Hemoglobin system of Sparus aurata: changes in fishes farmed under extreme conditions

In order to gain more knowledge on the stress responses of gilhead seabream (Sparus aurata) under extreme conditions, this study investigated the functional properties of the hemoglobin system and globin gene expression under hypoxia and low salinity. The oxygen affinity for the two hemoglobin components present inside the S. aurata erythrocyte was practically identical as was the influence of protons and organic phosphates (Root effect). The quantification of S. aurata hemoglobin fractions performed by HPLC and the data on gene expression of globin chains assayed by PCR indicate that under hypoxia and low salinity there is a change in the ratio between the two different hemoglobin components. The result indicating that the distinct hemoglobins present in S. aurata erythrocyte have almost identical functional properties, does not explain the adaptive response (expression change) following exposure of the animal to hypoxia or low salinity on the basis of their function as oxygen transporter. We hypothesize that other parallel biological functions that the hemoglobin molecule is known to display within the erythrocyte are involved in adaptive molecular mechanisms. The autoxidation-reduction cycle of hemoglobin could be involved in the response to particular living conditions.     

Arsenic abundance and variation in golf course lakes

Monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA) is a commonly used herbicide on golf courses. To investigate the variation in abundance of arsenic (As) after MSMA application, 28 golf course lakes were monitored monthly for one year. The As concentrations varied substantially in and between individual lakes with values up to 124 microg/L (mean=10.9 microg/L, n=336). This is considerably higher than the As concentrations in comparable "non-golf course" lakes (up to 100-times) in the study area. The highest values of As in the lakes were generally observed in the late spring and early summer and corresponded to the intensity of MSMA applications. Arsenic seems to be sequestered by the golf course lake sediments with concentrations as high as 302 mg/kg, which were significantly higher than the 0.1 to 3 mg/kg expected for comparable sediments in central Florida. Arsenic correlates well with Fe in the top 15 cm of the lake sediments suggesting that As is sorbed by hydrous ferric oxides (HFO). As long as conditions are in favour of HFO stability, As is retained in the lake sediments preventing its migration into the Floridan aquifer systems. However, once the loading capacity of the sediment is reached or when as a result of changing physico-chemical conditions HFO may become unstable, As may enter the Floridan aquifer.     

Heavy metals in aquatic plants,clams, and sediments from the Chesapeake Bay,U.S.A. implications for waterfowl

Dry weight concentrations of cadmium, lead, copper and zinc were measured in clams, submerged aquatic macrophytes and sediments from several locations in the Chesapeake Bay region. Clam species included Macoma balthica, Mya arenaria, and Rangia cuneata; plant taxa included Najas spp., Potamogeton spp., Ruppia maritima, Vallisneria americana, and Zostera marina. Cadmium and lead concentrations were generally greater in whole plants than in soft tissues of clams, while the reverse was true for zinc; no marked trend was observed in copper concentrations. These results suggest that the changes occurring in the food habits of some Chesapeake Bay waterfowl towards increased clam utilization as a result of declining submerged plant abundances is not increasing ingestion of the nonessential metals cadmium and lead. Highest lead, copper and zinc concentrations were observed in sediments from the Patapsco River, which is probably due to the proximity of Baltimore Harbor. Highest cadmium concentrations were observed in sediments in the Port Tobacco River, a tributary of the Potomac River. These observations were generally consistent with high concentrations of the respective metal(s) in biota from these locations. Concentrations of the four metals in sediments were highly correlated to organic matter content.     

Antennal fine morphology of the threatened beetle Osmoderma eremita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), revealed by scanning electron microscopy

The aim of this study was to characterize the antennal morphology of Osmoderma eremita, a threatened scarab beetle inhabiting tree hollows. O. eremita males produce a sex pheromone, (R)‐(+)‐γ‐decalactone, responsible mainly for the attraction of females but also other males. Gross and fine morphology of microstructures including sensilla, microsculpture and pores were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy. The antenna of O. eremita showed the typical lamellicorn shape of scarab beetles, with a basal scape, a pedicel, a funicle composed of five antennomeres and a club composed of three lamellae. Six different subtypes of sensilla chaetica (Ch.1 ? 6), Böhm sensilla (Bo), one subtype of sensilla basiconica (Ba.1), two subtypes of sensilla coeloconica (Co.1 ? 2), two subtypes of sensilla placodea (Pl.1 ? 2), pores and peculiar folds were described. The two sexes did not show any significant differences in the occurrence and number of the sensilla placodea, known to be responsible for the pheromone reception. Instead, some sexual differences were found on the occurrence and topology of three different microstructures: (1) one subtype of sensillum chaeticum (Ch.2) occurring on the pedicel only in males; (2) a characteristic pore occurring on the funicle only in males; (3) a peculiar fold occurring on different antennomeres of the funicle in the two sexes, on the fourth in males and on the fifth in females. A comparison between sensilla of O. eremita and those of other Scarabaeoidea is provided. Microsc. Res. Tech. 79:178–191, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Recent Results in the Interpretation of Interference and Lorentz Images of Vortices in Superconductors

The main ideas and approximations underlying the model developed to interpret the principal features of holographic and Fresnel images of superconducting vortices, or fluxons, are briefly reviewed and applied to the exploitation of new experimental setups, like the standard and coherent Foucault techniques. It is also shown how the model can be implemented to interpret effects due to misalignment and/or distortion of the fluxon cores. Finally, the effect of the finite specimen thickness is also taken into account by resorting to the solution of the Ginzburg-Landau equations found by Clem, and by showing that through it a better agreement can be obtained between theoretical and experimental results.     

Composites Between Alumina and an Ester‐Ether‐Ester Bioresorbable Copolymer

Composites between alumina and the bioresorbable poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐block‐poly(oxyethylene)‐block‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) copolymer were obtained by reacting ε‐caprolactone with preformed poly(ethylene glycol), in the presence of ceramic alumina powder, at 185°C under vacuum. The mechanical properties, tested by compression and flexural strengths and Young's modulus, show that the copolymer interacts poorly with the alumina grains. Both scanning electron and atomic force microscopy show a scarce wettability between alumina and copolymer, as well as the aggregation of alumina micro‐particles into clusters of big size. Both mechanical and morphological tests seem to indicate a stronger interaction between the alumina micro‐particles than between the alumina surface and the reaction mixture during the polymerization, as well as a “compacting effect” by alumina on the forming copolymer. The FT‐IR spectra of the composites show both copolymer and alumina absorption bands. The FT‐IR analysis on the fractions of an extraction with CHCl₃ indicates the presence of traces of poly(ε‐caprolactone), stably linked to alumina. The polymerization of ε‐caprolactone with alumina alone in the same conditions gives poly(ε‐caprolactone), mainly free and in minor part linked to the alumina surface. Two polymerization mechanisms, simultaneously occurring, are proposed. The most relevant result of this work is the lack of chemical inertness of alumina towards ε‐caprolactone, which leads to reconsider also the use of alumina as a biochemically inert material.     

Platelets Contribution to Thrombin Generation in Philadelphia-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: The “Circulating Wound” Model

Current cytoreductive and antithrombotic strategies in MPNs are mostly based on cell counts and on patient’s demographic and clinical history. Despite the numerous studies conducted on platelet function and on the role of plasma factors, an accurate and reliable method to dynamically quantify the hypercoagulability states of these conditions is not yet part of clinical practice. Starting from our experience, and after having sifted through the literature, we propose an in-depth narrative report on the contribution of the clonal platelets of MPNs—rich in tissue factor (TF)—in promoting a perpetual procoagulant mechanism. The whole process results in an unbalanced generation of thrombin and is self-maintained by Protease Activated Receptors (PARs). We chose to define this model as a “circulating wound”, as it indisputably links the coagulation, inflammation, and fibrotic progression of the disease, in analogy with what happens in some solid tumours. The platelet contribution to thrombin generation results in triggering a vicious circle supported by the PARs/TGF-beta axis. PAR antagonists could therefore be a good option for target therapy, both to contain the risk of vascular events and to slow the progression of the disease towards end-stage forms. Both the new and old strategies, however, will require tools capable of measuring procoagulant or prohaemorrhagic states in a more extensive and dynamic way to favour a less empirical management of MPNs and their potential clinical complications.     

Two- and three-dimensional CFD applied to vertical display cabinets simulation

A commercial CFD code has been employed to simulate the air flow pattern and the temperature distribution in a frozen food vertical display cabinet. At first the choice of solver parameters has been investigated in a 2D modelisation. 3D simulations have been then performed, and the effects of the cabinet length, of the warm air curtain and of longitudinal ambient air movement have been investigated. The results show that, in short cabinets, 3D secondary vortices at the side walls provide the most important mechanism for hot air entrainment. Comparison with experimental results shows that a 2D simulation is totally inadequate for such configurations, while 3D computations predict refrigeration power within engineering accuracy. Furthermore, the computed refrigerating power shows that even low room air velocity, due to its interaction with the end-wall vortices, has a significant impact on cabinet performance.     

Preparation and Characterization of Hyperbranched Polymer/Silica Hybrid Nanocoatings by Dual‐Curing Process

Summary: Organic‐inorganic nanocomposite hybrid coatings were prepared through a dual‐cure process involving cationic photopolymerization of a hyperbranched epoxy functionalized resin and subsequent condensation of an alkoxysilane inorganic precursor. All the formulations investigated gave rise to photocured films characterized by high gel content values. An increase in glass transition temperature and an increase in storage modulus above T_g in the rubbery plateau is observed with increasing TEOS content in the photocurable formulation. The important role of GPTS on reducing the inorganic domain size and avoiding macroscopic phase separation was demonstrated by TEM analyses.

TEM obtained for one of the cured films in the presence of GPTS.     

Cost and Waste Comparison of Reusable and Disposable Shipping Containers for Cut Flowers

Logistics is a fundamental component of the post‐harvest processes, especially in the floricultural sector where the products have to be marketed in short times after the cutting because of their fragility. In the previous years, new approaches to efficiently manage the logistical function and to reduce costs and environmental impacts have been consolidated. In this paper, the investments for two different containers for flower transportation, one disposable and one reusable, are compared, considering a specific supply chain located in central Italy. All data were provided by stakeholders. These were divided into four groups: purchasing, administration, logistical and disposal costs. For the reusable containers, a reverse logistical system, to collect the return components, was hypothesised by using the network analysis tool of the geographic information system (GIS). Results show that the use of a reusable system, which assures a production with less waste and less environmental pressures, is also economically advantageous. Reusable containers involve an initial investment but became cheaper from the second year of the investment and also remained convenient, considering all the costs related to the return collection of the items. Reusable system permits a financial advantage of approximately 140 k€ in total and 21 k€ for each year, considering all the nine years of analysis. Logistics is responsible of the great contribution of total cost in both the reusable and the disposable container (88% and 76%), probably because of the high fragmentation in the delivery service to sale points. Reverse logistics represents the 17% of the reusable container total costs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.