Cardinal Arithmetic: From Silver’s Theorem to Shelah’s PCF Theory

Treballs Finals del Màster de Lògica Pura i Aplicada, Facultat de Filosofia, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2019-2020, Tutor: Joan Bagaria PigrauThe main goal of this master’s thesis is to give a detailed description of the major ZFC advances in cardinal arithmetic from Silver’s Theorem to Shelah’s pcf theory and his bound on 2אω. In our attempt to make this thesis as self-contained as possible, we have devoted the first chapter to review the most elementary concepts of set theory, which include all the classical results from the first period of developement of cardinal arithmetic, from 1870 to 1930, due to Cantor, Hausdorff, König, and Tarski

Novel Antiplatelet Agent Use for Acute Coronary Syndrome in the Emergency Department: A Review

Background. Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) is a clinical condition encompassing ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), Non-ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI), and Unstable Angina (UA) and is characterized by ruptured coronary plaque, ischemic stress, and/or myocardial injury. Emergency department (ED) physicians are on the front lines of ACS management. The role of new antiplatelet agents ticagrelor and prasugrel in acute ED management of ACS has not yet been defined. Objective. To critically review clinical trials using ticagrelor and prasugrel in the treatment of ACS and inform practitioners of their potential utility in treating ACS in the ED. Results. Trials on the efficacy of ticagrelor and prasugrel achieve statistical significance in decreasing composite endpoints in select patient populations. Conclusion. The use of ticagrelor and prasugrel as first line ED treatment of ACS is not well established. Current evidence supports the use of several agents with the final decision based on treatment protocols conjointly developed between cardiology and emergency medicine (EM). Further clinical trials involving head-to-head trials or comparisons of drug-based strategies are required to show superiority in reducing cardiac endpoints with regard to ED initiation of treatment

Study of the influence of loading history on the residual life of the devices of thermoelectric plants to optimize the management of energetic conversion system

Because of changes in the Italian electricity market, consequence of the liberalization process, new management strategies of power plants and electricity generation systems have been applied, from a basic use towards flexibilization to cover daily and weekly variations. This operation mode leads to higher profits in the short term, but tends to cause lifetime reduction of critical components, due to creep damage and thermomechanical fatigue. This paper evaluates the residual life of critical equipment for steam power plants. The effects of rapid and frequent changes in both temperature and pressure in these components will be evaluated in economic terms too.Outgoin

Incidences of poisonings due to Chlorophyllum molybdites in the state of Paraná, Brazil.

Three recent cases of poisoning by Chlorophyllum molybdites, including the first one known from Brazil, have been reported from the state of Paraná. A morphological description of the material causing the first poisoning was provided and the associated case history has been described in detail. An overview of this species' distribution in Brazil is given

Scouting for Climate Variable with Small Satellites

HydroGNSS is a small satellite mission under the new ESA Scout programme tapping into NewSpace, within ESA’s FutureEO programme. The mission will use an innovative GNSS-Reflectometry instrument to collect parameters related to the Essential Climate Variables (ECVs): soil moisture, inundation, freeze/thaw, biomass, ocean wind speed and sea ice extent. GNSS-Reflectometry is a type of bistatic radar utilizing abundant GNSS signals as signals of opportunity, empowering small satellites to provide measurement quality associated with larger satellites. The HydroGNSS instrument introduces novel measurements compared to its predecessors on UKSA TechDemoSat-1 and NASA CYGNSS missions. These include: the acquisition of Galileo(E1) reflections, and firsts such as dual- polarization, complex ‘coherent channel’ (amplitude/phase) and second frequency (L5/E5a) acquisitions. These measurements enable HydroGNSS to innovate the L2 products, e.g. improving the ground resolution and soil moisture measurement, as dual-polarized reflections allow the discrimination of vegetation effects from soil moisture. HydroGNSS will: ● Complement and potentially gap fill other missions sensing soil moisture e.g. ESA’s SMOS and NASA’s SMAP missions. ● Complement ESA’s Biomass mission addressing coverage restrictions over Europe, North and Central America. ● Expand GNSS-Reflectometry techniques. ● Lay the foundations for a future constellation capable of offering continuity in high spatial-temporal resolution observations of the Earth’s weather and climate

Intragenic and structural variation in the SMN locus and clinical variability in spinal muscular atrophy

Clinical severity and treatment response vary significantly between patients with spinal muscular atrophy. The approval of therapies and the emergence of neonatal screening programmes urgently require a more detailed understanding of the genetic variants that underlie this clinical heterogeneity. We systematically investigated genetic variation other than SMN2 copy number in the SMN locus. Data were collected through our single-centre, population-based study on spinal muscular atrophy in the Netherlands, including 286 children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy Types 1-4, including 56 patients from 25 families with multiple siblings with spinal muscular atrophy. We combined multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, Sanger sequencing, multiplexed targeted resequencing and digital droplet polymerase chain reaction to determine sequence and expression variation in the SMN locus. SMN1, SMN2 and NAIP gene copy number were determined by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. SMN2 gene variant analysis was performed using Sanger sequencing and RNA expression analysis of SMN by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. We identified SMN1-SMN2 hybrid genes in 10% of spinal muscular atrophy patients, including partial gene deletions, duplications or conversions within SMN1 and SMN2 genes. This indicates that SMN2 copies can vary structurally between patients, implicating an important novel level of genetic variability in spinal muscular atrophy. Sequence analysis revealed six exonic and four intronic SMN2 variants, which were associated with disease severity in individual cases. There are no indications that NAIP1 gene copy number or sequence variants add value in addition to SMN2 copies in predicting the clinical phenotype in individual patients with spinal muscular atrophy. Importantly, 95% of spinal muscular atrophy siblings in our study had equal SMN2 copy numbers and structural changes (e.g. hybrid genes), but 60% presented with a different spinal muscular atrophy type, indicating the likely presence of further inter- and intragenic variabilities inside as well as outside the SMN1 locus. SMN2 gene copies can be structurally different, resulting in inter- and intra-individual differences in the composition of SMN1 and SMN2 gene copies. This adds another layer of complexity to the genetics that underlie spinal muscular atrophy and should be considered in current genetic diagnosis and counselling practices

Analysis of FUS, PFN2, TDP-43, and PLS3 as potential disease severity modifiers in spinal muscular atrophy

Objective To investigate mutations in genes that are potential modifiers of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) severity. Methods We performed a hypothesis-based search into the presence of variants in fused in sarcoma (FUS), transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), plastin 3 (PLS3), and profilin 2 (PFN2) in a cohort of 153 patients with SMA types 1-4, including 19 families. Variants were detected with targeted next-generation sequencing and confirmed with Sanger sequencing. Functional effects of the identified variants were analyzed in silico and for PLS3, by analyzing expression levels in peripheral blood. Results We identified 2 exonic variants in FUS exons 5 and 6 (p.R216C and p.S135N) in 2 unrelated patients, but clinical effects were not evident. We identified 8 intronic variants in PLS3 in 33 patients. Five PLS3 variants (c.1511+82T>C; c.748+130 G>A; c.367+182C>T; c.891-25T>C (rs145269469); c.1355+17A>G (rs150802596)) potentially alter exonic splice silencer or exonic splice enhancer sites. The variant c.367+182C>T, but not RNA expression levels, corresponded with a more severe phenotype in 1 family. However, this variant or level of PLS3 expression did not consistently correspond with a milder or more severe phenotype in other families or the overall cohort. We found 3 heterozygous, intronic variants in PFN2 and TDP-43 with no correlation with clinical phenotype or effects on splicing. Conclusions PLS3 and FUS sequence variants do not modify SMA severity at the population level. Specific variants in individual patients or families do not consistently correlate with disease severity