Multiple time-scale diffusion models of starfish and coral state changes over the whole great barrier reef

A model is developed to investigate starfish and coral dynamics at the macro-scale of the whole Great Barrier Reef. This stochastic near-equilibrium theory is consistent with all available data for the mean rates of change of reef-state relative to abundances of the starfishAcanthaster planci and the scleractinian corals upon which it preys. This result is in striking contrast to the stably cyclic behaviour which dominates the meso-scale of individual reefs as reported previously by the authors. For the first time, a number of important numerical estimates have been made and are reported here. Generally, the starfish dynamics is dominated by randomness, being indistinguishable from Brownian motion in the state-space. On the other hand, the coral process is embedded in a drift field which is always directed towards the low coral state. In fact, the high coral state is inaccessible on the Great Barrier Reef.     

Statistics of the DGD in PMD emulators

We give the statistics of the differential group delay at the output of a polarization-mode dispersion emulator made of a chain of fiber sections with constant birefringence, fixed and arbitrarily selected lengths, and randomly oriented polarization controllers in between.     

Out-of-Field Hippocampus from Partial-Body Irradiated Mice Displays Changes in Multi-Omics Profile and Defects in Neurogenesis

The brain undergoes ionizing radiation exposure in many clinical situations, particularly during radiotherapy for brain tumors. The critical role of the hippocampus in the pathogenesis of radiation-induced neurocognitive dysfunction is well recognized. The goal of this study is to test the potential contribution of non-targeted effects in the detrimental response of the hippocampus to irradiation and to elucidate the mechanisms involved. C57Bl/6 mice were whole body (WBI) or partial body (PBI) irradiated with 0.1 or 2.0 Gy of X-rays or sham irradiated. PBI consisted of the exposure of the lower third of the mouse body, whilst the upper two thirds were shielded. Hippocampi were collected 15 days or 6 months post-irradiation and a multi-omics approach was adopted to assess the molecular changes in non-coding RNAs, proteins and metabolic levels, as well as histological changes in the rate of hippocampal neurogenesis. Notably, at 2.0 Gy the pattern of early molecular and histopathological changes induced in the hippocampus at 15 days following PBI were similar in quality and quantity to the effects induced by WBI, thus providing a proof of principle of the existence of out-of-target radiation response in the hippocampus of conventional mice. We detected major alterations in DAG/IP3 and TGF-β signaling pathways as well as in the expression of proteins involved in the regulation of long-term neuronal synaptic plasticity and synapse organization, coupled with defects in neural stem cells self-renewal in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. However, compared to the persistence of the WBI effects, most of the PBI effects were only transient and tended to decrease at 6 months post-irradiation, indicating important mechanistic difference. On the contrary, at low dose we identified a progressive accumulation of molecular defects that tended to manifest at later post-irradiation times. These data, indicating that both targeted and non-targeted radiation effects might contribute to the pathogenesis of hippocampal radiation-damage, have general implications for human health.     

Gelatin supports with immobilized laccase as sustainable biocatalysts for water treatment

Millimeter-size beads of gelatin are manufactured by dripping process to give enzyme supports qualified for micropollutants biodegradation in alternative wastewater treatment. The bead diameter is dependent on the tip diameter, the gelatin solution viscosity and the swelling of polymer chains in the collecting bath. Chemical crosslinking was performed with glutaraldehyde using optimal concentration to give mechanical and thermal properties suitable for application in stirred reactor in aqueous medium. Laccases from Trametes versicolor are grafted on the gelatin beads with glutaraldehyde. Sixty percentage of the initial enzymatic activity, evaluated by the oxidation of 2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)diammonium salt (ABTS) is maintained after 10 successive cycles of reaction. Thermal stability at 60°C of immobilized biocatalysts is improved when compared to free enzymes (45% vs 10% of relative activity after 6 h of incubation). The simplicity of the procedure to form gelatin beads and their properties make them promising bio-based and biodegradable support for enzyme immobilization.     

Food-water security and virtual water trade in the Middle East and North Africa

The purpose of this study is to analyze the political economy of food-water security in the water-scarce Middle East and North Africa region. The study deploys the lens of virtual water trade to determine how the region's economies have met their rising food-water requirements over the past three decades. It is shown that the region's water and food security currently depend to a considerable extent on water from outside the region, ‘embedded’ in food imports and accessed through trade. The analysis includes blue (surface and groundwater) and green water resources.     

An integrated methodology for the analysis of collaboration in industry networks

In literature, a large number of studies on the Italian districts exhibit a portrait which points out the Italian economic specificity. A specific feature of the Italian districts is the large number of collaborative actions carried on by the associated enterprises which are not limited to the solution of the usual supply chain management problems. As not all the collaborative actions bring immediate (and measurable) economic benefits, there is the need for a reliable and unbiased method aimed at the identification and analysis of the collaborative patterns inside an industry network, to determine their presence and effectiveness. The proposed method uses a graph representation of the inter-firm relationships inside a network and induces the presence of collaborative behaviours by the analysis of the graph topology.     

Extrusion of Rice,Bean and Corn Starches: Extrudate Structure and Molecular Changes in Amylose and Amylopectin

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of starch source and amylose content on the expansion ratio, density, and texture of expanded extrudates, as well as to investigate the structural and molecular changes that occur in starch granules as a function of extrusion. The starches employed were rice starches (8%, 20%, and 32% amylose), carioca bean starch (35% amylose), and Hylon V^® corn starch (55% amylose). The extrudates from rice starches containing 20% and 32% amylose exhibited the highest expansion ratio, while, extrudates from Hylon V^® corn starch containing 55% amylose exhibited the lowest expansion ratio. The hardness values of the extrudates with 55% amylose were twice those of the extrudates with 20%, 32%, and 35% amylose. An additional finding was that although the amylopectin promoted the expansion of the gelatinized starch matrix, it failed to strengthen and sustain the walls of the extrudate bubbles during expansion.     

Physicochemical properties and silicon content in wheat flour treated with diatomaceous earth and conventionally stored

This study was done to evaluate the physicochemical properties and to quantify the residual silicon in flour from wheat grains treated with different dosages of DE and stored in a conventional system for 180 days. Samples containing 10.0 kg of wheat grain were treated with 0.00, 2.00 and 4.00 g kg⁻¹ of DE and then homogenized and stored in cotton bags at 22 °C and 70 ± 5 g 100 g⁻¹ relative humidity. Physicochemical analyses were carried out at 0, 60, 120 and 180 days of storage. The experiment was conducted in a randomized design with a factorial 3 × 4 arrangement (three doses of DE × four storage periods), totaling 12 treatments, with three replicates for each treatment. The wheat flour samples were digested and the silicon residue quantification was conducted through colorimetry. The wheat treated with DE presented a lower test weight compared with control, +b^∗ chromaticity coordinate for color and increased ash content and L^∗. The physicochemical changes in the grain and wheat flour were proportional to the amount of DE applied.