The Role of Environmental Taxes as a Fiscal Instrument for Mitigation of Environmental Pollution: Lithuanian Case

Environmental taxes are an important fiscal instrument for a country, as they help in the effortstowardsthe environmental policy goals. Taxes based on the polluter-pays principle influence the behaviour of market participants by discouraging them from undertaking an environmentally detrimental activity and by attracting additional budget funds for mitigation of the consequences of this kind of activity. Environmental protection is one of the priority areas in the Republic of Lithuania, meaning that it is highly important to assess the effect of the environmental taxes on the environmental pollution in the country and improve them following the best practice of other countries. The methodology of empirical research is based on the methods of descriptive statistics. According to the official statistics of Lithuania, majority of the environmental taxes collected and the maximum volumes of the emissions into the atmosphere are generated by the following groups of economic activities: agriculture, forestry and fishing; manufacturing; wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles. The study of trends in the environmental tax dynamics in Lithuania and other countries has demonstrated that Lithuania is the country which moves towards an environmental tax reform. Nonetheless, it is important to reconsider the country’s environmental tax rates and tax benefits and provide for the incentives for the groups of economic activities which are characterised by the highest GDP potential and lower environmental pollution

TENDENCIES IN VARIATION OF ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF FARMS IN LITHUANIA

The study identified the economic viability of farms trends in Lithuania during 2009-2013. The investigation found that the subsidies have greatest impact on the viability of farms, especially small and medium-sized. Subsidies positively influence number of financial indicators and artificially maintains economic viability of very small, small and medium-sized farms. The large farms remain viable without subsidies. During research many economic viability indicators were calculated. It is possible to identify only one special indicator - manufacturing subsidies and net profit ratio, which shows that 72 per cent farms from all economic groups remain viable only with financial assistance

PMN transendothelial migration decreases nuclear NFκB in IL-1β–activated endothelial cells: role of PECAM-1

During the systemic inflammatory response, circulating cytokines interact with the vascular endothelium, resulting in activation and nuclear accumulation of the nuclear transcription factor, nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB). In turn, NFκB transactivates relevant proinflammatory genes, resulting in an amplification of the inflammatory response. Because this scenario is potentially detrimental to the host, mechanisms exist to limit this amplification. Using an in vitro system that mimics the vascular–interstitial interface during inflammation (cell culture inserts), we provide evidence for the existence of a novel negative feedback mechanism on NFκB activity. We show that the interleukin 1β–induced accumulation of nuclear NFκB in human umbilical vein endothelial cell monolayers is dramatically reduced when polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) are allowed to migrate across these monolayers. This effect does not appear to be due to PMN-derived elastase or nitric oxide. Fixed PMN (adhere but do not migrate) did not affect nuclear NFκB. Furthermore, cross-linking of platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), but not intercellular adhesion molecule-1, reduces human umbilical vein endothelial cell nuclear NFκB induced by interleukin 1β. Finally, interaction of PMN with PECAM-1–deficient endothelial cells does not reduce nuclear NFκB. These observations indicate that engagement of PECAM-1 by emigrating PMN is a pivotal event in this negative feedback on NFκB activity

Epigenetic changes during hematopoietic cell granulocytic differentiation - comparative analysis of primary CD34+cells, KG1 myeloid cells and mature neutrophils

Background: Epigenetic regulation is known to affect gene expression, and recent research shows that aberrant DNA methylation patterning and histone modifications may play a role in leukemogenesis. In order to highlight the co-operation of epigenetic mechanisms acting during the latter process it is important to clarify their potential as biomarkers of granulocytic differentiation. Results: In this study we investigated epigenetic alterations in human hematopoietic cells at a distinct differentiation stages: primary hematopoietic CD34+ cells, KG1 myeloid leukemic cells, whose development is stopped at early stage of differentiation, and mature neutrophils. We focused on the epigenetic status of cell cycle regulating (p15, p16) and differentiation related (E-cadherin and RAR beta) genes. We found that the methylation level in promoter regions of some of these genes was considerably higher in KG1 cells and lower in CD34+ cells and human neutrophils. As examined and evaluated by computer-assisted methods, histone H3 and H4 modifications, i.e. H3K4Me3, H3K9Ac, H3K9Ac/S10Ph and H4 hyperAc, were similar in CD34+ cells and human mature neutrophils. By contrast, in the KG1 cells, histone H3 and H4 modifications were quite high and increased after induction of granulocytic differentiation with the HDAC inhibitor phenyl butyrate. Conclusions: We found the methylation status of the examined gene promoters and histone modifications to be characteristically associated with the hematopoietic cell progenitor state, induced to differentiate myeloid KG1 cells and normal blood neutrophils. This could be achieved through epigenetic regulation of E-cadherin, p15, p16 and RAR beta genes expression caused by DNA methylation/demethylation, core and linker histones distribution in stem hematopoietic cells, induced to differentiation KG1 cells and mature human neutrophils, as well as the histone modifications H3K4Me3, H3K9Ac, H3K9Ac/S10Ph and H4 hyperAc in relation to hematopoietic cell differentiation to granulocyte. These findings also suggest them as potentially important biomarkers of hematopoietic cell granulocytic differentiation and could be valuable for leukemia induced differentiation therapy

RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access

Epigenetic changes during hematopoietic cell granulocytic differentiation- comparative analysis of primary CD34+cells, KG1 myeloid cells and mature neutrophil