Alessandra Devoto

Young novice driver subtypes: Relationship to driving violations, errors and lapses

The present study aimed to identify, in a large Italian sample of young, novice drivers, specific subtypes of drivers on the basis of combinations of self-reported personality traits (i.e., driving anger, anxiety, angry hostility, excitement-seeking, altruism, normlessness and driving locus of control) and to evaluate their high-risk driving behaviors not only in terms of traffic rule violations and risk-taking behaviors, but also in terms of driving errors and lapses as measured by the Manchester Driver Behavior Questionnaire. Participants were 1008 high school students between the ages of 18 and 23 years, with valid drivers licenses. On the basis of a cluster analysis of the personality variables, three easily interpretable driver subgroups were identified (risky drivers, worried drivers and careful drivers) that differed on self-reported accident involvement, attitudes toward traffic safety and risk perception, as well as on driving violations, errors, and lapses. The inclusion of internal and external driving locus of control, variables not previously considered in similar cluster studies, provided a relevant contribution to the final cluster solution. Further, the use of the Driving Behavior Questionnaire permitted the differentiation between deliberate deviations from safe driving practices and mistakes due to misjudgments or lapses in attention. This distinction was critical for understanding the behavior of each of the three identified subgroups of drivers, and for planning interventions to promote safe driving.

The promoter of a gene encoding a polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein of Phaseolus vulgaris L. is activated by wounding but not by elicitors or pathogen infection

Abstract. Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs), leucine-rich repeat (LRR) proteins evolutionarily related to several plant resistance genes, bind to and regulate the action of fungal endopolygalacturonases. In Phaseolus vulgaris L., PGIPs are encoded by a gene family comprising at least five members. As a start for a systematic analysis of the regulation of the pgip family, we have analysed the ability of the promoter of the bean gene pgip-1 to direct expression of β-glucuronidase (GUS) in transfected tobacco protoplasts, microbombarded bean and tobacco leaves, and transgenic tobacco plants. In protoplasts, the pgip-1 gene region from nucleotide (nt) −2004 to nt +27 directed a level of expression that was as high as that directed by the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter and could not be further induced by elicitor treatment; alteration of the region immediately following the TATAA sequence at nt −29 abolished expression. Upon stable integration into tobacco plants of the pgip-1 promoter-GUS construct, as well as of a −394 deletion, expression was detected for both constructs mainly in the stigma and, to a lesser extent, in the anthers and in the conductive vascular tissue. The promoter responded to wounding but not to oligogalacturonides, fungal glucan, salicylic acid, cryptogein, or pathogen infection. This expression pattern does not mirror that of the whole pgip gene family.

P300 amplitude in subjects with primary insomnia is modulated by their sleep quality

OBJECTIVE The hyperarousal hypothesis is evaluated while controlling the influence of the quality of sleep in the night preceding the evaluation. METHOD Eleven primary insomniacs and 11 healthy age matched controls participated to the study. Participants filled in 2 weeks of sleep logs and self-monitored their subjective tension the evening before and the morning after each night. Afterwards, subjects were called in to the Lab for a recording session of the P300 ERP (oddball paradigm) once after a night of bad sleep quality (N-) and once after a night of good sleep quality (N+). RESULTS The main result of the present study indicated that the P300 amplitude at Fz in insomniacs resulted higher following a N- and lower following a N+ with respect to controls. CONCLUSIONS This result suggests that cortical hyperarousal in primary insomniacs is not a stable individual characteristic, but is associated with the poor quality of their nocturnal sleep.

Developmental and pathogen-induced accumulation of transcripts of polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein in Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Abstract. Expression of the polygalacturonase-inhibiting-protein gene ( pgip) during development of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Red Kidney) was analysed in various organs, including leaves, stems and roots of etiolated and light-grown seedlings, light-grown adult plants, as well as flowers, pods, and seeds. In light-grown seedlings and plants, pgip transcripts were detected in all tissues examined, with higher levels found in the transition zone between the elongating and mature region of young hypocotyls, and in the basal region of the stem of adult plants. In etiolated hypocotyls, levels of pgip transcripts in the elongating region were five- to six fold higher than in light-grown hypocotyls. High levels of transcripts were also observed in pods. Accumulation of pgip mRNA was also followed in both compatible and incompatible race-cultivar interactions between Colletotrichum lindemuthianum races α and γ, respectively, and P. vulgaris by Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridisation. In situ experiments showed, in incompatible interactions, a rapid, intense and transient accumulation of pgip mRNA in epidermal cells proximal to the site of infection, and, less intense, within the cortical parenchyma underneath. In compatible interactions, no substantial accumulation of pgip mRNA was observed in hypocotyls; a very weak accumulation was observed in leaves during lesion formation.

Rapid eye movements density as a measure of sleep need: REM density decreases linearly with the reduction of prior sleep duration

In the recovery nights from total and partial sleep deprivation there is a reduction of oculomotor activity during paradoxical sleep as compared to baseline nights. Aims of the present within-subjects study are to contribute in understanding the nature of the relationship between REM density and sleep need and to evaluate whether an inverse relationship exists between REM density and slow wave sleep (SWS) amount. Six healthy subjects were studied for 7 consecutive weeks with standard polysomnographic recordings. Variations in REM density were assessed in the recovery nights following a gradual sleep restriction, obtained by postponing the sleep onset time while maintaining the final awakening time constant. Results indicate that sleep curtailment decreases REM density in the ensuing recovery nights; the decrease is linearly related to the amount of sleep curtailment. The decrease in REM density parallels an increase in SWS, while no corresponding variation was found neither in the duration of paradoxical sleep nor in the latency of any other sleep stage. These results suggest that REM density could be used as a measure of sleep need.

Oculomotor changes are associated to daytime sleepiness in the multiple sleep latency test

Sleep onsets in the diurnal multiple sleep latency test (MSLT), following different sleep lengths of the preceding night sleep (8, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 h) and following the corresponding recovery nights, were considered for a study on changes of oculomotor activity during sleep onset. The study aimed to assess the individual time course in spontaneous blinks (SBs) and slow eye movements (SEMs) during the sleep onset period and also the relationship with sleep latencies in the MSLT. Group analyses compared oculomotor changes between conditions characterized by a different level of daytime sleepiness. The results show a clear inverse relation between the two oculomotor measures, with a linear SB decrease and quadratic SEM increase across the wake–sleep transition. A 150 s sample of SB and SEM activity at the start of MSLT trials correlates with individual subsequent sleep latency. Finally, mean changes in daytime sleepiness as measured by the MSLT are paralleled by coherent oculomotor changes, with a significant linear decrease of SB as sleepiness increases as a consequence of previous sleep reduction. Both individual and group results show that endogenous blinking is associated with moderate changes in daytime sleepiness.

The Interaction between Fungal Endopolygalacturonase and Plant Cell Wall Pgip (Polygalacturonase-Inhibiting Protein)

The characterization of the genes encoding the endopolygalacturonase of Fusariwm moniliforme and the PGIP of Phaseolus vulgaris is reported. Studies on the regulation of the genes are also described. A model of the involvement of polygalacturonase and PGIP in resistance of plants to fungi is presented.

The role of polygalacturonase, PGIP and pectin oligomers in fungal infection

Abstract The interaction between fungal endopolygalacturonases and a plant cell wall PGIP (PolyGalacturonase-Inhibiting Protein) in plant-pathogen recognition is being investigated. This protein-protein interaction has been shown to favour the formation of oligogalacturonides able to elicit plant defense responses. A single mutation in the endo polygalacturonase gene of Fusarium moniliforme abolishes the hydrolytic activity but does not affect the elicitor activity of the enzyme and its ability to interact with PGIP. Accumulation of pgip mRNA in different race-cultivar interactions (either compatible or incompatible) between Colletotrichum lindemuthianum and Phaseolus vulgaris has been followed by Northern blot and in situ hybridisation analyses. Rapid accumulation of pgip mRNA correlates with the appearance of the hypersensitive response in incompatible interactions, while a more delayed increase, coincident with the onset of lesion formation, occurs in compatible interactions. PGIP exhibits a modular structure: its amino acid sequence can be divided into a set of 10.5 leucine-rich tandemly repeated units (LRR=leucinerich repeats), each derived from modifications of a 24-amino acid peptide. A LRR structure has been observed in several proteins implicated in protein-protein interactions and in the extracellular domain of a cloned Arabidopsis receptor-like protein kinase (RLK5); a LRR structure has also been observed in the products of several resistance genes recently cloned. A plasma membrane-associated high molecular weight protein cross-reacting with an antibody prepared agaist PGIP is being purified in our laboratory. We suggest that PGIP may belong to a class of receptor complexes specialized for defense against microbes.

Actigraphic Sleep Pattern of Preschoolers With ADHD

Objective: To assess the features of sleep in preschoolers with ADHD by means of questionnaire and actigraphy. Method: Twenty-five ADHD and 21 age-matched typically developing (TD) preschool children underwent the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for ages 1½ to 5 and Pre-School-Age Psychiatric Assessment interview. Sleep was assessed by means of a modified Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children and wrist actigraphy for at least 5 days. Results: Children with ADHD, compared with TD, showed higher scores in CBCL Withdrawal (58.83 vs. 51.15, p < .0001), Attention Problems (69.88 vs. 51.54, p < .0001), and Aggressive Behavior (59.46 vs. 51.08, p < .0001) dimensions; they also showed increased actigraphic nocturnal activity (activity index 31.57 vs. 25.74, p < .05); and night-to-night variability for sleep minutes (56.44 vs. 32.79, p < .01), mean wake episodes (1.34 vs. 0.98, p < .05), mean activity (2.64 vs. 1.71, p < .05), and activity index (5.15 vs. 3.77, p < .05). Conclusion: This pilot study in preschoolers with ADHD showed increased motor activity during sleep and night-to-night variability for sleep duration and motor activity.

Molecular Analysis of the Polygalacturonase-Inhibiting Protein (PGIP) Gene Family in Phaseolus Vulgaris L.

In Phaseolus vulgaris (bean), PGIP is encoded by a gene family. We have isolated cDNA clones corresponding to two different pgip genes (pgip-1 and pgip-2). These genes have been separately expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana using the potato virus X (PVX) as a vector. PGIP-1 and PGIP-2 in crude protein extracts of PVX-infected TV. benthamiana, and a PGIP-1 purified from transgenic tomato plants carrying the pgip-1 coding sequence under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter, have been assayed for specificity of interaction with several fungal PGs. PGIP-1 from both plant sources exhibited a similar specificity, which was different from that of PGIP-2 and of the bulk PGIP purified from bean. Notably, PGIP-1 was unable to interact with homogeneous PG from Fusarium moniliforme, as determined by surface plasmon resonance analysis, while PGIP-2 and the bulk bean PGIP interacted with this enzyme.