Sustainable Power Production in a Membrane-less and Mediator-less Wastewater Microbial Fuel Cell

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) fed with wastewater are currently considered a feasible strategy for production of renewable electricity at low cost. A membrane-less MFC with biological cathode was built from a compact wastewater treatment reactor. When operated with an external resistance of 250 Ohm, the MFC produced a long-term power of approximately 70 mW/m2 for ten months. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of the cathode biomass when the MFC was closed on a 2100 Ohm external resistance showed that the sequenced bands were affiliated with Firmicutes, -Proteobacteria, -Proteobacteria, -Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes groups. When the external resistance was varied between 250 and 2100 Ohm, sustainable resistance decreased from 900 to 750 Ohm, while sustainable power output decreased from 32 to 28 mW/m2. It is likely that these effects were caused by changes in the microbial ecology of anodic and cathodic biomass attached to the electrodes. Results suggest that cathodic biomass enrichment in “electroactive” bacteria may improve MFCs power output in a similar fashion to what has been already observed for anodic biomass

Parallelisms, synergies and contradictions in the relationship between Special Education, Gifted Education and Inclusive Education

Special Education and Gifted Education are two theoretical and research areas that have developed in parallel: the former dealing primarily with pupils with disabilities and other special educational needs, the latter with a small percentage of high-ability students. Although Gifted Education can be considered as part of the broader field of Special Education, it is a separated branch in terms of both methods and aims. Nevertheless, the two areas share the dominant debate about school inclusion, as a common direction in contemporary education. With reference to national and international research, the article contains a parallel reflection on historical, normative, theoretical and operative aspects of Special and Gifted Education, with the aim of identifying the critical issues concerning both fields as well as their possible developments in relation to Inclusive Education. Parallelismi, sinergie e contraddizioni nel rapporto tra Special Education, Gifted Education e Inclusive Education La Pedagogia Speciale e la Gifted Education sono due settori che si sono sviluppati parallelamente: il primo occupandosi principalmente dei soggetti con disabilità e altri bisogni educativi speciali, il secondo di un'esigua percentuale di studenti con capacità elevate. Sebbene la Gifted Education possa essere considerata una branca della più ampia Special Education, essa si configura come autonoma sia per metodi che per scopi ma non del tutto avulsa dal dibattito dominante verso cui tendono tutte le istanze educative contemporanee: l'educazione inclusiva. Il contributo affronta dal punto di vista della ricerca nazionale e internazionale l'intersecarsi di questioni storiche, normative, teoriche e operative tra Pedagogia Speciale e Gifted Education allo scopo di individuare i nodi critici e i percorsi possibili per una confluenza nell'ambito dell'Inclusive Education

Pain-motor integration in the primary motor cortex in Parkinson's disease

In Parkinson's disease (PD), the influence of chronic pain on motor features has never been investigated. We have recently designed a technique that combines nociceptive system activation by laser stimuli and primary motor cortex (M1) activation through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in a laser-paired associative stimulation design (Laser-PAS). In controls, Laser-PAS induces long-term changes in motor evoked potentials reflecting M1 long-term potentiation-like plasticity, arising from pain-motor integration

Release of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metals from Rubber Crumb in Synthetic Turf Fields: Preliminary Hazard Assessment for Athletes

Synthetic turf, made with an infill of rubber crumb from used tyres or virgin rubber, is now common in many sporting facilities. It is known that it contains compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. We evaluated in nine samples of rubber crumb the total content of some heavy metals (Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni, Fe) normally found in tyres by microwave mineralization and the levels of the 14 US EPA priority PAHs by Soxhlet extraction and HPLC analysis. The results showed high levels of PAHs and zinc in all rubber crumb samples compared to rubber granulate limits set by Italian National Amateur League (LND). Following the precautionary principle, a risk assessment at 25°C was done, using the Average Daily Dose (ADD) assumed by athletes, expressed in terms of mass of contaminant per unit of body weight per day (mg/kg day), and the Lifetime Average Daily Dose (LADD) and then evaluating the Hazard Index (HI) and the Cumulative Excess Cancer Risk (∑ECR). In the different rubber granulates samples the HI ranges from a minimum of 8.94×10-7 to a maximum of 1.16×10-6, while the ∑ECR ranges from a minimum of 4.91×10-9 to a maximum of 1.10×10-8. Finally, the aim of this study was to estimate the “hazard” for athletes inhaling PAHs released at the high temperatures this synthetic turf may reach. Then a sequence of proofs was carried out at 60°C, a temperature that this rubber crumb can easily reach in sporting installations, to see whether PAH release occurs. The toxicity equivalent (TEQ) of eva

A predictive and testable unified theory of fermion masses, mixing and leptogenesis

We consider a minimal non-supersymmetric SO(10) Grand Unified Theory (GUT) model that can reproduce the observed fermionic masses and mixing parameters of the Standard Model. We calculate the scales of spontaneous symmetry breaking from the GUT to the Standard Model gauge group using two-loop renormalisation group equations. This procedure determines the proton decay rate and the scale of U(1)B−L breaking, which generates cosmic strings and the right-handed neutrino mass scales. Consequently, the regions of parameter space where thermal leptogenesis is viable are identified and correlated with the fermion masses and mixing, the neutrinoless double beta decay rate, the proton decay rate, and the gravitational wave signal resulting from the network of cosmic strings. We demonstrate that this framework, which can explain the Standard Model fermion masses and mixing and the observed baryon asymmetry, will be highly constrained by the next generation of gravitational wave detectors and neutrino oscillation experiments which will also constrain the proton lifetime

Selection of reference genes for quantitative RT-PCR studies in striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) skin biopsies

BACKGROUND: Odontocete cetaceans occupy the top position of the marine food-web and are particularly sensitive to the bioaccumulation of lipophilic contaminants. The effects of environmental pollution on these species are highly debated and various ecotoxicological studies have addressed the impact of xenobiotic compounds on marine mammals, raising conservational concerns. Despite its sensitivity, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) has never been used to quantify gene induction caused by exposure of cetaceans to contaminants. A limitation for the application of qRT-PCR is the need for appropriate reference genes which allow the correct quantification of gene expression. A systematic evaluation of potential reference genes in cetacean skin biopsies is presented, in order to validate future qRT-PCR studies aiming at using the expression of selected genes as non-lethal biomarkers. RESULTS: Ten commonly used housekeeping genes (HKGs) were partially sequenced in the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) and, for each gene, PCR primer pairs were specifically designed and tested in qRT-PCR assays. The expression of these potential control genes was examined in 30 striped dolphin skin biopsy samples, obtained from specimens sampled in the north-western Mediterranean Sea. The stability of selected control genes was determined using three different specific VBA applets (geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper) which produce highly comparable results. Glyceraldehyde-3P-dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and tyrosine 3-monooxygenase (YWHAZ) always rank as the two most stably expressed HKGs according to the analysis with geNorm and Normfinder, and are defined as optimal control genes by BestKepeer. Ribosomal protein L4 (RPL4) and S18 (RPS18) also exhibit a remarkable stability of their expression levels. On the other hand, transferrin receptor (TFRC), phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1), hypoxanthine ribosyltransferase (HPRT1) and β-2-microglobin (B2M) show variable expression among the studied samples and appear as less suitable reference genes for data normalization. CONCLUSION: In this work, we have provided essential background information for the selection of control genes in qRT-PCR studies of cetacean skin biopsies, as a molecular technique to investigate ecotoxicological hazard in marine mammals. Of 10 HKGs tested, those encoding for YWHAZ and GAPDH appear as the most reliable control genes for the normalization of qRT-PCR data in the analysis of striped dolphin skin biopsies. Potentially useful reference genes are also those encoding for ribosomal proteins L4 and S18