Prediction of MHC-peptide binding: a systematic and comprehensive overview

T cell immune responses are driven by the recognition of peptide antigens (T cell epitopes) that are bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. T cell epitope immunogenicity is thus contingent on several events, including appropriate and effective processing of the peptide from its protein source, stable peptide binding to the MHC molecule, and recognition of the MHC-bound peptide by the T cell receptor. Of these three hallmarks, MHC-peptide binding is the most selective event that determines T cell epitopes. Therefore, prediction of MHC-peptide binding constitutes the principal basis for anticipating potential T cell epitopes. The tremendous relevance of epitope identification in vaccine design and in the monitoring of T cell responses has spurred the development of many computational methods for predicting MHC-peptide binding that improve the efficiency and economics of T cell epitope identification. In this report, we will systematically examine the available methods for predicting MHC-peptide binding and discuss their most relevant advantages and drawbacks

Recognition of the ligand-type specificity of classical and non-classical MHC I proteins.

Functional characterization of proteins belonging to the MHC I superfamily involves knowing their cognate ligands, which can be peptides, lipids or none. However, the experimental identification of these ligands is not an easy task and generally requires some a priori knowledge of their chemical nature (ligand-type specificity). Here, we trained k-nearest neighbor and support vector machine classifiers that predict the ligand-type specificity MHC I proteins with great accuracy. Moreover, we applied these classifiers to human and mouse MHC I proteins of uncharacterized ligands, obtaining some results that can be instrumental to unravel the function of these proteins

Equilibri de tronc predictor de la funció motora en l'emiplègic vascular

TRUNK BALANCE AS A PREDICTOR OF MOTOR OUTCOME IN PATIENTS WITH STROKE ABSTRACTBackground: The search for predictors of functional stroke outcome has always been matter of research in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Outcome prediction at an early stage enables clinicians not only to inform patients and their families, but also to set realistic therapeutic goals. A lot of prognostic studies have evaluated several factors, which either individually or in combination claim to predict functional outcome in stroke. The Trunk Control Test (TCT) proposed by Collin & Wade administered at 6 weeks post-stroke is a predictor of the walking ability at 18 weeks. The TCT reliability and validity has been demonstrated in stroke patients, as well as its positive correlation with disability at hospital discharge from in-patient rehabilitation measured with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). In a previous study, a predictive model which only includes the FIM and the TCT measured at admission of patients to a rehabilitation ward, predicts 66.5% of the variability of the functional level at discharge (total FIM). Objective: To develop an early model to predict motor function (disability, walking ability and balance)at 6 months, taking into account the TCT and other valid predictors evaluated in the first and second week after suffering a stroke.Patients and Methods: Seventy-five consecutive patients with first stroke who were admitted to a rehabilitation hospital were studied. Sex, age, the stroke type, urinary incontinence, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scales (NIHSS) and the TCT scores (assessed at first and second week post-stroke) as independent variables. Motor function outcome at 6 months after stroke is defined by the use the Rankin score, the motor FIM and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS).Results: Older patients, women and those with initial urinary incontinence and lower TCT and NIHSS scores showed significantly worse motor outcomes at first and six months after the stroke (Rankin, motor FIM and BBS). A multiple regression reveals that only age and the TCT (at 14 days after stroke) accounts for the 61.1% of the variance in the motor FIM score at 6 months after stroke. When the TCT is registered at 7 days after stroke, age and the TCT accounts for the 51.7% of the motor FIM variance. A cluster analysis identifies 12 patients with low outcome scores: Rankin 4-5, motor FIM Discussion and conclusions: Age, sex, urinary incontinence, TCT and NIHSS scores are related with disability, balance and walking ability six months after the stroke. It is possible to approach to the motor functional outcome at 6 months after stroke by the early use of data easily recorded as age and the TCT. In this study the TCT even overcomes the NIHSS, a comprehensive neurological measure whose ability to predicts outcome has been well documented in stroke patients. The reproducibility of this model must be cross-validated in future studies. The TCT registered at 14 days provides better prediction values compared with those obtained at 7 days after stroke. This study shows that the TCT early administered predicts motor outcome at six months after stroke.EQUILIBRI DE TRONC: PREDICTOR DE LA FUNCIÓ MOTORA EN L'HEMIPLÈGIC VASCULAR RESUMIntroducció: La cerca de factors predictors del resultat funcional després de patir un ictus és objecte constant d'investigació en Medicina Física i Rehabilitació. Un pronòstic funcional en fases inicials permet al clínic informar als pacients i a la seva familia, però també establir objectius terapèutics realistes. Molts estudis han avaluat la capacitat predictora de diferents factors individual i combinadament. El Test de Control de Tronc (TCT) registrat a les 6 setmanes de l'ictus és un predictor de la capacitat de marxa a les 18 setmanes. La fiabilitat i validesa del TCT s'ha demostrat en pacients amb ictus, així com la seva correlació positiva amb la discapacitat a l'alta hospitalaria. Un model predictiu que inclou només el TCT i el Functional Independence Measure (FIM) registrats a l'ingrés en la unitat de rehabilitació d'hospitalització aguda prediu el 66.5% de la variabilitat del FIM a l'alta.Objectius: Conèixer la relació de les variables predictores amb els resultats de funció motora global al mes i als sis mesos de l'ictus. Construir un model de predicció precoç de la funció motora (discapacitat, capacitat de marxa i equilibri) als 6 mesos, tenint en compte el TCT i altres predictors vàlids avaluats en la primera i en la segona setmana després de patir l'ictus.Pacients i Mètode: estudi longitudinal i prospectiu en 75 pacients consecutius ingressats per un primer episodi d'ictus. Les variables independents van ser: edat, sexe, tipus d'ictus, incontinencia urinària, l'escala d'ictus National Institutes of Health Stroke Scales (NIHSS) i el TCT (recollits en la primera i segona setmanes de l'ictus). Els resultats de funció motora al mes i als 6 mesos de l'ictus es van definir amb l'escala de Rankin, la subescala motora del FIM i l'escala d'equilibri Berg Balance Scale (BBS).Resultats: els pacients de més edat, les dones i els que tenen incontinència urinària inicial i puntuacions més baixes de TCT i NIHSS són els que presenten significativament pitjors resultats de funció motora tant en el primer com en el sisè mes de l'ictus (Rankin, FIM motor i BBS). Una anàlisi de regressió múltipla determina que només amb l'edat i el TCT de la segona setmana s'explica el 61.1% de la variabilitat del FIM motor als 6 mesos de l'ictus. Quan el TCT es registra en el setè dia de l'ictus, l'edat i el TCT expliquen el 51.7% de la variabilitat del FIM motor. Una anàlisi de conglomerats identifica 12 pacients amb resultats baixos de funció motora: Rankin 4-5, FIM motor Conclusions: L'edat, el sexe, la incontinència urinària, el TCT i el NIHSS inicials són factors relacionats amb la discapacitat, equilibri i capacitat de marxa 6 mesos després de l'ictus. És possible aproximar-nos al resultat funcional motor als 6 mesos després de patir l'ictus amb la utilització precoç de dades de fácil recollida com l'edat i el TCT. El TCT recollit en fases inicials prediu el resultat motor als 6 mesos de l'ictus

Morphosyntactic knowledge of clitics by Portuguese heritage bilinguals

FirstView ArticleThis paper focuses on the linguistic competence of adult Portuguese–German bilinguals in their heritage language, European Portuguese (EP), which they acquired at home in early childhood in the context of German as the majority language. Based on a grammaticality judgment test, we investigate their morphosyntactic knowledge of clitics. The central questions are whether possible deviations from native monolinguals may be traced back to a) lack of contact with the formal register; b) reduced input after preschool age; and c) cross-linguistic influence. The results reveal qualitative differences between the heritage speakers and a group of monolingual controls in almost all test conditions. We conclude that although the linguistic knowledge of the heritage bilinguals investigated in this study differs from that of monolinguals, it is not “deficient” but “different” and “innovative”, because it is primarily based on the spoken variety of the language and because it promotes linguistic changes which are inherent in the speech of native monolinguals.Ações Luso-Alemãs (DAAD-CRUP); referências 50097448 e A-18/10 AI-A/09

Time course of motor gains induced by Music-Supported Therapy after stroke : An exploratory case study

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown that Music-Supported Therapy (MST) can improve the motor function and promote functional neuroplastic changes in motor areas; however, the time course of motor gains across MST sessions and treatment periods remain unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the progression of the rehabilitation of motor deficits in a chronic stroke patient for a period of 7 months. METHOD: A reversal design (ABAB) was implemented in a chronic stroke patient where no treatment was provided in the A periods and MST was applied in the B periods. Each period comprised of 4 weeks and an extensive evaluation of the motor function using clinical motor tests and 3D movement analysis was performed weekly. During the MST periods, a keyboard task was recorded daily. A follow-up evaluation was performed 3 months after the second MST treatment. RESULTS: Improvements were observed during the first sessions in the keyboard task but clinical gains were noticeable only at the end of the first treatment and during the second treatment period. These gains were maintained in the follow-up evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study examining the pattern of motor recovery progression in MST, evidencing that gradual and continuous motor improvements are possible with the repeated application of MST training. Fast-acquisition in specific motor abilities was observed at the beginning of the MST training but generalization of these improvements to other motor tasks took place at the end or when another treatment period was provided.Peer reviewe

Using a multi-task adaptive vr system for upper limb rehabilitation in the acute phase of stroke

Nowadays, stroke has become one the main causes of adult disability leading to life-lasting effects, including motor and cognitive deficits. Here we explore the benefits of the use of virtual reality (VR) for the rehabilitation of motor deficits following stroke. We have developed the Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS), a VR-based apparatus designed for the treatment of the upper extremities. The RGS is a multi-level adaptive system that provides a task oriented training of graded complexity that is online adjusted to the capabilities of the patients. We show results from an ongoing study that evaluates the impact of this system on the recovery of patients in the acute phase of stroke (n=14). The results suggest that the system induces a sustained improvement during treatment, with observed benefits in the performance of activities of daily living.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Catálogo de la exposición "Paranapiacaba. Una aldea inglesa del siglo XIX en Brasil"

Catálogo de la exposición “Paranapiacaba. Una aldea inglesa del siglo XIX en Brasil”, organizada por el Fotoclube ABCclick, inaugurada el 17 de octubre de 2022, en el Centro de Estudios Brasileños de la Universidad de Salamanca, como parte del programa de Residencia Artística de Fotografía 2022. En 2021, durante el 3º Festival de Fotografía de Paranapiacaba, el Fotoclube ABCclick lanzó la convocatoria “Paranapiacaba – Salamanca”. La propuesta pretendía seleccionar registros fotográficos de la aldea de Paranapiacaba, Patrimonio Histórico, Artístico y Turístico del Estado de São Paulo, localizada en el municipio de Santo André, a unos 50 kilómetros de la capital de estado (São Paulo, Brasil). El origen de esa aldea está marcado por una línea de ferrocarril construida en el siglo XIX, que transportaba el café producido en el interior del estado de São Paulo hasta el puerto de Santos. Aún hoy, el paisaje de la localidad continúa atravesado por vías y cables de acero, rodeado por la exuberancia de la Mata Atlántica. En el concurso promovido por el Fotoclube, se inscribieron más de 400 fotografías, y por por medio de más de 12 mil votos, se seleccionaron las 40 imágenes que componen esta exposición. La muestra busca retratar el desafío que supuso la construcción de la línea férrea, así como la paulatina desaparición de la aldea original, provocada en parte por el óxido que corroe el equipamiento urbano, llamando al mismo tiempo la atención sobre la necesidad de conservar el patrimonio histórico y la memoria de Paranapiacaba y de sus habitantes. El Fotoclube ABCclick fue fundado en 2008, con el objetivo social de apoyar y divulgar el desarrollo del arte fotográfico, así como difundir conocimientos sobre fotografía entre sus miembros y la comunidad en general, a través de actividades culturales y educativas. En 2018, el Fotoclube participó en la convocatoria de Residencia Artística del CEB, organizada en conmemoración del Octavo Centenario de la Universidad de Salamanca, con la exposición “Escenas de un Brasil urbano en color y blanco y negro”.Catálogo de la exposición “Paranapiacaba. Una aldea inglesa del siglo XIX en Brasil”, organizada por el Fotoclube ABCclick, inaugurada el 17 de octubre de 2022, en el Centro de Estudios Brasileños de la Universidad de Salamanca, como parte del programa de Residencia Artística de Fotografía 2022

(Con)ciencia. Historias de la ciencia brasileña

[ES] El Centro de Estudios Brasileños de la Universidad de Salamanca organiza desde el año 2017 el concurso de relato breve «Cuéntame un cuento». Con el objetivo de incentivar la divulgación científica sobre Brasil, su quinta edición contó con la colaboración del Museu da Vida de la Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Río de Janeiro, Brasil). Personalidades del mundo de la ciencia; epidemias y crisis sanitarias; hechos históricos relacionados con la ciencia y los descubrimientos científicos; el método científico y su aplicación… Todo ello forma parte de la presente obra. O Centro de Estudos Brasileiros da Universidade de Salamanca organiza desde 2017 o concurso de relato breve «Cuéntame un cuento». Para incentivar a divulgação científica sobre o Brasil, a quinta edição do concurso contou com a colaboração do Museu da Vida da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil). Personalidades do mundo da ciência; epidemias e crises sanitárias; fatos históricos relacionados com a ciência e os descobrimentos científicos; o método científico e a sua aplicação… Tudo isso faz parte desta obra

The musical making construction of the preschool education teacher

Este estudo tem como objetivo investigar a seguinte questão: Como a música está presente na prática pedagógica do professor de Educação Infantil, de Boa Vista – RR, e quais as concepções de música que norteiam sua ação pedagógica? Com esta pesquisa espero contribuir para a formação e a prática musical do professor de Educação Infantil, refletindo sobre o papel da música como um conhecimento a ser construído e suas aplicações nas escolas de Boa Vista – RR. A fundamentação teórica deste projeto está centrada nas diversas concepções em relação à Infância e a criança e suas implicações para a Educação Musical e na literatura que discute sobre a formação do professor pedagogo e a educação musical, diante da diversidade das realidades educacionais de um país tão grande como o Brasil. A metodologia de pesquisa é a qualitativa. Ela serviu para a realização da pesquisa de campo e a análise dos dados, inspirada no método da pesquisa-ação, sendo suas principais características a imersão do pesquisador nas circunstâncias e no contexto da pesquisa, o reconhecimento dos sujeitos participantes como produtores de conhecimentos e a busca por resultados como fruto do trabalho coletivo resultante da interação entre pesquisador e pesquisado.This study aims to investigate the following question: How is the music present in the practice of teachers of Preschool Education, Boa Vista - RR, and what are the conceptions of music that guide his/her action teaching? With this research I wait to contribute for the formation and the musical practice of the Preschool Education teacher, reflecting on the role of music as a knowledge to be built and its applications in schools of Boa Vista - RR. The theoretical foundation of this project is focused on various concepts regarding children and its implications for Music Education and the literature that discusses the teacher education formation and the music education in face of the diversity of educational realities of a country as large as Brazil. The methodology of the research is qualitative. It served for the field research and analysis of field data, inspired by the method of action research, and its main characteristics are the immersion of the researcher in the circumstances and in the context of search, the recognition of the participating subjects as producers of knowledge and the search for results as a consequence of collective work from the interaction between researcher and searched