Investigating the Contribution of the Oncogenic Cyclin D1b Isoform to the Aggressive Growth Properties of SV40 T Antigen Transformed Human Diploid Fibroblasts

Cyclin D1 is a driving force of the cell cycle by the regulation of S-phase entry. Cyclin D1 complexes with kinase CDK4/6 to phosphorylate the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein resulting in release of the E2F transcription factor. Over-expression or promotion of the alternatively spliced oncogenic D1b isoform is correlated with cancer. To determine the contribution of cyclin D1 to virally induced cancers, this study used immortalized and virally transformed HDFs. RT-PCR showed more D1a RNA produced compared to D1b and no significant difference in the amount of the isoforms in transformed cell lines. Immunoblotting and immunofluorescence suggested that the cyclin is predominantly cytoplasmic, suggesting that little to no cyclin D1b is being produced at the protein level. Results are surprising but indicate that even though splicing factors are upregulated in transformed cells, they do not result in cyclin D1b production; thus, D1b does not contribute to aggressive growth in HDFs

Adaptation to climate change: Air-conditioning and the role of remittances

Do remittances improve the ability of households to adapt to global warming? We try to answer this question by studying the behaviours of households in Mexico, a country that experiences a large and stable flow of remittances. Using an instrumental variable approach, we find an important role of remittances in the climate adaptation process. Remittances are used for adopting air-conditioning, which is an important cooling device for responding to high temperatures and to maintain thermal comfort at home. We exploit climate and income heterogeneity by showing that large differences exist in the use of remittances for climate adaptation between coastal and inland regions, as well as among different income groups. We conclude by quantifying the overall increase in welfare that households attain by adopting air-conditioning

THE MOSAIC OF THE FRIGIDARIUM OF “VILLA BONANNO” IN PALERMO: MINERALOGICAL AND PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSES FOR IN SITU CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION INTERVENTIONS

The topic of this study was the mineralogical and petrographic characterization of bedding mortars (made of different layers) and tesserae of Roman age (3rd century A.D.), taken from the mosaic of the Frigidarium of “Villa Bonanno”, brought to light by archaeological excavations conducted in the historical centre of Palermo. The collected samples have been analysed by thin-section optical microscopy (PLM), and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS). The study was aimed to define the “recipe” (composition of aggregate and binder, aggregate size distribution, aggregate/binder ratio), in order to assess the provenance of raw materials (supply site/area) and to acquire useful information in order to formulate "restoration mortars" that should be most comparable with the original ones, for replacements and/or integration. Rock types constituting the coloured tesserae were also characterized by thin-section optical microscopy. The mineralogical and petrographic investigations allowed establishing two different recipes used for the formulation of the studied mortars in terms of both compositional and textural features. The aggregate is composed by diverse proportions of detritic calcareous granules (both bioclasts and limestone fragments deriving from the local outcropping biocalcarenites and limestones), siliceous sand (monocrystalline quartz, chert and quartzarenite fragments), volcanic ash (pozzolana) and sometimes cocciopesto. The resulting hydraulic binder was the product of the „pozzolanic reaction‟ between volcanic ash and the aerial lime (specifically made by the calcination of locally available magnesian limestone or dolostone). The coloured tesserae can be all classified as compact limestones of Mesozoic or Cenozoic age, likely of local provenance

Oxidation of organics in water by active chlorine performed in microfluidic electrochemical reactors: a new way to improve the performances of the process

Wastewater polluted by organics can be treated by using electro-generated active chlorine, even if this promising route presents some important drawbacks such as the production of chlorinated by-products. Here, for the first time, this process was studied in a microfluidic electrochemical reactor with a very small inter-electrode distance (145 μm) using a water solution of NaCl and phenol and a BDD anode. The potential production of chloroacetic acids, chlorophenols, carboxylic acids, chlorate and perchlorate was carefully evaluated. It was shown, for the first time, up to our knowledge, that the use of the microfluidic device allows to perform the treatment under a continuous mode and to achieve higher current efficiencies and a lower generation of some important by-products such as chlorate and perchlorate. As an example, the use of the microfluidic apparatus equipped with an Ag cathode allowed to achieve a high removal of total organic carbon (about 76%) coupled with a current efficiency of 17% and the production of a small amount of chlorate (about 30 ppm) and no perchlorate. The effect of many parameters (namely, flow rate, current density and nature of cathode) was also investigated

Experimental evaluation of privacy-preserving aggregation schemes on planetlab

New pervasive technologies often reveal many sen- sitive information about users’ habits, seriously compromising the privacy and sometimes even the personal security of people. To cope with this problem, researchers have developed the idea of privacy-preserving data mining which refers to the possibility of releasing aggregate information about the data provided by multiple users, without any information leakage about individual data. These techniques have different privacy levels and communication costs, but all of them can suffer when some users’ data becomes inaccessible during the operation of the privacy preserving protocols. It is thus interesting to validate the applicability of such architectures in real-world scenarios. In this paper we experimentally evaluate two promising privacy- preserving techniques on PlanetLab, analyzing the execution time and the failure rate that each scheme exhibits

Distinctive Traits of Four Apulian Traditional Agri-Food Product (TAP) Cheeses Manufactured at the Same Dairy Plant

This study aimed to highlight the distinctive features of four Traditional Agri-food Products (TAP), namely, Caprino, Pecorino, Vaccino, and Cacioricotta cheeses produced at the same dairy plant to reveal any possible relationships between their microbiological and biochemical character-istics. Two distinct natural whey starter (NWS) cultures were used during Caprino and Vaccino cheesemaking, whereas no starter was used for the other cheeses. Cacioricotta retained the highest concentrations of salt and residual carbohydrates. Lactic acid bacteria dominated the microbiota of the cheeses. Furthermore, staphylococci represented an additional dominant microbial population in Cacioricotta. Although culture-dependent analysis showed that the use of NWS cultures only slightly affected the microbial community of cheeses, 16S metagenetic analysis showed that Lactobacillus helveticus dominated both the NWS cultures and the corresponding Caprino and Vaccino cheeses. This analysis indicated that Staphylococcus equorum and Streptococcus thermophilus dominated Cacioricotta and Pecorino cheeses, respectively. The highest peptidase activities were found in either Caprino or Vaccino. Enzymes involved in the catabolism of free amino acids and esterase showed the highest activity in Pecorino cheese. Each cheese showed a distinct profile of volatile organic compounds, with Pecorino being the richest cheese in carboxylic acids, ketones, and esters, related to lipolysis. The results of this study contribute to valorizing and safeguarding these TAP cheeses, sustaining local farming

Bacterias entéricas en la Gaviota Cangrejera (Larus atlanticus) y la Gaviota Cocinera (Larus dominicanus) en el estuario de Bahía Blanca, Argentina

The Bahía Blanca Estuary in Argentina is under the effect of chronic microbiological pollution with untreated raw sewage and the pathogens associated with it. In this estuary, there are breeding colonies of Olrog’s Gull (Larus atlanticus) and Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), where parents feed chicks and themselves on prey and food items foraged at or near sewage outfalls and refuse tips where they can be exposed to pathogens of human and animal origin. The objective of this study was to assess the role of Olrog’s Gull and Kelp Gull as carriers of zoonotic pathogens of faecal origin. Bacterial recovery from faecal samples of both gull species was positive for Salmonella enterica var. Typhimurium, Salmonella enterica var. Gallinarum, Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, Enterobacter cloacae and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The prevalence and diversity of pathogens varied between gull species, and Olrog’s Gull tested positive for a wider range of pathogens than Kelp Gull. Escherichia coli was the most prevalent bacteria in chicks and adults of both gull species, followed by Salmonella spp. in Olrog’s Gull chicks, and Enterobacter cloacae and Shigella dysenteriae in Olrog’s Gull adults. The potential use of these gull species as sentinels of microbiological pollution in the Bahía Blanca Estuary is proposed.El estuario de Bahía Blanca en Argentina se encuentra bajo el efecto de la contaminación microbiológica a partir del vertido de desagües cloacales sin tratamiento previo y los patógenos asociados. En este estuario existen colonias reproductivas de Gaviota Cangrejera (Larus atlanticus) y Gaviota Cocinera (Larus dominicanus) y los adultos alimentan a sus crías con presas obtenidas en sitios contaminados con desagües cloacales y en basurales a cielo abierto donde pueden estar expuestas a patógenos de origen humano y animal. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el rol de la Gaviota Cangrejera y de la Gaviota Cocinera como portadores de patógenos zoonóticos de origen fecal. A partir de las muestras de material fecal se recuperaron Salmonella enterica var. Typhimurium, Salmonella enterica var. Gallinarum, Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, Enterobacter cloacae y Klebsiella pneumoniae. La prevalencia y diversidad de patógenos varió entre las dos especies de gaviotas, y la Gaviota Cangrejera fue positiva para una mayor variedad de patógenos que la Gaviota Cocinera. Escherichia coli fue la bacteria más prevalente en pichones y adultos de ambas especies, seguida por Salmonella spp. en pichones de Gaviota Cangrejera, y Enterobacter cloacae y Shigella dysenteriae en adultos de Gaviota Cangrejera. Se propone el uso de estas especies de gaviotas como centinelas de contaminación microbiológica en el estuario de Bahía Blanca

Low Power Front End for the Optical Module of a Neutrino Underwater Telescope

A proposal for a new system to capture signals in the Optical Module (OM) of an underwater neutrino telescope is described. It concentrates on the problem of power consumption and time precision. In particular, a solution for the interface between the photomultiplier (PMT) and the front-end electronics is presented

Polydatin beneficial effects in zebrafish larvae undergoing multiple stress types

none8noPolydatin is a polyphenol, whose beneficial properties, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, have been largely demonstrated. At the same time, copper has an important role in the correct organism homeostasis and alteration of its concentration can induce oxidative stress. In this study, the efficacy of polydatin to counteract the stress induced by CuSO4 exposure or by caudal fin amputation was investigated in zebrafish larvae. The study revealed that polydatin can reduced the stress induced by a 2 h exposure to 10 µM CuSO4 by lowering the levels of il1b and cxcl8b.1 and reducing neutrophils migration in the head and along the lateral line. Similarly, polydatin administration reduced the number of neutrophils in the area of fin cut. In addition, polydatin upregulates the expression of sod1 mRNA and CAT activity, both involved in the antioxidant response. Most of the results obtained in this study support the working hypothesis that polydatin administration can modulate stress response and its action is more effective in mitigating the effects rather than in preventing chemical damages.openPessina A.; Di Vincenzo M.; Maradonna F.; Marchegiani F.; Olivieri F.; Randazzo B.; Gioacchini G.; Carnevali O.Pessina, A.; Di Vincenzo, M.; Maradonna, F.; Marchegiani, F.; Olivieri, F.; Randazzo, B.; Gioacchini, G.; Carnevali, O

SO2 flux from Stromboli during the 2007 eruption: Results from the FLAME network and traverse measurements

SO2 fluxes emitted by Stromboli during the 27th February – 2nd April 2007 effusive eruption were regularly measured both by an automatic network of scanning ultraviolet spectrometers and by traverse easurements conducted by boat and helicopter. The results from both methodologies agree reasonably well, providing a validation for the automatic flux calculations produced by the network. Approximately 22,000 tonnes of SO2 were degassed during the course of the 35 day eruption at an average rate of 620 tonnes per day. Such a degassing rate is much higher than that normally observed (150-200 t/d), because the cross-sectional area occupied by ascending degassed magma is much greater than normal during the effusion, as descending, degassed magma that would normally occupy a large volume of the conduit is absent. We propose that the hydrostatically controlled magma level within Stromboli’s conduit is the main control on eruptive activity, and that a high effusion rate led to the depressurisation of an intermediate magma reservoir, creating a decrease in the magma level until it dropped beneath the eruptive fissure, causing the rapid end of the eruption. A significant decrease in SO2 flux was observed prior to a paroxysm on 15th March 2007, suggesting that choking of the gas flowing in the conduit may have induced a coalescence event, and consequent rapid ascent of gas and magma that produced the explosion