The synthesis of an homochiral aziridine as a useful synton to iminosugars and amino acid compounds

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PTDC/QUI/67407/200

Genetic and phenotypic variation of the malaria vector Anopheles atroparvus in southern Europe

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is a growing concern that global climate change will affect the potential for pathogen transmission by insect species that are vectors of human diseases. One of these species is the former European malaria vector, <it>Anopheles atroparvus</it>. Levels of population differentiation of <it>An. atroparvus </it>from southern Europe were characterized as a first attempt to elucidate patterns of population structure of this former malaria vector. Results are discussed in light of a hypothetical situation of re-establishment of malaria transmission.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Genetic and phenotypic variation was analysed in nine mosquito samples collected from five European countries, using eight microsatellite loci and geometric morphometrics on 21 wing landmarks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Levels of genetic diversity were comparable to those reported for tropical malaria vectors. Low levels of genetic (0.004 <<it>F</it>_{<it>ST </it>}<0.086) and phenotypic differentiation were detected among <it>An. atroparvus </it>populations spanning over 3,000 km distance. Genetic differentiation (0.202 <<it>F</it>_{<it>ST </it>}<0.299) was higher between the sibling species <it>An. atroparvus </it>and <it>Anopheles maculipennis </it>s.s. Differentiation between sibling species was not so evident at the phenotype level.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Levels of population differentiation within <it>An. atroparvus </it>were low and not correlated with geographic distance or with putative physical barriers to gene flow (Alps and Pyrenées). While these results may suggest considerable levels of gene flow, other explanations such as the effect of historical population perturbations can also be hypothesized.</p

Terapêutica da Diabetes Tipo1 com Bomba Infusora de Insulina

[resumo][abstract

Determining Contingencies in the Management of Construction Projects

[EN] This research describes the managerial approaches that contractors follow to determine different types of contingencies in construction project management. Two large Spanish general contractors were selected for an in-depth analysis. Interviews and surveys were conducted with six additional companies to explore the external validity of the findings. Managers constrain time and cost buffers through project objectives, applying heuristics to determine inventory buffers. The management of capacity buffers is entrusted to subcontractors. The contractors take advantage of scope and quality buffers to meet project objectives but rarely share these buffers with the owner, unless the owner is an internal client.Ortiz-González, JI.; Pellicer, E.; Molenaar, KR. (2019). Determining Contingencies in the Management of Construction Projects. Project Management Journal. 50(2):226-242. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756972819827389S226242502Adafin, J., Wilkinson, S., Rotimi, J. O. B., & Odeyinka, H. (2014). Accuracy in Design Stage Cost Estimating through Risk-contingency Analysis: A Theoretical Exploration. Construction Research Congress 2014. doi:10.1061/9780784413517.151Ballard, G., & Howell, G. (1998). Shielding Production: Essential Step in Production Control. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 124(1), 11-17. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(1998)124:1(11)Barraza, G. A. (2011). Probabilistic Estimation and Allocation of Project Time Contingency. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 137(4), 259-265. doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000280Blomquist, T., Hällgren, M., Nilsson, A., & Söderholm, A. (2010). Project-as-Practice: In Search of Project Management Research that Matters. Project Management Journal, 41(1), 5-16. doi:10.1002/pmj.20141Chan, E. H., & Au, M. C. (2009). Factors Influencing Building Contractors’ Pricing for Time-Related Risks in Tenders. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 135(3), 135-145. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(2009)135:3(135)De la Cruz, M. P., del Caño, A., & de la Cruz, E. (2006). Downside Risks in Construction Projects Developed by the Civil Service: The Case of Spain. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 132(8), 844-852. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(2006)132:8(844)Ford, D. N. (2002). Achieving Multiple Project Objectives through Contingency Management. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 128(1), 30-39. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(2002)128:1(30)González, V., Alarcón, L. F., & Molenaar, K. (2009). Multiobjective design of Work-In-Process buffer for scheduling repetitive building projects. Automation in Construction, 18(2), 95-108. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2008.05.005Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How Many Interviews Are Enough? Field Methods, 18(1), 59-82. doi:10.1177/1525822x05279903Günhan, S., & Arditi, D. (2007). Budgeting Owner’s Construction Contingency. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 133(7), 492-497. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(2007)133:7(492)Hällgren, M., & Wilson, T. L. (2008). The nature and management of crises in construction projects: Projects-as-practice observations. International Journal of Project Management, 26(8), 830-838. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2007.10.005Harbuck R. H. (2004). Competitive bidding for highway construction projects (pp. ES91–ES94). Morgantown, WV: AACE International Transactions.HORMAN, M., & KENLEY, R. (1998). Process Dynamics: Identifying a Strategy for the Deployment of Buffers in Building Projects. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 1(3), 221-237. doi:10.1080/13675569808962049Horman, M. J., & Thomas, H. R. (2005). Role of Inventory Buffers in Construction Labor Performance. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 131(7), 834-843. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(2005)131:7(834)Howell, G., Laufer, A., & Ballard, G. (1993). Interaction between Subcycles: One Key to Improved Methods. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 119(4), 714-728. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(1993)119:4(714)Howell, G., Laufer, A., & Ballard, G. (1993). Uncertainty and project objectives. Project Appraisal, 8(1), 37-43. doi:10.1080/02688867.1993.9726884Idrus, A., Fadhil Nuruddin, M., & Rohman, M. A. (2011). Development of project cost contingency estimation model using risk analysis and fuzzy expert system. Expert Systems with Applications, 38(3), 1501-1508. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2010.07.061Laryea, S., & Hughes, W. (2011). Risk and Price in the Bidding Process of Contractors. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 137(4), 248-258. doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000293Leach, L. (2003). Schedule and Cost Buffer Sizing: How to Account for the Bias between Project Performance and Your Model. Project Management Journal, 34(2), 34-47. doi:10.1177/875697280303400205Lee, S., Peña-Mora, F., & Park, M. (2006). Reliability and Stability Buffering Approach: Focusing on the Issues of Errors and Changes in Concurrent Design and Construction Projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 132(5), 452-464. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(2006)132:5(452)Oviedo-Haito, R. J., Jiménez, J., Cardoso, F. F., & Pellicer, E. (2014). Survival Factors for Subcontractors in Economic Downturns. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 140(3), 04013056. doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000811Pellicer, E., Sanz, M. A., Esmaeili, B., & Molenaar, K. R. (2016). Exploration of Team Integration in Spanish Multifamily Residential Building Construction. Journal of Management in Engineering, 32(5), 05016012. doi:10.1061/(asce)me.1943-5479.0000438Pellicer, E., & Victory, R. (2006). IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES IN SPANISH RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS. International Journal of Strategic Property Management, 10(4), 233-248. doi:10.3846/1648715x.2006.9637555Rooke, J., Seymour, D., & Fellows, R. (2004). Planning for claims: an ethnography of industry culture. Construction Management and Economics, 22(6), 655-662. doi:10.1080/014461904200026324Slauson N. P. (2005). The effectiveness of the construction contract (pp. PM121–PM127). Morgantown, WV: AACE International Transactions.Tah, J. H. M., Thorpe, A., & McCaffer, R. (1993). Contractor project risks contingency allocation using linguistic approximation. Computing Systems in Engineering, 4(2-3), 281-293. doi:10.1016/0956-0521(93)90052-xTaylor, J. E., Dossick, C. S., & Garvin, M. (2011). Meeting the Burden of Proof with Case-Study Research. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 137(4), 303-311. doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000283Thal, A. E., Cook, J. J., & White, E. D. (2010). Estimation of Cost Contingency for Air Force Construction Projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 136(11), 1181-1188. doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000227Thamhain, H. (2013). Managing Risks in Complex Projects. Project Management Journal, 44(2), 20-35. doi:10.1002/pmj.21325Yeo, K. T. (1990). Risks, Classification of Estimates, and Contingency Management. Journal of Management in Engineering, 6(4), 458-470. doi:10.1061/(asce)9742-597x(1990)6:4(458

Single origin of sex chromosomes and multiple origins of B chromosomes in fish genus Characidium

Chromosome painting with DNA probes obtained from supernumerary (B) and sex chromosomes in three species of fish genus Characidium (C. gomesi, C. pterostictum and C. oiticicai) showed a close resemblance in repetitive DNA content between B and sex chromosomes in C. gomesi and C. pterostictum. This suggests an intraspecific origin for B chromosomes in these two species, probably deriving from sex chromosomes. In C. oiticicai, however, a DNA probe obtained from its B chromosome hybridized with the B but not with the A chromosomes, suggesting that the B chromosome in this species could have arisen interspecifically, although this hypothesis needs further investigation. A molecular phylogenetic analysis performed on nine Characidium species, with two mtDNA genes, showed that the presence of heteromorphic sex chromosomes in these species is a derived condition, and that their origin could have been unique, a conclusion also supported by interspecific chromosome painting with a CgW probe derived from the W chromosome in C. gomesi. Summing up, our results indicate that whereas heteromorphic sex chromosomes in the genus Characidium appear to have had a common and unique origin, B chromosomes may have had independent origins in different species. Our results also show that molecular phylogenetic analysis is an excellent complement for cytogenetic studies by unveiling the direction of evolutionary chromosome changes.This research was funded by grants from the State of Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) to EAS (2013/02143-3), grants from National Council for Research and Development (CNPq) to FF (480449/2012-0), and by Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nıvel Superior (CAPES)

The Homeostasis of Iron, Copper, and Zinc in Paracoccidioides Brasiliensis, Cryptococcus Neoformans Var. Grubii, and Cryptococcus Gattii: A Comparative Analysis

Iron, copper, and zinc are essential for all living organisms. Moreover, the homeostasis of these metals is vital to microorganisms during pathogenic interactions with a host. Most pathogens have developed specific mechanisms for the uptake of micronutrients from their hosts in order to counteract the low availability of essential ions in infected tissues. We report here an analysis of genes potentially involved in iron, copper, and zinc uptake and homeostasis in the fungal pathogens Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii, and Cryptococcus gattii. Although prior studies have identified certain aspects of metal regulation in Cryptococcus species, little is known regarding the regulation of these elements in P. brasiliensis. We also present amino acid sequences analyses of deduced proteins in order to examine possible conserved domains. The genomic data reveals, for the first time, genes associated to iron, copper, and zinc assimilation and homeostasis in P. brasiliensis. Furthermore, analyses of the three fungal species identified homologs to genes associated with high-affinity uptake systems, vacuolar and mitochondrial iron storage, copper uptake and reduction, and zinc assimilation. However, homologs to genes involved in siderophore production were only found in P. brasiliensis. Interestingly, in silico analysis of the genomes of P. brasiliensis Pb01, Pb03, and Pb18 revealed significant differences in the presence and/or number of genes involved in metal homeostasis, such as in genes related to iron reduction and oxidation. The broad analyses of the genomes of P. brasiliensis, C. neoformans var. grubii, and C. gattii for genes involved in metal homeostasis provide important groundwork for numerous interesting future areas of investigation that are required in order to validate and explore the function of the identified genes and gene pathways

Neuroprotective effects on microglia and insights into the structure–activity relationship of an antioxidant peptide isolated from Pelophylax perezi

© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly citedTryptophyllins constitute a heterogeneous group of peptides that are one of the first classes of peptides identified from amphibian's skin secretions. Here, we report the structural characterization and antioxidant properties of a novel tryptophyllin-like peptide, named PpT-2, isolated from the Iberian green frog Pelophylax perezi. The skin secretion of P. perezi was obtained by electrical stimulation and fractionated using RP-HPLC. De novo peptide sequencing was conducted using MALDI MS/MS. The primary structure of PpT-2 (FPWLLS-NH2 ) was confirmed by Edman degradation and subsequently investigated using in silico tools. PpT-2 shared physicochemical properties with other well-known antioxidants. To test PpT-2 for antioxidant activity in vitro, the peptide was synthesized by solid phase and assessed in the chemical-based ABTS and DPPH scavenging assays. Then, a flow cytometry experiment was conducted to assess PpT-2 antioxidant activity in oxidatively challenged murine microglial cells. As predicted by the in silico analyses, PpT-2 scavenged free radicals in vitro and suppressed the generation of reactive species in PMA-stimulated BV-2 microglia cells. We further explored possible bioactivities of PpT-2 against prostate cancer cells and bacteria, against which the peptide exerted a moderate antiproliferative effect and negligible antimicrobial activity. The biocompatibility of PpT-2 was evaluated in cytotoxicity assays and in vivo toxicity with Galleria mellonella. No toxicity was detected in cells treated with up to 512 µg/ml and in G. mellonella treated with up to 40 mg/kg PpT-2. This novel peptide, PpT-2, stands as a promising peptide with potential therapeutic and biotechnological applications, mainly for the treatment/prevention of neurodegenerative disorders.This work was financed by FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020 - Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), and by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia in the framework of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031158 – PTDC/BII-BIO/31158/2017. The authors would like to thank the participation and scientific support of the Unit projects UIDB/50006/2020 | UIDP/50006/2020, and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Universal Faixa ‘B’ (grant number 32103/2018-0). A.P. is a recipient of a post-doctoral grant from the project PTDC/BII-BIO/31158/2017. The authors would like to thank the researcher Roberto Resendes (CiBio, University of the Azores, Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal) for the logistical support in the collection of samples. C.P.A acknowledges FCT-MCTES fellowship PD/BD/136860/2018. A.B.-N. and F.C.D.A.L. acknowledge CNPq (grants 420449/2018-3 and 428211/2018-6) for financial support.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio