Common Fragile Sites: updating the causes of their variability in different cell tissues

Common Fragile Sites (CFSs) are regions in which DNA is prone to gaps, breaks or constrictions visible on metaphase chromosomes when cells are under replicative stressful conditions. CFSs are characterized by slow/late replication timing mainly due, among other characteristics, to nucleotide sequence which tend to form secondary structure, and to the number of active (or inducible) replication origins. Recent studies indicate that CFSs expression is associated with tissue specificity. In the first part of the work, induction and classification of CFSs in two human lung fibroblast cell line, IMR-90 and MRC-5, has been done. Cytogenetical identification of the most expressed CFSs in both fibroblast cell lines were done: 1p31.1 and 3q13.3, located on chromosome 1 and 3 respectively, are peculiar for this tissue. These regions have typical and confirmed CFSs’ characteristics such as expression higher than 3%, high AT levels and enrichment in large genes. Using genomic databases, searching for causes of their instability were done comparing percentage of repetitive elements among the CFSs, non-fragile regions (NFRA) and standard genomic sequences. These CFSs are characterized by presence of large genes, NEGR1 found in 1p31.1, LSAMP and ARHGAP31 in the most fragile region of 3q13.3, that could be co-responsible for their genomic instability. Using probes delimitating fragile regions and combining FISH with IF anti-BrdU, analysis of relationship between replication timing and fragility was done. Furthermore, comparison between replication timing, in normal and stressful condition using APH, was done as well. The results obtained for these fragile regions reflect the replication timing impairments typical of fragile sites, in both normal and stressful conditions. The same probes when used in lymphocytes result in a normal replication timing, moreover also using CFSs probes specific in lymphocytes on fibroblast, results in normal replication timing. The results from replication timing analysis are strictly correlated with the structural and functional characteristics that are specific of the tissues in which these CFSs are expressed

Christian Nationalism in Support for Donald Trump

This literature review aims to understand Donald Trump’s contradictory and overwhelming support from Christians and especially white evangelicals, considering his public display of non-religious behaviors. Further, this literature review explores the association between Christianity and the Republican party throughout America’s political history, drawing on instances such as Proposition 187 and Donald Trump’s travel ban to display that white evangelicals are motivated to support Trump because of their fear of becoming a minority. These ideas are related to Christian nationalistic ideologies, reflecting that a main supporter of Donald Trump is Christian Nationalism. From a sociological understanding, this literature review analyzes how fear is capable of uniting people under views that are discriminatory and nationalistic. It also provides insight into how certain groups are able to stay intertwined throughout history, through the combination of leaders and those who are willing to follow out of fear and reassurance

Nature is Pushing One Way and People are Pushing the Other : A Political Ecology of Forest Transitions in Western Montgomery County, PA

Forests in Southeastern Pennsylvania have been shaped by a number of anthropocentric factors over the past century, with many areas experiencing a recent trend towards forest recovery. Studies on forest dynamics have shown that most developed regions exhibit a forest transition, which begins when land is cleared for natural resource extraction (e.g., agriculture, forestry) during an early development stage. Then as a population grows and food production needs are met, rural peoples begin to migrate to the city, and a feeling of scarcity of trees develops that may lead to changes in land management attitudes, and many formerly deforested areas begin a process of forest recovery (Mather 1992, Rudel et al 2005). This process often occurs in conjunction with industrialization in nearby cities. Yet recent research also finds that many areas experience a different trajectory of forest change (Yeo and Huang 2013), or no noticeable transition (Acheson 2008). In such cases, questions arise about whether a forest management policy, rather than feelings of scarcity, promotes reforestation (Yeo and Huang 2013). In addition, the question of whether second home and amenity development - an increasing trend in residential development at the urban-rural fringe - is counteracting efforts to reforest in other areas arises (Acheson 2008). My research investigated the trajectory of forest change in a historically rural agricultural landscape as it has transitioned over time to an amenity-oriented exurban residential area. This study also explores how current residents of this landscape are altering the forest through their perspectives on land management and stewardship practices. My case study focuses on the historically rural Stone Hill Conservation Landscape, a largely agricultural productivist landscape in the mid-1900s, located just outside the Borough of Schwenksville in western Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Drawing on grounded visualization approaches used in case studies of rural-to-urban transitions, I documented the interactions of exurbanites on forest transitions in the area. In order to better understand this migration and current stewardship practices in the area, I conducted semi structured interviews with eight residents living adjacent to one of the Conservation Landscape\u27s preserves. These interviews focused on the residents\u27 motivations for migrating, land management strategies regarding practices such as planting, cutting trees, removing weeds, and establishing lawn, and their views on development in Stone Hill. Their diverse perspectives placed them into three different categories; suburban idyll, pastoral/rural idyll, and nature/forest idyll. Then, using Google Earth aerial photo analysis, I documented the overall trend of reforestation in some of the study area while detailing reforestation and efforts by some exurbanites to minimize their impacts on forest loss. Results demonstrate that the attitudes and stewardship practices of exurban amenity migrants have a noticeable effect on the forest transition occurring in Stone Hill. It is important to understand this exurban forest transition because it contributes to the minimal existing literature on forest transitions in exurban landscapes of the Mid-Atlantic. Further it is important from a conservation perspective because these insights provide us with forest histories as well as a foreshadowing of possible clearing for further exurban development

Nature is Pushing One Way and People are Pushing the Other : A Political Ecology of Forest Transitions in Western Montgomery County, PA

Forests in Southeastern Pennsylvania have been shaped by a number of anthropocentric factors over the past century, with many areas experiencing a recent trend towards forest recovery. Studies on forest dynamics have shown that most developed regions exhibit a forest transition, which begins when land is cleared for natural resource extraction (e.g., agriculture, forestry) during an early development stage. Then as a population grows and food production needs are met, rural peoples begin to migrate to the city, and a feeling of scarcity of trees develops that may lead to changes in land management attitudes, and many formerly deforested areas begin a process of forest recovery (Mather 1992, Rudel et al 2005). This process often occurs in conjunction with industrialization in nearby cities. Yet recent research also finds that many areas experience a different trajectory of forest change (Yeo and Huang 2013), or no noticeable transition (Acheson 2008). In such cases, questions arise about whether a forest management policy, rather than feelings of scarcity, promotes reforestation (Yeo and Huang 2013). In addition, the question of whether second home and amenity development - an increasing trend in residential development at the urban-rural fringe - is counteracting efforts to reforest in other areas arises (Acheson 2008). My research investigated the trajectory of forest change in a historically rural agricultural landscape as it has transitioned over time to an amenity-oriented exurban residential area. This study also explores how current residents of this landscape are altering the forest through their perspectives on land management and stewardship practices. My case study focuses on the historically rural Stone Hill Conservation Landscape, a largely agricultural productivist landscape in the mid-1900s, located just outside the Borough of Schwenksville in western Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Drawing on grounded visualization approaches used in case studies of rural-to-urban transitions, I documented the interactions of exurbanites on forest transitions in the area. In order to better understand this migration and current stewardship practices in the area, I conducted semi structured interviews with eight residents living adjacent to one of the Conservation Landscape\u27s preserves. These interviews focused on the residents\u27 motivations for migrating, land management strategies regarding practices such as planting, cutting trees, removing weeds, and establishing lawn, and their views on development in Stone Hill. Their diverse perspectives placed them into three different categories; suburban idyll, pastoral/rural idyll, and nature/forest idyll. Then, using Google Earth aerial photo analysis, I documented the overall trend of reforestation in some of the study area while detailing reforestation and efforts by some exurbanites to minimize their impacts on forest loss. Results demonstrate that the attitudes and stewardship practices of exurban amenity migrants have a noticeable effect on the forest transition occurring in Stone Hill. It is important to understand this exurban forest transition because it contributes to the minimal existing literature on forest transitions in exurban landscapes of the Mid-Atlantic. Further it is important from a conservation perspective because these insights provide us with forest histories as well as a foreshadowing of possible clearing for further exurban development

Finding the right price: supply chain contracts as a tool to guarantee sustainable economic viability of organic farms

The aim of this study is to analyse the volatility of agricultural commodity prices and assess the effectiveness of supply chain contracts as possible tools to prevent it. The study refers to the cereal sector, which is of vital importance for the agri-food system of the Mediterranean area. Since Italy is the world’s largest producer of durum wheat semolina, the proper functioning of the Italian durum wheat supply chain is central to this investigation. The study was conducted following two different paths of analysis: (1) the calculation of volatility indices using annual and monthly data of durum wheat prices, both organic and industrial, observed in the Bologna Commodity Exchange (AGER); (2) the analysis of two organic durum wheat supply chain contracts, defined by a cooperative involving hundreds of Italian farms mainly from the Marche region and by an agricultural consortium operating in the Adriatic regions. Despite the limited number of cases examined, the present study shows how supply chain contracts can be valid tools for building stable relationships between the various players, from production to processing and distribution, guaranteeing farms fairer and more remunerative raw material purchase prices and higher quality standards

Clostebol acetate

The title compound, C21H29ClO3 [systematic name (8R,9S,10R,13S,14S,17S)-4-chloro-3-oxoandrost-4-en-17β-yl acetate], is a 4-chloro derivative of testosterone, used as an anabolic androgenic agent or applied topically in ophthalmological and dermatological treatments. The absolute configurations at positions 8, 9, 10, 13, 14 and 17 were established by refinement of the Flack parameter as R, S, R, S, S, and S, respectively. Rings B and C of the steroid ring system adopt chair conformations, ring A has a half-chair conformation, while ring D is in a C13 envelope conformation. Ring B and C, and C and D are trans fused. In the crystal, molecules are linked by a weak C—H⋯O interaction

Occurrence and Etiology of Brown Apical Necrosis on Persian (English) Walnut Fruit.

In 1998, a severe fruit drop was observed in Italy, principally on cv. Lara Persian (English) walnut (Juglans regia). Dropped fruit showed a brown patch at the blossom end and blackening and rot of inner tissues. The disease, called brown apical necrosis (BAN), was investigated on fruit collected in Italy and France in 1999. In 2000, studies were carried out in three walnut orchards located in Italy and in France to substantiate the etiology of BAN. Isolations performed from inner diseased fruit tissues yielded several fungi, in decreasing frequency of isolation: species of Fusarium and Alternaria, and one species each of Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, and Phomopsis. However, only Fusarium spp. were recovered from stigmas of BAN-affected fruit. The fungi associated with BAN-diseased fruit and species composition differed among locations and over time, confirming results obtained in previous investigations. The species of Fusarium used in pathogenicity tests reproduced BAN-disease symptoms when inoculated on fruit, whereas an Alternaria alternata isolate caused only limited necrosis of the style. However, the role of the other fungi commonly isolated from BAN-diseased fruit remains to be defined. The walnut blight pathogen, Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis, occasionally was isolated from BAN-diseased fruit. No correlation was found between the extent of external brown patches and the size of inner lesions. Repeated isolations from and inoculations of fruit demonstrated that BAN can be considered a complex disease, and the inner infections originate from the style of the fruit

Interplay of the nuclear envelope with chromatin in physiology and pathology

The nuclear envelope compartmentalizes chromatin in eukaryotic cells. The main nuclear envelope components are lamins that associate with a panoply of factors, including the LEM domain proteins. The nuclear envelope of mammalian cells opens up during cell division. It is reassembled and associated with chromatin at the end of mitosis when telomeres tether to the nuclear periphery. Lamins, LEM domain proteins, and DNA binding factors, as BAF, contribute to the reorganization of chromatin. In this context, an emerging role is that of the ESCRT complex, a machinery operating in multiple membrane assembly pathways, including nuclear envelope reformation. Research in this area is unraveling how, mechanistically, ESCRTs link to nuclear envelope associated factors as LEM domain proteins. Importantly, ESCRTs work also during interphase for repairing nuclear envelope ruptures. Altogether the advances in this field are giving new clues for the interpretation of diseases implicating nuclear envelope fragility, as laminopathies and cancer

Uneven Urban Metabolisms: Toward an Integrative (Ex)urban Political Ecology of Sustainability in and Around the City

Expanding cities present a sustainability challenge, as the uneven proliferation of hybrid landscape types becomes a major feature of 21st century urbanization. To fully address this challenge, scholars must consider the broad range of land uses that being produced beyond the urban core and how land use patterns in one location may be tied to patterns in other locations. Diverse threads within political ecology provide useful insights into the dynamics that produce uneven urbanization. Specifically, urban political ecology (UPE) details how economic power influences the development decision-making that proliferate urban forms, patterns of uneven access, and modes of decision-making, frequently viewing resource extraction and development through the urban metabolism lens. The political ecology of exurbia, or, perhaps, an exurban political ecology (ExPE), examines the symbolic role nature and the rural have played in conservation and development efforts that produce social, economic, and environmental conflicts. While UPE approaches tend to privilege macroscale dynamics, ExPE emphasizes the role of landowners, managers, and other actors in struggles over the production of exurban space, including through decision-making institutions and within the context of broader political economic forces. Three case studies illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches, demonstrating the benefits for and giving suggestions on how to integrate their insights into urban sustainability research. Integrated political ecology approaches demonstrate how political-economic processes at a variety of scales produce diverse local sustainability responses

Calcium acamprosate: a triclinic polymorph

The title compound, poly[bis­(μ3-4-acetamido­propane­sulfon­ato)­calcium], [Ca(C5H10NO4S)2]n, is a triclinic polymorph of the previously reported monoclinic structure [Toffoli et al. (1988 ▶). Acta Cryst. C44, 1493–1494]. The triclinic modification was found to have an all-trans configuration of the acetamido­propane chain, in contrast with the monoclinic polymorph which shows an angle of 74.66 (8)° between the S—C—C—C chain plane and that of the amide group. The Ca2+ cation is situated on an inversion centre and is hexa­coordinated by six O atoms belonging to different anions in a distorted octa­hedral geometry. This arrangement leads to a layered structure parallel to (011). The layers are held together by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and by short C—H⋯O inter­actions, both involving the sulfonate O atoms not coordinated to the Ca2+ cations. The structure was determined from a crystal twinned by non-merohedry [twin law (00, 00, −0.335 −0.85 1), with a fractional contribution of the minor twin domain of 46.7 (1)%]