Spiders of dry, unfertilized grasslands in the Cantons of Geneva and Vaud (Switzerland) - species lists

Die in den folgenden Tabellen dargestellten Artenlisten zeigen die Resultate von Bodenfallen- und Netzfangen aus Magerwiesen des Jurasüdfusses (Kantone Genf und Waadt). Die Fänge sind Bestandteil einer Dissertation an der Universität Genf unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Volker MAHNERT, Museum d'histoire naturelle de Geneve, Dr. Ambros HANGGI, Naturhistorisches Museum Basel und Dr. Yves GONSETH, Centre Suisse de Cartographie de la Faune (CSCF), Neuchatel. Es handelt sich um eine Grundlagenstudie mit dem Ziel, Richtlinien für die Pflege von Magerwiesen zu erstellen. Spinnen stehen dabei als Stellvertreter für bodenlebende Makroarthropoden

Dialysis-dependent renal failure at diagnosis continues to be associated with very poor outcome in multiple myeloma - response to Murphy et al

The study by Murphy et al supports the observation made by several groups regarding the benefit of the novel agents in both young and elderly patients affected by multiple myeloma (MM) (Kumar et al, 2008; Ludwig et al, 2008; Turesson et al, 2010; Pozzi et al, 2013). Their single institution data collected over 18 years in 262 patients shows an improvement in overall survival (OS) starting from 1995 with an OS not yet reached in the period 2007–2012, after the introduction of bortezomib in their clinical practice. However the study clearly highlights renal insufficiency as a very poor prognostic factor, with a median OS shorter than 1 year in patients requiring dialysis. In the past few years many attempts have been made to classify and stratify patients based on various refined biological characteristics, however, as clearly stated here, the clinical presentation, particularly organ damage, still represents a negative prognostic factor that not even modern medicine has been able to overcome. The introduction of the International Staging System Criteria (ISS) (Greipp et al, 2005) only indirectly takes renal function into account, while the Durie and Salmon Criteria differentiates stage ‘A’ and ‘B’ MM based on kidney damage (Durie & Salmon, 1975). However Durie-Salmon ‘B’ stage is based on a creatinine cut-off point of 177 lmol/l and it is unable to better differentiate between moderate and severe impairment of renal damage requiring dialysis. It is also unable to predict the response to the treatment and reversibility of the organ damage, between possibly transitory kidney impairment due to dehydration, hyperuricaemia and hypercalacemia, and cast nephropathy. In this subset of MM patients it would be beneficial to introduce further parameters in the staging system (i.e. glomerular filtrate; type of light chain) in order to better stratify the risks and prevent treatment-related toxicity. For this reason, ad hoc clinical trials for this group of patients are strongly needed (Haynes et al, 2012). Finally, the Murphy study highlights the selection of patients enrolled in clinical trials and the necessity to evaluate the survival in the population of every day clinical practice, together with the need to develop high resolution analysis from data collected by cancer registers. Moreover, early diagnosis, compared with late or misdiagnosis, especially for light chains MM, is mandatory to prevent severe organ damage

The PEP Survey: evidence for intense star-forming activity in the majority of radio-selected AGN at z>~1

In order to investigate the FIR properties of radio-active AGN, we have considered three different fields where both radio and FIR observations are the deepest to-date: GOODS-South, GOODS-North and the Lockman Hole. Out of a total of 92 radio-selected AGN, ~64% are found to have a counterpart in Herschel maps. The percentage is maximum in the GOODS-North (72%) and minimum (~50%) in the Lockman Hole, where FIR observations are shallower. Our study shows that in all cases FIR emission is associated to star-forming activity within the host galaxy. Such an activity can even be extremely intense, with star-forming rates as high as ~10^3-10^4 Msun/yr. AGN activity does not inhibit star formation in the host galaxy, just as on-site star-formation does not seem to affect AGN properties, at least those detected at radio wavelengths and for z>~1. Furthermore, physical properties such as the mass and age distributions of the galaxies hosting a radio-active AGN do not seem to be affected by the presence of an ongoing star-forming event. Given the very high rate of FIR detections, we stress that this refers to the majority of the sample: most radio-active AGN are associated with intense episodes of star-formation. However, the two processes proceed independently within the same galaxy, at all redshifts but in the local universe, where powerful enough radio activity reaches the necessary strength to switch off the on-site star formation. Our data also show that for z>~1 the hosts of radio-selected star-forming galaxies and AGN are indistinguishable from each other both in terms of mass and IR luminosity distributions. The two populations only differentiate in the very local universe, whereby the few AGN which are still FIR-active are found in galaxies with much higher masses and luminosities.Comment: 20 pages, 22 figures, to appear in MNRA

Sull'attendibilità del narratore nell'Alexander di Luciano. 2

Further discussion of some episodes which lead the reader to a progressive estrangement from the storyteller

Targeting Methyltransferases in Human Pathogenic Bacteria: Insights into Thymidylate Synthase (TS) and Flavin-Dependent TS (FDTS)

In cells, thymidylate synthases provide the only de novo source of 2'-deoxythymidine-5'-monophosphate (dTMP), required for DNA synthesis. The activity of these enzymes is pivotal for cell survival and proliferation. Two main families of thymidylate synthases have been identified in bacteria, folate-dependent thymidylate synthase (TS) and flavin-dependent TS (FDTS). TS and FDTS are highly divergent enzymes, characterized by exclusive catalytic mechanisms, involving different sets of cofactors. TS and FDTS mechanisms of action have been recently revised, providing new perspectives for the development of antibacterial drugs targeting these enzymes. Nonetheless, some catalytic details still remain elusive. For bacterial TSs, half-site reactivity is still an open debate and the recent evidences are somehow controversial. Furthermore, different behaviors have been identified among bacterial TSs, compromising the definition of common mechanisms. Moreover, the redox reaction responsible for the regeneration of reduced flavin in FDTSs is not completely clarified. This review describes the recent advances in the structural and functional characterization of bacterial TSs and FDTSs and the current understanding of their mechanisms of action. Furthermore, the recent progresses in the development of inhibitors targeting TS and FDTS in human pathogenic bacteria are summarized

Ricolinostat, a selective HDAC6 inhibitor, shows anti-lymphoma cell activity alone and in combination with bendamustine

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) have emerged as a new class of anticancer agents, targeting the biological process including cell cycle and apoptosis. We investigated and explained the anticancer effects of an HDAC6 inhibitor, ricolinostat alone and in combination with bendamustine in lymphoma cell lines. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, Bcl-2 protein expression, cell cycle progression and tubuline expression were determined by flow cytometry. The effects of ricolinostat alone and in combination on the caspases, PI3K/Akt, Bcl-2 pathways, ER stress and UPR were assessed by immunoblotting. Ricolinostat shows anti lymphoma activity when used as single agent and its capability to induce apoptosis is synergistically potentiated by the bendamustine in lymphoma cell lines. Drug combination reduced the proportion of cells in the G0/G1and S phases and caused an increase of âsub-G0/G1â peak. The synergistic effect accompanied with the increased ROS, activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3, the cleavage of PARP and modulated by Bcl-2 proteins family. In addition, the exposure of ricolinostat induced the acetylation level of α-tubulin, the extend of which was not further modified by bendamustine. Finally, the apoptosis effect of ricolinostat/bendamustine may be mediated by a corresponding effect on microtubule stabilization. Our data suggest that ricolinostat in combination with bendamustine may be a novel combination with potential for use as an antitumor agent in lymphoma

Multiple slit interference and diffraction

The recent advances in nanotechnology and electron microscopy are making today possible the realization of experiments of diffraction and interference at multiple slits which formerly were carried out with extremely skilled specimen preparation techniques and dedicated electron optical apparatus [1]. Recently we have used the focused ion beam (FIB) to fabricate two slits on a commercial silicon nitride membrane suspended on a 100x100μm2 window realized on a 200μm thick silicon substrate, and observe the Fraunhofer image in a conventional TEM-JEOL 2010 [2]. Here we adopt a less expensive support for nano slits fabrication, consisting of a commercial continuous carbon film on a standard copper grid, which was subsequently evaporated with a gold layer about 120 nm in thickness. The slits (nominally 80nm wide, 420 nm spaced) were fabricated with a 9 pa, 30keV, Ga+ beam of a FEI Strata235M dual beam. The quality of the slits is really excellent, as shown in Fig. 1, which displays two (a), and three (b) slits. An additional advantage of these samples with respect to the previous 200μm thick ones, is that they can be inserted in almost all TEM-FEG specimen holder. The diffraction and interference experiments were carried out with the FEG-TEM JEM-2200FS. Owing to the larger coherence of the FEG with respect to the thermionic source, it has been possible to record interference and diffraction images with exposure times of few seconds. The three-slit case is illustrated in Fig. 2: (a) shows the image in focus, (b-d) the images taken at a nominal defocus of -10 mm, -20 mm and -40 mm respectively. They show the transition from the nearly separated Fresnel diffraction images of the single slits (b), to their subsequent overlapping as the defocus increases (c), displaying interference phenomena, till (d) the transition to a nearly Fraunhofer image. Fig. 3 displays the true Fraunhofer image, taken at a nominal defocus of -53 mm, which clearly shows the secondary minima between the more intense maxima. In the same in the perpendicular direction the single slit Fraunhofer images corresponding to the longer side of the slits can also be observed

La governance ambientale dell’Agro Pontino. Dalla rete ecologica ai contratti di fiume

Il critico scenario ambientale dell’Agro Pontino, afflitto da una progressiva perdita di funzionalità e diversità ecologica dell’agro-ecosistema, ha portato la Provincia di Latina a promuovere e sviluppare una serie di iniziative per la sua riqualificazione. Il contributo intende approfondire come la Provincia sia stata un laboratorio per sperimentare processi di governance collaborativa attraverso l’integrazione tra diversi strumenti. Tale percorso viene riportato al fine di evidenziare il ruolo chiave degli enti “intermedi” nei processi di governance; l’importanza del coordinamento da parte di un ente in grado di proporre e portare avanti una visione e una pianificazione strategica; la necessità dell’adeguata inclusione, partecipazione e condivisione dei processi pianificatori.The critical environmental scenario of Agro Pontino, characterized by a progressive loss of functionality and ecological diversity of the agro-ecosystem, has led the Province of Latina to promote and develop a series of initiatives for its rehabiliation. This paper aims to present the case of the Province as a laboratory for experimenting collaborative governance processes through the integration of different tools. This 20 years’ planning is deepened in order to highlight, in the governance processes, the key role of the "intermediate" bodies; the importance of having the coordination done by an institution capable of proposing and carrying out a strategic vision and planning; the need for an appropriate inclusion and participation of citizens and stakeholders