Two modes of Gulf Stream variability revealed in two decades of Satellite Altimeter Data

[ES]Charla divulgativa impartida en el Postdoctoal symposium de la Woods Hole oceanographic Institution. Artículo original pulicado en  Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans

New associations between native parasitoids and exotic insects introduced in Italy and in Europe

The introduction of exotic species is one of the most important threats to biodiversity.This phenomenon may cause economic and environmental damage. To prevent these invasions there are institutions like EPPO. Nevertheless, the introduction of exotic pests is an increasing issue, difficult to control. Classic biological control, based on importation of natural enemies from the country of origin, has been successfully used for over 120 years, but it has also raised some criticism. My research work has focused on the study of the new associations occurring between indigenous parasitoids and three exotic pests introduced in Italy and Europe. The three target insects considered were: Cacyreus marshalli Butler (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), a pest of Geranium plants; Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), a plague of Castanea sp. and Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). This ladybug has been introduced as a biological control agent, but since some years it considered as an invasive species. For C. marshalli I performed laboratory tests on acceptance and suitability of immature stages of this butterfly by Exorista larvarum (Diptera: Tachinidae) and Brachymeria tibialis (Hymenoptera: Chalcidicae). The experiments showed that these two parasitoids could be used to contain this pest. For D. kuriphilus I performed field samplings in an infested chestnut area, the samples were maintained in rearing chamber until gall wasp or parasitoids emergence. In the 3-year research many parasitoids of gall wasps were found; one of these, Torymus flavipes (Walker), was found in large number. For H. axyridis the research work included a first phase of field sampling, during which I searched indigenous parasitoids which had adapted to this new host; the only species found was Dinocampus coccinellae (Schrank) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Laboratory tests were performed on the wasp rearing, biology and capacity to contain H. axyridis.

Scheduling application-aware in piattaforme di stream processing distribuito per scenari smart city

In piattaforme di Stream Processing è spesso necessario eseguire elaborazioni differenziate degli stream di input. Questa tesi ha l'obiettivo di realizzare uno scheduler in grado di attribuire priorità di esecuzione differenti agli operatori deputati all'elaborazione degli stream.

Quality of Service in Distributed Stream Processing for large scale Smart Pervasive Environments

The wide diffusion of cheap, small, and portable sensors integrated in an unprecedented large variety of devices and the availability of almost ubiquitous Internet connectivity make it possible to collect an unprecedented amount of real time information about the environment we live in. These data streams, if properly and timely analyzed, can be exploited to build new intelligent and pervasive services that have the potential of improving people's quality of life in a variety of cross concerning domains such as entertainment, health-care, or energy management. The large heterogeneity of application domains, however, calls for a middleware-level infrastructure that can effectively support their different quality requirements. In this thesis we study the challenges related to the provisioning of differentiated quality-of-service (QoS) during the processing of data streams produced in pervasive environments. We analyze the trade-offs between guaranteed quality, cost, and scalability in streams distribution and processing by surveying existing state-of-the-art solutions and identifying and exploring their weaknesses. We propose an original model for QoS-centric distributed stream processing in data centers and we present Quasit, its prototype implementation offering a scalable and extensible platform that can be used by researchers to implement and validate novel QoS-enforcement mechanisms. To support our study, we also explore an original class of weaker quality guarantees that can reduce costs when application semantics do not require strict quality enforcement. We validate the effectiveness of this idea in a practical use-case scenario that investigates partial fault-tolerance policies in stream processing by performing a large experimental study on the prototype of our novel LAAR dynamic replication technique. Our modeling, prototyping, and experimental work demonstrates that, by providing data distribution and processing middleware with application-level knowledge of the different quality requirements associated to different pervasive data flows, it is possible to improve system scalability while reducing costs.

Stream sediments analysis for geochemical mapping of Romagna Apennines (Northern Italy): monitoring and management tool of environmental resources at various scales

Geochemical mapping is a valuable tool for the control of territory that can be used not only in the identification of mineral resources and geological, agricultural and forestry studies but also in the monitoring of natural resources by giving solutions to environmental and economic problems. Stream sediments are widely used in the sampling campaigns carried out by the world's governments and research groups for their characteristics of broad representativeness of rocks and soils, for ease of sampling and for the possibility to conduct very detailed sampling In this context, the environmental role of stream sediments provides a good basis for the implementation of environmental management measures, in fact the composition of river sediments is an important factor in understanding the complex dynamics that develop within catchment basins therefore they represent a critical environmental compartment: they can persistently incorporate pollutants after a process of contamination and release into the biosphere if the environmental conditions change. It is essential to determine whether the concentrations of certain elements, in particular heavy metals, can be the result of natural erosion of rocks containing high concentrations of specific elements or are generated as residues of human activities related to a certain study area. This PhD thesis aims to extract from an extensive database on stream sediments of the Romagna rivers the widest spectrum of informations. The study involved low and high order stream in the mountain and hilly area, but also the sediments of the floodplain area, where intensive agriculture is active. The geochemical signals recorded by the stream sediments will be interpreted in order to reconstruct the natural variability related to bedrock and soil contribution, the effects of the river dynamics, the anomalous sites, and with the calculation of background values be able to evaluate their level of degradation and predict the environmental risk.

Comparative phylogeography of two co-distributed arctic-alpine freshwater insect species in Europe

The distribution pattern of European arctic-alpine disjunct species is of growing interest among biogeographers due to the arising variety of inferred demographic histories. In this thesis I used the co-distributed mayfly Ameletus inopinatus and the stonefly Arcynopteryx compacta as model species to investigate the European Pleistocene and Holocene history of stream-inhabiting arctic-alpine aquatic insects. I used last glacial maximum (LGM) species distribution models (SDM) to derive hypotheses on the glacial survival during the LGM and the recolonization of Fennoscandia: 1) both species potentially survived glacial cycles in periglacial, extra Mediterranean refugia, and 2) postglacial recolonization of Fennoscandia originated from these refugia. I tested these hypotheses using mitochondrial sequence (mtCOI) and species specific microsatellite data. Additionally, I used future SDM to predict the impact of climate change induced range shifts and habitat loss on the overall genetic diversity of the endangered mayfly A. inopinatus.rnI observed old lineages, deep splits, and almost complete lineage sorting of mtCOI sequences between mountain ranges. These results support the hypothesis that both species persisted in multiple periglacial extra-Mediterranean refugia in Central Europe during the LGM. However, the recolonization of Fennoscandia was very different between the two study species. For the mayfly A. inopinatus I found strong differentiation between the Fennoscandian and all other populations in sequence and microsatellite data, indicating that Fennoscandia was recolonized from an extra European refugium. High mtCOI genetic structure within Fennoscandia supports a recolonization of multiple lineages from independent refugia. However, this structure was not apparent in the microsatellite data, consistent with secondary contact without sexual incompability. In contrast, the stonefly A. compacta exhibited low genetic structure and shared mtCOI haplotypes among Fennoscandia and the Black Forest, suggesting a shared Pleistocene refugium in the periglacial tundrabelt. Again, there is incongruence with the microsatellite data, which could be explained with ancestral polymorphism or female-biased dispersal. Future SDM projects major regional habitat loss for the mayfly A. inopinatus, particularly in Central European mountain ranges. By relating these range shifts to my population genetic results, I identified conservation units primarily in Eastern Europe, that if preserved would maintain high levels of the present-day genetic diversity of A. inopinatus and continue to provide long-term suitable habitat under future climate warming scenarios.rnIn this thesis I show that despite similar present day distributions the underlying demographic histories of the study species are vastly different, which might be due to differing dispersal capabilities and niche plasticity. I present genetic, climatic, and ecological data that can be used to prioritize conservation efforts for cold-adapted freshwater insects in light of future climate change. Overall, this thesis provides a next step in filling the knowledge gap regarding molecular studies of the arctic-alpine invertebrate fauna. However, there is continued need to explore the phenomenon of arctic-alpine disjunctions to help understand the processes of range expansion, regression, and lineage diversification in Europe’s high latitude and high altitude biota.

Online Stream Processing di Big Data su Apache Storm per Applicazioni di Instant Coupon

Big data è il termine usato per descrivere una raccolta di dati così estesa in termini di volume,velocità e varietà da richiedere tecnologie e metodi analitici specifici per l'estrazione di valori significativi. Molti sistemi sono sempre più costituiti e caratterizzati da enormi moli di dati da gestire,originati da sorgenti altamente eterogenee e con formati altamente differenziati,oltre a qualità dei dati estremamente eterogenei. Un altro requisito in questi sistemi potrebbe essere il fattore temporale: sempre più sistemi hanno bisogno di ricevere dati significativi dai Big Data il prima possibile,e sempre più spesso l’input da gestire è rappresentato da uno stream di informazioni continuo. In questo campo si inseriscono delle soluzioni specifiche per questi casi chiamati Online Stream Processing. L’obiettivo di questa tesi è di proporre un prototipo funzionante che elabori dati di Instant Coupon provenienti da diverse fonti con diversi formati e protocolli di informazioni e trasmissione e che memorizzi i dati elaborati in maniera efficiente per avere delle risposte in tempo reale. Le fonti di informazione possono essere di due tipologie: XMPP e Eddystone. Il sistema una volta ricevute le informazioni in ingresso, estrapola ed elabora codeste fino ad avere dati significativi che possono essere utilizzati da terze parti. Lo storage di questi dati è fatto su Apache Cassandra. Il problema più grosso che si è dovuto risolvere riguarda il fatto che Apache Storm non prevede il ribilanciamento delle risorse in maniera automatica, in questo caso specifico però la distribuzione dei clienti durante la giornata è molto varia e ricca di picchi. Il sistema interno di ribilanciamento sfrutta tecnologie innovative come le metriche e sulla base del throughput e della latenza esecutiva decide se aumentare/diminuire il numero di risorse o semplicemente non fare niente se le statistiche sono all’interno dei valori di soglia voluti.

Improved detection of blood stream pathogens by real-time PCR in severe sepsis

Evaluation of the technical and diagnostic feasibility of commercial multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of blood stream infections in a cohort of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with severe sepsis, performed in addition to conventional blood cultures.

Abandoned Coal Mine Drainage and Its Remediation: Impacts on Stream Ecosystem Structure and Function

The effects of abandoned mine drainage (AMD) on streams and responses to remediation efforts were studied using three streams (AMD-impacted, remediated, reference) in both the anthracite and the bituminous coal mining regions of Pennsylvania (USA). Response variables included ecosystem function as well as water chemistry and macroinvertebrate community composition. The bituminous AMD stream was extremely acidic with high dissolved metals concentrations, a prolific mid-summer growth of the filamentous alga, Mougeotia, and .10-fold more chlorophyll than the reference stream. The anthracite AMD stream had a higher pH, substrata coated with iron hydroxide(s), and negligible chlorophyll. Macroinvertebrate communities in the AMD streams were different from the reference streams, the remediated streams, and each other. Relative to the reference stream, the AMD stream(s) had (1) greater gross primary productivity (GPP) in the bituminous region and undetectable GPP in the anthracite region, (2) greater ecosystem respiration in both regions, (3) greatly reduced ammonium uptake and nitrification in both regions, (4) lower nitrate uptake in the bituminous (but not the anthracite) region, (5) more rapid phosphorus removal from the water column in both regions, (6) activities of phosphorus-acquiring, nitrogenacquiring, and hydrolytic-carbon-acquiring enzymes that indicated extreme phosphorus limitation in both regions, and (7) slower oak and maple leaf decomposition in the bituminous region and slower oak decomposition in the anthracite region. Remediation brought chlorophyll concentrations and GPP nearer to values for respective reference streams, depressed ecosystem respiration, restored ammonium uptake, and partially restored nitrification in the bituminous (but not the anthracite) region, reduced nitrate uptake to an undetectable level, restored phosphorus uptake to near normal rates, and brought enzyme activities more in line with the reference stream in the bituminous (but not the anthracite) region. Denitrification was not detected in any stream. Water chemistry and macroinvertebrate community structure analyses capture the impact of AMD at the local reach scale, but functional measures revealed that AMD has ramifications that can cascade to downstream reaches and perhaps to receiving estuaries.

Use and Performance of In-Stream Structures for River Restoration: a Case Study from North Carolina

In-stream structures including cross-vanes, J-hooks, rock vanes, and W-weirs are widely used in river restoration to limit bank erosion, prevent changes in channel gradient, and improve aquatic habitat. During this investigation, a rapid assessment protocol was combined with post-project monitoring data to assess factors influencing the performance of more than 558 in-stream structures and rootwads in North Carolina. Cross-sectional survey data examined for 221 cross sections from 26 sites showed that channel adjustments were highly variable from site to site, but approximately 60 % of the sites underwent at least a 20 % net change in channel capacity. Evaluation of in-stream structures ranging from 1 to 8 years in age showed that about half of the structures were impaired at 10 of the 26 sites. Major structural damage was often associated with floods of low to moderate frequency and magnitude. Failure mechanisms varied between sites and structure types, but included: (1) erosion of the channel bed and banks (outflanking); (2) movement of rock materials during floods; and (3) burial of the structures in the channel bed. Sites with reconstructed channels that exhibited large changes in channel capacity possessed the highest rates of structural impairment, suggesting that channel adjustments between structures led to their degradation of function. The data question whether currently used in-stream structures are capable of stabilizing reconfigured channels for even short periods when applied to dynamic rivers.

Cupiennin 1a exhibits a remarkably broad, non-stereospecific cytolytic activity on bacteria, protozoan parasites, insects, and human cancer cells

Cupiennin 1a, a cytolytic peptide isolated from the venom of the spider Cupiennius salei, exhibits broad membranolytic activity towards bacteria, trypanosomes, and plasmodia, as well as human blood and cancer cells. In analysing the cytolytic activity of synthesised all-d- and all-l-cupiennin 1a towards pro- and eukaryotic cells, a stereospecific mode of membrane destruction could be excluded. The importance of negatively charged sialic acids on the outer leaflet of erythrocytes for the binding and haemolytic activity of l-cupiennin 1a was demonstrated. Reducing the overall negative charges of erythrocytes by partially removing their sialic acids or by protecting them with tri- or pentalysine results in reduced haemolytic activity of the peptide.

Evaluating Bucknell's Waste Stream

This thesis examines three questions regarding the content of Bucknell University‟s waste stream and the contributors to campus recycling and solid waste disposal. The first asks, “What does Bucknell‟s waste stream consist of?” To answer this question, I designed a campus-wide waste audit procedure that sampled one dumpster from each of the eleven „activity‟ types on campus in order to better understand Bucknell‟s waste composition. The audit was implemented during the Fall semester of the 2011-2012 school year. The waste from each dumpster was sorted into several recyclable and non-recyclable categories and then weighed individually. Results showed the Bison and Carpenter Shop dumpsters to contain the highest percentage of divertible materials (through recycling and/or composting). When extrapolated, results also showed the Dining Services buildings and Facilities buildings to be the most waste dense in terms of pounds of waste generated per square foot. The Bison also generated the most overall waste by weight. The average composition of all dumpsters revealed that organic waste composed 24% of all waste, 23% was non-recyclable paper, and 20% was non-recyclable plastic. It will be important to move forward using these results to help create effective waste programs that target the appropriate areas of concern. My second question asks, “What influences waste behavior to contribute to this „picture‟ of the waste stream?” To answer this question, I created a survey that was sent out to randomly selected sub-group of the university‟s three constituencies: students, faculty, and staff. The survey sought responses regarding each constituency‟s solid waste disposal and recycling behavior, attitudes toward recycling, and motivating factors for solid waste disposal behaviors across different sectors of the university. Using regression analysis, I found three statistically significant motivating factors that influence solid waste disposal behavior: knowledge and awareness, moral value, and social norms. I further examined how a person‟s characteristics associate to these motivating factors and found that one‟s position on campus proved a significant association. Consistently, faculty and staff were strongly influenced by the aforementioned motivating factors, while students‟ behavior was less influenced by them. This suggests that new waste programs should target students to help increase the influence of these motivators to improve the recycling rate and lower overall solid waste disposal on campus. After making overall conclusions regarding the waste audit and survey, I ask my third question, which inquires, “What actions can Bucknell take to increase recycling rates and decrease solid waste generation?” Bucknell currently features several recycling and waste minimization programs on campus. However, using results from the waste audit and campus survey, we can better understand what are the issues of the waste stream, how do we go about addressing these issues, and who needs to be addressed. I propose several suggestions for projects that future students may take on for summer or thesis research. Suggestions include targeting the appropriate categories of waste that occur most frequently in the waste stream, as well as the building types that have the highest waste density and potential recovery rates. Additionally, certain groups on campus should be targeted more directly than others, namely the student body, which demonstrates the lowest influence by motivators of recycling and waste behavior. Several variables were identified as significant motivators of waste and recycling behavior, and could be used as program tactics to encourage more effective behavior.

Monitoring and Modeling of the Hydraulic and Sediment Processes at In-Stream Restoration Structures in the Vicinity of a Bridge Crossing

The long-term performance of infrastructure depends on reliable and sustainable designs. Many of Pennsylvania’s streams experience sediment transport problems that increase maintenance costs and lower structural integrity of bridge crossings. A stream restoration project is one common mitigation measure used to correct such problems at bridge crossings. Specifically, in an attempt to alleviate aggradation problems with the Old Route 15 Bridge crossing on White Deer Creek, in White Deer, PA, two in-stream structures (rock cross vanes) and several bank stabilization features were installed along with a complete channel redevelopment. The objectives of this research were to characterize the hydraulic and sediment transport processes occurring at the White Deer Creek site, and to investigate, through physical and mathematical modeling, the use of instream restoration structures. The goal is to be able to use the results of this study to prevent aggradation or other sediment related problems in the vicinity of bridges through improved design considerations. Monitoring and modeling indicate that the study site on White Deer Creek is currently unstable, experiencing general channel down-cutting, bank erosion, and several local areas of increased aggradation and degradation of the channel bed. An in-stream structure installed upstream of the Old Route 15 Bridge failed by sediment burial caused by the high sediment load that White Deer Creek is transporting as well as the backwater effects caused by the bridge crossing. The in-stream structure installed downstream of the Old Route 15 Bridge is beginning to fail because of the alignment of the structure with the approach direction of flow from upstream of the restoration structure.