Noninvasive Analyses of Kidney Injury Molecule-1 Messenger RNA in Kidney Transplant Recipients With Graft Dysfunction

AbstractBackgroundKidney graft fibrosis is a major factor related to chronic loss of kidney function. At present, the finding of fibrosis depends on the analysis of tissue in the renal biopsy, which has important limitations. In this study, we evaluated the messenger mRNA transcription and gene expression of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) in kidney tissue and in urinary sediment cells of kidney transplant patients with graft dysfunction aiming at the development of techniques that may allow the noninvasive diagnosis of interstitral fibrosis/tubular atrophy (IF/TA).Patients and methodsRNA extracted from cells in tissue and urine of 77 renal transplant patients whose biopsies were classified according to the Banff scheme-2007. Four diagnostic groups were established: (1) acute tubular necrosis (n = 9); (2) acute rejection (n = 49); (3) acute calcineurin inhibitors nephrotoxicity (n = 10); and (4) interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA, n = 29). Tissue and urine cell RNA was amplified and quantification were made by real-time polymerase chain reactron. Data from the quantification of gene expression are presented as median and 25th to 75th percentiles.ResultsMessenger RNA levels of the KIM-1 gene were higher in the biopsies (26.17; 3.38–294.53) and urinary sediment cells (0.09; 0–5.81) of the patients classified as having IF/TA as compared with all others groups. A significant correlation between gene expression in samples of urine and tissue cells was found (P < .01).ConclusionThese initial data suggests that KIM-1 gene mRNA quantification can be used as a noninvasive biomarker of IF/TA

What do we mean by cognitive load? Towards more accurate definition of the term for better identification by driver monitoring systems

The 2023 European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) [9] protocol states that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) should include Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) and appropriate technical assessment dossiers for evaluation by driving authorities. This includes demonstrating how the system can identify elements of driver state; driver distractions, fatigue, and unresponsiveness. Whilst visual distractions have been detailed extensively, cognitive distraction has received less attention within these protocols. Part of the reason for this could be the lack of understanding or general consensus on cognitive distraction within the context of driver state. For example, how do we assess driver state, how do we develop ground truths, how much distraction should be considered too much, and what is and is not considered cognitive? To answer these questions, workshop participants will focus on the methods and metrics used to assess cognitive load and the impact this has on driver state and performance; whether during manual driving, monitoring an automated vehicle, or during takeovers after periods of automation

Ação de hidrazida maleica e ethephon no crescimento da cana-de-açúcar

Este experimento foi efetuado com o objetivo de determinar o efeito da hidrazida maleica (MH) e do ethephon (CEPA) no crescimento da cana-de-açúcar 'NA 56-79'. 0 trabalho foi realizado em condições de casa-de-vegetação, sendo que o plantio dos toletes de uma gema foi efetuado em 8 de agosto. Em 28 de agosto pulverizou-se MH (21,7%) nas dosagens de 5, 9, 13 e 17 ml/1 e CEPA (480g/1)1,2,1 e 4 ,2 ml/l, sendo que em 18 de se tembro aplicou-se, em outras plantas, MH 5, 9, 13 e 17 ml/l e CEPA 4,2, 8,4 e 16,8 ml/l. A altura total e o comprimento do colmo foram determinados nas da tas de aplicação, e em 4 de setembro no primeiro ensaio e em 3 de novembro no segundo. As variações em altura e no comprimento, entre as datas, mostraram que a hidrazida maleica promoveu inibição no crescimento do cultivar 'NA 56-79', sendo que o ethephon causou drástica redução na altura da cana-de-açúcar. Ambos os reguladores vegetais exerceram efeitos mais pronunciados com aumento nas concentrações aplicadas, revelando-se promissores como agentes maturadores da cana-de-açúcar.This study was carried out to determine the effects of maleic hydrazide (MH) and ethephon (CEPA) on stalk growth of sugarcane cultivar NA 56-79. It was applied several concentrations of MH and CEPA 20 or 41 days after planting, in greenhouse conditions. Maleic hydrazide promoted reduction on growth of sugar cane plant and ethephon caused more drastic effects on growth. This effect on loss of a -pical dominance induced maturation and increased sucrose concentration on stalk

Effects of plant regulators on germination of seeds

This research deals with the effects of exogenous growth regulators on germination of seeds of several plants. To study the influence of the chemicals, Zea mays, Crotalaria juncea, Lablab purpurcus, Arachis hypogeae, Setaria anceps, Brachiaria humidicola. Stylosanthes sp . , Macroptilium a tropurpurcum , Tefrosia candida, Neonotonia wightti and Panicum maximum seeds were immersed during 22 hours in water solutions of (2-chloroethyl ) trimethylammonium chloride (CCC) 2000 ppm, succinic acid - 2,2-dimethylhydrazide (SADH) 4000 ppm, gibberellic acid (GA) 100 ppm, indoIylacetic acid (IAA) 100 ppm, 6-furfurylaminopurine (FAP) 100 ppm, and water ascheck treatment. GA increased germination of Brachiaria, Macroptilium, Neonotonia and green panic. GA also promoted a more rapid growth of Crotalaria, Lablab and Stylosanthes seedlings. IAA application increased growth of Stylosanthes seedlings; GA and IAA also increased the leaf number of these plants. Soaking Lablab and peanut seeds in SADH reduced the growth of the seedlings. FAP treatment reduced the growth of corn and Lablab plants and increased the growth of Stylosanthes.A aplicação de reguladores vegetais em sementes tem por objetivos quebrar a dormência e promover maior uniformidade no crescimento das plántulas. Com a finalidade de estabelecer os efeitos de alguns reguladores vegetais na germinação e desenvolvimento inicial de milho, crotalaria, lablab, amendoinzeiro, 'Kazungula', braquiaria, Stylosanthes, siratro, Tefrosia, soja perene e "green panic", sementes destas plantas foram imersas por 22 horas em soluções aquosas deCCC 2000 ppm, SADH 4000 ppm, GA 100 ppm, IAA 100 ppm e FAP 100 ppm, antes do plantio em condições de casa de vegetação. Verificou-se que tratamento com GA aumentou a germinação de braquiaria , sirato, soja perene e "green panic". 0 GA também promoveu maior crescimento das plântulas de crotalaria, lablab e Stylosanthes . Aplicação de IAA aumentou a altura das plantas de Stylosanthes , sendo que GA e IAA também incrementaram o numero de folhas dessas plantas. Imersão das sementes em SADH reduziu a altura das plântulas de lablab e amendoinzeiro. Tratamento com FAP diminuiu o crescimento das plantas de milho e lablab, sendo que aumentou a altura das plântulas de Stylosanthes

Controlling Bovine Brucellosis In The State Of São Paulo, Brazil: Results After Ten Years Of A Vaccination Program

A cross- sectional study was carried out, between May and November 2011, to estimate the situation of the bovine brucellosis in São Paulo State, 10 years after the commencement of the vaccination of the heifers with the S19 strain. The State was divided into seven regions and in each of them, 300 farms with reproductive activity were randomly chosen and considered as primary sample units. A fixed number of cows was randomly selected and tested for antibodies against Brucella spp. A farm was considered infected if at least one female tested positive. In the selected farms, an epidemiological questionnaire was administered which focused on herd traits as well as husbandry and sanitary practices that could be associated with the risk of infection. The prevalence (percentile, [95% confidence interval]) of infected herds was 10.2% [8.8-11.8] for the State, and for the regions, it varied from 7.3% [4.7-11.2] to 12.3% [8.8-16.8], not showing significant difference between different regions. The apparent prevalence of positive farms in the State and regions remained similar to the prevalence observed 10 years before. The prevalence of positive animals was 2.4% [1.8-3.1] in the State and varied from 1.1% [0.6-2] to 3.5% [1.7-7.1] in the regions, not showing significant difference between regions. Again, there was no difference in the prevalence of positive animals after 10 years of the vaccination program. The risk factors (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval) associated with bovine brucellosis in the State included number of cows = 24 (3.08, 2.22-4.27) and the acquisition of breeding animals (1.33, 0.95-1.87). The São Paulo State should conduct systematic vaccination coverage of above 80% of the eligible heifers with the S19 strain vaccine annually. Moreover, the State should emphatically use RB51 strain vaccine in females above 8 months of age not vaccinated with S19 strain vaccine. An efficient animal health education program to orientate farmers to test replacement animals for brucellosis prior to introduction in their herds should also be implemented.3753505351

Improvement of Mechanical Properties with Non-Equimolar CrNbTaVW High Entropy Alloy

ABSTRACT: CrNbTaVWx with (x = 1 and 1.7) high entropy alloys have been devised for thermal barriers between the plasma-facing tungsten tiles and the copper-based heat sink in the first wall of fusion nuclear reactors. These novel materials were prepared by ball milling and consolidated by Upgrade Field Assisted Sintering Technology at 1873 K under an applied pressure of 90 MPa for 10 min. In this work, the structural and mechanical properties of these materials were evaluated. Consolidated samples presented a major phase with a bcc-type structure with lattice parameter value of 0.316 nm for CrNbTaVW and CrNbTaVW1.7 compositions. Moreover, observation of the microstructures evidences also two minor phases: Ta-Nb-Cr and Ta-V rich (in which carbon is detected). Despite the similarity in the structural properties of these two alloys, their mechanical properties are distinct. The flexural stress for the sample with higher amount of W (CrNbTaVW1.7) is higher by 50% in the 298-873 K range, with an increased strain to fracture, which can be associated with reduced brittleness caused by the additional W incorporation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Relativistic shells: Dynamics, horizons, and shell crossing

We consider the dynamics of timelike spherical thin matter shells in vacuum. A general formalism for thin shells matching two arbitrary spherical spacetimes is derived, and subsequently specialized to the vacuum case. We first examine the relative motion of two dust shells by focusing on the dynamics of the exterior shell, whereby the problem is reduced to that of a single shell with different active Schwarzschild masses on each side. We then examine the dynamics of shells with non-vanishing tangential pressure $p$, and show that there are no stable--stationary, or otherwise--solutions for configurations with a strictly linear barotropic equation of state, $p=\alpha\sigma$, where $\sigma$ is the proper surface energy density and $\alpha\in(-1,1)$. For {\em arbitrary} equations of state, we show that, provided the weak energy condition holds, the strong energy condition is necessary and sufficient for stability. We examine in detail the formation of trapped surfaces, and show explicitly that a thin boundary layer causes the apparent horizon to evolve discontinuously. Finally, we derive an analytical (necessary and sufficient) condition for neighboring shells to cross, and compare the discrete shell model with the well-known continuous Lema\^{\i}tre-Tolman-Bondi dust case.Comment: 25 pages, revtex4, 4 eps figs; published in Phys. Rev.

Genomic exploration of sequential clinical isolates reveals a distinctive molecular signature of persistent Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.

Large-scale genomic studies of within-host diversity in Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) are needed to understanding bacterial adaptation underlying persistence and thus refining the role of genomics in management of SAB. However, available comparative genomic studies of sequential SAB isolates have tended to focus on selected cases of unusually prolonged bacteraemia, where secondary antimicrobial resistance has developed. To understand bacterial genetic diversity during SAB more broadly, we applied whole genome sequencing to a large collection of sequential isolates obtained from patients with persistent or relapsing bacteraemia. After excluding genetically unrelated isolates, we performed an in-depth genomic analysis of point mutations and chromosome structural variants arising within individual SAB episodes. We show that, while adaptation pathways are heterogenous and episode-specific, isolates from persistent bacteraemia have a distinctive molecular signature, characterised by a low mutation frequency and high proportion of non-silent mutations. Analysis of structural genomic variants revealed that these often overlooked genetic events are commonly acquired during SAB. We discovered that IS256 insertion may represent the most effective driver of within-host microevolution in selected lineages, with up to three new insertion events per isolate even in the absence of other mutations. Genetic mechanisms resulting in significant phenotypic changes, such as increases in vancomycin resistance, development of small colony phenotypes, and decreases in cytotoxicity, included mutations in key genes (rpoB, stp, agrA) and an IS256 insertion upstream of the walKR operon. This study provides for the first time a large-scale analysis of within-host genomic changes during invasive S. aureus infection and describes specific patterns of adaptation that will be informative for both understanding S. aureus pathoadaptation and utilising genomics for management of complicated S. aureus infections

The effect of information from dash-based human-machine interfaces on drivers' gaze patterns and lane-change manoeuvres after conditionally automated driving

The goal of this paper was to measure the effect of Human-Machine Interface (HMI) information and guidance on drivers' gaze and takeover behaviour during transitions of control from automation. The motivation for this study came from a gap in the literature, where previous research reports improved performance of drivers’ takeover based on HMI information, without considering its effect on drivers’ visual attention distribution, and how drivers also use the information available in the environment to guide their response. This driving simulator study investigated drivers’ lane-changing behaviour after resumption of control from automation. Different levels of information were provided on a dash-based HMI, prior to each lane change, to investigate how drivers distribute their attention between the surrounding environment and the HMI. The difficulty of the lane change was also manipulated by controlling the position of approaching vehicles in drivers’ offside lane. Results indicated that drivers' decision-making time was sensitive to the presence of nearby vehicles in the offside lane, but not directly influenced by the information on the HMI. In terms of gaze behaviour, the closer the position of vehicles in the offside lane, the longer drivers looked in that direction. Drivers looked more at the HMI, and less towards the road centre, when the HMI presented information about automation status, and included an advisory message indicating it was safe to change lane. Machine learning techniques showed a strong relationship between drivers' gaze to the information presented on the HMI, and decision-making time (DMT). These results contribute to our understanding of HMI design for automated vehicles, by demonstrating the attentional costs of an overly-informative HMI, and that drivers still rely on environmental information to perform a lane-change, even when the same information can be acquired by the HMI of the vehicle

Ação de estimulantes vegetais no desenvolvimento do girassol (Helianthus annuus L.)

This research deals with the effects of application of three plant stimulants (Ergostim, Agrostemmin and Triacontanol) on growth of two sunflower cultivars (Uruguay and Anhandy), under greenhouse conditions. Sunflower was sowing in pots and Triacontanol (0.05 mg/l), Agrostemmin (l g/10 1/3 l) and Ergostim (1.5 ml/l) where applied 24 and 43 days after sowing. Ergostim and Agrostemmin promoted growth and increased dry matter production by sunflower plants. Triacontanol promoted flowering and reduced dry matter production.Verificou-se em condições de casa de vegetação o efeito de três estimulan tes no desenvolvimento de girassol cultivares Uruguay e Anhandy. A semeadura do girassol foi realizada em 17.08.82, em vasos de cerâmica, sendo que 24 e 43 dias aps a semeadura as plantas foram pulverizadas com Triacontanol (l-hidroxitriacontano ) na dosagem de 0,05 mg/l, Agrostemin (alantoina, triptofano, adenina e outros aminoácidos) 1 g/10 ml/3 1 e Ergostim (ácido N-acetil tiazolidin-4-carboxílico com ácido fólico) 1,5ml/ 1, além do controle. Foi verificado que Ergostim promoveu aumentos no crescimento e no peso da matéria seca das plantas de girassol mais pronunciados do que Agrostemin. Triacontanol aumentou a florescência e reduziu o peso da matéria seca das plantas