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The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of an ethanolic extract of C. avellana on the molecular pathway(s) regulating the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) in HepG2 cells, mainly in terms of epigenetics. We demonstrated that viability, proliferation and cell cycle distribution were not affected up to 72 h of treatment, whereas LDLR expression was stimulated as early as 24 h following administration (P

Protein hydrolysates (PHs) are a class of plant biostimulants used in the agricultural practice to improve crop performance. In this study, we have assessed the capacity of a commercial PH derived from bovine collagen to mitigate drought, hypoxic, and Fe deficiency stress in Zea mays. As for the drought and hypoxic stresses, hydroponically grown plants treated with the PH exhibited an increased growth and absorption area of the roots compared with those treated with inorganic nitrogen. In the case of Fe deficiency, plants supplied with the PH mixed with FeCl3 showed a faster recovery from deficiency compared to plants supplied with FeCl3 alone or with FeEDTA, resulting in higher SPAD values, a greater concentration of Fe in the leaves and modulation in the expression of genes related to Fe. Moreover, through the analysis of circular dichroism spectra, we assessed that the PH interacts with Fe in a dose-dependent manner. Various hypothesis about the mechanisms of action of the collagen-based PH as stress protectant particularly in Fe-deficiency, are discussed.

Corylus avellana L. is known for its healthy properties, and yet previous studies have not dealt with its effects on human innate response. The aim of this study is to assess if C. avellana has an immune adjuvant effect. Human macrophages were pre-treated with hazelnut liquid extract, found to be rich in phenylpropanoids, and subsequently infected with Staphylococcus aureus. Based on the intracellular bacteria CFU reduction and on the treatment doses used, the donors were divided into High-Dose and Low-Dose-Responders. Expression profile for inflammatory and Iron metabolism genes, both for Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and Macrophages, highlighted that Low-Dose-Responders came from a more pronounced pro-inflammatory milieu as compared with High-Dose-Responders. Blood test results revealed that Low-Dose-Responders had higher LDL C and Triglycerides and lower HDL C. Overall, our results suggest that the effect of the extract on Macrophage immune response is influenced by the intracellular inflammatory status of the donor.

An evaluation was conducted of the colonization of Pseudomonas protegens MP12, a plant-growth promoting and antagonistic strain, inoculated in vine plants during a standard process of grapevine nursery propagation. Three in vivo inoculation protocols (endophytic, rhizospheric, and epiphytic) were implemented and monitored by means of both culture-dependent and independent techniques. Endophytic treatment resulted in the colonization of the bacterium inside the vine cuttings, which spread to young leaves during the forcing period. Microscopy analysis performed on transformed dsRed-tagged P. protegens MP12 cells confirmed the bacterium’s ability to penetrate the inner part of the roots. However, endophytic MP12 strain was no longer detected once the plant materials had been placed in the vine nursery field. The bacterium also displayed an ability to colonize the rhizosphere and, when the plants were uprooted at the end of the vegetative season, its persistence was confirmed. Epiphytic inoculation, performed by foliar spraying of cell suspension, was effective in controlling artificially-induced Botrytis cinerea infection in detached leaves. The success of rhizospheric and leaf colonization in vine plants suggests potential for the future exploitation of P. protegens MP12 as biofertilizer and biopesticide. Further investigation is required into the stability of the bacterium’s colonization of vine plants under real-world conditions in vineyards.

Abstract The NEREA (Naples Ecological REsearch for Augmented observatories) initiative aims to establish an augmented observatory in the Gulf of Naples (GoN), designed to advance the understanding of marine ecosystems through a holistic approach. Inspired by the Tara Oceans expedition and building on the scientific legacy of the MareChiara Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER-MC) site, NEREA integrates traditional physical, chemical, and biological measurements with state-of-the-art methodologies such as metabarcoding and metagenomics. Here we present the first 10 months of NEREA data, collected from April 2019 to January 2020, encompassing physico-chemical parameters, plankton biodiversity (e.g., microscopy and flow cytometry), prokaryotic and eukaryotic metabarcoding, a prokaryotic gene catalogue, and a collection of 3818 prokaryotic Metagenome-Assembled Genomes (MAGs). NEREA’s efforts produce a significant volume of multifaceted data, which enhances our understanding of marine ecosystems and promotes the development of scientific hypotheses and ideas.

Abstract Microplastics pervade ocean ecosystems. Despite their effects on individuals or populations are well documented, the consequences of microplastics on ecosystem functioning are still largely unknown. Here, we show how microplastics alter the structure and functioning of pelagic microbial ecosystems. Using experimental pelagic mesocosms, we found that microplastics indirectly affect marine productivity by changing the bacterial and phytoplankton assemblages. Specifically, the addition of microplastics increased phytoplankton biomass and shifted bacterial assemblages' composition. Such changes altered the interactions between heterotrophic and autotrophic microbes and the cycling of ammonia in the water column, which ultimately benefited photosynthetic efficiency. The effects of microplastics on marine productivity were consistent for different microplastic types. This study demonstrates that microplastics affect bacteria and phytoplankton communities and influence marine productivity, which ultimately alters the functioning of the whole ocean ecosystem.

Abstract The Mediterranean Sea has been sampled irregularly by research vessels in the past, mostly by national expeditions in regional waters. To monitor the hydrographic, biogeochemical and circulation changes in the Mediterranean Sea, a systematic repeat oceanographic survey programme called Med-SHIP was recommended by the Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM) in 2011, as part of the Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP). Med-SHIP consists of zonal and meridional surveys with different frequencies, where comprehensive physical and biogeochemical properties are measured with the highest international standards. The first zonal survey was done in 2011 and repeated in 2018. In addition, a network of meridional (and other key) hydrographic sections were designed: the first cycle of these sections was completed in 2016, with three cruises funded by the EU project EUROFLEETS2. This paper presents the physical and chemical data of the meridional and key transects in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean Sea collected during those cruises.

Background: Severe socio-emotional impairments characterize the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). However, literature reports social cognition disorders in other dementias.Objective: In this study, we investigated the accuracy of social cognition performances in the early and differential diagnosis of bvFTD.Methods: We included 131 subjects: 32 bvFTD, 26 Alzheimer's disease (AD), 16 primary progressive aphasia (PPA), 17 corticobasal syndrome (CBS), and 40 healthy control (HC). Each subject completed the Ekman 60 faces (Ek-60F) test assessing basic emotion recognition and the Story-based Empathy Task (SET) assessing attribution of intentions/emotions. A combined social measure (i.e., Emotion Recognition and Attribution (ERA) index) was calculated. One-way ANOVA has been used to compare performances among groups, while receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve tested measures ability to distinguish subjects with and without bvFTD.Results: Ek-60F and ERA index scores were significantly lower in bvFTD versus HC, AD, and PPA groups. ROC analyses significantly distinguished bvFTD from HC (AUC 0.82-0.92), with the Ek-60F test showing the highest performance, followed by the ERA index. These two social measures showed the best accuracy in detecting bvFTD from AD (AUC 0.78-0.74) and PPA (AUC 0.80-0.76). Investigated measures failed in detecting bvFTD from CBS.Conclusion: Accuracy analyses support the advantage of using social cognition tests for bvFTD diagnosis. Short social battery may reduce uncertainties and improve disease identification in clinical settings. We recommend a revision of current clinical criteria considering neuropsychological deficits in emotion recognition and processing tasks as key cognitive markers of this neurodegenerative syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cork laser induced graphene (cork‐LIG) electrochemical sensors are fabricated by direct laser writing of natural cork sheets. Laser writing is performed with a hobbyist visible laser. The obtained cork‐LIG structures display graphene‐like Raman signatures, high conductivity, and fast electron‐transfer rates. After a 10 min electrochemical pretreatment, electrodes are used for detection of Tyrosine (Tyr) in the presence of uric acid, dopamine, ascorbic acid, urea, and glucose. linear detection of tyrosine is achieved in the 5–150 µm range with a limit of detection (LOD) of 3.03 µm. Calibration of dopamine detection is achieved with a LOD of 1.1 µm. Finally, the cork‐LIG electrochemical sensors show linear response of Tyr in artificial sweat in the relevant physiological range of 5–250 μm (sensitivity, 1.8×10−2 A m−1). The LOD is calculated as 3.75 μm. These results open the door to the exploitation of renewable materials such as cork for the development of high‐quality, green sensors for the monitoring of health and wellbeing parameters.

I hosted a workshop on the subject of reclaiming the relationship with bodily knowing through movement in nature at Brathay Hall, Ambleside in May 2022. The idea was to create a space for therapists to explore and deconstruct binaries that connect and separate us and nature. While we are nature, I am referring to the human/nature binary created by us humans.

The first International Congress of Garden Architects, organised in Paris as part of the 1937 International Exhibition of Arts and Technologies by the French Society of Garden Architects (Société française des architectes de jardins, SFAJ), marked the initial phase in a collective reflection on the objectives and challenges in the training of landscape architects in Europe. Following the economic, political and social crisis caused by the First World War, the crisis of 1929, and the rise of a new public demand for open spaces for leisure, sports, and recreational activities, garden architects were called on to address profound changes in the commissioning and in the typology, objectives, and scale of landscape projects. Based on original hitherto unstudied documents held in the archives of the Association Henri & Achille Duchêne this article presents the initiatives that led to the organisation of the Congress and how it made a defining contribution in the training of French landscape architects.

In the marine coastal environment, freshwater and seawater coalescing communities are facing a complex set of abiotic and biotic cross-influences. This study aimed at evaluating the respective influences of blending and prokaryotic dynamics on community structure. For that, the surface salinity gradient of a nutrient-rich estuary (Arno River, Mediterranean Sea, Italy) was sampled at regular salinity intervals. When considering the whole length of the estuary and community-scale beta diversity metrics, a relatively smooth transition from freshwater to the sea was observed. Abiotic variability associated with salinity was the predominant constraint on the community structure, and the distribution of most taxa reflected their blending. However, while most of the dissolved substances enriched in freshwater experienced progressive dilution with seawater, heterotrophic prokaryotes demonstrated an important growth at intermediate salinity, interpreted as a heterotrophic assimilation of freshwater inputs by a few opportunistic marine taxa. The distribution of a number of taxa was significantly affected by variations in heterotrophic prokaryotes abundance, suggesting a putative influence of competitive interactions at intermediate salinities. A succession of different bacterial winners was observed from upstream to downstream, as well as losers represented by freshwater copiotrophs accompanied by some marine oligotrophs. Hence, coalescence drove a localized but major functional response of heterotrophic bacteria at intermediate salinity, hidden behind a majority of passively mixed bacterial taxa. This work paves the way for a stronger consideration of the trophic requirements of bacterial taxa to better understand community assembly in estuaries.

Display and native ads represent two of the most widely used digital advertising formats employed by advertisers that aim to grab the attention of online users. In recent years, the native format has become very popular because it relies on deceptive features that make harder the recognition of its advertising nature, reducing avoiding behaviors such as the banner blindness phenomena, traditionally associated to display advertising, and so increasing its advertising effectiveness. The present study, based on a forefront research protocol specifically designed for the advertising research on smartphone devices, aims to investigate through neurophysiological and self-reported measures, the perception of display and native ads placed within article webpages, and to assess the efficacy of an integrated approach. Eye-tracking results showed higher visual attention and longer viewing time associated with native advertisements in comparison to traditional display advertisements, confirming and extending evidence provided by previous research. Despite a significantly higher rate of self-reported advertising intent was detected for articles containing display ads when compared to articles containing native ads, no differences have been found while performing the same comparison for the neurophysiological measures of emotional involvement and approaching motivation of for the self-reported measures of pleasantness and annoyance. Such findings along with the employment of an innovative research protocol, contribute to providing further cues to the current debate related to the effectiveness of two of the most widely used digital advertising formats.

Abstract The class of imidazolium salts contains effective anticorrosion additives for metal substrates. This study evaluated the potential of 1-carboxymethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (HO 2 CC 1 MImNTf 2 ) for application in cultural heritage, exploring it as anticorrosion additive in chitosan-based coatings for the protection of copper-based alloys. Under accelerated corrosion conditions with HCl vapor, the chitosan coating with HO 2 CC 1 MImNTf 2 was less effective than the one with benzotriazole. The coating with a combination of HO 2 CC 1 MImNTf 2 and benzotriazole resulted in the optimal protective efficacy of the bronze surface, and it also maintained high transparency without changing the bronze appearance.

This paper is written in the context of the current ecological crisis affecting physical and mental health, social, economic, and political contexts, at local and global levels which calls for the disruption of old ways of thinking, living and moving towards the future through collective action. One way of responding as a systemic and family psychotherapist, has been my experience of rewilding my systemic practice with individuals, couples, and families in the UK since taking therapy outdoors. I will offer some examples of ecotherapy as part of my own personal and professional journey in “coming home” through nature, becoming an outdoor designer of therapeutic space and a minimalist wild therapist. I invite us all to re-think and re-create a therapeutic space which, by its very essence, is wild, meaning boundaryless, infinitely spacious and unpredictable. It can open up opportunities for creativity, for using metaphors to explore meanings beyond words. Nature becomes not only the context in which I practice but my co-therapist or even the primary therapist. Together we can enrich the therapeutic process through moments of magic and facilitate change using a wild reflecting team. In my experience of ecotherapy, voices from the wild carry unique messages, for example, birdsong can provide unexpected voices, useful interruptions or disruptions that can enrich the therapeutic process. Such a wild reflecting team can also be a daring metaphor to welcome the unexpected and unfamiliar into our systemic practices and relationships, to include new emerging and marginalised perspectives which may bring us all more in touch with our wildness, lost indigenous ways of relating and shape our futures through collective action.

The determination of copper (Cu) speciation and its bioavailability in natural waters is an important issue due to its specific role as an essential micronutrient but also a toxic element at elevated concentrations. Here, we report an improved anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) method for organic Cu speciation, intended to eliminate the important problem of surface-active substances (SAS) interference on the voltammetric signal, hindering measurements in samples with high organic matter concentration. The method relies on the addition of nonionic surfactant Triton-X-100 (T-X-100) at a concentration of 1 mg L−1. T-X-100 competitively inhibits the adsorption of SAS on the Hg electrode, consequently 1) diminishing SAS influence during the deposition step and 2) strongly improving the shape of the stripping Cu peak by eliminating the high background current due to the adsorbed SAS, making the extraction of Cu peak intensities much more convenient. Performed tests revealed that the addition of T-X-100, in the concentration used here, does not have any influence on the determination of Cu complexation parameters and thus is considered "interference-free." The method was tested using fulvic acid as a model of natural organic matter and applied for the determination of Cu speciation in samples collected in the Arno River estuary (Italy) (in spring and summer), characterized by a high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration (up to 5.2 mgC L−1) and anthropogenic Cu input during the tourist season (up to 48 nM of total dissolved Cu). In all the samples, two classes of ligands (denoted as L1 and L2) were determined in concentrations ranging from 3.5 ± 2.9 to 63 ± 4 nM eq Cu for L1 and 17 ± 4 to 104 ± 7 nM eq Cu for L2, with stability constants logKCu,1 = 9.6 ± 0.2–10.8 ± 0.6 and logKCu,2 = 8.2 ± 0.3–9.0 ± 0.3. Different linear relationships between DOC and total ligand concentrations between the two seasons suggest a higher abundance of organic ligands in the DOM pool in spring, which is linked to a higher input of terrestrial humic substances into the estuary. This implies that terrestrial humic substances represent a significant pool of Cu-binding ligands in the Arno River estuary.

Estuarine processes play a key role in determining the amount and quality of land-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) reaching the oceans. Microbial-mediated reactions can affect the concentration, quality, and bioavailability of DOM within an estuary. In this study, we investigated biological DOM removal in a small estuary and its variability in two contrasting seasons (spring and autumn) characterized by natural differences in the concentration and quality of the riverine DOM. Two incubation experiments were carried out using natural DOM and heterotrophic prokaryotes community collected at the estuary in March and September. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, DOM fluorescence, and the heterotrophic prokaryotes abundance (HPA) showed marked differences between the two seasons. These parameters were followed through time for up to two months. Despite the marked differences in the initial conditions, the DOC removal rates were surprisingly similar in the two periods (16 µM DOC month−1 in March and 18 µM DOC month−1 in September), with the biggest removal in the first 48 h. The trend of fluorescent DOM (FDOM) during the incubation showed marked differences between the two periods. In March, the net removal of all the FDOM components was observed consistently with the decrease in DOC; whereas, in September, the net production of humic-like substances was observed.

Photodegradation is a natural process that strongly affects the chromophoric fraction of dissolved organic matter (DOM), especially in surface water of the oceans. In the euphotic zone, the concentration and quality of DOM are mostly dependent on primary production by phytoplankton. The effect of photodegradation on algal DOM has not been investigated as much as on terrestrial DOM. In this study, we explored the effect of different spectral regions (i.e., full sun spectrum, visible light, 295–800 nm, 305–800 nm, and 320–800 nm) on algal exudates by Emiliania huxleyi, a ubiquitous coccolithophore. The optical properties (absorption and fluorescence) of algal DOM were investigated before and after irradiation with the different spectral regions. The absorption and fluorescence spectra were compared before and after irradiation. The results showed an increase in the effect of photobleaching with increasing irradiation energy for all of the absorbance indices. Similarly, the protein-like fluorescence decreased at increasing irradiation energy. The humic-like fluorescence, which was the most affected, did not show a linear trend between photobleaching and irradiation energy, which suggested that irradiation mainly determined a change in these molecules’ quantum yield.

This short story reflects some of the richness and complexity of working and thinking across languages and cultures i.e. Italian and English, a UK-trained professional self and Italian personal self and the complex interplay of these in therapy. It is a story about me from when I was a newly qualified systemic and family psychotherapist, sharing my inner conversation, dilemmas, hidden emotions and sense of incompetence and confusion about using my first language in therapy in the UK with a male Italian client, muddling through unclear professional boundaries. The story highlights the importance of self-reflexivity and transparency with our own cultural and gendered assumptions in order to promote personal and professional development. A male Mexican non-therapist designer complements the original script with some illustrations. This interplay between art and therapy becomes an enriching dialogue across professional boundaries, which is embedded in the final story. It results in an interweaving of multiple stories and provides a bridge between different perspectives e.g. art and therapy, male and female, therapy and non-therapy, within and outside own culture and language. Finally, the story is presented within a systemic framework and key systemic ideas about living in multiple languages, the socio-constructionist nature of meanings and emotions, the emotional posture in therapy when faced with many dilemmas about ethics, competence, professional boundaries, differences and similarities and their complex interplay in a therapeutic encounter. Abstract (Italian) Questa breve storia riflette la ricchezza e complessità quando si lavora e si pensa in lingue e culture diverse, in questo caso la lingua Italiana e Inglese, il self professionale formato in UK in lingua Inglese e il self personale radicato nella lingua e cultura Italiana e come interagiscono in terapia. È una storia di una psicoterapeuta sistemica all'inizio della carriera professionale che condivide pensieri, dilemmi, emozioni nascoste e un senso di incompetenza e confusione usando la lingua madre in terapia in UK con un cliente italiano, muovendosi a tentoni attraverso labili confini professionali. La storia mette in rilievo l'importanza della riflessione su di s'e la trasparenza con i propri pre-concetti derivanti dalla propria cultura e genere diversi per promuovere la crescita personale e professionale. Un designer Messicano, al di fuori del mondo della psicoterapia, completa lo scritto originale con alcune illustrazioni e questo connubio tra arte e psicoterapia diventa un ricco dialogo che viene incorporato nella storia finale. Il risultato è un intreccio di storie multiple che offrono un ponte tra diverse prospettive; per esempio arte e psicoterapia, genere maschile e femminile, terapia e non-terapia, all'interno e al di fuori della propria cultura di origine e linguaggio. La storia è presentata usando un orientamento teorico sistemico specificatamente sul vivere usando vari linguaggi, la natura socio-construttiva dei significati e le emozioni, la postura terapeutica quando a confronto con molti dilemmi sull'etica, i confini professionali, la propria competenza, similarità e differenze e la complessità del loro manifestarsi in un incontro terapeutico.

The northern Red Sea (NRS) is a low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (LNLC) ecosystem with high rates of atmospheric deposition due to its proximity to arid regions. Impacts of atmospheric deposition on LNLC ecosystems have been attributed to the chemical constituents of dust, while overlooking bioaerosols. Understanding how these vast areas of the ocean will respond to future climate and anthropogenic change hinges on the response of microbial communities to these changes. We tested the impacts of bioaerosols on the surface water microbial diversity and the primary and bacterial production rates in the NRS, a system representative of other LNLC oceanic regions, using a mesocosm bioassay experiment. By treating NRS surface seawater with dust, which contained nutrients, metals, and viable organisms, and “UV-treated dust” (which contained only nutrients and metals), we were able to assess the impacts of bioaerosols on local natural microbial populations. Following amendments (20 and 44 h) the incubations treated with “live dust” showed different responses than those with UV-treated dust. After 44 h, primary production was suppressed (as much as 50%), and bacterial production increased (as much as 55%) in the live dust treatments relative to incubations amended with UV-treated dust or the control. The diversity of eukaryotes was lower in treatments with airborne microbes. These results suggest that the airborne microorganisms and viruses alter the surface microbial ecology of the NRS. These results may have implications for the carbon cycle in LNLC ecosystems, which are expanding and are especially important since dust storms are predicted to increase in the future due to desertification and expansion of arid regions.

Abstract Background Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) diagnostic criteria underestimate the complex presentation of semantic (sv) and logopenic (lv) variants, in which symptoms partially overlap, and mixed clinical presentation (mixed-PPA) and heterogenous profile (lvPPA +) are frequent. Conceptualization of similarities and differences of these clinical conditions is still scarce. Methods Lexical, semantic, phonological, and working memory errors from nine language tasks of sixty-seven PPA were analyzed using Profile Analysis based on Multidimensional Scaling, which allowed us to create a distributed representation of patients’ linguistic performance in a shared space. Patients had been studied with [18F] FDG-PET. Correlations were performed between metabolic and behavioral data. Results Patients’ profiles were distributed across a continuum. All PPA, but two, presented a lexical retrieval impairment, in terms of reduced production of verbs and nouns. svPPA patients occupied a fairly clumped space along the continuum, showing a preponderant semantic deficit, which correlated to fusiform gyrus hypometabolism, while only few presented working memory deficits. Adjacently, lvPPA + presented a semantic impairment combined with phonological deficits, which correlated with metabolism in the anterior fusiform gyrus and posterior middle temporal gyrus. Starting from the shared phonological deficit side, a large portion of the space was occupied by all lvPPA, showing a combination of phonological, lexical, and working memory deficits, with the latter correlating with posterior temporo-parietal hypometabolism. Mixed PPA did not show unique profile, distributing across the space. Discussion Different clinical PPA entities exist but overlaps are frequent. Identifying shared and unique clinical markers is critical for research and clinical practice. Further research is needed to identify the role of genetic and pathological factors in such distribution, including also higher sample size of less represented groups.

The variety and the treatment of vegetables and plants are an element of a paramount importance in order to understand the classical gardens project. The flowers and the shrubs – often very rare and coming from various latitudes – used to ornate the grounds, flowerbeds and paths by embellishing the chromatic and formal palette of the compositions. This article introduces the first results of a study which has been only seldom tackled by scientific researches: the material handling of the plants aimed at decorating the royal gardens at the time of Louis XIV. The shrubs (especially the orange trees) were in fact one of the major elements for decorating these gardens. Thus, they initiated the development of specific professional skills, among the gardeners community, along with the implementation of a particularly expensive trading network; a ramified network for their spotting and their transportation to the royal plant nurseries of Ile-de-France.