Statistical optimization of α-amylase production by Escherichia coliusing extruded bean as nitrogen and carbon source

Response surface methodology based on mixture design was employed for statistical optimization of medium components for the growth and production of α-amylase by Escherichia coli pAC92. The combined effects of media constituents (peptone, yeast extract and extruded beans) were analyzed using a cubic model, which was developed by3-factor simplex lattice mixture design in predicting the optimum yield of growth and α-amylase activity. Results evidenced that extruded common bean was more effective as a nutrient source for E.colipAC92 growth. On the other hand, the completely substituted medium with extruded common bean resulted in 68% of increase in the growth of Escherichia coli pAC92. In addition, the culture medium containing 0.5% of extruded bean and 0.5% of peptone reached a α-amylase activity of 44.59 U. The optimal medium composition was determined by a numerical method based on desirability function, by which the optimal composition for maximum optical density and enzyme activity was found using 0.5% peptone and 0.5% extruded common bean as media constituents. Therefore, these results evidenced that extruded common bean can be successfully used as substitute of peptone and yeast extract in culture media for production of α-amylase byE.colipAC92

Sistema de análise vibracional preditiva para usinagem / Predictive vibration analysis system for machining

O sensoriamento é de notória importância para o funcionamento da indústria 4.0 em busca de melhorias contínuas nos processos produtivos. Durante a manufatura, a manutenção corretiva é um problema evitável com a manutenção preventiva, porém com a 4ª revolução industrial a maneira de planejar e realizar manutenção progrediu. Nesse intento propôs-se  o desenvolvimento de um sistema de análise vibracional para auxiliar na manutenção preditiva, por meio da utilização de um sensor acelerômetro que fornecerá informações pertinentes para o planejamento estratégico da empresa.

Amateur Female Athletes Perform the Running Split of a Triathlon Race at Higher Relative Intensity than the Male Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2max), ventilatory threshold (VT) and respiratory compensation point (RCP) can be used to monitor the training intensity and the race strategy, and the elucidation of the specificities existing between the sexes can be interesting for coaches and athletes. The aim of the study was to compare ventilatory threshold (VT), respiratory compensation point (RCP), and the percentage of the maximal aerobic speed (MAS) that can be maintained in a triathlon race between sexes. Forty-one triathletes (22 men and 19 women), 42.1 ± 8.4 (26 to 60) years old, that raced the same Olympic triathlon underwent a cardiorespiratory maximal treadmill test to assess their VT, RPC, and MAS, and race speed. The maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2max) (54.0 ± 5.1 vs. 49.8 ± 7.7 mL/kg/min, p < 0.001) and MAS (17 ± 2 vs. 15 ± 2 km/h, p = 0.001) were significantly higher in male than in female athletes. Conversely, there were no sex differences according to the percentage of V˙O2max reached at VT (74.4 ± 4.9 vs. 76.1 ± 5.4%, p = 0.298) and RCP (89.9 ± 3.6 vs. 90.6 ± 4.0%, p = 0.560). The mean speed during the race did not differ between sexes (12.1 ± 1.7 km/h and 11.7 ± 1.8 km/h, p = 0.506, respectively). Finally, men performed the running split at a lower percentage of speed at RCP than women (84.0 ± 8.7 vs. 91.2 ± 7.0%, respectively, p = 0.005). Therefore, male and female athletes accomplished the running split in an Olympic triathlon distance at distinct relative intensities, as female athletes run at a higher RCP percentage

Modelando produtos IoT com a abordagem DDM / Modeling IoT products with the DDM approach

O Desenvolvimento Dirigido por Modelos (DDM), é uma abordagem de desenvolvimento de software onde os modelos são os artefatos principais do desenvolvimento. Nesta, modelos de aplicações são construídos em alto nível de abstração e convertidos em modelos menos abstratos até a geração do código fonte do sistema. A abordagem DDM tem se mostrado apropriada para desenvolver aplicações inseridas em ambientes heterogêneos, tais como os que envolvem diferentes plataformas e linguagens de programação, pois possibilita que sistemas sejam modelados independente de plataforma e que os modelos sejam reusados para geração de código em plataformas específicas. Neste contexto estão inseridos os sistemas para Internet das Coisas (IoT – Internet of Things), responsáveis por interconectar e integrar dispositivos do mundo físico ao mundo virtual. A IoT propõe que qualquer objeto físico possa se conectar à internet através de algum tipo de tecnologia. Desta forma, lida frequentemente com dispositivos diversos que utilizam tecnologias próprias e precisam estar interconectados para prover um serviço.       Nesta direção, nosso trabalho investiga o uso de DDM no desenvolvimento de produtos IoT. Neste artigo, especificamente, apresentamos o projeto de um produto IoT para monitoramento e controle de reservatórios de água em residências com o objetivo de identificar os modelos que devem ser construídos ao longo do desenvolvimento de produtos desta natureza. O produto foi projetado e implementado manualmente. O trabalho mostrou que diversos modelos foram necessários para projetar hardware e software, tais como modelo de requisitos, arquitetura, e máquinas de estado. Estes modelos serão adaptados em projetos futuros seguindo a abordagem DDM para possibilitar a geração automática de código

Silent polymorphisms in the RYR1 gene do not\ud modify the phenotype of the p.4898 I>T\ud pathogenic mutation in central core disease:\ud a case report

Background: Central core disease is a congenital myopathy, characterized by presence of central core-like areas in\ud muscle fibers. Patients have mild or moderate weakness, hypotonia and motor developmental delay. The disease is\ud caused by mutations in the human ryanodine receptor gene (RYR1), which encodes a calcium-release channel.\ud Since the RYR1 gene is huge, containing 106 exons, mutation screening has been limited to three ‘hot spots’, with\ud particular attention to the C-terminal region. Recent next- generation sequencing methods are now identifying\ud multiple numbers of variants in patients, in which interpretation and phenotype prevision is difficult.\ud Case presentation: In a Brazilian Caucasian family, clinical, histopathological and molecular analysis identified a\ud new case of central core disease in a 48-year female. Sanger sequencing of the C-terminal region of the RYR1\ud gene identified two different missense mutations: c.14256 A > C polymorphism in exon 98 and c.14693 T > C in\ud exon 102, which have already been described as pathogenic. Trans-position of the 2 mutations was confirmed\ud because patient’s daughter, mother and sister carried only the exon 98’s mutation, a synonymous variant that was\ud subsequently found in the frequency of 013–0,05 of alleles. Further next generation sequencing study of the whole\ud RYR1 gene in the patient revealed the presence of additional 5 common silent polymorphisms in homozygosis and\ud 8 polymorphisms in heterozygosis.\ud Conclusions: Considering that patient’s relatives showed no pathologic phenotype, and the phenotype presented\ud by the patient is within the range observed in other central core disease patients with the same mutation, it was\ud concluded that the c.14256 A > C polymorphism alone is not responsible for disease, and the associated additional\ud silent polymorphisms are not acting as modifiers of the primary pathogenic mutation in the affected patient. The\ud case described above illustrates the present reality where new methods for wide genome screening are becoming\ud more accessible and able to identify a great variety of mutations and polymorphisms of unknown function in\ud patients and their families.Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo - Centro de Pesquisa, Inovação e Difusão (FAPESP-CEPID)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq-INCT)Associação Brasileira de Distrofia Muscular (ABDIM)CAPES-COFECU

Genome-wide signatures of complex introgression and adaptive evolution in the big cats.

The great cats of the genus Panthera comprise a recent radiation whose evolutionary history is poorly understood. Their rapid diversification poses challenges to resolving their phylogeny while offering opportunities to investigate the historical dynamics of adaptive divergence. We report the sequence, de novo assembly, and annotation of the jaguar (Panthera onca) genome, a novel genome sequence for the leopard (Panthera pardus), and comparative analyses encompassing all living Panthera species. Demographic reconstructions indicated that all of these species have experienced variable episodes of population decline during the Pleistocene, ultimately leading to small effective sizes in present-day genomes. We observed pervasive genealogical discordance across Panthera genomes, caused by both incomplete lineage sorting and complex patterns of historical interspecific hybridization. We identified multiple signatures of species-specific positive selection, affecting genes involved in craniofacial and limb development, protein metabolism, hypoxia, reproduction, pigmentation, and sensory perception. There was remarkable concordance in pathways enriched in genomic segments implicated in interspecies introgression and in positive selection, suggesting that these processes were connected. We tested this hypothesis by developing exome capture probes targeting ~19,000 Panthera genes and applying them to 30 wild-caught jaguars. We found at least two genes (DOCK3 and COL4A5, both related to optic nerve development) bearing significant signatures of interspecies introgression and within-species positive selection. These findings indicate that post-speciation admixture has contributed genetic material that facilitated the adaptive evolution of big cat lineages

RPG Educacional Utilizando o Conceito de Agentes

Este artigo apresenta o desenvolvimento do RPGEDU no que serefere à utilização de agentes inteligentes para seleção das atividades (ou tarefas) que o “jogador” realizará, demonstra o que é um RPG e o que é um agente inteligente. Demonstra o que é um RPG e inteligência do agente no RPGEDU

Risk Factors for Death in Children with Visceral Leishmaniasis

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a deadly disease caused by a protozoan called Leishmania. It is transmitted to humans from infected animals by a sandfly bite. Most people actually manage to control the infection and do not get sick, while others develop a range of symptoms. VL impairs the production of blood components and causes the immune system to malfunction, thus anemia, bleeding, and bacterial infections often complicate the disease and can lead to death. To identify risk factors for death from VL, the authors studied 546 children in a referral center in Recife, Brazil. They looked at clinical history, physical examination and full blood counts on the assumption these could be easily assessed in peripheral health facilities. They found that the presence of fast breathing, jaundice, mucosal (e.g. gum) bleeding and bacterial infections would each increase the risk of death in three to four-fold. The presence of very low counts of neutrophils and platelets would increase the risk of death in three and 12-fold respectively. This knowledge can help clinicians to anticipate the use of antibiotics or transfusion of blood products in high risk patients, who would potentially benefit from transfer to centers with advanced life support facilities

Dynamic player modelling in serious games applied to rehabilitation robotics

This article proposes a reinforcement learning approach to dynamically model the player skills in applications that integrate games and rehabilitation robotic. The approach aims to match the game difficulty to the player skills, keeping proper motivation (flow) during a rehabilitation process. The traditional rehabilitation process involves repetitive exercises. Robots and serious games provide new means to improve user motivation and commitment during treatment. Each person shows different skills when facing the challenges posed by computer games. Thus, the game difficulty level should be adjusted to each player skill level. The Q-Learning algorithm was adapted in this context to modify game parameters and to assess user skills based on a performance function. This function provides a path to an individual difficulty adjustment and consequently a tool to keep the user exercising. Experiments with thirty minutes duration are presented, involving four players, and the results obtained indicate the proposed approach is feasible for modeling the user behaviour getting to capture the adaptations and trends for each player according to the game difficulties