El entrelazamiento cuántico: una nueva fuente de creación artística

Since 1935, with the discovery of the phenomenon of quantum entanglement, unresolved questions and postulates have been generated, which have dismantled the basis of classical physics. Based on the reciprocal behavior of certain particles regardless of their distance, the existence of a state with a single-wave competence is assumed for the entire system, forcing us to accept new concepts such as non-locality and non-separability. Nowadays, creators are increasingly approaching the analysis of entanglement from different media, as a new source of inspiration and artistic research. In fact, the artistic platform is considered as a resource to spread this phenomenon, along with its theories and mysteries, familiarizing the viewer in one of the most defining manifestations for the progress of humanity.Desde el descubrimiento en 1935 del fenómeno del entrelazamiento cuántico, se han generado interrogantes y postulados que están sin resolver, pero que han desmantelado las bases de la física clásica. Tomando como base el comportamiento recíproco de determinadas partículas, independientemente de su distancia, se asume la existencia de un estado con una competencia de onda única para todo el sistema, lo que obliga a aceptar nuevos conceptos como la no localidad y la no separabilidad. En la actualidad son cada vez más los creadores que desde diferentes soportes y medios se han acercado al análisis del entrelazamiento como una nueva fuente de inspiración e investigación artística. De hecho, se plantea la plataforma artística como un recurso para divulgar este fenómeno, junto con sus teorías y misterios, familiarizando al espectador con una de las manifestaciones más definitorias para el progreso de la humanidad

Reticulon Homology Domain Containing Protein Families of the Endoplasmic Reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the largest membrane bound organelle in a cell and has multiple responsibilities. Execution of the various duties performed by the ER requires it to be shaped in a rather complex and intricate manner. ER’s two major structural motives, namely sheets and tubules, play very complex yet not fully understood role in giving ER its overall structure and function. The ratio of sheet and tubule conformations differ significantly within cell types and during cell cycle. Such a balance is possible only with a well-functioning set of factors that constantly communicate with each other throughout a cell cycle. These factors are specifically responsible for either shaping the ER sheets or tubules in addition to factors that keep the dynamic nature of the ER sound. During mitosis, ER undergoes a major transformation in its structure, where the sheet-tubule ratio shifts more towards tubules. Specific factors keep this process sound by acting actively during the stage of mitosis for proper cell division to occur. Although research on such factors are still on-going, many in-depth details on such factors (e.g. their precise localization) and their mechanism of action plus novel factors for ER shaping still needs to be resolved using techniques involving high end light and electron microscopy. In addition, a constant battle in data analysis for answering key questions also persists. Development of tools to study and analyse data on the lines of image analysis and processing is an unmet need that needs simultaneous attention. The research in this thesis focuses on three family of proteins that we uncover as responsible candidates in shaping the ER. To aid the study, this thesis also discusses the development of a software platform for analysis of microscopic data generated during this study. In this research, Reticulon family of proteins (RTN) were characterised using high-end microscopic techniques. We showed RTN4A and RTN4B to localize to ER tubules and sheet edges using pre-embedding immuno electron microscopy (immuno-EM) and electron tomography. Using qPCR, RTN4A and RTN4B were observed to be the most expressed isoforms in neurons and epithelial cells respectively. FAM134C, a poorly characterised protein was identified as one of the RTN4B interacting proteins. FAM134C localised to the ER where it specifically resided at high curvature ER (sheet edges and tubules) similar to RTN4B. FAM134C, similar to the RTN4B also had the capability to promote ER tubules upon overexpression. In addition, another family of proteins belonging to receptor expression enhancing protein (REEP), namely REEP3 and REEP4 were studied for shaping ER during mitotic stage of cell cycle. REEP3 and REEP4 collectively were observed both in tubulating peripheral ER during mitosis and clearing tubular ER from the chromatin for a normal mitosis to take place. Collectively, this work elaborates on proteins belonging to three classes that shape and position the ER specifically either in interphase or during stages of cell division. Our findings also throws light on the role of different domains in each of these proteins such as the reticulon homology domain (RHD) that was observed to be present in all these proteins under study. The RHD previously known for inserting partially and unsymmetrically in the outer leaflet of the ER gives a strong indication for proteins like RTN4B and FAM134C to localize to ER thus tubulating ER upon overexpression conditions. We uncovered the RHD’s crucial role in ER shaping and positioning in REEP3/4 during mitosis.Endoplasma- eli solulimakalvosto (engl. endoplasmic reticulum, ER) on solun suurin kalvon rajoittama organelli, ja sillä on useita tehtäviä. Pystyäkseen suoriutumaan eri tehtävistään ER:n rakenne on monimuotoinen ja alati muuntautuva. ER:n päärakenteet, laatat ja tubulukset, muodostavat monimutkaisen verkoston, eikä niiden kaikkia toimintoja täysin vielä tunneta. Laattojen ja tubulusten määrällinen suhde on erilainen eri solutyypeissä ja solusyklin vaiheissa. ER:n toimivan tasapainon saavuttamiseksi tarvitaan useita tekijöitä, jotka ovat vuorovaikutuksessa keskenään koko solusyklin ajan. Osa näistä tekijöistä osallistuu ER:n rakenteen muokkaamiseen ja osa on vastuussa ER:n dynaamisesta luonteesta. Solunjakautumisen aikana ER:n rakenne muuttuu, ja tubulaarisia rakenteita muodostuu suhteellisesti enemmän. Eri tekijät toimivat aktiivisesti solunjakautumisen eri vaiheissa mahdollistaen näin solujen jakautumisen. Nämä tekijät ovat edelleen tutkimuksen kohteena, ja yksityiskohtien esim. tarkan paikantumisen ja toimintamekanismin selvittämiseksi sekä vielä tuntemattomien, ER:n rakenteeseen vaikuttavien tekijöiden löytämiseksi, on käytettävä kehittyneitä tekniikoita kuten valo- ja elektronimikroskopiaa. Myös tietoaineiston analysoinnin täytyy edelleen kehittyä pystyäksemme vastaamaan tärkeisiin kysymyksiin, ja sen vuoksi sekä kuvankäsittelyyn että kuvien analysointiin tarvittavien ohjelmien kehittämiseen on kiinnitettävä erityistä huomiota. Tässä väitöskirjatutkimuksessa tutkittiin kolmea proteiiniperhettä, joiden osoitettiin vaikuttavan ER:n rakenteeseen. Tutkimuksen aikana otettujen mikroskooppikuvien analysointi oli tämän tutkimuksen kannalta oleellista ja tästä johtuen työssä käsitellään myös kuvankäsittelyohjelmiston kehittämistä. Tässä väitöskirjatutkimuksessa karakterisoitiin Reticulon-proteiineja (RTN) uusilla, kehittyneillä mikroskooppisilla tekniikoilla. Immuunielektronimikroskopialla ja elektronitomografialla osoitettiin RTN4A:n ja RTN4B:n paikallistuvan ER:n tubuluksiin ja laattojen reunoille. Kvantitatiivisella polymeraasiketjureaktiolla pystyttiin osoittamaan, että RTN4A on eniten ilmennetty muunnos hermosoluissa ja RTN4B vastaavasti pintakudossoluissa. Vähän tutkittu proteiini, FAM134C, tunnistettiin yhdeksi RTN4B:n kanssa vuorovaikutuksessa olevista proteiineista ja se paikallistettiin samankaltaisiin ER:n rakenteisiin kuin RTN4B (laattojen reunat ja tubulukset). FAM134C:n ja RTN4B:n ylituotto aikaansai tubulaaristen rakenteiden muodostamista. Lisäksi, ER:n rakenneproteiiniryhmän REEP (engl. receptor expression enhancing protein) proteiinien REEP3 ja REEP4 vaikutusta ER:n rakenteeseen tutkittiin solunjakautumisvaiheen aikana. Solunjakautumisvaiheessa REEP3 ja REEP4 paikallistettiin tubulaariseen, perifeeraaliseen ER:ään. Nämä proteiinit tarvittiin myös tubulaarisen ER:n irrottamiseksi kromatiinista normaalin solunjakautumisen aikaansaamiseksi. Tämä tutkimus syventää tietoja kolmen ER:ä muokkaavan proteiiniperheen proteiineista ja niiden paikallistumisesta ja vaikutuksista ER:n rakenteeseen niin kasvuvaiheessa kuin solunjakautumisen eri vaiheissa. Tulokset antavat myös lisätietoa eri domeenien rooleista näissä proteiineissa, esim. retikulonihomologia-domeenista (RHD), jonka löydettiin kaikista näistä proteiineista. RHD:n tiedetään olevan osittain kaksoiskalvorakenteen sisällä ja siten aiheuttavan kalvojen kaarevoitumista: tämä havaittiin myös ER:n tubuloitumisena ylituotettaessa RTN4B:tä tai FAM134C:tä. Tutkimuksen mukaan RHD:lla oli ratkaiseva rooli ER:n REEP 3/4 rakenneproteiinien toiminnassa solunjakautumisen aikana

The ELIXIR Human Copy Number Variations Community:building bioinformatics infrastructure for research

Copy number variations (CNVs) are major causative contributors both in the genesis of genetic diseases and human neoplasias. While 'High-Throughput' sequencing technologies are increasingly becoming the primary choice for genomic screening analysis, their ability to efficiently detect CNVs is still heterogeneous and remains to be developed. The aim of this white paper is to provide a guiding framework for the future contributions of ELIXIR's recently established h uman CNV Community, with implications beyond human disease diagnostics and population genomics. This white paper is the direct result of a strategy meeting that took place in September 2018 in Hinxton (UK) and involved representatives of 11 ELIXIR Nodes. The meeting led to the definition of priority objectives and tasks, to address a wide range of CNV-related challenges ranging from detection and interpretation to sharing and training. Here, we provide suggestions on how to align these tasks within the ELIXIR Platforms strategy, and on how to frame the activities of this new ELIXIR Community in the international context

Adapted Living Environment Lessons to Support All Students: A toolkit of strategies and scaffolds for teaching science to students with learning disabilities in an inclusive setting

Students with disabilities continue to lag behind their non-disabled peers in academic achievement. Continued support is required to help them bridge this gap, and realize academic success. Increasingly, students with mild to moderate disabilities are spending the majority of their school day mainstreamed into integrated, inclusive classes. While there are potential benefits for all parties to this arrangement, it can present challenges to the educator trying to balance multiple interest levels, learning styles and ability levels in the same classroom. The vast majority of special education students don’t require classroom modifications, or changes to the content delivered or expectations; but many do need accommodations or adaptations, changes to how material is learned. This project reviews available literature to determine the most successful accommodations for helping special education students be successful in inclusive science classes, and investigates how the principles of universal design can be utilized to apply suggested strategies to lessons for all students. The final project includes sample lessons and activities illustrating the use of the most recommended strategies for accommodating special educations students in a high school living environment class unit on cells and genetics. There is a special focus on active learning and hands on activities

International Guidelines for Veterinary Tumor Pathology: A Call to Action

Standardization of tumor assessment lays the foundation for validation of grading systems, permits reproducibility of oncologic studies among investigators, and increases confidence in the significance of study results. Currently, there is minimal methodological standardization for assessing tumors in veterinary medicine, with few attempts to validate published protocols and grading schemes. The current article attempts to address these shortcomings by providing standard guidelines for tumor assessment parameters and protocols for evaluating specific tumor types. More detailed information is available in the Supplemental Files, the intention of which is 2-fold: publication as part of this commentary, but more importantly, these will be available as “living documents” on a website (www.vetcancerprotocols.org), which will be updated as new information is presented in the peer-reviewed literature. Our hope is that veterinary pathologists will agree that this initiative is needed, and will contribute to and utilize this information for routine diagnostic work and oncologic studies. Journal editors and reviewers can utilize checklists to ensure publications include sufficient detail and standardized methods of tumor assessment. To maintain the relevance of the guidelines and protocols, it is critical that the information is periodically updated and revised as new studies are published and validated with the intent of providing a repository of this information. Our hope is that this initiative (a continuation of efforts published in this journal in 2011) will facilitate collaboration and reproducibility between pathologists and institutions, increase case numbers, and strengthen clinical research findings, thus ensuring continued progress in veterinary oncologic pathology and improving patient care

Evolutionary Spectra Estimation of Field Measurement Typhoon Processes Using Wavelets

This paper presents a wavelet-based method for estimating evolutionary power spectral density (EPSD) of nonstationary stochastic oscillatory processes and its application to field measured typhoon processes. The EPSD, which is deduced in a closed form based on the definition of the EPSD and the algorithm of the continuous wavelet transform, can be formulated as a sum of squared moduli of the wavelet functions in time domain modulated by frequency-dependent coefficients that relate to the squared values of wavelet coefficients and two wavelet functions with different time shifts. A parametric study is conducted to examine the efficacy of the wavelet-based estimation method and the accuracy of different wavelets. The results indicate that all of the estimated EPSDs have acceptable accuracy in engineering application and the Morlet transform can provide desirable estimations in both time and frequency domains. Finally, the proposed method is adopted to investigate the time-frequency characteristics of the Typhoon Matsa measured in bridge site. The nonstationary energy distribution and stationary frequency component during the whole process are found. The work in this paper may promote an improved understanding of the nonstationary features of typhoon winds

The comparative cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of hexavalent chromium in humans and sea turtles.

Monitoring the health effects of environmental contaminants can be achieved using sentinel species as models. Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are an endangered marine species that may experience prolonged exposures to environmental contaminants including hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)]. While Cr(VI) has been identified as a known human carcinogen, the health effects in marine species are poorly understood. In this study the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of particulate and soluble Cr(VI) were assessed in leatherback lung cells and compared to those in human lung cells. Cr(VI) induced a concentration-dependent increase in cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in leatherback lung cells indicating Cr(VI) may be a health concern for leatherbacks and other long-lived marine species. Additionally, these results were comparable to those in humans. Based on these results leatherbacks are an ideal model species for monitoring the health effects of Cr(VI) and therefore serve as an indicator species for environmental human exposures