Comprehensive characterization of the cis-regulatory code responsible for the spatio-temporal expression of olSix3.2 in the developing medaka forebrain

A cluster of highly conserved non-coding sequences surrounding the Six3 gene were identified in fish genomes, and transgenesis in medaka fish demonstrates that these sequences have enhancer, silencer and silencer blocker activities that are differentially combined to control the distribution of Six3

The Sea of Stuff: a model to manage shared mutable data in a distributed environment

Managing data is one of the main challenges in distributed systems and computer science in general. Data is created, shared, and managed across heterogeneous distributed systems of users, services, applications, and devices without a clear and comprehensive data model. This technological fragmentation and lack of a common data model result in a poor understanding of what data is, how it evolves over time, how it should be managed in a distributed system, and how it should be protected and shared. From a user perspective, for example, backing up data over multiple devices is a hard and error-prone process, or synchronising data with a cloud storage service can result in conflicts and unpredictable behaviours. This thesis identifies three challenges in data management: (1) how to extend the current data abstractions so that content, for example, is accessible irrespective of its location, versionable, and easy to distribute; (2) how to enable transparent data storage relative to locations, users, applications, and services; and (3) how to allow data owners to protect data against malicious users and automatically control content over a distributed system. These challenges are studied in detail in relation to the current state of the art and addressed throughout the rest of the thesis. The artefact of this work is the Sea of Stuff (SOS), a generic data model of immutable self-describing location-independent entities that allow the construction of a distributed system where data is accessible and organised irrespective of its location, easy to protect, and can be automatically managed according to a set of user-defined rules. The evaluation of this thesis demonstrates the viability of the SOS model for managing data in a distributed system and using user-defined rules to automatically manage data across multiple nodes."This work was supported by Adobe Systems, Inc. and EPSRC [grant number EP/M506631/1]" - from the Acknowledgements pag

Inacabada obra, inacabada vida: divagações sobre o interminável na literatura

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Literatura, Florianópolis, 2017.Esta dissertação traz algumas reflexões sobre as noções de "obra inacabada" no campo literário e investiga as possíveis relações entre os sentimentos de incompletude da criação artística com os atinentes ao desejo do autor de destruir suas próprias construções. Entre os escritores comentados estão Franz Kafka, Walter Benjamin, Hermann Broch, Fernando Pessoa, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Honoré de Balzac, Heinrich Heine, Jorge Luís Borges, Luigi Pirandello, Mikhail Bulgakov, Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé, Friedrich Schlegel, Novalis, Edmond Jabès, Roland Barthes, Maurice Blanchot, Giordano Bruno, etc.Abstract : This dissertation presents some reflections about the notions of "unfinished work" in the literary field and investigates the possible relations between the feelings of incompleteness of the artistic creation with those related to the desire of the author to destroy his own works. Among the writers discussed are Franz Kafka, Walter Benjamin, Hermann Broch, Fernando Pessoa, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Honoré de Balzac, Heinrich Heine, Jorge Luís Borges, Luigi Pirandello, Mikhail Bulgakov, Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé, Friedrich Schlegel, Novalis, Edmond Jabès, Roland Barthes, Maurice Blanchot, Giordano Bruno, etc

Integration of an active research data system with a data repository to streamline the research data lifecycle : Pure-NOMAD case study

The authors acknowledge the work of Juan Karsten for the partial development of the Pure-NOMAD integration. This work has been supported by the EPSRC-Strategic Partners Project (2012, grant number EP/J501542/1) and the Impact Acceleration Account (2016, grant number EP/K503940/1).Research funders have introduced requirements that expect researchers to properly manage and publicly share their research data, and expect institutions to put in place services to support researchers in meeting these requirements. So far the general focus of these services and systems has been on addressing the final stages of the research data lifecycle (archive, share and re-use), rather than stages related to the active phase of the cycle (collect/create and analyse). As a result, full integration of active data management systems with data repositories is not yet the norm, making the streamlined transition of data from an active to a published and archived status an important challenge. In this paper we present the integration between an active data management system developed in-house (NOMAD) and Elsevier’s Pure data repository used at our institution with the aim of offering a simple workflow to facilitate and promote the data deposit process. The integration results in a new data management and publication workflow that helps researchers to save time, minimize human errors related to manually handling files, and further promote data deposit together with collaboration across the institution.PostprintPeer reviewe

MiR-211 is essential for adult cone photoreceptor maintenance and visual function.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression that play an important role in the control of fundamental biological processes in both physiological and pathological conditions. Their function in retinal cells is just beginning to be elucidated, and a few have been found to play a role in photoreceptor maintenance and function. MiR-211 is one of the most abundant miRNAs in the developing and adult eye. However, its role in controlling vertebrate visual system development, maintenance and function so far remain incompletely unexplored. Here, by targeted inactivation in a mouse model, we identify a critical role of miR-211 in cone photoreceptor function and survival. MiR-211 knockout (-/-) mice exhibited a progressive cone dystrophy accompanied by significant alterations in visual function. Transcriptome analysis of the retina from miR-211-/- mice during cone degeneration revealed significant alteration of pathways related to cell metabolism. Collectively, this study highlights for the first time the impact of miR-211 function in the retina and significantly contributes to unravelling the role of specific miRNAs in cone photoreceptor function and survival

Counterregulation of cAMP-directed kinase activities controls ciliogenesis

The primary cilium emanates from the cell surface of growth-arrested cells and plays a central role in vertebrate development and tissue homeostasis. The mechanisms that control ciliogenesis have been extensively explored. However, the intersection between GPCR signaling and the ubiquitin pathway in the control of cilium stability is unknown. Here, we observe that cAMP elevation promotes cilia resorption. At centriolar satellites, we identify a multimeric complex nucleated by PCM1 that includes two kinases, NEK10 and PKA, and the E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP. We show that NEK10 is essential for ciliogenesis in mammals and for the development of medaka fish. PKA phosphorylation primes NEK10 for CHIP-mediated ubiquitination and proteolysis resulting in cilia resorption. Dearangement of this control mechanism occurs in proliferative and genetic disorders. These findings unveil a pericentriolar kinase signalosome that efficiently links the cAMP cascade with the ubiquitin-proteasome system, controlling essential aspects of ciliogenesis

In Vitro and In Vivo Toxicity Evaluation of Natural Products with Potential Applications as Biopesticides

The use of natural products in agriculture as pesticides has been strongly advocated. However, it is necessary to assess their toxicity to ensure their safe use. In the present study, mammalian cell lines and fish models of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) and medaka (Oryzias latipes) have been used to investigate the toxic effects of ten natural products which have potential applications as biopesticides. The fungal metabolites cavoxin, epi-epoformin, papyracillic acid, seiridin and sphaeropsidone, together with the plant compounds inuloxins A and C and ungeremine, showed no toxic effects in mammalian cells and zebrafish embryos. Conversely, cyclopaldic and α-costic acids, produced by Seiridium cupressi and Dittrichia viscosa, respectively, caused significant mortality in zebrafish and medaka embryos as a result of yolk coagulation. However, both compounds showed little effect in zebrafish or mammalian cell lines in culture, thus highlighting the importance of the fish embryotoxicity test in the assessment of environmental impact. Given the embryotoxicity of α-costic acid and cyclopaldic acid, their use as biopesticides is not recommended. Further ecotoxicological studies are needed to evaluate the potential applications of the other compounds

Framework to Evaluate Emerging Systems Designed to Health Field

In recent years, several information and communication technology systems have emerged as tools to improve sleep quality. Research reveals that poor sleep quality may produce irritability and deficits in performance, concentration, and learning ability in the short term, and is associated with chronic disease in the long term. ICT proposals range from the old Polysomnography (PSG) to innovative systems, such as wearable devices, smartphone applications, and suites of sensors embedded in the users’ environment. Since these technological developments concern a health issue, they have raised important questions regarding their reliability and the level of rigor of the evaluations to which they are submitted. We found that some of the emerging systems that we studied, do not meet the requirements that health science demands to be accepted as clinical tools. The rationale behind this apparent weakness is explained with arguments from the field of evaluations for health interventions and evaluation of technological developments. We propose a framework to evaluate this kind of systems through appropriate scientific methods that provide valuable information to the research. These methods must be performed while designs mature and the feasibility of rigorous evaluations became appropriate

SISTEMAS DE CULTIVOS NO DESENVOLVIMENTO RADICULAR DA SOJA

One of the characteristics most important in the development ofa culture is the study of the system to root, that ally the different forms ofhandling of the ground, will be able to reflect aspects important of itsperformance. That an experiment with different system of culture in thesoybean was carried through. The treatments had been: conventional system(SC), direct sowing during 5 years (DS5) and direct sowing during 10 years(DS10). Opened 2 trenches for each system and collected the samples of thesoil the culture in full flowering. Each trench had 100 cm of length in theline, enclosing of 10 and 12 plants, with 80 cm of width until reaching toanother line of plantation, consequently eliminating plantation line, withpurpose to inside facilitate to the work of the trench and depth of 60 cm. Theroots had been evaluated by the System Integrated for Analysis of Root deOverture of the Soil. To the long one of the profile of the ground 10 cm andevaluated had been collected samples to each: text of water, density of theground and porosity. The results had allowed to conclude that in theconventional system the roots, in its majority, had been superficial and thatin the system direct plantation, independent of the time, did not havedifferences in the distribution of the roots to the long one of the profile ofthe ground. The density of the ground in the superficial layer was lesser inthe conventional system. The conventional system presented the biggestmacroporosity and small microporosity, being that in the direct independentplantation of the time of this practical it had greater microporosity and lesservalues of macroporosity.Uma das características mais importantes no desenvolvimento deuma cultura é o estudo do sistema radicular, que aliado as formas de manejodo solo, poderá refletir aspectos importantes de seu desempenho. Assim, foirealizado um experimento com alguns sistemas de cultivo na cultura da soja.Os tratamentos foram: sistema convencional (SC), plantio direto durantecinco anos (PD5) e plantio direto durante 10 anos (PD10). Foram abertasduas trincheiras para cada sistema e coletadas amostras de solo com a culturaem pleno florescimento. Cada trincheira tinha 100 cm de comprimentona linha, abrangendo de 10-12 plantas, com 80 cm de largura até alcançar aoutra linha de semeadura, conseqüentemente eliminando linha de semeadura,com finalidade de facilitar o trabalho dentro da trincheira e profundidadede 60 cm. As raízes foram avaliadas pelo Sistema Integrado para Análisede Raízes de Cobertura do Solo (SIARCS). Ao longo do perfil do solo foramcoletadas amostras a cada 10 cm e avaliado: teor de água, densidade do soloe porosidade. Os resultados permitiram concluir que no sistema convencionalas raízes, na sua maioria, foram superficiais e que no sistema plantiodireto, independente do tempo, não houve diferenças na distribuição dasraízes ao longo do perfil do solo. A densidade do solo na camada superficialfoi menor no sistema convencional. O sistema convencional apresentou maiormacroporosidade e menor microporosidade, sendo que no plantio direto, independente do tempo dessa prática, a microporosidade foi maior e menor amacroporosidade