101,966 research outputs found
Outdoor sports tracking by means of hybrid GPS-LoRaWAN localization
No full textIn this paper, we propose a hybrid LoRaWAN/GPS solution for the tracking of athletes performing outdoor sport activities. The combination of the two technologies has the main purpose of optimizing power consumption by limiting GPS usage and providing a continuous people tracking even in case of GPS-denied areas, for example when walking through woods and forests. In this case, GPS is replaced by LoRaWAN connectivity which, besides acting merely as a data transmission technology, thus sending the user's position to a remote server, is also used to estimate such position. To this aim, different localization techniques are evaluated, testing a simple technique based on preliminary area mapping and presenting a data fusion technique to improve the positioning accuracy. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach, a prototypical tracker was set up, integrating a GPS module with a LoRa transceiver. Then, field tests were performed correlating the positions along a pre-defined path, acquired by means of a GPS module, with the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) values related to the LoRaWAN transmission. Acquired values suggest the usability of these parameters to estimate the user's position in case of lack of GPS coverage
LoRaWAN in Motion: Preliminary tests for real time low power data gathering from vehicles
No full textThe aim of this paper is to study the usability of the Long Range (LoRa) Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) protocol in the context of vehicular networks, in order to exploit it as enabling technology for the realization of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions within automotive contexts. Despite the critical requirements of this application scenario in terms of bandwidth and latency, LoRaWAN may be exploited for several purposes thanks to its excellent performances in terms of low power consumption and long transmission range. However, the vehicular context features some peculiar constraints that require a specific validation of this technology. One of this requirements concerns the fact that vehicles are actually in motion when transmitting data. Such motion can occur at different speeds that may affect in some way the transmission performances. To this aim, the performances of the LoRaWAN link are evaluated with the transmitter in motion at different speeds, from 20 km/h up to 90 km/h. In particular, received packets percentage, Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) are measured, with varying transmission setups in terms of Spreading Factor (SF). The measurement campaign is carried out in an elliptical track, with a LoRaWAN Gateway positioned exactly in its center, in order to limit the variations of the wireless link. Achieved results demonstrate the robustness of LoRaWAN also in case of transmissions taking place in motion, with limited signal degradation in the case of highest speed values
Differential proteomics highlights metabolic changes associated with n-hexadecane utilization in a Streptomyces coelicolor strain expressing Gordonia sp. SoCg n-alkane monooxigenase.
No full textIntroduction: Alkanes are biodegraded to generate the corresponding primary alcohol trough
alkane hydroxylases (AHs) consisting on an integral membrane alkane monooxygenase (AlkB)
and two soluble proteins, rubredoxin and rubredoxin reductase. Recently, an alkB gene was
reported to be involved in degradation of long chain n-alkanes in the actinobacterium Gordonia
sp. SoCg. This gene was expressed in Streptomyces coelicolor M145 which is unable to
degrade n-alkanes.
Results: The engineered strain, M145-AH, can biotransform n-hexadecane into the
corresponding 1-hexadecanol and it is able to grow on n-hexadecane as sole carbon source.
Changes in global protein expression associated with n-hexadecane metabolism in M145-AH
were studied using a differential proteomic approach. M145-AH was incubated in three different
conditions using a mineral medium supplemented with hexadecane or glucose as the sole
carbon source or without any carbon source, respectively. Total proteins, extracted from
samples collected after 6, 24 and 48 h of incubation in the three conditions, were analyzed by
2D-Differential Gel Electrophoresis (2D-DIGE). Differentially abundant protein spots were
identified by mass spectrometry. The expression profile of proteins involved in central carbon
metabolism, amino acid and protein biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism and respiration revealed
a gradual metabolic adaptation to n-hexadecane utilization, which is similar to that of specialized
alkane-degraders.
Conclusion: Thus, the addition of the alkB gene confers to Streptomyces coelicolor the ability
to use an insoluble recalcitrant contaminant as an usual carbon source. These data, expanding
the knowledge on n-alkane bioconversion mechanisms in Gram-positive bacteria, provide new
technological platforms for bioremediation studies and strategies
A Technique for the Measurement of the Morphological Evolution of Marine Pebbles
No full textThe scope of this paper is to present an innovative methodology for the measurement of the volume evolution of marine pebbles, subject to action of wave motion. This technique is based on the 3D scanning of the pebbles at different stages of the abrasion process, and on the actual measurement of the volume, as well as other ancillary parameters (e.g., the mass) through the use of 3D graphic tools. The 3D scanning of the pebbles is performed using a commercial, low-cost 3D scanner and a mechanical structure which allows the acquisition of the complete pebble morphology. In order to validate the technique, two laboratory tests were performed. In a preliminary test, the 3D model of four pebbles of specific shapes was acquired for a total of 50 times, in order to evaluate the repeatability of the 3D acquisition and then of the volume measurement. The second set of tests was performed using a Los Angeles (LA) tumbling machine, to simulate the natural abrasive process. Then, the 3D models of a number of pebbles were acquired at different stages of the LA machine operative procedure. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique and motivate their usage in a natural environment, that is being carried out in Marina di Pisa, Italy
Nuovi attivanti di glicosil trialoacetimmidati
No full textcomunicazione orale personalmente presentata, abstract CO
Nuovi attivanti di glicosil trialoacetimmidati
No full textcomunicazione orale personalmente presentata, abstract CO
Differential proteomic analysis of an engineered Streptomyces coelicolor strain reveals metabolic pathways supporting growth on n-hexadecane
No full textThe alkB gene, encoding an alkane monooxygenase in the actinomycete Gordonia sp. SoCg, was expressed in the non-alkane-degrading actinomycete Streptomyces coelicolor M145. The resulting engineered strain, M145-AH, can grow on n-hexadecane as sole carbon source. To unravel proteins associated with growth on n-alkanes, proteome of M145-AH after 6, 24, and 48 h of incubation in the Bushnell-Haas (BH) mineral medium containing n-hexadecane as sole carbon source (H condition) and in BH without any carbon source (0 condition) were compared using 2D-differential gel electrophoresis. Proteome analysis revealed significant changes only at 48 h, showing 48 differentially abundant proteins identified by mass spectrometry procedures. To asses if these proteins were specifically related to n-hexadecane metabolism, their expression was investigated, comparing H proteome with that of M145-AH incubated in BH with glucose as sole carbon source (G condition). Thus, protein expression profiles at 6, 24, and 48 h under H, 0, and G conditions were combined, revealing that M145-AH regulates in a temporally- and carbon source-dependent manner the expression of proteins involved in regulatory events, central carbon metabolism, respiration, β-oxidation, membrane transport, and amino acid and protein metabolism. Interestingly, 21 % of them, mostly involved in membrane transport and protein metabolism, showed a n-hexadecane-dependent regulation with regulatory proteins such as CRP likely to have a key role in M145-AH n-hexadecane growth. These results, expanding the knowledge on n-alkane utilization in Gram-positive bacteria, reveal genes to be targeted to develop an efficient S. coelicolor M145-AH-based bioremediation system
A Technique for the Study of the Volume and Textural Parameter Evolution of Marine Coarse Sediments
No full textIn this article, we detail a novel technique for measuring volume and textural parameters of coarse-grained marine sediments. The technique combines radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for sediment tracking with 3-D scanning for volume measurement. The technique is applied to real marine sediments collected from the beach under study. In the preliminary phase, the sediments are scanned using a low-cost 3-D scanning system and then fitted with an embedded RFID transponder, which allows their unambiguous identification. The pebbles are then deployed on the beach and, after a predefined period of time, they are located and retrieved by means of an ad-hoc RFID reader used as a detector. After retrieval, the pebbles are 3-D scanned to collect data on the volumetric changes that result from the abrasion and chipping processes caused by intergranular friction on their surfaces from water movements (mostly sea waves). The technique allows for an accurate estimation of morphologica..
LoRaWAN Underground to Aboveground Data Transmission Performances for Different Soil Compositions
No full textThe aim of this article is to discuss the usability of the long-range (LoRa) transmission technology together with the LoRa wide-area network (LoRaWAN) protocol for underground monitoring activities. In particular, this article focuses on the transmission performances in different soils (i.e., gravel, sand, and clay), for an underground-to-aboveground (UG2AG) communication. The three soils have been chosen in order to test the system behavior in case of pure soil compositions, in order to provide a general result that can be used to evaluate the transmission chances for any kind of soil. The performances of the transmission channel have been tested using an experimental setup for depths up to 50 cm, acquiring the values of the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for every transmission and analyzing the packet loss (PL). Such a kind of system may be crucial in several application scenarios, such as environmental monitoring or smart agriculture, where the real-time, remote acquisition of underground parameters at different depths is required
Gordonia sp. SoCg alkB gene confers the ability to degrade and use n-alkanes as carbon source in Gram positive bacteria
No full textGordonia sp. SoCg, a Gram positive strain able to grow on long chain n-alkanes1, possess a single copy of
alkB2 gene, whose product is required for n-alkane hydroxylation3. An analysis of alkB flanking regions
revealed five ORFs which were designed as orf1, rubA3, rubA4, rubB and alkU, according to the sequence
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homology with that of known alk clusters3. In G. sp. SoCg the transcription of these genes was induced by
long-chain and solid n-alkanes as revealed by quantitative RT-PCR, and the essential role of alkB in nalkane
degradation was demonstrated by the construction of an alkB disruption mutant strain3. The SoCg
alkB gene was successfully expressed in Streptomyces coelicolor M145 (M145-AH), and the production of
1-hexadecanol from n-hexadecane oxidation was observed3.
A differential study of global gene expression of M145-AH cultures was performed, where n-hexadecane
(C16) glucose (GLU) and none (NC) were provided as only carbon source, respectively. Proteomic analysis,
based on 2D-DIGE and MS procedures, revealed a gradual metabolic adaptation to n-hexadecane
utilization, not dissimilar from that one revealed in specialized alkane-degraders4. In addition, expression
profiles of central carbon metabolism enzymes revealed that the addition of a single gene confers the ability
to use recalcitrant pollutants as simple sugars in Streptomyces.
Altogether these data, expanding the knowledge on n-alkane bioconversion mechanisms in Gram positive
bacteria, could provide new technological platforms for bioremediation studies and strategies.
Quatrini, P., Scaglione, G., De Pasquale, C., Riela, S., & Puglia, A. M. (2008). Isolation of gram-positive n-alkane degraders from a
hydrocarbon- contaminated mediterranean shoreline. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 104(1), 251-259.
Lo Piccolo, L., De Pasquale, C., Fodale, R., Puglia, A. M. & Quatrini, P. . An alkane hydroxylase system of Gordonia sp. Strain SoCg is
involved in degradation of solid n-alkanes. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. In revision.
van Beilen, J. B., & Funhoff, E. G. (2007). Alkane hydroxylases involved in microbial alkane degradation. Applied Microbiology and
Biotechnology, 74(1), 13-21.
Sabirova, J. S., Ferrer, M., Regenhardt, D., Timmis, K. N., & Golyshin, P. N. (2006). Proteomic insights into metabolic adaptations in
Alcanivorax borkumensis induced by alkane utilization. Journal of Bacteriology, 188(11), 3763-3773
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