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Farmers’ willingness to pay for an environmental certification scheme: Promising evidence for water saving
No full textIn recent years, the certification of environmental sustainability has been adopted by a large number of farms. A wide range of recent literature proved consumers’ preference and willingness to pay (WTP) for certification claiming for reduced environmental impact of food production, whereas the literature on farmers’ preference for a specific scheme design is scant. This study aims at investigating the possibilities of developing an environmental certification (EC) for agricultural products that is more tailored to farmers’ expectations. Data from an original survey among 116 producers from Italy, Croatia, and Greece were used to investigate the most preferred elements of a hypothetical EC for a general agricultural product, by means of a choice experiment. Although differences emerge in relation to the nationality of respondents, the results on average suggest a clear preference and a higher WTP by farmers for a certification that may guarantee an efficient use of water resources. Furthermore, farmers are found to be more inclined toward a public certifying body and the possibility to receive technical assistance for the scheme adoption
Better Alone than in Bad Company: Effects of Incoherent Non-Verbal Emotional Cues for a Humanoid Robot
No full textA statistical model for voting probabilities
No full textIn the last decades, the proportion of voters who express their vote according to their specific needs –and not following some ideology– is increasing, not only in Italy. This circumstance represents a prominent factor for political (in)stability and implies that common surveys where people are asked about their “intentions to vote” should be accurately examined to extract any useful information about political consensus. In fact, these intentions change with time and circumstances fairly often and thus it may be suitable to investigate preferences towards the whole spectrum of political options to acquire more definite evaluations. Thus, distributions of voting probabilities require parametric modelling to infer on the polarization and indifference components of each candidate (party, leader, coalition, etc.). Some empirical evidence seems to support the proposed approach
NF-ΚB-dependent production of ROS and restriction of HSV-1 infection in U937 monocytic cells
No full textHerpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) can infect a wide range of cell types, including cells of the adaptive and innate immunity but, normally, it completes a fully-permissive replication cycle only in epithelial or neural cells. Complex mechanisms controlling this delicate balance in immune cells and consequent restriction of HSV-1 infection in these cells have not been completely elucidated. We have recently demonstrated that the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) can act as a main permissiveness regulator of HSV-1 infection in monocytic cells, however, mediators involved in this regulation have not been identified. To better define mechanisms involved in this phenomenon and, particularly, the possible involvement of ROS, wild type U937 cells or U937 cells stably transfected with a dominant-negative (DN) IκB-mutant and selenium-containing compounds, as anti-oxidants, were utilized. The main results can be summarized as follows. HSV-1 infection induces an immediate ROS production in U937 monocytic cells that can efficiently activate NF-κB but not in DN-IκB-mutant cells. Treatment with selenium-containing antioxidants efficiently inhibited HSV-1-induced ROS generation while producing increased levels of HSV-1 replication and a reduction of HSV-1-induced NF-κB activation in U937 monocytic cells. Our results suggest a scenario in which an efficient NF-κB-dependent ROS production in response to infection could contribute in limiting HSV-1 replication in monocytes/macrophages, thus avoiding possible irreparable damage to the innate immune system of the host during HSV-1 infection
Hotoda’s sequence and anti-HIV activity: Where are we now?
No full textThe pharmacological relevance of ODNs forming G-quadruplexes as anti-HIV agents has been extensively reported in the literature over the last few years. Recent detailed studies have elucidated the peculiar arrangement adopted by many G-quadruplex-based aptamers and provided insight into their mechanism of action. In this review, we have reported the history of a strong anti-HIV agent: the 6-mer d(TGGGAG) sequence, commonly called "Hotoda's sequence". In particular, all findings reported on this sequence and its modified sequences have been discussed considering the following research phases: (i) discovery of the first 5'-modified active d(TGGGAG) sequences; (ii) synthesis of a variety of end-modified d(TGGGAG) sequences; (iii) biophysical and NMR investigations of natural and modified Hotoda's sequences; (iv); kinetic studies on the most active 5'-modified d(TGGGAG) sequences; and (v) extensive anti-HIV screening of G-quadruplexes formed by d(TGGGAG) sequences. This review aims to clarify all results obtained over the years on Hotoda's sequence, revealing its potentiality as a strong anti-HIV agent (EC50 = 14 nM)
Receptor tyrosine kinase-dependent PI3K activation is an escape mechanism to vertical suppression of the EGFR/RAS/MAPK pathway in KRAS-mutated human colorectal cancer cell lines
No full textAbstract
BACKGROUND:
Previous studies showed that the combination of an anti-Epidermal growth factor (EGFR) and a MEK-inhibitor is able to prevent the onset of resistance to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies in KRAS-wild type colorectal cancer (CRC), while the same combination reverts anti-EGFR primary resistance in KRAS mutated CRC cell lines. However, rapid onset of resistance is a limit to combination therapies in KRAS mutated CRC.
METHODS:
We generated four different KRAS mutated CRC cell lines resistant to a combination of cetuximab (an anti-EGFR antibody) and refametinib (a selective MEK-inhibitor) after continuous exposure to increasing concentration of the drugs. We characterized these resistant cell lines by evaluating the expression and activation status of a panel of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and intracellular transducers by immunoblot and qRT-PCR. Oncomine comprehensive assay and microarray analysis were carried out to investigate new acquired mutations or transcriptomic adaptation, respectively, in the resistant cell lines. Immunofluorescence assay was used to show the localization of RTKs in resistant and parental clones.
RESULTS:
We found that PI3K-AKT pathway activation acts as an escape mechanism in cell lines with acquired resistance to combined inhibition of EGFR and MEK. AKT pathway activation is coupled to the activation of multiple RTKs such as HER2, HER3 and IGF1R, though its pharmacological inhibition is not sufficient to revert the resistant phenotype. PI3K pathway activation is mediated by autocrine loops and by heterodimerization of multiple receptors.
CONCLUSIONS:
PI3K activation plays a central role in the acquired resistance to the combination of anti-EGFR and MEK-inhibitor in KRAS mutated colorectal cancer cell lines. PI3K activation is cooperatively achieved through the activation of multiple RTKs such as HER2, HER3 and IGF1R
Fruit-based juices: Focus on antioxidant properties—Study approach and update
No full textThis paper proposes a perspective literature review of the antioxidant properties in fruit-based juices. The total antioxidant properties due to compounds such as carotenoids, polyphenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins as well as the assessment of interactions between natural active compounds and other food matrix components can be seen as the first step in the study of potential health benefits of fruit-based juices. A brief summary is given on the significance of antioxidant properties of fruit juices, the conventional methods for antioxidant activity evaluation, and on the newly emerged sample analysis and data interpretation strategies, that is, chemometric analysis based on spectroscopic data. The effect of fruit processing techniques and the addition of ingredients on the antioxidant properties of fruit-based juices are also discussed
Einsatz von Social Media als Instrument der Kundenbindung in Öffentlichen Bibliotheken
Get PDFDie vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Einsatz von Social Media als Instrument der Kundenbindung in Öffentlichen Bibliotheken. Zu Beginn werden die Grundlagen der Kundenbindung sowie die der sozialen Medien dargelegt, um anschließend eine Auswahl an Kundenbindungsinstrumenten vorzustellen, die sich auf Social Media umsetzen lassen. Um einen Einblick in die Social-Media-Arbeit von Bibliotheken in Hinblick auf Kundenbindung zu erlangen, wurden Experteninterviews durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse befassen sich mit der Bedeutung von Social Media und der Kundenbindung für Öffentliche Bibliotheken. Zudem wird anhand von Praxisbeispielen dargestellt, wie sich eine Auswahl an Kundenbindungsinstrumenten auf Social Media umsetzen lassen und welche Schwierigkeiten dabei auftreten können.This thesis deals with the use of social media as a tool for customer loyalty in public libraries. At the beginning, the basics of customer loyalty as well as those of social media are presented, and then a selection of customer loyalty tools that can be implemented on social media. Expert interviews were conducted to gain insight into the social media word of libraries in terms of customer loyalty. The findings address the importance of social media and customer loyalty for public libraries. In addition, practical examples are used to illustrate how a selection of customer loyalty tools can be implemented on social media and what difficulties can arise