Exploratory analysis of transposable elements expression in the C. elegans early embryo

Background: Transposable Elements (TE) are mobile sequences that make up large portions of eukaryote genomes. The functions they play within the complex cellular architecture are still not clearly understood, but it is becoming evident that TE have a role in several physiological and pathological processes. In particular, it has been shown that TE transcription is necessary for the correct development of mice embryos and that their expression is able to finely modulate transcription of coding and non-coding genes. Moreover, their activity in the central nervous system (CNS) and other tissues has been correlated with the creation of somatic mosaicisms and with pathologies such as neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancers. Results: We analyzed TE expression among different cell types of the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) early embryo asking if, where and when TE are expressed and whether their expression is correlated with genes playing a role in early embryo development. To answer these questions, we took advantage of a public C. elegans embryonic single-cell RNA-seq (sc-RNAseq) dataset and developed a bioinformatics pipeline able to quantify reads mapping specifically against TE, avoiding counting reads mapping on TE fragments embedded in coding/non-coding transcripts. Our results suggest that i) canonical TE expression analysis tools, which do not discard reads mapping on TE fragments embedded in annotated transcripts, may over-estimate TE expression levels, ii) Long Terminal Repeats (LTR) elements are mostly expressed in undifferentiated cells and might play a role in pluripotency maintenance and activation of the innate immune response, iii) non-LTR are expressed in differentiated cells, in particular in neurons and nervous system-Associated tissues, and iv) DNA TE are homogenously expressed throughout the C. elegans early embryo development. Conclusions: TE expression appears finely modulated in the C. elegans early embryo and different TE classes are expressed in different cell types and stages, suggesting that TE might play diverse functions during early embryo development

Combined treatment with amphotericin-B and granulocyte transfusion from G-CSF-stimulated donors in an aplastic patient with invasive aspergillosis undergoing bone marrow transplantation.

Granulocyte transfusions from G-CSF stimulated donors were added to standard anti-infective treatment in preparation for and during allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in a young man affected by very severe acute aplastic anemia and invasive aspergillosis. Nine concentrates with a mean neutrophil content of 18.7x109/L (2.6x 108/kg patient b.w.) were transfused before and after marrow infusion. An impressive clinical improvement was noticed after each granulocyte transfusion, although this was not always paralleled by a neutrophil increase in the peripheral blood. Engraftment (N>0.5x109/L and PIt >25x109/L) was verified at +16 and +40 days, respectively. The patient is currently in complete hematological and microbiological remission 14 months after transplantation. Granulocyte apheresis from G-CSF stimulated donors provides a high number of activated neutrophils. At the dose given (300 μg/day) donor tolerance to G-CSF was excellent. This new approach is indicated when life-threatening infections develop in patients exposed to prolonged severe neutropenia

Notes on the reproductive condition of early colonizing S. Luridus in the Sicily Strait (Mediterranean Sea)

This paper summarizes some observations on gonad development and fecundity of the Lessepsian migrant Siganus luridus (Osteichthyes: Siganidae), recently settled in the islands of Malta and Linosa (Sicily strait, Mediterranean sea). The analysis of ovarian and testicular development showed that these early colonizers attain final gonad maturation and have the potential for successful reproduction.peer-reviewe

Sistemi di trasmissione WiFi per il monitoraggio sismico del Vesuvio

First-year engineering students at the University of Queensland used an interactive webbook to acquire information skills. These helped them search information resources for their projects, which they are required to undertake as part of the subject Introduction to professional engineering. The information skills exercise was an integral part of the project and worth 10% of the overall assessment. The exercises were only available on the Web, allowing the students to enter their answers from home or wherever they had access to the Internet. All answers were marked automatically using a database of all possible answers. Students were able to go back to check their answers. Students were assessed on both their responses to the exercises and also their final bibliography which largely reflected the impact of the webbook. The entire process was evaluated. This paper presents the process and the outcomes of the first-year engineering project involving use of WWW for information skills instruction. The webbooks can be found at http://www.library.uq.edu.au/9e105/

Monitoring cyanobacterial blooms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Campania, Italy: The case of lake avernus

Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous photosynthetic microorganisms considered as important contributors to the formation of Earth’s atmosphere and to the process of nitrogen fixation. However, they are also frequently associated with toxic blooms, named cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs). This paper reports on an unusual out-of-season cyanoHAB and its dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Lake Avernus, South Italy. Fast detection strategy (FDS) was used to assess this phenomenon, through the integration of satellite imagery and biomolecular investigation of the environmental samples. Data obtained unveiled a widespread Microcystis sp. bloom in February 2020 (i.e., winter season in Italy), which completely disappeared at the end of the following COVID-19 lockdown, when almost all urban activities were suspended. Due to potential harmfulness of cyanoHABs, crude extracts from the “winter bloom” were evaluated for their cytotoxicity in two different human cell lines, namely normal dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) and breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7). The chloroform extract was shown to exert the highest cytotoxic activity, which has been correlated to the presence of cyanotoxins, i.e., microcystins, micropeptins, anabaenopeptins, and aeruginopeptins, detected by molecular networking analysis of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data

Il Sito Web accessibile dell’Osservatorio Vesuviano

Il sito web dell’Osservatorio Vesuviano (OV) nasce nel 1997. Lo scopo era quello di fornire informazioni sullo stato di attività dei vulcani della Campania, per i quali l’Osservatorio Vesuviano gestisce le reti strumentali di monitoraggio, nonché di far conoscere le attività scientifiche e i dati prodotti dall’ente. Nel 2002 il sito ha subito una sostanziale riorganizzazione, a seguito di una ristrutturazione dell’Osservatorio Vesuviano, che insieme ad altri istituzioni scientifiche affini era confluito, all’inizio del 2001, nell’Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) diventandone la Sezione di Napoli. La nuova versione ha tenuto conto della più complessa articolazione delle attività dell’Osservatorio Vesuviano, che negli anni aveva visto aumentare il numero dei propri ricercatori e tecnici e aveva ulteriormente differenziato e specializzato le proprie attività. Inoltre la nuova strutturazione come sezione dell’INGV consentiva un’organizzazione in Unità Funzionali e Servizi. In occasione della realizzazione della seconda versione del sito è stata effettuata un’analisi sistematica dell’utenza basata prevalentemente sulla posta elettronica ricevuta all’indirizzo dedicato alle richieste di informazioni da parte del pubblico. Questo ha consentito di individuare diverse tipologie di utenza. In funzione delle crescenti richieste di informazioni è stato inoltre organizzato un gruppo per curare il servizio “info”, basato su richieste di informazione via mail, che ha dato modo di meglio delineare gli argomenti di maggior interesse da parte dei visitatori (Giudicepietro et al., 2006). Questa attività ha fatto nascere anche una sezione dedicata alle domande frequenti che, soprattutto nei periodi di maggior attenzione per le tematiche del rischio vulcanico, è risultata un utile supporto alla richiesta di informazioni da parte del pubblico. Negli ultimi anni in Italia, come in molti altri paesi del mondo, si è sviluppata una normativa in materia di web che ha dettato le linee guida per lo sviluppo dei siti delle Pubbliche Amministrazioni (Circolare Funzione Pubblica 13 marzo 2001, n. 3/2001 “Linee guida per l'organizzazione, l'usabilità e l'accessibilità dei siti web delle pubbliche amministrazioni”) nonché ha richiamato l’attenzione sull’accessibilità. La normativa italiana relativa all’accessibilità ha lo scopo principale di garantire la fruizione delle informazioni diffuse sul web e dei relativi servizi informatici anche alle persone disabili in ottemperanza al principio di uguaglianza ai sensi dell'articolo 3 della Costituzione. In particolare la Legge del 9 gennaio 2004 n. 4 (pubblicata in G.U. 13 del 17.01.2004) definisce l’accessibilità delle fonti di informazione e servizi informatici come “la capacità dei sistemi informatici, nelle forme e nei limiti consentiti dalle conoscenze tecnologiche, di erogare servizi e fornire informazioni fruibili, senza discriminazioni, anche da parte di coloro che a causa di disabilità necessitano di tecnologie assistive o configurazioni particolari”. Le tecnologie assistive sono definite nella stessa legge come “gli strumenti e le soluzioni tecniche, hardware e software, che permettono alla persona disabile, superando o riducendo le condizioni di svantaggio, di accedere alle informazioni e ai servizi erogati dai sistemi informatici”. Un esempio di tecnologia 4 assistiva può essere uno screen reader, ovvero un lettore di schermo, strumento utilizzato dai non vedenti per usare il computer. In attuazione della legge del 9 gennaio 2004 n. 4, il Decreto Ministeriale dell'8 luglio 2005 "Requisiti tecnici e i diversi livelli per l'accessibilità agli strumenti informatici", definisce 22 requisiti per l’accessibilità che i siti delle Pubbliche Amministrazioni devono soddisfare. La seconda versione del sito dell’Osservatorio Vesuviano non era conforme ai requisiti richiesti da questo decreto, pertanto si è resa necessaria una nuova ristrutturazione del sito che consentisse l’adeguamento alla normativa vigente (www.w3.org, www.governo.it, www.pubbliaccesso.it, www.cnipa.gov.it)

Automatic detection of landslides at Stromboli using neural network analysis of seismic signals

Landslides along the Sciara del Fuoco flank of Stromboli volcano are generally accompanied by c1istinctive seismic signals which can be used for srudying this phenomenon. These signals are characterìzed by a spectral content with higher frequencies and a wider band than the typical explosion quakes and volcanic tremor signals which are continuously recorded at Stromboli. Furthermore their amplirude envelope usually shows a cigar-like shape. These two fearures make the detection of such signals quite easy. The detection of landslides at Stromboli has shown to be an important shortterm precursor of effusive eruptions. Before the Feb. 27th 2007 eruption, the opening of the effusive vents was preceded by few hours oI increased occurrence of landslide signals (Martini et al., 2007). Furthermore since the Sciara del Fuoco has shown significant instabilities during the 2002-2003 eruption, the automatic detection of landslide signals is an important monitoring tool for notifying variations in the stability of this flank. We propose a technique based on a Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP) neural network which has shown excellent performances. The network is composed of two layer of neurons, the hidden and the output. The hidden layer is composed of 4 neurons while the output layer is composed by a single neuron whose output value ranges between Oand 1, with values higher than a given threshold (e.g. 0.5) meaning positive detection. The continuous seismic signals are analysed using moving windows of 24 s, with an overlap of 12 s. For each of these windows the neural output is computed. The waveforms of each time window are parametrized using both their spectrogram and their amplirude envelope. The spectrogram is described using the Linear Preclictive Cocling (L'PC) technique which allows to represent the spectral content using a limited number of coefficients. The whole signal is c1ivided into 8 sub-windows of 5.12 s length, with an overlapping of 2.56 s. For each sub-window we compute 6 LPC coefficients, so each spectrogram is described by only 48 coefficients. The amplirude envelope is defined by computing the c1ifference between the maximum and minimum value over 1 s sub-windows obtaining 24 coefficients. In conclusion we use an input vector composed of 72 elements (48+24). This vector has shown to be an efficient and compact representation of the raw signal (composed of 1200 samples) (Esposito et al. 2006). The dataset used for determining the network parameters is composed of 537 signals, c1ivided in two classes: 267 landslide signals and 270 other signals (explosions and tremor). The classification of these signals has been performed by analysts. The training is carried out using subsets of 5/8 of the total dataset. The testing subsets are composed by the remaining 3/8. The network has shown a performance of about 98.7%. This value is an average over 6 random permutations of the dataset. A preliminary real-rime automatic system has already been implemented. This system performs continuous analysis of the seismic signals, publishing them on internal web pages. It allows a detection of the landslides and a comparison with the past activity on arbitrary rime intervals

Prototype of a Dsp-Based Instrument for In-Service Wireless Transmitter Power Measurement

Abstract A prototype of a DSP-based instrument for in-service transmitter power measurements is presented. The instrument implements a signal-selective algorithm for power measurements that is suitable for use in wireless environments, where possible uncontrolled interfering sources are present in the radio channel and are overlapped to the signal emitted by the transmitter under test, possibly in both time and frequency domain. The measurement method exploits the principles of cyclic spectral analysis, which are briefly recalled in the paper. Potentialities, as well as limitations of the prototype use are discussed, and the results of experiments with both modulated and unmodulated interfering sources are presented

Efficacy of the gluten free diet in the management of functional gastrointestinal disorders : a systematic review on behalf of the Italian Society of Paediatrics

Background: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are characterized by chronic/recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms not related to organic disorders. Due to the limited treatment options and to the perception of subjects with FGIDs suffering from a food intolerance, in recent years there has been an increase in the self-prescription of elimination diets, especially gluten free diet (GFD), for the treatment of these disorders. For this reason, we decided to perform this systematic review with the aim to evaluate the available evidence on the effects of a GFD on gastrointestinal symptoms, in subjects with FGIDs. Methods: Cochrane Library and MEDLINE (via PubMed) databases were searched, from inception to March 2018, using the MeSH terms "functional gastrointestinal disorder OR irritable bowel syndrome AND gluten". We included all the clinical trials published in English and evaluating the effects of a GFD in subjects with FGIDs diagnosed according to the Rome II, III, and IV criteria. Results: Eleven trials were eligible (3 prospective trials, 8 single or double-blind placebo-controlled trials), with 10/11 trials including adult subjects with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or FGIDs. Most of the prospective studies found an effect of GFD on gastrointestinal symptoms control. Nevertheless, 1 trial failed to find an association between gluten and GI symptoms when FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) content was simultaneously reduced in the diet, and 2 trials reported a worsening of symptoms during placebo administration. The results of the different trials are difficult to compare due to discrepancies in the study protocols regarding the amount and type of gluten administered, the duration of the gluten challenge, the type of placebo used, and the duration of the challenge itself. Conclusions: According to our results, gluten may contribute to the occurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with FGIDs, particularly in those with IBS. Nevertheless, the results of the currently available trials are difficult to compare due to the lack of standardization in the study designs. For this reason, it is still not possible to recommend the use of the GFD in the routine management of FGIDs