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We propose an evolutionary game to analyse the dynamics of tolerance among heterogeneous economic agents. We show that: (i) intolerance is much more persistent than tolerance; (ii) a fully tolerant society assures prosperity; (iii) cultural integration should precede economic integration.

The intent of the present study was to investigate adenosine receptor sites in brain membranes of the saltwater teleost fish, Mullus surmuletus, using the A1 receptor selective agonist, [3H]CHA, and A2a receptor selective agonist [3H]CGS 21680. The A1 selective agonist, [3H]CHA, bound saturably, reversibly and with high affinity to a single-class of binding sites (Kd 1.47 nM; Bmax 100–190 fmol/mg protein, dependent on fish length). The A2a selective agonist, [3H]CGS 21680, also bound saturably, reversibly and with relative high affinity to a single-class of binding sites (Kd 44.2 nM; Bmax 150–300 fmol/mg protein dependent on fish length). In equilibrium competition experiments, adenosine analogous, NECA, CGS 21680, CHA, CPA, S-PIA, R-PIA, CPCA, DPMA, and xanthine antagonists, DPCPX, XAC, and THEO all displaced [3H]CHA and [3H]CGS 21680 specifically bound to brain membranes from Mullus surmuletus. Specific binding of both [3H]CHA and [3H]CGS 21680 was inhibited by GDPβS. For [3H]CHA the IC50 value was 2.5 ± 0.1 μM, while for [3H]CGS 21680 the IC50 value was 7.7 ± 0.3 μM. Our results indicate that the high affinity binding sites for [3H]CHA have some pharmacological characteristics of mammalian A1 adenosine receptors, while the binding sites for [3H]CGS 21680 appear to be virtually identical to the binding sites for [3H]CHA.

Microglia-mediated inflammation in the central nervous system is a hallmark of the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. Microglial cells activation follows the deposition of amyloid β fibrils and it is generally considered a triggering factor in the early steps of the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Although the initial engagement of microglia seems to play a neuroprotective role, many lines of evidence indicate that a persistent activation with the production of proinflammatory molecules contributes to dismantle neuronal activity and to induce neuronal loss occurring in neurodegenerative diseases. To date, limited proteomic data are available on activated microglial cells in response to extracellular amyloidogenic peptides. In this study, murine microglial cells have been employed to investigate the effects of amyloid β peptides in triggering microglial activation. The response was monitored at the proteome level through a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis-based approach. Results show only a limited number of differentially expressed proteins, among these a more acidic species of the cytosolic actin, and the 14-3-3e protein, found significantly upregulated in Aβ-activated cells. 14-3-3e belongs to a regulatory protein family involved in important cellular processes, including those leading to neurodegenerative diseases, and thus its increased expression suggests a role of this protein in tuning microglia activation.

This paper shows a methodological approach and applicative potential of a forecast model of public administration labor cost. The econometric model affords a tool for analysis and forecasting for the dynamics shaping the future evolution of compensation of employees in Public Administration, at a highly disaggregated level. Applied to the National Health Service (NHS), the model captures the change in shape of distribution and identifies the causes of wage dynamics arising from decentralized wage bargaining, personnel seniority, promotions and professional qualifications changes: a share effect, based on the personnel qualifications structure (weighed with a given average national wage); a shift effect, based on average wages dynamic (weighed with observation-specific personnel qualifications structure). Thanks to the use of simple relationships, the model is designed for maximum flexibility in use and it is an efficient tool for applications and analyses at the political-institutional level. Description of the results of applications reveals some of the model’s analysis potentialities, making particular reference to the ability to control wage dynamics. JEL Classification: C14, C50, H83

The paper presents an application of the chaos theory to tourism, a sector in which operators' choices are particularly elaborate and complex. The dynamics of the tourist industry are, in fact, the result of close interactions between units of production, tourist flows, local authorities and natural resources. These interactions do not necessarily lead to a regular trend in the development of the tourist industry as proposed by Butler; on the contrary, irregularities of various types are very possible. The model microfounds rigorously on both the demand and the supply side. Firms and tourists operate under the hypothesis of limited rationality, the former in an oligopolistic context, the latter on the basis of mechanisms of evolutionary selection. Although not exhaustive, the model forms a theoretical platform that can be easily adapted to hypotheses and situations that differ from those originally hypothesized. As a consequence, this paper presents a series of numerical simulations. The results show the chaotic nature of a tourist flow, which limits the practicability of measures introduced to stabilise the system. In their place, measures are needed that stimulate a continuous reshaping of the system in relation to the factors that tend to change it. L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore: http://www.mulino.it/rivisteweb

This paper incorporates the phenomenon of tolerance into an economic analysis, showing how different attitudes to trust and cooperation can affect economic outcomes. In the economic system we propose, tolerance is associated with the different weight that agents attribute to their own nature and to the institutional parameters in their utility function. We thus construct an overlapping generations model (OLG), showing that the incentives that influence descendants’ predisposition to tolerance depend on both institutional factors, where behaviour is imposed by rules, and on social (or cultural) factors, found in popular customs and established traditions. Our study highlights the absolute impossibility of affirming tolerance through formal rules. In fact, we show that intolerance emerges as persistent attitude (intolerance trap) and its control is only possible through constant and continuous interventions on the educational processes of new generations. JEL Classification: D1, Z1 Theoretical and Practical Research in Economic Fields is indexed in IndexCopernicus, EBSCO, RePEC and in CEEOL database

Monetary authorities speculate that by using core inflation measures it is possible to subdivide observed price variations into two components: a persistent component extended over a long time horizon and a short-term component representing transient shocks. The first type of variation is that which interests policy authorities, since it is controllable and goes by the name of core inflation (or underlying inflation). The second type of shock is outside of their control and goes by the name of the non-core component. Through a simple aggregate supply and demand model, we demonstrate that the success and effectiveness of a monetary policy in terms of price level stability depends on the extent to which inflation measures reflect long-term movements or include temporary shocks. In fact, if the inflation measure includes short-term effects, the task of controlling inflationary pressures becomes considerably more complicated. Indicators purified from transitory components identify core inflation but a common methodology for its calculation does not yet exist. There are, however, different approaches to identify core inflation which can be synthetically classified into two large groups: methods linked to the statistical approach that focus attention directly on the issue of how to measure core inflation from existing data; in methods linked to the modeling approach the estimates of inflation are instead conditioned by economic theory and are the result of an identification schema in which persistent elements are distinguished from temporary elements. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages and in practice, there is an inclination to base decisions on a battery of indicators, comparing the differences and evaluating them case by case. JEL classification: E31, E50, E58

Obiettivo di questo lavoro è quello di ripercorrere le tappe più significative degli studi sulle cause determinanti della corruzione, attraverso il confronto fra due tipi modelli interpretativi. Nei modelli ispirati all’approccio cosiddetto ‘istituzionalista’ la corruzione viene interpretata come una questione del tutto interna alle istituzioni pubbliche, mentre con l’approccio ‘culturale’ la corruzione è il risultato della evoluzione e del radicamento di una particolare struttura di preferenze sociali. L’idea alla base dei modelli istituzionalisti è che le norme e le regole che disciplinano l’attività dello Stato possano presentare spazi per comportamenti opportunistici da parte del burocrate. La attenuazione o eliminazione del fenomeno comporterà una riforma sostanziale delle norme che regolano l’attività dello Stato, anche se spesso di difficile attuazione. Nei modelli di ispirazione ‘culturale’, invece, si sposta l’attenzione verso le preferenze sociali, con una chiara indicazione di policy: l’intervento dell’operatore pubblico è auspicabile ed efficace, purchè esso intervenga direttamente nel processo di formazione delle preferenze sociali, prevalentemente attraverso campagne di sensibilizzazione sociale. In ogni caso, sebbene con diversi strumenti, appare necessario un intervento pubblico: in un caso, infatti, la modifica di leggi e prassi amministrative è fondamentale per vincolare il burocrate a comportamenti non corrotti; nell’altro è essenziale permeare i comportamenti sociali attraverso una operazione di ‘convincimento sociale’ che esalti il ruolo positivo svolto dalla legalità. Un paragrafo sarà, infine, dedicato alla analisi della relazione tra corruzione e crescita economica, attraverso i principali contributi sul tema.

A partire dagli anni ’90 del secolo scorso i processi di internazionalizzazione delle imprese localizzate in economie avanzate hanno evidenziato una significativa accelerazione; un numero crescente di unità produttive ha cominciato a spostare quote importanti delle propria struttura manifatturiera verso le economie emergenti. La delocalizzazione si è da subito presentata come un fenomeno composito e dalle innumerevoli sfaccettature; le pratiche delocalizzative vanno infatti dalla creazione di nuove imprese in territorio straniero all’acquisizione del controllo di imprese estere fino alla stipula di accordi di subfornitura, quest’ultima forma molto utilizzata dalle PMI dei distretti italiani (Capitalia, 2005). I motivi che hanno spinto e spingono tuttora a delocalizzare sono principalmente la ricerca di una riduzione dei costi del lavoro e la possibilità di insediarsi in mercati emergenti con grandi potenzialità di crescita. Per questo motivo si è portati a pensare alla delocalizzazione come la strategia ottimale per fronteggiare la crescente concorrenza delle imprese localizzate in paesi in via di sviluppo, che grazie alla quasi totale assenza di garanzie lavorative e di vincoli in materia di tutela ambientale possono produrre a costi contenuti inondando i mercati internazionali di prodotti a prezzi molto bassi. Il fenomeno è evidente in quei settori industriali a scarso contenuto tecnologico, quale è il comparto del “made in Italy”, dove l’efficienza è principalmente perseguita attraverso strategie di contenimento dei costi. La facile imitabilità dei processi e dei prodotti rende questo comparto particolarmente vulnerabile alla concorrenza estera, spingendo molte delle imprese nazionali a ritrovare la competitività persa spostando tutti o buona parte dei processi produttivi all’estero, magari attraverso forme di subfornitura a scapito dei partner locali. In alcuni casi alla delocalizzazione si è aggiunta una vera e propria riconversione dell’attività produttiva fino a quel momento svolta nel territorio d’origine . Se da un lato è quindi lecito considerare la delocalizzazione come l’ancora di salvezza di imprese altrimenti destinate all’inevitabile declino, dall’altro è opportuno considerare i possibili cambiamenti che tale processo può generare nel medio periodo, soprattutto se le imprese interessate sono collocate all’interno di un distretto industriale. Il sistema locale del distretto ha proprio nel radicamento territoriale delle imprese e nei rapporti stretti che si instaurano tra queste il suo naturale punto di forza; l’emorragia di fasi produttive generata dalla delocalizzazione può dare il via ad un progressivo trasferimento di risorse e competenze all’esterno del sistema locale, compromettendo la capacità innovativa del distretto e contribuendo al deterioramento del capitale sociale, cioè del patrimonio di conoscenze, relazioni e sinergie che si è sviluppato e accumulato all’interno del territorio (a tal proposito si veda Micuzzi, Nuzzo 2005). La delocalizzazione produttiva che va a sostituire attività inizialmente svolte nel distretto provoca un trasferimento di informazioni e attività relazionali all’esterno di questo, in quanto l’attività manifatturiera cessa di impegnare le unità produttive locali coinvolgendo invece imprese estranee alla realtà del territorio. I legami interni consolidatisi nel tempo vanno così incontro ad una inevitabile rottura generando un diradamento della rete di relazioni locali e la riduzione dell’investimento relazionale da parte delle imprese che delocalizzano, da cui il progressivo deteriorarsi del capitale sociale locale, che nei casi peggiori potrebbe concludersi con il dissolvimento del distretto. Per capitale sociale locale intendiamo l’insieme dei fattori relazionali, quali la fiducia, lo scambio di informazioni, la condivisione di progetti e la cooperazione, sulla base dei quali è costruita la rete di rapporti tra le imprese del distretto e che contribuiscono in modo determinante all’aumento di produttività delle stesse. Per quanto riguarda gli effetti della delocalizzazione sull’occupazione locale, il tanto temuto spiazzamento occupazionale non sembra, almeno per il momento, essersi verificato; ad una iniziale riduzione dell’occupazione operaia, impiegata nell’attività manifatturiera a scarso contenuto di capitale umano, è infatti generalmente seguito un aumento dell’occupazione nelle qualifiche più alte che ha compensato buona parte delle perdite iniziali (Schiattarella, Rossetti 2003, Graziani 2003, Confindustria 2005). Adottando l’approccio proposto da Antoci-Sacco-Vanin (2005), nei paragrafi successivi è sviluppato un modello evolutivo che tenta di mettere in luce i meccanismi di base che conducono le imprese distrettuali a delocalizzare e gli effetti che tale processo ha sull’accumulazione di capitale sociale locale. Il capitale sociale che è la fonte delle economie di localizzazione, è espresso come funzione sia degli investimenti relazionali realizzati da ogni impresa locale che della dimensione della rete di relazioni presente nel distretto. Il modello è sviluppato in tre versioni; per prime si studiano le dinamiche in un contesto strategico dicotomico, in cui le imprese possono decidere se delocalizzare, avendo a disposizione un unico modello di delocalizzazione, o rimanere nel distretto. I modelli di delocalizzazione sono distinti in “delocalizzazione totale” in cui l’impresa trasferisce tutta la propria struttura produttiva al di fuori del distretto, e “delocalizzazione parziale” in cui solo alcune fasi sono delocalizzate. Nell’ultima versione i due modelli di delocalizzazione sono considerati congiuntamente. Dall’analisi del modello, nelle sue differenti versioni, emergono i seguenti risultati: 1) anche se la delocalizzazione è un equilibrio Pareto-dominato, il sistema può tuttavia convergere verso tale equilibrio se il capitale sociale e umano iniziali localizzati nel distretto sono bassi; 2) l’uscita di imprese dal distretto e lo spiazzamento dell’occupazione locale possono essere contrastati attraverso un sistematico upgrading dei processi produttivi; qualora la delocalizzazione interessi una quota consistente dei processi produttivi si può infatti verificare il graduale dissolvimento del distretto (in termini di azzeramento del capitale sociale locale), al quale è possibile rimediare solo attraverso una opportuna riqualificazione del contesto istituzionale locale, l’innalzamento, se praticabile, dei livelli qualitativi della produzione e gli opportuni incentivi all’investimento relazionale da parte delle imprese locali. 3) rendendo il capitale umano endogeno e considerando la delocalizzazione parziale emerge la possibilità che in equilibrio le imprese, nel delocalizzare alcune fasi della produzione, lascino all’interno del distretto quelle a più alta intensità di capitale umano; 4) nella versione completa del modello la delocalizzazione parziale si presenta come uno stato transitorio, che se non sostenuto da un opportuno livello di capitale sociale, può convertirsi in una graduale uscita di tutte le imprese con la conseguente scomparsa del distretto.

The paper presents an application of the chaos theory to tourism, a sector in which operators' choices are particularly elaborate and complex. The dynamics of the tourist industry are, in fact, the result of close interactions between units of production, tourist flows, local authorities and natural resources. These interactions do not necessarily lead to a regular trend in the development of the tourist industry as proposed by Butler; on the contrary, irregularities of various types are very possible. The model microfounds rigorously on both the demand and the supply side. Firms and tourists operate under the hypothesis of limited rationality, the former in an oligopolistic context, the latter on the basis of mechanisms of evolutionary selection. Although not exhaustive, the model forms a theoretical platform that can be easily adapted to hypotheses and situations that differ from those originally hypothesized. As a consequence, this paper presents a series of numerical simulations. The results show the chaotic nature of a tourist flow, which limits the practicability of measures introduced to stabilise the system. In their place, measures are needed that stimulate a continuous reshaping of the system in relation to the factors that tend to change it.

In this paper, we analyze the role of cooperation between firms through a model of growth and social capital. In a growth model à la Solow we incorporate the set of resources that a relational network has at its disposals, as a distinct production factor, and thus examine its dissemination through evolutionary type processes in firm interactions. Dynamic analysis of the model demonstrates that cooperation is able to increase the productivity of factors, fostering a higher rate of growth in the long term. The most significant result is that scarcity of social capital can produce a general collapse of the economic system in areas in which long term growth is usually sustained by the learning by doing and spillover of knowledge phenomena. This conclusion leads to reconsider the role of local development economic policies that should concentrate on activities that promote repeated interaction between firms proven to be cooperative or that encourage the formation of technological consortia. L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore: http://www.mulino.it

Light-emitting objects are perceived as qualitatively different from light-reflecting objects, and the two categories elicit different cortical activity. However, it is unclear whether object luminosity is treated as an independent visual feature, comparable to orientation, motion or colour. Visual search tasks revealed that light-emitting targets led to efficient search when presented with light-reflecting distractors of similar luminance, but this efficiency was induced by the presence of luminance gradients producing the percept of luminosity rather than by luminosity itself. This implies that luminance gradients (not object luminosity) are encoded as features, questioning the existence of specific sensory mechanisms to detect light-emitting objects.

The aim of this work is to provide designers and developers of Web applications with support to obtain systems that are usable for vision-impaired users. To this end, a number of design criteria to improve Web site navigation through screen readers or other similar devices have been defined. A user test by blind and vision-impaired subjects showed that such criteria improve Web site usability both qualitatively and quantitatively. An inspection-based tool has been developed to ease the application of the defined criteria. Its main features are presented in this article along with examples of applications and related discussion.

Is democracy exportable? A present-day political doctrine seems to recommend exporting democracy to those countries where diffused religious and social values do not allow the spontaneous growth of democratic institutions. In this paper we present a model that allows us to study the dynamics induced by the exogenous imposition of democracy, when the society is dominated by antidemocratic preferences. We analyze the dynamics of the distribution of democratic values in a population where agents have heterogeneous preferences about democracy, distinguishing between fundamentalist-antidemocratic agents and democratic agents (implicit references to Moslem societies are pervasive in this paper). Cultural traits and norms are acquired through a process of intergenerational cultural transmission and socialization. The driving force in the equilibrium selection process is the education effort exerted by parents; this depends on the distribution of democratic values in the population and on expectations about future policies affecting formal and informal institutions. The main result is that when fundamentalism is sufficiently diffused in all institutional dimensions of social life, the imposition of formal democratic rules do not significantly affect social preferences. This occurs because the existing democratic types perceive their children’s “conversion” to fundamentalism as less costly than the utility cost perceived by fundamentalist types when their children adopt democratic preferences: so fundamentalists’ education effort dominates the dynamic of preferences. As soon as the exogenous imposition is removed the system will again converge to fundamentalist and antidemocratic institutions. We argue that shortsighted behaviour like this by democratic agents might be strongly correlated to the level of economic development. On the other hand the model shows how a cruel fundamentalist dictatorship can not wholly destroy democratic preferences in the population; the sole result is a fictitious homologation of manifested attitudes, with no preferences dynamics and the previous real attitudes immediately emerging as soon as dictatorship falls. JEL classification: E13; P16 Keywords: Democracy, Cultural change, Formation of Preferences

Tools based on the use of multiple abstraction levels have shown to be a useful solution for developing multi-device interfaces. To obtain general solutions in this area it is important to provide flexible environments with multiple entry points and support for redesigning existing interfaces for different platforms. In general, a one-shot approach can be too limiting. This paper shows how it is possible to support a flexible development cycle with entry points at various abstraction levels and the ability to change the underlying design at intermediate stages. It also shows how redesign from desktop to mobile platforms can be obtained. Such features have recently been implemented in a new version of the TERESA tool.

L’approccio tradizionale allo studio della corruzione considera questo fenomeno la diretta conseguenza degli incentivi forniti da norme e vincoli formali agli agenti economici. Il modello sviluppato in questo articolo cerca di evidenziare i limiti di questo approccio, ridimensionando l’importanza delle riforme istituzionali nella lotta alla corruzione ed enfatizzando invece la centralità del ruolo svolto dalla natura delle preferenze sociali nell’affermazione di equilibri senza corruzione. La struttura del modello è quella di un gioco ad informazione incompleta in cui burocrate e utente si trovano a decidere se agire onestamente o illegalmente. Le preferenze dei due agenti sono distinte in base al grado di avversione alla corruzione che li rende più o meno favorevoli alla realizzazione di transazioni illegali. Ogni equilibrio è associato ad una particolare struttura dei costi della corruzione indicativa dello stato d’efficienza delle istituzioni. Miglioramenti istituzionali quindi possono produrre mutamenti nella struttura dei costi e degli incentivi alla corruzione, facilitando il passaggio ad equilibri in cui la strategia dominante è l’onestà. La logica istituzionalista tuttavia incontra seri ostacoli di applicazione; la riforma delle norme, che consentirebbe la riduzione dei livelli di corruzione, comporta costi di natura economica e politica, che nella maggioranza dei casi impediscono o rallentano il necessario cambiamento. La simulazione del modello sembra rivelare come in questi casi l’alternativa più efficace sia quella di un miglioramento strutturale delle preferenze della popolazione, attraverso campagne di sensibilizzazione. A parità di assetto istituzionale, infatti, una maggiore avversione alla corruzione aumenta la consapevolezza del danno sociale da essa arrecato, facilitando il passaggio ad equilibri senza corruzione. Effetti diametralmente opposti si producono se l’intervento punta ad un esclusivo miglioramento delle preferenze a livello burocratico. In questi casi, l’aumento della proporzione di burocrati avversi alla corruzione non riduce il loro potere decisionale e facilita il passaggio ad equilibri di “high bribery” dove gli utenti offrono tangenti relativamente più alte, permettendo ai burocrati di coprire anche i costi morali. Quando la corruzione è “istituzionalizzata”, quindi, il miglioramento delle preferenze a livello burocratico non produce una significativa riduzione dei livelli di corruzione.

A perpetual scarcity of public goods/services produces distortions of an individual’s attitudes towards the cost of bureaucratic procedures: even if bureaucracy is not cumbersome, poverty induces people to perceive honesty as too expensive and to prefer illegal payments because they cannot completely satisfy their needs by following the legal bureaucratic procedures. So traditional anticorruption measures such as the increase in corruption costs or the organization of public education campaigns would not permanently reduce corruption levels if poverty remains diffused. Using an overlapping generation model based on a mechanism of cultural transmission, we study the evolution both of social attidudes towards bureaucratic corruption and the institutional framework. Theoretical analysis displays how in poorer countries corruption appears to be a permanent state; institutional reforms are blocked and the only relevant anticorruption intervention consists in public education campaigns. However, also in this case, we simply obtain a temporary reduction of corruption. We call this situation “the corruption trap” because the preferences of population always converge to equilibria with a very high proportion of corrupt agents and honesty is only a temporary state due to anticorruption measures. Similar situations could be observed in developed countries with high levels of corruption owing to unexpected institutional shoks. Finally, we empirically corroborate the model’s implications in a cross-country framework, using both corruption indices and a new data-set which measures the population’s expectation of future corruption for each country.

The aim of this work is to provide designers and developers of Web applications with support to obtain systems that are usable for vision-impaired users. To this end, we have defined a number of design criteria to improve Web site navigation through screen readers or other similar devices. A test of navigation by blind and vision-impaired subjects showed that our criteria improved Web site usability both qualitatively and quantitatively. Subsequently, an inspection-based tool was developed to ease application of such criteria. Its main features are presented along with a discussion of some of the first application results.

The aim of this work is to provide designers and developers of Web applications with support to obtain systems that are usable for vision-impaired users. To this end, we have defined a number of design criteria to improve Web site navigation through screen readers or other similar devices. A navigation test by blind and vision-impaired subjects showed that our criteria improved Web site usability both qualitatively and quantitatively. An inspection-based tool has been developed to ease application of such criteria. Its main features are presented along with a discussion of some application results.

The ever-increasing availability of new types of devices raises a number of issues for user interface designers and interactive software developers. We have designed and developed a model-based authoring environment (TERESA), which provides support when designing and developing interfaces accessible through various device types in Web-based environment.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of XML languages to support the TERESA tool. This is a tool for model-based design of multi-device interfaces. It considers three levels of abstractions (task model, abstract user interface and concrete user interface). For each of them a specific language has been defined and used. In addition, since the lowest abstract level (the concrete interface) is platform-dependent, there are different variants for each platform considered.

Amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal cells (AMCs) are considered suitable candidates for a variety of cell-based applications. In view of cell therapy application in uterine pathologies, we studied AMCs in comparison to cells isolated from the endometrium of mares at diestrus (EDCs) being the endometrium during diestrus and early pregnancy similar from a hormonal standpoint. In particular, we demonstrated that amnion tissue fragments (AM) shares the same transcriptional profile with endometrial tissue fragments (ED), expressing genes involved in early pregnancy (AbdB-like Hoxa genes), pre-implantantion conceptus development (Erα, PR, PGRMC1 and mPR) and their regulators (Wnt7a, Wnt4a). Soon after the isolation, only AMCs express Wnt4a and Wnt7a. Interestingly, the expression levels of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) were found greater in AM and AMCs than their endometrial counterparts thus confirming the role of AMCs as mediators of inflammation. The expression of nuclear progesterone receptor (PR), membrane-bound intracellular progesterone receptor component 1 (PGRMC1) and membrane-bound intracellular progesterone receptor (mPR), known to lead to improved endometrial receptivity, was maintained in AMCs over 5 passages in vitro when the media was supplemented with progesterone. To further explore the potential of AMCs in endometrial regeneration, their capacity to support resident cell proliferation was assessed by co-culturing them with EDCs in a transwell system or culturing in the presence of AMC-conditioned medium (AMC-CM). A significant increase in EDC proliferation rate exhibited the crucial role of soluble factors as mediators of stem cells action. The present investigation revealed that AMCs, as well as their derived conditioned media, have the potential to improve endometrial cell replenishment when low proliferation is associated to pregnancy failure. These findings make AMCs suitable candidates for the treatment of endometrosis in mares.

The distribution and the pharmacological properties of the binding of the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist [3H]-Ro 15–1788 (8-fluoro-3-carboethoxy-5,6-dihydro-5-methyl-6-oxo-4H imidazol [1,5-a] 1,4 benzodiazepine) were compared in some brain membranes of the saltwater teleost fish, Mullus surmuletus: only a single population of [3H]-Ro 15–1788 binding sites was detected. The binding was saturable and reversible with a high affinity, revealing a significant population of binding sites (Kd value of 2.1 ± 0.2 nM and Bmax value of 1400-900 fmol mg−1 of protein, depending on fish length). The highest concentration of benzodiazepine recognition sites labelled with [3H]-Ro 15–1788 was present in the optic lobe and the olfactory bulb and the lowest concentration was found in the medulla oblongata, cerebellum and spinal cord. In order to explore behavioural selectivity as a consequence of multiple receptor subtypes, six benzodiazepine receptor ligands, flunitrazepam (5-(2-fluoro-phenyl)-1,3,dihydro-1-methyl-7-nitro-2H-1,4-benzodiazepine-2-one), alpidem, (N,N-dipropyl-6-chloro-2-(4-chlorophenyl) imidazo [1,2-a] pyridine-3-acetamide) zolpidem {N,N,6, trimethyl-2-(4-methyl-phenyl) imidazo [1,2-a] pyridine-3-acetamide hemitartrate}, methyl β carboline-3-carboxylate (βCCM), Ro 15–1788 and Ro 5–4864 (4′-chlorodiazepam), were tested in vitro by binding of [3H]-Ro 15–1788 to membrane preparations from various brain areas of Mullus surmuletus. Displacement studies showed a similar rank order of efficacy of various unlabelled ligands. In all regions of the brain and in the spinal cord, GABA potentiate [3H]-flunitrazepam binding in a similar order, suggesting that the BDZ recognition sites are part of the GABAA receptor structure. These results suggest that central-type benzodiazepine receptors are present in one class of benzodiazepine binding sites in the saltwater teleost fish brain of Mullus surmuletus (type I-like). Here we report initial evidence of homogeneity of subtypes of central benzodiazepine receptors in the spinal cord of the saltwater teleost fish, Mullus surmuletus.

Lipid-protein interactions are regarded as one of the key factors in several biophysical relevant processes. In the present work, we studied the influence of Cytochrome-c (Cyto-c) on unilamellar vesicles composed by mixing an anionic lipid (the 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol, POPG, or the cardiolipin, CL) with the zwitterionic lipid 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), by means of small-angle X-ray scattering. Cyto-c is a component of the electron transport chain, where it has a pivotal role in transferring electrons in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM), which is composed of a significant amount of anionic lipids. CL is a structurally unique anionic phospholipid, containing two phosphatidylglycerol groups and four acyl chains and it is found predominantly in the IMM. The interaction of Cyto-c and CL-containing mixed vesicles has been extensively studied, and it is appointed as the major responsible for the role of Cyto-c in the cell respiration and also in the cell programmed death (apoptosis), as recently evidenced. Present results show that, in the absence of anionic lipids, Cyto-c is not able to change the structural features of POPC unilamellar vesicles. In the mixed systems, however, Cyto-c induces the formation of a multilamellar vesicles, with a bilayer-bilayer repetition distance of 11 nm, circa 4 nm larger than the staking of POPC multilamellar vesicles. This information indicates that Cyto-c, a globular protein with 3.0 nm of diameter, is probably located among the bilayers. Furthermore, such effect takes place as soon as Cyto-c is mixed in the system, as confirmed by absorption spectroscopy. The time-evolution of such process was also investigated and, interestingly, it is faster in POPG-containing vesicles than in the CL ones. Moreover, the number of staked bilayers is larger in the POPG systems.