Statistical and trend analysis of water quality and quantity data for the Strymon River in Greece

Strymon is a transboundary river of Greece, Bulgaria and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in southeastern Europe. Water quality parameters and the discharge have been monitored each month just 10 km downstream of the river’s entry into Greece. The data of nine water quality variables (T, ECw, DO, SO₄^2-, Na⁺+K⁺, Mg²⁺ , Ca²⁺, NO₃^&#8254;, TP) and the discharge for the period 1980-1997 were selected for this analysis. In this paper a) the time series of monthly values of water quality parameters and the discharge were analysed using statistical methods, b) the existence of trends and the evaluation of the best fitted models were performed and c) the relationships between concentration and loads of constituents both with the discharge were also examined. Boxplots for summarising the distribution of a data set were used. The &#967²-test and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test were used to select the theoretical distribution which best fitted the data. Simple regression was used to examine the concentration-discharge and the load-discharge relationships. According to the correlation coefficient (r) values the relation between concentrations and discharge is weak (r< 0.592) while the relation between loads and discharge is very strong (r > 0.902). Trends were detected using the nonparametric Spearman’s criterion upon the data for the variables: Q, ECw, DO, SO₄^2-, Na⁺+K⁺ and NO₃^&#8254; on which temporal trend analysis was performed.</p> <p style='line-height: 20px;'><b>Keywords: </b>Strymon river, water quality, discharge, concentration, load, statistics, trend

Statistical and trend analysis of water quality and quantity data for the Strymon River in Greece

International audienceStrymon is a transboundary river of Greece, Bulgaria and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in southeastern Europe. Water quality parameters and the discharge have been monitored each month just 10 km downstream of the river's entry into Greece. The data of nine water quality variables (T, ECw, DO, SO42-, Na++K+, Mg2+ , Ca2+, NO3?, TP) and the discharge for the period 1980-1997 were selected for this analysis. In this paper a) the time series of monthly values of water quality parameters and the discharge were analysed using statistical methods, b) the existence of trends and the evaluation of the best fitted models were performed and c) the relationships between concentration and loads of constituents both with the discharge were also examined. Boxplots for summarising the distribution of a data set were used. The &#9672-test and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test were used to select the theoretical distribution which best fitted the data. Simple regression was used to examine the concentration-discharge and the load-discharge relationships. According to the correlation coefficient (r) values the relation between concentrations and discharge is weak (r 0.902). Trends were detected using the nonparametric Spearman's criterion upon the data for the variables: Q, ECw, DO, SO42-, Na++K+ and NO3? on which temporal trend analysis was performed. Keywords: Strymon river, water quality, discharge, concentration, load, statistics, trend

Interconversion between active and inactive TATA-binding protein transcription complexes in the mouse genome

The TATA binding protein (TBP) plays a pivotal role in RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription through incorporation into the TFIID and B-TFIID complexes. The role of mammalian B-TFIID composed of TBP and B-TAF1 is poorly understood. Using a complementation system in genetically modified mouse cells where endogenous TBP can be conditionally inactivated and replaced by exogenous mutant TBP coupled to tandem affinity purification and mass spectrometry, we identify two TBP mutations, R188E and K243E, that disrupt the TBP–BTAF1 interaction and B-TFIID complex formation. Transcriptome and ChIP-seq analyses show that loss of B-TFIID does not generally alter gene expression or genomic distribution of TBP, but positively or negatively affects TBP and/or Pol II recruitment to a subset of promoters. We identify promoters where wild-type TBP assembles a partial inactive preinitiation complex comprising B-TFIID, TFIIB and Mediator complex, but lacking TFIID, TFIIE and Pol II. Exchange of B-TFIID in wild-type cells for TFIID in R188E and K243E mutant cells at these primed promoters completes preinitiation complex formation and recruits Pol II to activate their expression. We propose a novel regulatory mechanism involving formation of a partial preinitiation complex comprising B-TFIID that primes the promoter for productive preinitiation complex formation in mammalian cells

Genome-wide location of glucocorticoid receptor binding sites

Item does not contain fulltextFEBS Journal, 28 juni 200

Roasting has a distinct effect on the antimutagenic activity of coffee varieties

Coffee is a highly consumed beverage throughout the world. Its popularity derives from its organoleptic properties that are a result of the roasting process. Roasting greatly alters a coffee bean's composition and possibly its bioactivity. In the current study, green as well as roasted extracts from both Coffea arabica (Brazil and Decaf) and Coffea canephora (Robusta) species were tested for their antimutagenic activity using the Ames test. In addition, a compositional analysis was conducted to identify the main components, mainly Chlorogenic acid isomers (CGA) and derivatives present in the extracts using UHPLC-ESI(±) and HRMS/MS methods According to the results, all extracts exhibited strong antimutagenic activity against the oxidizing factor tert-Butyl hydroperoxide, a Reactive Oxygen Species-producing compound. Roasting had a distinct effect on the antimutagenic activity of coffee, enhancing it in the Brazil variety and having no effect in the Decaf and Robusta varieties. In addition, all coffee extracts exhibited reducing activity as well as the ability to scavenge (albeit differentially) both the superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, implying that their potential antimutagenic effect can be partially attributed to their free radical scavenging activity. © 2018 Elsevier B.V

Roasting has a distinct effect on the antimutagenic activity of coffee varieties

Coffee is a highly consumed beverage throughout the world. Its popularity derives from its organoleptic properties that are a result of the roasting process. Roasting greatly alters a coffee bean&apos;s composition and possibly its bioactivity. In the current study, green as well as roasted extracts from both Coffea arabica (Brazil and Decaf) and Coffea canephora (Robusta) species were tested for their antimutagenic activity using the Ames test. In addition, a compositional analysis was conducted to identify the main components, mainly Chlorogenic acid isomers (CGA) and derivatives present in the extracts using UHPLC-ESI(±) and HRMS/MS methods According to the results, all extracts exhibited strong antimutagenic activity against the oxidizing factor tert-Butyl hydroperoxide, a Reactive Oxygen Species-producing compound. Roasting had a distinct effect on the antimutagenic activity of coffee, enhancing it in the Brazil variety and having no effect in the Decaf and Robusta varieties. In addition, all coffee extracts exhibited reducing activity as well as the ability to scavenge (albeit differentially) both the superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, implying that their potential antimutagenic effect can be partially attributed to their free radical scavenging activity. © 2018 Elsevier B.V

Estrogen receptor beta 2 is associated with poor prognosis in estrogen receptor alpha-negative breast carcinoma

Purpose: Our aim was to examine the prognostic significance of ERbeta1 and ERbeta2 expression in ERalpha-negative breast carcinomas. Materials and methods: We evaluated nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of ERbeta1 and ERbeta2 by immunohistochemistry in a group of 95 patients with long follow-up. ERbeta1 and ERbeta2 status was correlated with clinicopathological parameters and disease outcome. Univariate and multivariate analyses of ERbeta1 and ERbeta2 as independent markers of disease-free survival (DFS) were carried out using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Nuclear ERbeta1 (nERbeta1) and nERbeta2 status was positively correlated (p = 0.01). nERbeta1 positivity was associated with low histological grade (p = 0.01) in all patients and in the nERbeta2-positive subgroup (p = 0.03) but not in the nERbeta2-negative (p = 0.27). nERbeta2 positivity was associated with lymph node involvement and tumor relapse in all cases (p &lt; 0.00 and p &lt; 0.00, respectively) and in the nERbeta1-negative subgroup (p &lt; 0.00 and p &lt; 0.00, respectively) but not in the nERbeta1-positive (p = 0.09 and p = 0.20, respectively). nERbeta2 positivity was associated with poor DFS in all patients (log-rank p &lt;0.00), in the post-menopausal patient subgroup (log-rank p = 0.02) and in the HER2-negative (triple-negative) subgroup (log-rank p = 0.04). Cox multivariate analysis including ERbeta1, ERbeta2 and established clinicopathological variables highlighted ERbeta2 as an independent marker of early disease recurrence (hazard ratio 4.87; 95 % confidence interval 1.07-22.3; p = 0.04). Conclusion: High nERbeta2 is an independent marker of early relapse in ERalpha-negative breast carcinoma, and in particular, in the nERbeta1-negative, the post-menopausal patient and the triple-negative subgroups. These findings suggest that inhibition of expression and/or function of ERbeta2 could improve disease outcome. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Estrogen receptor β2 is inversely correlated with Ki-67 in hyperplastic and noninvasive neoplastic breast lesions

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to compare expression levels of ΕRα, ERβ1, ERβ2 and cell proliferation marker Ki-67 in normal breast and hyperplastic and noninvasive neoplastic breast lesions. Materials and methods: Routinely processed breast tissue from 55 patients provided 65 cases of noninvasive lesions, namely, epithelial hyperplasia of usual type (HUT), apocrine metaplasia (AM), atypical hyperplasia (AH) and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and 14 cases of adjacent normal breast tissue. Expression of ERα, ERβ1 and ERβ2 were evaluated using immunohistochemistry and correlated with Ki-67 labeling index (Ki-67 LI) and menopausal status of the patients. Results: Compared with normal breast, ERα expression increased in low to intermediate-grade DCIS (DCIS1/2) and tended to decrease in high-grade DCIS, while ERβ1 expression decreased in DCIS irrespective of grade. Mean Ki-67 LI in HUT, low to intermediate-grade DCIS and high-grade DCIS was higher than in normal breast. Higher than normal Ki-67 LI correlated with low ERβ2 expression in the whole set of cases and with high ERα expression and low ERβ2 expression in the postmenopausal cases of the subset that is generated by excluding AM and high-grade DCIS. Postmenopausal status correlated with low ERβ1 expression in the whole set and with higher than normal Ki-67 LI, high ERα expression and low ERβ1 expression in the subset. Conclusions: These findings are in accordance with an ERα-opposing oncosuppressive role of ERβ2 in mammary carcinogenesis along the HUT-AH-DCIS1/2 pathway. © 2014 Springer-Verlag