Optimization of Recombinant Membrane Protein Production in the Engineered Escherichia coli Strains SuptoxD and SuptoxR.

Membrane proteins (MPs) execute a wide variety of critical biological functions in all living organisms and constitute approximately half of current targets for drug discovery. As in the case of soluble proteins, the bacterium Escherichia coli has served as a very popular overexpression host for biochemical/structural studies of membrane proteins as well. Bacterial recombinant membrane protein production, however, is typically hampered by poor cellular accumulation and severe toxicity for the host, which leads to low levels of final biomass and minute volumetric yields. In previous work, we generated the engineered E. coli strains SuptoxD and SuptoxR, which upon coexpression of the effector genes djlA or rraA, respectively, can suppress the cytotoxicity caused by MP overexpression and produce enhanced MP yields. Here, we systematically looked for gene overexpression and culturing conditions that maximize the accumulation of membrane-integrated and well-folded recombinant MPs in these strains. We have found that, under optimal conditions, SuptoxD and SuptoxR achieve greatly enhanced recombinant production for a variety of MP, irrespective of their archaeal, eubacterial, or eukaryotic origin. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the use of these engineered strains enables the production of well-folded recombinant MPs of high quality and at high yields, which are suitable for functional and structural studies. We anticipate that SuptoxD and SuptoxR will become broadly utilized expression hosts for recombinant MP production in bacteria

A reference architecture for cloud-edge meta-operating systems enabling cross-domain, data-intensive, ML-assisted applications: architectural overview and key concepts

Future data-intensive intelligent applications are required to traverse across the cloudto-edge-to-IoT continuum, where cloud and edge resources elegantly coordinate, alongside sensor networks and data. However, current technical solutions can only partially handle the data outburst associated with the IoT proliferation experienced in recent years, mainly due to their hierarchical architectures. In this context, this paper presents a reference architecture of a meta-operating system (RAMOS), targeted to enable a dynamic, distributed and trusted continuum which will be capable of facilitating the next-generation smart applications at the edge. RAMOS is domain-agnostic, capable of supporting heterogeneous devices in various network environments. Furthermore, the proposed architecture possesses the ability to place the data at the origin in a secure and trusted manner. Based on a layered structure, the building blocks of RAMOS are thoroughly described, and the interconnection and coordination between them is fully presented. Furthermore, illustration of how the proposed reference architecture and its characteristics could fit in potential key industrial and societal applications, which in the future will require more power at the edge, is provided in five practical scenarios, focusing on the distributed intelligence and privacy preservation principles promoted by RAMOS, as well as the concept of environmental footprint minimization. Finally, the business potential of an open edge ecosystem and the societal impacts of climate net neutrality are also illustrated.For UPC authors: this research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and FEDER, grant number PID2021-124463OB-100.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Advanced nonlinear signal processing in silicon-based waveguides

This talk presents recent progress in optical signal processing based on compact waveguides fabricated mainly using silicon germanium alloys. Applications include supercontinuum generation, wavelength conversion and signal regeneration

Athens by Sound

Architecture is not only that which is built. Architecture is made up of different aspects, both material and immaterial. The atmosphere, the sounds, the smells, the possibility of interaction between human bodies: these all constitute characteristics of space, characteristics that are assuming an increasing importance within architectural research worldwide. Within this field of thought about “Architecture Beyond Building”, we focus on one particular non-material spatial phenomenon that lies ‘beyond the built’: sound. We have created, thus, an interactive sonic map of Athens, which presents, in an unexpected way, fragments of the atmosphere of the city. What would a non-visual map look like? What would it feel like if you wandered within a forest of headphones, playing sounds from different places in Athens? How would it feel if you found yourself in a ‘map’ that only appeared when you walked in it? What would it be like if the map only appeared when you invited one more person to be with you? The Greek pavilion addresses these questions through an atmospheric interactive ‘game’, presenting fragments of sounds and visual sequences of Athens. The visitor recreates the space around him through his own presence and movement. The map appears only where he walks, and/or when he invites one more person to sit next to him. The bodies of the visitors react with one another and with the space itself, creating a dynamic, changing field. This walk in the pavilion takes you “out there”, through invisible Athens. The pavilion brings forth the aspects of architecture that are ‘beyond the material’: the ‘beyond the built’, the almost unreachable, elusive aspects of space, such as sound, non-visual senses, atmosphere. It challenges, thus, the limits of architecture, the limits of what can be mapped and re-located and what cannot. An edited collection by A. Karandinou, C. Achtypi, S. Giamarelos, including texts by: Ιntothepill, Katie Lloyd Thomas, Martin Parker, Panayiotis Tournikiotis, Mark Wigley, Dorian Wiszniewski, Leslie Kavanaugh, Stephen Cairns, Jonathan Hill, Vassilis Ganiatsas, Anastasios Kotsiopoulos, Constance Classen, Stavros Stavrides, Ole Bouman, William Mitchell, Richard Coyne, Neil Spiller, Kas Oosterhuis, Nora Schueler, Zissis Kotionis, Stelarc, Andreas Angelidakis, Aristide Antonas, Slavoj Žižek, Nikolaos Laskaris, Argyris Rokas, Andreas Kourkoulas, John Peponis, Yorgos Ioannou, Yorgos Tzirtzilakis, Konstantinos Vita, Dionyssis Kapsalis, United Visual Artists, Platon Rivellis, and Dimitris Filippidis. Contributors to the Greek National Participation to the 11th International Architecture Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia "Out there. Architecture beyond building" (2008) Organised by: Hellenic Ministry of Culture [yppo.gr] General Directorate of Modern Culture Directorate of Visual Arts Department for the Promotion of Contemporary Art Curators: Anastasia Karandinou Christina Achtypi Stylianos Giamarelos Video works by Intothepill net [intothepill.net] Artists: Yiannis Grigoriadis Yiannis Isidorou Lina Theodorou Sound Recording / Sound Design Dimitris Miyakis [movement.gr] Vangelis Lympouridis Exhibition Graphics / Catalogue Design Company [company-london.com] Design and Implementation of interactive environment 2monochannels [2monochannels.com] Audiovisual and interactive systems design / acoustic design / construction supervision Iraklis Lampropoulos Giorgos Lampropoulos Software programming Vassilis Boukis Electronic subsystem design Michail Kritsotakis Electrical Design Giorgos Satolias Interconnection of interactive elements Vangelis Lympouridis [inter-axions.com] Dimitris Miyakis Light design L+DG lighting architects [lightingdg.com] Thomas Gravanis Christina Frangeti Construction Gavrilos Michalis [gavrilos.gr] Digital printing Polichromo [polichromo.com] Translations Rachel Howard Nikos Masourides Catalogue photographs Intothepill – Internet video platform Catalogue published by futura publications Marketing communication Chryssa Vrouzi Communication associate Katerina Stamidi Photographer Cathy Cunliffe [cathycunliffeΑΤgmail.com] For their financial and material support for the Greek participation at the 11th International Exhibition of Architecture, La Biennale di Venezia, we express our deepest thanks to the sponsors: Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation [onassis.gr] Akzonobel [akzonobel.com] Carteco - Architectural Materials & Design [carteco.gr] L+DG Lighting Architects [lightingdg.com] Plaisio [plaisio.gr] Polichromo Advertising Applications [polichromo.com] iGuzzini illuminazione [iguzzini.com] Diathlasis Architectural Lighting [diathlasis.gr

Sexual Differences in Chimpanzee Sociality

Scientists usually attribute sexual differences in sociality to sex-specific dispersal patterns and the availability of kin within the social group. In most primates, the dispersing sex, which has fewer kin around, is the less social sex. Chimpanzees fit well into the pattern, with highly social philopatric males and generally solitary dispersing females. However, researchers in West Africa have long suggested that female chimpanzees can be highly social. We investigated whether chimpanzees in the Taï Forest (Côte d’Ivoire) exhibit the expected sexual differences in 3 social parameters: dyadic association, party composition, and grooming interactions. Though we found a significant sexual difference in each of the 3 parameters, with males being more social than females, the actual values do not reveal striking differences between the sexes and do not support the notion of female chimpanzees as asocial: females had dyadic association indices comparable to mixed-sex dyads, spent ca. 82% of their time together with other adult chimpanzees, and had a comparable number of grooming partners. Further, female associations can be among the strongest bonds within the community, indicating that both sexes can have strongly favored association partners. The findings are in contrast to reports on East African chimpanzees, the females of which are mainly solitary and rarely interact with other females. Our results suggest that researchers cannot generally regard chimpanzee females as asocial and need to redefine models deriving patterns of sociality from dispersal patterns to integrate the possibility of high female sociality in male philopatric systems

Estrogen Receptor β-Selective Agonists Stimulate Calcium Oscillations in Human and Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Neurons

Estrogens are used extensively to treat hot flashes in menopausal women. Some of the beneficial effects of estrogens in hormone therapy on the brain might be due to nongenomic effects in neurons such as the rapid stimulation of calcium oscillations. Most studies have examined the nongenomic effects of estrogen receptors (ER) in primary neurons or brain slices from the rodent brain. However, these cells can not be maintained continuously in culture because neurons are post-mitotic. Neurons derived from embryonic stem cells could be a potential continuous, cell-based model to study nongenomic actions of estrogens in neurons if they are responsive to estrogens after differentiation. In this study ER-subtype specific estrogens were used to examine the role of ERα and ERβ on calcium oscillations in neurons derived from human (hES) and mouse embryonic stem cells. Unlike the undifferentiated hES cells the differentiated cells expressed neuronal markers, ERβ, but not ERα. The non-selective ER agonist 17β-estradiol (E2) rapidly increased [Ca2+]i oscillations and synchronizations within a few minutes. No change in calcium oscillations was observed with the selective ERα agonist 4,4′,4″-(4-Propyl-[1H]-pyrazole-1,3,5-triyl)trisphenol (PPT). In contrast, the selective ERβ agonists, 2,3-bis(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-propionitrile (DPN), MF101, and 2-(3-fluoro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-vinyl-1,3 benzoxazol-5-ol (ERB-041; WAY-202041) stimulated calcium oscillations similar to E2. The ERβ agonists also increased calcium oscillations and phosphorylated PKC, AKT and ERK1/2 in neurons derived from mouse ES cells, which was inhibited by nifedipine demonstrating that ERβ activates L-type voltage gated calcium channels to regulate neuronal activity. Our results demonstrate that ERβ signaling regulates nongenomic pathways in neurons derived from ES cells, and suggest that these cells might be useful to study the nongenomic mechanisms of estrogenic compounds

Reaping the benefits of digitisation:Pilot study exploring revenue generation from digitised collections through technological Innovation

In the last decade significant resources have been invested for the digitisation of the collections of a large number of museums and galleries worldwide. In Europe alone, 10 million EUR is annually invested in Europeana (Europeana 2014). However, as we gradually move on from “the start-up phase” of digitisation (Hughes 2004), revenue generation and sustainability must be considered (Hughes 2004). Even beyond digitisation, generating revenue through innovation and in particular “finding new business models to sustain funding” (Simon 2011) ranks amongst museums’ top challenges (Simon 2011). More importantly, despite the significant wealth of digitised assets museums now own, little has been done to investigate ways these institutions could financially benefit from their digitised collections. For art institutions in particular, this has been largely limited to the sale of image licenses, with the fear of losing this revenue posing as one of the key reasons art museums are reluctant to join the Open Content movement (Kapsalis 2016). This paper examines how recent technological advancements, such as image recognition and Print-on-Demand automation, can be utilised to take advantage of the wealth of digitised artworks museums and galleries have in their possession. A pilot study of the proposed solution at the State Museum of Contemporary Art (SMCA) in Thessaloniki, Greece, is covered and the findings are examined. Early feedback indicates that there is a significant potential in the utilisation of the aforementioned technologies for the monetisation of digitised collections. However, challenges such as blending the real-world experience with the digital experience, as well as flattening the learning curve of the technological solution for museum visitors, need to be addressed. Based on the pilot study at SMCA, this paper investigates how emerging technologies can be utilised to facilitate revenue generation for all museums and galleries with digitised collections

An Individual-Oriented Model on the Emergence of Support in Fights, Its Reciprocation and Exchange

Complex social behaviour of primates has usually been attributed to the operation of complex cognition. Recently, models have shown that constraints imposed by the socio-spatial structuring of individuals in a group may result in an unexpectedly high number of patterns of complex social behaviour, resembling the dominance styles of egalitarian and despotic species of macaques and the differences between them. This includes affiliative patterns, such as reciprocation of grooming, grooming up the hierarchy, and reconciliation. In the present study, we show that the distribution of support in fights, which is the social behaviour that is potentially most sophisticated in terms of cognitive processes, may emerge in the same way. The model represents the spatial grouping of individuals and their social behaviour, such as their avoidance of risks during attacks, the self-reinforcing effects of winning and losing their fights, their tendency to join in fights of others that are close by (social facilitation), their tendency to groom when they are anxious, the reduction of their anxiety by grooming, and the increase of anxiety when involved in aggression. Further, we represent the difference in intensity of aggression apparent in egalitarian and despotic macaques. The model reproduces many aspects of support in fights, such as its different types, namely, conservative, bridging and revolutionary, patterns of choice of coalition partners attributed to triadic awareness, those of reciprocation of support and ‘spiteful acts’ and of exchange between support and grooming. This work is important because it suggests that behaviour that seems to result from sophisticated cognition may be a side-effect of spatial structure and dominance interactions and it shows that partial correlations fail to completely omit these effects of spatial structure. Further, the model is falsifiable, since it results in many patterns that can easily be tested in real primates by means of existing data