THE IMPORTANCE OF ANCESTRAL GREY STEPPE BREED IN ROMANIA FOR ENSURING BIODIVERSITY CATTLE IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE

Grey Steppe breed from Romania belongs to the group of Podolia cattle breeds in Europe. These cattle originate from the wild ancestor Bos taurus primigenius, which disappeared in the XVI th century. There are five ecotypes belonging to Grey Steppe breed adapted to the natural conditions of life (Moldavian ecotype, Bucşan ecotype, Transylvanian ecotype, Ialomiţean ecotype and Dobrogean ecotype). This breed has had a major decline in the last two centuries, from 2.607.594 heads in 1860 years to less than 500 heads at present.This decrease of the herd of cattle Grey Steppe breed was caused by the agricultural policy of the country with an orientation towards intensive agriculture, where they developed specialized breeds for milk and meat. This breed also participated in cross breeding of absorption for forming new breeds. Considering milk production, dairy cows made an average production of 2300 kg milk per normal lactation expressed in mature equivalent, with 4.36% fat and 3.52% protein. There are also cows of this breed which can give 4000-4500 kg milk per normal lactation growth in very good conditions.Regarding meat production from Grey Steppe breed the daily growth increments were 600-800 gr. with a 53-55% killing out percentage at slaughter.This breed can be grown in conditions of extensive or ecologic agriculture, because it has not special needs for feeding and sheltering conditions and disease resistance is high

Overview of DISCOVER22 experiment in the framework of INFN-LNGS Cosmic Silence activity: challenges and improvements in underground radiobiology

One of the most intriguing and still pending questions in radiobiology is to understand whether and how natural environmental background radiation has shaped Life over millions of years of evolution on Earth. Deep Underground Laboratories (DULs) represent the ideal below-background exposure facilities where to address such a question. Among the few worldwide DULs, INFN-Laboratorio Nazionale del Gran Sasso (LNGS) is one of the largest in terms of size and infrastructure. Designed and built to host neutrino and dark matter experiments, since the 1990 s the LNGS has been one of the first DULs to systematically host radiobiology experiments. Here we present the DISCOVER22 (DNA Damage and Immune System Cooperation in VEry low Radiation environment 2022) experiment recently started at LNGS. DISCOVER22 aims at investigating how the low radiation background modulates the Immune System (IS) response in in vitro and in vivo models. Underground radiobiology experiments are particularly complex and tricky to design and perform. In these studies, the accurate characterization of exposure scenarios is mandatory, but a challenging aspect is to understand how the very few ionizing tracks in the ultra-Low Radiation Environment (LRE) interact with the living matter in space and time in order to trigger different biological responses. In this Perspective, we describe these challenges and how we address them through a microdosimetric and a radiobiological approaches. We aim at linking physical microdosimetric measurements and the corresponding biological radiation responses by using radiation biophysical models that could shed light on many as yet unresolved questions

A Simplified Method for Calculating Surface Area of Mammalian Erythrocytes

Knowledge of the geometric quantities of the erythrocyte is useful in several physiological studies, both for zoologists and veterinarians. While the diameter and volume (MCV) are easily obtained from observations of blood smears and complete blood count, respectively, the thickness and surface area are instead much more difficult to measure. The precise description of the erythrocyte geometry is given by the equation of the oval of Cassini, but the formulas deriving from it are very complex, comprising elliptic integrals. In this article, three solids are proposed as models approximating the erythrocyte: sphere, cylinder and a spheroid with concave caps. The volumes and surface areas obtained with these models are compared to those effectively measured. The spheroid with concave caps gives the best approximation and can be used as a simple model to determine the erythrocyte surface area. With this model, a simple method that allows one to estimate the surface area by knowing only the diameter and MCV is proposed

Evolution of sinusal and non-sinusal spleens of mammals

<strong>Abstract</strong>
 Mammals present different types of spleen. In the past, attempts have been made to define characteristics for a classification of this organ, but the evolutionary process that has led to the splenic types of modern mammals has been poorly investigated. This review categorizes all mammalian spleens studied so far, synthesizing several earlier classification principles and updating them in the light of recent research. The main qualitative features are the type of circulation (closed, open or both) and the nature of the venous vessels in the splenic cords (venules or sinuses). The main quantitative feature is the proportion between red and white pulp. Moreover, a phylogeny of this organ is proposed: from a ‘primitive type’ with closed circulation (characteristic of monotremes, insectivores and tree shrews), the spleen has evolved into an ‘archetypal type’ with open circulation
 (peculiar to mice, gerbils, bats and marsupials). It has subsequently diversified into different models: blood-storing spleens (ungulates and carnivores) and defensive spleens (Old World monkeys and the majority of rodents).
 <strong>Riassunto</strong>
 <strong>Evoluzione delle milze sinusale e non-sinusale dei mammiferi</strong>
 I mammiferi presentano diversi tipi di milza. Nel passato, sono stati fatti dei tentativi per definire le caratteristiche utili alla classificazione di quest’organo, ma il processo evolutivo che ha portato ai tipi di milza dei mammiferi moderni è stato poco studiato. Questa review classifica tutte le milze dei mammiferi studiate finora, facendo una sintesi dei criteri di classificazione precedenti ed aggiornandoli alla luce delle più recenti ricerche. I principali caratteri qualitativi sono il tipo di circolazione (chiusa, aperta o entrambe) e la natura dei vasi venosi nei cordoni splenici (venule o seni). Il principale carattere quantitativo è la proporzione tra la polpa rossa e quella bianca. Inoltre, viene proposta una filogenesi di quest’organo: da un tipo ‘primitivo’ con circolazione chiusa (caratteristico di monotremi, insettivori e scandenti), la milza si è evoluta in un modello ‘archetipico’ con circolazione aperta (proprio di topi, gerbilli, chirotteri e marsupiali), diversificandosi, successivamente, in diversi modelli, vale a dire milze accumulatrici di sangue (ungulati e carnivori) e milze difensive (scimmie del vecchio mondo e la maggior parte dei roditori

Proprietà aneugeniche e clatogeniche dei campi magnetici a frequenze estremamente basse (ELF)

Bruno Bertolini, Renata Cozzi, Stefano Mattiol