Direct measurements of infrared budget and meteorological parameters at sea were carried out in the western Mediterranean Sea during different seasons in the years 1989-1992. The spatial and time distribution of this data set allows us to perform an exhaustive test on the most widely used infrared budget bulk formulas. An underestimation of about 30 W/m 2 is systematically observed, confirming previous results obtained by a limited data set. This discrepancy is independent of the time of the year and location of measurements, indicating an inability of the bulk formulas to reproduce the infrared Mediterranean budget. The completeness of the data set enables us to determine a new relation between infrared budget and meteorological parameters. Alternative expressions, to be used accordingly with the available data sets, are presented here.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) inhibit HIV-1 expression by either modulating host innate immunity or by directly interfering with viral mRNAs. We evaluated the expression of 377 miRNAs in CD4 ؉ T cells from HIV-1 é lite long-term nonprogressors (é LTNPs), naive patients, and multiply exposed uninfected (MEU) patients, and we observed that the é LTNP patients clustered with naive patients, whereas all MEU subjects grouped together. The discriminatory power of miRNAs showed that 21 miRNAs significantly differentiated é LTNP from MEU patients and 23 miRNAs distinguished naive from MEU patients, whereas only 1 miRNA (miR-155) discriminated é LTNP from naive patients. We proposed that miRNA expression may discriminate between HIV-1-infected and -exposed but negative patients. Analysis of miRNAs expression after exposure of healthy CD4 ؉ T cells to gp120 in vitro confirmed our hypothesis that a miRNA profile could be the result not only of a productive infection but also of the exposure to HIV-1 products that leave a signature in immune cells. The comparison of normalized Dicer and Drosha expression in ex vivo and in vitro condition revealed that these enzymes did not affect the change of miRNA profiles, supporting the existence of a Dicer-independent biogenesis pathway. (Blood. 2012;119(26):6259-6267)

The objective of this work is to gain new insight on the variability and offshore export of turbid coastal waters in the Adriatic Sea, which are optically classified as Case 2 waters. This is done by means of the 1998–2004 SeaWiFS ocean color products (chlorophyll, Case 2 flags and light attenuation coefficient at 490 nm, k490) and NOAA AVHRR sea surface temperature. The role of wind‐driven circulation in the redistribution of the above ocean color features is also analyzed both at seasonal and interannual time scales and in the light of particular wind and current situations occurring in 2003, via scatterometer wind data as well as atmospheric and marine circulation medium and high resolution model output. Results indicate that turbid (Case 2) waters are exported offshore at the Po delta and Ancona headland during the colder months, in concomitance of Bora wind events and when the 2003 daily Po river discharge is above about 500 m3 s−1 and 1000 m3 s−1, respectively. Southeasterly Sirocco events do not to originate extensive offshore transport, but only locally modify the shape of the WAC front. Mistral episodes enhance the WAC flow into the Ionian Sea. Finally, estimates of coastal current width and length from Case 2 flag distribution follow the Po discharge pattern, confirming this forcing to be the main responsible for WAC width seasonal modulation. Experimental WAC widths agree reasonably with theoretical analyses, while underestimation of WAC length suggests the necessity to include the other Italian rivers in the freshwater discharge evaluation.

N18TG2 neuroblastoma clone is defective for biosynthetic neurotransmitter enzymes; its inability to establish functional synapses is overcome in the neuroblastoma X glioma 108CC15, where acetylcholine synthesis is also activated. These observations suggest a possible relation between the ability to produce acetylcholine and the capability to advance in the differentiation program and achieve a fully differentiated state. Here, we report the characterization of several clones after transfection of N18TG2 cells with a construct containing a cDNA for rat choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). The ability of these clones to synthesize acetylcholine is demonstrated by HPLC determination on cellular extracts. In the transfected clones, northern blot analysis shows increased expression of mRNAs for a specific neuronal protein associated with synaptic vesicles, synapsin I. Fiber outgrowth of transfected clones is also evaluated to establish whether there is any relation between ChAT levels and morphological differentiation. This analysis shows that the transfected clone 1/2, not expressing ChAT activity, displays a very immature morphology, and its ability to extend fibers also remains rather poor in the presence of "differentiation" agents such as retinoic acid. In contrast, clones 2/4, 3/1, and 3/2, exhibiting high ChAT levels, display higher fiber outgrowth compared with clone 1/2 in both the absence and the presence of differentiating agents.

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