks were found; however, they ceased by sealing lung parenchyma with harmonic technology. CONCLUSIONS Our experimental data support the resections performed with the use of harmonic technology. The lack of severe tissue alterations could favour healing of parenchyma, assure air tightness and preserve functional lung parenchyma. However, randomized controlled studies are needed in an in vivo model to corroborate our findings