Multicopy suppression of a gacA mutation by the infC operon in Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0: competition with the global translational regulator RsmA

The gacA gene of the biocontrol strain Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0 codes for a response regulator which, together with the sensor kinase GacS (=LemA), is required for the production of exoenzymes and secondary metabolites involved in biocontrol, including hydrogen cyanide (HCN). A gacA multicopy suppressor was isolated from a cosmid library of strain CHA0 and identified as the infC-rpmI-rplT operon, which encodes the translation initiation factor IF3 and the ribosomal proteins L35 and L20. The efficiency of suppression was about 30%, as determined by the use of a GacA-controlled reporter construct, i.e. a translational hcnA′-′lacZ fusion. Overexpression of the rsmA gene (coding for a global translational repressor) reversed the suppressive effect of the amplified infC operon. This finding suggests that some product(s) of the infC operon can compete with RsmA at the level of translation in P. fluorescens CHA0 and that important biocontrol traits can be regulated at this leve

Moments of meeting: \u27Intersubjective encounters\u27 and ‘emancipatory’ experiences of individuals with (intellectual) disabilities in inclusive musical contexts

The purpose of this study was to explore an intersubjective framework to better understand the relational aspects of two inclusive musical programs in London, ON. I focused on mutual recognition moments, called moments of meeting (MoM), researching how they are formed and manifested while music is shared, created, or experienced within these two environments. Approaching such programs as potentially intersubjective spaces, this study investigated the impact of MoM and intersubjective experiences on the participation of individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) in music making as well as on their perceptions of themselves as subjects. Equally significant, this study looked at emerging pedagogical practices such a framework affords. By exploring an intersubjective conceptual framework, mainly drawing from the phenomenology of intersubjectivity (Husserl, [1931] 1960; Habermas, 1984, 1987; Merleau-Ponty, 1962), and relational psychoanalysis(Benjamin, 1988, 1995, 2018; Stern, 1999; Storolow & Atwood,1984, 2014), I proposed a relational view to the musical space and to the subject, aiming to understand how relationships and encounters built within inclusive spaces may help us to think of and construe meaningful inclusion and musical experiences with individuals with ID. Furthermore, envisioning polyphonic subjects who can express themselves from diverse subjective positions in the intersubjective space, I hope to provide relevant insights in the sense of addressing the ‘symptomatology’ of individuals with ID, viewing it as a potential subjective position that represents the subject being and interacting in and with the world, rather than mere dysfunction or impediment. This research combined critical ethnography and interpretative phenomenology as qualitative approaches to explore of MoM from the perspective of research participants’ lived experiences and to understand how MoM are formed in the intersubjective musical space in each research scenario (Maggs-Rapport (2000). Over several weeks, I was immersed as a participant-observer in two inclusive musical programs based in London, Ontario – L’Arche Virtual Open Mic (VOM) and Dreams Come True Music Studio (DCT). Besides observations, field notes and research journals, I also conducted focus group meetings with volunteers, family members or caregivers and individual interviews with the program leaders and individuals with ID. In addition, a Collaborative Art-based Video Project (CAV) was designed and adopted here as a research method offering more and diverse opportunities for participation and sharing. Among the findings, this study offers a map of the flow of moments describing the formation of experiences of being seen and known and MoM observed in the research sites, engages with participants\u27 subjectivities and presents the impacts of intersubjective encounters in their perceptions of selves, and proposes pedagogical insights modelling a view of the inclusion from the perspective of the subject embracing new ways to exist and make music. Critical here is accounting for and better understanding of the potential impact such processes can have on the constitution of the subject and their subjectivity within musical experiences. I also hope to contribute to existing research creating alternatives to foster inclusive education that could inform in/pre-service music teachers’ education and pedagogical practices and cultivate comprehensive and holistic views of inclusion, music, and disability among the music education community

Music education allied to psychomotor clinic and the symbolic constructions working with people with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)

Orientador: Vilson ZatteraDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de ArtesResumo: A presente pesquisa intitulada "A Educação Musical Aliada à Clínica Psicomotora e as Construções Simbólicas no Trabalho com Pessoas com TEA" propõe, através de cuidadosa revisão bibliográfica e relatos de experiências, uma investigação elaborada sobre os aspectos e pontos de interseção entre a Clínica Psicomotora e a Educação Musical e em como esta relação pode proporcionar ferramentas nas práticas pedagógico-musicais no trabalho com pessoas com Transtornos do Espectro do Autismo. Dentro deste contexto relacional também observa e aponta como se dão as construções simbólicas e a formação de laços através dos quais seja possível estabelecer relações de transferência propiciando a constituição da imagem corporal, as simbolizações, ressignificações e a constituição do sujeito no TEAAbstract: The present research entitled "The Musical Education Allied to the Psychomotor Clinic and the Symbolic Constructions Working with People with ASD" proposes, through a careful bibliographical revision and reports of experiences, an elaborated investigation on the aspects and intersection points between the Psychomotor Clinic and Music Education and how this relationship can provide tools in pedagogical-musical practices working with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Within this relational context it also observes and points out how the symbolic constructions and the formation of ties through which it is possible to establish transference relations, propitiating the constitution of the body image, the symbolizations, resignifications and the constitution of the subject in the ASDMestradoMúsica, Teoria, Criação e PráticaMestra em Músic

Diversidade morfológica e molecular entre genótipos de mandioca

The objective of this work was to characterize morphologically and molecularly the genetic diversity of cassava accessions, collected from different regions in Brazil. A descriptive analysis was made for 12 morphological traits in 419 accessions. Data was transformed into binary data for cluster analysis and analysis of molecular variance. A higher proportion of white or cream (71%) root cortex color was found, while flesh colors were predominantly white (49%) and cream (42%). Four accession groups were classified by the cluster analysis, but they were not grouped according to their origin, which indicates that diversity is not structured in space. The variation was greater within regions (95.6%). Sixty genotypes were also evaluated using 14 polymorphic microsatellite markers. Molecular results corroborated the morphological ones, showing the same random distribution of genotypes, with no grouping according to origin. Diversity indices were high for each region, and a greater diversity was found within regions, with: a mean number of alleles per locus of 3.530; observed and expected heterozygosity of 0.499 and 0.642, respectively; and Shannon index of 1.03. The absence of spatial structure among cassava genotypes according to their origins shows the anthropic influence in the distribution and movement of germplasm, both within and among regions.O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar, morfológica e molecularmente, a diversidade genética de acessos de mandioca de diferentes regiões do Brasil. Realizou-se a análise descritiva de 12 características morfológicas em 419 acessos. Os dados foram transformados em dados binários para análise de agrupamento e análise de variância molecular. Observou-se maior proporção (71%) de cor branca ou creme do córtex da raiz, enquanto as cores da polpa foram predominantemente branca (49%) e creme (42%). Quatro grupos de acessos foram classificados pela análise de agrupamento, mas não foram agrupados de acordo com sua origem, o que indica que a diversidade não está estruturada no espaço. A maior parte da variação ocorreu dentro das populações (95,6%). Sessenta genótipos também foram avaliados com o uso de 14 marcadores microssatélites polimórficos. Os resultados moleculares corroboraram os morfológicos e mostraram a mesma distribuição aleatória dos genótipos, com ausência de agrupamento quanto ao local de origem. Os índices de diversidade foram elevados para cada região e a maior parte da diversidade foi observada dentro de regiões, com: número médio de alelos por loco de 3,530; heterozigosidade média observada de 0,499 e esperada de 0,642; e índice de Shannon de 1,03. A ausência de estrutura espacial entre os genótipos de mandioca de acordo com suas origens mostra a influência antrópica na distribuição e movimentação de germoplasma, tanto entre como dentro de regiões

A Study of the Learnability of Relational Properties: Model Counting Meets Machine Learning (MCML)

This paper introduces the MCML approach for empirically studying the learnability of relational properties that can be expressed in the well-known software design language Alloy. A key novelty of MCML is quantification of the performance of and semantic differences among trained machine learning (ML) models, specifically decision trees, with respect to entire (bounded) input spaces, and not just for given training and test datasets (as is the common practice). MCML reduces the quantification problems to the classic complexity theory problem of model counting, and employs state-of-the-art model counters. The results show that relatively simple ML models can achieve surprisingly high performance (accuracy and F1-score) when evaluated in the common setting of using training and test datasets - even when the training dataset is much smaller than the test dataset - indicating the seeming simplicity of learning relational properties. However, MCML metrics based on model counting show that the performance can degrade substantially when tested against the entire (bounded) input space, indicating the high complexity of precisely learning these properties, and the usefulness of model counting in quantifying the true performance

Latent class analysis reveals clinically relevant atopy phenotypes in 2 birth cohorts

Background: Phenotypes of childhood-onset asthma are characterized by distinct trajectories and functional features. For atopy, definition of phenotypes during childhood is less clear. Objective: We sought to define phenotypes of atopic sensitization over the first 6 years of life using a latent class analysis (LCA) integrating 3 dimensions of atopy: allergen specificity, time course, and levels of specific IgE (sIgE). Methods: Phenotypes were defined by means of LCA in 680 children of the Multizentrische Allergiestudie (MAS) and 766 children of the Protection against allergy: Study in Rural Environments (PASTURE) birth cohorts and compared with classical nondisjunctive definitions of seasonal, perennial, and food sensitization with respect to atopic diseases and lung function. Cytokine levels were measured in the PASTURE cohort. Results: The LCA classified predominantly by type and multiplicity of sensitization (food vs inhalant), allergen combinations, and sIgE levels. Latent classes were related to atopic disease manifestations with higher sensitivity and specificity than the classical definitions. LCA detected consistently in both cohorts a distinct group of children with severe atopy characterized by high seasonal sIgE levels and a strong propensity for asthma; hay fever; eczema; and impaired lung function, also in children without an established asthma diagnosis. Severe atopy was associated with an increased IL-5/IFN-gamma ratio. A path analysis among sensitized children revealed that among all features of severe atopy, only excessive sIgE production early in life affected asthma risk. Conclusions: LCA revealed a set of benign, symptomatic, and severe atopy phenotypes. The severe phenotype emerged as a latent condition with signs of a dysbalanced immune response. It determined high asthma risk through excessive sIgE production and directly affected impaired lung function.Peer reviewe

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead