LEF1-AS1, long non-coding RNA, inhibits proliferation in myeloid malignancy

LEF1 antisense RNA 1 (LEF1-AS1) is an antisense long non-coding RNA encoded in the lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1) locus. LEF1-AS1 is a conserved transcript dysregulated in hematopoiesis. This study aimed to functionally characterize the role of this transcript in myeloid malignancy and explore a possible regulatory effect of LEF1-AS1 upon LEF1. We show that LEF1-AS1 is highly expressed in normal hematopoietic stem cells but barely detectable in myeloid malignant cell lines. Additionally, bone marrow cells from myelodysplastic syndrome (n=12) and acute myeloid malignancy patients (n=28) expressed significantly reduced levels of LEF1-AS1 compared to healthy controls (n=15). Artificial LEF1-AS1 over-expression inhibited proliferation in HL60 and led to an upregulation of tumor suppressors p21 and p27, and reduced ERK1/2 activation. Unexpectedly, no underlying modulation of LEF1 was detected. Ectopic expression of LEF1-AS1 also inhibited proliferation in HELA, a cell line lacking endogenous expression of LEF1, supporting a LEF1-independent mechanism. Additionally, transient over-expression of LEF1-AS1 in AML patient cells also led to reduced proliferation and colony formation capacity. We used a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach. Proteomic quantification identified the modulation of an important metabolic regulator, Fumarase, and concomitant accumulation of the metabolite fumarate23430213025FAPESP – Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa Do Estado De São Paulo2013/17227-

Children's Health Habits and COVID-19 Lockdown in Catalonia : Implications for Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases

Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic imposed changes in children's daily routine that could lead to changes in behavior patterns. Using a survey targeted at children under 17 years of age, we described dietary (adherence to Mediterranean diet, AMD) and sleeping habits (disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep) after the implementation of lockdown, and examined the probability of the inadequate frequency of physical activity (PA) and use of TV and electronic devices (TV-ED) before and after lockdown through generalized estimating equation models, accounting for age and gender differences. From 3464 children included, 53.2% showed optimal AMD; 79.2% referred to delayed bedtime; and 16.3% were suspected of sleeping disorders after the implementation of lockdown. Delay in bedtime was more frequent among children older than 6 years, and inadequate sleeping hours among those younger than 11 years. There were no gender differences in AMD or sleeping habits. The odds of inadequate frequency of PA and TV-ED use were greater after lockdown, with a greater risk for TV-ED use. Boys were at greater risk of inadequate PA frequency and TV-ED use. Odds ratio of inadequate PA was greater at older ages. Lockdown could influence changes in children's habits that could lead to risk factors for non-communicable diseases during adulthood if such behaviors are sustained over time

Pollination Biology and Adaptive Radiation of Agavaceae, with Special Emphasis on the Genus Agave

Agavaceae are an American family that comprises nine genera and ca. 300 species distributed in arid and semiarid environments, mainly in Mexico. The family is very successful and displays a wide array of ecological, reproductive, and morphological adaptations. Many of its members play important roles as keystone species, because they produce abundant resources during the reproductive season. In this paper we analyze the current knowledge about the pollination ecology of the different genera in the family and the role that pollination systems have played in the ecological and phylogenetic success of the group. After providing an overview of each of the genera in the family, we discuss in detail aspects of the reproductive ecology of species in the genus Agave s.l., which is composed of ca. 208 species and includes subgenera of Agave (Agave and Littaea), Manfreda, Polianthes, and Prochnyanthes. Finally, we describe the results of analyses to test the hypothesis that there has been an adaptive radiation in the genus Agave. Using chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences we estimate the age of the Agavaceae family and the genus Agave to be 12-26 millions of years ago (MYA) and 10 MYA, respectively, and show that mean rates of diversification were higher in the genus Agave than the genus Yucca. The values we report for rates of diversification in Agave s.l. are high when compared to other radiations in plants and animals. We suggest that the desertification of North America, which started ca. 15 MY A was critical in the radiation of agaves and that the generalist pollination system of Agave has been more successful in generating new species than the extreme specialization of Yucca

A quantitative flood risk analysis methodology for urban areas with integration of social research data

Risk analysis has become a top priority for authorities and stakeholders in many European countries, with the aim of reducing flooding risk, considering the population’s needs and improving risk awareness. Within this context, two methodological pieces have been developed in the period 2009–2011 within the SUFRI project (Sustainable Strategies of Urban Flood Risk Management with non-structural measures to cope with the residual risk, 2nd ERA-Net CRUE Funding Initiative). First, the “SUFRI Methodology for pluvial and river flooding risk assessment in urban areas to inform decision-making” provides a comprehensive and quantitative tool for flood risk analysis. Second, the “Methodology for investigation of risk awareness of the population concerned” presents the basis to estimate current risk from a social perspective and identify tendencies in the way floods are understood by citizens. Outcomes of both methods are integrated in this paper with the aim of informing decision making on non-structural protection measures. The results of two case studies are shown to illustrate practical applications of this developed approach. The main advantage of applying the methodology herein presented consists in providing a quantitative estimation of flooding risk before and after investing in non-structural risk mitigation measures. It can be of great interest for decision makers as it provides rational and solid information.The work described in this paper was supported by the 2nd ERA-Net CRUE Funding Initiative, particularly funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management of Austria (Department 19B of the Government of Styria, Torrent and Avalanche control).Escuder Bueno, I.; Castillo Rodríguez, JT.; Zechner, S.; Jöbstl, C.; Perales Momparler, S.; Petaccia, G. (2012). A quantitative flood risk analysis methodology for urban areas with integration of social research data. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. 12(9):2843-2863. doi:10.5194/nhess-12-2843-2012S28432863129AEMS: Commonwealth of Australia, Flood Warning, Manual 21, Australian Emergency Manuals Series, ISBN 978-1-921152-17-7, 2009.Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD): Incorporated Guidelines on Risk Assessment, October 2003.Ayyub, B. M.: Elicitation of expert opinions for uncertainty and risks, CRC Press, 2001.Baana, P. J. and Klijna, F.: Flood risk perception and implications for flood risk management in the Netherlands, Int. J. River Basin Manage., 2, 113–122, 2004.Bowles, D. S.: ALARP Evaluation-Using Cost Effectiveness and Disproportionality to Justify Risk Reduction, Australian National Commission on Large Dams (ANCOLD) – Bulletin, 127, 89–106, August 2004.Conselleria d'Obres Públiques, Urbanisme i Territori (COPUT): Plan de Acción Territorial de Carácter Sectorial sobre Prevención de Riesgo de Inundación en la Comunidad Valenciana (PATRICOVA), 2002 (in Spanish).CRUE Research Funding Initiative: Synthesis Report No I-2009, Addressing the key findings of research, Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Effectiveness and Efficiency of Non-structural Flood Risk Management Measures, Project Contract No: ERAC-CT-2004-515742, 2009.Cunge, J. A., Holly, F. M., and Vervey, A.: Practical aspects of Computational River Hydraulics, Pitman Publ. Inc, London, 1990.Dawson, W. R.: Generic depth-damage relationships for residential structures with basements, Economic Guidance Memorandum (EGM) 04-01, USACE, 2003.DHS: Estimating Economic Consequences for Dam Failure Scenarios, Dams Sector, US Department of Homeland Security, September 2011, 2011a.DHS: Estimating Loss of Life for Dam Failure Scenarios, Dams Sector, US Department of Homeland Security, September 2011, 2011b.Douben, K. J.: Characteristics of river floods and flooding: a global overview, 1985–2003, Irrigation Drainage, 55, S9–S21, 2006.EC: Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks, 2007.EC: Directive 2008/114/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 December 2008 on the identification and designation of European critical infrastructures and the assessment of the need to improve their protection, 2008.Escuder-Bueno, I., Morales-Torres, A., and Perales-Momparler, S.: Urban Flood Risk Characterization as a tool for planning and managing. Workshop Alexandria, March 2010: Exploration of Tolerable Risk Guidelines for Levee Systems, Washington DC (USA), available at: www.ipresas.upv.es, www.sufri.tugraz.at, 2010.Escuder-Bueno, I., Castillo-Rodríguez, J. T., Perales-Momparler, S., and Morales-Torres, A.: SUFRI methodology for pluvial and river flooding risk assessment in urban areas to inform decision-making, SUFRI project, WP3, final report, July 2011, available at: www.sufri.tugraz.at, 2011a.Escuder-Bueno, I., Castillo-Rodríguez, J. T., Perales-Momparler, S., and Morales-Torres, A.: A complete and quantitative tool for flood risk analysis in urban areas: river and pluvial flooding, Proceedings UFRIM Conference, Graz (Austria), September 2011, 2011b.Gómez, M. and Russo, B.: Criterios de riesgo asociados a escorrentía urbana, Jornadas de Ingeniería del Agua, 2009 (in Spanish).Graham, W. J.: A procedure for estimating loss of life caused by dam failure, DSO-99-06, US Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, 1999.Grossmann, G. and Seiser, T.: Final Report – Survey about risk awareness – SUFRI project, 2011 (unpublished report).IEC/FDIS 31010, ISO International Standard: Risk management – Risk assessment techniques, IEC/FDIS 31010:2009 (E), 2009.International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD): Risk Assessment in Dam Safety Management: A Reconnaissance of Benefits, Methods and Current Applications, Bulletin130, 2005.Jöbstl, C., Zechner, S., Knoblauch, H., Pohl, R., Bornschein, A., Natale, L., Petaccia, G., Escuder-Bueno, I., Castillo-Rodríguez, J. T., Perales-Momparler, S., Morales-Torres, A., Bateman, A., Medina, V., Díaz, A., Grossmann, G., Kulmhofer, A., and Seiser, T.: SUFRI – Sustainable Strategies of Urban Flood Risk Management with non-structural measures to cope with the residual risk, Final Report, Graz 2011, available at: www.sufri.tugraz.at, 2011.Jonkman, S. N.: Global Perspectives on Loss of Human Life Caused by Floods, Nat. Hazards, 34, 151–175, 2003.Messner, F., Penning-Rowsell, E., Green, C., Meyer, V., Tunstall, S., and van der Veen, A.: FLOODSITE Evaluating flood damages: guidance and recommendations on principles and methods, Report T09-06-01, January 2007.Munger, D. F., Bowles, D. S., Boyer, D. B., Davis, D. W., Margo, D. A., Moser, D. A., Regan, P. J., and Snorteland, N.: Interim tolerable risk guidelines for US Army Corps of Engineers dams. In USSD Workshop on the future of dam safety decision making: combining standards and risk, April 2009.Nanía, L.: Métodos de transformación lluvía-escorrentía y de propagación de caudales, Hidrología superficial y subterránea, Universidad de Granada, 2002 (in Spanish).Parker, D., Tunstall, S., and Wilson, T.: Socio-economic benefits of flood forecasting and warning, Flood Hazard Research Centre, Middlesex University, Queensway, Enfield, EN3 4SF, London, UK, 2005.Penning-Rowsell, E., Floyd, D., Ramsbottom, P., and Surendran, S.: Estimating injury and loss of life in floods: A deterministic framework, Nat. Hazards, 36, 43–64, 2005.Reiter, P.: RESCDAM – Loss of life caused by dam failure, the RESCDAM LOL method and its application to Kyrkosjarvi dam in Seinajoki, Water Consulting Ltd., 2001.Roos, M.: Flood management practice in northern California, Irrigation Drainage, 55, 93–99, 2006.Samuels, P., Klijn, F., and Dijkman J.: An analysis of the current practice of policies on river flood risk management in different countries, Irrigation Drainage, 55, 141–150, 2006.Sayers, P. B., Hall, J. W., and Meadowcroft, I. C.: Towards risk-based flood hazard management in the UK, Proceedings of ICE-Civil Engineering 150 May 2002, 36–42, Paper 12803, 2002.Scawthorn, C., Flores, P.; Blais, N., Seligson, H., Tate, E., Chang, S., Mifflin, E., Thomas, W., Murphy, J., Jones, C., and Lawrence, M.: HAZUS-MH flood loss estimation methodology, II: Damage and Loss Assessment, Nat. Hazards Rev., 7, 72–81, 2006.Schanze, J., Hutter, G., Olfert, A., Penning-Rowsell, E.C., Parker, D., Harries, T., Werritty, A., Nachtnebel, H., Holzmann, H., Neuhold, C., Meyer, V., Kuhlicke, C., Schildt, A., Jessel, B., and Königer, P.: FLOOD-ERA Joint Report, CRUE Research Report No I-1: Systematisation, evaluation and context conditions of structural and non-structural measures for flood risk reduction, Project Contract No: ERAC-CT-2004-515742, 2008.Serrano-Lombillo, A., Escuder-Bueno, I., de Membrillera-Ortuño, M. G., and Altarejos-García, L.: iPresas – Software for risk analysis, 23rd International Congress on Large Dams, Brasilia, 2009.Simonovic, S. P.: Social criteria for evaluation of flood control measures – Winnipeg case study, Urban Water, 1, 167–175, 1999.Témez, J. R.: Extended and Improved Rational method, Highways Administration of Spain, XXIV Congress Madrid Edition, 1991 (in Spanish).US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR): Risk Based Profiling System, Technical Service Center, 2001.Vrijling, J. K.: Probabilistic design of water defence systems in The Netherlands, Reliab. Eng. Syst. Safe., 74, 337–344, 2001.Zechner, S., Jöbstl, C., and Knoblauch, H.: SUFRI Methodology for investigation of risk awareness of the population concerned, SUFRI project, WP4, final report, December 2011

Accelerometer Cut-Points for Physical Activity Assessment in Adults with Mild to Moderate Huntington’s Disease: A Cross-Sectional Multicentre Study

Accelerometers can estimate the intensity, frequency, and duration of physical activity in healthy adults. Although thresholds to distinguish varying levels of activity intensity using the Actigraph wGT3X-B have been established for the general population, their accuracy for Huntington’s disease (HD) is unknown. We aimed to define and cross-validate accelerometer cut-points for different walking speeds in adults with mild to moderate HD. A cross-sectional, multicentre, case-control, observational study was conducted with a convenience sample of 13 symptomatic ambulatory HD participants. The accelerometer was placed around the right hip, and a heart monitor was fitted around the chest to monitor heart rate variability. Participants walked on a treadmill at three speeds with light, moderate and vigorous intensities. Correlation and receiver operation curve analyses were performed between the accelerometer magnitude vector with relative oxygen and heart rate. Optimal cut-points for walking speeds of 3.2 km/h were ≤2852; 5.2 km/h: >2852 to ≤4117, and in increments until their maximum velocity: >4117. Our results support the application of the disease-specific cut-points for quantifying physical activity in patients with mild to moderate HD and promoting healthy lifestyle interventions.The project leading to these results has received funding from “La Caixa” Foundation (ID100010434), under agreement FUI1-PI008

COEDU-IN Project: an inclusive co-educational project for teaching computational thinking and digital skills at early ages

Learning to program is the new literacy of the 21st century. Computational thinking, closely related to programming, requires thinking and solving problems with different levels of abstraction and is independent of hardware devices. The early childhood education stage provides teachers with the opportunity to lay the foundations for a comprehensive quality education using innovative tools and technologies. Educational robotics in early childhood education becomes a tool that facilitates the acquisition of knowledge to children, playfully, based on the principles of interactivity, social interrelationships, collaborative work, creativity, constructivist and constructionist learning, and a student-centered didactic approach, allowing in turn that student can acquire digital competencies and develop logical and computational thinking in an underlying way. This project explores the current state of teaching and learning computational thinking and programming in early childhood education in an inclusive manner. Moreover, the lack of diversity and inequality is particularly latent in science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Therefore, this work considers this problem and presents an inclusive coeducation approach to this new literacy, eliminating gender stereotypes and extending them to people with Down syndrome and hospitalized minors

Quantification of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins: A Problem Not Fully Appreciated

Protein quantification is essential in a great variety of biochemical assays, yet the inherent systematic errors associated with the concentration determination of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) using classical methods are hardly appreciated. Routinely used assays for protein quantification, such as the Bradford assay or ultraviolet absorbance at 280 nm, usually seriously misestimate the concentrations of IDPs due to their distinct and variable amino acid composition. Therefore, dependable method(s) have to be worked out/adopted for this task. By comparison to elemental analysis as the gold standard, we show through the example of four globular proteins and nine IDPs that the ninhydrin assay and the commercial QubitTM Protein Assay provide reliable data on IDP quantity. However, as IDPs can show extreme variation in amino acid composition and physical features not necessarily covered by our examples, even these techniques should only be used for IDPs following standardization. The far-reaching implications of these simple observations are demonstrated through two examples: (i) circular dichroism spectrum deconvolution, and (ii) receptor-ligand affinity determination. These actual comparative examples illustrate the potential errors that can be incorporated into the biophysical parameters of IDPs, due to systematic misestimation of their concentration. This leads to inaccurate description of IDP functions

Standalone vertex finding in the ATLAS muon spectrometer

A dedicated reconstruction algorithm to find decay vertices in the ATLAS muon spectrometer is presented. The algorithm searches the region just upstream of or inside the muon spectrometer volume for multi-particle vertices that originate from the decay of particles with long decay paths. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using both a sample of simulated Higgs boson events, in which the Higgs boson decays to long-lived neutral particles that in turn decay to bbar b final states, and pp collision data at √s = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2011

Measurements of Higgs boson production and couplings in diboson final states with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements are presented of production properties and couplings of the recently discovered Higgs boson using the decays into boson pairs, H →γ γ, H → Z Z∗ →4l and H →W W∗ →lνlν. The results are based on the complete pp collision data sample recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at centre-of-mass energies of √s = 7 TeV and √s = 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 25 fb−1. Evidence for Higgs boson production through vector-boson fusion is reported. Results of combined fits probing Higgs boson couplings to fermions and bosons, as well as anomalous contributions to loop-induced production and decay modes, are presented. All measurements are consistent with expectations for the Standard Model Higgs boson

Measurement of the top quark-pair production cross section with ATLAS in pp collisions at \sqrt{s}=7\TeV

A measurement of the production cross-section for top quark pairs(\ttbar) in $pp$ collisions at \sqrt{s}=7 \TeV is presented using data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events are selected in two different topologies: single lepton (electron $e$ or muon $\mu$) with large missing transverse energy and at least four jets, and dilepton ($ee$, $\mu\mu$ or $e\mu$) with large missing transverse energy and at least two jets. In a data sample of 2.9 pb-1, 37 candidate events are observed in the single-lepton topology and 9 events in the dilepton topology. The corresponding expected backgrounds from non-\ttbar Standard Model processes are estimated using data-driven methods and determined to be $12.2 \pm 3.9$ events and $2.5 \pm 0.6$ events, respectively. The kinematic properties of the selected events are consistent with SM \ttbar production. The inclusive top quark pair production cross-section is measured to be \sigmattbar=145 \pm 31 ^{+42}_{-27} pb where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The measurement agrees with perturbative QCD calculations.Comment: 30 pages plus author list (50 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, CERN-PH number and final journal adde