Evaluation of the phosphomannose isomerase-based selection system for gene transfer in grape

The suitability of the PMI-based system for efficient gene transfer in grape was assessed on V. vinifera ‘Brachetto’ and ‘Chardonnay’ and the rootstock '110 Richter'. The effect of mannose on non-transformed tissues was evaluated during a long culture period in the crucial stages of morphogenesis from callus to plantlet. Grape tissues of the genotypes used were affected by mannose as the carbohydrate source, damage, however, appeared after extremely long culture times. In addition, plantlets were regenerated from embryogenic calli after co-culture with Agrobacterium LBA 4404 carrying the manA gene in the PMI-GUS-Intron plasmid based on the pNOV2819 vector by Syngenta (Positech® system). Plants recovered after selection in the presence of mannose were found to be non-transgenic for the manA gene. Accordingly, PMI seems to be an unsuitable alternative to traditional marker gene selection for successful gene transfer in grape.

The Stripe 82 1-2 GHz Very Large Array Snapshot Survey: Multiwavelength Counterparts

We have combined spectrosopic and photometric data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with $1.4$ GHz radio observations, conducted as part of the Stripe 82 $1-2$ GHz Snapshot Survey using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), which covers $\sim100$ sq degrees, to a flux limit of 88 $\mu$Jy rms. Cross-matching the $11\,768$ radio source components with optical data via visual inspection results in a final sample of $4\,795$ cross-matched objects, of which $1\,996$ have spectroscopic redshifts and $2\,799$ objects have photometric redshifts. Three previously undiscovered Giant Radio Galaxies (GRGs) were found during the cross-matching process, which would have been missed using automated techniques. For the objects with spectroscopy we separate radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and star-forming galaxies (SFGs) using three diagnostics and then further divide our radio-loud AGN into the HERG and LERG populations. A control matched sample of HERGs and LERGs, matched on stellar mass, redshift and radio luminosity, reveals that the host galaxies of LERGs are redder and more concentrated than HERGs. By combining with near-infrared data, we demonstrate that LERGs also follow a tight $K-z$ relationship. These results imply the LERG population are hosted by population of massive, passively evolving early-type galaxies. We go on to show that HERGs, LERGs, QSOs and star-forming galaxies in our sample all reside in different regions of a WISE colour-colour diagram. This cross-matched sample bridges the gap between previous `wide but shallow' and `deep but narrow' samples and will be useful for a number of future investigations.Comment: 17 pages, 19 figures. Resubmitted to MNRAS after the initial comment

The Lockman Hole Project: new constraints on the sub-mJy source counts from a wide-area 1.4 GHz mosaic

This paper is part of a series discussing the results obtained in the framework of a wide international collaboration - the Lockman Hole Project - aimed at improving the extensive multiband coverage available in the Lockman Hole region, through novel deep, wide-area, multifrequency (60, 150, 350 MHz, and 1.4 GHz) radio surveys. This multifrequency, multi-band information will be exploited to get a comprehensive view of star formation and active galactic nucleus activities in the high-redshift Universe from a radio perspective. In this paper, we present novel 1.4 GHz mosaic observations obtained with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. With an area coverage of 6.6 deg2, this is the largest survey reaching an rms noise of 11 uJy/beam. In this paper, we present the source catalogue (~6000 sources with flux densities S>55 uJy (5sigma), and we discuss the 1.4 GHz source counts derived from it. Our source counts provide very robust statistics in the flux range 0.1<S<1 mJy, and are in excellent agreement with other robust determinations obtained at lower and higher flux densities. A clear excess is found with respect to the counts predicted by the semi-empirical radio sky simulations developed in the framework of the Square Kilometre Array Simulated Skies project. A preliminary analysis of the identified (and classified) sources suggests this excess is to be ascribed to star-forming galaxies, which seem to show a steeper evolution than predicted.Comment: accepted for publication on MNRAS. New version that corrects latex errors and contain the correct version of figure 1

Evolution of the far-infrared luminosity functions in the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Legacy Survey

We present new observational determination of the evolution of the rest-frame 70 and 160 micron and total infrared (TIR) galaxy luminosity functions (LFs) using 70 micron data from the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Legacy Survey (SWIRE). The LFs were constructed for sources with spectroscopic redshifts only in the XMM-LSS and Lockman Hole fields from the SWIRE photometric redshift catalogue. The 70 micron and TIR LFs were constructed in the redshift range 0<z<1.2 and the 160 micron LF was constructed in the redshift range 0<z<0.5 using a parametric Bayesian and the vmax methods. We assume in our models, that the faint-end power-law index of the LF does not evolve with redshifts. We find the the double power-law model is a better representation of the IR LF than the more commonly used power-law and Gaussian model. We model the evolution of the FIR LFs as a function of redshift where where the characteristic luminosity, $L^\ast$ evolve as \propto(1+z)^{\alpha_\textsc{l}}. The rest-frame 70 micron LF shows a strong luminosity evolution out to z=1.2 with alpha_l=3.41^{+0.18}_{-0.25}. The rest-frame 160 micron LF also showed rapid luminosity evolution with alpha_l=5.53^{+0.28}_{-0.23} out to z=0.5. The rate of evolution in luminosity is consistent with values estimated from previous studies using data from IRAS, ISO and Spitzer. The TIR LF evolves in luminosity with alpha_l=3.82^{+0.28}_{-0.16} which is in agreement with previous results from Spitzer 24 micron which find strong luminosity evolution. By integrating the LF we calculated the co-moving IR luminosity density out to z=1.2, which confirm the rapid evolution in number density of LIRGs and ULIRGs which contribute ~68^{+10}_{-07} % to the co-moving star formation rate density at z=1.2. Our results based on 70 micron data confirms that the bulk of the star formation at z=1 takes place in dust obscured objects.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figure

Pioneer settlement of the cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus (Esper, 1794) on plastic

Larval settlement is a critical step for sessile benthic species such as corals, whose ability to thrive on diverse natural and anthropogenic substrates may lead to a competitive advantage in the colonization of new environments with respect to a narrow tolerance for a specific kind of substratum. Plastic debris, widespread in marine waters, provides a large, motile, and solid substratum supporting a highly diverse biological community. Here we present the first observation of a floating plastic bottle colonized by the deep-sea coral Desmophyllum dianthus. The density pattern and co-occurring species composition suggest a pioneer behavior of this coral species, whose peculiar morphologic plasticity response when interacting with the plastic substrate (i.e., low density polyethylene) has not been observed before. The tolerance of D. dianthus for such plastic substrate may affect ecological processes in deep water environments, disrupting interspecific substrate competition in the benthic community

Fashion Futuring. Rethinking sustainable fashion design.

The paper investigates the possibility to re-imagine fashion design in a sustainable direction and to conceive alternatives to the current unsustainable growth of which fashion has been a carrier in recent decades. The paper relies on the emerging design-theory-based concept of “futuring”, which concerns ecology, sustainability, and social innovation. It sets a methodological framework that develops eco-fashion beyond environmental sustainability, and slow fashion beyond the critique of the acceleration of fashion production and consumption. The proposed framework leads into the four directives of Do it Yourself; Future Artisans; Digital Manufacturing; and Industrial Experimentation and allows to encompass initiatives ranging from circular economies to participatory design models and open design. Future research on Italian case studies will test the validity of this framework. The research hypothesis is that there is an Italian design laboratory in fashion, able to prefigure new material cultures and shape the ways we live and interact

Combining molecular and metabolomic analysis to evaluate transgenic Vitis vinifera plants expressing the Vitreoscilla haemoglobin (VHb)

Transgenic V. vinifera 'Brachetto' plants expressing Vitreoscilla stercoraria haemoglobin gene (vhb) were obtained by transferring the pBI-VHb construct harbouring the vhb and the nptII genes, via A. tumefaciens EAH 105. From 18 distinct transgenic plantlets, 2 lines were randomly chosen and 11 and 14 plants respectively obtained by micropropagation were acclimated for 100 days in the greenhouse, together with 10 micropropagated plants of a wild-type control line. A data-driven assessment, aimed at evaluating all measurable lowmolecular weight organic compounds in these transgenic plants was performed using UPLC-Q-TOF with an ESI interface. Comparisons between controls and transgenic lines and between the two transgenic lines detected significant differences in some metabolic patterns. For each line, a list of identified compounds was extracted from the 100 most significant biomarkers

New constraints on the 1.4 GHz source number counts and luminosity functions in the lockman hole field

We present a study of the 1173 sources brighter than S1.4 GHz = 120 μJy detected over an area of ≃ 1.4 deg2 in the Lockman Hole field. Exploiting the multiband information available in this field for ∼79 per cent of the sample, sources have been classified into radio loud (RL) active galactic nuclei (AGNs), star-forming galaxies (SFGs), and radio quiet (RQ) AGNs, using a variety of diagnostics available in the literature. Exploiting the observed tight anticorrelations between IRAC band 1 or band 2 and the source redshift we could assign a redshift to 177 sources missing a spectroscopic measurement or a reliable photometric estimate. A Monte Carlo approach was used to take into account the spread around the mean relation. The derived differential number counts and luminosity functions at several redshifts of each population show a good consistency with models and with earlier estimates made using data from different surveys and applying different approaches. Our results confirm that below ∼ 300 μJy SFGs+RQ AGNs overtake RL AGNs that dominate at brighter flux densities. We also confirm earlier indications of a similar evolution of RQ AGNs and SFGs. Finally, we discuss the angular correlation function of our sources and highlight its sensitivity to the criteria used for the classification

RIG-I contributes to the innate immune response after cerebral ischemia

BACKGROUND: Focal cerebral ischemia induces an inflammatory response that when exacerbated contributes to deleterious outcomes. The molecular basis regarding the regulation of the innate immune response after focal cerebral ischemia remains poorly understood. METHODS: In this study we examined the expression of retinoic acid-inducible gene (RIG)-like receptor-I (RIG-I) and its involvement in regulating inflammation after ischemia in the brain of rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). In addition, we studied the regulation of RIG-I after oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) in astrocytes in culture. RESULTS: In this study we show that in the hippocampus of rats, RIG-I and IFN-α are elevated after MCAO. Consistent with these results was an increased in RIG-I and IFN-α after OGD in astrocytes in culture. These data are consistent with immunohistochemical analysis of hippocampal sections, indicating that in GFAP-positive cells there was an increase in RIG-I after MCAO. In addition, in this study we have identified n-propyl gallate as an inhibitor of IFN-α signaling in astrocytes. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a role for RIG-I in contributing to the innate immune response after focal cerebral ischemia