The HSV-1 Latency-Associated Transcript Functions to Repress Latent Phase Lytic Gene Expression and Suppress Virus Reactivation from Latently Infected Neurons

open access articleHerpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) establishes life-long latent infection within sensory neurons, during which viral lytic gene expression is silenced. The only highly expressed viral gene product during latent infection is the latency-associated transcript (LAT), a non-protein coding RNA that has been strongly implicated in the epigenetic regulation of HSV-1 gene expression. We have investigated LAT-mediated control of latent gene expression using chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses and LAT-negative viruses engineered to express firefly luciferase or β-galactosidase from a heterologous lytic promoter. Whilst we were unable to determine a significant effect of LAT expression upon heterochromatin enrichment on latent HSV-1 genomes, we show that reporter gene expression from latent HSV-1 genomes occurs at a greater frequency in the absence of LAT. Furthermore, using luciferase reporter viruses we have observed that HSV-1 gene expression decreases during long-term latent infection, with a most marked effect during LAT-negative virus infection. Finally, using a fluorescent mouse model of infection to isolate and culture single latently infected neurons, we also show that reactivation occurs at a greater frequency from cultures harbouring LAT-negative HSV-1. Together, our data suggest that the HSV-1 LAT RNA represses HSV-1 gene expression in small populations of neurons within the mouse TG, a phenomenon that directly impacts upon the frequency of reactivation and the maintenance of the transcriptionally active latent reservoir

Distinguishing nanowire and nanotube formation by the deposition current transients

AbstractHigh aspect ratio Ni nanowires (NWs) and nanotubes (NTs) were electrodeposited inside ordered arrays of self-assembled pores (approximately 50 nm in diameter and approximately 50 μm in length) in anodic alumina templates by a potentiostatic method. The current transients monitored during each process allowed us to distinguish between NW and NT formation. The depositions were long enough for the deposited metal to reach the top of the template and form a continuous Ni film. The overfilling process was found to occur in two steps when depositing NWs and in a single step in the case of NTs. A comparative study of the morphological, structural, and magnetic properties of the Ni NWs and NTs was performed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry, respectively.M. P. Proença and C. T. Sousa are thankful to FCT for the doctoral and postdoctoral grants SFRH/BD/43440/2008 and SFRH/BPD/82010/2011, respectively. J. Ventura acknowledges the financial support through FSE/POPH. M Vázquez thanks the Spanish Ministry of Economia y Competitividad, MEC, under project MAT2010-20798-C05-01. J. P. Araújo also thanks the Fundação Gulbenkian for its financial support within the ‘Programa Gulbenkian de Estímulo à Investigação Científica’. The authors acknowledge the funding from FCT through the Associated Laboratory - IN and project PTDC/FIS/105416/2008.Peer Reviewe

Magnetic behaviour of multisegmented FeCoCu/Cu electrodeposited nanowires

Understanding the magnetic behaviour of multisegmented nanowires (NWs) is a major key for the application of such structures in future devices. In this work, magnetic/non-magnetic arrays of FeCoCu/Cu multilayered NWs electrodeposited in nanoporous alumina templates are studied. Contrarily to most reports on multilayered NWs, the magnetic layer thickness was kept constant (30 nm) and only the non-magnetic layer thickness was changed (0 to 80 nm). This allowed us to tune the interwire and intrawire interactions between the magnetic layers in the NW array creating a three-dimensional (3D) magnetic system without the need to change the template characteristics. Magnetic hysteresis loops, measured with the applied field parallel and perpendicular to the NWs' long axis, showed the effect of the non-magnetic Cu layer on the overall magnetic properties of the NW arrays. In particular, introducing Cu layers along the magnetic NW axis creates domain wall nucleation sites that facilitate the magnetization reversal of the wires, as seen by the decrease in the parallel coercivity and the reduction of the perpendicular saturation field. By further increasing the Cu layer thickness, the interactions between the magnetic segments, both along the NW axis and of neighbouring NWs, decrease, thus rising again the parallel coercivity and the perpendicular saturation field. This work shows how one can easily tune the parallel and perpendicular magnetic properties of a 3D magnetic layer system by adjusting the non-magnetic layer thickness

Cobalt ferrite thin films deposited by electrophoresis on p-doped Si substrates

The structural and magnetic properties of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) thin films deposited by electrophoresis on p-doped Si(001) substrates have been characterized. The films were polycrystalline and composed by cobalt ferrite with the cubic spinnel structure. The observed decrease of the coercive field with the sixth power of the grain size was indicative of a competition between the magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the exchange coupling energy, on these randomly oriented nanosized grained films.J. Barbosa and M.P. Proenca gratefully acknowledge a PhD grant from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/41913/2007 and SFRH/BD/43440/2008, respectively)

The role of Cu length on the magnetic behaviour of Fe/Cu multi-segmented nanowires

CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOA set of multi-segmented Fe/Cu nanowires were synthesized by a two-step anodization process of aluminum substrates and a pulsed electrodeposition technique using a single bath. While both Fe segment length and diameter were kept constant to (30 +/- 7) and (45 +/- 5) nm, respectively, Cu length was varied between (15 +/- 5) and (120 +/- 10) nm. The influence of the non-magnetic layer thickness variation on the nanowire magnetic properties was investigated through first-order reversal curve (FORC) measurements and micromagnetic simulations. Our analysis confirmed that, in the multi-segmented Fe/Cu nanowires with shorter Cu segments, the dipolar coupling between Fe segments controls the nanowire magnetic behavior, and its performance is like that of a homogenous Fe nanowire array of similar dimensions. On the other hand, multi-segmented Fe/Cu nanowires with larger Cu segments act like a collection of non-interacting magnetic entities (along the nanowire axis), and their global behavior is mainly controlled by the neighbor-to-neighbor nanodisc dipolar interactions.87112CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO234513/2014-4sem informaçãoAgências de fomento estrangeiras apoiaram essa pesquisa, mais informações acesse artig

Near real-time security system applied to SDN environments in IoT networks using convolutional neural network

[EN] The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm brings new and promising possibilities for services and products. The heterogeneity of IoT devices highlights the inefficiency of traditional networks' structures to support their specific requirements due to their lack of flexibility. Thus, Software-defined Networking (SDN) is commonly associated with IoT since this architecture provides a more flexible and manageable network environment. As shown by recent events, IoT devices may be used for large scale Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks due to their lack of security. This kind of attack is commonly detected and mitigated at the destination-end network but, due to the massive volume of information that IoT botnets generate, this approach is becoming impracticable. We propose in this paper a near real-time SDN security system that both prevents DDoS attacks on the source-end network and protects the sources SDN controller against traffic impairment. For this, we apply and test a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for DDoS detection, and describe how the system could mitigate the detected attacks. The performance outcomes were performed in two test scenarios, and the results pointed out that the proposed SDN security system is promising against next-generation DDoS attacks. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.This study was financed in part by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) of Brazil under Grants 310668/2019-0 and 309335/2017-5; by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad in the "Programa Estatal de Fomento de la Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica de Excelencia, Subprograma Estatal de Generacion de Conocimiento" within the project under Grant TIN2017-84802-C2-1-P; by FCT/MCTES through national funds and when applicable co-funded EU funds under the Project UIDB/EEA/50008/2020; and by the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES) by the granting of a scholarship through the "Programa de Doutorado Sanduche no Exterior (PDSE) 2019". Finally, this work was supported by Federal University of Parana(UFPR) under Project Banpesq/2014016797.De Assis, MVO.; Carvalho, LF.; Rodrigues, JJPC.; Lloret, J.; Proenca Jr, ML. (2020). Near real-time security system applied to SDN environments in IoT networks using convolutional neural network. Computers & Electrical Engineering. 86:1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compeleceng.2020.1067381168

Qualifying instrument for evaluation of food and nutritional care in hospital

Establishing criteria for hospital nutrition care ensures that quality care is delivered to patients. The responsibility of the Hospital Food and Nutrition Service (HFNS) is not always well defined, despite efforts to establish guidelines for patient clinical nutrition practice. This study describes the elaboration of an Instrument for Evaluation of Food and Nutritional Care (IEFNC) aimed at directing the actions of the Hospital Food and Nutrition Service. This instrument was qualified by means of a comparative analysis of the categories related to hospital food and nutritional care, published in the literature. Elaboration of the IEFNC comprised the following stages: (a) a survey of databases and documents for selection of the categories to be used in nutrition care evaluation, (b) a study of the institutional procedures for nutrition practice at two Brazilian hospitals, in order to provide a description of the sequence of actions that should be taken by the HFNS as well as other services participating in nutrition care, (c) design of the IEFNC based on the categories published in the literature, adapted to the sequence of actions observed in the routines of the hospitals under study, (d) application of the questionnaire at two different hospitals that was mentioned in the item (b), in order to assess the time spent on its application, the difficulties in phrasing the questions, and the coverage of the instrument, and (e) finalization of the instrument. The IEFNC consists of 50 open and closed questions on two areas of food and nutritional care in hospital: inpatient nutritional care and food service quality. It deals with the characterization and structure of hospitals and their HFNS, the actions concerning the patients' nutritional evaluation and monitoring, the meal production system, and the hospital diets. "This questionnaire is a tool that can be seen as a portrait of the structure and characteristics of the HFNS and its performance in clinical and meal management dietitian activities." (Nutr Hosp. 2012;27:1170-1177) DOI:10.3305/nh.2012.27.4.5868FAPESP (Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP

Experimental evaluation of a passive flow-control device for a tiltrotor aircraft

This work presents a preliminary investigation into tiltrotor propeller/nacelle/wing flows, and the flow breakdowns that can lead to the phenomenon of whirl flutter. Static blade measurements were performed, results suggesting that tubercles have the potential to provide an increase in performance for the baseline blade design. A small-scale propeller rig (0.7 m swept diameter) has been designed, manufactured, and commissioned at Cranfield’s 8x6 Wind Tunnel. This new rig operates well under static and up to wind speeds of at least 30 m/s. The effect of blade pitch angle (0 to 10◦ ) and propeller rotational speed (0 to 3000 rpm) have been investigated successfully. Forces measured on the wing set at angles of attack within the range 0 to 22◦ indicate the well-established effects due to propeller slipstream. Overall, the propeller wake flow slightly decreases the lift generated by the wing model, whilst also delaying stall. Pressure taps and accelerometers mounted on the wing and propeller nacelle effectively captured the slipstream effects, blade passing frequency, and flow separation regions. Finally, blades containing tubercle-shaped vortex generators were mounted to the propeller rig. Preliminary test results for the tubercle blades are reported in the paper. Overall, effects due to the propeller slipstream are dominant on forces, pressure distribution and vibration of the wing model. At the current stage of this ongoing investigation, it is not possible to conclude whether the tubercles provide any benefit to either the propeller or wing aerodynamic efficiencies. The rig is being equipped to measure propeller thrust and torque. Flow field investigation will also be carried out in future campaigns

Hypertrophic Adenoid Is A Major Infection Site Of Human Bocavirus 1.

Human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) is associated with respiratory infections worldwide, mainly in children. Similar to other parvoviruses, it is believed that HBoV1 can persist for long periods of time in humans, probably through maintaining concatemers of the virus single-stranded DNA genome in the nuclei of infected cells. Recently, HBoV-1 was detected in high rates in adenoid and palatine tonsils samples from patients with chronic adenotonsillar diseases, but nothing is known about the virus replication levels in those tissues. A 3-year prospective hospital-based study was conducted to detect and quantify HBoV1 DNA and mRNAs in samples of the adenoids (AD), palatine tonsils (PT), nasopharyngeal secretions (NPS), and peripheral blood (PB) from patients undergoing tonsillectomy for tonsillar hypertrophy or recurrent tonsillitis. HBoV1 was detected in 25.3% of the AD samples, while the rates of detection in the PT, NPS, and PB samples were 7.2%, 10.5%, and 1.7%, respectively. The viral loads were higher in AD samples, and 27.3% of the patients with HBoV had mRNA detectable in this tissue. High viral loads and detectable mRNA in the AD were associated with HBoV1 detection in the other sample sites. The adenoids are an important site of HBoV1 replication and persistence in children with tonsillar hypertrophy. The adenoids contain high HBoV1 loads and are frequently positive for HBoV mRNA, and this is associated with the detection of HBoV1 in secretions.523030-