Un nouvel algorithme d’optimisation globale est utilisé pour la conception d’un mélangeur microfluidique. Notre objectif est de modifier la forme de ce dispositif afin de réduire le temps de mélange pour le repliement de protéines.

A new semi-deterministic global optimization algorithm is used for the design of a fast-micro-mixer. Our aim is to reduce the mixing time for protein folding by modifying the device shape.Depto. de Análisis Matemático y Matemática AplicadaFac. de Ciencias MatemáticasTRUEpu

Implementation and validation of an economic module for the epidemiological model Be-FAST to predict the costs generated by livestock diseases epidemics. Application to the Classical Swine Fever case in Spain.

Classical Swine Fever (CSF) is one of the most harmful livestock di-seases for the economy of the swine sector worldwide. Specifically in Spain, the costs in the two last CSF outbreaks (1997 and 2001) have been estimated above 108 million euros. In this work, we aim to evaluate the economic impact of important livestock disease epidemics, and particularly the CSF in Spain. This study starts with a preliminary classification of the costs associated with CSF epidemics. In order to estimate the expected costs of a given epidemic in a considered area, a new economic module has been integrated into the epidemiological model Be-FAST, a time-spatial stochastic spread mathematical model for studying the transmission of diseases within and between farms. The input data for economic parameters have been obtained from entities related with the swine industry in Spain. The new Be-FAST module is tested by comparing the results obtained with historical data from CSF epidemics in Spain. The outcomes show that severe CSF epidemics also have a strong economic impact with around 80% of the costs related to animal culling, while costs associated with control measures are directly associated with the number of infected farms and the duration of the epidemic. The results presented in this work are expected to provide valuable information to decision makers, including animal health officials and insurance companies, and can be extended to other livestock diseases or used to predict the economic impact of future outbreaks

Fatigue Assessment of Old Riveted Railway Bridges: Laboratory Testing of a Real Bridge

The bridge over the Quisi Ravine in Alicante Province (Spain), built between 1913 and 1915, consists of six 22-22-42-42-22-22 m long steel Pratt truss spans, the lateral spans being isostatic and the central spans continuous. All the joints between the steel elements are riveted. As the bridge has been carrying railway traffic for more than 100 years, its condition needed to be assessed before carrying out the necessary repairs reinforcement to extend its service life. One of the most interesting tasks on the bridge involved a study of its fatigue behaviour to estimate its remaining useful life. Only a few kilometres away there happened to be another bridge with identical geometry over the Ferrandet Ravine, which had recently been dismantled and taken out of service and had carried the same railway traffic as the one over the Quisi Ravine. Advantage was therefore taken of this unique opportunity to test one of its isostatic spans in order to extrapolate the results to the Quisi Bridge. These tests were carried out at the ICITECH laboratories at the Universitat Politècnica de València in two different scenarios: 1) one test on a 22 m span, and 2) another on one of its girders, in both of which simulated railway traffic cyclical loads were applied. The results allowed us to estimate the number of trains that could pass over the bridge and its remaining service life, and also to define a monitoring method to help in decision making in case of possible failures of its component parts. The study also included an analysis of the bridge’s robustness in local failures of some of its elements, which led to a further bridge cyclical loading test with a deliberately damaged component. Even though other researchers had previously carried out fatigue tests on full-scale riveted bridge elements, the ICITECH study is unique in that it is the first time a full-scale bridge has been subjected to fatigue tests. This work was accompanied by advanced numerical modelling studies considering the fracture mechanics theory

Assessment of grape cluster yield components based on 3D descriptors using stereo vision

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Food Control. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Food Control, [Volume 50, April 2015, Pages 273–282] DOI 10.1016/j.foodcont.2014.09.004Wine quality depends mostly on the features of the grapes it is made from. Cluster and berry morphology are key factors in determining grape and wine quality. However, current practices for grapevine quality estimation require time-consuming destructive analysis or largely subjective judgment by experts. The purpose of this paper is to propose a three-dimensional computer vision approach to assessing grape yield components based on new 3D descriptors. To achieve this, firstly a partial three-dimensional model of the grapevine cluster is extracted using stereo vision. After that a number of grapevine quality components are predicted using SVM models based on new 3D descriptors. Experiments confirm that this approach is capable of predicting the main cluster yield components, which are related to quality, such as cluster compactness and berry size (R2 > 0.80, p < 0.05). In addition, other yield components: cluster volume, total berry weight and number of berries, were also estimated using SVM models, obtaining prediction R2 of 0.82, 0.83 and 0.71, respectively.This work has been partially funded by the Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria de Espana (INIA - Spanish National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology) through research project RTA2012-00062-C04-02, support of European FEDER funds, UPV-SP20120276 and AGL2011-23673 project.Ivorra Martínez, E.; Sánchez Salmerón, AJ.; Camarasa Baixauli, JG.; Diago, M.; Tardaguila, J. (2015). Assessment of grape cluster yield components based on 3D descriptors using stereo vision. Food Control. 50:273-282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2014.09.004S2732825

Implementation and validation of an economic module for the epidemiological model Be-FAST to predict the costs generated by livestock diseases epidemics. Application to the Classical Swine Fever case in Spain

Abstract Classical Swine Fever (CSF) is one of the most harmful livestock diseases for the economy of the swine sector worldwide. Specifically in Spain, the costs in the two last CSF outbreaks (1997 and 2001) have been estimated above 108 million euros. In this work, we aim to evaluate the economic impact of important livestock disease epidemics, and particularly the CSF in Spain. This study starts with a preliminary classification of the costs associated with CSF epidemics. In order to estimate the expected costs of a given epidemic in a considered area, a new economic module has been integrated into the epidemiological model Be-FAST, a time-spatial stochastic spread mathematical model for studying the transmission of diseases within and between farms. The input data for economic parameters have been obtained from entities related with the swine industry in Spain. The new Be-FAST module is tested by comparing the results obtained with historical data from CSF epidemics in Spain. The outcomes show that severe CSF epidemics also have a strong economic impact with around 80% of the costs related to animal culling, while costs associated with control measures are directly associated with the number of infected farms and the duration of the epidemic. The results presented in this work * Corresponding author: [email protected] 1 are expected to provide valuable information to decision makers, including animal health officials and insurance companies, and can be extended to other livestock diseases or used to predict the economic impact of future outbreaks

Bortezomib decreases Rb phosphorylation and induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in Imatinib-sensitive and -resistant Bcr-Abl1-expressing cells

The use of c-abl-specific inhibitors such as Imatinib (IM) or Dasatinib has revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, a significant percentage of patients become resistant to IM. In this report, we have analyzed the possibility of using the proteasome as a molecular target in CML. Our results show that cells that express Bcr-Abl1 are more sensitive to the inhibition of the proteasome with Bortezomib (Btz) than control cells. This treatment reduces the proliferation of Bcr-Abl1- expressing cells, by inactivating NF-jB2 and decreasing the phosphorylation of Rb, eventually leading to an increase in caspase-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, we show that Btz also induces cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in cells expressing Bcr-Abl1 mutants that are resistant to IM. These results unravel a new molecular target of Btz, that is the Rb pathway, and open new possibilities in the treatment of CML especially for patients that become resistant to IM because of the presence of the T315I mutation

Non Thermal Irreversible Electroporation: Novel Technology for Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Ablation

Non thermal Irreversible electroporation (NTIRE) is a new tissue ablation method that induces selective damage only to the cell membrane while sparing all other tissue components. Our group has recently showed that NTIRE attenuated neointimal formation in rodent model. The goal of this study was to determine optimal values of NTIRE for vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) ablation.33 Sprague-Dawley rats were used to compare NTIRE protocols. Each animal had NTIRE applied to its left common carotid artery using a custom-made electrodes. The right carotid artery was used as control. Electric pulses of 100 microseconds were used. Eight IRE protocols were compared: 1-4) 10 pulses at a frequency of 10 Hz with electric fields of 3500, 1750, 875 and 437.5 V/cm and 5-8) 45 and 90 pulses at a frequency of 1 Hz with electric fields of 1750 and 875 V/cm. Animals were euthanized after one week. Histological analysis included VSMC counting and morphometry of 152 sections. Selective slides were stained with elastic Van Gieson and Masson trichrome to evaluate extra-cellular structures. The most efficient protocols were 10 pulses of 3500 V/cm at a frequency of 10 Hz and 90 pulses of 1750 V/cm at a frequency of 1 Hz, with ablation efficiency of 89+/-16% and 94+/-9% respectively. Extra-cellular structures were not damaged and the endothelial layer recovered completely.NTIRE is a promising, efficient and simple novel technology for VMSC ablation. It enables ablation within seconds without causing damage to extra-cellular structures, thus preserving the arterial scaffold and enabling endothelial regeneration. This study provides scientific information for future anti-restenosis experiments utilizing NTIRE

BCR-ABL induces the expression of Skp2 through the PI3K pathway to promote p27Kip1 degradation and proliferation of chronic myelogenous leukemia cells

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is characterized by the expression of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, which results in increased cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis. In this study, we show in both BCR-ABL cells (Mo7e-p210 and BaF/3-p210) and primary CML CD34+ cells that STI571 inhibition of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase activity results in a G(1) cell cycle arrest mediated by the PI3K pathway. This arrest is associated with a nuclear accumulation of p27(Kip1) and down-regulation of cyclins D and E. As a result, there is a reduction of the cyclin E/Cdk2 kinase activity and of the retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation. By quantitative reverse transcription-PCR we show that BCR-ABL/PI3K regulates the expression of p27(Kip1) at the level of transcription. We further show that BCR-ABL also regulates p27(Kip1) protein levels by increasing its degradation by the proteasome. This degradation depends on the ubiquitinylation of p27(Kip1) by Skp2-containing SFC complexes: silencing the expression of Skp2 with a small interfering RNA results in the accumulation of p27(Kip1). We also demonstrate that BCR-ABL cells show transcriptional up-regulation of Skp2. Finally, expression of a p27(Kip1) mutant unable of being recognized by Skp2 results in inhibition of proliferation of BCR-ABL cells, indicating that the degradation of p27(Kip1) contributes to the pathogenesis of CML. In conclusion, these results suggest that BCR-ABL regulates cell cycle in CML cells at least in part by inducing proteasome-mediated degradation of the cell cycle inhibitor p27(Kip1) and provide a rationale for the use of inhibitors of the proteasome in patients with BCR-ABL leukemias

A replication study confirms the association of TNFSF4 (OX40L) polymorphisms with systemic sclerosis in a large European cohort

&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Objectives&lt;/b&gt; The aim of this study was to confirm the influence of TNFSF4 polymorphisms on systemic sclerosis (SSc) susceptibility and phenotypic features.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Methods&lt;/b&gt; A total of 8 European populations of Caucasian ancestry were included, comprising 3014 patients with SSc and 3125 healthy controls. Four genetic variants of TNFSF4 gene promoter (rs1234314, rs844644, rs844648 and rs12039904) were selected as genetic markers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Results&lt;/b&gt; A pooled analysis revealed the association of rs1234314 and rs12039904 polymorphisms with SSc (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.31; OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.29, respectively). Significant association of the four tested variants with patients with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) was revealed (rs1234314 OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.38; rs844644 OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.99; rs844648 OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.20 and rs12039904 OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.33). Association of rs1234314, rs844648 and rs12039904 minor alleles with patients positive for anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) remained significant (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.37; OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.25; OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.38, respectively). Haplotype analysis confirmed a protective haplotype associated with SSc, lcSSc and ACA positive subgroups (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.96; OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.96; OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.97, respectively) and revealed a new risk haplotype associated with the same groups of patients (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.26; OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.35; OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.42, respectively).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Conclusions&lt;/b&gt; The data confirm the influence of TNFSF4 polymorphisms in SSc genetic susceptibility, especially in subsets of patients positive for lcSSc and ACA.&lt;/p&gt

Coping strategies and postpartum depressive symptoms: A structural equation modelling approach

BACKGROUND: Variables such as the mother's personality, social support, coping strategies and stressful events have been described as risk factors for postpartum depression. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis was used to examine whether neuroticism, perceived social support, perceived life events, and coping strategies are associated with postpartum depressive symptoms at the 8th and 32nd weeks. METHODS: A total of 1626 pregnant women participated in a longitudinal study. Different evaluations were performed 8 and 32weeks after delivery. Several measures were used: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-RS), the St. Paul Ramsey life events scale and the Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire. The brief COPE scale was used to measure coping strategies. SEM analysis was conducted for all women and in those women with a clinical diagnosis of postpartum depression. RESULTS: Passive coping strategies were associated with postpartum depressive symptoms at both visits (8th and 32nd weeks). Neuroticism was associated with more passive coping strategies and less active coping strategies. Neuroticism and life stress were positively correlated, and social support was negatively correlated with life stress and neuroticism. CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of potential risk for symptomatology of depression postpartum should include assessment of neuroticism, life events, social support and coping strategies.Gobierno de España. Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)Spanish Psychiatric Genetics and Genotyping networkRTAGeneralitat de Cataluny