Software project planning through comparison of Bio-inspired algorithms

Currently many organizations have adopted the development of software projects with agile methodologies, particularly Scrum, which has more than 20 years of development. In these methodologies, software is developed iteratively and delivered to the client in increments called releases. In the releases, the goal is to develop system functionality that quickly adds value to the client’s business. At the beginning of the project, one or more releases are planned. For solving the problem of replanning in the context of releases, a model is proposed considering the characteristics of agile development using Scrum. The results obtained show that the algorithm takes a little less than 7 min for solutions that propose replanning composed by 16 sprints, which is equivalent to 240 days of project. They show that applying a repair operator increases the hypervolume qualit

Y-Chromosome Evidence for Common Ancestry of Three Chinese Populations with a High Risk of Esophageal Cancer

High rates of esophageal cancer (EC) are found in people of the Henan Taihang Mountain, Fujian Minnan, and Chaoshan regions of China. Historical records describe great waves of populations migrating from north-central China (the Henan and Shanxi Hans) through coastal Fujian Province to the Chaoshan plain. Although these regions are geographically distant, we hypothesized that EC high-risk populations in these three areas could share a common ancestry. Accordingly, we used 16 East Asian-specific Y-chromosome biallelic markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms; Y-SNPs) and six Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) loci to infer the origin of the EC high-risk Chaoshan population (CSP) and the genetic relationship between the CSP and the EC high-risk Henan Taihang Mountain population (HTMP) and Fujian population (FJP). The predominant haplogroups in these three populations are O3*, O3e*, and O3e1, with no significant difference between the populations in the frequency of these genotypes. Frequency distribution and principal component analysis revealed that the CSP is closely related to the HTMP and FJP, even though the former is geographically nearer to other populations (Guangfu and Hakka clans). The FJP is between the CSP and HTMP in the principal component plot. The CSP, FJP and HTMP are more closely related to Chinese Hans than to minorities, except Manchu Chinese, and are descendants of Sino-Tibetans, not Baiyues. Correlation analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis, and phylogenetic analysis (neighbor-joining tree) all support close genetic relatedness among the CSP, FJP and HTMP. The network for haplogroup O3 (including O3*, O3e* and O3e1) showed that the HTMP have highest STR haplotype diversity, suggesting that the HTMP may be a progenitor population for the CSP and FJP. These findings support the potentially important role of shared ancestry in understanding more about the genetic susceptibility in EC etiology in high-risk populations and have implications for determining the molecular basis of this disease

Lung cancer cell migration is regulated via repressing growth factor PTN/RPTP β/ζ signaling by menin

Menin encoded by the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene is associated with chromatin and the nuclear matrix and exerts multiple biological functions including regulation of cell proliferation and adhesion. Men1 mutations increase the likelihood of lung cancer development in mice. Menin expression is reduced in certain human non-small cell lung cancer cells, and reduction of menin is closely correlated with increased lung cancer metastasis to lymph nodes. However, it is poorly understood whether menin affects migration of lung cancer cells. In this study, we show that menin-regulated A549 lung cancer cell migration, which was mediated by growth factor pleiotrophin (PTN) and its cell surface receptor, protein tyrosine phosphatase beta/zeta (RPTP β/ζ). Ectopic menin expression significantly repressed PTN transcription, but indirectly inhibited RPTP β/ζ expression through repressing PTN expression. Further studies revealed that menin-regulated cell migration through PTN/RPTP β/ζ, in conjunction with integrin αvβ3, focal adhesion kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2. These findings provide mechanistic insights into the molecular basis for menin/PTN-mediated regulation of A549 lung cancer cell migration

Transmission of Schistosoma japonicum in Marshland and Hilly Regions of China: Parasite Population Genetic and Sibship Structure

The transmission dynamics of Schistosoma japonicum remain poorly understood, as over forty species of mammals are suspected of serving as reservoir hosts. However, knowledge of the population genetic structure and of the full-sibship structuring of parasites at two larval stages will be useful in defining and tracking the transmission pattern between intermediate and definitive hosts. S. japonicum larvae were therefore collected in three marshland and three hilly villages in Anhui Province of China across three time points: April and September-October 2006, and April 2007, and then genotyped with six microsatellite markers. Results from the population genetic and sibling relationship analyses of the parasites across two larval stages demonstrated that, within the marshland, parasites from cattle showed higher genetic diversity than from other species; whereas within the hilly region, parasites from dogs and humans displayed higher genetic diversity than those from rodents. Both the extent of gene flow and the estimated proportion of full-sib relationships of parasites between two larval stages indicated that the cercariae identified within intermediate hosts in the marshlands mostly came from cattle, whereas in the hilly areas, they were varied between villages, coming primarily from rodents, dogs or humans. Such results suggest a different transmission process within the hilly region from within the marshlands. Moreover, this is the first time that the sibling relationship analysis was applied to the transmission dynamics for S. japonicum

Independent measure of the neutrino mixing angle θ13 via neutron capture on hydrogen at Daya Bay

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The muon system of the Daya Bay Reactor antineutrino experiment

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Search for a Light Sterile Neutrino at Daya Bay

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Improved Measurement of Electron Antineutrino Disappearance at Daya Bay

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A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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