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Evaluation of the performance of three pulse oximeters at different probe positions in awake rabbits
No full text: In rabbits, pulse oximetry plays a crucial role in monitoring oxygen saturation (SpO2) and pulse rate (PR), but it can be challenging due to their small size, variable anatomy, limited measurement sites, and potential motion artifacts during measurements. This prospective randomized study aimed to assess the reliability of three pulse oximeters on the forelimb and tail of fifty awake, healthy European rabbits. Two pulse oximeters, the Masimo Rad-5 (device 1) and the Edan VE-H100B, were tested, with the latter using both a Y-clip (device 2) and the Nellcor OxiMax adhesive finger sensor (device 3). Reliable values of SpO2 and PR were considered ≥ 95% and ≥ 151 bpm, respectively, which are normal values in a healthy rabbit. Success rates of the devices were calculated as the ratio of reliable to unreliable/missing values and compared using χ2 tests. Correlation and agreement between PR and clinically measured heart rate (cHR) were assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and Bland-Altman analysis, respectively. Success rates differed significantly among devices (p 66%) than on the tail (>26%) across devices. Correlation between PR and cHR was stronger on forelimb (r > 0.80) than on tail (r < 0.70). Agreement between PR and cHR was similar among devices, with a mean bias ranging from -6.6 to 6.7 bpm, and limits of agreement from -33.8 to 41.5 bpm. The Edan devices showed superior ability to detect reliable values of SpO2 and PR compared to the Masimo in rabbits. The forelimb appears to be a more reliable site for pulse oximetry in rabbits than the tail
Riding with the flow: study on intrinsic motivation, dispositional flow, and sensation seeking among Italian motorcycle racers
Full text linkBackground: There is a limited body of research investigating psychological dimensions involved in motorcycle racing. Exploring intrinsic motivation becomes crucial since it is associated with high performance and sport persistence. Dispositional flow and sensation seeking, psychological traits involved in motorcycle practice, may exert a significant influence on intrinsic motivation. The current study aimed (1) to assess whether higher levels of intrinsic motivation characterize motorcycle racers participating in higher levels of competition, while no clear hypotheses were made for dispositional flow and sensation seeking, and (2) to assess how dispositional flow and sensation seeking would relate with intrinsic motivation in a sample of Italian motorcycle racers.
Method: Data was collected from 75 motorcycle racers, self-identified as men (age 39.44 ± 13.07 years), registered in the Italian Federation of Motorcycling: 43 competed at National/International level and 32 at Regional level as their highest level.
Results: Motorcycle racers competing at Regional level and National/International level did not differ in psychological dimensions. Moreover, dispositional flow was positively associated with all dimensions of intrinsic motivation, while sensation seeking was associated only with intrinsic motivation to stimulate. Finally, intrinsic motivation to stimulate was associated with both psychological dimensions within a hierarchical regression model.
Conclusion: These findings highlighted that motorcycle racing could be intrinsically rewarding and could enable riders to experience flow and to reach intense emotions regardless of the level of the competition. Furthermore, dispositional flow emerged as significantly associated with intrinsic motivation to sport practice in motorcycle racers, while sensation seeking played a marginal role
Genetic characterisation of Germanata Veneta and Mignon local duck breeds (Anas platyrhynchos) using whole-genome sequencing
No full textThis study investigated the genetic diversity and conservation status of two endangered Italian duck breeds: Germanata Veneta (GER, n = 50) and Mignon (MIG, n = 50). The DNA was extracted from blood and analysed through whole-genome sequencing. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) calling allowed the identification of 186,287 shared SNPs which were used to estimate expected and observed heterozygosity, and inbreeding coefficients based on homozygosity (FHOM) and on runs of homozygosity. Both breeds showed low genetic variability and high inbreeding (GER: FHOM = 0.305 +/- 0.184; MIG: FHOM = 0.369 +/- 0.163). Multidimensional scaling revealed substructure within MIG, supported by phylogenetic and admixture analyses. Runs of homozygosity islands in GER were located on chromosomes 1, 2, 10, 11 and 21, with 524 SNPs enriched in immune response genes. In MIG, runs of homozygosity islands mapped to several chromosomes and included 614 SNPs related to muscle and cytoskeletal functions. Genes associated with small body size (e.g. SHOX, IGF2R and PRKG2) were found in MIG. A genome-wide association study comparing GER and MIG identified major genetic differences on chromosomes 2, 3, 5 and 13, including genes related to fatty acid metabolism (HADHA and HADHB) and dwarfism (POC1A). The results revealed low variability and high inbreeding, providing data to inform conservation programs aimed at mitigating the risk of genetic erosion
Galileo Galilei’s Relics at the University of Padua Material (Dis)continuities in the Making of the Public Memory of Science in Modern Italy
No full textInvestigazione del ruolo del recettore degli androgeni nel sistema nervoso centrale in condizioni fisiologiche e patologiche
No full textAndrogen Receptor (AR) is a steroid hormone-activated transcription factor located in the cytoplasm in an inactive state. In response to androgen binding, AR shuttles from the cytosol to the nucleus, where it regulates the expression of specific target genes by recognizing and binding specific DNA sequences, termed androgen response elements (ARE), in their promoter and enhancer regions.
AR activity is highly regulated by post-translational modification (PTMs), of which the most abundant is phosphorylation. Expansions of CAG triplet, over 38, in the first exon of the AR gene, result in the expression of an AR with an elongated polyglutamine (polyQ) tract. This genetic inherited mutation characterizes the Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (SBMA), a neuromuscular disorder. AR is widely expressed throughout the brain, cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamic nuclei, and amygdala. Many studies have been focused on understanding the role of AR in the central nervous system (CNS). However, the AR-driven molecular mechanisms are still largely unknown.
The aim of the work is to elucidate the role and the mechanism through which AR is controlled in specific excitable cells, namely neurons, both in physiological and pathological conditions. The working hypothesis has been the direct impinge of neuronal activity on androgen receptor activity modulation. We observed in vitro a rapid phosphorylation patter in AR serine proline (SP) site after neuronal stimulation, suggesting a new role of AR as activity-dependent transcription factor. Moreover, our data suggest that AR can change its subcellular localization in response to androgens and neuronal activity, ultimately modulating the expression of immediate-early and late-response downstream target genes. Our findings suggest a new role for AR in the CNS
From Hydrophilic to Superhydrophobic: Tuning Surface Wettability through Salvinia-Inspired Topographies
Full text linkProfiling Electric Vehicles via Early Charging Voltage Patterns
No full textElectric Vehicles (EVs) are rapidly gaining adoption as a sustainable alternative to fuel-powered vehicles, making secure charging infrastructure essential. Despite traditional authentication protocols, recent results showed that attackers may steal energy through tailored relay attacks. One countermeasure is leveraging the EV’s fingerprint on the current exchanged during charging. However, existing methods focus on the final charging stage, allowing malicious actors to consume substantial energy before being detected and repudiated. This underscores the need for earlier and more effective authentication methods to prevent unauthorized charging. Meanwhile, profiling raises privacy concerns, as uniquely identifying EVs through charging patterns could enable user tracking. In this paper, we propose a framework for uniquely identifying EVs using physical measurements from the early charging stages. We hypothesize that voltage behavior early in the process exhibits similar characteristics to current behavior in later stages. By extracting features from early voltage measurements, we demonstrate the feasibility of EV profiling. Our approach improves existing methods by enabling faster and more reliable vehicle identification. We test our solution on a dataset of 7408 usable charges from 49 EVs, achieving up to 0.86 accuracy. Feature importance analysis shows that near-optimal performance is possible with just 10 key features, improving efficiency alongside our lightweight models. This research lays the foundation for a novel authentication factor while exposing potential privacy risks from unauthorized access to charging data
Development of a yeast-based system to remove and recover heavy metals
No full textHeavy metals contamination has become an environmental concern due to its toxicity and non-degradability. Looking for eco-friendly solutions, bioremediation using microorganisms has emerged as a promising alternative. Among different microorganisms, Saccharomyces cerevisiae stands out for its ease of handling, rapid growth, and low nutritional requirements, making it a cost-effective option for large biomass production. Previous studies have highlighted that the metal-binding capabilities of yeast cells can be enhanced by the Yeast Surface Display (YSD) genetic technique, that enables the expression of specific proteins on the cell surface. Over time, this strategy has been applied to express a variety of peptides and proteins on the yeast cell wall, contributing to processes such as biocatalysis and biofuel production. However, experimental investigations involving YSD have been focused only to laboratory strains of S. cerevisiae, which represent a small group of domesticated strains ideal for research purposes. In contrast, S. cerevisiae strains isolated from natural environment possess unique characteristics shaped by selective pressure, that could improve YSD efficiency. Despite the potential, there are no documented examples of YSD-engineered natural strains in the literature.
The main goal of this PhD project was to develop and optimize the molecular tools required to perform the YSD protein expression in yeast strains isolated from natural environments. Specifically, S. cerevisiae natural strains have been selected from the large collection provided by the project partner company. Through a series of functional and biochemical assays, experimental evidence supported that natural strains can be genetically modified to efficiently express on their cell wall different protein-of-interest, further proven to retain their biological competence, providing the proof-of-evidence that natural strains are suitable for YSD-based applications. Noteworthy, YSD was successfully performed in S.cerevisiae cells endowed with very different features, and phylogenetically highly divergent, as the strains employed for the production of wine, bread, whisky, or animal food additives. Therefore, data collectively indicated that the YSD system developed here may be used in S. cerevisiae strains isolated from natural environments, independently of the genetic background. Additional experiments have been then performed to improve YSD efficiency by introducing site-specific genetic modifications, as the inactivation of several genes implicated in cell wall biosynthesis, but no substantial differences were revealed between mutant and control yeast cells.
Interestingly, data demonstrated that YSD-engineered strains expressing metal-binding peptide/proteins on surface were significantly enhanced in metal adsorption properties, pointing to the possible use in bioremediation. Notably, yeast cells displaying either exa-histidine peptide, metallothionein, or calmodulin, were able to specifically target nickel, copper, and calcium ions, respectively. However, when applied to real matrices, as grape must or contaminated river water, metal-binding ability of the yeast cells was markedly reduced, likely due to matrix composition, where competing molecules could interfere with protein-ion binding. Nevertheless, to increase the yeast biomass, large-scale propagation and industrial production were carried out for the YSD-engineered natural IB1 strain expressing the yCup1 metallothionein. However, comparison of the ability to remove and/or recover copper ions between wild-type and YSD-yCup1 yeast strains, failed to reveal relevant differences, indicating that the large-scale production process irreversibly damaged or denatured the surface protein. Future investigations are required to optimize yeast large-scale production preserving surface-exposed proteins functionality, improving the overall performance of yeast-based systems in environmental applications
Life beyond the checklist: Revitalizing the potential of environmental impact assessments through co-creation
No full textLarge infrastructure projects pose substantial and frequently irreversible threats to biological and cultural diversity. These projects predominantly rely on one-size-fits-all solutions, informed by extractive paradigms that endanger the vitality of social-ecological systems. This tendency towards monotone solutions is mainstreamed by Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). In principle, EIAs should provide the opportunity for fair, accurate, and open-ended evaluation of projects; instead, they are often used instrumentally to facilitate the implementation of decisions already made elsewhere. Nevertheless, EIAs offer a window of opportunity to enhance social-ecological awareness, agency, and accountability. Our work operationalizes this opportunity, by integrating a transformative logic into EIA practice. We seek to address three core flaws found in conventional EIAs: (1) an inherent bias favoring development projects; (2) an anthropocentric, short-sighted vision of sustainability; and (3) a lack of meaningful participation by affected human communities. In this paper, we introduce the outcomes of a transdisciplinary retreat where academics, practitioners, and activists designed and tested a Co-Creative Relational Impact Assessment Process (CoRIAP), drawing on two archetypal cases in Kenya and Laos.
CoRIAP includes: (a) process-oriented components that redefine the role of an EIA, transforming it from a routine checklist to a purposeful and inclusive procedure that embraces diverse and unforeseen outcomes; and (b) measurement-oriented components that incorporate relational criteria neglected in conventional EIAs, such as ethics, emotions, esthetics, and alternative ways of knowing. This novel protocol complements and broadens existing EIA practice. At the same time, it provides communities with a tool for self-strengthening and reflection
A New Evaluation Strategy for Diagnostic Tests Under Umbrella or Tree Ordering
No full textIn medical research, diagnostic tests (or biomarkers) with continuous values are widely employed to attempt to distinguish between diseased and non-diseased subjects. The diagnostic accuracy of a test can be assessed by its receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. For diseases with multiclasses, an important category of scenarios assumes tree or umbrella ordering, where the test measurement for one particular class is lower or higher than those for the other classes. In this paper, we propose a new ROC framework for tree or umbrella ordering, together with a related evaluation strategy. Such a strategy is based on new ROC representations on the plane, denoted as LTROC and UTROC, and new summary indexes. Related statistical inference is also discussed. In particular, we propose simple estimation and interval estimation procedures, in a nonparametric setting. For these procedures, we provide theoretical justification and assess the behaviour in finite samples through simulation experiments. Finally, we illustrate the proposed approach with two real data examples