Evidence from field measurements and satellite imaging of impact of Earth rotation on Lake Iseo chemistry

During an initial field survey in 2012, we observed an unexpected asymmetry of dissolved oxygen distribution between the western and eastern side in northern Lake Iseo. Motivated by this apparent anomaly, we conducted a detailed field investigation, and we used a physical model of the northern part of the lake to understand the in- fluences that might affect the distribution of material in the northern section of the lake. These investigations sug- gested that the Earth's rotation has significant influence on the inflow of the lake's two main tributaries. In order to further crosscheck the validity of these results, we conducted a careful analysis at a synoptic scale using images acquired during thermally unstratified periods by Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 satellites. We retrieved and post- processed a large set of images, providing conclusive evidence of the role exerted by the Earth's rotation on pol- lutant transport in Lake Iseo and of the greater environmental vulnerability of the north-west shore of this lake, where important settlements are located. Our study confirms the necessity for three-dimensional hydrodynamic models including Coriolis effect in order to effectively predict local impacts of inflows on nearshore water quality of medium-sized elongated lakes of similar scale to Lake Iseo

Protective but Not Anticonvulsant Effects of Ghrelin and JMV-1843 in the Pilocarpine Model of Status epilepticus.

In models of status epilepticus ghrelin displays neuroprotective effects mediated by the growth hormone secretagogue-receptor 1a (GHS-R1a). This activity may be explained by anticonvulsant properties that, however, are controversial. We further investigated neuroprotection and the effects on seizures by comparing ghrelin with a more effective GHS-R1a agonist, JMV-1843. Rats were treated either with ghrelin, JMV-1843 or saline 10 min before pilocarpine, which was used to induce status epilepticus. Status epilepticus, developed in all rats, was attenuated by diazepam. No differences were observed among the various groups in the characteristics of pilocarpine-induced seizures. In saline group the area of lesion, characterized by lack of glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity, was of 0.45\ub10.07 mm2 in the hippocampal stratum lacunosum-moleculare, and was accompanied by upregulation of laminin immunostaining, and by increased endothelin-1 expression. Both ghrelin (P<0.05) and JMV-1843 (P<0.01) were able to reduce the area of loss in glial fibrillary acidic protein immunostaining. In addition, JMV-1843 counteracted (P<0.05) the changes in laminin and endothelin-1 expression, both increased in ghrelin-treated rats. JMV-1843 was able to ameliorate neuronal survival in the hilus of dentate gyrus and medial entorhinal cortex layer III (P<0.05 vs saline and ghrelin groups). These results demonstrate diverse protective effects of growth hormone secretagogues in rats exposed to status epilepticus

Chapter Mapping of the risk of coastal erosion for two case studies: Pianosa island (Tuscany) and Piscinas (Sardinia)

This study focuses on the use of remote sensing to generate coastal erosion risk maps for Pianosa Island (Tuscany) and Piscinas dune system (Sardinia). The method made use of both ancillary and satellite data (Sentinel-2), in addition to SAR images (COSMO SkyMed and Sentinel-1B). TOA radiance products were atmospherically corrected and processed using Sen2Coral and BOMBER in order to map different marine substrates and bathymetry. The coastal erosion risk maps have been generated based on these output and the results confirm that the coasts of these sites don’t have coastal erosion problems

EGF and IGF1 affect Sunitinib activity in BP-NEN: new putative targets beyond VEGFR?

Broncho-Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (BP-NENs) are neoplasms orphan of an efficient therapy. Available medical treatments derived from clinical trials are not specific for the management of this malignancy. Sunitinib is a multi-receptor tyrosine-kinases (RTKs) inhibitor that has already shown its efficacy in NENs but there are not available data about its action in BP-NENs. Therefore, our aim was to understand the effects of RTKs inhibition promoted by Sunitinib in order to evaluate new putative targets useful in malignancy treatment. Since our results underlined a role for EGFR and IGF1R in modulating Sunitinib antiproliferative action, we investigated the effects of Erlotinib, an EGFR inhibitor, and Linsitinib, an IGF1R inhibitor, in order to understand their function in regulating cells behaviour. Cell viability and caspase activation were evaluated on two immortalized human BP-NEN cell lines and primary cultures. Our results showed that after treatment with Sunitinib and/or IGF1, EGF and VEGF, the antiproliferative effect of Sunitinib was counteracted by EGF and IGF1 but not by VEGF. Therefore, we evaluated with alpha-screen technology the phosphorylated EGFR and IGF1R levels in primary cultures treated with Sunitinib and/or EGF and IGF1. Results showed a decrease of p-IGF1R after treatment with Sunitinib and an increase after co-treatment with IGF1. Then, we assessed cell viability and caspase activation on BP-NEN cell lines after treatment with Linsitinib and/or Erlotinib. Results demonstrate that these two agents have a stronger antiproliferative effect compared to Sunitinib. In conclusion, our results suggest that IGF1R and EGF1R could represent putative molecular targets in BP-NENs treatment

The Color of Water from Space: A Case Study for Italian Lakes from Sentinel-2

Lakes are inestimable renewable natural resources that are under significant pressure by human activities. Monitoring lakes regularly is necessary to understand their dynamics and the drivers of these dynamics to support effective management. Remote sensing by satellite sensors offers a significant opportunity to increase the spatiotemporal coverage of environmental monitoring programs for inland waters. Lake color is a water quality attribute that can be remotely sensed and is independent of the sensor specifications and water type. In this study we used the Multispectral Imager (MSI) on two Sentinel-2 satellites to determine the color of water of 170 Italian lakes during two periods in 2017. Overall, most of the lakes appeared blue in spring and green-yellow in late summer, and in particular, we confirm a blue-water status of the largest lakes in the subalpine ecoregion. The color and its seasonality are consistent with characteristics determined by geomorphology and primary drivers of water quality. This suggests that information about the color of the lakes can contribute to synoptic assessments of the trophic status of lakes. Further ongoing research efforts are focused to extend the mapping over multiple years

Short-Term Outcomes of an ESDM Intervention in Italian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder following the COVID-19 Lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary lockdown period in Italy, during which the delivery of in-person treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in public health services was discontinued. This occurrence represented a crucial challenge for both families and professionals. We assessed the short-term outcomes of a sample of 18 children who received an early intervention with the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), delivered at low intensity over one year in the pre-pandemic period, after six months of interruption of in-presence treatment due to lockdown restrictions. Children who received the ESDM treatment maintained their gains in sociocommunicative skills and did not exhibit any developmental regression. Additionally, there was evidence of a decrease in the restrictive and repetitive behavior (RRB) domain. The parents, who were already familiar with the principles of the ESDM, only received telehealth support from therapists that aimed to sustain the gains already achieved. We believe that it is always helpful to support parents in their daily lives by implementing interactional and play skills with their children to integrate and consolidate the results obtained in the individual interventions conducted by experienced therapists

Tra Oceani Blu e Disruptive Innovations: un'analisi del concetto di innovazione nei due approcci

La tesi si propone di indagare il concetto di innovazione visto attraverso i due approcci della Blue Ocean Strategy e della Disruptive Innovation Theory. Mediante un excursus teorico sarà possibile individuare principi e linee guida attraverso cui le due visioni analizzano e definiscono il concetto di innovazione. Questa prima analisi è integrata con un esame su casi di studio dei due approcci già presenti sulla piattaforma Google Scholar, selezionati in base al loro impatto citazionale. L'analisi dei casi, integrata con le evidenze teoriche emerse, permette di valutare l'esistenza o meno di punti in comune o di divergenza tra le due visioni riguardo il tema dell'innovazione

Feasibility and Outcomes of the Early Start Denver Model Delivered within the Public Health System of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Italian Region

The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is an evidence-based early intervention model for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is crucial to investigate the feasibility of the ESDM in community settings in contexts that are culturally different from American universities in which the model was originally developed. The aim was to further evaluate the effectiveness of the ESDM delivered within the Italian community setting at low intensity. We compared a group aged 19 to 43 months receiving the ESDM for 2 h per week over the course of 1 year with a concurrent, comparable, non-randomized control group receiving treatment as usual (TAU). Children were evaluated at baseline (T0) and after 6 months (T1) and 12 months (T2) of intervention. Feasibility was evaluated by parent and therapist questionnaires, retention rate, and therapist treatment fidelity. Both groups made similar gains in cognition and language abilities. The ESDM group made larger improvement in domains measured by the ESDM Curriculum Checklist, including communication, social skills, and maladaptive behaviors. Feasibility seemed well supported by retentions, therapists and parent satisfaction, and treatment fidelity. Our study further supports the feasibility of the ESDM implemented within the Italian public health system and suggests a better response in the ESDM-treated group than in the control group

Development and characterization of K562 cell clones expressing BCL11A-XL: Decreased hemoglobin production with fetal hemoglobin inducers and its rescue with mithramycin

Induction of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is considered a promising strategy in the treatment of b-thalassemia, in which production of adult hemoglobin (HbA) is impaired by mutations affecting the b-globin gene. Recent results indicate that B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 11A (BCL11A) is a major repressor of g-globin gene expression. Therefore, disrupting the binding of the BCL11A transcriptional repressor complex to the g-globin gene promoter provides a novel approach for inducing expression of the g-globin genes. To develop a cellular screening system for the identification of BCL11A inhibitors, we produced K562 cell clones with integrated copies of a BCL11A-XL expressing vector. We characterized 12 K562 clones expressing different levels of BCL11A-XL and found that a clear inverse relationship does exist between the levels of BCL11A-XL and the extent of hemoglobinization induced by a panel of HbF inducers. Using mithramycin as an inducer, we found that this molecule was the only HbF inducer efficient in rescuing the ability to differentiate along the erythroid program, even in K562 cell clones expressing high levels of BCL11A-XL, suggesting that BCL11A-XL activity is counteracted by mithramycin