RNAiFold2T: Constraint Programming design of thermo-IRES switches

Motivation: RNA thermometers (RNATs) are cis-regulatory ele- ments that change secondary structure upon temperature shift. Often involved in the regulation of heat shock, cold shock and virulence genes, RNATs constitute an interesting potential resource in synthetic biology, where engineered RNATs could prove to be useful tools in biosensors and conditional gene regulation. Results: Solving the 2-temperature inverse folding problem is critical for RNAT engineering. Here we introduce RNAiFold2T, the first Constraint Programming (CP) and Large Neighborhood Search (LNS) algorithms to solve this problem. Benchmarking tests of RNAiFold2T against existent programs (adaptive walk and genetic algorithm) inverse folding show that our software generates two orders of magnitude more solutions, thus allow- ing ample exploration of the space of solutions. Subsequently, solutions can be prioritized by computing various measures, including probability of target structure in the ensemble, melting temperature, etc. Using this strategy, we rationally designed two thermosensor internal ribosome entry site (thermo-IRES) elements, whose normalized cap-independent transla- tion efficiency is approximately 50% greater at 42?C than 30?C, when tested in reticulocyte lysates. Translation efficiency is lower than that of the wild-type IRES element, which on the other hand is fully resistant to temperature shift-up. This appears to be the first purely computational design of functional RNA thermoswitches, and certainly the first purely computational design of functional thermo-IRES elements. Availability: RNAiFold2T is publicly available as as part of the new re- lease RNAiFold3.0 at https://github.com/clotelab/RNAiFold and http: //bioinformatics.bc.edu/clotelab/RNAiFold, which latter has a web server as well. The software is written in C++ and uses OR-Tools CP search engine.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB 2016), to appear in journal Bioinformatics 201

Nutritional status of adults in Northwest Argentina: an observational study

Background: Northwestern Argentina (NWA) is a region with geographic, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural characteristics that set it apart from the rest of the country. The present study aimed to analyze both the anthropometry and nutritional status of adults in this region and establish its recent secular trend. Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study that utilized the National Risk Factor Survey (NRFS) 2018. We calculated the body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and relative fat mass (RFM) by sex in the six provinces that comprise the NWA region based on the weight, height, and waist circumference data of 3,283 individuals. We also calculated the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity. Furthermore, we evaluated the correlation and correspondence between measurements and anthropometric indexes. Joinpoint regression analyses were performed to identify trend changes, which were then compared with that established for the rest of the country. Results: The regional population presented a heterogeneous distribution of anthropometric variables, in which the Andean provinces of Salta and Jujuy presented the lowest height and weight and highest percentage of body fat. These anthropometric differences were not evident in the prevalence of nutritional status determined by the BMI, which did not exhibit significant variations between the region and the rest of the country. Excess body weight, as measured by any of the indexes, reached over 65% of the population, and the prevalence of obesity in both sexes was higher than that established for Argentina overall. The secular trend in obesity was positive and higher in some provinces compared to the region and the rest of the country. These differences are interpreted according to the geographic, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural characteristics of the region. Conclusions: The anthropometric variables registered in some provinces vary significantly compared to those of the country as a whole, and these differences are not captured by the traditionally used obesity indices.Fil: Andrade, Lautaro Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Jorge Ivan. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Alfaro Gómez, Emma Laura. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Dipierri, Jose Edgardo. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentin

Effects of splitter Blade Length on disc pump performance

The disc pump operates using boundary layer principle and viscous drag with a relatively low efficiency. There are methods to increase head and efficiency, one of them is the placing of blades sectors or splitter blades in discs. This method has been applied only in the low viscosity fluids pumping (v < 0.1 stokes). This study describe an experimental research in a hight viscocity fluid (v = 2 stokes) with exit angle (32 = 35° and different splitter blades Lengths (Ls) (75, 50, 25%). The purpose is to determinate the splitter blades length that achieves the most effective combination between the blade effect and boundary layer effect in order to increase the energy transmission efficiency from the impeller to the fluid. As result, it can be established that the use of spliter blades is an alternative to increase the performance of the disc pump. The highest efficiency and head were obtained for the gapsize between two discs (b) of 12 mm using a 50% spliter blades length of the main blade length

Prevalencias de bajo peso y pequeño para la edad gestacional en Argentina: comparación entre el estándar INTERGROWTH-21st y una referencia argentina

Introducción. Bajo peso al nacer ( 42+6 semanas, embarazo gemelar y ausencia de datos de peso, EG y sexo. Se calcularon las prevalencias por sexo, regiones y categorías de prematurez de BP y PEG con el estándar y la referencia. La concordancia se evaluó con Kappa. Resultados. Las prevalencias de BP y PEG fueron más altas con el estándar en pretérmino; lo contrario se observó en recién nacidos a término. La significación estadística varió según categorías de EG, sexo y regiones. Las prevalencias más altas se presentaron en regiones del norte argentino y las concordancias entre prevalencias oscilaron entre débiles y muy buenas. Conclusiones. Las concordancias de prevalencias de BP y PEG obtenidas con el estándar y la referencia en pretérmino y a término fueron moderadas, y se observó variabilidad interregional. Los resultados plantean nuevas perspectivas auxológicas en la evaluación epidemiológica del retardo del crecimiento intrauterino en Argentina.Fil: Revollo, Gabriela Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Jorge Ivan. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. San Salvador de Jujuy; ArgentinaFil: Grandi, Carlos. Universidad de San Pablo; BrasilFil: Alfaro Gómez, Emma Laura. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Dipierri, Jose Edgardo. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentin

Prevalence of low weight and small for gestational age in Argentina: Comparison between the INTERGROWTH-21st standard and an Argentine reference

Introduction. The term “low birth weight” ( 42+6 weeks, twin pregnancy, and missing data on weight, GA, and sex. Prevalence was estimated by sex, region, and prematurity category for LW and SGA according to the standard and the reference. Agreement was assessed using the Kappa index. Results. The prevalence of LW and SGA was higher according to the standard among preterm newborns; the contrary was observed among fullterm newborns. Statistical significance varied based on GA category, sex, and region. A higher prevalence was observed in the northern regions of Argentina, and agreement among prevalence values ranged from weak to very good. Conclusions. Prevalence agreement of LW and SGA observed according to the standard and the reference among preterm and full-term newborn infants was moderate, with interregional variability. Results propose new auxological perspectives in the epidemiological assessment of intrauterine growth restriction in Argentina.Fil: Revollo, Gabriela Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Jorge Ivan. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Grandi, Carlos. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Alfaro Gómez, Emma Laura. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; ArgentinaFil: Dipierri, José E.. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentin

Birth Size and Maternal, Social, and Environmental Factors in the Province of Jujuy, Argentina

Introduction: birth size is affected by diverse maternal, environmental, social, and economic factors. Aim: analyze the relationships between birth size—shown by the indicators small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA)—and maternal, social, and environmental factors in the Argentine province of Jujuy, located in the Andean foothills. Methods: data was obtained from 49,185 mother-newborn pairs recorded in the Jujuy Perinatal Information System (SIP) between 2009 and 2014, including the following: newborn and maternal weight, length/height, and body mass index (BMI); gestational age and maternal age; mother’s educational level, nutritional status, marital status and birth interval; planned pregnancy; geographic-linguistic origin of surnames; altitudinal place of birth; and unsatisfied basic needs (UBN). The dataset was split into two groups, SGA and LGA, and compared with adequate for gestational age (AGA). Bivariate analysis (ANOVA) and general lineal modeling (GLM) with multinomial distribution were employed. Results: for SGA newborns, risk factors were altitude (1.43 [1.12–1.82]), preterm birth (5.33 [4.17–6.82]), older maternal age (1.59 [1.24–2.05]), and primiparous mothers (1.88 [1.06–3.34]). For LGA newborns, the risk factors were female sex (2.72 [5.51–2.95]), overweight (1.33 [1.22–2.46]) and obesity (1.85 [1.66–2.07]). Conclusions: the distribution of birth size and the factors related to its variability in Jujuy are found to be strongly conditioned by provincial terrain and the clinal variation due to its Andean location.Fil: Martinez, Jorge Ivan. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; ArgentinaFil: Figueroa, Marcelo Isidro. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Estudios Celulares, Genéticos y Moleculares; ArgentinaFil: Martínez Carrión, José Miguel. Universidad de Murcia; EspañaFil: Alfaro Gómez, Emma Laura. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Dipierri, Jose Edgardo. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; Argentin

Evaluation of physical and chemical soil properties under different management types in the south-western Colombian Andes

Aim of study: Evaluating the variability of physical and chemical soil properties under different soil uses in an experimental farmland of the southwestern Colombian Andes.Area of study: This research was conducted at the Botana Experimental Farm in the mountainous area of Nariño, at the south-western Colombia.Material and methods: nine soil variables were measured under six soil uses which included traditional agriculture, agroforestry systems, and a 67-year-old secondary forest that was used as a reference for comparisons with other soil uses. Data was analyzed through Principal Component Analysis and Duncan’s tests.Main results: organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, clay contents and base saturation were the variables with higher variability among soil uses. The secondary forest and an agroforestry system with alley-cropped wax laurel showed the best soil conditions, whilst pastures and monoculture potato crop plots showed the least desirable conditions for all variables.Research highlights: We found that soils under alley-crop with wax laurel presented the characteristics most similar to the secondary forest. Conversely, soils under alley-crop with alder resembled the soils under intensive management (pasture and potato monocrop); which is related to the inadequate management of this agroforestry systems, provoking that the woody component does not accomplish its goal when implemented.Keywords: soil; agroforestry systems; Andes; forest.Abbreviations used: ACAL, Alley cropping of Alder Trees, ACWL; Alley cropping of Wax Laurel; AFS, agroforestry systems; AWC, available water capacity; BD, Bulk Density; BS, Base saturation; CEC, Cation Exchange Capacity; CLA, Clay; CI, Confidence Intervals, INF, Infiltration; ANOVA, Analysis of Variance; OC, Soil Organic Carbon;  PAST, Pasture; PCA, Principal Component Analysis; PC, Principal Component; POCR, Potato Crop; POR, Soil Porosity; SCAL, Scattered Alder Trees; SEFO, Secondary Forest; SU, soil uses; AU, Animal unit

Body fat variation by anthropometry and bioimpedance in jujenean school children

El objetivo del presente artículo es comparar distintos métodos de cálculo del porcentaje de grasa corporal (%GC) por antropometría y bioimpedancia (BIA) en una población infanto-juvenil jujeña y analizar la variación de la masa grasa (MG), masa magra (MM) y de los índices de masa grasa (IMG) y masa magra (IMM). Se realizó un estudio transversal en 232 escolares de 12 a 17 años de la ciudad de San Salvador de Jujuy. Se relevaron datos de talla, peso y pliegues tricipital y subescapular. Se determinó el Índice de Masa corporal (IMC) y el %GC por BIA (Maltron BF-900) y antropometría (ecuaciones de Deurenberg y Slaugther). Se calculó media y desvío estándar y las diferencias por sexo y edad se establecieron mediante análisis de la varianza. Se una correlación de Pearson entre los distintos métodos utilizados para estimar el %GC y la concordancia analizó con Bland-Altman. Las mujeres presentaron valores superiores de IMC y pliegues bicipital y tricipital y mayores porcentajes de sobrepeso y obesidad. Los %GC más altos se obtuvieron con BIA en mujeres y con Slaugther en varones. Las mujeres registraron valores promedio significativamente más altos del IMG que los varones con los 3 métodos. La correlación más alta del %GC se observó entre BIA y Deurenberg, seguida por Slaugther y Deurenberg, sin embargo no se observó concordancia entre los 3 métodos. Dada la accesibilidad de la estimación del %GC con la ecuación de Deurenberg se propone la aplicación de esta metodología en estudios epidemiológicos de obesidad.The objective of the present study is to compare different methods of calculating body fat percentage (BF%) by anthropometry and bioimpedance (BIA) in an infant-juvenile population, and to analyze the variation of fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and FMI and FFMI index. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 232 schoolchildren aged 12-17 years in the city of San Salvador de Jujuy. Height, weight, bicipital and tricipital skinfolds were measured. Body Mass Index (BMI) and BF% by BIA (Maltron BF-900) and anthropometry (Deurenberg and Slaugther equations) were determined. Mean and standard deviations were calculated, and the differences by sex and age were established by analysis of variance. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated, among different methods used to estimate BF%. The agreement between methods was analyzed with Bland-Altman. Females presented higher values of BMI, bicipital and tricipital skifolds, and higher percentages of overweight and obesity. The highest BF% was obtained with BIA in girls and with Slaugther in boys. Girls had significantly higher mean values of FMI than boys with all 3 methods. The highest BF% correlation was observed between BIA and Deurenberg, followed by Slaugther and Deurenberg. There was no agreement between the 3 methods. Given the accessibility of the BF% estimation with the Deurenberg equation, the application of this methodology is proposed in epidemiological studies of obesity.Fil: Martinez, Jorge Ivan. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Dipierri, Jose Edgardo. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; ArgentinaFil: Bejarano, Ignacio Felipe. Unidad de Investigación Antropología Biológica (UIAB). Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Jujuy. Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Quispe, Yolanda. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Alfaro Gómez, Emma Laura. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; Argentin

Fenómenos Hidrodinámicos en una Turbina de Vórtice de Eje Vertical

The present work aims to generate a simulation designed in a safe way to generate a sustainable hydraulic system coupled to energy study needs, which collaborates with less costs and more benefits. Based on simulations with the scale model using the ANSYS tool, which aims to find the efficiency at the time of running this simulation at full scale. Mainly the motivations of the work based on new methods of obtaining energy for the conservation of the environment. This is how the idea of designing and simulating a new gravitational vortex turbine system, with geometries according to what has been found in the literature and in previous studies, is materialized. In this way, we proceed to design and simulate a turbine device composed of a vortex impeller that can resist erosion and sediments and that allows the development of a gravitational vortex with a considerable hydraulic power. Once the geometry of the turbine is defined, a modeling is made in ANSYS software, in order to know the behavior of the vortex, for the definition of the geometric configuration of which will also operate under the concept of "drag".El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo desarrollar un simulación diseñado de manera segura al generar un sistema hidráulico sostenible acoplándose a necesidades de estudio energético, el cual colabore con menos costos y más beneficios. Basado en simulaciones con el modelo de escala mediante la herramienta de ANSYS, el cual tiene como objetivo encontrar la eficiencia al momento de ejecutar esta simulación a escala real. Principalmente las motivaciones del trabajo se fundamentan en nuevos métodos de obtención de energía para la conservación del medio ambiente. Es así como se materializa la idea de diseñar y simular un nuevo sistema de turbinas de vórtices gravitacionales, con geometrías según lo encontrado en la literatura, y en estudios anteriores. De esta forma se procede a diseñar y simular un dispositivo de turbina compuesto por un impulsor de vórtice que pueda resistir la erosión y sedimentos y que permita el desarrollo de un vórtice gravitacional con una potencia hidráulica considerable. Una vez definida la geometría de la turbina se procede a realizar un modelado en el software ANSYS, con el fin de conocer el comportamiento del vórtice, para la definición de la configuración geométrica de los cuales además funcionarán bajo el concepto de "arrastre"

Análisis diseño e implementación de aplicación Móvil apprecycling

Enlace GitHub, enlace formulario aplicación de pruebas, enlace APK, enlace Video tutorial Manual de UsuarioLa siguiente monografía evidencia el proceso de creación de una aplicación, iniciando por una problemática hasta la creación, análisis, desarrollo y evaluación, la aplicación se realizó con la plataforma Android Studio. El proceso muestra al público en general que usando diferentes medios tecnológicos como también plataformas se puede crear un sin fin de oportunidades para ayudarnos como sociedad y aportar al cuidado del medio ambiente, demostrando que el trabajo en equipo es muy importante al realizarlo bajo un mismo objetivo para alcanzar las metas propuestas. Una vez realizada la aplicación se pudo concluir que a través del uso de la tecnología y por medio de Android Studio es posible y viable desarrollar un software en lenguaje JAVA para enseñar sobre el reciclaje a los habitantes de la ciudad de Bogotá. El software realizado puede Incentivar a los usuarios para la correcta clasificación de los desechos, al mismo tiempo que capacita sobre la importancia y aporte al medio ambiente con la práctica del reciclaje. La aplicación permite brindar información tan valiosa como los puntos de reciclaje a partir de los productos que se desee desechar. Se pudo encontrar una gran cantidad de material e información para el desarrollo de la aplicación Móvil, sin embargo, fue importante tener como base nociones básicas de desarrollo en Java. Se espera que el documento sea base para posteriores trabajos y generé cimientos de conocimiento.The following monograph shows the process of developing an app, starting with a problem until the creation, analysis and evaluation, the application was made with the Android Studio platform. The process shows to people that using different tech devices as well as platforms, endless opportunities can be created to help us as a society and contribute to help the environment, demonstrating that work as a team is very important when we working it under the same objective to achieve the goals. Once the application was made, we could concluded that through the use of technology and through Android Studio it is possible and feasible to develop a software in JAVA language to teach population of the city of Bogotá about recycling. The software made can motivate users for the correct classification of waste, at the same time as training on the importance and contribution to the environment with the practice of recycling. The application allows you to provide information as valuable as the recycling points from the products you want to dispose of. A large amount of material and information could be found for the development of the Mobile application, however, it was important to have as a base basic notions of development in Java. It is expected that the document will be the basis for further work and generated a foundation of knowledge