Building the what and where systems: multi-scale lines, edges and keypoints

Computer vision for realtime applications requires tremendous computational power because all images must be processed from the first to the last pixel. Ac tive vision by probing specific objects on the basis of already acquired context may lead to a significant reduction of processing. This idea is based on a few concepts from our visual cortex (Rensink, Visual Cogn. 7, 17-42, 2000): (1) our physical surround can be seen as memory, i.e. there is no need to construct detailed and complete maps, (2) the bandwidth of the what and where systems is limited, i.e. only one object can be probed at any time, and (3) bottom-up, low-level feature extraction is complemented by top-down hypothesis testing, i.e. there is a rapid convergence of activities in dendritic/axonal connections

Rethinking Leahy’s Emotional Schema Scale (LESS): Results from the Portuguese Adaptation of the LESS

This study aims to contribute to the study of emotional schemas, through the adaptation of the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS) to Portuguese. The LESS is a 50 item self-report with 14 theoretical dimensions, representing concepts, evaluations, attributions of emotions, and strategies of emotion regulation (Leahy in Cognit Behav Pract 9(3):177–190, 2002. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1077-7229(02)80048- 7). Translation, back-translation and pilot assessment of LESS’s Portuguese version were completed. Data was collected online with 396 participants. An exploratory principal component analysis was conducted. Parallel analysis revealed a 5-component structure, which after the deletion of eight items generated a fnal solution explaining 48% of the variance. Components internal consistency was adequate and convergent validity supported with signifcant correlations with difculties in emotional regulation and emotional processing, and psychopathology. It presents dimensions that are highly relevant for assessment, case conceptualization and clinical decision making. Although this scale is related to a specifc cognitive theory, the construct and its subscales may be useful beyond the psychotherapeutic model, stressing the transtheoretical potential of the scale.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evidences for a new role of miR-214 in chondrogenesis

miR-214 is known to play a role in mammalian skeletal development through inhibition of osteogenesis and stimulation of osteoclastogenesis, but data regarding other vertebrates, as well as a possible role in chondrogenesis, remain unknown. Here, we show that miR-214 expression is detected in bone and cartilage of zebrafish skeleton, and is downregulated during murine ATDC5 chondrocyte differentiation. Additionally, we observed a conservation of the transcriptional regulation of miR-214 primary transcript Dnm3os in vertebrates, being regulated by Ets1 in ATDC5 chondrogenic cells. Moreover, overexpression of miR-214 in vitro and in vivo mitigated chondrocyte differentiation probably by targeting activating transcription factor 4 (Atf4). Indeed, miR-214 overexpression in vivo hampered cranial cartilage formation of zebrafish and coincided with downregulation of atf4 and of the key chondrogenic players sox9 and col2a1. We show that miR-214 overexpression exerts a negative role in chondrogenesis by impacting on chondrocyte differentiation possibly through conserved mechanisms.Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (program "Na Fronteira das Ciencias da Vida"); FCT [UID/Multi/04326/2013, PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/2011, SFRH/BD/38607/2007, SFRH/BPD/45034/2008, SFRH/BPD/111289/2015]; European Commission (ERDF-COMPETE) [PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/2011]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Hereditary thrombocytosis caused by MPLSer505Asn is associated with a high thrombotic risk, splenomegaly and progression to bone marrow fibrosis.

Background The MPL(Ser505Asn) mutation has been reported to be a cause of hereditary thrombocythemia. Recently, we detected this mutation in a large proportion of children with familial thrombocythemia, suggesting that in Italy the incidence of MPL(Ser505Asn) mutation could be underestimated. DESIGN AND METHODS: We extended the search for this mutation to all patients with essential thrombocythemia who had a positive family history for thrombocytosis or essential thrombocythemia. We identified eight Italian families positive for the MPL(Ser505Asn) mutation. Clinical and hematologic data were available for members of seven families, including 21 patients with a proven mutation and 20 relatives with thrombocytosis. RESULTS: Fifteen major thrombotic episodes, nine of which were fatal, were recorded among 41 patients. The thrombotic manifestation was stroke in four cases, myocardial infarction in seven cases, fetal loss in two cases, deep vein thrombosis of the leg in one case and Budd Chiari syndrome in one case. Almost all patients over 20 years old had splenomegaly and bone marrow fibrosis, while these were rarely observed in patients under 20 years old, suggesting that these manifestations are associated with aging. Finally, the life expectancy of family members with thrombocytosis was significantly shorter than that of members without thrombocytosis (P=0.003). Conclusions Patients with familial thrombocytosis caused by a MPL(Ser505Asn) mutation have a high risk of thrombosis and, with aging, develop splenomegaly and bone marrow fibrosis, significantly affecting their life expectancy

Liprobe, a vital dye for lipid aggregates detection in imaging and high-content screens

Pathological lipid accumulation is a hallmark of several metabolic disorders, and detection of lipid aggregates is an essential step for initial diagnosis and drug screening purposes. However, low-cost, simple, and reliable detection fluorescent probes are not widely available. Here, six push-pull-push dyes were studied, and proved to be highly sensitive to the polarity of the medium, presenting potential to distinguish structures with different hydrophobic indexes. Importantly, in the presence of lipid aggregates their staining specificity highly increased and the fluorescence wavelength blue shifted. One of the compounds, named Liprobe, was physiologically inert in cells, as witnessed by mass-spectrometry and metabolic assays. Liprobe was not toxic to living zebrafish embryos, and differentially stained the muscle and bone tissues. In triglyceride solutions, a high correlation was observed between Liprobe’s 558 and 592 nm emissions and the 0–2.5 mg dl−1 triglyceride range. Confocal and cell-based high content screens revealed that this fluorophore was able to selectively detect lipid droplets and ceramide loads in normal and Farber’s disease human fibroblasts, respectively. Our results demonstrate that Liprobe is a suitable fluorescing probe for vital staining of lipid aggregates, compatible with a rapid and cheap high content screening assays for preliminary diagnosis of Farber’s disease and, potentially, of other lipidosis.publishe

Indoor and outdoor air quality: a university cafeteria as a case study

A short but exhaustive air sampling campaign was conducted in a university cafeteria, an occupational environmental not yet studied. Carbonyls and volatile organic compounds were collected by passive diffusion samplers. Temperature, relative humidity, CO2, CO and particulate matter were continuously monitored indoors and outdoors. Simultaneous PM10 sampling with high and low volume instruments, equipped with quartz and Teflon filters, respectively, was performed during working hours and at night. The quartz filters were analysed for their carbonaceous content by a thermo-optical technique and organic constituents by GC-MS. Water-soluble ions and elements were analysed in the Teflon filters by ion chromatography and PIXE, respectively. Low air change rates (0.31–1.5 h−1) and infiltration factors of 0.14, for both PM2.5 and PM10, indicate poor ventilation conditions. Concentrations of both gaseous pollutants and particulate matter were much higher in the cafeteria than outdoors, showing strong variations throughout the day depending on occupancy and activities. The average concentration of indoor-generated PM10 was estimated to be 32 μg m−3. Organic compounds in PM10 included alkanes, PAHs, saccharides, phenolics, alcohols, acids, alkyl esters, triterpenoids, sterols, among others. The complex particle composition reveals the multiplicity of sources, formation reactions and removal processes, not yet fully known, and suggests the contribution from dust resuspension, abrasion and off-gassing of building materials, cooking emissions, tobacco smoke, and several consumer products. Many compounds are in the list of ingredients of personal care products, pesticides, plasticisers, flame retardants and psychoactive drugs. The inhalation cancer risks of metals and PAHs were found to be negligible.publishe

Mass balance of pilot-scale pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse by steam explosion followed by alkaline delignification

Five pilot-scale steam explosion pretreatments of sugarcane bagasse followed by alkaline delignification were explored. The solubilised lignin was precipitated with 98% sulphuric acid. Most of the pentosan (82.6%), and the acetyl group fractions were solubilised during pretreatment, while 90.2% of cellulose and 87.0% lignin were recovered in the solid fraction. Approximately 91% of the lignin and 72.5% of the pentosans contained in the steam-exploded solids were solubilised by delignification, resulting in a pulp with almost 90% of cellulose. The acidification of the black liquors allowed recovery of 48.3% of the lignin contained in the raw material. Around 14% of lignin, 22% of cellulose and 26% of pentosans were lost during the process. In order to increase material recovery, major changes, such as introduction of efficient condensers and the reduction in the number of washing steps, should be done in the process setup. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Alexander von Humboldt FoundationConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Brazi

A validação da distribuição de espécies através de modelos preditivos: casos de estudo para a ilha da madeira

Os modelos preditivos de distribuição de espécies são uma importante ferramenta para lidar com a falta de informação biogeográfica existente para a maior parte dos taxa. Com esta técnica, estabelece -se uma relação entre a variável dependente (presença/ausência de uma espécie) e um conjunto de variáveis potencialmente preditoras, e é criado um mapa com a probabilidade de presença da espécie para uma determinada área de interesse. Neste capítulo, é usado o programa Maxent para criar modelos de distribuição potencial de um conjunto seleccionado de espécies, e os resultados obtidos são discutidos com base no conhecimento de especialistas nessas espécies.ABSTRACT: Predictive models of species distribution emerge as a valuable tool for tackling the lack of distributional information on most taxa. A function between the dependente variable (presence/absence of the species) and a set of potential predictors is established, and a map is generated for the focus area, indicating the probability of presence of the species. In this chapter, we use Maxent to develop potential distribution models for a number of selected species and we discuss the results on the basis of expert knowledge

Doença de Fabry : diagnóstico de uma doença rara

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked inborn error of glycosphingolipid metabolism due to the deficiency of α-galactosidase A. The progressive accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), particularly in the vascular endothelium, leads to renal, cardiac, and cerebrovascular manifestations and early death. Clinical manifestations include the onset of pain and paresthesias in extremities, angiokeratoma and hypohidrosis during childhood or adolescence. Proteinuria and lymphedema occur with increasing age. Severe renal impairment leads to hypertension and uremia. Death usually occurs due to renal failure or cardiac or cerebrovascular disease. Disease presentation may be subtle, and its signs and symptoms are often discounted as malingering or are mistakenly attributed to other disorders, such as rheumatic fever, neurosis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, or petechiae. We present a 46-year-old man who since adolescence has suffered from painful acroparesthesia, disseminated skin angiokeratomas, hypohidrosis and heat intolerance. He was submitted to a thorough investigation with different specialists, but never reached a diagnosis. He started hemodialysis 3 years ago and at the moment is in standby for kidney transplantation. He was enrolled in a Brazilian FD screening and a reduced serum activity of α-galactosidase A (0.0027 nmol/h/mL – reference value 4-22) confirmed the diagnosis of FD He has angiokeratoma at the bottom area, his echocardiogram demonstrated left ventricular hypertrophy and the family history is very rich, as the patient has 15 siblings. This case represents a very common story for FD patients. They usually spend most of their lives trying to find someone who could understand or explain their suffering. These results indicate that FD may be much more common among male dialysis patients than previously recognized. Subsequently, FD should be considered in every patient with unexplained renal disease, especially when cardiac or cerebral complications suggest an underlying multisystemic disorder. Early diagnosis of FD is important because it allows family studies to identify other affected relatives for genetic counseling and therapeutic intervention.A doença de Fabry (DF) é um erro inato do metabolismo dos glicoesfingolipídeos devido à deficiência da α-galactosidase A. O acúmulo progressivo de globotriaosilceramida (Gb3),particularmente no endotélio vascular, leva a manifestações renais, cardíacas e cerebrovasculares e morte precoce. As manifestações clínicas incluem o início, durante a infância ou adolescência, de episódios de dor e parestesias nas extremidades, angioqueratomas e hipohidrose. Com a idade, podem aparecer proteinúria e linfedema. Insuficiência renal grave leva à hipertensão e uremia. O óbito ocorre devido à insuficiência renal ou doença cardíaca ou cerebrovascular. A apresentação da doença pode ser sutil, e seus sinais e sintomas são erroneamente atribuídos a outras doenças, como febre reumática, neurose, esclerose múltipla, lúpus ou petéquias. Relatamos o caso de um paciente masculino com 46 anos que, desde a adolescência, sofre de acroparestesia, angioqueratomas disseminados, hipohidrose e intolerância ao calor. Ele foi submetido a extensa investigação com diferentes especialistas, mas nunca chegou a um diagnóstico. Iniciou hemodiálise há 3 anos e, no momento, está na lista de espera para transplante de rim. Participou de um programa brasileiro de triagem para DF, e uma atividade reduzida de α- galactosidase A (0,0027 nmol/h/mL – valor de referência 4-22) confirmou o diagnóstico de DF. O paciente apresenta angioqueratomas na área do calção, seu ecocardiograma demonstra hipertrofia ventricular esquerda e sua história familiar é rica, pois ele tem 15 irmãos. Este caso representa uma história muito comum entre pacientes com DF. Eles geralmente passam a maior parte de suas vidas tentando encontrar alguém que compreenda ou explique seu sofrimento. Estes resultados indicam que a DF pode ser muito mais comum entre homens que realizam hemodiálise do que antes previsto. Subseqüentemente, a DF deve ser considerada em todo paciente com doença renal sem causa aparente, principalmente quando complicações cardíacas ou cerebrovasculares sugerirem uma doença multissistêmica. O diagnóstico precoce da DF é importante, pois permite estudo familiar para identificar parentes afetados para aconselhamento genético e intervenção terapêutica