What is the future for agroforestry in Italy?

The successful promotion of agroforestry in Italy depends on both a recognition of tradition and the opportunities for innovation. In Italy, agroforestry has traditionally been a key component of landscape management. Complex systems, based on the integration among crops–livestock–fruit/forest trees, provided a wide variety of products (e.g. food, feed, fibers, fuelwood and timber) and other ecosystem services (e.g. soil erosion control and biodiversity preservation). Silvopastoral systems have been used for centuries and are still managed in marginal areas. The integration of fruits trees (in primis olive trees) with crops and grazing was widely practiced and is still profitable. Coltura promiscua was historically developed integrating fruit and forest trees and particularly multifunctional trees (e.g. Juglans regia L. and Prunus avium L.) to support vines and intercrops. Building on recent research, projects have also focused on innovation in agroforestry. The adoption of shade tolerant forage species and crops has been studied in silvopastoral and olive systems. Silvopastoral systems can significantly offset the greenhouse gas emissions produced by livestock and shield grazing animals from “heat waves”. Integration of fast growing timber trees (like Populus) in arable systems can help reverse the decline in plantation forestry in Italy. Finally, the constraints imposed by the EU agricultural policy, especially the prevalent provisions for monocrops severely limiting the introduction of innovative agroforestry approaches, are discussed. New political measures and certification actions are strongly required

DOPAL initiates αSynuclein-dependent impaired proteostasis and degeneration of neuronal projections in Parkinson’s disease

Dopamine dyshomeostasis has been acknowledged among the determinants of nigrostriatal neuron degeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Several studies in experimental models and postmortem PD patients underlined increasing levels of the dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL), which is highly reactive towards proteins. DOPAL has been shown to covalently modify the presynaptic protein αSynuclein (αSyn), whose misfolding and aggregation represent a major trait of PD pathology, triggering αSyn oligomerization in dopaminergic neurons. Here, we demonstrated that DOPAL elicits αSyn accumulation and hampers αSyn clearance in primary neurons. DOPAL-induced αSyn buildup lessens neuronal resilience, compromises synaptic integrity, and overwhelms protein quality control pathways in neurites. The progressive decline of neuronal homeostasis further leads to dopaminergic neuron loss and motor impairment, as showed in in vivo models. Finally, we developed a specific antibody which detected increased DOPAL-modified αSyn in human striatal tissues from idiopathic PD patients, corroborating the translational relevance of αSyn-DOPAL interplay in PD neurodegeneration

A van der Waals heterojunction based on monolayers of MoS 2 and WSe 2 for overall solar water splitting

International audienceWe numerically investigated a complete system for overall water splitting based on TMDC heterojunctions. We found a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency higher than 15% under realistic operating conditions

Laser Cooling in Semiconductor Heterojunctions by Extraction of Photogenerated Carriers

η rad φ in (E) Laser cooling of a semiconductor material, in which heat is extracted by emitting photons, requires a near-perfect external radiative efficiency. In this theoretical work, we propose a cooling system based on carrier extraction in a large gap reservoir. The electron-hole pairs generated in the material to be cooled are extracted in such a reservoir by absorbing phonons, then carrying a heat flux. With an analytical detailed balance model, we show that this concept is applicable even in materials with moderate external radiative efficiency. Moreover, by adjusting the gap of the reservoir to the laser power, this system can either reach high efficiency or transfer high power with lower efficiency

DOPAL initiates αSynuclein-dependent impaired proteostasis and degeneration of neuronal projections in Parkinson’s disease

Dopamine dyshomeostasis has been acknowledged among the determinants of nigrostriatal neuron degeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). Several studies in experimental models and postmortem PD patients underlined increasing levels of the dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL), which is highly reactive towards proteins. DOPAL has been shown to covalently modify the presynaptic protein αSynuclein (αSyn), whose misfolding and aggregation represent a major trait of PD pathology, triggering αSyn oligomerization in dopaminergic neurons. Here, we demonstrated that DOPAL elicits αSyn accumulation and hampers αSyn clearance in primary neurons. DOPAL-induced αSyn buildup lessens neuronal resilience, compromises synaptic integrity, and overwhelms protein quality control pathways in neurites. The progressive decline of neuronal homeostasis further leads to dopaminergic neuron loss and motor impairment, as showed in in vivo models. Finally, we developed a specific antibody which detected increased DOPAL-modified αSyn in human striatal tissues from idiopathic PD patients, corroborating the translational relevance of αSyn-DOPAL interplay in PD neurodegeneration

DOPAL initiates αSynuclein-dependent impaired proteostasis and degeneration of neuronal projections in Parkinson's disease

: Dopamine dyshomeostasis has been acknowledged among the determinants of nigrostriatal neuron degeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). Several studies in experimental models and postmortem PD patients underlined increasing levels of the dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL), which is highly reactive towards proteins. DOPAL has been shown to covalently modify the presynaptic protein αSynuclein (αSyn), whose misfolding and aggregation represent a major trait of PD pathology, triggering αSyn oligomerization in dopaminergic neurons. Here, we demonstrated that DOPAL elicits αSyn accumulation and hampers αSyn clearance in primary neurons. DOPAL-induced αSyn buildup lessens neuronal resilience, compromises synaptic integrity, and overwhelms protein quality control pathways in neurites. The progressive decline of neuronal homeostasis further leads to dopaminergic neuron loss and motor impairment, as showed in in vivo models. Finally, we developed a specific antibody which detected increased DOPAL-modified αSyn in human striatal tissues from idiopathic PD patients, corroborating the translational relevance of αSyn-DOPAL interplay in PD neurodegeneration

Tar Spot: An Understudied Disease Threatening Corn Production in the Americas

Tar spot of corn has been a major foliar disease in several Latin American countries since 1904. In 2015, tar spot was first documented in the United States and has led to yield losses of approximately 4.5 million t annually. Tar spot is caused by an obligate pathogen, Phyllachora maydis, and thus requires a living host to grow and reproduce. Due to its obligate nature, biological and epidemiological studies are limited and impact of disease in corn production has been understudied. Here we present the current literature and gaps in knowledge of tar spot of corn in the Americas, its etiology, distribution, impact and management strategies as a resource for understanding the pathosystem. This review is intended to guide current and future research and aid in the development of more effective management strategies for this disease.This is a manuscript of an article published as Valle-Torres, J., T. J. Ross, D. Plewa, M. C. Avellaneda, J. Check, M. I. Chilvers, A. P. Cruz et al. "Tar spot: An understudied disease threatening corn production in the Americas." Plant disease 104, no. 10 (2020): 2541-2550. doi:10.1094/PDIS-02-20-0449-FE. Posted with permission

Dramaturgies de l'ombre

De la première pièce conservée du théâtre occidental (Les Perses d’Eschyle) au théâtre contemporain (Genet, Kantor, Müller, Koltès ou Bond), les morts n’ont cessé de hanter la scène occidentale. Le phénomène est assez frappant, pourtant les spectres – les « ombres », comme les dramaturges les appellent, du XVIe au XVIIIe s. – ont assez peu attiré l’attention, sauf celui de Hamlet. On sait qu’ils interviennent chez les tragiques grecs, chez Sénèque, Shakespeare, Strindberg et Ibsen ; on connaissait beaucoup moins le rôle qui leur est dévolu dans la tragédie humaniste, le théâtre élisabéthain, le ballet de cour, la tragédie du XVIIIe s., le drame et l’opéra du XIXe s. Et même dans le théâtre le plus proche de nous, leur présence obstinée n’a pas beaucoup soulevé l’intérêt des spécialistes. Ce volume entend réparer cet oubli en se penchant sur les raisons – théoriques, pratiques, voire politiques – qui ont favorisé le retour des morts, à travers vingt-cinq siècles de théâtre occidental. Ce ne sont pas seulement les textes dramatiques qui sont interrogés, et la théorie théâtrale, mais aussi les conditions de représentation, puisque les fantômes sont une source d’effets spectaculaires pour lesquels les hommes de l’art exploitent, avec une ingéniosité parfois confondante, toutes les ressources techniques qui leur sont accessibles