The vertical distribution of aerosols, Saharan dust and cirrus clouds at Rome (Italy) in the year 2001

International audienceA set of 813 lidar profiles of tropospheric aerosol and cirrus clouds extinction and depolarization observed at Rome, Italy, between February 2001 and February 2002 is analyzed and discussed. The yearly record reveals a meaningful contribution of both cirrus clouds (38%) and Saharan dust (12%) to the total optical thickness (OT) of 0.26, at 532 nm. Seasonal analysis shows the planetary boundary layer (PBL) aerosols to be confined below 2 km in winter and 3.8 km in summer, with relevant OT shifting from 0.08 to 0.16, respectively. Cirrus clouds maximize in spring and autumn, in both cases with average OT similar to the PBL aerosols one. With the exception of winter months, Saharan dust is found to represent an important third layer mostly residing between PBL aerosols and cirrus clouds, with yearly average OT~0.03. Saharan dust and cirrus clouds were detected in 20% and in 45% of the observational days, respectively. Validation of the lidar OT retrievals against collocated sunphotometer observations show very good agreement. These results represent one of the few yearly records of tropospheric aerosol vertical profiles available in the literature

Aerosol seasonal variability over the Mediterranean region and relative impact of maritime, continental and Saharan dust particles over the basin from MODIS data in the year 2001

International audienceThe one-year (2001) record of aerosol data from the space borne Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is analyzed focusing on the Mediterranean region. The MODIS aerosol optical thickness standard product (AOT at 550nm) provided over both land and ocean is employed to evaluate the seasonal and spatial variability of the atmospheric particulate over the region. Expected accuracy of the MODIS AOT is (±0.05±0.2xAOT) over land and (±0.03±0.05xAOT) over ocean. The seasonal analysis reveals a significant AOT variability all over the region, with minimum values in Winter (AOT0.2). The spatial variability is also found to be considerable, particularly over land. The impact of some major urban sites and industrialized areas is detectable. For the sole Mediterranean basin, a method (aerosol mask) was implemented to separate the contribution of maritime, continental and desert dust aerosol to the total AOT. Input of both continental and desert dust particles is well captured, showing North-to-South and South-to-North AOT gradients, respectively. A quantitative summary of the AOT seasonal and regional variability is given for different sectors of the Mediterranean basin. Results of this summary were also used to test the aerosol mask assumptions and indicate the method adopted to be suitable for the aerosol type selection. Estimates of the atmospheric aerosol mass load were performed employing specifically-derived mass-to-extinction efficiencies (?). For each aerosol type, a reliable mean ? value was determined on the basis of both lidar measurements of extinction and aerosol models. These estimates indicate a total of 43Mtons of desert dust suspended over the basin during 2001. A comparable value is derived for maritime aerosol. Opposite to the dust case, a minor seasonal variability (within 15%) of maritime aerosol mass is found. This latter result is considered a further check of the suitability of the methodology adopted to separate, on the basis of MODIS data, the three aerosol types which dominate the Mediterranean region

General behavioral patterns and life-cycle of the colonial spider, Eriophora bistriata (Araneida: Argiopidae)

Neste estudo, apresentamos observações preliminares do comportamento e biologia da aranha gregária Eriophora bistriata. O trabalho inclui aspectos da organização social, obtidos através de estudos de laboratório e campo. São inicialmente descritos, além do ciclo básico, algumas interações como: construção de teia comum de caça, ausência de hostilidade inter-individual, alimentação comunal, comportamento reprodutor etc. Os resultados obtidos permitiram comparar Eriophora bistriata, com outras espécies gregárias segundo o esquema evolutivo de Shear (1970: pag. 73)

An important fingerprint of wildfires on the European aerosol load

Abstract. Wildland fires represent the major source of fine aerosols, i.e., atmospheric particles with diameters <1 μm. The largest numbers of these fires occur in Africa, Asia and South America, but a not negligible fraction also occurs in Eastern Europe and former USSR countries, particularly in the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Besides the impact of large forest fires, recent studies also highlighted the crucial role played by routine agricultural fires in Eastern Europe and Russia on the Arctic atmosphere. An evaluation of the impact of these fires over Europe is currently not available. The assessment of the relative contribution of fires to the European aerosol burden is hampered by the complex mixing of natural and anthropogenic particle types across the continent. In this study we use long term (2002–2007) satellite-based fires and aerosol data coupled to atmospheric trajectory modelling in the attempt to estimate the wildfires contribution to the European aerosol optical thickness (AOT). Based on this dataset, we provide evidence that fires-related aerosols play a major role in shaping the AOT yearly cycle at the continental scale. In general, the regions most impacted by wildfires emissions and/or transport are Eastern and Central Europe as well as Scandinavia. Conversely, a minor impact is found in Western Europe and in the Western Mediterranean. We estimate that in spring 5 to 35% of the European fine fraction AOT (FFAOT) is attributable to wildland fires. The estimated impact maximizes in April (20–35%) in Eastern and Central Europe as well as in Scandinavia and in the Central Mediterranean. An important contribution of wildfires to the FFAOT is also found in summer over most of the continent, particularly in August over Eastern Europe (28%) and the Mediterranean regions, from Turkey (34%) to the Western Mediterranean (25%). Although preliminary, our results suggest that this fires-related, continent-wide haze plays a not negligible role on the European radiation budget, and possibly, on the European air quality, therefore representing a clear target for mitigation

Flavonoid-inspired vascular disrupting agents: Exploring flavone-8-acetic acid and derivatives in the new century

Naturally occurring flavonoids are found as secondary metabolites in a wide number of plants exploited for both medicine and food and have long been known to be endowed with multiple biological activities, making them useful tools for the treatment of different pathologies. Due to the versatility of the scaffolds and the vast possibilities of appropriate decoration, they have also been regarded as fruitful sources of lead compounds and excellent chemical platforms for the development of bioactive synthetic compounds. Flavone-8-acetic acid (FAA) and 5,6-dimethylxanthone acetic acid (DMXAA) emerged for their antitumour potential due to the induction of cytokines and consequent rapid haemorrhagic necrosis of murine tumour vasculature, and different series of derivatives have been designed thereafter. Although the promising DMXAA failed in phase III clinical trials because of strict species-specificity, a boost in research came from the recent identification of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING), responsible for supporting tumoural innate immune responses, as a possible biological target. Consequently, in the last decade a renewal of interest for these flavonoid-based structures was noticed, and novel derivatives have been synthesised and evaluated for a deeper understanding of the molecular features needed for affecting human cells. Un-doubtedly, these natural-derived molecules deserve further investigation and still appear attractive in an anticancer perspective

Vertically resolved aerosol properties by multi-wavelength lidar measurements

An approach based on the graphical method of Gobbi and co-authors (2007) is introduced to estimate the dependence on altitude of the aerosol fine mode radius (<i>R</i>_f) and of the fine mode contribution (η) to the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) from three-wavelength lidar measurements. The graphical method of Gobbi and co-authors (2007) was applied to AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) spectral extinction observations and relies on the combined analysis of the Ångstrom exponent (<i>å</i>) and its spectral curvature Δ<i>å</i>. Lidar measurements at 355, 532 and 1064 nm were used in this study to retrieve the vertical profiles of <i>å</i> and Δ<i>å</i> and to estimate the dependence on altitude of <i>R</i>_f and η(532 nm) from the <i>å</i>–Δ<i>å</i> combined analysis. Lidar measurements were performed at the Department of Mathematics and Physics of the Universita' del Salento, in south-eastern Italy. Aerosol from continental Europe, the Atlantic, northern Africa, and the Mediterranean Sea are often advected over south-eastern Italy and as a consequence, mixed advection patterns leading to aerosol properties varying with altitude are dominant. The proposed approach was applied to ten measurement days to demonstrate its feasibility in different aerosol load conditions. The selected days were characterized by AOTs spanning the 0.26–0.67, 0.15–0.39, and 0.04–0.27 range at 355, 532, and 1064 nm, respectively. Mean lidar ratios varied within the 31–83, 32–84, and 11–47 sr range at 355, 532, and 1064 nm, respectively, for the high variability of the aerosol optical and microphysical properties. <i>å</i> values calculated from lidar extinction profiles at 355 and 1064 nm ranged between 0.1 and 2.5 with a mean value &pm; 1 standard deviation equal to 1.3 ± 0.7. Δ<i>å</i> varied within the −0.1–1 range with mean value equal to 0.25 ± 0.43. <i>R</i>_f and η(532 nm) values spanning the 0.05–0.3 μm and the 0.3–0.99 range, respectively, were associated with the <i>å</i>–&Delta;<i>å</i> data points. <i>R</i>_f and η values showed no dependence on the altitude. 60% of the data points were in the &Delta;<i>å</i>–<i>å</i> space delimited by the &eta; and <i>R</i>_f curves varying within 0.80–0.99 and 0.05–0.15 μm, respectively, for the dominance of fine-mode particles in driving the AOT over south-eastern Italy. Vertical profiles of the linear particle depolarization ratio retrieved from lidar measurements, aerosol products from AERONET sun photometer measurements collocated in space and time, analytical back trajectories, satellite true colour images, and dust concentrations from the BSC–DREAM (Barcelona Super Computing Center-Dust REgional Atmospheric Model) model were used to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed method

Comparação dos efeitos do flunixin meglumine, firocoxib e meloxicam no controle da inflamação após orquiectomia em equinos.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar e comparar a ação analgésica e antiinflamatória do flunixin meglumine, firocoxib e do meloxicam em equinos após orquiectomia por meio da avaliação clínico-laboratorial. Foram avaliados 18 cavalos não castrados, de diferentes raças, com 4,99±2,63 anos de idade e 358,62±45,57 kg de peso corporal. Em função do fármaco utilizado após as castrações, os animais foram distribuídos aleatoriamente em três grupos experimentais com 06 animais cada: GFM= flunixin meglumine, GF= firocoxib e GM= meloxicam. Amostras de sangue e líquido peritoneal foram colhidas antes (T0) e após as orquiectomias (1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 48, 72, 120 e 168 horas). O líquido peritoneal, obtido através da punção abdominal, foi submetido à análise físico-química e as amostras de sangue, obtidas através da punção jugular, ao eritroleucograma e as provas de funcionalidade renal, hepática e de higidez muscular. Os resultados foram submetidos à análise estatística descritiva e as médias foram comparadas pelo teste SNK a 5% de probabilidade. Após as orquiectomias os animais do GF apresentaram taquicardia e os do GM taquicardia e hipertermia. Leucocitose neutrofílica foi observada nos animais do GFM, GF e GM e monocitose nos animais do GFM e GM. O proteinograma sérico dos três grupos (GFM, GF e GM) revelou hipoproteinemia e a atividade sérica da enzima GGT apresentou queda nos valores no GFM, GF e GM. Os valores de FA foram superiores no GF quando comparados ao GFM e GM (T72 e T120). Quanto às concentrações de AST, os animais do GM apresentaram valores superiores ao GFM e GF. Observou-se ainda aumento na atividade sérica das enzimas CK (T24, T72 e T168) nos animais do GFM, GF e GM. Os animais do GFM e GF apresentaram valores superiores relativos à uréia comparados ao grupo GM (T0, T72 e T120) e em relação à creatinina e o GM apresentou valores superiores ao GFM e GF em todos os tempos avaliado no pós cirúrgico. A coloração do líquido peritoneal antes das orquiectomias (T0) variou de amarelo-palha a amaralo-ouro, límpido nos grupos GFM, GF e GM e amarelo-palha, vermelho, âmbar e amareloouro com grau de turbidez de límpido a turvo após as orquiectomias. No liquido peritoneal foi observado aumento da proteína total, AST e GGT nos grupos GFM, GF e GM e das enzimas FA nos animais do GM. Avaliou-se ainda a resposta de fase aguda através da determinação da concentração das proteínas de fase aguda (PFAs) no soro sanguíneo e no líquido peritoneal. Foram identificadas as proteínas ceruloplasmina, transferrina, albumina, haptoglobina e &#945;1- glicoproteína ácida. Houve aumento de Cp, Hp, Tr, Alb e AGP nos animais dos três grupos (GFM, GF, GM). Na comparação entre grupos, os valores de Cp e de Tr no sangue e no LP dos animais do GM foram superiores aos GFM e GF. Para a variável Alb os animais do GF apresentaram valores superiores aos animais do GFM e GM em todos os momentos avaliados. O flunixin meglumine e o firocoxib se mostraram com ação superiores em relação ao meloxicam. A orquiectomia desencadeia reação inflamatória em equinos e o proteinograma pode ser utilizado para diagnosticar e monitorar complicações pós-operatórias

SISTEMÁTICA DOS PRISTOCERINAE (HYMENOPTERA, BETHYLIDAE) COM PARÂMEROS DUPLOS

Pristocerinae são amplamente distribuídos desde os trópicos até as regiões temperadas do mundo, sendo atualmente compostos por 19 gêneros e cerca de 800 espécies. Estudos cladísticos mostram que Pristocerinae são monofiléticos, no entanto, a classificação de alguns gêneros ainda permanece inconsistente e as relações internas entre os mesmos não conhecidas. Caloapenesia Terayama, 1995, e Pseudisobrachium Kieffer, 1904 são os únicos gêneros de Pristocerinae que apresentam parâmeros duplos. Terayama (1996) analisou os gêneros de Pristocerinae cladisticamente, mas não investigou a fundo a presença de parâmeros duplos como uma possível sinapomorfia para a relação entre Caloapenesia e Pseudisobrachium. Terayama (1996) apresentou Pseudisobrachium como grupo-irmão de Protisobrachium e juntos formando um clado com Neoapenesia Terayama, 1995 suportado por apresentar notáulices ausentes ou indistintas e hipopígio com três hastes. Entretanto, estes caracteres são encontrados em outros gêneros da subfamília, e não foram investigados alguns caracteres diagnósticos destes três gêneros. No estudo de Terayama (1996), o hipopígio de Caloapenesia foi interpretado como tendo apenas uma haste, embora o próprio autor do gênero, em 1995, tenha ilustrado as hastes laterais inconspícuas, indicando que este gênero compartilharia uma das sinapomorfias do clado rotisobrachium+Pseudisobrachium+Neoapenesia. Neoapenesia também apresenta uma projeção apical no basiparâmero, que pode ser homóloga ao segundo parâmero de Caloapenesia e Pseudisobrachium, mas este caráter não havia sido descrito para o gênero e não foi analisado na única análise cladística feita para a subfamília. Além da falta de delimitação cladística, a maioria dos gêneros de Pristocerinae tem menos de dez espécies descritas, e é conhecida restrita às regiões Afrotopical e Oriental. Caloapenesia tem atualmente apenas três espécies válidas descritas e é restrito à região Oriental. Muitos de seus caracteres considerados diagnósticos são compartilhados por outros gêneros, e alguns caracteres não haviam sido observados para o táxon. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram revisar taxonomicamente Caloapenesia; descrever um gênero novo com parâmero duplo; investigar a homologia do parâmero duplo dos três gêneros de Pristocerinae que o possuem; investigar a homologia entre a projeção de Neoapenesia com o parâmero duplo de Caloapenesia e Pseudisobrachium; testar a monofilia e investigar as possíveis relações de parentesco destes gêneros