A tiered approach to natural background level (nbl) assessment in groundwater under a non hazardous waste land fill in Latium region (Italy)

This paper deals with the results of investigation and monitoring activity on groundwater flowing under an area of a non hazardous waste landfill, placed in the Agro Romano, in the South Rome town area, near to Colli Albani Volcanic region. The geological framework is mainly dominated by pyroclastic deposits of Colli Albani Volcanic Complex named pozzolanelle and tufo lionato. The purpose of the study has been the investigation of the origin of concentration values referred to Arsenic, Manganese, and Fluoride, exceeding the European law limit values. In order to identify whether the observed concentrations represent a naturally-occurring condition or they are due to an anthropogenic source, it was applied a tiered up approach. As a matter of fact in the aim of following a tiered approach, they were analyzed, different aspects like: the impacts coming from anthropogenic activities, regional and site specific geology knowledge, the mineralogic properties of the geological outcrops, site specific geochemistry, statistical approach. Carrying on a background analysis early may become an important guideline for statutory requirements in the site assessment based on legal fixed concentrations

Una Messa ‘propria’ per i santi Faustino e Giovita: il ms. alfa del Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra a Brescia

There is now new evidence which allows us to detect in the Gradual MS Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra, Brescia, Codici Miniati , alfa, one of the choir books made in the late Middle Ages (XV ex - XVI in centuries) expressly for the Benedictine monastery of San Faustino Maggiore in Brescia. Being the fruit of the spiritual and cultural rebirth which affected the monastery in the fifteenth century and later revealed itself through the fusion with the S. Giustina di Padova Congregation (1490), the Gradual preserves a precious treasure, a proprium Mass for the saints Faustino and Giovita, the musical transcription of which is given in the appendix, together with the codicological description of the manuscript, the table of contents and some comparative tables

Successful nilotinib therapy in a CML affected patient with A380T, P407S and V468A mutations, and a previous suboptimal cytogenetic response to imatinib

Imatinib mesylate (IM) has shown unprecedented effectiveness in the treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) patients (pts) in the chronic phase of the disease. However, some pts fail to respond or lose their initial response to IM. The European LeukemiaNet (ELN) published recommendations designed to identify patients responding poorly to imatinib. Here we report a case of a suboptimal cytogenetic responder to IM who had a successful response to the second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib (NIL). According to the ELN criteria, CML pts on IM-therapy might show a suboptimal response either because of failure to achieve a CCyR by 12 months of therapy or because of lack of a MMR after 18 months. The prognostic value of these two types of responders might be very different

Groundwater: a matter of quality and quantity in Limpopo National Park

Groundwater is a matter of quantity and quality, especially where groundwater is the primary source of water for people living in the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region, because it is used, extensively, for multiple purposes, covering a crucial role in supplying water for farming and domestic uses. The large SADC area has limited surface and groundwater resources, because most of the water management areas are severely stressed and many people still do not have access to the accepted minimum supply of water. Increasing water demand, population growth, abstraction of surficial water and climate change are the main drivers on groundwater resources in SADC Region. Water scarcity is becoming a limiting factor for economic development in the basin, as it is in many other basins located in developing countries with arid climates, lagging water infrastructure development, and rapidly increasing populations. The first step for a sound water resources planning is the knowledge of the hydrogeological conceptual model in the area under study. Most rural communities in SADC are served by groundwater resources. Access to these resources is one and important critical factors. The lack of management of groundwater resources is also evident in community water supplies, where in some cases groundwater resources are developed in unsustainable way. The aim of the present study is to design the water resources status quo, defining the hydrological conceptual model assessing the hydrogeochemical properties of groundwater in the Limpopo National Park, one of the jewels in the crown of Mozambique’s protected areas, in order to quantify the water balance and to provide recommendations for a future correct management, focusing future research on this subject

ZAP-70 expression in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: association with the E2A/PBX1 rearrangement and the pre-B stage of differentiation and prognostic implications

We evaluated the expression of 2 members of the Syk family, ZAP-70 and Syk, in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) samples, using data derived from a series of 33 T-ALL and 95 B-lineage adult ALL patients analyzed by oligonucleotide arrays. Of the B-lineage ALL cases, 37 were BCR/ABL+, 10 were ALL1/AF4+, 5 were E2A/PBX1+, and 43 carried no known molecular abnormality. ZAP-70 was highly expressed in T-ALL. A high ZAP-70 expression was also found in a proportion of B-lineage ALL, the highest levels being associated with the E2A/PBX1+ group and the lowest with ALL1/AF4+ cases (P < .001). A higher ZAP-70 expression was also observed in the pre-B group (P < .001). Remarkably, Syk expression was always preserved, suggesting that ZAP-70 expression is not substitutive of Syk. At the protein level, ZAP-70 was evaluated on 39 newly diagnosed ALL patients (25 adults, 14 children) and was detected in 23 cases (59%). ZAP-70 expression was consistently found in Ig mu+ cases. Evaluation of long-term outcome in cases without molecular abnormalities showed that the higher levels of ZAP-70 were coupled to a higher relapse rate. In ALL, ZAP-70 expression is associated with the E2A/PBX1 rearrangement and pre-B stage and may have a prognostic role and be a candidate molecule for targeted therapies

Nanoparticle–Biofilm Interactions: The Role of the EPS Matrix

The negative consequences of biofilms are widely reported. A defining feature of biofilms is the extracellular matrix, a complex mixture of biomacromolecules, termed EPS, which contributes to reduced antimicrobial susceptibility. EPS targeting is a promising, but underexploited, approach to biofilm control allowing disruption of the matrix and thereby increasing the susceptibility to antimicrobials. Nanoparticles (NPs) can play a very important role as ’carriers’ of EPS matrix disruptors, and several approaches have recently been proposed. In this review, we discuss the application of nanoparticles as antibiofilm technologies with a special emphasis on the role of the EPS matrix in the physicochemical regulation of the nanoparticle–biofilm interaction. We highlight the use of nanoparticles as a platform for a new generation of antibiofilm approaches.Science Foundation Irelan

Elecciones locales de 2021 en Venezuela: un chavismo perdedor en teoría pero ganador en la práctica

Más de 70.000 candidatos participaron en las elecciones locales en Venezuela en el año 2021 en un evento que representó la renovación de un total de 3.082 cargos en 23 gobernaciones, 335 alcaldías y sus respectivos cuerpos colegiados. Estos comicios se celebraron en un contexto de consolidación autoritaria en curso del gobierno de Nicolás Maduro, así como de las secuelas de la pandemia producida por la COVID-19. El partido de gobierno PSUV se impuso en estas elecciones, mientras que los partidos opositores tuvieron que lidiar con los dilemas de participar en elecciones no competitivas. ¿Qué resultados arrojó este evento electoral de 2021?, ¿qué partidos y bloques políticos predominaron? En este capítulo se abordan estas preguntas analizando el marco político-electoral, la situación socioeconómica de los años recientes y, sobre todo 2021, estudiando el proceso electoral, considerando la campaña, las diferentes coaliciones, la competitividad de los candidatos y alianzas, a partir de los resultados. El capítulo muestra que, si bien los números reflejaron un control del PSUV de las gobernaciones y las alcaldías, este grupo político sufrió un revés en lo relativo al voto popular. Por su parte, el bloque opositor no pudo traducir su potencial electoral en un mayor número de gobernaciones y alcaldías, como resultado de las prácticas autoritarias y de su atomización en diferentes coaliciones leales y no leales a la élite gobernante

Competitiveness during Dual-Species Biofilm Formation of Fusarium oxysporum and Candida albicans and a Novel Treatment Strategy

During an infection, a single or multispecies biofilm can develop. Infections caused by non-dermatophyte molds, such as Fusarium spp. and yeasts, such as Candida spp., are particularly difficult to treat due to the formation of a mixed biofilm of the two species. Fusarium oxysporum is responsible for approximately 20% of human fusariosis, while Candida albicans is responsible for superficial mucosal and dermal infections and for disseminated bloodstream infections with a mortality rate above 40%. This study aims to investigate the interactions between C. albicans and F. oxysporum dual-species biofilm, considering variable formation conditions. Further, the ability of the WMR peptide, a modified version of myxinidin, to eradicate the mixed biofilm when used alone or in combination with fluconazole (FLC) was tested, and the efficacy of the combination of WMR and FLC at low doses was assessed, as well as its effect on the expression of some biofilm-related adhesin and hyphal regulatory genes. Finally, in order to confirm our findings in vivo and explore the synergistic effect of the two drugs, we utilized the Galleria mellonella infection model. We concluded that C. albicans negatively affects F. oxysporum growth in mixed biofilms. Combinatorial treatment by WMR and FLC significantly reduced the biomass and viability of both species in mature mixed biofilms, and these effects coincided with the reduced expression of biofilm-related genes in both fungi. Our results were confirmed in vivo since the synergistic antifungal activity of WMR and FLC increased the survival of infected larvae and reduced tissue invasion. These findings highlight the importance of drug combinations as an alternative treatment for C. albicans and F. oxysporum mixed biofilms

Improved semiconducting CuO/CuFe2O4 nanostructured thin films for CO2 gas sensing

Promising results on the behavior of CuO/CuFe2O4sputtered thin films as a sensing material under carbondioxide atmospheres are presented in this article. More specifically, we report the effects of preparationparameters and microstructure of the sensing layer on the response to CO2. FEG-SEM images and XPSmeasurements revealed the two-stacked layers rearrangement of samples after air annealing as a keyparameter in gas sensing test. The influence of the sensing layer thickness and the influence of Ag as anadditive in the film on the response are also reported. The best response was obtained at the optimaloperating temperature of 250◦C with a thin film deposited under low argon pressure and low target-to-substrate distance, reaching 40% towards 5000 ppm of CO2