836 research outputs found
Chromosomal assignment of six genes (EIF4G3, HSP90, RBBP6, IL8, TERT, and TERC) in four species of the genus Equus
No full textWe mapped six genes (EIF4G3, HSP90, RBBP6, IL8, TERT, and TERC) on the chromosomes of Equus caballus, Equus asinus, Equus grevyi, and Equus burchelli by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Our results add six type I markers to the cytogenetic map of these species and provide new information on the comparative genomics of the genus Equus.Pamela Vidale, Francesca M. Piras, Solomon G. Nergadze, Livia Bertoni, Andrea Verini-Supplizi, David Adelson, Gérard Guérin and Elena Giulott
Indagine epidemiologica e profilo di patogenicità di ceppi di Listeria monocytogenes isolati da prodotti della pesca ready to eat
No full text“Tipizzazione mediante PFGE di ceppi di Listeria monocytogenes isolati in stabilimenti di produzione di Salsiccia Sarda e valutazione della produzione in vitro di biofilm”
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Telomeric-Like Repeats Flanked by Sequences Retrotranscribed from the Telomerase RNA Inserted at DNA Double-Strand Break Sites during Vertebrate Genome Evolution
No full textInterstitial telomeric sequences (ITSs) are stretches of telomeric-like repeats located at internal chromosomal sites. We previously demonstrated that ITSs have been inserted during the repair of DNA double-strand breaks in the course of evolution and that some rodent ITSs, called TERC-ITSs, are flanked by fragments retrotranscribed from the telomerase RNA component (TERC). In this work, we carried out an extensive search of TERC-ITSs in 30 vertebrate genomes and identified 41 such loci in 22 species, including in humans and other primates. The fragment retrotranscribed from the TERC RNA varies in different lineages and its sequence seems to be related to the organization of TERC. Through comparative analysis of TERC-ITSs with orthologous empty loci, we demonstrated that, at each locus, the TERC-like sequence and the ITS have been inserted in one step in the course of evolution. Our findings suggest that telomerase participated in a peculiar pathway of DNA double-strand break repair involving retrotranscription of its RNA component and that this mechanism may be active in all vertebrate species. These results add new evidence to the hypothesis that RNA-templated DNA repair mechanisms are active in vertebrate cells
Un libro de horas iluminado para Alfonso de Borja : influencia de los grabados alemanes en la miniaturade la Corona de Aragon a mediados del siglo 14. / Francesca Manzari.
No full textIl saggio ricostruisce il contesto di produzione di un raro esempio di libro d’ore valenziano della metà del Quattrocento, indagando a fondo i diversi aspetti del raffinato manufatto. Il repertorio decorativo secondario viene ricondotto alla produzione valenziana, mentre le carte incipitarie maggiori, dotate di straordinarie ma inusuali bordure miniate, vengono spiegate identificandone i modelli nella carte da gioco prodotte da un proto-incisore tedesco, spesso utilizzato come repertorio di modelli anche in ambito fiammingo. L’identificazione di un ritratto del destinatario e del suo nome, Alfonso, insieme all’indagine “archeologica” sulle tracce di fogli perduti hanno permesso di proporre Alfonso Borgia, quale committente, alla metà del secolo, prima della sua elezione come papa Callisto IIIThe essay reconstructs the context of production of a rare example of Valencian Book of Hours from the mid-15th century, investigating in-depth the different features of the elegant artefact. The secondary decorative repertory is linked with the illuminated production at Valencia, while the major incipit pages, with extraordinary but unusual illuminated borders, are explained identifying their models in the printed playing cards produced by a German engraver; these were used as model books especially in Flanders. The identification of the owner’s portrait and name, Alfonso, together with the “archeological” analysis of the traces of lost leaves, have enabled the author to propose Alfonso Borgia as the patron, dating the book to the middle of the century, before his election as pope Callixtus II
Community social capital and status: The social dilemma of food waste
No full textIn developed countries, the largest share of food is wasted at the household level. Household food waste results from a complex interaction between economic factors, well-established routines, and social norms. To explain this interaction, we propose a simple model of waste behavior where the individual and social economic costs generated by wasting are counterbalanced by the security and status generated through acquiring excess food, thus causing a social dilemma. This trade-off is mediated by social capital, which measures the intensity with which each individual within a community evaluates the negative effects of waste. We test this model's hypotheses using a 2016 dataset of food behaviors and opinions of Italian households, which we merge with variables known to elicit the local level of social capital. We find individual food waste levels to be negatively related with social capital. Contrastingly, status concerns with respect to food and the lack of organizational abilities are both more prevalent in low social capital areas, and are related to increased food waste. This relationship is mediated by income
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Francesca Bertini
No full textFrancesca Bertini was an extremely careful guardian of her image and legacy throughout her whole life. A major star of the international silent screen, she has recounted her hugely successful career in different autobiographic writings and interventions. An invaluable source of information for the history of Italian cinema, these documents are notoriously reticent—and sometimes unreliable—about certain personal details of her life. For example, she never revealed to have been first registered in 1892 at an orphanage in Florence as Elena Taddei, the daughter of Adelina di Venanzio Fratiglioni, a single mother and possibly a stage actress (Jandelli 2006, 31-2). While many sources indicate her first surname to be Seracini, the only concrete information we have about her acquired identity is that she became Elena Vitiello in 1910, when her mother married Arturo Vitiello, a Neapolitan propman or furniture dealer. Bertini was introduced to the sprightly Neapolitan theatrical milieu at an early age. She got her first, supporting role on stage when she was just seventeen, in the widely acclaimed 1909 production of “Assunta Spina”—an intense southern melodrama by reputed author Salvatore Di Giacomo. One of the most representative texts of the new Neapolitan popular theater, “Assunta Spina” was later transposed on screen by Bertini in 1915. The final result is still regarded as one of the masterpieces of Italian silent cinema and an emblematic example of Verist cinema. By 1915, Bertini had already been cast in more than 50 films, including many one and two-reel historical reconstructions and a few features. The following years saw her continuing to grow in popularity, with her films gaining huge acclaim wherever they were presented, from Europe to Latin America and from Russia to the United States
Intra- and intermale variability of mature sperm traits analysed in two brackish water populations of the pipefish Syngnathus abaster (Syngnathidae)
No full textSperm cells are highly diversified in animals, and considerable research effort has focused on variation in sperm morphology among species. Surprisingly, little is known about intraspecific variation in sperm morphology. We analysed within- and between-male variation in mature sperm traits in two brackish water populations of the pipefish Syngnathus abaster. Four morphometric parameters, such as the width and length of the head (including nucleus, and midpiece), length of flagellum and total sperm length were taken into account. The differences in all morphometric parameters analysed between populations were not statistically significant. Moreover, the multidimensional scaling analysis shows that (i) the two populations seem to be indistinguishable based on their spermatozoa and (ii) there is not polymorphism, being sperm not distinguishable into discrete classes both within a single male and between males of each populations. The latter datum does not seem to support the presence of polymorphic sperm in syngnathids. Both populations, however, exhibit a high variation in all sperm traits, both among individual sperm within an ejaculate and among males within each population. The relationship between sperm traits variability and the low selection pressure determined by the absence of postcopulatory sexual selection (i.e. absence of sperm competition) is discussed
Identification of Listeria spp. strains isolated from meat products and meat production plants by multiplex polymerase chain reaction
No full textListeriosis is a foodborne disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes and is considered as a serious health problem, due to the severity of symptoms and the high mortality rate. Recently, other Listeria species have been associated with disease in human and animals. The aim of this study was to develop a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in order to simultaneously detect six Listeria species (L. grayi, L. welshimeri, L. ivanovii, L. monocytogenes, L. seeligeri, L. innocua) in a single reaction. One hundred eighteen Listeria spp. strains, isolated from meat products (sausages) and processing plants (surfaces in contact and not in contact with meat), were included in the study. All the strains were submitted to biochemical identification using the API Listeria system. A multiplex PCR was developed with the aim to identify the six species of Listeria. PCR allowed to uniquely identify strains that had expressed a doubtful profile with API Listeria The results suggest that the multiplex PCR could represent a rapid and sensitive screening test, a reliable method for the detection of all Listeria species, both in contaminated food and in clinical samples, and also a tool that could be used for epidemiological purposes in food-borne outbreaks. A further application could be the development of a PCR that can be directly applied to the pre-enrichment broth
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