Molecular Modelling of the Ni(II)-Responsive Synechocystis PCC 6803 Transcriptional Regulator InrS in the Metal Bound Form

InrS (internal nickel-responsive sensor) is a transcriptional regulator found in cyanobacteria that represses the transcription of the nickel exporter NrsD in the apo form and de-represses expression of the exporter upon Ni(II) binding. Although a crystal structure of apo-InrS from Synechocystis PCC 6803 has been reported, no structure of the protein with metal ions bound is available. Here we report the results of a computational study aimed to reconstruct the metal binding site by taking advantage of recent X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) data and to envisage the structural rearrangements occurring upon Ni(II) binding. The modelled Ni(II) binding site shows a square planar geometry consistent with experimental data. The structural details of the conformational changes occurring upon metal binding are also discussed in the framework of trying to rationalize the different affnity of the apo- and holo-forms of the protein for DNA

Top-down profiling methodology and new Partition and Placement tool to improve Spiking Neural Network simulations on a massively many-core neuromorphic platform

none4nomixedURGESE, GIANVITO; BARCHI, FRANCESCO; MACII, Enrico; ACQUAVIVA, ANDREAURGESE, GIANVITO; BARCHI, FRANCESCO; MACII, Enrico; ACQUAVIVA, ANDRE

Discharge variations of springs induced by strong earthquakes: the case of the mw 6.5 Norcia event (Italy, October 30 th 2016)

Earthquakes, dynamic strain, groundwater circulation, structural permeability

Geophysical downhole logging analysis within the shallow depth ICDP STAR drilling project (Central Italy)

The ICDP STAR drilling project aims to study the seismic and aseismic fault slip behaviour of the active low-angle Alto Tiberina normal Fault (ATF) in the Northern Apennines, Central Italy, drilling and instrumenting six shallow boreholes with seismometers and strainmeters. During the STAR field work, a geophysical downhole logging campaign was carried on defining the optimal target depth for instrument deployment and formation rock characterization. In particular, the main objectives of this study were to define in situ physical properties of the rocks and the tectonic discontinuity geometry along the boreholes. The downhole logging data provide new findings and knowledge especially with regards to the physical properties such as resistivity, gamma ray and wave velocity. The collected parameters were compared to the results of literature data collected in similar lithologies, as well as with the results of logging performed in deeper wells drilled for commercial purposes. The physical properties of the Mesozoic-Early Tertiary calcareous formations show low Gamma Ray values and high compressional (Vp) and shear wave (Vs) velocities (up to 5.3 km/s and 2.9 km/s, respectively), whereas the overlying clay-rich Late Tertiary formations exhibit high Gamma Ray and low resistivity and relatively low Vp and Vs values (up to 3.5 km/s and 2.0 km/s, respectively). The results obtained from the analysis of the orientations of the tectonic structures, measured along the six boreholes, show a good agreement with the orientations of the present-day extensional stress field, NE-SW oriented. Our study allowed to bridge the gap between the physical properties obtained from literature data and those obtained from the deep wells measurements, representing a possible case history for future projects. These new data will contribute to the advancement of knowledge of the physical properties of the rocks at shallow depths, typically overlooked

Identification of a new R3 MYB type repressor and functional characterization of the members of the MBW transcriptional complex involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis in eggplant (S. Melongena L.)

Here we focus on the highly conserved MYB-bHLH-WD repeat (MBW) transcriptional complex model in eggplant, which is pivotal in the transcriptional regulation of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway. Through a genome-wide approach performed on the recently released Eggplant Genome (cv. 67/3) previously identified, and reconfirmed by us, members belonging to the MBW complex (SmelANT1, SmelAN2, SmelJAF13, SmelAN1) were functionally characterized. Furthermore, a regulatory R3 MYB type repressor (SmelMYBL1), never reported before, was identified and characterized as well. Through a qPCR approach, we revealed specific transcriptional patterns of candidate genes in different plant tissue/organs at two stages of fruit development. Two strategies were adopted for investigating the interactions of bHLH partners (SmelAN1, SmelJAF13) with MYB counterparts (SmelANT1, SmelAN2 and SmelMYBL1): Yeast Two Hybrid (Y2H) and Bimolecular Fluorescent Complementation (BiFC) in A. thaliana mesophylls protoplast. Agro-infiltration experiments highlighted that N. benthamiana leaves transiently expressing SmelANT1 and SmelAN2 showed an anthocyanin-pigmented phenotype, while their co-expression with SmelMYBL1 prevented anthocyanin accumulation. Our results suggest that SmelMYBL1 may inhibits the MBW complex via the competition with MYB activators for bHLH binding site, although this hypothesis requires further elucidation

Low Levels of Gastrin 17 are Related with Endoscopic Findings of Esophagitis and Typical Symptoms of GERD.

Background and Aims: In clinical practice, most patients with symptoms suggestive of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) undergo esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD), despite its low sensitivity in detecting reflux stigmata. Gastrin 17 (G-17) has been proposed to be related with GERD, due to the negative feedback between acid secretion and this hormone. We assessed the clinical usefulness of fasting G-17 serum determination for a non-invasive diagnosis of GERD in patients with typical symptoms. Methods: We consecutively enrolled patients complaining of typical GERD symptoms in two different settings: a single referral center and a primary care setting. Control groups consisted of dyspeptic patients. All subjects underwent assessment of serum levels of G-17 and EGD. Results: At the academic hospital, 100 GERD patients (n=89 with erosive esophagitis and 11 with Barrett's esophagus) had statistically significant low levels of G-17 as compared with 184 dyspeptic patients (1.7±1.2 pg/L vs 8.9±5.7 pg/L p<0.0001). Similarly, in the primary care setting, 163 GERD patients had statistically significant low levels of G-17 as compared with 132 dyspeptic patients (0.5±0.2 pg/L vs. 4.0±2.6 pg/L, p<0.0001). Moreover, in the primary care setting, no statistically significant differences were found for G-17 levels between patients with erosive and non-erosive reflux pattern (0.4±0.2 vs 0.7±0.3; p=0.08). In primary care, the accuracy of G-17 less than 1 pg/L to diagnose non-invasively GERD was 94.3%. Conclusions: Low levels of G-17 were detected in patients with erosive esophagitis and Barrett's esophagus in a referral center and in patients with typical GERD symptoms in a sample of patients from a primary care setting

Preterite Formations in Niya Prakrit and Khotanese: A Case of Grammatical Interference?

Some features of the North-Western Prakrit that was used as the administrative language of the kingdom of Kroraina ('Niya Prakrit') have in the past been more or less vaguely described as the result of language contact. One particularly striking feature that invites such an account is the innovative preterite of this Prakrit variety. We argue that, from a structural point of view, this formation and its morphosyntactic behaviour can be plausibly attributed to interference from Khotanese. In addition, a scenario involving Khotanese as a substratum language of Niya Prakrit may also be well accounted for from a historical and sociolinguistic perspective

On the Containerization and Orchestration of RISC-V architectures for Edge-Cloud computing

Containerization technologies, orchestration systems and open hardware architectures, such as RISC-V, are crucial as the foundation of open digital infrastructures for the computing continuum - the seamless distribution of data and computation across platforms with heterogeneous ca- pabilities. However, it is unknown how containerization technologies and orchestration systems, such as Kubernetes, would impact performance in new architectures based on RISC-V. This work aims to address this question and intro- duces KubeEdge-V, an orchestration platform for RISC-V systems. We define the minimum components required to support the basic features of the containerization and orches- tration platforms: network plug-ins, container runtimes and computational/networking requirements, and we evaluated KubeEdge-V performance on a prototype of a distributed computing system based on SiFive processors called Monte Cimone. Finally, the paper compares the performance of KubeEdge-V on SiFive processors with an equivalent system based on ARM architecture featuring the same power envelope