A test of trophic cascade theory: fish and benthic assemblages across a predator density gradient on coral reefs

Removal of predators is often hypothesized to alter community structure through trophic cascades. However, despite recent advances in our understanding of trophic cascades, evidence is often circumstantial on coral reefs because fishing pressure frequently co-varies with other anthropogenic effects, such as fishing for herbivorous fishes and changes in water quality due to pollution. Australia’s outer Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has experienced fishing-induced declines of apex predators and mesopredators, but pollution and targeting of herbivorous fishes are minimal. Here, we quantify fish and benthic assemblages across a fishing-induced predator density gradient on the outer GBR, including apex predators and mesopredators to herbivores and benthic assemblages, to test for evidence of trophic cascades and alternative hypotheses to trophic cascade theory. Using structural equation models, we found no cascading effects from apex predators to lower trophic levels: a loss of apex predators did not lead to higher levels of mesopredators, and this did not suppress mobile herbivores and drive algal proliferation. Likewise, we found no effects of mesopredators on lower trophic levels: a decline of mesopredators was not associated with higher abundances of algae-farming damselfishes and algae-dominated reefs. These findings indicate that top-down forces on coral reefs are weak, at least on the outer GBR. We conclude that predator-mediated trophic cascades are probably the exception rather than the rule in complex ecosystems such as the outer GBR

Analysis of hydrogen fired gas turbine cycles for peak generation

LAUREA MAGISTRALESupponendo che la crescita del numero impianti rinnovabili per la produzione di elettricità prosegua secondo l’andamento attuale, esiste la necessità di accoppiare ad essi cicli di potenza flessibili e dal rapido avviamento che aiutino a bilanciare la rete e soddisfare la domanda. Inoltre, servono impianti in grado di contribuire al processo di decarbonizzazione e abbattimento delle emissioni. Il lavoro si propone prima di analizzare brevemente la produzione elettrica italiana attuale e il mercato delle turbine a gas di grande taglia. Successivamente si focalizza sul possibile elemento chiave per il futuro della produzione elettrica, l’idrogeno, e le sue caratteristiche come combustibile per turbine a gas. Il cuore del lavoro è incentrato su simulazioni di cicli a gas complessi basati sull’idrogeno. Le simulazioni sono effettuate tramite GS Software, un programma sviluppato dal Politecnico di Milano. Nelle varie fasi vengono studiati per step gli effetti sul ciclo di: interrefrigerazione, rigenerazione e iniezione di acqua. In ogni fase sono evidenziate principalmente le variazioni sul lavoro di compressione, sul consumo di combustibile, sui flussi di raffreddamento e su efficienza e potenza prodotta. I cicli studiati riescono a raggiungere prestazioni simili a quelle dei moderni cicli combinati e risultano essere una possibile svolta per il futuro della produzione di potenza.Assuming that the growth in the number of renewable plants for the production of electricity continues according to the current trend, there is a need to couple them with flexible and quick start-up power cycles that help balance the grid and meet demand. Furthermore, we need plants capable of contributing to the process of decarbonization and abatement of emissions. The work proposes first to briefly analyze the current Italian electricity production and the market of large size gas turbines. Subsequently it focuses on the possible key element for the future of electricity production, hydrogen, and its characteristics as a fuel for gas turbines. The heart of the work is centered on simulations of complex gas cycles based on hydrogen. The simulations are carried out using GS Software, a program developed by Politecnico of Milan. In the different phases the effects on the cycle of intercooling, regeneration and water injection are studied step by step. In each phase, the variations in compression work, fuel consumption, cooling flows and efficiency and power produced are highlighted. The studied cycles are able to reach performances similar to those of modern combined cycles and turn out to be a possible turning point for the future of power generation

A dyad of lymphoblastic lysosomal cysteine proteases degrades the antileukemic drug L-asparaginase

l-Asparaginase is a key therapeutic agent for treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). There is wide individual variation in pharmacokinetics, and little is known about its metabolism. The mechanisms of therapeutic failure with l-asparaginase remain speculative. Here, we now report that 2 lysosomal cysteine proteases present in lymphoblasts are able to degrade l-asparaginase. Cathepsin B (CTSB), which is produced constitutively by normal and leukemic cells, degraded asparaginase produced by Escherichia coli (ASNase) and Erwinia chrysanthemi. Asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP), which is overexpressed predominantly in high-risk subsets of ALL, specifically degraded ASNase. AEP thereby destroys ASNase activity and may also potentiate antigen processing, leading to allergic reactions. Using AEP-mediated cleavage sequences, we modeled the effects of the protease on ASNase and created a number of recombinant ASNase products. The N24 residue on the flexible active loop was identified as the primary AEP cleavage site. Sole modification at this site rendered ASNase resistant to AEP cleavage and suggested a key role for the flexible active loop in determining ASNase activity. We therefore propose what we believe to be a novel mechanism of drug resistance to ASNase. Our results may help to identify alternative therapeutic strategies with the potential of further improving outcome in childhood ALL

Road traffic pollution and childhood leukemia: a nationwide case-control study in Italy

Background The association of childhood leukemia with traffic pollution was considered in a number of studies from 1989 onwards, with results not entirely consistent and little information regarding subtypes. Aim of the study We used the data of the Italian SETIL case-control on childhood leukemia to explore the risk by leukemia subtypes associated to exposure to vehicular traffic. Methods We included in the analyses 648 cases of childhood leukemia (565 Acute lymphoblastic–ALL and 80 Acute non lymphoblastic-AnLL) and 980 controls. Information on traffic exposure was collected from questionnaire interviews and from the geocoding of house addresses, for all periods of life of the children. Results We observed an increase in risk for AnLL, and at a lower extent for ALL, with indicators of exposure to traffic pollutants. In particular, the risk was associated to the report of closeness of the house to traffic lights and to the passage of trucks (OR: 1.76; 95% CI 1.03–3.01 for ALL and 6.35; 95% CI 2.59–15.6 for AnLL). The association was shown also in the analyses limited to AML and in the stratified analyses and in respect to the house in different period of life. Conclusions Results from the SETIL study provide some support to the association of traffic related exposure and risk for AnLL, but at a lesser extent for ALL. Our conclusion highlights the need for leukemia type specific analyses in future studies. Results support the need of controlling exposure from traffic pollution, even if knowledge is not complete

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) activity in leukemia blasts correlates with poor outcome in childhood acute myeloid leukemia

Microenvironmental factors contribute to the immune dysfunction characterizing acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is an interferon (IFN)-γ-inducible enzyme that degrades tryptophan into kynurenine, which, in turn, inhibits effector T cells and promotes regulatory T-cell (Treg) differentiation. It is presently unknown whether childhood AML cells express IDO1 and whether IDO1 activity correlates with patient outcome. We investigated IDO1 expression and function in 37 children with newly diagnosed AML other than acute promyelocytic leukemia. Blast cells were cultured with exogenous IFN-γ for 24 hours, followed by the measurement of kynurenine production and tryptophan consumption. No constitutive expression of IDO1 protein was detected in blast cells from the 37 AML samples herein tested. Conversely, 19 out of 37 (51%) AML samples up-regulated functional IDO1 protein in response to IFN-γ. The inability to express IDO1 by the remaining 18 AML samples was not apparently due to a defective IFN-γ signaling circuitry, as suggested by the measurement of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation. Coimmunoprecipitation assays indicated the occurrence of physical interactions between STAT3 and IDO1 in AML blasts. In line with this finding, STAT3 inhibitors abrogated IDO1 function in AML blasts. Interestingly, levels of IFN-γ were significantly higher in the bone marrow fluid of IDO-expressing compared with IDO-nonexpressing AMLs. In mixed tumor lymphocyte cultures (MTLC), IDO-expressing AML blasts blunted the ability of allogeneic naïve T cells to produce IFN-γ and promoted Treg differentiation. From a clinical perspective, the 8-year event-free survival was significantly worse in IDO-expressing children (16.4%, SE 9.8) as compared with IDO-nonexpressing ones (48.0%, SE 12.1; p=0.035). These data indicate that IDO1 expression by leukemia blasts negatively affects the prognosis of childhood AML. Moreover, they speak in favor of the hypothesis that IDO can be targeted, in adjunct to current chemotherapy approaches, to improve the clinical outcome of children with AML

Sensibilidade dos valores gen?ticos de til?pias do Nilo, variedade GIFT, aos n?veis de lisina digest?vel das dietas

Esta pesquisa foi realizada com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito da intera??o gen?tipo x n?veis de lisina digest?vel das dietas sobre caracter?sticas morfom?tricas e de desempenho de til?pias do Nilo, variedade GIFT, em fase de crescimento. O experimento foi constitu?do de duas fases, sendo que na primeira as til?pias foram alimentadas dos 90 aos 150 dias de idade com dietas contendo percentuais de lisina iguais a 1,43, 1,53, 1,63, 1,73 e 1,83 e na segunda fase, dos 151 aos 255 dias, os percentuais de lisina das dietas foram iguais a 1,28, 1,38, 1,48, 1,58 e 1,68. As til?pias foram pesadas dos 90 aos 255 dias de idade com intervalos de aproximadamente 30 dias, foram calculados o ganho de peso total e o ganho de peso di?rio e, posteriormente, as idades foram ajustadas para 90 e 150 dias na primeira fase, e 185, 220 e 255 dias na segunda fase. As medidas de altura, largura, comprimento de cabe?a, comprimento padr?o e comprimento total das til?pias foram coletadas aos 150 dias de idade. A partir desses dados, foram calculadas as rela??es cabe?a/comprimento padr?o, comprimento padr?o/comprimento total e largura/altura. Modelos de regress?o aleat?ria, por meio do modelo animal uni caracter?stica, foram utilizados para avaliar a sensibilidades dos valores gen?ticos aos n?veis de lisina digest?vel das dietas, plotando-se as normas de rea??o de 25 peixes amostrados aleatoriamente para as diferentes caracter?sticas para demonstrar o padr?o de comportamento dos valores gen?ticos das caracter?sticas ao longo do gradiente ambiental. Foram testados modelos com homogeneidade (1 classe) e heterogeneidade de vari?ncia residual (2, 3 e 4 classes). Modelos com heterogeneidade de vari?ncia residual foram mais adequados para avalia??o gen?tica da maioria das caracter?sticas das til?pias na primeira fase e modelos com homogeneidade de vari?ncia residual para a maioria das caracter?sticas de desempenho das til?pias avaliadas na segunda fase. Os valores gen?ticos das til?pias, em ambas as fases, variaram entre os n?veis de lisina estudados para a maioria das caracter?sticas, indicando a presen?a de intera??o gen?tipo x ambiente. No geral, as herdabilidades e vari?ncias gen?ticas aditivas variaram de baixas a altas magnitudes. As correla??es de Spearman, assim como as normas de rea??o, indicaram reordenamento dos valores gen?ticos ao longo do gradiente ambiental, sugerindo a presen?a de intera??o gen?tipo x ambiente. A sele??o para desempenho e medidas morfom?tricas de til?pias GIFT deve ser realizada no n?vel de lisina da dieta com a qual as til?pias ser?o alimentadas.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico (CNPq)Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (Capes)Funda??o de Amparo ? Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)Disserta??o (Mestrado) ? Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Zootecnia, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2017.This research was carried out with the objective of evaluating the effect of genotype x levels of digestible lysine of the diets on morphometric and performance characteristics of Nile tilapia, GIFT variety, in the growing phase. The experiment consisted of two phases, and in the first the tilapia were fed from 90 to 150 days of age diets containing lysine percentages equal to 1.43, 1.53, 1.63, 1.73 and 1.83. In the second phase, from 151 to 255 days, the lysine percentages of the diets were 1.28, 1.38, 1.48, 1.58 and 1.68. Tilapia were weighed from 90 to 255 days of age at intervals of approximately 30 days. Total weight gain and daily weight gain were calculated and, subsequently, were adjusted for 90 and 150 days in the first phase, and 185 , 220 and 255 days in the second phase. The measurements of height, width, head length, standard length and total length of tilapias were collected at 150 days of age. From these data, the head / standard length ratios, standard length / total length and width / height ratios were calculated. Single trait random regression modes were used in the analyses and the reaction norm plots of 25 randomly sampled fishes were used to demonstrate the sensitivity of breeding values to dietary digestible lysine level. Models with homogeneity (1 class) and heterogeneity of residual variance (2, 3 and 4 classes) were tested. Models considering heterogeneity of residual variance were more adequate for genetic evaluation of most of the characteristics of tilapia in the first phase and models considering homogeneity of residual variance for most of the performance characteristics of tilapia evaluated in the second phase. The breeding values of tilapia, in both phases, varied among the lysine levels studied for most of the traits, indicating the presence of genotype x environment interaction. In general, heritabilities and additive genetic variances varied from low to high magnitude. Spearman correlations, as well as the reaction norms, suggested rearrangement of breeding values along the environmental gradient, again indicating the presence of genotype x environment interaction. The selection for performance and morphometric traits of tilapia GIFT strain should be performed at the lysine level of the diet with which the tilapia will be fed

Il profilo professionale dell’educatore museale oggi: opportunità e sfide

Among the numerous fields of intervention in which the educators are called to work today, the museum represents one of the most significant and, at the same time, one of the most controversial. On the one hand, museums have assumed increasing importance as lifelong learning institutions, able of promoting the social inclusion of publics with different educational needs. On the other hand, the professional profile and the training path of museum educator are not yet clearly defined. Through the review of the current literature this paper aims to investigate the problematic issues related to this professional figureTra i numerosi ambiti di intervento nei quali gli educatori sono chiamati oggi a operare, quello museale rappresenta uno dei più significativi e, al contempo, dei più controversi. Da una parte, infatti, i musei hanno assunto un’importanza crescente come luoghi di apprendimento lifelong, in grado di promuovere l’inclusione sociale di pubblici con bisogni educativi differenziati. Dall’altra, il profilo professionale e il percorso formativo dell’educatore museale non sono ancora chiaramente definiti. Attraverso una revisione della letteratura esistente il presente contributo intende mettere a fuoco i nodi problematici che contraddistinguono tale figura professional

Subgroups of Paediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Might Differ Significantly in Genetic Predisposition to Asparaginase Hypersensitivity.

L-asparaginase (ASP) is a key element in the treatment of paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). However, hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) to ASP are major challenges in paediatric patients. Our aim was to investigate genetic variants that may influence the risk to Escherichia coli-derived ASP hypersensitivity. Sample and clinical data collection was carried out from 576 paediatric ALL patients who were treated according to protocols from the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster Study Group. A total of 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GRIA1 and GALNT10 genes were genotyped. Patients with GRIA1 rs4958351 AA/AG genotype showed significantly reduced risk to ASP hypersensitivity compared to patients with GG genotype in the T-cell ALL subgroup (OR = 0.05 (0.01-0.26); p = 4.70E-04), while no such association was found in pre-B-cell ALL. In the medium risk group two SNPs of GRIA1 (rs2055083 and rs707176) were associated significantly with the occurrence of ASP hypersensitivity (OR = 0.21 (0.09-0.53); p = 8.48E-04 and OR = 3.02 (1.36-6.73); p = 6.76E-03, respectively). Evaluating the genders separately, however, the association of rs707176 with ASP HSRs was confined only to females. Our results suggest that genetic variants of GRIA1 might influence the risk to ASP hypersensitivity, but subgroups of patients can differ significantly in this respect

The role of the University in skills recognition in continuing education programmes. An experience at the University of Catania

This contribution focuses on the role of the University in promoting recognition of competences acquired in Continuing Education (CE) activities. The paper shows some results of a learning path that the University of Catania has developed since 2012 till 2018. Despite the lack of Regional laws regulating recognition of competences in Sicily, the University, through the Centre for continuing education and technology transfer (Capitt), has designed and implemented a set of procedures and tools aimed at building a process for assessment and certification of competences of workers involved in CE courses. This model allowed adults involved in CE courses to spend their competences in multiple contexts. Therefore the University of Catania has contributed to the training needs of the region, fulfilling its Third Mission tasks. Il ruolo dell’università nel riconoscimento degli apprendimenti nei contesti di formazione continua. L’esperienza dell’Università di CataniaIl contributo focalizza l’attenzione sul ruolo dell’Università nel favorire i processi di certificazione delle competenze acquisite nei contesti di formazione continua. Vengono presentati i risultati di un’esperienza realizzata dall’Università di Catania dal 2012 al 2018. In assenza di una normativa regionale di riferimento, l’Ateneo, attraverso il centro di servizi Centro per l’aggiornamento delle professioni e per il trasferimento tecnologico (Capitt), ha sviluppato, in via sperimentale, un insieme di procedure e di strumenti per la costruzione di un sistema di riconoscimento e di certificazione delle competenze dei lavoratori impegnati in attività di aggiornamento professionale, consentendone la spendibilità in molteplici contesti. In tal modo l’Università ha contribuito ai bisogni formativi del territorio, assolvendo ai compiti di Terza missione che le sono propri