First person – Vincenzo Torraca

First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Vincenzo Torraca is first author on ‘ Transcriptional profiling of zebrafish identifies host factors controlling susceptibility toShigella flexneri’, published in DMM. Vincenzo conducted the research described in this article while he was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at Imperial College London, UK and an ISSF (Institutional Strategic Support Fund)-Wellcome Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, where most of the work was carried out in Prof. Serge Mostowy's lab. He has just started his own group at King's College London, investigating host-pathogen interactions and antimicrobial resistance for globally relevant bacterial pathogens, such as Shigella and E. coli, using zebrafish as an in vivo model

Lectures on Materials Science for Architectural Conservation

Based on a lecture course, presents the scientific theory of the structure of building materials, metals, natural and synthetic polymers, and silicates, silanes, and silicones; their properties, deterioration, and conservation; and use in conservation

Poaching as a threat to biodiversity and a barrier to sustainable development in Western Uganda: A Case Study of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Kibale National Park, and Surrounding Areas

Despite efforts of the international community and individual countries to end poaching activities and target the markets which drive these activities, poaching continues to be a global problem. This paper will discuss the methods, findings, and recommendations that have resulted from a study on poaching in western Uganda. Uganda is both a transit country for illegal animal species and their derivatives from neighboring countries as well as a home to a number of species that are targeted by poachers. This makes Uganda an area of importance to the study of persistent poaching. Many of Uganda’s protected areas and native species, as well as Uganda’s border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are concentrated in the western region making this area particularly relevant to the study. The research specifically addressed poaching in Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP), Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP), Kibale National Park (KNP), and the surrounding communities. The research was conducted from QENP, Kasese, Fort Portal, and Kampala over a six-week period. Personal interviews and focus group discussions were the main methods used to gather information during the study. This paper includes major findings of the study such as the prevalence of poaching activities in the areas studied and the successes and shortcomings of anti-poaching initiatives. For the purposes of this research project, “poaching” includes any illegal trapping or hunting of a wild animal. Although plants are often included as species that can be “poached”, this study excludes plant species

Dread and the Undead: Old Norse Zombies, Arthurian Adventures, and Horror Movies

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College

Shigella sonnei

Shigella sonnei is a rod-shaped, Gram-negative facultative intracellular pathogen. It was named ‘Sonne’s bacillus’ after Carl Olaf Sonne who described it as a causative agent of bacillary dysentery. S. sonnei is distributed worldwide and represents the most common cause of shigellosis in industrialized regions in Europe, North America, and Australia. It is currently undergoing expansion in middle-income countries across Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. S. sonnei evolved from Escherichia coli to specialize in intracellular infection of the human gut epithelium, and its genome comprises a 4.99 Mbp circular chromosome and a 216 kbp invasion plasmid (pINV) required for virulence. The chromosome is ~6% smaller than other E. coli and is punctuated by >300 copies of insertion sequence (IS) elements, whose expansion has degraded the genome through disruption and deletion of genes. Here we describe the key and disease facts allowing bacteria to evade host immune defences and to establish infection

Chemokine Receptors and Phagocyte Biology in Zebrafish

Phagocytes are highly motile immune cells that ingest and clear microbial invaders, harmful substances, and dying cells. Their function is critically dependent on the expression of chemokine receptors, a class of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Chemokine receptors coordinate the recruitment of phagocytes and other immune cells to sites of infection and damage, modulate inflammatory and wound healing responses, and direct cell differentiation, proliferation, and polarization. Besides, a structurally diverse group of atypical chemokine receptors (ACKRs) are unable to signal in G-protein-dependent fashion themselves but can shape chemokine gradients by fine-tuning the activity of conventional chemokine receptors. The optically transparent zebrafish embryos and larvae provide a powerful in vivo system to visualize phagocytes during development and study them as key elements of the immune response in real-time. In this review, we discuss how the zebrafish model has furthered our understanding of the role of two main classes of chemokine receptors, the CC and CXC subtypes, in phagocyte biology. We address the roles of the receptors in the migratory properties of phagocytes in zebrafish models for cancer, infectious disease, and inflammation. We illustrate how studies in zebrafish enable visualizing the contribution of chemokine receptors and ACKRs in shaping self-generated chemokine gradients of migrating cells. Taking the functional antagonism between two paralogs of the CXCR3 family as an example, we discuss how the duplication of chemokine receptor genes in zebrafish poses challenges, but also provides opportunities to study sub-functionalization or loss-of-function events. We emphasize how the zebrafish model has been instrumental to prove that the major determinant for the functional outcome of a chemokine receptor-ligand interaction is the cell-type expressing the receptor. Finally, we highlight relevant homologies and analogies between mammalian and zebrafish phagocyte function and discuss the potential of zebrafish models to further advance our understanding of chemokine receptors in innate immunity and disease

A simple figure of merit to identify the first layer to degrade and fail in dual layer SiOx/HfO2 gate dielectric stacks

Understanding the degradation dynamics and the breakdown sequence of a bilayer high-k (HK) gate dielectric stack is crucial for the improvement of device reliability. We present a new Figure of Merit (FoM), the IL/HK Degradation Index, that depends on fundamental materials properties (the dielectric breakdown strength and the dielectric constant) and can be used to easily and quickly identify the first layer to degrade and fail in a bilayer SiO2/HK dielectric stack. Its dependence on IL and HK material parameters is investigated and its validity is demonstrated by means of accurate physics-based simulations of the degradation process. The proposed FoM can be easily used to understand the degradation dynamics of the gate dielectric stack, providing critical insights for device reliability improvement

Matemática financeira na formaçâo de professores

O estudo de Matemática Financeira é altamente motivador e fundamental para formar cidadãos mais críticos. Mas, quando abordada na Escola Básica, a Matemática Financeira enfoca apenas porcentagem e fórmulas de juros simples e compostos, sem aplicações que envolvam problemas do dia-a-dia. A pesquisa relatada neste trabalho indica que o professor da Escola Básica não tem, em geral, a formação necessária para abordar a Matemática Financeira de forma eficaz em suas aulas. São analisadas soluções apresentadas por professores e futuros professores para um problema real, do pagamento do imposto IPVA, mostrando os tipos de erros cometidos. Como consequência dessa pesquisa, foi desenvolvida uma proposta prática e visual para auxiliar o professor no ensino de Matemática Financeira, que incentiva a representação das situações do cotidiano no eixo das setas, permitindo a compreensão da variação do dinheiro no tempo

Macrophage-pathogen interactions in infectious diseases: new therapeutic insights from the zebrafish host model

Studying macrophage biology in the context of a whole living organism provides unique possibilities to understand the contribution of this extremely dynamic cell subset in the reaction to infections, and has revealed the relevance of cellular and molecular processes that are fundamental to the cell-mediated innate immune response. In particular, various recently established zebrafish infectious disease models are contributing substantially to our understanding of the mechanisms by which different pathogens interact with macrophages and evade host innate immunity. Transgenic zebrafish lines with fluorescently labeled macrophages and other leukocyte populations enable non-invasive imaging at the optically transparent early life stages. Furthermore, there is a continuously expanding availability of vital reporters for subcellular compartments and for probing activation of immune defense mechanisms. These are powerful tools to visualize the activity of phagocytic cells in real time and shed light on the intriguing paradoxical roles of these cells in both limiting infection and supporting the dissemination of intracellular pathogens. This Review will discuss how several bacterial and fungal infection models in zebrafish embryos have led to new insights into the dynamic molecular and cellular mechanisms at play when pathogens encounter host macrophages. We also describe how these insights are inspiring novel therapeutic strategies for infectious disease treatment

Governance challenges for urban logistics: Lessons from three Norwegian cities

Achieving more sustainable urban freight transport is a key challenge for cities, especially with the rise of diverse urban delivery services. However, the governance of urban freight transport and urban logistics has typically been seen as the domain of the private sector. In this paper we argue for a reframing of urban logistics as a matter of concern for public authorities, and subsequently, we examine logistics as an urban governance challenge: how is urban logistics addressed by urban level authorities? The empirical basis for the paper is a study of three Norwegian cities—Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger—currently working to integrate logistics into their governance processes. These cities are currently piloting solutions, sharing experiences, and attempting to establish effective regulations and measures. Nonetheless, various institutional barriers are preventing the implementation of public governance processes for urban logistics. We emphasise the need for clarified responsibilities in the public sector and for reconciliation between different users of public space, including urban logistics actors. In conclusion, we point to key issues to be addressed by an emerging research literature on the governance of urban logistics for sustainability.publishedVersio