Cytogenetic identity: A new parameter for estimating whole-genome differences

In this paper, we introduce a novel parameter, called Cytogenetic Identity, to describe differences and similarities between genomes. Using Whole Comparative Genomic Hybridization plus Digital Image Analysis, we present a new methodology that employs the whole genome, including highly repeated DNA sequences, to provide a general picture about the differences between individuals of the same or different species. The proposed approach has a great potential in many different fields of research, like evolution, ecology, phylogenesis, etc. In the present study, we applied Cytogenetic Identity to establish a quantitative degree of divergence between different goat breeds. Advantages as well as disadvantages of the new parameter are discussedThe work was supported by Fondo Integrativo per la Ricerca (F.I.R.), provided by the University of Cagliari (to M.N. and R.R.

The discovery of a novel, Ras-mediated NORE1A/PMLIV tumor suppressor complex.

Ras is the most commonly activated oncogene in human cancer. Activated Ras drives cell growth and proliferation by activating multiple mitogenic signaling pathways. However, Ras also has the paradoxical ability to promote anti-growth, pro-apoptotic, and pro-senescent signaling. The signaling pathways of many of these biological effectors remain poorly defined. One group of proteins capable of promoting Ras-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest is the RASSF family of tumor suppressors. Novel Ras Effector 1A, or NORE1A, was the first member of this family discovered and is a bona fide tumor suppressor that is lost or inactivated in a number of different cancers. NORE1A promotes anti-growth properties of Ras and has recently been shown to act as a double barreled Ras senescence effector, driving Ras-induced senescence, or cell cycle arrest, by activating two major tumor suppressors, p53 and Rb. NORE1A interacts with proteins that promote post-translational modifications of p53 and Rb in small nuclear spots, and NORE1A alone also forms small dots in the nucleus. NORE1A’s localization in the nucleus has not been extensively studied, but the most famous protein that forms spots in the nucleus, referred to as nuclear bodies, is the Promyelocytic Leukemia protein, or PML. PML nuclear bodies are centers of protein regulation and post-translational modifications, and PML itself is a tumor suppressor that can be lost in certain cancers. PML is a critical component of Ras-induced senescence, and upon stimulation by activated Ras, PML nuclear bodies mediate the activation and post-translational modifications of p53 and Rb, but the exact coordination of this process is unknown. Here, I show that NORE1A localizes to PML nuclear bodies and forms a novel, Ras-enhanced association with a specific isoform of PML, PMLIV. NORE1A promotes the recruitment of the senescence effectors p53 and Rb to PMLIV nuclear bodies. Moreover, the loss of PML expression prevents NORE1A from inducing senescence. Thus, NORE1A requires localization to PML, and specifically PMLIV, nuclear bodies to mediate its pro-senescent effects by promoting the localization of p53 and Rb to PMLIV, revealing a novel component of the PMLIV/Ras senescence signaling pathway

Comment: State Court Jurisdiction: Demise of the Seider Doctrine

In Rush v. Savchuk, the Supreme Court struck down the controversial Seider doctrine, which permitted a state to exercise jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant solely on the basis of his insurer doing business in that state. This Comment analyzes the development of in personam and quasi in rem jurisdiction and the constitutional principles that led to the Rush decision. The author concludes, in light of Rush, that direct action statutes against insurers would not withstand constitutional attack in cases in which the controversy at issue occurred outside the forum state and the tortfeasor was not otherwise subject to that state\u27s jurisdiction

Comment: State Court Jurisdiction: Demise of the Seider Doctrine

In Rush v. Savchuk, the Supreme Court struck down the controversial Seider doctrine, which permitted a state to exercise jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant solely on the basis of his insurer doing business in that state. This Comment analyzes the development of in personam and quasi in rem jurisdiction and the constitutional principles that led to the Rush decision. The author concludes, in light of Rush, that direct action statutes against insurers would not withstand constitutional attack in cases in which the controversy at issue occurred outside the forum state and the tortfeasor was not otherwise subject to that state\u27s jurisdiction

Do Institutional Owners Monitor? Evidence from Voting on Connected Transaction Proposals in Hong Kong-Listed Companies

The conventional view in Hong Kong has been that institutional owners tend to be passive owners and that they do little to monitor the companies’ management. We investigated whether the presence of institutional owners in Hong Kong-listed companies was associated with greater monitoring of management through dissent voting by hand-collecting information for a sample (n= 96) of connected transaction proposals (“CT proposals”) and of their voting outcomes, as announced in the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong during the period from 2012–14. Our study shows that voting approval rates on CT proposals were lower (i.e. greater dissent voting) when institutional owners had at least 5 percent shareholdings and when the CT proposals were likely to expropriate or when the company holding the vote did not have a controlling shareholder. These findings support the view that the presence of institutional ownership in Hong Kong can be consistent with monitoring effects and, to that extent, with good governance

A product integration rule on equispaced nodes for highly oscillating integrals

This paper provides a product integration rule for highly oscillating integrands, based on equally spaced nodes. The stability and the error estimate are proven in the space of continuous functions, and some numerical tests which confirm such estimates are provided

Chromatin Characterization in Dasypyrum

An open pollinated natural population and an inbred line of Dasypyrum villosum were cytologically examined. Nuclear DNA content, chromosomal distribution of the C-banded heterochromatin and the chromosomal site of action of restriction endonucleases were investigated. The results demonstrate that in D. villosum two classes of heterochromatin exist with different chromosomal location and reacting properties. One fraction of heterochromatin appears to be more affected by individual variation than the other. Preliminary examination of the chromosomal characteristics of D. breviaristatum indicate that the evolution of this latter species involved a more complicated process than the simple duplication of its chromosome number

On the numerical solution of Volterra integral equations on equispaced nodes

In the present paper, a Nystrom-type method for second kind Volterra integral equations is introduced and studied. The method makes use of generalized Bernstein polynomials, defined for continuous functions and based on equally spaced points. Stability and convergence are studied in the space of continuous functions. Numerical tests illustrate the performance of the proposed approach