University of Udine

About: University of Udine is a education organization based out in Udine, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 6745 authors who have published 20530 publications receiving 669088 citations. The organization is also known as: Università degli Studi di Udine & Universita degli Studi di Udine.

Current research on the use of plant-derived products in farmed fish

Abstract: Over the years, aquaculture has shown increasing development in terms of production. However, due to intensive farming practices, infectious diseases represent the main problem in fish farms, causing heavy economic losses. The use of antibiotics for controlling diseases is widely criticized for its negative impact, including selection of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, immunosuppression, environmental pollution and accumulation of chemical residues in fish tissues. On the other hand, though vaccination is the most effective prophylactic method of preventing disease outbreaks, the development of effective formulations is often hindered by high production costs and the antigenic heterogeneity of the microbial strains. Recently, there has been increased interest in the possibility of using medicinal herbs as immunostimulants, capable of enhancing immune responses and disease resistance of cultured fish. Plant-derived products seem to represent a promising source of bioactive molecules, being at the same time readily available, inexpensive and biocompatible. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of recent research dealing with the use of medicinal plants in aquaculture. Special attention is given to the information about the effects of plant extracts/products on fish growth, haematological profiles, immune responses and resistance to infectious diseases.

Intimate association of microsatellite repeats with retrotransposons and other dispersed repetitive elements in barley.

Abstract: Simple sequence repeat (SSR)-based genetic markers are being actively developed for the majority of crop plant species. In barley, characterization of 290 dinucleotide repeat-containing clones from SSR-enriched libraries has revealed that a high percentage are associated with cereal retrotransposon-like and other dispersed repetitive elements. Associations found were with BARE-1, WIS2-1A, PREM1 and the dispersed repetitive element R173. Additional similarities between different SSR clones, which have no matches in DNA sequence databases, indicate that this phenomenon is probably widespread in the barley genome. Sequence homologies to the non-coding regions of several cereal genes were also explained by homology to mobile genetic elements. The SSRs found can therefore be classified into two types: (1) those with unique sequences on either flank, and (2) those which are intimately associated with retro-transposons and other dispersed repetitive elements. As the cereal genome is thought to consist largely of this type of DNA, some random association would be expected. However, the conserved positions of the SSRs, relative to repetitive elements, indicate that they have arisen non-randomly. Furthermore, this class of SSRs can be classified into three subtypes: (1) those which are positioned 3' of a transposable element with unique sequence on the other flank, (2) those positioned 5' of a transposable element, and (3) those which have arisen from an internal sequence and so have transposable element sequence on both flanks. The first appear to be analogous to the class of SSRs in mammalian systems which are associated with Alu elements and SINEs (short interspersed elements) and which have been postulated to arise following integration of an extended and polyadenylated retro-transcript into the host genome, followed by mutation of the poly(A) tract and expansion into an SSR. For the second, we postulate that a proto-SSR (A-rich sequence) has acted as a 'landing pad' for transposable element insertion (rather than being the result of insertion), while the third includes those which have evolved as a component of an active transposable element which has spread throughout the genome during bursts of transposition activity. The implications of these associations for genome and SSR evolution in barley are discussed.

An international, multicentre survey of β-lactam antibiotic therapeutic drug monitoring practice in intensive care units

Abstract: Emerging evidence supports the use of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of β-lactams for intensive care unit (ICU) patients to optimize drug exposure, although limited detail is available on how sites run this service in practice. This multicentre survey study was performed to describe the various approaches used for β-lactam TDM in ICUs.

Automatic Tracking of MTPA Trajectory in IPM Motor Drives Based on AC Current Injection

Abstract: This paper deals with a novel approach for the real-time tracking of the maximum-torque-per-ampere (MTPA) trajectory of an interior permanent-magnet (IPM) motor drive. The proposed approach is based on the injection of proper test signals and allows the MTPA trajectory to be learned and updated in the drive during steady-state conditions. The analytical development of the estimation algorithm, which is supported by a complete validation by simulation, is given in this paper. Finally, experimental results are presented based on a prototype IPM drive system.

Infodemic and the spread of fake news in the COVID-19-era.

Abstract: Saturday 14 March, while the pandemic due to SARSCoV-2 spread widely in Europe, the French Minister of Health, Oliver Véran tweeted: ‘The intake of anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, cortisone, ...) could be a factor in worsening the infection. If you have a fever, take acetaminophen. If you are already taking anti-inflammatory drugs or in doubt, ask your doctor for advice’ [1]. As the hours go by, the tweet garnered the consent of more and more ‘followers’, and, 3 days later, the ‘re-tweets’ were over 40 000. The University Hospital of Vaud in Lausanne – among others – considered the news as authentic and correct, so claims: ‘For the current state of knowledge, the use of anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, etc.) is not recommended in case of influenza-like illness possibly caused by COVID-19. Paracetamol is recommended in the event of fever requiring treatment’. In the transmission of the news, one of the ‘accused’ classes of drugs was exonerated (e.g. any reference to cortisone disappeared). At the same time, the preference given to paracetamol became quite a strong recommendation [2]. The British Medical Journal also felt compelled to relaunch the news, reporting some expert opinions on this matter [3].