Jeans modelling of the Milky Way's nuclear stellar disc

The nuclear stellar disc (NSD) is a flattened stellar structure that dominates the gravitational potential of the Milky Way at Galactocentric radii 30≲R≲300pc⁠. In this paper, we construct axisymmetric Jeans dynamical models of the NSD based on previous photometric studies and we fit them to line-of-sight kinematic data of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and silicon monoxide (SiO) maser stars. We find that (i) the NSD mass is lower but consistent with the mass independently determined from photometry by Launhardt et al. Our fiducial model has a mass contained within spherical radius r=100pc of M(r 1. Observations and theoretical models of the star-forming molecular gas in the central molecular zone suggest that large vertical oscillations may be already imprinted at stellar birth. However, the finding σz/σR > 1 depends on a drop in the velocity dispersion in the innermost few tens of parsecs, on our assumption that the NSD is axisymmetric, and that the available (extinction corrected) stellar samples broadly trace the underlying light and mass distributions, all of which need to be established by future observations and/or modelling. (iii) We provide the most accurate rotation curve to date for the innermost 500pc of our Galaxy

Association of Short-term Change in Leukocyte Telomere Length With Cortical Thickness and Outcomes of Mental Training Among Healthy Adults

Importance:Telomere length is associated with the development of age-related diseases and structural differences in multiple brain regions. It remains unclear, however, whether change in telomere length is linked to brain structure change, and to what extent telomere length can be influenced through mental training. Objectives:To assess the dynamic associations between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and cortical thickness (CT), and to determine whether LTL is affected by a longitudinal contemplative mental training intervention. Design, Setting, and Participants:An open-label efficacy trial of three 3-month mental training modules with healthy, meditation-naive adults was conducted. Data on LTL and CT were collected 4 times over 9 months between April 22, 2013, and March 31, 2015, as part of the ReSource Project. Data analysis was performed between September 23, 2016, and June 21, 2019. Of 1582 eligible individuals, 943 declined to participate; 362 were randomly selected for participation and assigned to training or retest control cohorts, with demographic characteristics matched. The retest control cohorts underwent all testing but no training. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed. Interventions:Training cohort participants completed 3 modules cultivating interoception and attention (Presence), compassion (Affect), or perspective taking (Perspective). Main Outcomes and Measures:Change in LTL and CT. Results:Of the 362 individuals randomized, 30 participants dropped out before study initiation (initial sample, 332). Data were available for analysis of the training intervention in 298 participants (n = 222 training; n = 76 retest control) (175 women [58.7%]; mean [SD] age, 40.5 [9.3] years). The training modules had no effect on LTL. In 699 observations from all 298 participants, mean estimated changes in the relative ratios of telomere repeat copy number to single-copy gene (T/S) were for no training, 0.004 (95% CI, -0.010 to 0.018); Presence, -0.007 (95% CI, -0.025 to 0.011); Affect, -0.005 (95% CI, -0.019 to 0.010); and Perspective, -0.001 (95% CI, -0.017 to 0.016). Cortical thickness change data were analyzed in 167 observations from 67 retest control participants (37 women [55.2%], mean [SD] age, 39.6 [9.0] years). In this retest control cohort subsample, naturally occurring LTL change was related to CT change in the left precuneus extending to the posterior cingulate cortex (mean t161 = 3.22; P < .001; r = 0.246). At the individual participant level, leukocyte telomere shortening as well as lengthening were observed. Leukocyte telomere shortening was related to cortical thinning (t77 = 2.38; P = .01; r = 0.262), and leukocyte telomere lengthening was related to cortical thickening (t77 = 2.42; P = .009; r = 0.266). All analyses controlled for age, sex, and body mass index. Conclusions and Relevance:The findings of this trial indicate an association between short-term change in LTL and concomitant change in plasticity of the left precuneus extending to the posterior cingulate cortex. This result contributes to the evidence that LTL changes more dynamically on the individual level than previously thought. Further studies are needed to determine potential long-term implications of such change in relation to cellular aging and the development of neurodegenerative disorders. No effect of contemplative mental training was noted in what may be, to date, the longest intervention with healthy adults. Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01833104

CAPAS: A context-aware system architecture for physical activities monitoring

Attribute grammars are widely used by compiler-generators since it allows complete specifications of static semantics. They can also be applied to other fields of research, for instance, to human activities recognition. This paper aims to present CAPAS, a Context-aware system Architecture to monitor Physical ActivitieS. One of the components that is present in the architecture is the attribute grammar which is filled after the prediction is made according to the data gathered from the user through the sensors. According to some predefined rules, the physical activity is validated after an analysis on the attribute grammar, if it meets those requirements. Besides that it proposes an attribute grammar itself which should be able to be incorporated in a system in order to validate the performed physical activity.This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação˜ para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: ˆ UID/CEC/00319/2019

Blockade of MIF-CD74 Signalling on Macrophages and Dendritic Cells Restores the Antitumour Immune Response Against Metastatic Melanoma

Mounting an effective immune response against cancer requires the activation of innate and adaptive immune cells. Metastatic melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. While immunotherapies have shown a remarkable success in melanoma treatment, patients develop resistance by mechanisms that include the establishment of an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment. Thus, understanding how metastatic melanoma cells suppress the immune system is vital to develop effective immunotherapies against this disease. In this study, we find that macrophages (MOs) and dendritic cells (DCs) are suppressed in metastatic melanoma and that the Ig-CDR-based peptide C36L1 is able to restore MOs and DCs' antitumorigenic and immunogenic functions and to inhibit metastatic growth in lungs. Specifically, C36L1 treatment is able to repolarize M2-like immunosuppressive MOs into M1-like antitumorigenic MOs, and increase the number of immunogenic DCs, and activated cytotoxic T cells, while reducing the number of regulatory T cells and monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells in metastatic lungs. Mechanistically, we find that C36L1 directly binds to the MIF receptor CD74 which is expressed on MOs and DCs, disturbing CD74 structural dynamics and inhibiting MIF signaling on these cells. Interfering with MIF-CD74 signaling on MOs and DCs leads to a decrease in the expression of immunosuppressive factors from MOs and an increase in the capacity of DCs to activate cytotoxic T cells. Our findings suggest that interfering with MIF-CD74 immunosuppressive signaling in MOs and DCs, using peptide-based immunotherapy can restore the antitumor immune response in metastatic melanoma. Our study provides the rationale for further development of peptide-based therapies to restore the antitumor immune response in metastatic melanoma

Anomalías de forma y número en dentición temporal en una población Mexicana

Objetivo: Determinar la frecuencia y distribución de las anomalías de forma y de número en dentición temporal.&nbsp; Material y Métodos: Estudio retro-prolectivo, transversal y descriptivo. Muestreo probabilístico por conveniencia estratificado por género. Se revisaron 1568 expedientes de pacientes que acudieron a la Clínica de Estomatología Pediátrica de la FEBUAP, durante el periodo 2012 a 2014, se incluyeron 720 expedientes (321 niñas y 399 niños) de 1 a 10 años, que presentaron estudios radiográficos completos, nítidos, con presencia de anomalías de forma o número, el estudio fue dividido en pacientes activos e inactivos. Para los inactivos se tomaron fotografías de las radiografías con presencia de anomalías de forma y/o número. En el caso de los activos, se realizó una entrevista con alguno de los padres, se solicitó autorización bajo consentimiento informado, asentimiento por parte del niño para realizar la exploración clínica y la toma de fotografías intraorales. Resultados: En total 63 niños tuvieron anomalías (17 niñas y 46 niños). La prevalencia total de las anomalías dentarias fue de 9%, de los cuales el 3,1% fueron (dientes fusionados y geminados), 1,1% (agenesias) y 1,9% (supernumerarios), 1,3% (raíces supernumerarias), 0,27% (macrodoncia), 0,11% (microdoncia) y finalmente el 0,27% correspondió a (talón cuspídeo). Conclusiones: A pesar de que la prevalencia de estas anomalías no es alta, es importante el examen radiográfico de rutina para realizar un diagnóstico temprano y así aplicar las medidas preventivas correctas, para establecer el mejor plan de tratamiento

Use of five probiotic strains to determine sensitivity in vitro on pathogenic bacteria growth isolated from sick fishes

ABSTRACT Ornamental aquaculture is an activity in clear economic growth, both globally and in Mexico where the development is particularly relevant to freshwater species. Infectious diseases produced by fungus, bacteria and virus are considered one of the principal limitations during the productive process. Between implemented strategies for reduction of antibiotic use, which are &quot;living microorganisms that confer a health benefit to the host if they are given in adequate quantities&quot;; lactic acid bacteria and yeast are among the most common used microorganism in aquaculture. This investigation, prove the effect of isolated probiotic bacteria from the digestive tract of healthy fish, belonging to specie: Bacillus sp., Bacillus laterosporus, Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus sp, and Lactococcus lactis, at different dilutions (10 9 ,10 8 , 10 7 ,10 6 , 10 5 and 10 4 ) in vitro growth of pathogenic bacteria: Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter sakasakii, Klebsiella oxytoca, Proteus vulgaris, and Vibrio fluvialis, isolated from kidney of sick fish, cultured and purified through successive inoculations and identificated by the amplification of gene 16S of rRNA (PCR) using universal primers 8 for. (5&apos;-AGACTTTGATCATGGCTCAG-3&apos;) and 1492 rev. (5&apos;-TACGGCTACCTTGTTACGACTT-3&apos;) and comparison with GENEBANK sequences base. Probiotic strains were previously isolated from the digestive tract of different healthy fish in the laboratory. In order to perform in vitro challenge tests, pathogenic strains were inoculated three times each in BHI agar boxes at a concentration of 1x10 7 CFU mL -1 and subsequently using the well diffusion method, 70 µL from a suspension with each of the probiotic strains were added. Agar boxes were incubated 24 h at 30ºC to observe the formation of inhibition halos. Obtained values from inhibition halos were transformed to qualitative data with the following premise: halo diameter &lt; 2.0 mm negative effect; halo diameter &gt; 2.0 mm positive effect. In this study, it was determined that probiotic strains B. subtilis was the one that gave better results to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria P. vulgaris, E. sakazakii, V. fluvialis, K. oxytoca and C. freundii in most of used dilutions. Making it a strain with high potential in aquaculture. Key words: Growth, halos, probiotics, bacteria, sensibility. RESUMEN La acuicultura de especies ornamentales es una actividad económica en franco crecimiento, tanto a nivel mundial como en México, en donde tiene particular desarrollo lo correspondiente a especies dulceacuícolas. Las enfermedades infeccionas producidas por hongos, bacterias y virus, están consideradas una de las limitantes principales durante el proceso productivo. Entre las estrategias implementadas para disminuir el uso de antibióticos para el control de patógenos, se encuentra el control biológico mediante el uso de organismos probióticos, los cuales son &quot;microorganismos vivos los cuales, administrados en cantidades adecuadas, confieren un beneficio en la salud del hospedador&quot;; entre los de uso más común en acuicultura se encuentran las lactobacterias y las levaduras. En el presente trabajo, se probó el efecto de bacterias probióticas aisladas del tracto digestivo de peces sanos, pertenecientes a las especies: Bacillus sp., Bacillus laterosporus, Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus sp, y Lactococcus lactis, a diferentes diluciones (10 9 ,10 8 , 10 7 ,10 6 , 10 5 y 10 4 ) en el crecimiento in vitro de las bacterias patógenas: Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter sakasakii, Klebsiella oxytoca, Proteus vulgaris y Vibrio fluvialis, aisladas del riñón de peces enfermos, cultivadas y purificadas a través de resiembras sucesivas e identificadas mediante la amplificación del gen 16S del ARNr (PCR) utilizando los primers universales 8 for. 24 AGACTTTGATCATGGCTCAG-3&apos;) y 1492 rev. (5&apos;-TACGGCTACCTTGTTACGACTT-3&apos;) y su comparación con la base de secuencias GENEBANK. Las cepas probióticos fueron aisladas previamente del tracto intestinal de diversos peces sanos en el laboratorio. Para llevar a cabo las pruebas de desafío in vitro, las cepas patógenas se sembraron por triplicado en cajas de agar BHI a una concentración de 1x10 7 UFC mL -1 y posteriormente, utilizando el método de difusión en pozos, se adicionaran 70 µL de una suspensión con cada una de las cepas probióticas Las placas se incubaron durante 24 h a 30ºC para observar la formación de halos de inhibición. Los valores obtenidos de los halos de inhibición fueron transformados a datos cualitativos con la siguiente premisa: diámetro halo &lt; 2.0 mm efecto negativo; diámetro de halo &gt; 2.0 mm efecto positivo. En este estudio, se determinó que la cepas probiótica B. subtilis fue la que dio mejores resultados al inhibir el crecimiento de las bacterias patógenas P. vulgaris, E. sakazakii, V. fluvialis, K. oxytoca y C. freundii en la mayoría de las diluciones utilizadas. Por lo que es una cepa con alto potencial en acuicultura

Dynamical Patterns of Cattle Trade Movements

Despite their importance for the spread of zoonotic diseases, our understanding of the dynamical aspects characterizing the movements of farmed animal populations remains limited as these systems are traditionally studied as static objects and through simplified approximations. By leveraging on the network science approach, here we are able for the first time to fully analyze the longitudinal dataset of Italian cattle movements that reports the mobility of individual animals among farms on a daily basis. The complexity and inter-relations between topology, function and dynamical nature of the system are characterized at different spatial and time resolutions, in order to uncover patterns and vulnerabilities fundamental for the definition of targeted prevention and control measures for zoonotic diseases. Results show how the stationarity of statistical distributions coexists with a strong and non-trivial evolutionary dynamics at the node and link levels, on all timescales. Traditional static views of the displacement network hide important patterns of structural changes affecting nodes' centrality and farms' spreading potential, thus limiting the efficiency of interventions based on partial longitudinal information. By fully taking into account the longitudinal dimension, we propose a novel definition of dynamical motifs that is able to uncover the presence of a temporal arrow describing the evolution of the system and the causality patterns of its displacements, shedding light on mechanisms that may play a crucial role in the definition of preventive actions

Dynamical Patterns of Cattle Trade Movements

Despite their importance for the spread of zoonotic diseases, our understanding of the dynamical aspects characterizing the movements of farmed animal populations remains limited as these systems are traditionally studied as static objects and through simplified approximations. By leveraging on the network science approach, here we are able for the first time to fully analyze the longitudinal dataset of Italian cattle movements that reports the mobility of individual animals among farms on a daily basis. The complexity and inter-relations between topology, function and dynamical nature of the system are characterized at different spatial and time resolutions, in order to uncover patterns and vulnerabilities fundamental for the definition of targeted prevention and control measures for zoonotic diseases. Results show how the stationarity of statistical distributions coexists with a strong and non-trivial evolutionary dynamics at the node and link levels, on all timescales. Traditional static views of the displacement network hide important patterns of structural changes affecting nodes' centrality and farms' spreading potential, thus limiting the efficiency of interventions based on partial longitudinal information. By fully taking into account the longitudinal dimension, we propose a novel definition of dynamical motifs that is able to uncover the presence of a temporal arrow describing the evolution of the system and the causality patterns of its displacements, shedding light on mechanisms that may play a crucial role in the definition of preventive actions