Simulation of transient thermal comfort in trains

Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, South Africa, 1-4 July, 2007.The present investigation deals with the challenges in all vehicle industries with respect to air conditioning taking into account transient effects. Transient phenomena occur mainly during door opening and closing, pre-cooling, pre-heating. Numerous vehicles have difficulties to meet the thermal comfort criteria which are imposed by the customer. Typically, requirements are given for the minimum and maximum air velocity, the temperature level, the maximum gradient in different sections and the fresh air rate. More sophisticated requirements includes the predicted mean vote (PMV) and predicted percentage dissatisfied (PPD). Tools which are capable to predict the impact of relevant design options have been used in steady state for several years already. The possibility to use these tools for transient processes in an industrial framework will be discussed.cs201

La implementación de TIC en temas ambientales en la formación de profesores de enseñanza primaria

Uno de los desafíos actuales de la formación docente es la incorporación de un lenguaje nuevo que aparece de la mano de las nuevas tecnologías. Esta comunicación presenta una investigación que da cuenta de la implementación de las TIC en la formación docente, a través del uso de la plataforma educativa y del diseño de un blog para difundir el trabajo realizado por alumnos de la Cátedra de Didáctica de las Ciencias Naturales. La implementación de las TIC y el enfoque CTSA, surgen como una alternativa diferente, mediante la cual el proceso de enseñanza –aprendizaje de las ciencias se concibe como una estrategia enriquecedora en la que se tienen en cuenta diversas variables que contribuyen a motivar a los estudiantes para la reconstrucción de su conocimiento

Linfopenia B: Reporte de Casos

1 p.La linfopenia B (<2%) es un hallazgo poco frecuente. Cuando se acompaña de niveles séricos de inmunoglobulinas (Igs) menores a 2DS para la edad permite realizar un diagnóstico (Dx) posible de Agammaglobulinemia (AG). Es una Inmunodeficiencia Primaria predominantemente de anticuerpos de herencia ligada al X (AG-X) en la mayoría de los casos.Fil: Raimondo, Natalia. Hospital de Niños Santísima Trinidad; ArgentinaFil: Selina, Manrique. Hospital de Niños Santísima Trinidad; ArgentinaFil: Cassinerio, Adriana. Hospital de Niños Santísima Trinidad; ArgentinaFil: Mosca, Liliana. Hospital de Niños Santísima Trinidad; ArgentinaFil: Orellano, Julio. Hospital de Niños Santísima Trinidad; ArgentinaPediatrí

MicroRNA signature from extracellular vesicles of HCV/HIV co-infected individuals differs from HCV mono-infected

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has a detrimental impact on disease progression. Increasing evidence points to extracellular vesicles (EVs) as important players of the host-viral cross-talk. The microRNAs (miRNAs), as essential components of EVs cargo, are key regulators of normal cellular processes and also promote viral replication, viral pathogenesis, and disease progression. We aimed to characterize the plasma-derived EVs miRNA signature of chronic HCV infected and HIV coinfected patients to unravel the molecular mechanisms of coinfection. EVs were purified and characterized from 50 plasma samples (21 HCV mono- and 29 HCV/HIV co-infected). EV-derived small RNAs were isolated and analyzed by massive sequencing. Known and de novo miRNAs were identified with miRDeep2. Significant differentially expressed (SDE) miRNA identification was performed with generalized linear models and their putative dysregulated biological pathways were evaluated. Study groups were similar for most clinical and epidemiological characteristics. No differences were observed in EVs size or concentration between groups. Therefore, HCV/HIV co-infection condition did not affect the concentration or size of EVs but produced a disturbance in plasma-derived EVs miRNA cargo. Thus, a total of 149 miRNAs were identified (143 known and 6 de novo) leading to 37 SDE miRNAs of which 15 were upregulated and 22 downregulated in HCV/HIV co-infected patients. SDE miRNAs regulate genes involved in inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer, modulating different biological pathways related to HCV and HIV pathogenesis. These findings may help to develop new generation biomarkers and treatment strategies, in addition to elucidate the mechanisms underlying virus-host interaction. KEY MESSAGES: HCV and HCV/HIV displayed similar plasma-EV size and concentration. EVs- derived miRNA profile was characterized by NGS. 37 SDE miRNAs between HCV and HCV/HIV were observed. SDE miRNAs regulate genes involved in inflammation, fibrosis and cancer.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work has been supported by grants from (1) Institute of Health Carlos III, Spain [PI18CIII/00020/ to AFR], (2) PID2021–126781OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”, (3) The SPANISH AIDS Research Network RD16CIII/0002/0002 - ISCIII – FEDER, (4) Centro de Investigación en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC) CB21/13/00044, (5) the National Agency for Scientific and Technology Promotion (ANPCyT) (PICT 2017 Nº713), and (6) the National Research Council (CONICET, PIP 2021-2023). V.C. received funding form the Asociación Universitaria Iberoamericana de Postgrado (AUIP) for the Academic Mobility Scholarship Program. P.V., E.D.M., and M.V.P. are members of the CONICET-Research Career Program. V.C. is a fellow from ANPCyT. The funder’s had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or the preparation of the manuscript.S

Spectroscopic and Mechanistic Studies of Heterodimetallic Forms of Metallo-β-lactamase NDM-1

In an effort to characterize the roles of each metal ion in metallo-β-lactamase NDM-1, heterodimetallic analogues (CoCo-, ZnCo-, and CoCd-) of the enzyme were generated and characterized. UV–vis, 1H NMR, EPR, and EXAFS spectroscopies were used to confirm the fidelity of the metal substitutions, including the presence of a homogeneous, heterodimetallic cluster, with a single-atom bridge. This marks the first preparation of a metallo-β-lactamase selectively substituted with a paramagnetic metal ion, Co(II), either in the Zn1 (CoCd-NDM-1) or in the Zn2 site (ZnCo-NDM-1), as well as both (CoCo-NDM-1). We then used these metal-substituted forms of the enzyme to probe the reaction mechanism, using steady-state and stopped-flow kinetics, stopped-flow fluorescence, and rapid-freeze-quench EPR. Both metal sites show significant effects on the kinetic constants, and both paramagnetic variants (CoCd- and ZnCo-NDM-1) showed significant structural changes on reaction with substrate. These changes are discussed in terms of a minimal kinetic mechanism that incorporates all of the data

The Monofunctional Catalase KatE of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri Is Required for Full Virulence in Citrus Plants

BACKGROUND: Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) is an obligate aerobic phytopathogen constantly exposed to hydrogen peroxide produced by normal aerobic respiration and by the plant defense response during plant-pathogen interactions. Four putative catalase genes have been identified in silico in the Xac genome, designated as katE, catB, srpA (monofunctional catalases) and katG (bifunctional catalase). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Xac catalase activity was analyzed using native gel electrophoresis and semi-quantitative RT-PCR. We demonstrated that the catalase activity pattern was regulated in different growth stages displaying the highest levels during the stationary phase. KatE was the most active catalase in this phase of growth. At this stage cells were more resistant to hydrogen peroxide as was determined by the analysis of CFU after the exposition to different H(2)O(2) concentrations. In addition, Xac exhibited an adaptive response to hydrogen peroxide, displaying higher levels of catalase activity and H(2)O(2) resistance after treatment with sub-lethal concentrations of the oxidant. In the plant-like medium XVM2 the expression of KatE was strongly induced and in this medium Xac was more resistant to H(2)O(2). A XackatE mutant strain was constructed by insertional mutagenesis. We observed that catalase induction in stationary phase was lost meanwhile the adaptive response to peroxide was maintained in this mutant. Finally, the XackatE strain was assayed in planta during host plant interaction rendering a less aggressive phenotype with a minor canker formation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirmed that in contrast to other Xanthomonas species, Xac catalase-specific activity is induced during the stationary phase of growth in parallel with the bacterial resistance to peroxide challenge. Moreover, Xac catalases expression pattern is modified in response to any stimuli associated with the plant or the microenvironment it provides. The catalase KatE has been shown to have an important function for the colonization and survival of the bacterium in the citrus plant during the pathogenic process. Our work provides the first genetic evidence to support a monofunctional catalase as a virulence factor in Xac

Field Effectiveness of Pandemic and 2009-2010 Seasonal Vaccines against 2009-2010 A(H1N1) Influenza: Estimations from Surveillance Data in France

BACKGROUND: In this study, we assess how effective pandemic and trivalent 2009-2010 seasonal vaccines were in preventing influenza-like illness (ILI) during the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic in France. We also compare vaccine effectiveness against ILI versus laboratory-confirmed pandemic A(H1N1) influenza, and assess the possible bias caused by using non-specific endpoints and observational data. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We estimated vaccine effectiveness by using the following formula: VE  =  (PPV-PCV)/(PPV(1-PCV)) × 100%, where PPV is the proportion vaccinated in the population and PCV the proportion of vaccinated influenza cases. People were considered vaccinated three weeks after receiving a dose of vaccine. ILI and pandemic A(H1N1) laboratory-confirmed cases were obtained from two surveillance networks of general practitioners. During the epidemic, 99.7% of influenza isolates were pandemic A(H1N1). Pandemic and seasonal vaccine uptakes in the population were obtained from the National Health Insurance database and by telephonic surveys, respectively. Effectiveness estimates were adjusted by age and week. The presence of residual biases was explored by calculating vaccine effectiveness after the influenza period. The effectiveness of pandemic vaccines in preventing ILI was 52% (95% confidence interval: 30-69) during the pandemic and 33% (4-55) after. It was 86% (56-98) against confirmed influenza. The effectiveness of seasonal vaccines against ILI was 61% (56-66) during the pandemic and 19% (-10-41) after. It was 60% (41-74) against confirmed influenza. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of pandemic vaccines in preventing confirmed pandemic A(H1N1) influenza on the field was high, consistently with published findings. It was significantly lower against ILI. This is unsurprising since not all ILI cases are caused by influenza. Trivalent 2009-2010 seasonal vaccines had a statistically significant effectiveness in preventing ILI and confirmed pandemic influenza, but were not better in preventing confirmed pandemic influenza than in preventing ILI. This lack of difference might be indicative of selection bias

Older People’s Needs and Opportunities for Assistive Technologies

Older adults experience a disconnect between their needs and adoption of technologies that have potential to assist and to support more independent living. This paper reviewed research that links people’s needs with opportunities for assistive technologies. It searched 13 databases identifying 923 papers with 34 papers finally included for detailed analysis. The research papers identified needs in the fields of health, leisure, living, safety, communication, family relationship and social involvement. Amongst these, support for activities of daily living category was of most interest. In specific sub-categories, the next most reported need was assistive technology to support walking and mobility followed by smart cooking/kitchen technology and assistive technology for social contacts with family member/other people. The research aimed to inform a program of research into improving the adoption of technologies where they can ameliorate identified needs of older people

A LOV Protein Modulates the Physiological Attributes of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri Relevant for Host Plant Colonization

Recent studies have demonstrated that an appropriate light environment is required for the establishment of efficient vegetal resistance responses in several plant-pathogen interactions. The photoreceptors implicated in such responses are mainly those belonging to the phytochrome family. Data obtained from bacterial genome sequences revealed the presence of photosensory proteins of the BLUF (Blue Light sensing Using FAD), LOV (Light, Oxygen, Voltage) and phytochrome families with no known functions. Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for citrus canker. The in silico analysis of the X. axonopodis pv. citri genome sequence revealed the presence of a gene encoding a putative LOV photoreceptor, in addition to two genes encoding BLUF proteins. This suggests that blue light sensing could play a role in X. axonopodis pv. citri physiology. We obtained the recombinant Xac-LOV protein by expression in Escherichia coli and performed a spectroscopic analysis of the purified protein, which demonstrated that it has a canonical LOV photochemistry. We also constructed a mutant strain of X. axonopodis pv. citri lacking the LOV protein and found that the loss of this protein altered bacterial motility, exopolysaccharide production and biofilm formation. Moreover, we observed that the adhesion of the mutant strain to abiotic and biotic surfaces was significantly diminished compared to the wild-type. Finally, inoculation of orange (Citrus sinensis) leaves with the mutant strain of X. axonopodis pv. citri resulted in marked differences in the development of symptoms in plant tissues relative to the wild-type, suggesting a role for the Xac-LOV protein in the pathogenic process. Altogether, these results suggest the novel involvement of a photosensory system in the regulation of physiological attributes of a phytopathogenic bacterium. A functional blue light receptor in Xanthomonas spp. has been described for the first time, showing an important role in virulence during citrus canker disease