VEZF1 elements mediate protection from DNA methylation

There is growing consensus that genome organization and long-range gene regulation involves partitioning of the genome into domains of distinct epigenetic chromatin states. Chromatin insulator or barrier elements are key components of these processes as they can establish boundaries between chromatin states. The ability of elements such as the paradigm β-globin HS4 insulator to block the range of enhancers or the spread of repressive histone modifications is well established. Here we have addressed the hypothesis that a barrier element in vertebrates should be capable of defending a gene from silencing by DNA methylation. Using an established stable reporter gene system, we find that HS4 acts specifically to protect a gene promoter from de novo DNA methylation. Notably, protection from methylation can occur in the absence of histone acetylation or transcription. There is a division of labor at HS4; the sequences that mediate protection from methylation are separable from those that mediate CTCF-dependent enhancer blocking and USF-dependent histone modification recruitment. The zinc finger protein VEZF1 was purified as the factor that specifically interacts with the methylation protection elements. VEZF1 is a candidate CpG island protection factor as the G-rich sequences bound by VEZF1 are frequently found at CpG island promoters. Indeed, we show that VEZF1 elements are sufficient to mediate demethylation and protection of the APRT CpG island promoter from DNA methylation. We propose that many barrier elements in vertebrates will prevent DNA methylation in addition to blocking the propagation of repressive histone modifications, as either process is sufficient to direct the establishment of an epigenetically stable silent chromatin stat

Pion and proton showers in the CALICE scintillator-steel analogue hadron calorimeter

Showers produced by positive hadrons in the highly granular CALICE scintillator-steel analogue hadron calorimeter were studied. The experimental data were collected at CERN and FNAL for single particles with initial momenta from 10 to 80 GeV/c. The calorimeter response and resolution and spatial characteristics of shower development for proton- and pion-induced showers for test beam data and simulations using Geant4 version 9.6 are compared.Comment: 26 pages, 16 figures, JINST style, changes in the author list, typos corrected, new section added, figures regrouped. Accepted for publication in JINS

Feasibility and effects of an exercise-based intervention in prison inmates with psychiatric disorders: the PsychiActive project randomized controlled trial

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effects of a 12-week intervention combining aerobic and strength exercises in prison inmates with psychiatric disorders. Design: Two parallel-group, randomized controlled trials. Setting: A psychiatric prison hospital. Subjects: Forty-one men prison inmates (mean age ± SD = 38.2 ± 9.2 years, mean prison duration ± SD = 2.6 ± 2.5 years) with psychiatric disorders (primarily personality disorder, n = 27; mean illness duration ± SD = 12.0 ± 10.5 years). Interventions: Participants were randomly allocated to intervention group consisted of exercise plus usual care (n = 21) or control group which received usual care (n = 20) for 12¿weeks. The exercise programme included three weekly sessions of group-based moderate-to-high intensity combined exercises designed and supervised by exercise professionals. Main measures: Fitness and anthropometric measures were assessed using field-based tests (6-minute walk, Incremental Shuttle Walk, Arm-Curl, and Chair-Stand), handgrip dynamometry, bioelectrical impedance, and waist and hip circumferences. Results: There were no adverse events, and 10 intervention participants withdrew. The remaining 11 participants attended a mean of 28 sessions, of which nine met the compliance criteria. Between-group change differences substantially favoured the compliance intervention group for the 6-minute walk (+21.2%), Incremental Shuttle Walk (+33.9%), Arm-Curl (+13.8%), waist (¿3.5%), waist/height0.5 (¿1.7%) (¿2.7%), waist/hip (¿3.4%), and Body Shape Index (¿3.3%) (¿3.5%). Additional analysis showed beneficial effects of exercise participation on handgrip strength. Conclusion: The intervention was safe, had a high dropout rate, and seemed to be effective for improving fitness and anthropometric measures in men prison inmates with psychiatric disorders who attended and participated in the exercise sessions.Universidad Pablo de Olavide de Sevilla. Departamento de Deporte e InformáticaPostprin

Enriquecimiento de la hamburguesa Cinta Senese con ácidos grasos omega-3. Efecto del tipo de adición y condición de almacenamiento en las características de calidad

The most beneficial omega-3 PUFAs to human health, EPA and DHA fatty acids, are typically present in fish products, but extraneous to meat. Therefore, Cinta Senese pork burgers were added with microencapsulated (M) and bulk fish oil (F) and subjected to three storage conditions: no storage (T0), chilled (T5) and frozen storage (T30). The physico-chemical and sensory attributes of raw and cooked burgers were investigated. After storage and cooking, EPA and DHA were better preserved in M burgers than in F samples, which showed the highest TBAR values at T0 and T5, while M samples presented scores similar to the control. Panelists observed differences mainly in greasy appearance, odor intensity and cooked meat odor and flavor. The M group showed the best scores at T5 with respect to the control and F burgers. So, fish oil microencapsulation was an effective method to prevent EPA and DHA oxidation while respecting burger quality characteristics.EPA y DHA son los ácidos grasos poliinsaturados omega 3 más beneficiosos para la salud humana, se presentan típicamente en el pescado, y no se encuentran en carnes. Por ello, se elaboraron hamburguesas de cerdo de la especie “Cinta Senese” añadiendo aceite de pescado (F), microcápsulas que contenían aceite de pescado (M) o sólo a base de carne (control (C)) y se mantuvieron bajo las siguientes condiciones de almacenamiento: sin almacenaje (T0), en refrigeración (T5) y congelación (T30). Se estudiaron los atributos sensoriales y físico-químicos de las hamburguesas crudas y cocinadas. En cuanto al almacenamiento y el cocinado, las hamburguesas con microcápsulas preservaron mejor los EPA y DHA que las muestras con aceite de pescado, las cuales presentaron los valores más altos de TBARs en las muestras T0 y T5, mientras que las M mantuvieron unos resultados similares a las de tipo control. En los resultados de la cata realizada se observaron, entre los tratamientos realizados y respecto a las distintas condiciones de almacenamiento, diferencias en la apariencia grasienta, olor y flavor a carne cocida e intensidad de olor. En las hamburguesas M se obtuvieron las mejores puntuaciones frente a las encontradas en F y C en el tipo T5. Por tanto, la microencapsulación de aceite de pescado se verificó como un método efectivo para prevenir la oxidación de EPA y DHA respetando la calidad y características de las hamburguesas

Hadron shower decomposition in the highly granular CALICE analogue hadron calorimeter

The spatial development of hadronic showers in the CALICE scintillator-steel analogue hadron calorimeter is studied using test beam data collected at CERN and FNAL for single positive pions and protons with initial momenta in the range from 10 to 80 GeV/c. Both longitudinal and radial development of hadron showers are parametrised with two-component functions. The parametrisation is fit to test beam data and simulations using the QGSP_BERT and FTFP_BERT physics lists from Geant4 version 9.6. The parameters extracted from data and simulated samples are compared for the two types of hadrons. The response to pions and the ratio of the non-electromagnetic to the electromagnetic calorimeter response, h/e, are estimated using the extrapolation and decomposition of the longitudinal profiles.Comment: 38 pages, 19 figures, 5 tables; author list changed; submitted to JINS

The Time Structure of Hadronic Showers in highly granular Calorimeters with Tungsten and Steel Absorbers

The intrinsic time structure of hadronic showers influences the timing capability and the required integration time of hadronic calorimeters in particle physics experiments, and depends on the active medium and on the absorber of the calorimeter. With the CALICE T3B experiment, a setup of 15 small plastic scintillator tiles read out with Silicon Photomultipliers, the time structure of showers is measured on a statistical basis with high spatial and temporal resolution in sampling calorimeters with tungsten and steel absorbers. The results are compared to GEANT4 (version 9.4 patch 03) simulations with different hadronic physics models. These comparisons demonstrate the importance of using high precision treatment of low-energy neutrons for tungsten absorbers, while an overall good agreement between data and simulations for all considered models is observed for steel.Comment: 24 pages including author list, 9 figures, published in JINS