The Levels of DAHP Synthase, the First Enzyme of the Shikimate Pathway, Are Related to Free Aromatic Amino Acids and Glutamine Content in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Cell Cultures

Aromatic amino acid homeostasis was investigated in cell suspension cultures of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia and was related to the activity of the first enzyme in aromatic biosynthesis, 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase. An inverse relationship was found between the intracellular content of free phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan and enzyme specific activity levels, suggesting the occurrence of end-product control mechanisms. Two DAHP synthase isogenes are present in wild tobacco that showed a different expression pattern during the culture growth cycle. Intracellular levels of aromatic amino acids were increased or decreased by adding the culture medium with phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan, or with sublethal doses of the shikimate pathway inhibitor glyphosate, respectively. As a consequence, enzyme levels varied in the opposite direction. The concomitant exogenous supply of glutamine further reduced enzyme activity in mid-log cells, suggesting induction by both aromatic amino acid depletion and nitrogen starvation

Reinvestigation of the tautomerism of some substituted 2-hydroxypyridines

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Migrantinnen und Haushaltsdienstleistungen: Zuwanderung beeinflusst das Arbeitsangebot der einheimischen Frauen

Frauen stehen immer noch h\ue4ufig in einem Spannungsfeld zwischen Familie und Beruf. Das gilt vor allem f\ufcr Westdeutschland, wo es weniger Angebote der Kinderbetreuung gibt als in den meisten anderen europ\ue4ischen L\ue4ndern. Internationale Studien zeigen, dass Einwanderung Einfluss darauf hat, wie einheimische Frauen ihre Zeit zwischen Hausarbeit und Erwerbst\ue4tigkeit aufteilen. Die Autoren untersuchen erstmals f\ufcr Deutschland, ob und wie die Zuwanderung weiblicher Migranten das Angebot an Haushaltsdienstleistungen hierzulande ver\ue4ndert und wie sich dies auf das Erwerbsverhalten der einheimischen Frauen auswirkt

Non-tariff measures and competitiveness

In this paper, we explore how tariff and standard-like Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) introduced by the EU are related with market conditions in domestic EU markets. While Tariffs work as a pure tax on import, standard-like NTMs potentially affect costs of both domestic firms and foreign exporters. NTMs may not necessarily work as protectionist measures and even induce pro-competitive effects in the domestic market in the longer term, especially if we allow for firms mobility. The impact could be different for large and small firms. We extend the model by Melitz and Ottaviano (2008) to include Non-Tariff barriers. We derive some testable implications relating Non-Tariff barriers to the number of firms selling in the domestic market and average efficiency. The link between NTMs and domestic market conditions depends on whether they involve new standards and technical specifications imposed on both domestic and foreign firms, or, rather, the extension to foreign firms of standards and technical specifications already adopted by domestic firms. In the first case, there is a decline in the number of firms and in average productivity; in the second case, NTMs induce pro-competitive effects: an increase in the number of firms and of average productivity. We then take the model to the data for a group of European countries and manufacturing industries. We combine Compnet data for 15 EU countries in 2001-2012, providing information on firms performance at the industry level and by size class, with the STC WTO-I-TIP database, with information on Specific Trade Concerns raised at the WTO on NTMs and with the Trains database with information on Tariffs. The NTMs that we consider have similar effects as in the second NTMs case in the theoretical model; the results for Tariff are in the same direction, albeit of a larger magnitude. These results are consistent with a theoretical framework allowing for firms mobility in the longer term

Low density polyethylene functionalized with antibiofilm compounds inhibits Escherichia coli cell adhesion

The present work concerns an efficient strategy to obtain novel medical devices materials able to inhibit biofilm formation. The new materials were achieved by covalent grafting of p-aminocinnamic or p-aminosalicylic acids on low density polyethylene coupons. The polyethylene surface, previously activated by oxygen plasma treatment, was functionalized using 2-hydroxymethylmetacrylate as linker. The latter was reacted with succinic anhydride affording the carboxylic end useful for the immobilization of the antibiofilm molecules. The modified surface was characterized by scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared and fluorescence analyses. The antibiofilm activity of the modified materials were tested against Escherichia coli biofilm grown in the Center of Disease Control biofilm reactor. The results revealed that the grafted cinnamic and salicylic acid derivatives reduced biofilm biomass, in comparison with the control, by 73.7\u2009\ub1\u200910.7% and 63.4\u2009\ub1\u20097.1%, respectively

A Panel of Eight miRNAs Is Deregulated in HTLV-2 Infected PBMCs and BJABGu Cell Line

Despite human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and HTLV-2 being retroviruses closely related at a genomic level, HTLV-2 differs from HTLV-1 in terms of pathogenicity in both single infection and coinfection contexts. Moreover, the HTLV-2 association with clinical outcomes is still debated and several mechanisms underlying HTLV-2 infection remain unexplored as well. Cellular miRNAs are key factors in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression and they are known to be potential targets for several pathogens to control the host microenvironment and, in particular, escape immune responses. Here, we identified a HTLV-2-related signature of eight miRNAs (miR-125a-3p, miR-381-3p, miR-502-5p, miR-708-5p, miR-548d-5p, miR-548c-5p, miR-1-3p, and miR-511-5p) in both HTLV-2 infected PBMC and BJABGu cell lines. Altered miRNA expression patterns were correlated with the impairment of Th cell differentiation and signaling pathways driven by cytokines and transcriptional factors such as the Runt-related transcription factor (RUNX) family members. Specifically, we demonstrated that the RUNX2 protein was significantly more expressed in the presence of Tax-2 compared with Tax-1 in an in vitro cell model. To the best of our knowledge, these data represent the first contribution to elucidating the HTLV-2 mediated alteration of host cell miRNA profiles that may impact on HTLV-2 replication and persistent infection

USE OF UAS IN A HIGH MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE: THE CASE OF GRAN SOMMETTA ROCK GLACIER (AO)

Photogrammetry has been used since long time to periodically control the evolution of landslides, either from aerial images as well as from ground. Landslides control and monitoring systems face a large variety of cases and situations: in hardly accessible environments, like glacial areas and high mountain locations, it is not simple finding a survey method and a measurement control system, which are capable to reliably assess, with low costs, the expected displacement and its accuracy. For this reason, the behaviour of these events presents the geologists and the surveyor each time with different challenges. The use of UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) represents, in this context, a recent and valid option to perform the data acquisition both in safety and quickly, avoiding hazards and risks for the operators while at the same time containing the costs. The paper presents an innovative monitoring system based on UAS-photogrammetry, GNSS survey and DSM change detection techniques to evaluate the Gran Sommetta rock glacier surface movements over the period 2012-2014. Since 2012, the surface movements of the glacier are monitored by ARPAVdA (a regional environmental protection agency) as a case study for the impact of climate change on high-mountain infrastructures. In such scenarios, in fact, a low-cost monitoring activity can provide important data to improve our knowledge about glacier dynamics connected to climate changes and to prevent risks in anthropic Alps areas. To evaluate the displacements of the rock glacier different techniques were proposed: the most reliable uses the orthophoto of the area and rely on a manual identification of corresponding features performed by a trained operator. To further limit the costs and improve the density of displacement information two automatic procedures were developed as well