Project description:Wastewater stabilization ponds are a natural form of wastewater treatment. Their low operation and maintenance costs have made them popular, especially in developing countries. In these systems, effluents are retained for long periods of time, allowing the microbial communities present in the ponds to degrade the organic matter present, using both aerobic and anaerobic processes. Even though these systems are widespread in low income countries, there are no studies about the microorganisms present in them and how they operate. In this study, we analised the microbial communities of two serial full-scale stabilization ponds systems using whole genome shotgun sequencing. First, a taxonomic profiling of the reads was performed, to estimate the microbial diversity. Then, the reads of each system were assembled and binned, allowing the reconstruction of 110 microbial genomes. A functional analysis of the genomes allowed us to find how the main metabolic pathways are carried out, and we propose several organisms that would be key to this kind of environment, since they play an important role in these metabolic pathways. This study represents the first genome-centred approach to understand the metabolic processes in facultative ponds. A better understanding of these microbial communities and how they stabilize the effluents of dairy industries is necessary to improve them and to minimize the environmental impact of dairy industries wastewater.
Project description:This project is meant to document the effect of the negative energetic balance on the embryo quality and as it happens, to identify ways to improve the fertility of dairy bovines. Measurement of the β-Hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) has been taken between 45 and 60 days post-partum on twelve Holstein cows. Cows have been ranked according to the sanguine measurement as high or low in BHB in order to get 6 cows per group. After having synchronized the heat with hormones and an ovarian stimulation, cows have been inseminated and the embryos were selected as so to be transferred in at least two heifers. With this transfer it is possible to isolate the impact of the energetic level of the mother before and during the gestation on the performances of the future progeny.
Project description:This project is meant to document the effect of the negative energetic balance on the embryo quality and as it happens, to identify ways to improve the fertility of dairy bovines. Measurement of the β-Hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) has been taken between 45 and 60 days post-partum on twelve Holstein cows. Cows have been ranked according to the sanguine measurement as high or low in BHB in order to get 6 cows per group. After having synchronized the heat with hormones and an ovarian stimulation, cows have been inseminated and the embryos were selected as so to be transferred in at least two heifers. This project aim at isolating the differences created on the transcriptomic expression in morulas and blastocysts grown in cows with an energetic inbalance.
Project description:Synovial sarcoma is a deadly soft-tissue malignancy with a predilection for adolescents and young adults. Mice recapitulate synovial sarcomagenesis from expression of SS18-SSX2 in certain cells. Concomitant expression of a stabilized form of beta-catenin enhances synovial sarcomagenesis and expands the potential cells of origin. Mice bearing conditional expression of SS18-SSX2 from the Rosa26 locus and conditional excision of the 3rd exon of beta-catenin, each activated in the leg by Cre-recombinase expressed from an adeno-associated viral vector, formed large tumors at brief latency.