TESS. La banca dati on-line dei rivestimenti a mosaico

A project undertaken by the University of Padua has developed the new database system TESS for mosaics. This database system meets the national standards required by the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione – ICCD. The database is available on-line thanks to the project «Cultural heritage in the Adriatic area: knowledge, preservation and enhancement», co-financed by the Community Initiative INTERREG III A – Adriatic Cross Border Programme. In detail, the database TESS includes informative files regarding Building and Rooms, Location, relevant Bibliography and Mosaic Pavement. Each file contains plans, designs and photographs. Furthermore, all the fields have a list of univocal and exhaustive terms in the Italian language. The mosaics database aims to provide a key working tool for the identification of the origins of iconographic themes, their geographic distribution and the development of local fashions which vary according to the context. The software was developed on a FileMaker client/server environment to achieve these key goals: multiplatform availability (Windows/Macintosh), multiuser capability and remote connectivity. Making wide use of the latest tools included in FileMaker 8, the development group created a smart and complete GUI to access the complex data structure, and at the same time implemented a stringent control of user privileges by setting data-related group policies. The result is a powerful middleware application that allows data entry, analysis and publication to geographically distributed operators and will provide data consultation to other users through normal web browsers

The three-body recombination of a condensed Bose gas near a Feshbach resonance

In this paper, we study the three-body recombination rate of a homogeneous dilute Bose gas with a Feshbach resonance at zero temperature. The ground state and excitations of this system are obtained. The three-body recombination in the ground state is due to the break-up of an atom pair in the quantum depletion and the formation of a molecule by an atom from the broken pair and an atom from the condensate. The rate of this process is in good agreement with the experiment on $^{23}$Na in a wide range of magnetic fields.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Coordination chemistry to palladium(II) of pyridylbenzamidine ligands and the related reactivity with ethylene

The coordination chemistry to palladium of three pyridylbenzamidines (N-N') was investigated in detail. The studied pyridylbenzamidines are featured by the bulky 2,6-diisopropylphenyl substituent at the azomethine nitrogen atom of the amidine unit, and differ in the substitution either at the amino atom, which bears a 2-pyridyl or a 6-methyl-2-pyridyl group, or at the bridging N-atom that, in one case, is substituted by a methyl group, leading to a molecule reported herein for the first time. The accurate NMR characterization of the free ligands points out the presence of dynamic phenomena in solution, due to the interconversion of several possible isomers, including tautomers. The coordination chemistry to Pd(II) is studied using both [Pd(cod)(CH3)Cl] and [Pd(cod)(CH3)(CH3CN)][PF6] as metal precursor. Depending on the palladium precursor and on the pyridylbenzamidine, different coordination compounds are obtained, demonstrating the capability of these molecules to act both as mono- and bidentate ligands. For the pyridylbenzamidine substituted with the methyl group on the bridging N-atom, the C-H activation of one of the isopropyl groups is observed with the formation of a six-membered palladacycle and methane. None of the isolated complexes generates active catalysts either for ethylene homopolymerization or for ethylene/methyl acrylate copolymerization. When reacting with ethylene, the complexes lead to the formation of propylene and the inactive dicationic [Pd(N-N')2][PF6]2 complex

Control of lysosomal biogenesis and Notch-dependent tissue patterning by components of the TFEB-V-ATPase axis in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>

<p>In vertebrates, TFEB (transcription factor EB) and MITF (microphthalmia-associated transcription factor) family of basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) transcription factors regulates both lysosomal function and organ development. However, it is not clear whether these 2 processes are interconnected. Here, we show that Mitf, the single TFEB and MITF ortholog in <i>Drosophila</i>, controls expression of vacuolar-type H⁺-ATPase pump (V-ATPase) subunits. Remarkably, we also find that expression of <i>Vha16-1</i> and <i>Vha13</i>, encoding 2 key components of V-ATPase, is patterned in the wing imaginal disc. In particular, <i>Vha16-1</i> expression follows differentiation of proneural regions of the disc. These regions, which will form sensory organs in the adult, appear to possess a distinctive endolysosomal compartment and Notch (N) localization. Modulation of Mitf activity in the disc in vivo alters endolysosomal function and disrupts proneural patterning. Similar to our findings in <i>Drosophila</i>, in human breast epithelial cells we observe that impairment of the <i>Vha16-1</i> human ortholog <i>ATP6V0C</i> changes the size and function of the endolysosomal compartment and that depletion of TFEB reduces ligand-independent N signaling activity. Our data suggest that lysosomal-associated functions regulated by the TFEB-V-ATPase axis might play a conserved role in shaping cell fate.</p

Expression of alternatively spliced human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 mRNAs is influenced by mitosis and by a novel cis-acting regulatory sequence

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) expression depends on the concerted action of Tax, which drives transcription of the viral genome, and Rex, which favors expression of incompletely spliced mRNAs and determines a 2-phase temporal pattern of viral expression. In the present study, we investigated the Rex dependence of the complete set of alternatively spliced HTLV-1 mRNAs. Analyses of cells transfected with Rex-wild-type and Rex-knockout HTLV-1 molecular clones using splice site-specific quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR revealed that mRNAs encoding the p30Tof, p13, and p12/8 proteins were Rex dependent, while the p21rex mRNA was Rex independent. These findings provide a rational explanation for the intermediate-late temporal pattern of expression of the p30tof, p13, and p12/8 mRNAs described in previous studies. All the Rex-dependent mRNAs contained a 75-nucleotide intronic region that increased the nuclear retention and degradation of a reporter mRNA in the absence of other viral sequences. Selective 2'-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension (SHAPE) analysis revealed that this sequence formed a stable hairpin structure. Cell cycle synchronization experiments indicated that mitosis partially bypasses the requirement for Rex to export Rex-dependent HTLV-1 transcripts. These findings indicate a link between the cycling properties of the host cell and the temporal pattern of viral expression/latency that might influence the ability of the virus to spread and evade the immune system

Investigation of the prevalence of antibodies against neurotropic polyomaviruses BK, JC and SV40 in sera from patients affected by multiple sclerosis.

Viral agents seem to be linked to multiple sclerosis (MS). This association is based on evidence of (1) early exposure to viruses and MS onset; (2) increased prevalence of MS disease in specific geographic regions; (3) likelihood of developing MS being more prevalent in high-risk areas; (4) altered immune responses to different viruses. In this study, sera from patients affected by MS and controls, represented by sera from patients with other neurologic diseases, both inflammatory and non-inflammatory, and from healthy donors, were investigated for the presence of antibodies against neurotropic polyomaviruses BKV, JCV and SV40 in their sera. Our study has indicated that the prevalence of BKV antibodies in sera from MS patients is higher than that detected in normal individuals, while levels of antibodies against BKV and JCV are lower in MS patients compared to those of normal subjects

Mediterranean diet, cardiovascular health and longevity: Strategies to improve the assessment and interpretation of this dietary pattern in nutritional epidemiology

Introduction - Adherence to the Mediterranean diet, could reduce the risk of mortality and CVD across the life course. However, its epidemiological instrumentation needs to be contextualized and adapted to local cultures. Moreover, there is evidence that typical dairy products should be disaggregated in the MDS due to divergent health properties. Methods - The Västerbotten Intervention Program (VIP), the Northern Sweden MONICA, the H70 elderly study, the Copenhagen MONICA study, and the IDEFICS EU children study were included. A refined version of the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) was calculated from diet histories (H70), FFQs (VIP), and food records (MONICA-Copenhagen) by including foods that better describe the context of a genuine Mediterranean diet (e.g., wholegrain instead of total cereals) and ingredients from mixed dishes. Cox models, adjusted for potential confounders, were used to compare the original and refined MDS and their associations with mortality, CVD incidence, and mortality. Adjusted Cox models were also used to test the association between dairy intakes and the risk of mortality in the VIP and H70 cohorts. Adherence among children was assessed using both FFQ and recall data, and its association with BMI, waist circumference, WtHR, and % fat mass was assessed crosssectionally and longitudinally. Results – The refined MDS, but not the original score, inversely predicted the risk of allcause mortality in the MONICA-Copenhagen (HR = 0.93) and VIP (HR = 0.95) studies, as well as with CVD incidence and CVD mortality in all cohort studies. Stroke incidence and stroke mortality were not associated with both scores. Milk intakes directly predicted all-cause mortality (HR = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.05) whereas cheese intakes showed an inverse association with all-cause mortality (HR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91, 0.97). Fermented milk intakes showed a borderline significant inverse association with all-cause mortality. The MDS was inversely associated with the risk of overweight and obesity in children with low prevalence of high-adherent children in all countries (< 30%) except Sweden. Discussion and conclusions - The adoption of a Mediterranean-like diet is protective for CVD across the lifespan, and adherence should be increased among children. The sensitivity of assessments evaluating adherence to this pattern can be increased. The results on dairy product intakes suggest differences between milk and cheese, but they should be interpreted cautiously