A reverse-engineering approach to dissect post-translational modulators of transcription factor's activity from transcriptional data.

BACKGROUND: Transcription factors (TFs) act downstream of the major signalling pathways functioning as master regulators of cell fate. Their activity is tightly regulated at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational level. Proteins modifying TF activity are not easily identified by experimental high-throughput methods. RESULTS: We developed a computational strategy, called Differential Multi-Information (DMI), to infer post-translational modulators of a transcription factor from a compendium of gene expression profiles (GEPs). DMI is built on the hypothesis that the modulator of a TF (i.e. kinase/phosphatases), when expressed in the cell, will cause the TF target genes to be co-expressed. On the contrary, when the modulator is not expressed, the TF will be inactive resulting in a loss of co-regulation across its target genes. DMI detects the occurrence of changes in target gene co-regulation for each candidate modulator, using a measure called Multi-Information. We validated the DMI approach on a compendium of 5,372 GEPs showing its predictive ability in correctly identifying kinases regulating the activity of 14 different transcription factors. CONCLUSIONS: DMI can be used in combination with experimental approaches as high-throughput screening to efficiently improve both pathway and target discovery. An on-line web-tool enabling the user to use DMI to identify post-transcriptional modulators of a transcription factor of interest che be found at http://dmi.tigem.it

Impacto del financiamiento educativo en la movilidad social de graduados universitarios: Un análisis de regresiones discontinuas

The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of the financial aid programme at a private university in Venezuela on the outcome variables of post-graduation or social mobility, such as remuneration at the time of graduation and at present, and the probability of entering the labour market. We used the fuzzy regression design for multiple treatments, given that the programme consists of the application of percentage discounts on tuition, where the allocation index only shows the probability of being treated, thus finding beneficiary individuals to the right and to the left of the threshold at each of the cut-off points. The results show that there are differences in labour market insertion between treated and untreated individuals, in favour of the former, but higher wages for non-beneficiaries. As for the estimates of the fuzzy regression regressions for both remuneration at the different points in time and labour market insertion, it is not possible to identify a positive impact of the treatment.La investigación evaluó el impacto del programa de ayudas económicas en una universidad privada en Venezuela, sobre las variables de resultado de posgrado o movilidad social, como la remuneración en el momento de la graduación y en la actualidad, y la probabilidad de ingresar al mercado laboral. Se utilizó el diseño de regresión difusa para tratamientos múltiples, dado que el programa consiste en la aplicación de descuentos porcentuales en la matrícula, donde el índice de asignación solo muestra la probabilidad de ser tratado, encontrando así individuos beneficiarios a la derecha y a la izquierda del umbral en cada uno de los puntos de corte. Los resultados muestran que existen diferencias en la inserción laboral entre los individuos tratados y no tratados, a favor de los primeros, pero salarios más altos para los no beneficiarios. En cuanto a las estimaciones de las regresiones de regresión difusa tanto para la remuneración en los diferentes puntos del tiempo como para la inserción en el mercado laboral, no es posible identificar un impacto positivo del tratamiento

Mejora de la gestión de la productividad de la flota de carguío y acarreo U.M Cuajone, mediante la aplicación de la metodología Six Sigma para disminuir las demoras operativas en el relevo del personal

El presente trabajo de investigación se realizó en la empresa Southern Perú Unidad Minera Cuajone y tuvo como finalidad minimizar los tiempos improductivos en el proceso de relevo del personal que opera equipos de carguío y acarreo en interior mina aplicando la metodología Six Sigma. El procedimiento metodológico aplicado en la mejora de la gestión de la productividad de la flota de carguío y transporte se basó en la aplicación de la metodología Six Sigma desde la recopilación y análisis de datos en gabinete y campo. En la etapa inicial de gabinete se recolectó los datos del sistema de gestión de flota JMineOps y se procedió a revalidar la información en campo y registrar los tiempos improductivos más significantes del cambio de turno, en la fase final de gabinete se analizó la información extraída del anterior y nuevo proceso del relevo de personal , y se realizó una evaluación de los tiempos entre actividades, del tonelaje de arranque en las distintas guardias ,ya que es un parámetro fundamental a incluir para poder evaluar cómo se ve afectada la productividad en la primera hora del turno ,ya que al inicio de guardia se pierde tonelaje a causa de las demoras operativas en el relevo del personal, además, se comparará la disponibilidad física y utilización de la flota de equipos de carguío y transporte. Según el análisis se obtuvo que las demoras más significativas de la operación fueron Espera en Bahía de transporte, Personal Rezagado, Charla de Seguridad y Revisión de Pantallas para asignación de equipos que significaron el 37% ,59%, 77% y 84% respectivamente de las demoras totales. Los resultados fueron favorables, se redujeron las demoras operativas presentes en la primera hora de cada turno. Lo que permitió cuantificar las toneladas que se dejó de mover por la duración de los retrasos sobre la primera hora de turno siendo 1062 toneladas de mineral y 3938 toneladas de desmonte aproximadamente por guardia. Se incrementó la producción de arranque en 2000 toneladas de mineral al día, lo cual equivale a ganancias diarias de 14,348 $y 5,236,985$ al año. Adicionalmente, se optimizó y automatizó el inicio de las operaciones, por ende, se redujeron las demoras operativas en el relevo del personal y con ello se aumentó la disponibilidad física de la flota de Palas y volquetes en 2.5%, en 1.6% la utilización de las palas y en 1.4% la utilización de los volquetes.The present research work was carried out at the Southern Peru Mining Unit Cuajone Company and its purpose was to minimize unproductive times in the process of the Shift Change that operates loading and hauling fleet inside the mine applying the Six Sigma methodology. The methodological procedure applied in the improvement of the productivity management of the loading and hauling fleet was based on the application of the Six Sigma methodology from the collection and analysis of data in the office and in the field. In the initial stage of the office the data from the JMineOps fleet management system was collected and the information was revalidated in the field with the most significant unproductive times of the shift change. In the final phase of the cabinet the information extracted from the previous and new process of the shift change was analyzed. The evaluation of the times between activities and starting tonnage in the different shifts was carried out since it is a fundamental parameter to include to be able to evaluate how productivity is affected in the first hour of the shift. According to the analysis, the most significant delays of the operation were Waiting in the transport bay, Iddle Personnel, Safety Talk and Screen Review for the assignment of equipment that meant 37%, 59%, 77% and 84% respectively of total delays. The results were favorable, the operational delays present in the first hour of each shift were reduced. This allowed to quantify the tons that were not moved due to the duration of the delays in the first hour of the shift, being 1062 tons of ore and 3938 tons of waste approximately per shift. The start-up production was increased by 2000 tons of ore per day, which is equivalent to daily earnings of $14,348 and$5,236,985 per year. In addition, the start-up of operations was optimized and automated, thereby reducing operational delays in personnel replacement and increasing the physical availability of the fleet of shovels and dump trucks by 2.5%, shovel utilization by 1.6% and dump truck utilization by 1.4%.Tesi

Absolute agreement and consistency of the OptoGait system and Freemed platform for measuring walking gait

The gait cycle can be divided into four functional rocker units. Although the widespread use of the OptoGait (OG) system and the Freemed (FM) platform, their accuracy has not been tested. An observational study was completed with eighteen healthy volunteers to determine the accuracy of OG and FM for overground walking gait analysis. The pairwise comparison between data obtained from OG, FM and high-speed video analysis revealed significant differences for most of the measurements (p  0.94) for all measures for OG systems compared to video-analysis. When considering FM vs. video-analysis, ICCs showed good absolute agreement for rocker 1 (ICC = 0.86) and 3 (ICC = 0.82), excellent for rocker 2 (ICC = 0.93) and poor (ICC  0.1) while no heteroscedasticity of error was found when using FM (r2 < 0.1). This study indicates that the OG system and the FM platform can provide consistent foot rockers values when walking at a constant velocity. The differences between the systems assessed and their agreement and consistency values advise against their interchangeable use

TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS AND MANAGEMENT OF ISOLATED HYPERGLYCEMIA: A REVIEW

Type II Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common of two types of Diabetes disease. T2DM is a metabolic disease characterized mainly by insulin resistance, reduction of insulin secretion, and hyperglycemia. T2DM is a major public health cause of concern not only by the increase in morbidity and mortality associated with patients with the disease, but also by the significant reduction in quality of life and productivity among the economically active population. Isolated hyperglycemia refers to patients with T2DM with normal fasting plasma glucose and no ketoacidosis. With the rise of T2DM and the presence of hidden symptoms, it is vital to determine a diagnostic sequence, blood-glucose control with sulfonylureas or insulin, and diet and exercise

LUMBAR DISK HERNIATION: EVALUATION OF MEDICAL CARE AND PAIN MANAGEMENT AT THE SPECIALTIES HOSPITAL CREHVITAL AMBATO-ECUADOR: RETROSPECTIVE, CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY, AND ASSESSMENT OF TWO CLINICAL CASES

Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess medical care and pain management of 237 lumbar disk herniation cases treated from 2011 to 2021 in the Specialties Hospital CREHVITAL, Ambato-Ecuador, and to provide a set of standards for appropriate management. Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of archives, and registries of patient’s data provided by the Specialties Hospital CREHVITAL, Ambato-Ecuador. Participants: A total of 237 patients with lumbar disk herniation received medical services from 2011 to 2021; outcome measures were: Pain management, patient characteristics, surgical procedures, and medication after surgery. Results: The 40–50 age range had the highest prevalence of lumbar disk herniation and a higher percentage of the pathology in men (66%) than in women. Of the 237 patients, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed the highest lumbar disk herniation of the L4–L5 (101 men and 20 women), followed by herniation of the L5–S1 (59 men and 51 women). Two types of surgeries were performed: Classical surgery on 157 patients and microsurgery on 80 patients. The average period before receiving treatment was 1.5 years of maintaining back pain, and the early post-operative management consisted of patients receiving diclofenac, ketorolac, and ceftriaxone. Analgesics were used in 73.43% of patients. All cases required strict control, follow-up, and post-operative check-ups. Conclusion: This study provides essential and conclusive evidence and information on treated cases of lumbar disk herniation and its incidence in the medical field

Transport of Non-classical Light Mediated by Topological Domain Walls in a SSH Photonic Lattice

Advancements in photonics technologies have significantly enhanced their capability to facilitate experiments involving quantum light, even at room temperature. Nevertheless, fully integrating photonic chips that include quantum light sources, effective manipulation and transport of light minimizing losses, and appropriate detection systems remains an ongoing challenge. Topological photonic systems have emerged as promising platforms to protect quantum light properties during propagation, beyond merely preserving light intensity. In this work, we delve into the dynamics of non-classical light traversing a Su-Schrieffer-Heeger photonic lattice with topological domain walls. Our focus centers on how topology influences the quantum properties of light as it moves across the array. By precisely adjusting the spacing between waveguides, we achieve dynamic repositioning and interaction of domain walls, facilitating effective beam-splitting operations. Our findings demonstrate high-fidelity transport of non-classical light across the lattice, replicating known results that are now safeguarded by the topology of the system. This protection is especially beneficial for quantum communication protocols with continuous variable states. Our study enhances the understanding of light dynamics in topological photonic systems and paves the way for high-fidelity, topology-protected quantum communication

The validity of incremental exercise testing in discriminating of physiological profiles in elite runners

The goal of this study was to determine whether traditional ergoespirometric incremental exercise testing carried out to the point of exhaustion could be useful in distinguishing the physiological profiles of elite runners that compete in races that lasted about 8 minutes versus those that lasted about 2 hours. Ten male marathon runners (performance time: 2:12:04, coefficient of variation (CV) = 2.33%) and 8 male 3000 m steeplechase runners (performance time: 8:37.83, CV = 2.12%) performed an incremental test on the treadmill (starting speed 10 km. h–1; increments, 2 km. h–1; increment duration, 3 min to exhaustion). Heart rate (HR), VO2 , and lactate concentrations were measured at the end of each exercise level. At maximal effort, there were no differences between the groups regarding VO2max and maximal HR; however, the workload time, vVO2max and peak treadmill velocity were significantly higher in the 3000m steeplechase group (p<0.05). At submaximal effort, there were no significant differences between groups for VO2 (ml.kg–1.min–1), HR, or lactate. Our results show that this type of testing was not sufficient for discriminating the physiological profiles of elite runners who competed in middle-distance versus long-distance events (e.g. in the marathon and the 3000 m steeplechase

Claves diagnósticas de las cefaleas

La cefalea es un síntoma muy común, afecta a casi todas las personas en algún momento de su vida. Es el quinto motivo de consulta más frecuente en los servicios de urgencias y un número importante de pacientes acude a la consulta ambulatoria por cefalea crónica. La población pediátrica y adolescente también se afecta. Una adecuada historia clínica y un completo examen físico permiten el abordaje diagnóstico y terapéutico. Identificar los factores desencadenantes y antecedentes personales es fundamental. La presencia de cefalea sumada a otros signos y síntomas como alteración del estado de conciencia, focalización neurológica, convulsiones, entre otros, debe alertar al médico. El presente artículo describe las características demográficas y semiológicas de las cefaleas, además aborda los signos de alarma o banderas rojas que obligan a descartar patologías de mayor compromiso

Transport of non-classical light mediated by topological domain walls in a SSH photonic lattice

Advancements in photonics technologies have significantly enhanced their capability to facilitate experiments involving quantum light, even at room temperature. Nevertheless, fully integrating photonic chips that include quantum light sources, effective manipulation and transport of light minimizing losses, and appropriate detection systems remains an ongoing challenge. Topological photonic systems have emerged as promising platforms to protect quantum light properties during propagation, beyond merely preserving light intensity. In this work, we delve into the dynamics of non-classical light traversing a Su-Schrieffer-Heeger photonic lattice with topological domain walls. Our focus centers on how topology influences the quantum properties of light as it moves across the array. By precisely adjusting the spacing between waveguides, we achieve dynamic repositioning and interaction of domain walls, facilitating effective beam-splitting operations. Our findings demonstrate high-fidelity transport of non-classical light across the lattice, replicating known results that are now safeguarded by the topology of the system. This protection is especially beneficial for quantum communication protocols with continuous variable states. Our study enhances the understanding of light dynamics in topological photonic systems and paves the way for high-fidelity, topology-protected quantum communication