CD38 and CD157 as receptors of the immune system: a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity

This paper reviews some of the results and the speculations presented at the Torino CD38 Meeting in June, 2006 and focused on CD38 and CD157 seen as a family of molecules acting as surface receptors of immune cells. This partisan view was adopted in the attempt to combine the enzymatic functions with what the immunologists consider key functions in different cell models. At the moment, it is unclear whether the two functions are correlated, indifferent, or independent. Here we present conclusions inferred exclusively on human cell models, namely T and B lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and granulocytes. As an extra analytical tool, we try to follow in the history of life when the enzymatic and receptorial functions were generated, mixing ontogeny, membrane localization, and cell anchorage.     

Current status and future perspectives of Italian finfish aquaculture

Currently available data show that shellfish and finfish production in Italy, derived both from fisheries and aquaculture activities, is on the order of 474,000 tons, each activity representing 50 % of the total amount. In this context, the finfish aquaculture industry contributes on average 31 % to the national aquaculture production and on average 59 % of its value, giving a total amount of 72,000 tons and a value of around 351 million € (2010). According to FEAP statistics, Italy is the fourth largest finfish producer in EU27, after the UK, Greece, and Spain, while it is also one of the six largest finfish producers among the non-EU and EU member countries, together with Norway, UK, Greece, Turkey, and Spain. Presently, fish culture activities are mainly focused on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, 55.5 %), followed by European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, 13.6 %), gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata, 12.2 %), gray mullet (Mugil cephalus, 5.3 %), sturgeon (Acipenser spp., 2 %), and European eel (Anguilla anguilla, 1.7 %). Over the last 20 years, freshwater fish production and aquaculture (trout, carp, and eel) have decreased in Italy, with the exception of sturgeon. In contrast, marine fish production has significantly increased during the same period, and the two leading species, European sea bass and gilthead sea bream, presently contribute 25.8 % of the finfish production. From 1,900 tons in 1990, production reached 19,000 tons in 2010, with a 900 % increase, at an average percentage of 4.5 %. In addition, new marine fish species were successfully cultured over the same period. This review outlines the past and present situation of finfish culture in Italy and discusses future developments and priorities, with particular emphasis on new, emerging aquaculture species.     

Food and space revisited: The role of drift-feeding theory in predicting the distribution,growth, and abundance of stream salmonids

In this paper we review drift-feeding models for stream salmonids. We assess their historical development and current state, and we propose areas for future research. Drift-feeding models serve as the critical input for energetics-based habitat selection and habitat quality models, which have recently begun to see widespread use for predicting salmonid distribution, growth and abundance. We use a bibliometric approach to find drift-feeding model publications, especially those citing three landmark papers that began the quantification of drift feeding by stream fish (Fausch 1984; Hughes and Dill 1990; Hill and Grossman 1993). Subsequent drift-feeding models have largely been built upon these models. Research effort has focused on model development and applications but model testing has been neglected. To date, the only rigorous test of a drift-feeding model (Hughes et al. 2003) identified several limitations and violations of model assumptions. The most important limitation was that prey capture- and gross energy intake rates were overestimated by a factor of two, due largely to poor predictions of prey detection probabilities. Consequences of error in drift-feeding models, and consequently in the habitat selection/quality models that employ them, are greater for applications aimed at predicting growth and abundance than they are for predicting distribution. Research effort on a broad front is needed to advance both drift-feeding models and habitat selection/quality models, including: further development of drift-foraging theory, revision and testing of drift-feeding models (specifically new, functional prey detection and interception sub-models), and revision of habitat selection/quality models to incorporate spatial, temporal, and flow-dependent variation in drift concentration.     

Molecular composition of the Humeome extracted from different green composts and their biostimulation on early growth of maize

Plant and Soil - The use of composted agricultural wastes as source of biostimulant compounds provides an added value to the recycling of biomasses. This study aims to expand the knowledge on the...     

Temperature-dependent prey capture efficiency and foraging modes of brown trout Salmo trutta

Prey capture success and foraging mode were studied in brown trout Salmo trutta at temperatures ranging from 5.7 to 14.0° C. At low temperatures, there was a positive correlation between prey capture success and the proportion of time that the fish spent holding feeding stations. This correlation was not found at temperatures >10° C.     

Design,synthesis, and binding affinities of potential positron emission tomography (PET) ligands with optimal lipophilicity for brain imaging of the dopamine D3 receptor. Part II

In the search for compounds with potential for development as positron emission tomography radioligands for brain D₃ receptor imaging, a series of N-[4-(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)butyl]arylcarboxamides with appropriate lipophilicity (2 < log P < 3.5) were synthesized and tested in vitro. Some of the final compounds showed moderate-to-high dopamine D₃ receptor affinities but lacked selectivity over D₂ receptors.