935 research outputs found
Protecting privacy of users in brain-computer interface applications
Machine learning (ML) is revolutionizing research and industry. Many ML applications rely on the use of large amounts of personal data for training and inference. Among the most intimate exploited data sources is electroencephalogram (EEG) data, a kind of data that is so rich with information that application developers can easily gain knowledge beyond the professed scope from unprotected EEG signals, including passwords, ATM PINs, and other intimate data. The challenge we address is how to engage in meaningful ML with EEG data while protecting the privacy of users. Hence, we propose cryptographic protocols based on secure multiparty computation (SMC) to perform linear regression over EEG signals from many users in a fully privacy-preserving(PP) fashion, i.e., such that each individual's EEG signals are not revealed to anyone else. To illustrate the potential of our secure framework, we show how it allows estimating the drowsiness of drivers from their EEG signals as would be possible in the unencrypted case, and at a very reasonable computational cost. Our solution is the first application of commodity-based SMC to EEG data, as well as the largest documented experiment of secret sharing-based SMC in general, namely, with 15 players involved in all the computations
Sex and lifestyle dictate learning performance in a neotropical wasp
In contrast to extensive investigations on bee cognition, the cognitive capacities of wasps remain largely unexplored despite their key role as pollinators and predators of insect pests. Here we studied learning and memory in the neotropical wasp Mischocyttarus cerberus using a Pavlovian conditioning in which harnessed wasps respond with conditioned movements of their mouthparts to a learned odorant. We focused on the different castes, sexes, and ages coexisting within a nest and found that adults of M. cerberus learned and memorized efficiently the odor-sugar associations. In contrast, newly emerged females, but not males, were unable to learn odorants. This difference concurs with their different lifestyle as young males perform regular excursions outside the nest while young females remain in it until older age. Our results thus highlight the importance of socio-ecological constraints on wasp cognition and set the basis for mechanistic studies on learning differences across ages and castes
“A Good Death” - Palliative Surgery in Trisomy 18
A trissomia 18 caracteriza-se por múltiplas anomalias, incluindo doença cardíaca em 60 a 90% dos casos e elevada mortalidade. O mau prognóstico global, conduz habitualmente a uma politica de “cuidados mínimos” mas, paliar, é também nestas situações, um imperativo ético. Descreve-se o caso de uma recém-nascida sem diagnóstico pré natal, mas
com confirmação por cariotipo, com cardiopatia, que condicionou insuficiência cardíaca congestiva e angústia respiratória crescente, inviabilizando alta hospitalar, como era desejo da família. Após consenso entre os pais e o corpo clínico responsável, foi decidida intervenção cirúrgica cardíaca paliativa, que possibilitou melhoria clínica e alta para o domicílio.
Os autores defendem que a cirurgia cardíaca pode ser uma atitude a considerar em casos de trissomia 18, pois pode aliviar o sofrimento
Psychometric properties of 4-item questionnaire for sleep habits and time in a South American paediatric population
Objectives: To assess the psychometric properties of 4-item questionnaire about sleep habits and time in South American children (3-10 years) and adolescents (11-18 years). Material and Methods: We evaluated 459 participants from seven South American cities. Two items from week and weekend days wake up time and bedtime were asked twice, with a 2-week interval. We calculated time spent in bed (subtracting wake up time from bedtime). Participants also answered the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) sleep time questionnaire. Results: The questionnaire showed acceptable temporal stability in children and adolescents on total days (rho >= 0.30; p<0.05). For total days, the questionnaire presented acceptable convergent validity only in children (rho from 0.48 to 0.62; p <= 0.01) compared with the HELENA questionnaire. Conclusion: The 4-item questionnaire is a reliable and valid tool for children; however, its validity is not consistent in adolescents for sleep habits and time
Predictive Demand Service for Public Transit Using CNN/ Atendimento Preditivo de Demanda do Transporte Público Coletivo Usando CNN
Several cities in Brazil undergo a territorial expansion and inhabitants constantly, this process is called urbanization. An uncontrolled urbanization generates many difficulties, highlighting the mobility of public transport, since many citizens depend on this mobility, we have, for example, public transport in Goiânia, which directly affects the living conditions of passengers. For your foreknowledge, a model capable of mirroring the performance of your demand is essential, providing that the system meets users in an acceptable way. A two-dimensional CNN is a CNN model that has a hidden convolutional layer that operates on a 1D sequence, it is a convenient mechanism to simulate a univariate forecast of time series of the predictive service of Goiânia's public transport. The method is equivalent to an analysis of the focal parts that make up the public transport system and how to represent it in the 1D convolutional neural network. Actual data of the systems and their results were compared to those expected, showing the model's effectiveness. This work manifests a forecast of the demand for public transport in Goiânia, to make it susceptible to users of the system.
Release of Lungworm Larvae from Snails in the Environment: Potential for Alternative Transmission Pathways
Background: Gastropod-borne parasites may cause debilitating clinical conditions in animals and humans following the consumption of infected intermediate or paratenic hosts. However, the ingestion of fresh vegetables contaminated by snail mucus and/or water has also been proposed as a source of the infection for some zoonotic metastrongyloids (e.g., Angiostrongylus cantonensis). In the meantime, the feline lungworms Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior are increasingly spreading among cat populations, along with their gastropod intermediate hosts. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of alternative transmission pathways for A. abstrusus and T. brevior L3 via the mucus of infected Helix aspersa snails and the water where gastropods died. In addition, the histological examination of snail specimens provided information on the larval localization and inflammatory reactions in the intermediate host.
Methodology/Principal Findings: Twenty-four specimens of H. aspersa received ~500 L1 of A. abstrusus and T. brevior, and were assigned to six study groups. Snails were subjected to different mechanical and chemical stimuli throughout 20 days in order to elicit the production of mucus. At the end of the study, gastropods were submerged in tap water and the sediment was observed for lungworm larvae for three consecutive days. Finally, snails were artificially digested and recovered larvae were counted and morphologically and molecularly identified. The anatomical localization of A. abstrusus and T. brevior larvae within snail tissues was investigated by histology. L3 were detected in the snail mucus (i.e., 37 A. abstrusus and 19 T. brevior) and in the sediment of submerged specimens (172 A. abstrusus and 39 T. brevior). Following the artificial digestion of H. aspersa snails, a mean number of 127.8 A. abstrusus and 60.3 T. brevior larvae were recovered. The number of snail sections positive for A. abstrusus was higher than those for T. brevior.
Conclusions: Results of this study indicate that A. abstrusus and T. brevior infective L3 are shed in the mucus of H. aspersa or in water where infected gastropods had died submerged. Both elimination pathways may represent alternative route(s) of environmental contamination and source of the infection for these nematodes under field conditions and may significantly affect the epidemiology of feline lungworms. Considering that snails may act as intermediate hosts for other metastrongyloid species, the environmental contamination by mucus-released larvae is discussed in a broader context
New structural insights into the role of TROVE2 complexes in the on-set and pathogenesis of systemic lupus eythematosus determined by a combiantion of QCM-D and DPI
The final publication is available at link.springer.com.[EN] The mechanism of self-recognition of the autoantigen TROVE2, a common biomarker in autoimmune diseases, has been studied with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and dual polarization interferometry (DPI). The complementarity and remarkable analytical features of both techniques has allowed new insights into the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to be achieved at the molecular level. The in vitro study for SLE patients and healthy subjects suggests that anti-TROVE2 autoantibodies may undergo an antibody bipolar bridging. An epitope-paratope-specific binding initially occurs to activate a hidden Fc receptor in the TROVE2 tertiary structure. This bipolar mechanism may contribute to the pathogenic accumulation of anti-TROVE2 autoantibody immune complex in autoimmune disease. Furthermore, the specific calcium-dependent protein-protein bridges point out at how the TRIM21/TROVE2 association might occur, suggesting that the TROVE2 protein could stimulate the intracellular immune signaling via the TRIM21 PRY-SPRY domain. These findings may help to better understand the origins of the specificity and affinity of TROVE2 interactions, which might play a key role in the SLE pathogenesis. This manuscript gives one of the first practical applications of two novel functions (-df/dD and Delta h/molec) for the analysis of the data provided by QCM-D and DPI. In addition, it is the first time that QCM-D has been used for mapping hidden Fc receptors as well as linear epitopes in a protein tertiary structure.We would like to thank Sylvia Daunert for her invaluable help with the discussion of the paper. Furthermore, we acknowledge financial support from the Generalitat Valenciana (GVA-PROMETEOII/2014/040) as well as the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund under award numbers CTQ2013-45875-R and CTQ2013-42914-RJuste-Dolz, AM.; Do Nascimento, NM.; Monzó, IS.; Grau-García, E.; Roman-Ivorra, JA.; López-Paz, JL.; Escorihuela Fuentes, J.... (2019). New structural insights into the role of TROVE2 complexes in the on-set and pathogenesis of systemic lupus eythematosus determined by a combiantion of QCM-D and DPI. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 411(19):4709-4720. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-018-1407-xS4709472041119Kakatia S, Teronpia R, Barmanb B. Frequency, pattern and determinants of flare in systemic lupus erythematosus: a study from North East India. Egypt Rheumatol. 2015;37:S55–9.Kuhn A, Wenzel J, Weyd H. Photosensitivity, apoptosis, and cytokines in the pathogenesis of lupus erythematosus: a critical review. Clinic Rev Allerg Immunol. 2014;47:148–62.American Lupus Foundation. 2016. http://www.lupus.org .World Health Organization. Environmental health criteria 236. Geneva: WHO Press; 2006.Li W, Titov AA, Morel L. An update on lupus animal models. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2017;29:1040–8711.Routsias JG, Tzioufas AG, Moutsopoulos HM. The clinical value of intracellular autoantigens B-cell epitopes in systemic rheumatic diseases. Clin Chim Acta. 2004;340:1–25.Franceschini F, Cavazzana I. Anti-Ro/SSA and La/SSB antibodies. Autoimmunity. 2005;38:55–63.Kelekar A, Saitta MR, Keene JD. Molecular composition of Ro small ribonucleoprotein complexes in human cells. Intracellular localization of the 60- and 52-kD proteins. J Clin Ivest. 1994;93:1637–44.Slobbe RL, Pluk W, van Venrooij WJ, Prujin GJM. Ro ribonucleoprotein assembly in vitro: identification of RNA-protein and protein-protein interactions. J Mol Biol. 1992;2:361–6.Chen X, Taylor DW, Fowler CC, Galan JE, Wang HW, Wolin SL. An RNA degradation machine sculpted by Ro autoantigen and noncoding RNA. Cell. 2013;153:166–77.Stein AJ, Fuchs G, Fu C, Wolin SL, Reinisch KM. Structural insights into RNA quality control: the Ro autoantigen binds misfolded RNAs via its central cavity. Cell. 2005;121:529–39.Reed JH, Gordon TP. Autoimmunity: Ro60-associated RNA takes its toll on disease pathogenesis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2016;12:136–8.Sim S, Weinberg DE, Fuchs G, Choi K, Chung J, Wolin SL. The subcellular distribution of an RNA quality control protein, the Ro autoantigen, is regulated by noncoding Y RNA binding. Mol Biol Cell. 2009;20:1555–64.Reed JH, Jackson MW, Gordon TP. A B cell apotope of Ro 60 in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 2008;58:1125–9.Wolin SL, Reinisch KM. The Ro 60 kDa autoantigen comes into focus: interpreting epitope mapping experiments on the basis of structure. Autoimmun Rev. 2006;5:367–72.Routsias JG, Tzioufas AG. B-cell epitopes of the intracellular autoantigens Ro/SSA and La/SSB: tools to study the regulation of the autoimmune response. J Autoimmun. 2010;35:256–64.Whittaker CA, Hynes RO. Distribution and evolution of von Willebrand/integrin a domains: widely dispersed domains with roles in cell adhesion and elsewere. Mol Bio Cell. 2002;13:3369–87.Lacy DB, Wigelsworth DJ, Scobie HM, Young JA, Collier RJ. Crystal structure of the von Willebrand factor a domain of human capillary morphogenesis protein 2: an anthrax toxin receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004;101:6367–72.O’Brien CA, Wolin SL. A possible role for the 60-kD Ro autoantigen in a discard pathway for defective 5S rRNA precursors. Genes Dev. 1994;8:2891–903.Chen X, Wolin SL. The Ro 60 autoantigen : insights into cellular function and role in autoimmunity. J Mol Med (Berl). 2004;82:232–9.Escorihuela J, González-Martínez MA, López-Paz JL, Puchades R, Maquieira A, Gimenez-Romero D. Dual-polarization interferometry: a novel technique to light up the nanomolecular world. Chem Rev. 2014;115:265–94.do Nascimento NM, Juste-Dolz A, Bueno PR, Monzó I, Tejero R, Lopez-Paz JL, et al. Mapping molecular binding by means of conformational dynamics measurements. RSC Adv. 2018;8:867–76.do Nascimento NM, Juste-Dolz A, Grau-García E, Román-Ivorra J, Puchades R, Maquieira A, et al. Label-free piezoelectric biosensor for prognosis and diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Biosens. Bioelectron. 2016;90:166–73.Seo MH, Park J, Kim E, Hohng S, Kim HS. Protein conformational dynamics dictate the binding affinity for a ligand. Nat Commun. 2014;5:3724.Lakshmanan RS, Efremov V, O’Donnell JS, Killard AJ. Measurement of the viscoelastic properties of blood plasma clot formation in response to tissue factor concentration-dependent activation. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2016;408:6581–8.Fakhrullin RF, Vinter VG, Zamaleeva AI, Matveeva MV, Kourbanov RA, Temesgen BK, et al. Quartz crystal microbalance immunosensor for the detection of antibodies to double-stranded DNA. Anal Bioanl Chem. 2007;388:367–75.Shen F, Rojas OJ, Genzer J, Gurgel PV, Carbonell RG. Affinity interactions of human immunoglobulin G with short peptides: role of ligand spacer on binding, kinetics, and mass transfer. Anal Bioanl Chem. 2015;408:1829–41.Fogarty AC, Laage D. Water dynamics in protein hydration shells: the molecular origins of the dynamical perturbation. J Phys Chem B. 2014;118:7715–29.Born B, Kim SJ, Ebbinghaus S, Gruebelebc M, Havenith M. The terahertz dance of water with the proteins: the effect of protein flexibility on the dynamical hydration shell of ubiquitin. Faraday Discuss. 2009;141:161–73.Yoshimi R, Ueda A, Ozato K, Ishigatsubo Y. Clinical and pathological roles of Ro/SSA autoantibody system. Clin Dev Immunol. 2012;2012:606195.Boire G, Gendron M, Monast N, Bastin B, Ménard HA. Purification of antigenically intact Ro ribonucleoproteins; biochemical and immunological evidence that the 52-kD protein is not a Ro protein. Clin Exp Immunol. 1995;100:489–98.Gazzaruso C, Montecucco CM, Geroldi D, Garzaniti A, Finardi G. Severe hypercalcemia and systemic lupus erythematosus. Joint Bone Spine. 2000;67:485–8.Hassan AB, Lundberg IE, Isenberg D, Wahren-Herlenius M. Serial analysis of Ro/SSA and La/SSB antibody levels and correlation with clinical disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Scand J Rheumatol. 2002;31:133–9.Huang RY, Chen G. Higher order structure characterization of protein therapeutics by hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2014;406:6541–58.Yu F, Roy S, Arevalo E, Schaeck J, Wang J, Holte K, et al. Characterization of heparin-protein interaction by saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2014;406:3079–89.Rizzuto R, Pozzan T. Microdomains of intracellular Ca2+: molecular determinants and functional consequences. Physiol Rev. 2006;86:369–408.Gaipl US, Kuhn A, Sheriff A, Munoz LE, Franz S, Voll RE, et al. Clearance of apoptotic cells in human SLE. Curr Dir Autoimmun. 2006;9:173–87.Falati S, Edmead CE, Poole AW. Glycoprotein Ib-V-IX, a receptor for Von Willebrand factor, couples physically and functionally to the Fc receptor gamma-chain, Fyn, and Lyn to activate human platelets. Blood. 1999;94:1648–56.Muñoz LE, Lauber K, Schiller M, Manfredi AA, Herrmann M. The role of defective clearance of apoptotic cells in systemic autoimmunity. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2010;6:280–9
Soil water-holding capacity and monodominance in Southern Amazon tropical forests
Background and aims: We explored the hypothesis that low soil water-holding capacity is the main factor driving the monodominance of Brosimum rubescens in a monodominant forest in Southern Amazonia. Tropical monodominant forests are rare ecosystems with low diversity and high dominance of a single tree species. The causes of this atypical condition are still poorly understood. Some studies have shown a relationship between monodominance and waterlogging or soil attributes, while others have concluded that edaphic factors have little or no explanatory value, but none has accounted for soil-moisture variation other than waterlogging. This study is the first to explicitly explore how low soil water-holding capacity influences the monodominance of tropical forests.
Methods: We conducted in situ measurements of vertical soil moisture using electrical resistance collected over 1 year at 0–5; 35–40 and 75–80 cm depths in a B. rubescens monodominant forest and in an adjacent mixed-species forest in the Amazon-Cerrado transition zone, Brazil. Minimum leaf water potential (Ψmin) of the seven most common species, including B. rubescens, and soil water-holding capacity for both forests were determined.
Results: The vertical soil moisture decay pattern was similar in both forests for all depths. However, the slightly higher water availability in the monodominant forest and Ψmin similarity between B. rubescens and nearby mixed forest species indicate that low water-availability does not cause the monodominance.
Conclusions: We reject the hypothesis that monodominance of B. rubescens is primarily determined by low soil water-holding capacity, reinforcing the idea that monodominance in tropical forests is not determined by a single factor
Nutritional status of pre-school children from low income families
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We evaluated growth and nutritional status of preschool children between 2 and 6 years old from low income families from 14 daycare centers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional study with 1544 children from daycare centers of Santo Andre, Brazil. Body weight (W), height (H) and body mass index (BMI) were classified according to the 2000 National Center for Health Statistics (CDC/NCHS). Cutoff points for nutritional disorders: -2 z scores and 2.5 and 10 percentiles for malnutrition risk, 85 to 95 percentile for overweight and above BMI 95 percentile for obesity. Stepwise Forward Regression method was used including age, gender, birth weight, breastfeeding duration, age of mother at birth and period of time they attended the daycare center.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Children presented mean z scores of H, W and BMI above the median of the CDC/NCHS reference. Girls were taller and heavier than boys, while we observed similar BMI between both genders. The z scores tended to rise with age. A Pearson Coefficient of Correlation of 0.89 for W, 0.93 for H and 0.95 for BMI was documented indicating positive association of age with weight, height and BMI. The frequency of children below -2 z scores was lower than expected: 1.5% for W, 1.75% for H and 0% for BMI, which suggests that there were no malnourished children. The other extremity of the distribution evidenced prevalence of overweight and obesity of 16.8% and 10.8%, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Low income preschool children are in an advanced stage of nutritional transition with a high prevalence of overweight.</p
Equações internacionais superestimam a força muscular ventilatória em crianças e adolescentes com fibrose cística
- …