Enhancing efficiency of Byzantine-tolerant coordination protocols via hash functions

Abstract. Distributed protocols resilient to Byzantine failures are notorious to be costly from the computational and communication point of view. In this paper we discuss the role that collision–resistant hash functions can have in enhancing the efficiency of Byzantine–tolerant coordination protocols. In particular, we show two settings in which their use leads to a remarkable improvement of the system performance in case of large data or large populations. More precisely, we show how they can be applied to the implementation of atomic shared objects, and propose a technique that combines randomization and hash functions. We discuss also the earnings of these approaches and compute their complexity.

Semen evaluation of two selected lines of rabbit bucks

[EN] Twenty rabbit bucks of 9 months of age were used to evaluate semen quality of two lines of New Zealand rabbit bucks selected for litter size at weaning (A line) and growth rate from weaning to slaughter (R line). The morphological semen characteristics indicated that the A line spermatozoa had greater acrosome integrity (+3.6 percentage units; P<0.01) and smaller sperm head size (for example, ¿1.46 ¿m2 for sperm head area) than in the R line. Seminal functional traits were also significantly higher for the A line (+13.4 percentage units for viability, +10.6 percentage units for hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) and +3.3 g/L for seminal plasma protein. However, no differences were detected between lines for motility parameters and seminal plasma protein electrophoretic profiles. Both lines had the same twelve bands with the following molecular weights to the nearest 1 kD: 124, 117, 99, 86, 75, 62, 40, 32, 21, 19, 10 and 6 kD. A relationship (r=0.308 for A line and 0.359 for R line; P<0.01) was found between the integrity of the plasmatic membrane (viability rate) and tail membrane (HOST) of the spermatozoa in the A line, but not in the R line, which had greater sperm head size. There was also a significant positive correlation coefficient between sperm concentration and either viability or some kinetic traits (r=0.567 and 0.575 for VCL, r=0.584 and 0.561 for VSL and r=0.588 and 0.588 for VAP, for A and R lines, respectively; P<0.001). We concluded that the A line seems to have better semen characteristics than the R line. We also found an interesting correlation among the seminal morphological, functional and kinetic traits, which could possibly be used to facilitate semen evaluation.Hosam M. Safaa was supported by a grant from ICSC-World Laboratory, Switzerland. This work has been supported by the Spanish Research Project (CICYT AGL2004-02710/GAN). The authors are indebted to F. Marco-Jiménez, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain, and G.M.K. Mehaisen, Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agricultural, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, for their excellent cooperation throughout this study and to D.A.A. El-Sayed, Faculty of Agricultural, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, for her help in preparing the manuscript.Safaa, H.; Vicente, J.; Lavara, R.; Viudes De Castro, M. (2008). Semen evaluation of two selected lines of rabbit bucks. World Rabbit Science. 16(3). doi:10.4995/wrs.2008.62216

Phenotype and genotype correlation of the microconversion from the CYP21A1P to the CYP21A2 gene in congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Deficiency of 21-hydroxylase is the most common form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH-21OH). We determined by allele-specific PCR the frequency of microconversion in the CYP21A2 gene in 50 Brazilian patients with the classical (salt wasting: SW and simple virilizing: SV) forms and nonclassical (NC) form of CAH-21OH and correlated genotype with phenotype. Genotypes were classified into three mutation groups (A, B, and C) based on the amount of enzymatic activity in in vitro studies using adrenal cells. In 94 unrelated alleles, we diagnosed 76% of the affected alleles after screening for 7 microconversions. The most frequent point mutations observed in this series were I172N (19%), V281L (18%), and IVS2,A/C>G,-12 (15%). In the SW form, the most frequent mutation was IVS2,A/C>G,-12 (38%), in the SV form it was I172N (53%), and in the NC form it was V281L (57.7%). We observed a good correlation between genotype and phenotype. Discordance between genotype and phenotype was found in one SV patient with a mild mutation in one of the alleles (R356W/V281L). However, we cannot rule out the presence of an additional mutation in these alleles. We also observed a good correlation of genotype with 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone, and androstenedione levels. The severity of external genitalia virilization correlated with the severity of mutation. In conclusion, the frequencies described in the present study did not differ from worldwide studies, including the Brazilian population. The few differences observed may reflect individual sample variations. This new Brazilian cohort study suggests the presence of new mutations in Brazilian patients with different forms of CAH-21OH.1311131

Discreteness of the spectrum of the compactified D=11 supermembrane with non-trivial winding

We analyze the Hamiltonian of the compactified D=11 supermembrane with non-trivial central charge in terms of the matrix model constructed recently by some of the authors. Our main result provides a rigorous proof that the quantum Hamiltonian of the supersymmetric model has compact resolvent and thus its spectrum consists of a discrete set of eigenvalues with finite multiplicity.Comment: 16 pages, final versio

Toll-like receptor 9 modifies intestinal serotonergic system.

Introduction: Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is expressed in intestinal epithelial cells, which recognize microbiota developing different responses 1. Several studies have shown that TLR9 seems to be involved in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) due to an inappropriate defensive response against microorganisms 2. Moreover, intestinal serotonergic system is also altered in IBD, where extracellular serotonin (5–HT) levels are increased 3. 5-HT bioavailability is mainly regulated by the serotonin transporter (SERT), expressed in enterocytes 4. Aims & Methods: The aim of the present study was to analyse whether TLR9 activation affects SERT expression and activity, and expression of other elements from the serotonergic system (TPH1, TPH2 and 5-HT receptors). Human enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells, and ileum and colon from TLR9-/- mice and Dextran Sulphate Sodium (DSS) mouse colitis model were used as experimental models. mRNA expression was determined by RT-qPCR, and protein expression by western blot..

Evaluation of tissue and circulating mir-21 as potential biomarker of response to chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer

This research received funding from European Structural & Investment Funds through the COMPETE Programme—Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa—Programme Grant LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-016405,and from National Funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia—Programme Grant SAICTPAC/0019/2015.Response to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (RC) is quite variable and it is urgent to find predictive biomarkers of response. We investigated miR-21 as tissue and plasma biomarker of response to CRT in a prospective cohort of RC patients; The expression of miR-21 was analyzed in pre-and post-CRT rectal tissue and plasma in 37 patients with RC. Two groups were defined: Pathological responders (TRG 0, 1 and 2) and non-responders (TRG 3). The association between miR-21, clinical and oncological outcomes was assessed; miR-21 was upregulated in tumor tissue and we found increased odds of overexpression in pre-CRT tumor tissue (OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 0.40–6.63, p = 0.498) and pre-CRT plasma (OR: 1.79; 95% CI: 0.45–7.19, p = 0.414) of non-responders. The overall recurrence risk increased with miR-21 overexpression in pre-CRT tumor tissue (HR: 2.175, p = 0.37); Significantly higher miR-21 expression is observed in tumor tissue comparing with non-neoplastic. Increased odds of non-response is reported in patients expressing higher miR-21, although without statistical significance. This is one of the first studies on circulating miR-21 as a potential biomarker of response to CRT in RC patients.publishersversionpublishe

Calidad de vida y función sexual en mujeres con disfunción del piso-pélvico del sur de Chile

Antecedentes/Objetivos: La disfunción del piso pélvico (DPP) es muy prevalente, afectando a un tercio de las mujeres adultas. Estas patologías no suponen un riesgo vital, pero sus síntomas pueden interferir con las actividades de la vida diaria incluyendo aspectos físicos, sociales y sexuales. En el sur de Chile, en el Hospital de alta complejidad (Regional-Concepción), se ha implementado la Unidad de Piso Pélvico (UPP). No hay evidencia sobre el efecto que supone en la calidad de vida y la función sexual de las mujeres que la padecen Describir la calidad de vida y función sexual de mujeres controladas en la Unidad de Piso Pélvico de un Hospital de alta complejidad en Chile. Métodos: Estudio transversal. Población: usuarias con DPP de la UPP del H. Regional-Concepción. Muestra 173. Variables: Caract. sociodemográficas, antecedentes obstétricos, tipo de DPP, Variables de Calidad de Vida (percepción del estado de salud, limitación emocional, limitación de actividades cotidianas, alteraciones de actividades sociales) (Short Form-12 Health Survey) y función sexual (PISQ-12). Análisis: medidas de dispersión, frecuencia absoluta- relativa. Resultados: Edad media 57 años, 88% con ingreso menor a 357€. 91% con IMC-sobrepeso y obesidad, 64% ≥ 3 hijos. Tipos DPP: 53% incontinencia de orina (IO), 35% prolapso vaginal (Pp), 12% IO+Pp. Calidad de vida (n = 173): Mala percepción de salud: 95%. Limitación emocional: 37%. Limitación de actividades cotidianas: 67%. Alteraciones de actividades sociales: 57% Función sexual (n = 95): Disfunción alta: 8,4%, moderada: 41,1%, baja 50,5%. El 15% nunca tuvo deseo-sexual los últimos 6 meses. El 14% admite no haber alcanzado el orgasmo en los últimos 6 meses, el mismo porcentaje admite no sentir excitación en el mismo período. El 19% admite no estar satisfechas con las actividades sexuales actuales, el 15% siente dolor durante las relaciones sexuales, el 40% admite sufrir de pérdidas de orina durante la actividad sexual, y el mismo número admite restringir su vida sexual debido al miedo de pérdida de orina durante el acto sexual. El 27% admite tener reacciones emocionales negativas durante las relaciones sexuales. El 10% y el 13% admite que sus parejas sufrían de disfunción eréctil y eyaculación, respectivamente. Por último, el 42% de las mujeres admite que sus orgasmos en los últimos 6 meses son más intensos. Conclusiones: Las mujeres con DPP presentan una alteración negativa de su calidad de vida y de su función sexual, aunque existe cierta incongruencia al valorar positivamente la calidad de los orgasmos cuando los demás aspectos de la vida sexual son negativos

Oxidative stress balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory factors in human intestinal epithelial cells

Background: Oxidative stress plays a key role in the development of intestinal inflammatory diseases. Several pro-inflammatory mediators may generate oxidation products that exacerbate the inflammatory damage. Gastrointestinal molecules, like serotonin (5- HT), adenosine and melatonin, which are involved in intestinal physiology, have also been described as intestinal pro-inflammatory factors; whereas IL-10, a known anti-inflammatory cytokine, has also been implicated in intestinal pathophysiology. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the contribution of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory molecules to oxidative stress balance, as well as to assess their effect on cellular antioxidant enzymes activity, in intestinal epithelial cells. Methods: Caco-2 cells were treated with the different molecules, and the oxidative stress was determined by measuring lipid peroxidation (MDA+4HDA) and protein carbonyl levels. The activity of the anti-oxidant enzymes (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) was also analyzed in treated cells. Results: Pro-inflammatory factors (5-HT, adenosine, melatonin and TNFa) increased oxidative damage in both lipids and proteins. Theses molecules, except melatonin, also inhibited the activity of antioxidant enzymes. With regard to IL-10, this cytokine was not shown to alter cellular oxidative damage, but was able to reduce the oxidative damage g by pro-inflamatory factors, and to restore their effects on anti-oxidant enxymes activities. Unexpectedly, IL-10, together with melatonin, was found to increase the antioxidant activity above the control. Conclusions: The anti-oxidant effect of IL-10 emphasizes the role of this cytokine as a potential therapy for the treatment of intestinal inflammation induced by pro-inflammatory molecules

Potential of miR-21 to Predict Incomplete Response to Chemoradiotherapy in Rectal Adenocarcinoma

Funding: This work has received funding from European Structural and Investment Funds through the COMPETE Programme Grant LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-016405, from National Funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia Programme grant SAICTPAC/0019/2015 and by a cholar from the Portuguese Society of Coloproctology as Investigation in Coloproctology Research Prize 2016–2018.Background: Patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma (LARC) are treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT). However, biomarkers for patient selection are lacking, and the association between miRNA expression and treatment response and oncological outcomes is unclear. Objectives: To investigate miRNAs as predictors of response to neoadjuvant CRT and its association with oncological outcomes. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed miRNA expression (miR-16, miR-21, miR-135b, miR-145, and miR-335) in pre- and post-chemoradiation rectal adenocarcinoma tissue and non-neoplastic mucosa in 91 patients treated with neoadjuvant CRT (50.4 Gy) and proctectomy. Two groups were defined: a pathological complete responders group (tumor regression grade—TRG 0) and a pathological incomplete responders group (TRG 1, 2, and 3). Results: miR-21 and miR-135b were upregulated in tumor tissue of incomplete responders comparing with non-neoplastic tissue (p = 0.008 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed significant association between miR-21 in pre-CRT tumor tissue and response, with a 3.67 odds ratio (OR) of incomplete response in patients with higher miR-21 levels (p = 0.04). Although with no significance, patients treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) presented reduced odds of incomplete response compared with those treated with capecitabine (OR = 0.19; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.03–1.12, p = 0.05). Moreover, significant differences were seen in overall survival (OS) in relation to clinical TNM stage (p = 0.0004), cT (p = 0.0001), presence of distant disease (p = 0.002), mesorectal tumor deposits (p = 0.003), and tumor regression grade (p = 0.04). Conclusion: miR-21 may predict response to CRT in rectal cancer (RC).publishersversionpublishe

Does the inclusion of protease inhibitors in the insemination extender affect rabbit reproductive performance?

[EN] The bioavailability of buserelin acetate when added to the seminal dose appears to be determined by the activity of the existing aminopeptidases. Thus, the addition of amino peptidase inhibitors to rabbit semen extenders could be a solution to decrease the hormone degradation. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the protease activity inhibition on rabbit semen quality parameters and reproductive performance after artificial insemination. Seminal quality was not affected by the incubation with protease inhibitors, being the values of motility, viability, and acrosome integrity not significantly different between the protease inhibitors and the control group. In addition, seminal plasma aminopeptidase activity was inhibited in a 55.1% by the protease inhibitors. On the other hand, regarding the effect of protease inhibitors on reproductive performance, our results showed that the presence of protease inhibitors affected the prolificacy rate (9.2 +/- 0.26 and 9.3 +/- 0.23 vs. 8.2 +/- 0.22 total born per litter for negative control, positive control, and aminopeptidase inhibitors group, respectively; P < 0.05), having this group one kit less per delivery. We conclude that the addition of a wide variety of protease inhibitors in the rabbit semen extender negatively affects prolificacy rate. Therefore, the development of new extenders with specific aminopeptidase inhibitors would be one of the strategies to increase the bioavailability of GnRH analogues without affecting the litter size. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This research was supported in part by the RTA2013-00058-00-00 from INIA, the European Social Fund and the European FEDER Funds. L Casares-Crespo is supported by a scholarship from Institute Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA) and the European Social Fund.Casares-Crespo, L.; Vicente Antón, JS.; Talavan, A.; Viudes De Castro, MP. (2016). Does the inclusion of protease inhibitors in the insemination extender affect rabbit reproductive performance?. Theriogenology. 85(5):928-932. doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2015.10.044S92893285