Importance of thermophilous habitats for protection of wild bees (Apiformes)

Research on wild bees (Apiformes) was conducted in the Lower Oder Valley (NW Poland) at Natura 2000 sites near the border between Poland and Germany. The analysis involved 3 landscape types with xerothermic and sandy grasslands, differing in the proportion of woody vegetation. In total, we collected there 4158 specimens of Apiformes, representing 180 species. We have proved that mid-forest grasslands with a high proportion of thermophilous broad-leaved forests and xerothermic shrub communities are equally attractive to wild bees as open habitats (sandy grasslands, xerothermic grasslands/heaths). We observed varied responses of wild bee species with specific functional characteristics to increasing proportion of woody vegetation. The grasslands surrounded by forests were characterized by the highest number of cleptoparasitic species. In contrast, solitary and social bee species preferred forest-steppe habitats. However, in open habitats, solitary bees were the most abundant. Moreover, open habitats were distinguished by the highest number and abundance of rare species. Active protection of thermophilous grasslands is crucial for biodiversity conservation, also with respect to the natural resources of Apiformes. Preservation of biodiversity in threatened xerothermic and sandy grasslands should be one of the key objectives of nature conservation in European countries. Currently, more and more actions are undertaken to improve their condition and to restore those particularly valuable and threatened habitat types

AL-FEC for streaming services in LTE E-MBMS

3rd Generation Partnership Project specified Application Layer - Forward Error Correction (AL-FEC) to be used for Enhanced Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (E-MBMS) in Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. Specifically, Raptor coding is applied to both streaming and file delivery services. This article focuses on streaming services and investigates the optimum configuration of the AL-FEC mechanism depending on the signal-to-interference plus noise power ratio conditions. These configurations are compared with a scenario without an application layer protection to obtain the potential gain that can be achieved by means of AL-FEC. This article also studies the multiplexing of services within the AL-FEC time interleaving. These analyses were performed using a proprietary system level simulator and assuming both pedestrian and vehicular users. Different quality criterions were used to ensure the completeness of the study. Results show the significant benefit of using AL-FEC in E-MBMS in terms of coverage and service quality.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science under the project TEC2011-27723-C02-02.Calabuig Gaspar, J.; Monserrat Del Río, JF.; Gozálvez Serrano, D.; Gómez Barquero, D. (2013). AL-FEC for streaming services in LTE E-MBMS. EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking. 2013(73):1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1687-1499-2013-73S1122013733GPP TS 25.346 V6.4.0, Introduction of the Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) in the Radio Access Network (RAN); Stage 2, 2005.Deng H, Tao X, Lu J: Qos-aware resource allocation for mixed multicast and unicast traffic in OFDMA networks. EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking 2012, 2012(195):1-10. 10.1186/1687-1499-2012-1953GPP TS 26.346 V9.5.0, Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS); Protocols and codecs, 2011.Shokrollahi A: Raptor codes. IEEE Transactions on Information Theory 2006, 52(6):2251-2567. 10.1109/TIT.2006.8743903GPP TS 25.346 V7.5.0, Introduction of the Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) in the Radio Access Network (RAN); Stage 2, 2007.Martín-Sacristán D, Monserrat JF, Cabrejas J, Calabuig D, Garrigas S, Cardona N: On the way towards fourth-generation mobile: 3GPP LTE and LTE-advanced. EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking 2009, 1-10. 10.1155/2009/3540893GPP TS 36.211 V.8.5.0, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical Channels and Modulation, 2008.3GPP TS 36.300 V9.1.0, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN); Overall description, 2009.Monserrat JF, Calabuig J, Fernandez-Aguilella A, Gomez-Barquero D: Joint delivery of unicast and E-MBMS services in LTE networks. IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting. 2012, 58(2):157-167. 10.1109/TBC.2012.2191030Alexiou A, Bouras C, Kokkinos V, Papazois A, Tsichritzis G: Wireless Multi-Access Environments and Quality of Service Provisioning: Solutions and Application, Multimedia broadcasting in LTE networks. Edited by: Muntean GM, Trestian R. Hershey, PA: IGI Global; 2012:269-289.Wang N, Zhang Z: The impact of application layer Raptor FEC on the coverage of MBMS. Radio and Wireless Symposium, 2008 IEEE 2008, 223-226. 10.1109/RWS.2008.4463469Gomez-Barquero D, Fernandez-Aguilella A, Cardona N: Multicast delivery of file download services in evolved 3G mobile networks with HSDPA and MBMS. IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting. 2009, 55(4):742-751. 10.1109/TBC.2009.2032800Stockhammer T, Shokrollahi A, Watson M, Luby M, Gasiba T: Handbook of Mobile Broadcasting: DVB-H, DMB, ISDB-T and Media FLO, Application layer forward error correction for mobile multimedia broadcasting. Edited by: Furhet B, Ahson S. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 2008:239–-280.Afzal J, Stockhammer T, Gasiba T, Xu W: Video streaming over MBMS: a system design approach. Journal of Multimedia. 2006, 1(5):25-35.Alexiou A, Bouras C, Kokkinos V, Papazois A, Tseliou G: Cellular Networks - Positioning, Performance Analysis, Reliability, Forward error correction for reliable e-MBMS transmissions in LTE networks. Edited by: Melikov A. Rijeka, Croatia: InTech; 2011:353-374.Munaretto D, Jurca D, Widmer J: Broadcast video streaming in cellular networks: An adaptation framework for channel, video and AL-FEC rates allocation. Wireless Internet Conference (WICON), 2010 The 5th Annual ICST 2010, 1-9.Bouras C, Kanakis N, Kokkinos V, Papazois A: Application layer forward error correction for multicast streaming over LTE networks. Int. J. Commun. Syst 2012. 10.1002/dac.2321RaptorQ technical overview, Qualcomm Technical Report 2010. http://www.qualcomm.com/instella_api/asset/3cd5b620-afea-012d-72bc-12313804dc61Mladenov T, Kim K, Nooshabadi S: Forward error correction with RaptorQ Code on embedded systems. Circuits and Systems (MWSCAS), 2011 IEEE 54th International Midwest Symposium 2011, 1-4. 10.1109/MWSCAS.2011.6026424Calabuig J, Monserrat JF, Martín-Sacristán D, Olmos J: Comparison of multicast/broadcast services in Long Term Evolution Advanced and IEEE 802.16m networks. Wirel. Commun. Mob. Comput. 2012. 10.1002/wcm.2229Jiang X, Zhu G, Wu W, Gao Y: Design of LTE E-MBMS Dynamic Scheduling Information. Wireless Communications Networking and Mobile Computing (WiCOM), 2010 6th International Conference on 2010, 1-5. 10.1109/WICOM.2010.56002103GPP TS 36.331 V.9.9.0, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol Specification, 2011.Alberi Morel M-L, Kerboeuf S, Sayadi B, Leprovost Y, Faucheux F: Performance Evaluation of Channel Change for DVB-SH Streaming Services. Communications (ICC), 2010 IEEE International Conference on 2010, 1-6. 10.1109/ICC.2010.5502523WINNER + IMT-Advanced Calibration: Guidelines, software and results. 2009. http://projects.celtic-initiative.org/winner+/WINNER+%20Evaluation%20Group.htmlBrueninghaus K, Astely D, Salzer T, Visuri S, Alexiou A, Karger S, Seraji GA: Link performance models for system level simulations of broadband radio access systems, in Proceedings of 16th IEEE International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC). Berlin, Germany 2005, 4: 2306-2311. 10.1109/PIMRC.2005.1651855ITU-R M.2135, Guidelines for evaluation of radio interface technologies for IMT-Advanced. 2008. http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/rep/R-REP-M.2135-2008-PDF-E.pdf3GPP TS 36.101 V.9.10.0, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); User Equipment (UE) radio transmission and reception. 2011.Rong L, Ben Haddada O, Elayoubi S-E: Analytical Analysis of the Coverage of a MBSFN OFDMA Network," Global Telecommunications Conference . IEEE GLOBECOM 2008. IEEE 2008, 1-5. 10.1109/GLOCOM.2008.ECP.4593GPP TSG-SA WG4 S4-100861, Relation between MBSFN area and intended MBMS service reception area, 2010.3GPP TR 36.213 V.9.3.0, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical layer procedures, 2010

Variability of NT-proBNP and Its Relationship with Inflammatory Status in Patients with Stable Essential Hypertension: A 2-Year Follow-Up Study

The variability of NT-proBNP levels has been studied in heart failure, yet no data exist on these changes over time in hypertensive patients. Furthermore, studies on the relationship between natriuretic peptides and inflammatory status are limited.220 clinically and functionally asymptomatic stable patients (age 59 ± 13, 120 male) out of 252 patients with essential hypertension were followed up, and NT-proBNP was measured at baseline, 12 and 24 months. No differences in NT-proBNP were found with respect to the basal stage in the hypertrophic group, but significant changes were found in non-hypertrophic subjects. The reproducibility of NT-proBNP measurements was better in patients with hypertrophy than in the non-hypertrophic group for the three intervals (stage I-basal; stage II-stage I; stage II-basal) with a reference change value of 34%, 35% and 41%, respectively, in the hypertrophic group. A more elevated coefficient of correlation was obtained in the hypertrophic group than in patients without hypertrophy: basal versus stage I (r = 0.79, p < 0.0001 and r = 0.59, p < 0.0001) and stage I versus stage II (r = 0.86, p < 0.0001 and r = 0.56, p < 0.0001). Finally, levels of NT-proBNP significantly correlated with sTNF-R1 (p < 0.0001) and IL-6 (p < 0.01) during follow-up. A multivariate linear regression analysis showed that sTNF-R1 is an independent factor of NT-proBNP.This work shows that there is good stability in NT-proBNP levels in a follow-up study of asymptomatic patients with stable hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy. As a consequence, assessment of NT-proBNP concentrations may be a useful tool for monitoring the follow-up of hypertensive patients with hypertrophy. Measured variations in peptide levels, exceeding 35% in a 12-month follow-up and 41% in a 24-month follow-up, may indicate an increase in cardiovascular risk, and therefore implies adjustment in the medical treatment. In addition, this study shows a link between neurohormonal and inflammatory activation in these patients

Three new chondrosarcoma cell lines: one grade III conventional central chondrosarcoma and two dedifferentiated chondrosarcomas of bone

BackgroundChondrosarcoma is the second most common primary sarcoma of bone. High-grade conventional chondrosarcoma and dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma have a poor outcome. In pre-clinical research aiming at the identification of novel treatment targets, the need for representative cell lines and model systems is high, but availability is scarce.MethodsWe developed and characterized three cell lines, derived from conventional grade III chondrosarcoma (L835), and dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma (L2975 and L3252) of bone. Proliferation and migration were studied and we used COBRA-FISH and array-CGH for karyotyping and genotyping. Immunohistochemistry for p16 and p53 was performed as well as TP53 and IDH mutation analysis. Cells were injected into nude mice to establish their tumorigenic potential.ResultsWe show that the three cell lines have distinct migrative properties, L2975 had the highest migration rate and showed tumorigenic potential in mice. All cell lines showed chromosomal rearrangements with complex karyotypes and genotypic aberrations were conserved throughout late passaging of the cell lines. All cell lines showed loss of CDKN2A, while TP53 was wild type for exons 5–8. L835 has an IDH1 R132C mutation, L2975 an IDH2 R172W mutation and L3252 is IDH wild type.ConclusionsBased on the stable culturing properties of these cell lines and their genotypic profile resembling the original tumors, these cell lines should provide useful functional models to further characterize chondrosarcoma and to evaluate new treatment strategies

D4.2 Final report on trade-off investigations

Research activities in METIS WP4 include several as pects related to the network-level of future wireless communication networks. Thereby, a large variety of scenarios is considered and solutions are proposed to serve the needs envis ioned for the year 2020 and beyond. This document provides vital findings about several trade-offs that need to be leveraged when designing future network-level solutions. In more detail, it elaborates on the following trade- offs: • Complexity vs. Performance improvement • Centralized vs. Decentralized • Long time-scale vs. Short time-scale • Information Interflow vs. Throughput/Mobility enha ncement • Energy Efficiency vs. Network Coverage and Capacity Outlining the advantages and disadvantages in each trade-off, this document serves as a guideline for the application of different network-level solutions in different situations and therefore greatly assists in the design of future communication network architectures.Aydin, O.; Ren, Z.; Bostov, M.; Lakshmana, TR.; Sui, Y.; Svensson, T.; Sun, W.... (2014). D4.2 Final report on trade-off investigations. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/7676

Clonally resolved single-cell multi-omics identifies routes of cellular differentiation in acute myeloid leukemia

Inter-patient variability and the similarity of healthy and leukemic stem cells (LSCs) have impeded the characterization of LSCs in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and their differentiation landscape. Here, we introduce CloneTracer, a novel method that adds clonal resolution to single-cell RNA-seq datasets. Applied to samples from 19 AML patients, CloneTracer revealed routes of leukemic differentiation. Although residual healthy and preleukemic cells dominated the dormant stem cell compartment, active LSCs resembled their healthy counterpart and retained erythroid capacity. By contrast, downstream myeloid progenitors constituted a highly aberrant, disease-defining compartment: their gene expression and differentiation state affected both the chemotherapy response and leukemia's ability to differentiate into transcriptomically normal monocytes. Finally, we demonstrated the potential of CloneTracer to identify surface markers misregulated specifically in leukemic cells. Taken together, CloneTracer reveals a differentiation landscape that mimics its healthy counterpart and may determine biology and therapy response in AML

Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay Using TaqMan Probes for the Identification of Trypanosoma cruzi DTUs in Biological and Clinical Samples

Background: Trypanosoma cruzi has been classified into six Discrete Typing Units (DTUs), designated as TcI–TcVI. In order to effectively use this standardized nomenclature, a reproducible genotyping strategy is imperative. Several typing schemes have been developed with variable levels of complexity, selectivity and analytical sensitivity. Most of them can be only applied to cultured stocks. In this context, we aimed to develop a multiplex Real-Time PCR method to identify the six T. cruzi DTUs using TaqMan probes (MTq-PCR).Methods/Principal Findings: The MTq-PCR has been evaluated in 39 cultured stocks and 307 biological samples from vectors, reservoirs and patients from different geographical regions and transmission cycles in comparison with a multi-locus conventional PCR algorithm. The MTq-PCR was inclusive for laboratory stocks and natural isolates and sensitive for direct typing of different biological samples from vectors, reservoirs and patients with acute, congenital infection or Chagas reactivation. The first round SL-IR MTq-PCR detected 1 fg DNA/reaction tube of TcI, TcII and TcIII and 1 pg DNA/reaction tube of TcIV, TcV and TcVI reference strains. The MTq-PCR was able to characterize DTUs in 83% of triatomine and 96% of reservoir samples that had been typed by conventional PCR methods. Regarding clinical samples, 100% of those derived from acute infected patients, 62.5% from congenitally infected children and 50% from patients with clinical reactivation could be genotyped. Sensitivity for direct typing of blood samples from chronic Chagas disease patients (32.8% from asymptomatic and 22.2% from symptomatic patients) and mixed infections was lower than that of the conventional PCR algorithm.Conclusions/Significance: Typing is resolved after a single or a second round of Real-Time PCR, depending on the DTU. This format reduces carryover contamination and is amenable to quantification, automation and kit production.This work received financial support from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Argentina [PICT 2011-0207 to AGS] and the National Scientific and Technical Research Council in Argentina (CONICET) [PIP 112 2011-010-0974 to AGS]. Work related to evaluation of biological samples was partially sponsored by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) [Small Grants Program PAHO-TDR]; the Drugs and Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi, Geneva, Switzerland), Wellcome Trust (London, United Kingdom), SANOFI-AVENTIS (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and the National Council for Science and Technology in Mexico (CONACYT) [FONSEC 161405 to JMR]

Association of apolipoprotein E gene polymorphisms with blood lipids and their interaction with dietary factors

Several candidate genes have been identified in relation to lipid metabolism, and among these, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphisms are major sources of genetically determined variation in lipid concentrations. This study investigated the association of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at LPL, seven tagging SNPs at the APOE gene, and a common APOE haplotype (two SNPs) with blood lipids, and examined the interaction of these SNPs with dietary factors. METHODS: The population studied for this investigation included 660 individuals from the Prevention of Cancer by Intervention with Selenium (PRECISE) study who supplied baseline data. The findings of the PRECISE study were further replicated using 1238 individuals from the Caerphilly Prospective cohort (CaPS). Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in PRECISE and a validated semi-quantitative FFQ in the CaPS. Interaction analyses were performed by including the interaction term in the linear regression model adjusted for age, body mass index, sex and country. RESULTS: There was no association between dietary factors and blood lipids after Bonferroni correction and adjustment for confounding factors in either cohort. In the PRECISE study, after correction for multiple testing, there was a statistically significant association of the APOE haplotype (rs7412 and rs429358; E2, E3, and E4) and APOE tagSNP rs445925 with total cholesterol (P = 4 × 10- 4 and P = 0.003, respectively). Carriers of the E2 allele had lower total cholesterol concentration (5.54 ± 0.97 mmol/L) than those with the E3 (5.98 ± 1.05 mmol/L) (P = 0.001) and E4 (6.09 ± 1.06 mmol/L) (P = 2 × 10- 4) alleles. The association of APOE haplotype (E2, E3, and E4) and APOE SNP rs445925 with total cholesterol (P = 2 × 10- 6 and P = 3 × 10- 4, respectively) was further replicated in the CaPS. Additionally, significant association was found between APOE haplotype and APOE SNP rs445925 with low density lipoprotein cholesterol in CaPS (P = 4 × 10- 4 and P = 0.001, respectively). After Bonferroni correction, none of the cohorts showed a statistically significant SNP-diet interaction on lipid outcomes. CONCLUSION: In summary, our findings from the two cohorts confirm that genetic variations at the APOE locus influence plasma total cholesterol concentrations, however, the gene-diet interactions on lipids require further investigation in larger cohorts