The Shorth Plot

The shorth plot is a tool to investigate probability mass concentration. It is a graphical representation of the length of the shorth, the shortest interval covering a certain fraction of the distribution, localized by forcing the intervals considered to contain a given point x. It is easy to compute, avoids bandwidth selection problems and allows scanning for local as well as for global features of the probability distribution. We prove functional central limit theorems for the empirical shorth plot. The good rate of convergence of the empirical shorth plot makes it useful already for moderate sample size.Data analysis;distribution diagnostics;functional central limit theorem;probability mass concentration

Propriedades tecnológicas de bactérias ácido lácticas e staphilococcaceae isoladas da microbiota de embutidos cárneos artesanais na região Sul/Brasil.

Projeto/Plano de Ação: 03.08.06.009

Potencial bacteriocinogênico de bactérias ácido lácticas e staphylococcaceae isoladas da microbiota de embutidos cárneos artesanais na região Sul/Brasil.

Projeto/Plano de Ação: 03.08.06.009

A non-autonomous stochastic discrete time system with uniform disturbances

The main objective of this article is to present Bayesian optimal control over a class of non-autonomous linear stochastic discrete time systems with disturbances belonging to a family of the one parameter uniform distributions. It is proved that the Bayes control for the Pareto priors is the solution of a linear system of algebraic equations. For the case that this linear system is singular, we apply optimization techniques to gain the Bayesian optimal control. These results are extended to generalized linear stochastic systems of difference equations and provide the Bayesian optimal control for the case where the coefficients of these type of systems are non-square matrices. The paper extends the results of the authors developed for system with disturbances belonging to the exponential family

Epigenomic Profiling of Human CD4+ T Cells Supports a Linear Differentiation Model and Highlights Molecular Regulators of Memory Development

SummaryThe impact of epigenetics on the differentiation of memory T (Tmem) cells is poorly defined. We generated deep epigenomes comprising genome-wide profiles of DNA methylation, histone modifications, DNA accessibility, and coding and non-coding RNA expression in naive, central-, effector-, and terminally differentiated CD45RA+ CD4+ Tmem cells from blood and CD69+ Tmem cells from bone marrow (BM-Tmem). We observed a progressive and proliferation-associated global loss of DNA methylation in heterochromatic parts of the genome during Tmem cell differentiation. Furthermore, distinct gradually changing signatures in the epigenome and the transcriptome supported a linear model of memory development in circulating T cells, while tissue-resident BM-Tmem branched off with a unique epigenetic profile. Integrative analyses identified candidate master regulators of Tmem cell differentiation, including the transcription factor FOXP1. This study highlights the importance of epigenomic changes for Tmem cell biology and demonstrates the value of epigenetic data for the identification of lineage regulators

Steroids in kidney transplant patients

Any evaluation of steroids in kidney transplantation is hampered by individual variability in metabolism, the lack of clinically available steroid blood levels, and overall little attention to steroid exposure. Many feel that steroids were an essential part of chronic immunosuppression in past decades but may no longer be necessary in low-risk populations when our newer and more potent drugs are used. Potential differences in long-term outcome will be unapparent in short-term antibody induction studies in low-risk patients, particularly with low on steroid doses, as may have happened in the recent, well-done Astellas trial. In many studies, the evidence for the superiority of mycophenolate (MMF) and tacrolimus (TAC) was not as strong as the evidence for the benefit of steroids in the Canadian cyclosporine study. As the practice of steroid withdrawal has increased, we have not seen the improvement in long-term graft survival that many expected with our newer agents. Steroids have immunosuppressive effects even in doses that are low by historic standards, and side effects may not justify their abandonment

Temporal omics analysis in Syrian hamsters unravel cellular effector responses to moderate COVID-19

In COVID-19, immune responses are key in determining disease severity. However, cellular mechanisms at the onset of inflammatory lung injury in SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly involving endothelial cells, remain ill-defined. Using Syrian hamsters as a model for moderate COVID-19, we conduct a detailed longitudinal analysis of systemic and pulmonary cellular responses, and corroborate it with datasets from COVID-19 patients. Monocyte-derived macrophages in lungs exert the earliest and strongest transcriptional response to infection, including induction of pro-inflammatory genes, while epithelial cells show weak alterations. Without evidence for productive infection, endothelial cells react, depending on cell subtypes, by strong and early expression of anti-viral, pro-inflammatory, and T cell recruiting genes. Recruitment of cytotoxic T cells as well as emergence of IgM antibodies precede viral clearance at day 5 post infection. Investigating SARS-CoV-2 infected Syrian hamsters thus identifies cell type-specific effector functions, providing detailed insights into pathomechanisms of COVID-19 and informing therapeutic strategies