Identifying barriers and opportunities for transitions towards more sustainable agriculture through system analysis: the case of Vereda La Hoya, Colombia

The paper presents the results of studies which investigated farmers’ reasoning and behaviour with regards to the mis‐use of personal protective equipment and pesticide among smallholders in Colombia. First, the research approach is described. In particular, the structured mental models approach and the integrative agent‐centred framework are presented. These approaches permit to understand the farmers’ reasoning and behaviour in a system perspective. Second, the results are summarized. The methods adopted allowed not only for identifying the factors, but also the social dynamics influencing farmers. Finally, suggestions for interventions are provided, which are not limited to a technical fix, but address the underlying social causes of the problem

PROGETTAZIONE E ANALISI DI UNA MEMORIA PRINCIPALE AD ALTE PRESTAZIONI BASATA SU PCM E DI UNA CACHE REALIZZATA CON 3D-DRAM

Il Memory Wall è un problema molto sentito da qualche anno a questa parte nell’industria tecnologica dei microprocessori: al fine di ridurre gli effetti di tale fenomeno sono state teorizzate ed in alcuni casi realizzate nuove soluzioni che fanno uso di un’architettura tridimensionale per limitare la latenza delle memorie principali anche sfruttando la possibilità di impilarle direttamente al di sopra dell’unità centrale. In questo documento verranno analizzate tre architetture avanzate di memoria costruite con tecnologie differenti (DRAM, PCM) ed organizzate come cache (CMM). Si vedranno pregi e difetti di ciascuna di esse e sarà effettuata una disquisizione esaustiva al fine di fornire utili indicazioni alle aziende circa i punti di forza e debolezza delle soluzioni analizzate per rendere più efficienti i processi produttivi e divenire più competitivi nel mercato di riferimento. Infine verrà analizzata con maggior dettaglio una delle tre architetture con riferimento a benchmark affermati ed emergenti per il testing di sistemi ad alte prestazioni

Synthetic approaches to difluoroindolecarboxylic acid ethyl esters

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Assessment and technological forecasting in the textile industry: From first industrial revolution to the Industry 4.0

Each Industrial Revolution played a key role in the production-consumption pattern of textile products. Given the complexity of the Textile and Apparel Industry, the production systems have varying degrees of conceptual and technological innovation. Thus, the objective of this research is to present a model that includes the projection of technological changes in the production and consumption of textiles from the contrast between the descriptions of patents, scientific articles, and trends and tools of the Industry 4.0. It was possible to infer that the components of the Textile and Apparel Industry are undergoing an evolutionary process, which includes the automation of machinery parts and processes. The technological tools that characterize the Industry 4.0 are not yet fully integrated into textile production, and the challenge for the textile industry is to keep up with these innovations that impact on production, on business models, on consumer habits, and on social aspects.Keywords: textile and apparel industry, Industry 4.0, assessment, forecasting

Simophis rhinostoma (squamata: colubridae): hábitos de alimentación y conducta defensiva

The biology of Simophis rhinostoma (Schlegel, 1837) is poorly known. There are no enough information about its diet, just about feeding on anurans and, in captivity, there are records of lizards ingestion. We present the first record of fish ingestion by S. rhinostoma, a colubrid inhabiting the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado areas, also some behavior aspects during feeding. Poco se conoce sobre la biología de Simophis rhinostoma (Schlegel, 1837). No existe información substancial al respecto de su dieta, apenas que se alimenta de anuros y, en cautiverio, hay registros de la ingestión de lagartos. Presentamos el primer relato de la ingestión de peces por S. rhinostoma, un colúbrido que habita los dominios de la Mata Atlántica y Cerrado, así como algunos aspectos de su comportamiento exhibido durante la alimentación.

Assessment and technological forecasting in the textile industry : from first industrial revolution to the industry 4.0

Each Industrial Revolution played a key role in the production-consumption pattern of textile products. Given the complexity of the Textile and Apparel Industry, the production systems have varying degrees of conceptual and technological innovation. Thus, the objective of this research is to present a model that includes the projection of technological changes in the production and consumption of textiles from the contrast between the descriptions of patents, scientific articles, and trends and tools of the Industry 4.0. It was possible to infer that the components of the Textile and Apparel Industry are undergoing an evolutionary process, which includes the automation of machinery parts and processes. The technological tools that characterize the Industry 4.0 are not yet fully integrated into textile production, and the challenge for the textile industry is to keep up with these innovations that impact on production, on business models, on consumer habits, and on social aspects113193202COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESNão te

Mitotic cell death induction by targeting the mitotic spindle with tubulin-inhibitory indole derivative molecules

Tubulin-targeting molecules are widely used cancer therapeutic agents. They inhibit microtubule-based structures, including the mitotic spindle, ultimately preventing cell division. The final fates of microtubule-inhibited cells are however often heterogeneous and difficult to predict. While recent work has provided insight into the cell response to inhibitors of microtubule dynamics (taxanes), the cell response to tubulin polymerization inhibitors remains less well characterized. Arylthioindoles (ATIs) are recently developed tubulin inhibitors. We previously identified ATI members that effectively inhibit tubulin polymerization in vitro and cancer cell growth in bulk cell viability assays. Here we characterise in depth the response of cancer cell lines to five selected ATIs. We find that all ATIs arrest mitotic progression, yet subsequently yield distinct cell fate profiles in time-lapse recording assays, indicating that molecules endowed with similar tubulin polymerization inhibitory activity in vitro can in fact display differential efficacy in living cells. Individual ATIs induce cytological phenotypes of increasing severity in terms of damage to the mitotic apparatus. That differentially triggers MCL-1 down-regulation and caspase-3 activation, and underlies the terminal fate of treated cells. Collectively, these results contribute to define the cell response to tubulin inhibitors and pinpoint potentially valuable molecules that can increase the molecular diversity of tubulin-targeting agents

Population genetic structure of the parasite Anisakis simplex (s. s.) collected in Clupea harengus L. from North East Atlantic fishing grounds

The Atlantic herring is a schooling, pelagic species that inhabits both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean. Herring stock identification is usually based on several approaches, including fish meristic characters, population genetic analysis and the use of parasite species composition. A total of 654 Anisakis spp. larvae collected from herring of four fishing grounds in the Norwegian Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea, and the English Channel off the French coast, was identified to species level using diagnostic allozymes and sequence analysis of EF1 α−1 nDNA and the mtDNA cox2 genes. Population genetic differentiation of Anisakis simplex (s. s.) among the different fishing areas was estimated, at the intraspecific level, on the basis of mtDNA cox2 sequences analysis. Spatial comparison based on molecular variance analysis and Fst values was performed for the collected specimens (among regions). Haplotype network construction showed relevant differences in haplotype frequencies between samples of A. simplex (s. s.) from the different geographical areas. Results indicate a genetic sub-structuring of A. simplex (s. s.) obtained from herring in different areas, with the population from the Norwegian Sea being the most differentiated one, and with North Sea and Baltic Sea populations being most similar. The population genetic structure of A. simplex (s. s.) was in accordance with the herring population genetic structure throughout the host’s geographical range in the NE Atlantic. Results suggest that mtDNA cox2 is a suitable genetic marker for A. simplex (s. s.) population genetic structure analysis and a valuable tool to elucidate the herring stock structure in the NE Atlantic Ocean

Violacein, an indole-derived purple-colored natural pigment produced by Janthinobacterium lividum, inhibits the growth of head and neck carcinoma cell lines both in vitro and in vivo

Violacein (VIO; 3-[1,2-dihydro-5-(5-hydroxy-1H-indol-3-yl)-2-oxo-3H-pyrrol-3-ylidene]-1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one), an indole-derived purple-colored pigment, produced by a limited number of Gram-negative bacteria species, including Chromobacterium violaceum and Janthinobacterium lividum, has been demonstrated to have anti-cancer activity, as it interferes with survival transduction signaling pathways in different cancer models. Head and neck carcinoma (HNC) represents the sixth most common and one of the most fatal cancers worldwide. We determined whether VIO was able to inhibit head and neck cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. We provide evidence that VIO treatment of human and mouse head and neck cancer cell lines inhibits cell growth and induces autophagy and apoptosis. In fact, VIO treatment increased PARP-1 cleavage, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, the inhibition of ERK1 and ERK2 phosphorylation, and the expression of light chain 3-II (LC3-II). Moreover, VIO was able to induce p53 degradation, cytoplasmic nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) accumulation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. VIO induced a significant increase in ROS production. VIO administration was safe in BALB/c mice and reduced the growth of transplanted salivary gland cancer cells (SALTO) in vivo and prolonged median survival. Taken together, our results indicate that the treatment of head and neck cancer cells with VIO can be useful in inhibiting in vivo and in vitro cancer cell growth. VIO may represent a suitable tool for the local treatment of HNC in combination with standard therapies

RS4651 suppresses lung fibroblast activation via the TGF-β1/SMAD signalling pathway.

ABSTRACT Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease resulting in respiratory failure with no efficient treatment options. We investigated the protective effect of RS4651 on pulmonary fibrosis in mice and the mechanism. Methods Intratracheal injection of bleomycin (BLM) was used to induce pulmonary fibrosis in mice. RS4561 was administered intraperitoneally at different doses. Histopathological changes were observed. The level of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were also tested. In vitro, the proliferation and migratory effects of RS4651 treatment on MRC-5 cells pre-treated with transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) were examined. RNA-sequencing was used to detect differentially expressed target genes. Then, the expression of α-SMA, pSMAD2 and SMAD7 were analysed during RS4651 treatment of MRC-5 cells with or without silencing by SMAD7 siRNA. Results Histopathological staining results showed decreased collagen deposition in RS4651 administered mice. Additionally, a lower level of α-SMA was also observed compared to the BLM group. The results of in vitro studies confirmed that RS4651 can inhibit the proliferation and migration, as well as α-SMA and pSMAD2 expression in MRC-5 cells treated with TGF-β1. RNA-sequencing data identified the target gene SMAD7. We found that RS4651 could upregulate SMAD7 expression and inhibit the proliferation and migration of MRC-5 cells via SMAD7, and RS4651 inhibition of α-SMA and pSMAD2 expression was blocked in SMAD7-siRNA MRC-5 cells. In vivo studies further confirmed that RS4651 could upregulate SMAD7 expression in BLM-induced lung fibrosis in mice. Conclusions Our data suggest that RS4651 alleviates BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice by inhibiting the TGF-β1/SMAD signalling pathway