How a Technology Identity Can Enhance the Diffusion of Good Design Practices in Product Sound Design

People are plugged into an intangible sound universe. But only a tiny part of the sounds we are exposed to have been purposefully designed. Recently, designers are bashfully approaching these intangible products’ quality. Product Sound Design represents, in fact, a promising research field still scarcely explored. The design community is answering this concern through new design methods. An Italian university developed a patented method-and-tool, conceived to collect, analyze, and recreate various sounds to develop a new generation of products with designed mechanical (and, eventually, digital) sounds. Spreading this innovation within the design community is fundamental to stimulate future more focused and aware practices. As well as all new technologies, the new patent didn’t have its own identity from the beginning. Extensive work conducted with the scientific approach has therefore been undertaken to redesign its identity to make its disruptiveness intelligible and understandable

Orthopoxvirus DNA in Eurasian Lynx, Sweden

Cowpox virus, which has been used to protect humans against smallpox but may cause severe disease in immunocompromised persons, has reemerged in humans, domestic cats, and other animal species in Europe. Orthopoxvirus (OPV) DNA was detected in tissues (lung, kidney, spleen) in 24 (9%) of 263 free-ranging Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from Sweden. Thymidine kinase gene amplicon sequences (339 bp) from 21 lynx were all identical to those from cowpox virus isolated from a person in Norway and phylogenetically closer to monkeypox virus than to vaccinia virus and isolates from 2 persons with cowpox virus in Sweden. Prevalence was higher among animals from regions with dense, rather than rural, human populations. Lynx are probably exposed to OPV through predation on small mammal reservoir species. We conclude that OPV is widely distributed in Sweden and may represent a threat to humans. Further studies are needed to verify whether this lynx OPV is cowpox virus

Tipologi Dan Morfologi Arsitektur Suku Banjar Di Kal-Sel

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah ingin mengetahui tipologi dan morfologi arsitektur daerah Suku Banjar di Kalimantan Selatan sehingga ketidakjelasan tipe arsitektur Banjar yang ada saat ini dapat dipecahkan secara ilmiah.Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah rumah tradisional yang berumur rata-rata lebih dari 50 tahun. Sampel yang digunakan adalah sampel bertujuan (purposive sample) dengan pengumpulan data menggunakan metode bola salju (snow ball sampling). Analisis data, dimulai dengan menelaah seluruh data, reduksi data, menyusun data-data dalam satuan-satuan, mengkategorisasikan, dan memeriksa keabsahan data. Tahap analisis dilanjutkan dengan tahap penafsiran data. Bagian analisis yang terpenting adalah mengkategorisasikan yang didasarkan pada metode analisis komparatif.Hasil penelitian menunjukkan Tipomorfologi arsitektur suku Banjar dapat dijelaskan berdasar beragam tema yang mempengaruhi perkembangan arsitektur Suku Banjar, yaitu; berdasar kesamaan yang menjadi ciri khas (geometrik), berdasar pengaruh kebudayaan suku, berdasar pengaruh kepercayaan dan agama, berdasar tata ruang, berdasar struktur dan konstruksi, berdasar lokasi, dan berdasar ornamen/ ragam hias.Keberadaan masing-masing tema yang mempengaruhi pembentukan tipo- morfologi Suku Banjar di atas saling berhubungan erat antar satu dengan yang lainnya sehingga tidak bisa dilepaskan dalam pembentukan pemahaman

The amyloid precursor protein of Alzheimer’s disease clusters at the organelle/microtubule interface on organelles that bind microtubules in an ATP dependent manner

© The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 11 (2016): e0147808, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147808.The amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a causal agent in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and is a transmembrane protein that associates with membrane-limited organelles. APP has been shown to co-purify through immunoprecipitation with a kinesin light chain suggesting that APP may act as a trailer hitch linking kinesin to its intercellular cargo, however this hypothesis has been challenged. Previously, we identified an mRNA transcript that encodes a squid homolog of human APP770. The human and squid isoforms share 60% sequence identity and 76% sequence similarity within the cytoplasmic domain and share 15 of the final 19 amino acids at the C-terminus establishing this highly conserved domain as a functionally import segment of the APP molecule. Here, we study the distribution of squid APP in extruded axoplasm as well as in a well-characterized reconstituted organelle/microtubule preparation from the squid giant axon in which organelles bind microtubules and move towards the microtubule plus-ends. We find that APP associates with microtubules by confocal microscopy and co-purifies with KI-washed axoplasmic organelles by sucrose density gradient fractionation. By electron microscopy, APP clusters at a single focal point on the surfaces of organelles and localizes to the organelle/microtubule interface. In addition, the association of APP-organelles with microtubules is an ATP dependent process suggesting that the APP-organelles contain a microtubule-based motor protein. Although a direct kinesin/APP association remains controversial, the distribution of APP at the organelle/microtubule interface strongly suggests that APP-organelles have an orientation and that APP like the Alzheimer’s protein tau has a microtubule-based function.Research reported in this publication was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103430

A novel SDS-stable dimer of a heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein at presynaptic terminals of squid neurons

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2015. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Neuroscience 300 (2015): 381-392, doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.05.040.The presence of mRNAs in synaptic terminals and their regulated translation are important factors in neuronal communication and plasticity. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) complexes are involved in the translocation, stability, and subcellular localization of mRNA and the regulation of its translation. Defects in these processes and mutations in components of the hnRNP complexes have been related to the formation of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies and neurodegenerative diseases. Despite much data on mRNA localization and evidence for protein synthesis, as well as the presence of translation machinery, in axons and presynaptic terminals, the identity of RNA-binding proteins involved in RNA transport and function in presynaptic regions is lacking. We previously characterized a strongly basic RNA-binding protein (p65), member of the hnRNP A/B subfamily, in squid presynaptic terminals. Intriguingly, in SDS-PAGE, p65 migrated as a 65 kDa protein, whereas members of the hnRNP A/B family typically have molecular masses ranging from 35 to 42 kDa. In this report we present further biochemical and molecular characterization that shows endogenous p65 to be an SDS-stable dimer composed of ~37 kDa hnRNPA/B-like subunits. We cloned and expressed a recombinant protein corresponding to squid hnRNPA/B-like protein and showed its propensity to aggregate and form SDS-stable dimers in vitro. Our data suggest that this unique hnRNPA/B-like protein co-localizes with synaptic vesicle protein 2 and RNA-binding protein ELAV and thus may serve as a link between local mRNA processing and presynaptic function and regulation.Research was supported by grants to REL from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and the Fundação de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Assistência do Hospital das Clínicas da FMRP-USP (FAEPA). JAD received financial support from the RI-INBRE Program Grant #8 P20 GM103430-12 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH, Bethesda, MD. DTPL and GSL received research fellowships from FAPESP and CNPq. REL and JCR received the Productivity-in-Research fellowship from CNPq

Pixel segmented ionization chamber for therapeutical beams of photons and hadrons

Abstract A fast and precise detector to monitor on-line the dose delivered by an active scanning therapeutical beam has been built and tested

Worldwide occurrence of feline hemoplasma infections in wild felid species

While hemoplasma infections in domestic cats are well studied, almost no information is available on their occurrence in wild felids. The aims of the present study were to investigate wild felid species as possible reservoirs of feline hemoplasmas and the molecular characterization of the hemoplasma isolates. Blood samples from the following 257 wild felids were analyzed: 35 Iberian lynxes from Spain, 36 Eurasian lynxes from Switzerland, 31 European wildcats from France, 45 lions from Tanzania, and 110 Brazilian wild felids, including 12 wild felid species kept in zoos and one free-ranging ocelot. Using real-time PCR, feline hemoplasmas were detected in samples of the following species: Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx, European wildcat, lion, puma, oncilla, Geoffroy's cat, margay, and ocelot. "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum" was the most common feline hemoplasma in Iberian lynxes, Eurasian lynxes, Serengeti lions, and Brazilian wild felids, whereas "Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis" was the most prevalent in European wildcats; hemoplasma coinfections were frequently observed. Hemoplasma infection was associated with species and free-ranging status of the felids in all animals and with feline leukemia virus provirus-positive status in European wildcats. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA and the partial RNase P gene revealed that most hemoplasma isolates exhibit high sequence identities to domestic cat-derived isolates, although some isolates form different subclusters within the phylogenetic tree. In conclusion, 9 out of 15 wild felid species from three different continents were found to be infected with feline hemoplasmas. The effect of feline hemoplasma infections on wild felid populations needs to be further investigated

The golden jackal (Canis aureus): A new host for Echinococcus multilocularis and Trichinella britovi in Switzerland.

INTRODUCTION The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a wild canid new to Switzerland. It is an officially monitored species and all deceased individuals are submitted for post-mortem examination to collect baseline health data. This includes parasitological examinations, with an emphasis on zoonotic, reportable infections, such as those caused by Trichinella spp. or Echinococcus spp. From 2016 to 2021, five golden jackals originating from four Swiss cantons were submitted for full post-mortem examination. In one case only organ samples were available, and therefore parasitological examination was not possible. Parasite stages recovered during necropsy, as well as by routine coproscopical techniques, were morphologically identified. Taeniid eggs and adult tapeworms were processed for molecular species identification. Additionally, tongue and diaphragm were analysed for Trichinella spp. by the artificial digestion technique followed by multiplex-PCR in positive cases. Of the four jackals investigated for parasites, hookworm eggs were detected in one animal, both adult worms and eggs of Echinococcus multilocularis were present in another case, and one animal was free of parasites. Eggs of E. multilocularis as well as eggs of Toxocara canis and sporocysts of Sarcocystis sp. were detected in the intestinal content, and Trichinella britovi larvae were found in the muscle samples of the last case. The health monitoring programme in place for protected carnivores in Switzerland allowed us to add the golden jackal to the list of hosts for the endemic zoonotic parasites E. multilocularis and T. britovi in this country. Hunters, farmers, and other persons who could come in contact with golden jackals should be aware of the associated health risk and handle faeces and carcasses with caution