New insights into the biological role of mammalian ADARs; the RNA editing proteins

The ADAR proteins deaminate adenosine to inosine in double-stranded RNA which is one of the most abundant modifications present in mammalian RNA. Inosine can have a profound effect on the RNAs that are edited, not only changing the base-pairing properties, but can also result in recoding, as inosine behaves as if it were guanosine. In mammals there are three ADAR proteins and two ADAR-related proteins (ADAD) expressed. All have a very similar modular structure; however, both their expression and biological function differ significantly. Only two of the ADAR proteins have enzymatic activity. However, both ADAR and ADAD proteins possess the ability to bind double-strand RNA. Mutations in ADARs have been associated with many diseases ranging from cancer, innate immunity to neurological disorders. Here, we will discuss in detail the domain structure of mammalian ADARs, the effects of RNA editing, and the role of ADARs in human diseases

On Some Generalizations Bellman-Bihari Result for Integro-Functional Inequalities for Discontinuous Functions and Their Applications

We present some new nonlinear integral inequalities Bellman-Bihari type with delay for discontinuous functions (integro-sum inequalities; impulse integral inequalities). Some applications of the results are included: conditions of boundedness (uniformly), stability by Lyapunov (uniformly), practical stability by Chetaev (uniformly) for the solutions of impulsive differential and integro-differential systems of ordinary differential equations

CLO (Collateralized Loan Obligation) Market and Corporate Lending

We investigate whether access to the collateralized loan obligation (CLO) market as collateral managers or underwriters affects lenders' ability to overcome an idiosyncratic adverse shock in the corporate lending market. In a triple difference-in-differences setting, we find that lenders decrease their origination of loans following a negative shock; however, those with CLO access become more likely to arrange deals with securitizable facilities (Term B). Moreover, they choose to arrange deals with smaller size on-balance-sheet lending (Term A). The results suggest that securitization is actively used by lenders to switch to off-balance-sheet lending and to reduce the risk retained on the balance sheet

La ricerca e il gruppo esperienziale nell’ambito del progetto “www…parliamonepure.it” realizzato nel carcere di Castelvetrano (TP)

Nel panorama nazionale si discute poco degli autori dei reati sessuali, infatti l’attenzione dell’opinione pubblica e dei diversi attori sociali è più rivolta alle vittime dei reati sessuali. Ancora poco si affronta il problema legato al trattamento dei pedofili e dei violentatori di donne, nonostante l’argomento meriti approfondimenti anche in ambito penitenziario. Appare necessario ed opportuno individuare, nell’ambito del lavoro trattamentale, un modello operativo finalizzato alla ricerca di strategie che orientino il condannato per reati sessuali verso un percorso di analisi degli agiti. Ciò assume una rilevanza particolare nel trattamento dei detenuti sex offenders, pur riconoscendo la valenza del percorso trattamentale rivolto a qualsiasi tipologia di detenuti. L’esperienza realizzata presso la Casa Circondariale di Castelvetrano, descritta nel presente articolo, ha consentito, attraverso l’uso di una metodologia di lavoro di gruppo, di rilevare a carico dei soggetti partecipanti un quadro di consistente difficoltà nei percorsi di approfondimento e di analisi personale. In Italy, there has been little discussion about sex offenders. In fact, public and social actors’ attention has focused more on the victims of sex crimes rather than on criminals, so little importance is given to resocialization programs for paedophiles and rapists, even if this topic is worth exploring particularly in prisons. In the treatment phase, it is necessary and considered appropriate to identify an operational model aimed to orientate the sex offenders towards a process of analysis of their deviant behaviours. Through the methodology of the experiential group, the project carried out at Castelvetrano prison has highlighted the severe difficulties in personal analysis encountered by the sex offenders involved

Diatoms synthesize sterols by inclusion of animal and fungal genes in the plant pathway

Diatoms are ubiquitous microalgae that have developed remarkable metabolic plasticity and gene diversification. Here we report the first elucidation of the complete biosynthesis of sterols in the lineage. The study has been carried out on the bloom-forming species Skeletonema marinoi and Cyclotella cryptica that synthesise an ensemble of sterols with chemotypes of animals (cholesterol and desmosterol), plants (dihydrobrassicasterol and 24-methylene cholesterol), algae (fucosterol) and marine invertebrates (clionasterol). In both species, sterols derive from mevalonate through cyclization of squalene to cycloartenol by cycloartenol synthase. The pathway anticipates synthesis of cholesterol by enzymes of the phytosterol route in plants, as recently reported in Solanaceae. Major divergences stem from reduction of Δ24(28) and Δ24(25) double bonds which, in diatoms, are apparently dependent on sterol reductases of fungi, algae and animals. Phylogenetic comparison revealed a good level of similarity between the sterol biosynthetic genes of S. marinoi and C. cryptica with those in the genomes of the other diatoms sequenced so far

Traffic management system for smart road networks reserved for self-driving cars

A model of a smart road network consisting of unsignalised intersections and smart roads connecting them is considered in this work with the aim of presenting a traffic management system for self-driving cars (or, more generally, autonomous vehicles) which travel the network. The proposed system repeatedly solves a set of mathematical programming problems (each of them relative to a single intersection or to a single road stretch of the network) within a decentralised control scheme in which each local intersection controller and each local road controller communicates with the fully autonomous vehicles in order to receive travel data from vehicles and to provide speed profiles to them once determined the optimal solution of the problem. In order to reduce the computational effort required to provide the optimal solution, a discrete-time approach is adopted so that, in each time interval, a limited number of vehicles are taken into consideration; in this way, solutions can be determined in a very short time thus making the proposed model compatible with a practical application to real traffic systems. The proposed model is general enough, and can be adapted to different scenarios of smart road networks reserved for self-driving cars

THE INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION ON THE EATING HABITS OF BRAZILIAN NORTHEAST CHILDREN

Objetivo: o objetivo deste estudo é aprofundar a compreensão sobre a influência da televisão noshábitos de alimentares de crianças a partir da análise da percepção dos cuidadores – mãe, pai e avó. Método: 14 entrevistas semi-estruturadas foram aplicadas em cuidadores – mãe, pai e avó, de 29 crianças escolares com idade entre 7 e 9 anos, matriculadas na 2ª Série do Ensino Fundamental deuma Escola Pública da periferia urbana de um município do Nordeste Brasileiro.As entrevistas foramgravadas e transcritos os discursos. Os resultados foram apresentados em quadros temáticos deanálises e analisados à luz da teoria sócio-histórica, com base nas contribuições de Vygotsky (1984)e Bakhtin (2001).Resultados: cuidadores frequentemente identificaram a influencia das propagandas de alimentosveiculadas pela televisão nas demandas e nos critérios de escolha dos alimentos e dos brinquedosdas crianças. Também perceberam que as decisões de compra da família passam a ser reguladaspelas solicitações das crianças motivadas pelas propagandas televisivas. E que as preferênciasalimentares – a estrutura e o ritmo das refeições das crianças sofreram modificações devido àinfluência deste veículo midiático.Conclusão: os cuidadores identificam a influência da televisão nos hábitos de consumo alimentar dascrianças, mas não conseguem entender a magnitude dessa influência na vida das crianças por elescuidadas. Entender essa magnitude é um desafio que nos é colocado a partir deste estudo.Objectives: the aim of this study is to assess caregivers’ perceptions about the influence oftelevision on the eating habits of children from the socially vulnerable Northeast region of Brazil. Methods: a total of 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted with caregivers. The participantsincluded mothers, fathers, and grandmothers of 29 schoolchildren from a public school in the outskirtsof a town in the Agreste Meridional in Northeast Brazil. The interviews were transcribed and analysedin light of socio-historical theory based on the work of Vygotsky (1984) and Bakhtin (2001). Results: the caregivers explained the influence of televised food advertisements on children’s requests for foodand the criteria children use to choose foods. The caregivers also observed that the family’s buyingdecisions were governed by the children’s requests, which are driven by television advertisements.Furthermore, the children’s food preferences (i.e., the structure and rhythm of children’s meals)changed because of the influence of the media. Conclusions: although caregivers are able to describethe influence of television on the eating habits of children, the magnitude of this influence on children’slives is still unclear. Understanding the magnitude of the influence is a challenge posed by this study toprofessionals, experts in the field, and the Brazilian health system

Single molecule, long-read Apoer2 sequencing identifies conserved and species-specific splicing patterns

Apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (Apoer2) is a synaptic receptor in the brain that binds disease-relevant ligand Apolipoprotein E (Apoe) and is highly alternatively spliced. We examined alternative splicing (AS) of conserved Apoer2 exons across vertebrate species and identified gain of exons in mammals encoding functional domains such as the cytoplasmic and furin inserts, and loss of an exon in primates encoding the eighth LDLa repeat, likely altering receptor surface levels and ligand-binding specificity. We utilized single molecule, long-read RNA sequencing to profile full-length Apoer2 isoforms and identified 68 and 48 unique full-length Apoer2 transcripts in the mouse and human cerebral cortex, respectively. Furthermore, we identified two exons encoding protein functional domains, the third EGF-precursor like repeat and glycosylation domain, that are tandemly skipped specifically in mouse. Our study provides new insight into Apoer2 isoform complexity in the vertebrate brain and highlights species-specific differences in splicing decisions that support functional diversity.Published versio