A t(4;13)(q21;q14) translocation in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia causing concomitant homozygous DLEU2/miR15a/miR16-1 and heterozygous ARHGAP24 deletions

13q14 deletion is the most recurrent chromosomal aberration reported in B-CLL, having a favorable prognostic significance when occurring as the sole cytogenetic alteration. However, its clinical outcome is also related to the deletion size and number of cells with the del(13)(q14) deletion. In 10% of cases, 13q14 deletion arises following a translocation event with multiple partner chromosomes, whose oncogenic impact has not been investigated so far due to the assumption of a possible role as a passenger mutation. Here, we describe a t(4;13)(q21;q14) translocation occurring in a B-CLL case from the diagnosis to spontaneous regression. FISH and SNP-array analyses revealed a heterozygous deletion at 4q21, leading to the loss of the Rho GTPase Activating Protein 24 (ARHGAP24) tumor suppressor gene, down-regulated in the patient RNA, in addition to the homozygous deletion at 13q14 involving DLEU2/miR15a/miR16–1 genes. Interestingly, targeted Next Generation Sequencing analysis of 54 genes related to B-CLL indicated no additional somatic mutation in the patient, underlining the relevance of this t(4;13)(q21;q14) aberration in the leukemogenic process. In all tested RNA samples, RT-qPCR experiments assessed the downregulation of the PCNA, MKI67, and TOP2A proliferation factor genes, and the BCL2 anti-apoptotic gene as well as the up-regulation of TP53 and CDKN1A tumor suppressors, indicating a low proliferation potential of the cells harboring the aberration. In addition, RNA-seq analyses identified four chimeric transcripts (ATG4B::PTMA, OAZ1::PTMA, ZFP36::PTMA, and PIM3::BRD1), two of which (ATG4B::PTMA and ZFP36::PTMA) failed to be detected at the remission, suggesting a possible transcriptional remodeling during the disease course. Overall, our results indicate a favorable prognostic impact of the described chromosomal aberration, as it arises a permissive molecular landscape to the spontaneous B-CLL regression in the patient, highlighting ARHGAP24 as a potentially relevant concurrent alteration to the 13q14 deletion in delineating B-CLL disease evolution

Chemical abundances of 1111 FGK stars from the HARPS GTO planet search program.Galactic stellar populations and planets

We performed a uniform and detailed abundance analysis of 12 refractory elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Ni, Co, Sc, Mn and V) for a sample of 1111 FGK dwarf stars from the HARPS GTO planet search program. 109 of these stars are known to harbour giant planetary companions and 26 stars are hosting exclusively Neptunians and super-Earths. The main goals of this paper are i) to investigate whether there are any differences between the elemental abundance trends for stars of different stellar populations; ii) to characterise the planet host and non-host samples in term of their [X/H]. The extensive study of this sample, focused on the abundance differences between stars with and without planets will be presented in a parallel paper. The equivalent widths of spectral lines are automatically measured from HARPS spectra with the ARES code. The abundances of the chemical elements are determined using a LTE abundance analysis relative to the Sun, with the 2010 revised version of the spectral synthesis code MOOG and a grid of Kurucz ATLAS9 atmospheres. To separate the Galactic stellar populations we applied both a purely kinematical approach and a chemical method. We found that the chemically separated (based on the Mg, Si, and Ti abundances) thin and thick discs are also chemically disjunct for Al, Sc, Co and Ca. Some bifurcation might also exist for Na, V, Ni, and Mn, but there is no clear boundary of their [X/Fe] ratios. We confirm that an overabundance in giant-planet host stars is clear for all the studied elements.We also confirm that stars hosting only Neptunian-like planets may be easier to detect around stars with similar metallicities as non-planet hosts, although for some elements (particulary alpha-elements) the lower limit of [X/H] are very abrupt.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, 6 tables. accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Positive demographic effects of nest surveillance campaigns to counter illegal harvest of the Bonelli's eagle in Sicily (Italy)

Illegal trade in wildlife has been identified as one of the main challenges to wildlife conservation. In 2010, an illegal trade-ring trafficking in birds of prey was uncovered in Sicily (southern Italy). This illegal trade targeted the three most endangered species in Italy: Bonelli's eagle Aquila fasciata, Lanner falcon Falco biarmicus and Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus, all of them long-lived territorial raptors threatened with extinction across their European distribution. Illegal harvest primarily involved young birds and eggs taken from nests. After the discovery of these activities, surveillance camps and camera traps connected to the mobile Global System for Mobile communications network were established in nine Bonelli's eagle breeding sites in which illegal harvest was reported. Surveillance activities resulted in a sharp reduction in illegal harvest that has contributed to the recent increase in population size and number of breeding pairs of Bonelli's eagle in the island. This population represents 95% of the entire Italian population and is catalogued as Critically Endangered in this country. Importantly, our results highlight the impact of illegal harvest on the population dynamics of endangered species as demonstrated by a population viability analysis. This is particularly important in the case of insular species for which demographic recovery due to immigration from other geographic areas is unlikely. Systematic patrols by forestry police authorities, a resolute application of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species legislation via legal punishment, and the requirement of including all live captive specimens used for falconry in an obligatory DNA data bank would contribute to reducing the risk of extinction for small populations of endangered species of birds of prey

The 21 cm Signature of Cosmic String Wakes

We discuss the signature of a cosmic string wake in 21cm redshift surveys. Since 21cm surveys probe higher redshifts than optical large-scale structure surveys, the signatures of cosmic strings are more manifest in 21cm maps than they are in optical galaxy surveys. We find that, provided the tension of the cosmic string exceeds a critical value (which depends on both the redshift when the string wake is created and the redshift of observation), a cosmic string wake will generate an emission signal with a brightness temperature which approaches a limiting value which at a redshift of $z + 1 = 30$ is close to 400 mK in the limit of large string tension. The signal will have a specific signature in position space: the excess 21cm radiation will be confined to a wedge-shaped region whose tip corresponds to the position of the string, whose planar dimensions are set by the planar dimensions of the string wake, and whose thickness (in redshift direction) depends on the string tension. For wakes created at $z_i + 1 = 10^3$, then at a redshift of $z + 1 = 30$ the critical value of the string tension $\mu$ is $G \mu = 6 \times 10^{-7}$, and it decreases linearly with redshift (for wakes created at the time of equal matter and radiation, the critical value is a factor of two lower at the same redshift). For smaller tensions, cosmic strings lead to an observable absorption signal with the same wedge geometry.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures; a couple of comments added in the discussion sectio

Leg Motion Classification with Artificial Neural Networks Using Wavelet-Based Features of Gyroscope Signals

We extract the informative features of gyroscope signals using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) decomposition and provide them as input to multi-layer feed-forward artificial neural networks (ANNs) for leg motion classification. Since the DWT is based on correlating the analyzed signal with a prototype wavelet function, selection of the wavelet type can influence the performance of wavelet-based applications significantly. We also investigate the effect of selecting different wavelet families on classification accuracy and ANN complexity and provide a comparison between them. The maximum classification accuracy of 97.7% is achieved with the Daubechies wavelet of order 16 and the reverse bi-orthogonal (RBO) wavelet of order 3.1, both with similar ANN complexity. However, the RBO 3.1 wavelet is preferable because of its lower computational complexity in the DWT decomposition and reconstruction

Composition of eggplant cultivars of the Occidental type and implications for the improvement of nutritional and functional quality

We have investigated the diversity for composition in seven eggplant (Solanum melongena) cultivars of the Occidental type. The results show that, with the exception of moisture content and pH, there is a wide diversity for all the analysed traits. Protein content was variable, but generally low. The content in available carbohydrates ranged between 2.99 and 4.19mg100g(-1), and the main soluble sugars were glucose and fructose. The fibre content was the most variable trait. In all cases, the dehydroascorbic acid content was higher than the ascorbic acid content. Total phenolics content was on average thirty-nine-fold higher than vitamin C content. Multivariate analysis showed that accessions from the black and striped groups presented a similar composition profile, while the white and pickling fruits were very distinct. The pickling eggplant H11 is identified as the best source for improving the nutritional and functional properties of Occidental eggplants.This work was partially financed by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia (AGL2009-07257 and AGL2012-34213).San José, R.; Sánchez Mata, MDC.; Cámara, MM.; Prohens Tomás, J. (2013). Composition of eggplant cultivars of the Occidental type and implications for the improvement of nutritional and functional quality. International Journal of Food Science and Technology. 48(12):2490-2499. doi:10.1111/ijfs.12240S249024994812Akanitapichat, P., Phraibung, K., Nuchklang, K., & Prompitakkul, S. (2010). Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of five eggplant varieties. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 48(10), 3017-3021. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2010.07.045Atkinson, C. J., Nestby, R., Ford, Y. Y., & Dodds, P. A. A. (2005). Enhancing beneficial antioxidants in fruits: A plant physiological perspective. 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Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 19(6-7), 594-600. doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2006.03.001Hernández-Hernández, O., Ruiz-Aceituno, L., Sanz, M. L., & Martínez-Castro, I. (2011). Determination of Free Inositols and Other Low Molecular Weight Carbohydrates in Vegetables. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 59(6), 2451-2455. doi:10.1021/jf1045552Hurtado, M., Vilanova, S., Plazas, M., Gramazio, P., Fonseka, H. H., Fonseka, R., & Prohens, J. (2012). Diversity and Relationships of Eggplants from Three Geographically Distant Secondary Centers of Diversity. PLoS ONE, 7(7), e41748. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041748Jenkins, D. J. A. (2003). Effects of a Dietary Portfolio of Cholesterol-Lowering Foods vs Lovastatin on Serum Lipids and C-Reactive Protein. JAMA, 290(4), 502. doi:10.1001/jama.290.4.502Kim, D.-O., Lee, K. W., Lee, H. J., & Lee, C. Y. (2002). Vitamin C Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (VCEAC) of Phenolic Phytochemicals. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 50(13), 3713-3717. doi:10.1021/jf020071cKwon, Y.-I., Apostolidis, E., & Shetty, K. (2008). In vitro studies of eggplant (Solanum melongena) phenolics as inhibitors of key enzymes relevant for type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Bioresource Technology, 99(8), 2981-2988. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2007.06.035Lee, S. K., & Kader, A. A. (2000). Preharvest and postharvest factors influencing vitamin C content of horticultural crops. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 20(3), 207-220. doi:10.1016/s0925-5214(00)00133-2Levin, I., Gilboa, N., Yeselson, E., Shen, S., & Schaffer, A. A. (2000). Fgr, a major locus that modulates the fructose to glucose ratio in mature tomato fruits. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 100(2), 256-262. doi:10.1007/s001220050034Lo Scalzo, R., Fibiani, M., Mennella, G., Rotino, G. L., Dal Sasso, M., Culici, M., … Braga, P. C. (2010). Thermal Treatment of Eggplant (Solanum melongenaL.) Increases the Antioxidant Content and the Inhibitory Effect on Human Neutrophil Burst. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58(6), 3371-3379. doi:10.1021/jf903881sLuengwilai, K., Tananuwong, K., Shoemaker, C. F., & Beckles, D. M. (2010). Starch Molecular Structure Shows Little Association with Fruit Physiology and Starch Metabolism in Tomato. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58(2), 1275-1282. doi:10.1021/jf9032393Luthria, D. L. (2012). A simplified UV spectral scan method for the estimation of phenolic acids and antioxidant capacity in eggplant pulp extracts. Journal of Functional Foods, 4(1), 238-242. doi:10.1016/j.jff.2011.11.002Mennella, G., Rotino, G. L., Fibiani, M., D’Alessandro, A., Francese, G., Toppino, L., … Lo Scalzo, R. (2010). Characterization of Health-Related Compounds in Eggplant (Solanum melongenaL.) Lines Derived from Introgression of Allied Species. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58(13), 7597-7603. doi:10.1021/jf101004zMeyer, R. S., Karol, K. G., Little, D. P., Nee, M. H., & Litt, A. (2012). Phylogeographic relationships among Asian eggplants and new perspectives on eggplant domestication. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 63(3), 685-701. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.02.006Muñoz-Falcón, J. E., Prohens, J., Vilanova, S., & Nuez, F. (2008). Characterization, diversity, and relationships of the Spanish striped (Listada) eggplants: a model for the enhancement and protection of local heirlooms. Euphytica, 164(2), 405-419. doi:10.1007/s10681-008-9688-3Muñoz-Falcón, J. E., Prohens, J., Vilanova, S., & Nuez, F. (2009). Diversity in commercial varieties and landraces of black eggplants and implications for broadening the breeders’ gene pool. Annals of Applied Biology, 154(3), 453-465. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7348.2009.00314.xNicolas, J. J., Richard‐Forget, F. C., Goupy, P. M., Amiot, M., & Aubert, S. Y. (1994). Enzymatic browning reactions in apple and apple products. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 34(2), 109-157. doi:10.1080/10408399409527653Nookaraju, A., Upadhyaya, C. P., Pandey, S. K., Young, K. E., Hong, S. J., Park, S. K., & Park, S. W. (2010). Molecular approaches for enhancing sweetness in fruits and vegetables. Scientia Horticulturae, 127(1), 1-15. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2010.09.014Perez, P. M. P., & Germani, R. (2007). Elaboração de biscoitos tipo salgado, com alto teor de fibra alimentar, utilizando farinha de berinjela (Solanum melongena, L.). Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos, 27(1), 186-192. doi:10.1590/s0101-20612007000100033Picha, D. (2006). HORTICULTURAL CROP QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS IMPORTANT IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE. Acta Horticulturae, (712), 423-426. doi:10.17660/actahortic.2006.712.49Prohens, J., Rodríguez-Burruezo, A., Raigón, M. D., & Nuez, F. (2007). Total Phenolic Concentration and Browning Susceptibility in a Collection of Different Varietal Types and Hybrids of Eggplant: Implications for Breeding for Higher Nutritional Quality and Reduced Browning. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, 132(5), 638-646. doi:10.21273/jashs.132.5.638Prohens, J., Muñoz-Falcón, J. E., Rodríguez-Burruezo, A., Ribas, F., Castro, Á., & Nuez, F. (2009). ‘H15’, an Almagro-type Pickling Eggplant with High Yield and Reduced Prickliness. HortScience, 44(7), 2017-2019. doi:10.21273/hortsci.44.7.2017Raigón, M. D., Prohens, J., Muñoz-Falcón, J. E., & Nuez, F. (2008). Comparison of eggplant landraces and commercial varieties for fruit content of phenolics, minerals, dry matter and protein. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 21(5), 370-376. doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2008.03.006Raigón, M. D., Rodríguez-Burruezo, A., & Prohens, J. (2010). Effects of Organic and Conventional Cultivation Methods on Composition of Eggplant Fruits. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58(11), 6833-6840. doi:10.1021/jf904438nRawson, A., Patras, A., Tiwari, B. K., Noci, F., Koutchma, T., & Brunton, N. (2011). Effect of thermal and non thermal processing technologies on the bioactive content of exotic fruits and their products: Review of recent advances. Food Research International, 44(7), 1875-1887. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2011.02.053Sánchez-Mata, M. C., Cámara-Hurtado, M., Díez-Marqués, C., & Torija-Isasa, M. E. (2000). Comparison of high-performance liquid chromatography and spectrofluorimetry for vitamin C analysis of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). European Food Research and Technology, 210(3), 220-225. doi:10.1007/pl00005516Sánchez-Mata, M. C., Cabrera Loera, R. D., Morales, P., Fernández-Ruiz, V., Cámara, M., Díez Marqués, C., … Tardío, J. (2011). Wild vegetables of the Mediterranean area as valuable sources of bioactive compounds. 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Investigations on the antioxidant activity of fruit and vegetable aqueous extracts on superoxide radical anion using chemiluminescence techniques. Analytica Chimica Acta, 536(1-2), 101-105. doi:10.1016/j.aca.2004.11.048TSUJIMURA, M., HIGASA, S., NAKAYAMA, K., YANAGISAWA, Y., IWAMOTO, S., & KAGAWA, Y. (2008). Vitamin C Activity of Dehydroascorbic Acid in Humans-Association between Changes in the Blood Vitamin C Concentration or Urinary Excretion after Oral Loading-. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 54(4), 315-320. doi:10.3177/jnsv.54.315Vilanova, S., Manzur, J. P., & Prohens, J. (2011). Development and characterization of genomic simple sequence repeat markers in eggplant and their application to the study of diversity and relationships in a collection of different cultivar types and origins. Molecular Breeding, 30(2), 647-660. doi:10.1007/s11032-011-9650-2Whitaker, B. D., & Stommel, J. R. (2003). 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Impulsiveness and Cognitive Patterns. Understanding the Perfectionistic Responses in Spanish Competitive Junior Athletes

This study aims to establish and show profiles of perfectionist beliefs and impulsive responses according to sport modality and the relationships between all these variables. Team athletes were expected to show more functional resources than those in combat or endurance sports. Athletes with functional responses of impulsivity and perfectionism showed higher perceived self-competence. Athletes with more reflective thoughts, more careful planning and generally less sensitive to rewards and behaviors were more selfregulated and planned (functional impulsivity) and showed more moderate relationships between the most dysfunctional perfectionist beliefs and self-competence. In addition, perfectionism seems to be useful to the striver athletes that want to be the best, and they are focused on and committed to future goals and performance and selfimprovement. It is important for coaches and athletes to understand how the processes of self-regulation (impulsivity) and self-knowledge (perfectionism) could be formed to try to offer better opportunities for building psychological resources that enhance high-performance mental abilities

Quality changes and shelf-life prediction of a fresh fruit and vegetables purple smoothie

The sensory, microbial and bioactive quality changes of untreated (CTRL) and mild heat−treated (HT; 90 ºC/45 s) smoothies were studied and modelled throughout storage (5, 15 and 25 ºC). The overall acceptability was better preserved in HT samples being highly correlated (hierarchical clustering) with the flavour. The sensory quality data estimated smoothie shelf−life (CTRL/HT) of 18/55 (at 5 ºC), 4.5/12 (at 15 ºC), 2.4/5.8 (at 25 ºC) days. The yeast and moulds growth rate was lower in HT compared to CTRL while a lag phase for mesophiles/psychrophiles was observed in HT−5/15 ºC. HT and 5 ºC−storage stabilized the phenolics content. FRAP reported the best correlation (R2=0.94) with the studied bioactive compounds, followed by ABTS (R2=0.81) while DPPH was the total antioxidant capacity method with the lowest adjustment (R2=0.49). Conclusively, modelling was used to estimate the shelf−life of a smoothie based on quality retention after a short time−high temperature heat treatment that better preserved microbial and nutritional quality during storage.The financial support of this research was provided by the Ministerio Español de Economía y Competitividad MINECO (Projects AGL2013−48830−C2−1−R and AGL2013−48993−C2−1−R) and by FEDER funds. G.A. González−Tejedor thanks to Panamá Government for the scholarship to carry out his PhD Thesis. A. Garre (BES−2014−070946) is grateful to the MINECO for awarding him a pre−doctoral grant. We are also grateful to E. Esposito and N. Castillejo for their skilful technical assistance

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Physical Properties and Purity of a Galaxy Cluster Sample Selected via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

We present optical and X-ray properties for the first confirmed galaxy cluster sample selected by the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect from 148 GHz maps over 455 square degrees of sky made with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. These maps, coupled with multi-band imaging on 4-meter-class optical telescopes, have yielded a sample of 23 galaxy clusters with redshifts between 0.118 and 1.066. Of these 23 clusters, 10 are newly discovered. The selection of this sample is approximately mass limited and essentially independent of redshift. We provide optical positions, images, redshifts and X-ray fluxes and luminosities for the full sample, and X-ray temperatures of an important subset. The mass limit of the full sample is around 8e14 Msun, with a number distribution that peaks around a redshift of 0.4. For the 10 highest significance SZE-selected cluster candidates, all of which are optically confirmed, the mass threshold is 1e15 Msun and the redshift range is 0.167 to 1.066. Archival observations from Chandra, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT provide X-ray luminosities and temperatures that are broadly consistent with this mass threshold. Our optical follow-up procedure also allowed us to assess the purity of the ACT cluster sample. Eighty (one hundred) percent of the 148 GHz candidates with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 5.1 (5.7) are confirmed as massive clusters. The reported sample represents one of the largest SZE-selected sample of massive clusters over all redshifts within a cosmologically-significant survey volume, which will enable cosmological studies as well as future studies on the evolution, morphology, and stellar populations in the most massive clusters in the Universe.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Higher resolution figures available at: http://peumo.rutgers.edu/~felipe/e-prints