Salivary gland lysates of the deerfly (genus Chrysops) contain chrysoptin, an inhibitor of ADP-induced platelet aggregation, which presumably assists the fly in obtaining a blood meal. Chrysoptin has now been isolated, and its cDNA has been cloned and expressed. Chrysoptin was purified to homogeneity using anion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography and found to be a protein with a molecular mass of 65 kDa as determined by gel electrophoresis. N-terminal amino acid sequencing allowed for the synthesis of degenerate oligonucleotides that led to cloning, from salivary gland specific mRNA, of the cDNA encoding this platelet inhibitor. No RGD sites are present in the predicted sequence. A search of GenBank TM did not reveal significant sequence homology between chrysoptin and other proteins. The molecular mass predicted from the cDNA was 59 kDa. Predicted glycosylation and phosphorylation sites may account for this difference in molecular mass, as recombinant chrysoptin expressed in Sf21 cells had a molecular mass of 65 kDa, matching that of the natural protein. Chrysoptin functions by inhibiting the binding of fibrinogen to the fibrinogen/glycoprotein IIb/ IIIa receptor on platelets with an IC 50 of 95 pmol. These results reveal that insect salivary glands are a source of fibrinogen receptor antagonists.To facilitate blood feeding, hematophagous arthropods produce a number of bioactive substances that overcome the hemostatic mechanisms of the host. Arthropods trigger primary hemostasis by damaging blood vessels while probing the skin. As platelet aggregation is fundamental to hemostasis, some hematophagous arthropods appear to have evolved the ability to secrete platelet inhibitors in their saliva. Previous reports of antiplatelet activity in arthropod saliva include findings of prostacyclin activity in ticks (1, 2); apyrase activity in ticks (3), mosquitoes (4), blood-sucking bugs (5), and tse-tse flies (6); and a nitrosylheme protein from Rhodnius prolixus that has the capacity to release nitric oxide (7). Other than the protein from Rhodnius, these antiplatelet activities have not been well characterized, and it is not clear whether these or other activities account for the platelet inhibitory activity found in salivary gland lysates.Deerflies (genus Chrysops), also referred to as "greenheads" because of their brilliant green eyes, frequent the coast of the northeastern United States for several weeks in midsummer. Because these flies inflict painful bites that sometimes bleed, we reasoned that deerfly salivary gland extract (DFE) 1 might contain an inhibitor of platelet aggregation. We reported previously that DFE inhibits ADP-, thrombin-, and collagen-induced aggregation of human platelets (8). DFE differs from the antiplatelet activities found in other arthropods in two respects. First, it does not alter cAMP levels in platelets, suggesting that it does not contain prostaglandin-like activity. Second, it does not contain apyrase activity. We report the isolation and characterization of chrysopti...

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Relevant, historically, it is the role of the Diocese of Fermo (Italy) in the Vatican organization dedicated to vast ecclesiastical patrimony on the territory of the Marche region. In this context, for the peculiarity of its identity and its property, the object of this study is the “Chiesa della Pietà”. This research starts with the photogrammetric survey to document and analyse the existing condition of the church. The data acquisition provides many scans following a network schema and the photographic survey allows to create orthoimages to make more realistic the 3D representation. Once acquired the geometric and material survey, a series of investigations have been carried out to assess the surface degradation and the material decay of the external façades and internal environments. Furthermore, some structural problems have been occurred, investigating and verifying the presence of advanced stages of deterioration of the wooden structures and the restoration of these structural elements must be mandatory. To take under control the decay and to propose a restoration step, we have arranged the 3D model in HBIM software with different LOD, according to the BIM Forum Level of Development Specification (2016), suitable to develop a well-structured information system. Before the 3D modelling phase, a decomposition of the building is useful to implement a semantic classification of the architectural elements. Basing on a hierarchy of classes and subclasses, the dedicated database organizes the building components assigning an ID-code to the features, putting in evidence materials decay by a thematic mapping.</p>

ABSTRACT:Built in the years between 1915 and 1918, and located on the west bank of the "Varano" Lake, a bay running along the village of "Cagnano Varano", the "Ivo Monti" seaplane base was erected on a pre-existing medieval settlement which belonged to the Benedictine Monks from the town of "San Nicola Imbuti". During WWI, this seaplane base was turned, from a simple water airport, into a strategic military base for floatplanes. As a matter of fact, the large lagoon could be used as landing spot for the planes sent off to patrol the dalmatic coast, one of the historical regions of Croatia, then controlled by the Austrians. After WWI, after the seaplane became an outdated technology, the "Ivo Monti" base was progressively dismantled and then totally abandoned at the beginning of the 1950s. In 2014, considering the historical relevance of this site and the unmistakable architectural value of its elements, a research framework agreement was signed between the "DICEA" Department of Marche Polytechnic University and the city council of the town hosting the site, aimed at the development of shared scientific research projects revolving around the study, the valorisation, and the restoration of the military complex in question, which had been in a complete state of decay and neglect for too long. The still ongoing research project mentioned presents two main missions: the first is the historical reconstruction, the geometric mapping, and the robustness analysis of the ruins, by studying and faithfully representing the state of deterioration of the building materials and of the facilities; the second is the identification and the testing of potential architectural solutions for the conversion and the reuse of the site and of its facilities.

Traditional geographic information systems (GIS) have been disrupted by the emergence of Big Data in the form of geo-coded raster, vector, and time-series Internet-of-Things data. This article discusses the application of new scalable technologies that go far beyond relational databases and file-based storage on spinning disk or tape to incorporate both storage and processing data in the same platform. The roles of the Apache Hadoop Distributed File Systems and NoSQL key-value stores such as the Apache Hbase are discussed, along with indexing schemes that optimally support geospatial-temporal use. We highlight how this new approach can rapidly search multiple GIS data layers to obtain insights in the context of early warning, impact evaluation, response, and recovery to earthquake and wildfire disasters.