Red and Blue Light Differently Influence Actinidia chinensis Performance and Its Interaction with Pseudomonas syringae pv. Actinidiae

Light composition modulates plant growth and defenses, thus influencing plant–pathogen interactions. We investigated the effects of different light-emitting diode (LED) red (R) (665 nm) and blue (B) (470 nm) light combinations on Actinidia chinensis performance by evaluating biometric parameters, chlorophyll a fluorescence, gas exchange and photosynthesis-related gene expression. Moreover, the influence of light on the infection by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), the etiological agent of bacterial canker of kiwifruit, was investigated. Our study shows that 50%R–50%B (50R) and 25%R–75%B (25R) lead to the highest PSII efficiency and photosynthetic rate, but are the least effective in controlling the endophytic colonization of the host by Psa. Monochromatic red light severely reduced ΦPSII, ETR, Pn, TSS and photosynthesis-related genes expression, and both monochromatic lights lead to a reduction of DW and pigments content. Monochromatic blue light was the only treatment significantly reducing disease symptoms but did not reduce bacterial endophytic population. Our results suggest that monochromatic blue light reduces infection primarily by modulating Psa virulence more than host plant defenses.     

The Neuroprotective Potentiality of Flavonoids on Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), due to its spread, has become a global health priority, and is characterized by senile dementia and progressive disability. The main cause of AD and other neurodegenerations (Huntington, Parkinson, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) are aggregated protein accumulation and oxidative damage. Recent research on secondary metabolites of plants such as polyphenols demonstrated that they may slow the progression of AD. The flavonoids’ mechanism of action in AD involved the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, Tau protein aggregation, β-secretase, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis through modulation of signaling pathways which are implicated in cognitive and neuroprotective functions, such as ERK, PI3-kinase/Akt, NFKB, MAPKs, and endogenous antioxidant enzymatic systems. This review focuses on flavonoids and their role in AD, in terms of therapeutic potentiality for human health, antioxidant potential, and specific AD molecular targets.     

How Can We Improve Vaccination Response in Old People? Part I: Targeting Immunosenescence of Innate Immunity Cells

Vaccination, being able to prevent millions of cases of infectious diseases around the world every year, is the most effective medical intervention ever introduced. However, immunosenescence makes vaccines less effective in providing protection to older people. Although most studies explain that this is mainly due to the immunosenescence of T and B cells, the immunosenescence of innate immunity can also be a significant contributing factor. Alterations in function, number, subset, and distribution of blood neutrophils, monocytes, and natural killer and dendritic cells are detected in aging, thus potentially reducing the efficacy of vaccines in older individuals. In this paper, we focus on the immunosenescence of the innate blood immune cells. We discuss possible strategies to counteract the immunosenescence of innate immunity in order to improve the response to vaccination. In particular, we focus on advances in understanding the role and the development of new adjuvants, such as TLR agonists, considered a promising strategy to increase vaccination efficiency in older individuals.     

Single-Cell RNA Sequencing for the Detection of Clonotypic V(D)J Rearrangements in Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) has a highly heterogeneous genetic background, which complicates its molecular tracking over time. Nevertheless, each MM patient’s malignant plasma cells (PCs) share unique V(D)J rearranged sequences at immunoglobulin loci, which represent ideal disease biomarkers. Because the tumor-specific V(D)J sequence is highly expressed in bulk RNA in MM patients, we wondered whether it can be identified by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). To this end we analyzed CD138⁺ cells purified from bone marrow aspirates of 19 samples with PC dyscrasias by both a standard method based on bulk DNA and by an implementation of the standard 10x Genomics protocol to detect expressed V(D)J sequences. A dominant clonotype was easily identified in each sample, accounting on average for 83.65% of V(D)J-rearranged cells. Compared with standard methods, scRNA-seq analysis proved highly concordant and even more effective in identifying clonal productive rearrangements, by-passing limitations related to the misannealing of consensus primers in hypermutated regions. We next validated its accuracy to track 5 clonal cells with absolute sensitivity in a virtual sample containing 3180 polyclonal cells. This shows that single-cell V(D)J analysis may be used to find rare clonal cells, laying the foundations for functional single-cell dissection of minimal residual disease.     

Indoor air quality in schools of a highly polluted south Mediterranean area

This study aimed at surveying lower secondary schools in southern Italy, in a highly polluted area. A community close to an industrial area and three villages in rural areas was investigated. Indoor temperature, relative humidity (RH), gaseous pollutants (CO₂ and NO₂), selected biological pollutants in indoor dust, and the indoor/outdoor mass concentration and elemental composition of PM_2.5 were ascertained. Temperature and RH were within, or close to, the comfort range, while CO₂ frequently exceeded the threshold of 1000 ppm, indicating inadequate air exchange rate. In all the classrooms, median NO₂ levels were above the WHO threshold value. Dermatophagoides p. allergen concentration was below the sensitizing threshold, while high endotoxin levels were detected in the classrooms, suggesting schools may produce significant risks of endotoxin exposure. Concentration and solubility of PM_2.5 elements were used to identify the sources of indoor particles. Indoor concentration of most elements was higher than outdoors. Resuspension was responsible for the indoor increase in soil components. For elements from industrial emission (Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, V), the indoor concentration depended on penetration from the outside. For these elements, differences in rural vs industrial concentrations were found, suggesting industrial sources may influence indoor air quality nearby schools.     

Innovative metamodelling-based process design for manufacturing: an application to Incremental Sheet Forming

The use of metamodelling techniques in process design has become indispensable to perform faster solutions reducing time to market. This approach allows the implementation of decision support tools which are easier to use than the conventional numerical simulations. In this paper, a robust metamodelling technique has been designed and its feasibility has been validated for the crucial problem of localised thinning in sheet metal forming process. The proposed methodology is based on the innovative integration between the Design of Experimental statistical method and the Kriging one. This approach, in fact, allows to analyse contemporary the continuous and categorical factors and, as a consequence, to define a single tool for changing process conditions (i.e., material and product shape). To test the reliability of the mathematical approach, the same was performed for the case study of Incremental Sheet Forming, a process strongly affected by the not homogeneous distribution of the thickness. Taking advantage of this strategy, a wide experimental investigation has been performed to build the base of knowledge of the problem both for the metamodelling design and for the validation of the decision support tool; moreover, the experimental data were utilized to set and validate a numerical model, which was subsequently used to enrich the dataset. The proposed metamodel, suitably modified according to each process peculiarities, can be generally adapted for sheet thickness prediction.     

Towards a Digital Library Policy and Quality Interoperability Framework: The DL.org Project

Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of systems and organizations to work together. Today interoperability is recognized as a key step in the shift from isolated digital libraries toward a common information space that will allow users to browse through different digital libraries within a single integrated environment. In this paper, we discuss the premises underlying a novel Policy and Quality Interoperability Framework, taking into account the preliminary outcomes and the recommendations of the Policy and Quality Working Groups that are currently being run by the EU co-funded project Digital Library Interoperability, Best Practices, and Modeling Foundations (DL.org).