PMI: A Delta Psi(m) Independent Pharmacological Regulator of Mitophagy

Mitophagy is central to mitochondrial and cellular homeostasis and operates via the PINK1/Parkin pathway targeting mitochondria devoid of membrane potential (ΔΨm) to autophagosomes. Although mitophagy is recognized as a fundamental cellular process, selective pharmacologic modulators of mitophagy are almost nonexistent. We developed a compound that increases the expression and signaling of the autophagic adaptor molecule P62/SQSTM1 and forces mitochondria into autophagy. The compound, P62-mediated mitophagy inducer (PMI), activates mitophagy without recruiting Parkin or collapsing ΔΨm and retains activity in cells devoid of a fully functional PINK1/Parkin pathway. PMI drives mitochondria to a process of quality control without compromising the bio-energetic competence of the whole network while exposing just those organelles to be recycled. Thus, PMI circumvents the toxicity and some of the nonspecific effects associated with the abrupt dissipation of ΔΨm by ionophores routinely used to induce mitophagy and represents a prototype pharmacological tool to investigate the molecular mechanisms of mitophagy

Tactile perception by friction induced vibrations

Cataloged from PDF version of article.When a finger moves to scan the surface of an object (haptic sensing), the sliding contact generates vibrations that propagate in the finger skin activating the receptors (mechanoreceptors) located in the skin, allowing the brain to identify objects and perceive information about their properties. The information about the surface of the object is transmitted through vibrations induced by friction between the skin and the object scanned by the fingertip. The mechanoreceptors transduce the stress state into electrical impulses that are conveyed to the brain. A clear understanding of the mechanisms of the tactile sensing is fundamental to numerous applications, like the development of artificial tactile sensors for intelligent prostheses or robotic assistants, and in ergonomics. While the correlation between surface roughness and tactile sensation has already been reported in literature, the vibration spectra induced by the finger-surface scanning and the consequent activation of the mechanoreceptors on the skin have received less attention. In this paper, frequency analysis of signals characterizing surface scanning is carried out to investigate the vibration spectrum measured on the finger and to highlight the changes shown in the vibration spectra as a function of characteristic contact parameters such as scanning speed, roughness and surface texture. An experimental set-up is developed to recover the vibration dynamics by detecting the contact force and the induced vibrations; the bench test has been designed to guarantee reproducibility of measurements at the low amplitude of the vibrations of interest, and to perform measurements without introducing external noise. Two different perception mechanisms, as a function of the roughness wavelength, have been pointed out. The spectrum of vibration obtained by scanning textiles has been investigated. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The vibrational spectrum of FeO2+ isomers

Infrared photodissociation is used to record the vibrational spectrum of FeO2+(He)2–4 which shows three bands at 1035, 980, and 506 cm−1. Quantum chemical multi-reference configuration interaction calculations (MRCISD) of structures and harmonic frequencies show that these bands are due to two different isomers, an inserted dioxo complex with Fe in the +V oxidation state and a side-on superoxo complex with Fe in the +II oxidation state. These two are separated by a substantial barrier, 53 kJ/mol, whereas the third isomer, an end-on complex between Fe+ and an O2 molecule, is easily converted into the side-on complex. For all three isomers, states of different spin multiplicity have been considered. Our best energies are computed at the MRCISD+Q level, including corrections for complete active space and basis set extension, core-valence correlation, relativistic effects, and zero-point vibrational energy. The average coupled pair functional (ACPF) yields very similar energies. Density functional theory (DFT) differs significantly from our best estimates for this system, with the TPSS functional yielding the best results. The other functionals tested are BP86, PBE, B3LYP, TPSSh, and B2PLYP. Complete active space second order perturbation theory, (CASPT2) performs better than DFT, but less good than ACPF

Gas phase structures and charge localization in small aluminum oxide anions: Infrared photodissociation spectroscopy and electronic structure calculations

We use cryogenic ion trap vibrational spectroscopy in combination with quantum chemical calculations to study the structure of mono- and dialuminum oxide anions. The infrared photodissociation spectra of D2-tagged AlO1-4 − and Al2O3-6 − are measured in the region from 400 to 1200 cm−1. Structures are assigned based on a comparison to simulated harmonic and anharmonic IR spectra derived from electronic structure calculations. The monoaluminum anions contain an even number of electrons and exhibit an electronic closed-shell ground state. The Al2O3-6 − anions are oxygen-centered radicals. As a result of a delicate balance between localization and delocalization of the unpaired electron, only the BHLYP functional is able to qualitatively describe the observed IR spectra of all species with the exception of AlO3 −. Terminal Al–O stretching modes are found between 1140 and 960 cm−1. Superoxo and peroxo stretching modes are found at higher (1120-1010 cm−1) and lower energies (850-570 cm−1), respectively. Four modes in-between 910 and 530 cm−1 represent the IR fingerprint of the common structural motif of dialuminum oxide anions, an asymmetric four-member Al–(O)2–Al ring

Rol de la alantoina durante la maduración y germinación de la semilla de Arabidopsis thaliana

Fil: Martini, C. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Martini, C. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Lescano, I. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Lescano, I. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Fagiani, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Fagiani, M. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Devegili, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Devegili, A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Desimone, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Desimone, M. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.La alantoina es un compuesto nitrogenado heterocíclico derivado de la vía de oxidación de las purinas que tiene un papel importante en la asimilación, metabolismo, transporte y almacenamiento de nitrógeno en plantas (Todd, 2006. J. Exp.Bot. 57: 5−12.). Numerosos estudios han demostrado una estrecha relación entre la activación de esta vía y procesos de aclimatación y respuesta a estrés biótico y abiótico (Alamillo, 2010. Plant Cell Environ. 33: 1828−1837.).Fil: Martini, C. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Martini, C. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Lescano, I. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Lescano, I. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Fagiani, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Fagiani, M. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Devegili, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Devegili, A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Desimone, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Desimone, M. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Biología Celular, Microbiologí

Evaluation of tsunamigenic hazard through numerical modeling from seismic and non-seismic sources in the Crotone offshore (Calabria, Southern Italy)

Tsunamis in the Mediterranean Sea can be considered among the major sources of hazard, both for the extension of the area that can be involved by the water impact and for the closeness of potential sources to the coast, which reduces dramatically the alert and evacuation time. Moreover, landslides, as other non-seismic tsunami sources, are often characterized by a lack of precursors (such as seismic shaking), a reason for which the ensuing waves are sometimes called “surprise tsunamis”

DIGISER. Digital Innovation in Governance and Public Service Provision

Digital Innovation Challenges In view of the increasingly intense pressures on the public sector to address the challenges of our time, governments and other public entities are gradually adopting digital innovation, seeking to promote quality public services. Digital technologies and capabilities create opportunities to re-organise public service inno- vation and delivery in ways that reduce cost and increase quality, proactiveness and citizen-centricity. Multilevel governance, networks and other collaboration systems (at local, regional, national and interna- tional level) are gaining importance as key drivers of this process of digital innovation and transformation. The link to the innovation ecosystem, including all sectors of activity, both private and public (e.g., academia, industry, business, citizens and governments) appears as fundamental in all phases of the creation, devel- opment, implementation and maintenance of public services and policy making. Information and communi- cation technologies are conceived as essential elements to support the creation and sustainability of these collaboration processes. In an era in which information gains relevance in the management of the territory and allows new power relations, the expectations of citizens are increasingly demanding and specific. Considering the develop- ments of recent years, such as the economic, social and health crises, the pressure placed on the resolution of global challenges is progressively transferred to the scope of cities. There are several elements that con- tribute to the importance of cities in the digital innovation transformation process namely buying- power, being closer to citizens and being able to work across different sectors. In fact, urban territories increasingly represent a greater number of citizens - in Europe, for example, they correspond to 75% of the population - have greater autonomy in management, worldwide they contribute to 80% of the global GDP and have the potential to provide a major contribution to the resolution of global challenges. The balance between change (promoted by the digital innovation strategies) and stability (driven by organi- sational inertia) needs to be handled carefully. The transformation process has to be based on a long-term strategy and to occur in a sustainable way, by focusing on learning experiences and knowledge and tech- nology transfer, while being sensitive to the local context to ensure improvement. At the European level, the Digital Transition has been considered a main goal for the next decade. The EU launched the European Green Deal and Europe Fit for the Digital Age, a twin initiative, which links green and digital transition. The vision for the EU ́s digital decade is reflected in the Digital Compass 2030 and includes 4 cardinal points: skills, government, infrastructure and Business. With the aim of having 100% of the key public services online by 2030, the digital compass ensures that digital will contribute in a positive way to improve citizens quality of life while reducing the resources spent. To support this vision, and by understanding the importance of community-led data-driven solutions and the potential of collaborative ap- proaches, several initiatives are being implemented. The Living-in.EU movement, for example, points out the European Way’ where multi-level governance and co-creation processes support the development of a cohesive digital Europe in the path towards digital transition. Another initiative contributing to this strategy is promoted by Open & Agile Smart Cities which is connecting cities through Minimal Interoperability Mech- anisms (MIMs) - “a set of practical capabilities based on open technical specifications that allow cities and communities to replicate and scale solutions globally”. The MIMs contribute to the creation of the European Single Market by providing a common technical ground for the procurement and deployment of urban data platforms and end-to-end solutions in cities

Wild boar rooting intensity determines shifts in understorey composition and functional traits

In recent decades, the European populations of wild boar have grown substantially, as has the impact of this species, owing above all to its rooting activity. Our aim was to investigate the relationships between vascular plant understorey and wild boar rooting intensity. The questions we addressed are: does rooting intensity influence understorey species composition and diversity? Which functional traits are associated with different levels of rooting? We performed a comparative analysis of plant communities in areas with contrasting levels of rooting intensity within a Mediterranean deciduous lowland forest in central Italy. Besides comparing species composition and diversity, we tested the association between species traits and rooting levels through fourth-corner analysis. We found that contrasting levels of rooting were associated to different understorey species composition and evenness, while we observed no significant difference in species richness. In contrast with our expectations, sites with lower rooting returned i) lower evenness values and ii) a higher proportion of species characterized by traits related to resistance or response to herbivory, i.e., spinescence, clonality, endozoochory, underground storage organs, and low height values. Our findings suggest that current vegetation patterns partly depend on the legacy effect of past rooting disturbance, since the areas currently subjected to low rooting intensity were likely to be intensely rooted in the past. These areas may have developed a marked dominance of clonal thorny species that, in turn, inhibited further feeding activities by wild boar