The human side of structural transformation

We show that the global human capital increase during the 20th-century contributed to structural transformation. We document that almost half of the decline in aggregate agricultural employment was driven by new birth cohorts entering the labor market. We use data on educational attainment and compile a comprehensive list of policy reforms to interpret the differences in agricultural employment across cohorts. We find that the increase in schooling led to a sharp reduction in the agricultural labor supply by equipping younger cohorts with skills more valued out of agriculture. Interpreted through an equilibrium model of frictional labor reallocation, these facts imply that human capital growth accounts for about 20% of the global decline in agricultural employment

« Voler capire tutto ». Appunti sullo stile di Sebastiano Timpanaro

Questo saggio propone una discussione di alcuni aspetti dello stile di Sebastiano Timpanaro, soprattutto nei suoi scritti filologici, dalla quale discende una valutazione delle strategie argumentative di questo studioso e del dialogo che egli instaurò con i propri lettori.This essay offers an analysis of some aspects of the style of Sebastiano Timpanaro, with special emphasis on his philological contributions: that leads to an assessment of his argumentative strategies and of the dialogue that he established with his readers

The Crisis of the Roman Republic: Archaeology of a Concept

This essay provides a survey of the historiography on the crisis of the Roman Republic: it charts its key developments from the Middle Ages to our time, and discusses the various definitions of the concept that have been put forward in the scholarly debate.  Questo saggio propone uno studio analitico del dibattito storiografico sulla crisi della Repubblica romana: ne esplora i principali sviluppi dal Medioevo ai giorni nostri e discute le varie definizioni che di quel concetto sono state proposte nella storiografia moderna.   &nbsp

Study of the role of Mce3R on the transcription of mce genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>mce3 </it>is one of the four virulence-related <it>mce </it>operons of <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</it>. In a previous work we showed that the overexpression of Mce3R in <it>Mycobacterium smegmatis </it>and <it>M. tuberculosis </it>abolishes the expression of <it>lacZ </it>fused to the <it>mce3 </it>promoter, indicating that Mce3R represses <it>mce3 </it>transcription.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We obtained a knockout mutant strain of <it>M. tuberculosis </it>H37Rv by inserting a hygromycin cassette into the <it>mce3R </it>gene. The mutation results in a significant increase in the expression of <it>mce3 </it>genes either <it>in vitro </it>or in a murine cell macrophages line as it was determined using promoter-<it>lacZ </it>fusions in <it>M. tuberculosis</it>. The abundance of <it>mce1</it>, <it>mce2 </it>and <it>mce4 </it>mRNAs was not affected by this mutation as it was demonstrated by quantitative RT-PCR. The <it>mce3R </it>promoter activity in the presence of Mce3R was significantly reduced compared with that in the absence of the regulator, during the <it>in vitro </it>culture of <it>M. tuberculosis</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Mce3R repress the transcription of <it>mce3 </it>operon and self regulates its own expression but does not affect the transcription of <it>mce1</it>, <it>mce2 </it>and <it>mce4 </it>operons of <it>M. tuberculosis</it>.</p

Identification of two proteins that interact with the Erp virulence factor from Mycobacterium tuberculosis by using the bacterial two-hybrid system

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The exported repetitive protein (<it>erp</it>) gene encodes a secreted 36-kDa protein with a central domain containing several proline-glycine-leucine-threonine-serine (PGLTS) repeats. It has been demonstrated that <it>erp </it>is a virulence-associated factor since the disruption of this gene impairs the growth of <it>Mycobacterium bovis </it>and <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </it>in mice.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In order to elucidate the function of Erp we searched for Erp-binding proteins from <it>M. tuberculosis </it>by using a bacterial two-hybrid system. Our results indicate that Erp interacts specifically with two putative membrane proteins, Rv1417 and Rv2617c. Further analysis revealed that the latter two interact with each other, indicating that Rv1417, Rv2617c and Erp are connected through multiple interactions. While Rv1417 is disseminated in several <it>Actinomycetales </it>genera, orthologues of Rv2617c are exclusively present in members of the <it>M. tuberculosis </it>complex (MTC). The central and amino-terminal regions of Erp were determined to be involved in the interaction with Rv1417 and Rv2627c. Erp forms from <it>Mycobacterium smegmatis </it>and <it>Mycobacterium leprae </it>were not able to interact with Rv2617c in two-hybrid assays. Immunolocalization experiments showed that Rv1417 and Rv2617c are found on the cell membrane and Erp on the bacterial cell wall. Finally, comparative genomics and expression studies revealed a possible role of Rv1417 in riboflavin metabolism.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We identified interactive partners of Erp, an <it>M. tuberculosis </it>protein involved in virulence, which will be the focus of future investigation to decipher the function of the Erp family protein.</p

Estimation of renal function by CKD-EPI versus MDRD in a cohort of HIV-infected patients: a cross-sectional analysis.

Background Accurately determining renal function is essential for clinical management of HIV patients. Classically, it has been evaluated by estimating glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with the MDRD-equation, but today there is evidence that the new Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation has greater diagnostic accuracy. To date, however, little information exists on patients with HIV-infection. This study aimed to evaluate eGFR by CKD-EPI vs. MDRD equations and to stratify renal function according to KDIGO guidelines. Methods Cross-sectional, single center study including adult patients with HIV-infection. Results Four thousand five hundred three patients with HIV-infection (864 women; 19%) were examined. Median age was 45 years (IQR 37-52), and median baseline creatinine was 0.93 mg/dL (IQR 0.82-1.05). A similar distribution of absolute measures of eGFR was found using both formulas (p = 0.548). Baseline median eGFR was 95.2 and 90.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 for CKD-EPI and MDRD equations (p 90 mL/min/1.73 m2) in 73% patients and "mild reduced GFR" (60-89 mL/min/1.73 m2) in 24.3% of the patients, formerly classified as >60 mL/min/1.73 m2 with MDRD. Conclusions There was good correlation between CKD-EPI and MDRD. Estimating renal function using CKD-EPI equation allowed better staging of renal function and should be considered the method of choice. CKD-EPI identified a significant proportion of patients (24%) with mild reduced GFR (60-89 mL/min/1.73 m2)

Acquiring vulnerability indicators to geo-hydrological hazards: An example of mobile phone-based data collection

Abstract Geo-hydrological risk reduction is a key issue for local governments in Italy. In this context, a collaboration was undertaken between multiple actors in the La Spezia municipality aimed at: (i) monitoring building characteristics, using specific and valuable indicators, and (ii) increasing the knowledge of geo-hydrological hazards across residents and local land planners (iii) implementing local emergency civil protection plan. An extensive mobile data collection was carried out through apps specifically developed for Android and IOS mobile devices. The digital forms were differentiated on the basis of the potential hazard: one of 46 fields and one of 125 fields designed for buildings respectively located in flood prone areas and in medium to very high landslide susceptibility areas. The digital version of the forms was designed using the Open Data Kit (ODK) and GISCloud client-server approach. All the collected data, including geospatial locations and images, were automatically sent to a central server, stored and organized in a database. Geospatial data-analysis and maps resulted useful in evaluating possible impacts to exposed buildings to potential geo-hydrological processes. The proposed public participation method for data-gathering increased the knowledge across residents providing a better understanding of the urban systems, of the buildings condition and their relation respect to the geo-hydrological risk. The method can be considered as part of the decision support systems for civil protection purposes to better planning geo-hydrological mitigation measures. The application of mobile technology for data collection can be effectively used when local government resources are limited