Linear-Phase-Type probability modelling of functional PCA with applications to resistive memories

[EN] Functional principal component analysis (FPCA) based on Karhunen-Loeve (K-L) expansion allows to describe the stochastic evolution of the main characteristics associated to multiple systems and devices. Identifying the probability distribution of the principal component scores is fundamental to characterize the whole process. The aim of this work is to consider a family of statistical distributions that could be accurately adjusted to a previous transformation. Then, a new class of distributions, the linear-phase-type, is introduced to model the principal components. This class is studied in detail in order to prove, through the K-L expansion, that certain linear transformations of the process at each time point are phase-type distributed. This way, the one-dimensional distributions of the process are in the same linear-phase-type class. Finally, an application to model the reset process associated with resistive memories is developed and explained. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (IMACS).We would like to thank F. Campabadal and M.B. Gonzalez from the IMB-CNM (CSIC) in Barcelona for fabricating and providing the experimental measurements of the devices employed here. We acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under projects TEC2017-84321-C4-3-R, MTM201788708-P, IJCI-2017-34038 (also supported by the FEDER, Spain program) and the PhD grant, Spain (FPU18/01779) awarded to Christian Acal. This work has made use of the Spanish ICTS Network MICRONANOFABSRuiz-Castro, JE.; Acal, C.; Aguilera, AM.; Aguilera-Morillo, MC.; Roldán, JB. (2021). Linear-Phase-Type probability modelling of functional PCA with applications to resistive memories. Mathematics and Computers in Simulation. 186:71-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matcom.2020.07.006717918

Contribution of phytochelatins to cadmium tolerance in peanut plants

Cadmium (Cd) is a well known heavy metal considered as one of the most toxic metals on Earth, affecting all viable cells that are exposed even at low concentration. It is introduced to agricultural soils mainly by phosphate fertilizers and causes many toxic symptoms in cells. Phytochelatins (PCs) are non-protein thiols which are involved in oxidative stress protection and are strongly induced by Cd. In this work, we analyzed metal toxicity as well as PCs implication on protection of peanut plants exposed to Cd. Results showed that Cd exposure induced a reduction of peanut growth and produced changes in the histological structure with a deposit of unknown material on the epidermal and endodermal cells. When plants were exposed to 10 μM Cd, no modification of chlorophyll, lipid peroxides, carbonyl groups, or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content was observed. At this concentration, peanut leaves and roots glutathione (GSH) content decreased. However, peanut roots were able to synthesize different types of PCs (PC2, PC3, PC4). In conclusion, PC synthesis could prevent metal disturbance on cellular redox balance, avoiding oxidative damage to macromolecules.Fil: Bianucci, Eliana Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Sobrino Plata, Juan. No especifíca;Fil: Carpena Ruiz, Ramón O.. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: Del Carmen Tordable, María. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Fabra, Adriana Isidora. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Hernández, Luis E.. No especifíca;Fil: Castro, Stella Maris. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentin

Transcriptomics and interactomics during the primary infection of an SfNPV baculovirus on Spodoptera frugiperda larvae

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has been the most devastating pest of corn as well as of other crops in America, and more recently in Africa and Asia. The development of resistance to chemical insecticides led the search for environmentally friendly biological alternatives such as baculoviruses. This study focuses on the primary infection of the baculovirus SfNPV-Ar in the FAW’s midgut epithelium, by analyzing the differential expression of transcripts in excised midguts at 6, 12, and 24 h post-infection (hpi), and predicted their interactions. Interaction of viral factors with the infected midgut tissue could alters various cellular processes, such as the apoptotic system due to the up-regulation observed of FABP at 6 hpi and of HSP90 at 24 hpi, along with the down-regulated PRX at 6 hpi and FABP transcripts between 12 and 24 hpi. Changes in transcript regulation could affect the cellular architecture of infected cells due to up-regulation of ARP 2/3 at 6 and 12 hpi, followed by down-regulation at 24 hpi. In relation to protein folding proteins, HSP90 was up-regulated at 24 hpi and PDI was down-regulated between 6 and 12 hpi. With respect to metabolism and cellular transport, AcilBP and ATPS0 were up regulated at 6 hpi and 12 hpi, respectively. In reference to transcription and translation up-regulation of RPL11 at 6 hpi and of FPN32 and RPL19 at 24 hpi was detected, as well as the down-regulation of RPL19 at 6 hpi, of PDI and RPL7 at 12 hpi, and of FABP at 24 hpi. In conclusion, gene regulation induced by viral infection could be related to the cytoskeleton and cellular metabolism as well as to oxidative stress, apoptosis, protein folding, translation, and ribosomal structure. The results presented in this work are an approach to understanding how the virus takes control of the general metabolism of the insect host during the primary infection period

HPV in women assisted by the family health strategy

OBJECTIVE: Estimate the prevalence of cervical HPV infection among women assisted by the Family Health Strategy and identify the factors related to the infection. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 2,076 women aged 20–59 years old residing in Juiz de Fora, State of Minas Gerais, who were asked to participate in an organized screening carried out in units were the Family Health Strategy had been implemented. Participants answered the standardized questionnaire and underwent a conventional cervical cytology test and HPV test for high oncogenic risk. Estimates of HPV infection prevalence were calculated according to selected characteristics referenced in the literature and related to socioeconomic status, reproductive health and lifestyle. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of HPV infection was 12.6% (95%CI 11.16–14.05). The prevalence for the pooled primer contained 12 oncogenic HPV types (31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68) was 8.6% (95%CI 7.3–9.77). In the multivariate analysis, it was observed that the following variables were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of HPV infection: marital status (single: adjusted PR = 1.40, 95%CI 1.07–1.8), alcohol consumption (any lifetime frequency: adjusted PR = 1.44, 95%CI 1.11–1.86) and number of lifetime sexual partners (≥ 3: adjusted PR = 1.35, 95%CI 1.04–1.74). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of HPV infection in the study population ranges from average to particularly high among young women. The prevalence of HPV16 and HPV18 infection is similar to the worldwide prevalence. Homogeneous distribution among the pooled primer types would precede the isolated infection by HPV18 in magnitude, which may be a difference greater than the one observed. The identification of high-risk oncogenic HPV prevalence may help identify women at higher risk of developing preneoplastic lesions.

Estudio teórico de capacidad de deformación de soportes esbeltos de hormigón armado con fibras de acero sometidos a esfuerzos combinados de axil y carga lateral

El estudio de la ductilidad es muy importante en elementos estructurales sometidos a esfuerzos combinados, ya que nos determina la capacidad de resistencia y a la deformación. Actualmente son escasos los ensayos experimentales para el estudio de soportes esbeltos sometidos a carga axial y carga lateral cíclica, donde también hay carencia de estudios con respecto a hormigones de alta resistencia y adicion de fibras metálicas (Caballero-Morrison et al (2011)[5]). Se ha desarrollado un modelo numérico utilizando el software Opensees (http://opensees.berkeley.edu). Opensees es una herramienta de simulación disponibles en la Red para la simulación de Ingeniería Sísmica (Nees). En el análisis numérico se consideran las leyes constitutivas de hormigón reforzado con fibras confinados y no confinados bajo cargas cíclicas, y las leyes constitutivas para las barras de acero bajo cargas cíclicas y sometido a pandeo. Se ha realizado un estudio teórico de comportamiento inelástico de soportes esbeltos de hormigón definiéndose un modelo numérico en Opensees; dicho modelo ha sido calibrado con 25 ensayos experimentales propios. Los parámetros de estudio utilizados son: el nivel de axil, esbeltez a cortante, resistencia del hormigón, la cuantía de la armadura transversal, el tamaño de la sección y la adición de fibras metálicas en la masa del hormigón.El estudio de la ductilidad es muy importante en elementos estructurales sometidos a esfuerzos combinados, ya que nos determina la capacidad de resistencia y a la deformación. Actualmente son escasos los ensayos experimentales para el estudio de soportes esbeltos sometidos a carga axial y carga lateral cíclica, donde también hay carencia de estudios con respecto a hormigones de alta resistencia y adicion de fibras metálicas (Caballero-Morrison et al (2011)[5]). Se ha desarrollado un modelo numérico utilizando el software Opensees (http://opensees.berkeley.edu). Opensees es una herramienta de simulación disponibles en la Red para la simulación de Ingeniería Sísmica (Nees). En el análisis numérico se consideran las leyes constitutivas de hormigón reforzado con fibras confinados y no confinados bajo cargas cíclicas, y las leyes constitutivas para las barras de acero bajo cargas cíclicas y sometido a pandeo. Se ha realizado un estudio teórico de comportamiento inelástico de soportes esbeltos de hormigón definiéndose un modelo numérico en Opensees; dicho modelo ha sido calibrado con 25 ensayos experimentales propios. Los parámetros de estudio utilizados son: el nivel de axil, esbeltez a cortante, resistencia del hormigón, la cuantía de la armadura transversal, el tamaño de la sección y la adición de fibras metálicas en la masa del hormigón

Perfil, evolução e desfecho dos pacientes atendidos pelo serviço de atendimento móvel de urgência

Objective: to analyze the profile, the evolution and outcome of patients served by the SAMU 192. Method: cross-sectional, exploratory and descriptive study. The sample consisted of data from 600 adult patients, served in the year 2015 by the SAMU and referred to another health service. Descriptive analysis was performed to identify the population profile, the evolution and the intra-hospital outcome; correlation testing between response time in the pre-hospital service and length of stay; and multiple logistic regression between response time and outcome. It used p < 0.05 as the significance level. Results: there was a predominance of care for clinical occurrences, male gender and average age of 55.5 years. After pre-hospital care, 50.2% of the surveyed patients remained under observation and 34.8% required hospitalization. The pre-hospital response time was positively correlated with the length of stay. The main outcome was medical discharge, with 41% of them being referred for the continuity of treatment. Conclusion: the analysis showed a profile of care provided to patients with an average age of 55 years and suffering from clinical diseases that required referral to a health unit, remaining under hospital observation for up to 12 hours. These results are important for the support of care flow protocols in the RUE, in order to reduce the overload of tertiary services.Objetivo: analisar perfil, evolução e desfecho dos pacientes atendidos pelo SAMU 192. Método: estudo transversal, exploratório e descritivo. A amostra constou dados de 600 pacientes adultos, atendidos no ano de 2015 pelo SAMU e encaminhados para outro serviço de saúde. Realizou-se análise descritiva para identificar o perfil da população, a evolução e o desfecho intra-hospitalar; teste de correlação entre o tempo resposta no serviço pré-hospitalar e o tempo de internação; e regressão logística múltipla entre o tempo resposta e o desfecho. Utilizou-se p < 0,05 como nível de significância. Resultados: predominaram o atendimento de ocorrências clínicas, o sexo masculino e a média de idade de 55,5 anos. Após o atendimento pré-hospitalar, 50,2% dos pacientes permaneceram em observação e 34,8% precisaram de internação hospitalar. O tempo resposta pré-hospitalar apresentou correlação positiva com o tempo de internação. O principal desfecho foi a alta médica, sendo que 41% deles foram encaminhados para continuidade do tratamento. Conclusão: a análise mostrou um perfil de atendimentos a pacientes com idade média de 55 anos e acometidos por doenças de natureza clínica que necessitaram de encaminhamento a uma unidade de saúde, permanecendo em observação hospitalar por até 12h. Esses resultados são importantes para o embasamento de protocolos de fluxo assistencial na RUE, a fim de diminuir a sobrecarga dos serviços terciários.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comportamiento de soportes esbeltos de hormigón armado con fibras de acero sometidos a esfuerzos combinados de axil y carga lateral cíclica

La ductilidad es un indicador de la capacidad de deformación en estructuras sometidas a esfuerzos combinados de axil y carga lateral cíclica. El elemento estructural sometido a estos esfuerzos debe ser capaz de absorber y de disipar la energía sin que se produzca una significativa perdida de capacidad resistente. En la actualidad, las normativas para el diseño sísmico estructural, (EC-8 (2004)[4], ACI-318(11)[1]) especifican la disposición de la cuantía de armadura transversal a disponer en las zonas críticas susceptibles de albergar una rótula plástica. Para niveles altos de axil es necesario disponer una cuantía importante de armadura transversal. Dicha cuantía puede suponer problemas durante la puesta en obra del hormigón. La literatura técnica señala como una posible solución para mejorar la ductilidad de este tipo de soportes utilizar hormigón con fibras en su masa. Por otro lado, los efectos de segundo orden que se producen en los soportes influyen en la capacidad de deformación (Bae y Bayrak (2006)[8]); y en la literatura técnica son escasos los ensayos experimentales de soportes cuya esbeltez sea superior a 6.5. Por tales razones se han realizado 25 ensayos experimentales donde se estudian parámetros como la resistencia del hormigón, la esbeltez geométrica de la pieza, la cuantía de armadura tranversal, el nivel de axil reducido, la sección transversal y la adición de fibras metálicas en la masa del hormigón. Estos ensayos tienen como objetivo conocer la capacidad de deformación y de resistencia sometidos a una carga axial y carga lateral cíclica según los parámetros mencionados anteriormente; y además han de servir para calibrar modelos numéricos y validar métodos simplificados.La ductilidad es un indicador de la capacidad de deformación en estructuras sometidas a esfuerzos combinados de axil y carga lateral cíclica. El elemento estructural sometido a estos esfuerzos debe ser capaz de absorber y de disipar la energía sin que se produzca una significativa perdida de capacidad resistente. En la actualidad, las normativas para el diseño sísmico estructural, (EC-8 (2004)[4], ACI-318(11)[1]) especifican la disposición de la cuantía de armadura transversal a disponer en las zonas críticas susceptibles de albergar una rótula plástica. Para niveles altos de axil es necesario disponer una cuantía importante de armadura transversal. Dicha cuantía puede suponer problemas durante la puesta en obra del hormigón. La literatura técnica señala como una posible solución para mejorar la ductilidad de este tipo de soportes utilizar hormigón con fibras en su masa. Por otro lado, los efectos de segundo orden que se producen en los soportes influyen en la capacidad de deformación (Bae y Bayrak (2006)[8]); y en la literatura técnica son escasos los ensayos experimentales de soportes cuya esbeltez sea superior a 6.5. Por tales razones se han realizado 25 ensayos experimentales donde se estudian parámetros como la resistencia del hormigón, la esbeltez geométrica de la pieza, la cuantía de armadura tranversal, el nivel de axil reducido, la sección transversal y la adición de fibras metálicas en la masa del hormigón. Estos ensayos tienen como objetivo conocer la capacidad de deformación y de resistencia sometidos a una carga axial y carga lateral cíclica según los parámetros mencionados anteriormente; y además han de servir para calibrar modelos numéricos y validar métodos simplificados

Personality traits in rats predict vulnerability and resilience to developing stress-induced depression-like behaviors, HPA axis hyper-reactivity and brain changes in pERK1/2 activity

Emerging evidence indicates that certain behavioral traits, such as anxiety, are associated with the development of depression-like behaviors after exposure to chronic stress. However, single traits do not explain the wide variability in vulnerability to stress observed in outbred populations. We hypothesized that a combination of behavioral traits might provide a better characterization of an individual's vulnerability to prolonged stress. Here, we sought to determine whether the characterization of relevant behavioral traits in rats could aid in identifying individuals with different vulnerabilities to developing stress-induced depression-like behavioral alterations. We also investigated whether behavioral traits would be related to the development of alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and in brain activity - as measured through phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) - in response to an acute stressor following either sub-chronic (2 weeks) or chronic (4 weeks) unpredictable stress (CUS). Sprague-Dawley rats were characterized using a battery of behavioral tasks, and three principal traits were identified: anxiety, exploration and activity. When combined, the first two traits were found to explain the variability in the stress responses. Our findings confirm the increased risk of animals with high anxiety developing certain depression-like behaviors (e.g., increased floating time in the forced swim test) when progressively exposed to stress. In contrast, the behavioral profile based on combined low anxiety and low exploration was resistant to alterations related to social behaviors, while the high anxiety and low exploration profile displayed a particularly vulnerable pattern of physiological and neurobiological responses after sub-chronic stress exposure. Our findings indicate important differences in animals' vulnerability and/or resilience to the effects of repeated stress, particularly during initial or intermediate levels of stress exposure, and they highlight that the behavioral inhibition profile of an animal provides a particular susceptibility to responding in a deleterious manner to stress

The systemic lupus erythematosus IRF5 risk haplotype is associated with systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a fibrotic autoimmune disease in which the genetic component plays an important role. One of the strongest SSc association signals outside the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region corresponds to interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 5 (IRF5), a major regulator of the type I IFN pathway. In this study we aimed to evaluate whether three different haplotypic blocks within this locus, which have been shown to alter the protein function influencing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility, are involved in SSc susceptibility and clinical phenotypes. For that purpose, we genotyped one representative single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of each block (rs10488631, rs2004640, and rs4728142) in a total of 3,361 SSc patients and 4,012 unaffected controls of Caucasian origin from Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and United Kingdom. A meta-analysis of the allele frequencies was performed to analyse the overall effect of these IRF5 genetic variants on SSc. Allelic combination and dependency tests were also carried out. The three SNPs showed strong associations with the global disease (rs4728142: P = 1.34×10&lt;sup&gt;−8&lt;/sup&gt;, OR = 1.22, CI 95% = 1.14–1.30; rs2004640: P = 4.60×10&lt;sup&gt;−7&lt;/sup&gt;, OR = 0.84, CI 95% = 0.78–0.90; rs10488631: P = 7.53×10&lt;sup&gt;−20&lt;/sup&gt;, OR = 1.63, CI 95% = 1.47–1.81). However, the association of rs2004640 with SSc was not independent of rs4728142 (conditioned P = 0.598). The haplotype containing the risk alleles (rs4728142*A-rs2004640*T-rs10488631*C: P = 9.04×10&lt;sup&gt;−22&lt;/sup&gt;, OR = 1.75, CI 95% = 1.56–1.97) better explained the observed association (likelihood P-value = 1.48×10&lt;sup&gt;−4&lt;/sup&gt;), suggesting an additive effect of the three haplotypic blocks. No statistical significance was observed in the comparisons amongst SSc patients with and without the main clinical characteristics. Our data clearly indicate that the SLE risk haplotype also influences SSc predisposition, and that this association is not sub-phenotype-specific