Transmission fiber chromatic dispersion dependence on temperature: implications on 40 Gb/s performance

In this letter we will evaluate the performance degradation of a 40 km high-speed (40 Gb/s) optical System, induced by optical fiber variations of the chromatic dispersion induced by temperature changes. The chromatic dispersion temperature sensitivity will be estimated based on the signal quality parameters

A genetic interaction of NRXN2 with GABRE, SYT1 and CASK in migraine patients: a case-control study

Background: Migraine is a multifactorial disorder that is more frequent (two to four times) in women than in men. In recent years, our research group has focused on the role of neurotransmitter release and its regulation. Neurexin (NRXN2) is one of the components of the synaptic vesicle machinery, responsible for connecting intracellular fusion proteins and synaptic vesicles. Our aim was to continue exploring the role and interaction of proteins involved in the control and promotion of neurotransmission in migraine susceptibility. Methods: A case-control study was performed comprising 183 migraineurs (148 females and 35 males) and 265 migraine-free controls (202 females and 63 males). Tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms of NRXN2 were genotyped to assess the association between NRXN2 and migraine susceptibility. The χ 2 test was used to compare allele frequencies in cases and controls and odds ratios were estimated with 95% confidence intervals. Haplotype frequencies were compared between groups. Gene-gene interactions were analysed using the Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction v2.0. Results: We found a statistically significant interaction model (p = 0.009) in the female group between the genotypes CG of rs477138 (NRXN2) and CT of rs1158605 (GABRE). This interaction was validated by logistic regression, showing a significant risk effect [OR = 4.78 (95%CI: 1.76–12.97)] after a Bonferroni correction. Our data also supports a statistically significant interaction model (p = 0.011) in the female group between the GG of rs477138 in NRXN2 and, the rs2244325's GG genotype and rs2998250’s CC genotype of CASK. This interaction was also validated by logistic regression, with a protective effect [OR = 0.08 (95%CI: 0.01–0.75)]. A weak interaction model was found between NRXN2-SYT1. We have not found any statistically significant allelic or haplotypic associations between NRXN2 and migraine susceptibility.This work was funded by Sociedade Portuguesa de Cefaleias (SPC), Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT; PTDC/MEC-NEU/29468/2017), Tecnifar fellowships and by European Commission and European Regional Development Fund under the project 'Análisis y correlación entre la epigenética y la actividad cerebral para evaluar el riesgo de migraña crónica y episódica en mujeres' (Cooperation Programme Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal, POCTEP 2014–2020, by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades)

Crime concentration at micro-places in Latin America

Research on crime concentration at micro-places has had a very western-industrialised focus. In this paper we provide results on crime concentration for 42 cities in Latin America. The results suggest that crime is concentrated at higher levels in Latin American cities than in western-industrialised contexts. Reasons for this do not appear to be related to population size, average street length, numbers of crimes or crime rates. The results offer an indication of the crime reduction opportunities that could come from the implementation of programs that are precisely targeted to the micro-places where crime has been observed to highly concentrate, such as hot spot policing

Environmental Costs of Government-Sponsored Agrarian Settlements in Brazilian Amazonia

Brazil has presided over the most comprehensive agrarian reform frontier colonization program on Earth, in which ~1.2 million settlers have been translocated by successive governments since the 1970's, mostly into forested hinterlands of Brazilian Amazonia. These settlements encompass 5.3% of this ~5 million km2 region, but have contributed with 13.5% of all land conversion into agropastoral land uses. The Brazilian Federal Agrarian Agency (INCRA) has repeatedly claimed that deforestation in these areas largely predates the sanctioned arrival of new settlers. Here, we quantify rates of natural vegetation conversion across 1911 agrarian settlements allocated to 568 Amazonian counties and compare fire incidence and deforestation rates before and after the official occupation of settlements by migrant farmers. The timing and spatial distribution of deforestation and fires in our analysis provides irrefutable chronological and spatially explicit evidence of agropastoral conversion both inside and immediately outside agrarian settlements over the last decade. Deforestation rates are strongly related to local human population density and road access to regional markets. Agrarian settlements consistently accelerated rates of deforestation and fires, compared to neighboring areas outside settlements, but within the same counties. Relocated smallholders allocated to forest areas undoubtedly operate as pivotal agents of deforestation, and most of the forest clearance occurs in the aftermath of government-induced migration

Psychological Indicators and Perceptions of Adolescents in Residential Care

Abstract The institutionalization of adolescents has been mentioned in the literature with positive and negative aspects. This study investigated 61 adolescents in residential care aiming to evaluate psychological problems and perceptions related to the care, using interviews and the YSR. Data was evaluated using quantitative and qualitative analysis, using gender, age and length of institutionalization as variables. Results indicated clinical scores for psychological problems, except for externalizing problems, in younger girls recently taken into care and older boys institutionalized for longer periods. The perceptions about the care were negative or indifferent; elements of positivity were expressed by adolescents institutionalized for longer periods. Instability in the permanence in the care service and the reasons for having been taken into care were manifested with psychological distress. There were few contacts with the family of origin; the adolescents mentioned the importance of their families and the desire to leave the institution. Members of the institutional teams were indicated as sources of care and protection. This study reflects the challenges for the positive development of this population

Differential inflammasome activation predisposes to acute-on-chronic liver failure in human and experimental cirrhosis with and without previous decompensation

OBJECTIVE Systemic inflammation predisposes acutely decompensated (AD) cirrhosis to the development of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Supportive treatment can improve AD patients, becoming recompensated. Little is known about the outcome of patients recompensated after AD. We hypothesise that different inflammasome activation is involved in ACL F development in compensated and recompensated patients. DESIGN 249 patients with cirrhosis, divided into compensated and recompensated (previous AD), were followed prospectively for fatal ACL F development. Two external cohorts (n=327) (recompensation, AD and ACL F) were included. Inflammasome-driving interleukins (ILs), IL-1α (caspase-4/11-dependent) and IL-1β (caspase-1- dependent), were measured. In rats, bile duct ligationinduced cirrhosis and lipopolysaccharide exposition were used to induce AD and subsequent recompensation. IL-1α and IL-1β levels and upstream/downstream gene expression were measured. RESULTS Patients developing ACL F showed higher baseline levels of ILs. Recompensated patients and patients with detectable ILs had higher rates of ACL F development than compensated patients. Baseline CLIF-­C (European Foundation for the study of chronic liver failure consortium) AD, albumin and IL-1α were independent predictors of ACL F development in compensated and CLIF-­C AD and IL-1β in recompensated patients. Compensated rats showed higher IL-1α gene expression and recompensated rats higher IL-1β levels with higher hepatic gene expression. Higher IL-1β detection rates in recompensated patients developing ACL F and higher IL-1α and IL-1β detection rates in patients with ACL F were confirmed in the two external cohorts. CONCLUSION Previous AD is an important risk factor for fatal ACL F development and possibly linked with inflammasome activation. Animal models confirmed the results showing a link between ACL F development and IL-1α in compensated cirrhosis and IL-1β in recompensated cirrhosi

Echinococcus granulosus Antigen B Structure: Subunit Composition and Oligomeric States

Antigen B (AgB) is the major secretory protein of the Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst, the causative agent of cystic hydatid disease. Structurally, AgB is a multisubunit protein formed by 8-kDa subunits, but it is not known which subunits are secreted by a single parasite (cyst) and how they interact in the formation of distinct AgB oligomeric states. Here, we investigated AgB subunit composition and oligomeric states in individual samples from bovine and human cysts. We identified AgB8/1, AgB8/2, AgB8/3 and AgB8/4 subunits in AgB oligomers of all samples analyzed. Quantitative and qualitative differences in the expression of AgB subunits were observed within and between samples. Using recombinant subunits as models, we showed that AgB subunits form distinct oligomeric states, with a rAgB8/3>rAgB8/2>rAgB8/1 maximum size relation. We also demonstrated by different experimental approaches that rAgB8/3 oligomers are more similar, both in size and morphology, to those observed for E. granulosus AgB. Overall, we provided experimental evidences that AgB is composed of different subunits within a single cyst, and that subunits have different abundances and oligomerization properties. These issues are important for the understanding of AgB expression and structure variations, and their impact for the host-parasite cross-talk

Perspectives on the Trypanosoma cruzi-host cell receptor interaction

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The critical initial event is the interaction of the trypomastigote form of the parasite with host receptors. This review highlights recent observations concerning these interactions. Some of the key receptors considered are those for thromboxane, bradykinin, and for the nerve growth factor TrKA. Other important receptors such as galectin-3, thrombospondin, and laminin are also discussed. Investigation into the molecular biology and cell biology of host receptors for T. cruzi may provide novel therapeutic targets

Global Burden of Double Malnutrition: Has Anyone Seen It?

Background. Low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) are believed to be characterized by the coexistence of underweight and overweight. It has also been posited that such coexistence is appearing among the low socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative samples of 451321 women aged 20–49 years drawn from 57 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1994 and 2008. Body Mass Index (BMI in $kg/m^2$), was used to define underweight and overweight following conventional cut-points. Covariates included age, household wealth, education, and residence. We estimated multinomial multilevel models to assess the extent to which underweight $(BMI<18.5 kg/m^2)$ and overweight $(BMI≥25.0 kg/m^2)$ correlate at the country-level, and at the neighborhood-level within each country. Results. In age-adjusted models, there was a strong negative correlation between likelihood of being underweight and overweight at country- (r = −0.79, p<0.001), and at the neighborhood-level within countries (r = −0.51, P<0.001). Negative correlations ranging from −0.11 to −0.90 were observed in 46 of the 57 countries at the neighborhood-level and 29/57 were statistically significant $(p\leq 0.05)$. Similar negative correlations were observed in analyses restricted to low SES groups. Finally, the negative correlations across countries, and within-countries, appeared to be stable over time in a sub-set of 36 countries. Conclusion. The explicitly negative correlations between prevalence of underweight and overweight at the country-level and at neighborhood-level suggest that the hypothesized coexistence of underweight and overweight has not yet occurred in a substantial manner in a majority of LMICs