Cytogenetic identity: A new parameter for estimating whole-genome differences

In this paper, we introduce a novel parameter, called Cytogenetic Identity, to describe differences and similarities between genomes. Using Whole Comparative Genomic Hybridization plus Digital Image Analysis, we present a new methodology that employs the whole genome, including highly repeated DNA sequences, to provide a general picture about the differences between individuals of the same or different species. The proposed approach has a great potential in many different fields of research, like evolution, ecology, phylogenesis, etc. In the present study, we applied Cytogenetic Identity to establish a quantitative degree of divergence between different goat breeds. Advantages as well as disadvantages of the new parameter are discussedThe work was supported by Fondo Integrativo per la Ricerca (F.I.R.), provided by the University of Cagliari (to M.N. and R.R.

Evolution of satellite DNA sequences in two tribes of Bovidae: a cautionary tale

Two clones, Bt1 from Bos taurus and Om1 from Ovis orientalis musimon, were used as probes for hybridization on genomic DNA and on metaphase chromosomes in members of Bovini and Caprini tribes. Bt1 and Om1 are sequences respectively belonging to the 1.715 and 1.714 DNA satellite I families. Southern blots and fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments showed completely coherent results: the Bovini probe Bt1 hybridized only to members of the Bovini tribe and not to members of Caprini. Likewise, the Caprini probe Om1 hybridized only to members of the Caprini tribe and not to members of Bovini. Hybridization signals were detected in the heterochromatic regions of every acrocentric autosome, except for two pairs of autosomes from Capra hircus that did not show hybridization to probe Om1. No signal was detected on X and Y chromosomes or on bi-armed autosomes. Remarkably, probe Om1 showed almost 100% homology with a bacterial sequence reported in Helicobacter pylor

Simultaneous determination of triazines and their main transformation products in surface and urban wastewater by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry

This work describes the optimization, validation and application to real samples of an ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for the quantification and confirmation of 11 compounds (atrazine, simazine, terbuthylazine, terbumeton, terbutryn and their main transformation products) in surface and wastewater samples. Most of these analytes are included in the list of priority substances in the framework on European Water Policy. The application of this method to water samples reveals that the most relevant transformation products (TPs) should be incorporated into current analytical methods (which are focused mainly on the determination of unchanged compounds), to obtain a more realistic knowledge on water quality regarding pesticide contamination. TPs are generally more polar and mobile than the parents and they can be transported to the aquatic environment more rapidly than their precursors. Additionally, they can present some degree of toxicity and in fact TPs are also included within the legislation on drinking water as pesticide derivatives. To efficiently combine UHPLC with MS/MS, a fast-acquisition triple quadrupole mass analyzer was used. Working in selected reaction monitoring mode, up to three simultaneous transitions per compound were acquired allowing a reliable identification at ng/L levels. The method developed includes a pre-concentration step based on solid-phase extraction (OASIS HLB cartridges). Satisfactory recoveries (70-120%) and relative standard deviations (<20%) were obtained for all compounds in different water samples types spiked at two concentration levels (0.025 and 0.1 μg/L). The optimized method was found to have excellent sensitivity with instrumental detection limits as low as 50 fg. In addition, the influences of the matrix constituents on ionization efficiency and extraction recovery have been studied in different types of Italian and Spanish surface and urban wastewater. Signal suppressions were observed for all compounds, especially for influent wastewater. The use of isotope-labelled internal standards was found to be the best approach to assure an accurate quantification in all matrix sample

Nitrogen activation of carbon-encapsulated zero-valent iron nanoparticles and influence of the activation temperature on heavy metals removal

Nanoparticles of zero-valent iron (nZVI) represent a promising agent for environmental remediation. This is due to their core-shell structure which presents the characteristics of both metallic and oxidised iron, leading to sorption and reductive precipitation of metal ions. Nevertheless, nZVI application presents some limitations regarding their rapid oxidation and aggregation in the media which leads to the delivery of the ions after some hours (the "aging effect"). To address these issues, modifications of nZVI structure and synthesis methods have been developed in the last years. The aging problem was solved by using nZVI encapsulated inside carbon spheres (CE-nZVI), synthetized through Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC). Results showed high heavy metals removal percentage. Furthermore, CE-nZVI were activated with nitrogen in order to increase the metallic iron content. The aim of this study was to test CE-nZVI post-treated with nitrogen at different temperatures in heavy metals removal, demonstrating that the influence of the temperature was negligible in nanoparticles removal efficiency.This work was financially supported by University of Milano-Bicocca fund (2016-ATESP-0597) and University of Alicante (UAFPU2013-5791)

Optimized Longitudinal Monitoring of Stem Cell Grafts in Mouse Brain Using a Novel Bioluminescent/Near Infrared Fluorescent Fusion Reporter

Biodistribution and fate of transplanted stem cells via longitudinal monitoring has been successfully achieved in the last decade using optical imaging

Recent Law Reforms in EU Sustainable Finance: Regulating Sustainability Risk and Sustainable Investments

Responding to increasingly degrading environmental and social conditions, the European Commission has fostered important legal and regulatory reforms to achieve sustainable finance objectives in Europe. However, these reforms are numerous, complex, and fast-paced. They have proved difficult to grasp and contextualize, while adding to the intricacies of an already highly sophisticated EU legal and regulatory regime. This Article outlines and examines such reforms with the purpose of providing necessary insights into the current state of EU law and regulation in the area of sustainable finance. The first part of the Article conceptualizes the meaning of sustainability risk and of sustainable investments. Understanding these two concepts is crucial as they underlie the entire reform process, from climate risk management to the development of sustainable markets and products. The second part of this Article provides an overview and analysis of key sustainability- related reforms. Changes to the non-financial information disclosure regime are outlined covering the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, and the EU Taxonomy Regulation. Emphasis is placed on the “double materiality” principle in sustainability reporting. Modifications to EU financial services law are also examined with focus on changes made to the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II), which is the central legislation governing securities regulation in Europe. Finally, a brief overview of the evolving prudent person rule contained in the Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision Directive is offered. The Article concludes by shedding light on key challenges afflicting reform implementation

Planning of rural electrification with mini-hydro-power systems in the Cimitarra basin (Colombia)

LAUREA MAGISTRALEIl 25 Settembre 2015 193 Nazioni hanno adottato la nuova Agenda per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile del 2030; l’obiettivo (SDG) 7.1 si prefiggeva come scopo quello di assicurare entro il 2030 l’accesso a livello globale ad un servizio di energia elettrica sostenibile, affidabile e moderno. Tuttavia, si rimane ancora distanti da questo obiettivo, anche se nel 2018 si è raggiunto un traguardo importante: per la prima volta nella storia, il numero di persone prive di accesso al servizio di energia elettrica è sceso sotto il miliardo. Le maggiori difficoltà si incontrano nelle regioni rurali, dove la distribuzione dei villaggi è molto sparsa e per questo motivo in molti casi non è economicamente sostenibile la connessione diretta alla rete elettrica, il che si traduce in una copertura media del 75%. In questo contesto la generazione distribuita basata su fonti rinnovabili rappresenta senza subbio una valida alternativa per il raggiungimento dell’obiettivo preposto. Questa tesi mira a fornire un metodo utile per pianificare l’elettrificazione rurale di tipo off-grid tramite il mini-idroelettrico ad acqua fluente nel contesto colombiano del bacino del fiume Cimitarra. La scelta del sito geografico deriva da uno progetto realizzato da Ingegneria Senza Frontiere in collaborazione con l’Asociacion Campesina del Valle del Rio Cimitarra. Il punto di partenza per questa analisi è stato il lavoro di tesi specialistica del mio collega Mattia Manara, che ha precedentemente studiato la problematica calata nel contesto himalayano del bacino Dudh Kosi. Il modello si presenta come modello idrologico semi-distribuito accoppiato con un modulo idroelettrico in grado di valutare diversi possibili schemi di micro-grid. I risultati confermano il potenziale delle soluzioni di mini-idroelettrico, in grado di garantire fino al’85% di copertura dei bisogni energetici mantenendo un costo dell’energia competitivo. Tuttavia, data l’assenza di sistema di accumulo nelle reti elettriche più performanti, in alcuni giorni dell’anno gli impianti non saranno in grado di evadere la richiesta di energia. Il modello risulta essere uno strumento risolutivo efficace e di potenziale supporto per la pianificazione dell’elettrificazione rurale basata su tecnologia idroelettrica. Inoltre, si possono individuare dei punti di miglioramento per ulteriori sviluppi che potrebbero essere indagati tramite la pianificazione di reti ibride e non più dipendenti dalla sola risorsa idrica.On the 25th September 2015 the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by 193 world leaders, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7.1 aimed to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services by 2030. The world still remains off-track in its effort to achieve SDG 7.1, even if in 2018 the number of people without electricity access fell below 1 billion for the first time ever. In rural areas the access rate is just 75% as the isolated and scattered distribution of rural communities makes grid extension a non-economically viable option. In this context, distributed generation systems based on renewable energy reveal themselves as promising solutions to this challenging task. The thesis aims to provide a useful method for planning off-grid rural electrification with run-off-river mini-hydro for the Cimitarra river basin (Colombia). The geographical area was chosen since it has been already object of study of a specific project of Ingegneria Senza Frontiere together with l’Asociacion Campesina del Valle del Rio Cimitarra. The starting point was represented the Master Thesis of Mattia Manara, a colleague who developed the implementation of the algorithm for the Dudh Kosi river basin (Nepal). A semi-distributed hydrological model was implemented and coupled with a hydroelectric module, used to design various possible electrification schemes. The results show that mini-hydro is a very promising technology, able to satisfy the energy demand of more than 85% of the population without reaching exceeding costs. However, due to the lack of a storage systems, for few days a year some plants are not able to provide all the energy required. The model proved to be an effective tool to support the planning of rural electrification based on the hydro-electricity and the results could be further improved through the development of hybrid micro-grid