A service-oriented admission control strategy for class-based IP networks

The clear trend toward the integration of current and emerging applications and services in the Internet launches new demands on service deployment and management. Distributed service-oriented traffic control mechanisms, operating with minimum impact on network performance, assume a crucial role as regards controlling services quality and network resources transparently and efficiently. In this paper, we describe and specify a lightweight distributed admission control (AC) model based on per-class monitoring feedback for ensuring the quality of distinct service levels in multiclass and multidomain environments. The model design, covering explicit and implicit AC, exhibits relevant properties that allow managing quality of service (QoS) and service-level specifications (SLSs) in multiservice IP networks in a flexible and scalable manner. These properties, stemming from the way service-dependent AC and on-line service performance monitoring are proposed and articulated in the model’s architecture and operation, allow a self-adaptive service and resource management, while abstracting from network core complexity and heterogeneity. A proof of concept is provided to illustrate the AC criteria ability in satisfying multiple service class commitments efficiently. The obtained results show that the self-adaptive behavior inherent to on-line measurement-based service management, combined with the established AC rules, is effective in controlling each class QoS and SLS commitments consistently

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio : A narrative review

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

High incidence of mixed DNA and RNA virus infections in common bean in Central Brazil.

During the winter crop season in 2016 a very high incidence of viruslike symptoms of mosaic, leaf curling and deformation, and plant dwarfing was reported by farmers in central areas of Brazil. Bean plants were collected in commercial farms in Luziânia, Cristalina and experimental plots in Goiânia and Brasília

Exploring the sheep rumen shotgun sequencing for funcional analysis and lignocellulolitic enzyme discovery.

The rumen harbors complex microbial communities which participate in an efficient process to digest plant biomass. This ecosytem represents an untapped source of hydrolytic enzymes with potential application for second?generation biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass. The search for new lignocellulolytic enzymes in microbial communities naturally evolved in the biomass degradation, in environments such as the rumen, using the exploration of the metagenome, is a promising strategy for the exploration of genes. In this context, this study aimed to describe the functions and explores the potential for lignocellulolitic enzyme in the sheep rumen microbiome. The rumen samples were collected from 6 fistulated animals (Ovis aries), divided into two groups and subjected to two diets: control and sugarcane bagasse, 60 days after the beginning of the experiment. Metagenomic DNA was extracted from the solid rumen contents and sequencing was performed in MiSeq Personal Sequencer platform (Illumina®). We analyzed, 4,68 GB of metagenomic DNA from microbes adherent to plant fiber using MGRAST metagenomics analysis server. The functional annotation was performed at MG?RAST for the total functional profile using the KEGG orthology level 2. The shotgun metagenomic reads of all animals samples was assigned to putative lignocellulolitic enzymes when considering nine protein databases at MG?RAST. The predictive functional profiling of the sheep rumen microbiome revealed that amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, translation, DNA replication and repair, and membrane transport are dominant functions in the rumen microbiome. This functional pattern was similar across all animals. As expected, carbohydrate metabolism was highly represented in our data set, supporting the importance of the rumen microbiome for fiber degradation. Reads classification using nine databases resulted in 22 lignocellulases. For instance, the TrEMBL representing 76,77% out of a total 933639 protein abundance, followed by SwissProt representing 39,95 %, Seed 20,71%, PATRIC 5,92%, IMG 3,63%, KEEG 3,44%, GenBank 3,13%, RefSeq 3,09%, eggnog 1,48%. Based on Cazy search for glycosyl hydrolase (GH) families, more than 50 GH families were detected . The most abundant enzymes were ??glucosidase (GH1; GH30), Endo?1,4???xylanase (GH5; GH10; GH51) , ??N?arabinofuranosidase (GH7; GH51; GH54), ??galactosidase( GH27; GH31; GH36), Acetylesterase, Cellulase (GH5; GH9, GH7), Cellobiose phosphorylase (GH94), ??mannosidase(GH2; GH5), ??galactosidase(GH1; GH2; GH35). This results showing the sheep rumen microbiome as a promising source of new fibrolytic enzymes

Assessment of Dimethoate in Olive Oil Samples Using a Dual Responsive Molecularly Imprinting-Based Approach

A new generation of advanced materials developed by molecular imprinting technology showing a stimuli-responsive functionality are emerging. The switchable ability to control the uptake/release of the target analyte by action of external stimulus combined with a remarkable selectivity and specificity, makes these functional materials very attractive for sample preparation purposes. In this work, the usefulness of a sample preparation tool for the selective enrichment/pre-concentration of dimethoate from olive oil spiked samples based on “tailor-made” dual responsive magnetic and photonic molecularly imprinted polymers as sorbents is explored. To achieve this goal, a smart molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) possessing magnetic and photonic responsiveness was successfully synthesized, and its physico-chemical and morphological characterization was assessed. Further, the trace analysis of dimethoate in spiked olive oil samples was validated and successfully implemented using smart-MIPs as sorbents in the sample preparation step, with high recoveries (83.5 0.3%) and low detection limit (0.03 g mL 1)

Contributions of micoteca da Universidade do Minho to food mycology

Micoteca da Universidade do Minho (MUM) is a collection of fungi established in 1996 where research into secondary metabolites in the form of mycotoxins is paramount. An objective is to maintain and provide authentic strains for research in biotechnology, life sciences and challenge testing. Knowledge, information and training in mycology are promulgated by the biological resource centre. MUM is involved in projects which address the health and quality risks from fungal contamination of grape products (e.g. wine), apples, cheese, chillies, nuts and corn: Fungi in drinking water are of particular concern. Aspergillus ochraceous, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium expansum and Fusarium graminearum especially are relevant to our work: Associated mycotoxins are ochratoxin A, aflatoxins, patulin, citrinin and zearalenone. We study the earthy off-flavours in wine from Botrytis cinearum and P. expansum. The analytical techniques employed are PCR, HPLC, GC-MS and MALDITOF MS for strain characterization. MUM participates in several European and national projects. Post-graduate studies on mycotoxigenic fungi and food security particularly are important. A key objective is international collaboration. MUM strains are well characterized for toxigenicity, making the collection relevant to its mission and industry. This presentation will describe the progress made in this innovative Portuguese laboratory over 10 years

Characterization of a new whitefly-transmitted (Bemisia tabaci Meam 1) cytorhabdovirus infecting common bean.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is an important crop in Latin America and Africa. The bean yield may be affected by the incidence of different viruses. As part of a virus survey in beans, we have used high-throughput sequencing approach to identify viruses with RNA genome in bean plants collected in Goiás (GO) state. Bioinformatic analysis of the de novoassembled contigs identified a putative cytorhabdovirus (family Rhabdoviridae) with low similarities with Northern cereal mosaic virus (NCMV). This new cytorhabdovirus was denominated Bean associated cytorhabdovirus (BaC). Cytorhabdoviruses have enveloped particles, negative ssRNA of 11-14 kb genome and are usually transmitted by aphids or leafhoppers.CONAF