328 research outputs found
Linguistic summarization of time series data using genetic algorithms
In this paper, the use of an evolutionary approach when obtaining linguistic summaries from time series data is proposed. We assume the availability of a hierarchical partition of the time dimension in the time series. The use of natural language allows the human users to understand the resulting summaries in an easy way. The number of possible final summaries and the different ways of measuring their quality has taken us to adopt the use of a multi objective evolutionary algorithm. We compare the results of the new approach with our previous greedy algorithms
High-spin states and band terminations in v 49
High-spin states in 49 V have been studied through the 28 Si(28 Si, α3p) reaction using the EUROBALL γ-ray detector array. The 49 V level scheme has been extended up to 13.1 MeV including 21 new states. Both negative and positive parity states have been interpreted in the framework of theShell Model. The 27/2− and the 31/2+ band termination states have been observed in agreement with theoretical predictions.Fil: Rodrigues Ferreira Maltez, Dario Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; ArgentinaFil: Hojman, Daniel Leonardo. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lenzi, Silvia M.. Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare.; Italia. Università di Padova; ItaliaFil: Cardona, Maria Angelica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Fernea, Enrico. Università di Padova; Italia. Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare.; ItaliaFil: Axiotis, M.. Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare.; ItaliaFil: Beck, C.. Université de Strasbourg; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Bednarczyk, P.. Polish Academy of Sciences; ArgentinaFil: Bizzetti, P. G.. Università di Padova; Italia. Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare.; ItaliaFil: Bizzetti Sona, A. M.. Università di Padova; Italia. Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare.; ItaliaFil: Della Vedova, F.. Università di Padova; Italia. Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare.; ItaliaFil: Grebosz, J.. Polish Academy of Sciences; ArgentinaFil: Haas, F.. Université de Strasbourg; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Kmiecik, M.. Polish Academy of Sciences; ArgentinaFil: Maj, A.. Polish Academy of Sciences; ArgentinaFil: Męczyński, W.. Polish Academy of Sciences; ArgentinaFil: Napoli, D. R.. Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare.; ItaliaFil: Nespolo, M.. Università di Padova; Italia. Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare.; ItaliaFil: Papka, P.. Université de Strasbourg; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Sánchez i Zafra, A.. Université de Strasbourg; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Styczen, J.. Polish Academy of Sciences; ArgentinaFil: Thummerer, S.. Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung; AlemaniaFil: Ziębliński, M.. Polish Academy of Sciences; Argentin
Molecular cloning and expression of a putative crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) of Litopenaeus vannamei in Pichia pastoris
Crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) is the most abundant and best
studied member of the CHH/MIH/GIH neuropeptide hormone family. CHH
plays a major role in controlling glucose levels in the hemolymph, and
it also has significance in regulating molting, reproduction, and
osmoregulation. In contrast, molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH) is
responsible for maintaining animals in an intermolt stage. In this
study, Liv-MIH-1 cDNA, which encodes a mature neuropeptide from the
eyestalk of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei , was expressed in
methylotrophic yeast ( Pichia pastoris KM71) under the control of an
alcohol oxidase promoter. Recombinant Liv-MIH-1 was secreted into the
culture medium using the \u3b1-factor prepro-sequence without Glu-Ala
repeats. The expectedprotein, which had an apparent molecular mass of
12.1 kDa, was detected by Tricine-SDS-PAGE analysis and confirmed by
Western blot. Pure recombinant Liv- MIH-1 was obtained by affinity
chromatography, and N-terminal sequence analysis confirmed expression
of the protein. Biological assays for CHH and MIH activity were also
performed. Purified recombinant Liv-MIH-1 showed the ability to elevate
the glucose level of hemolymph ofL. vannamei, but molting was
unaffected. Since these results are in agreement with the high
structural and phylogenetic similarity that has been observed between
Liv-MIH-1 and other CHH neuropeptides we propose to rename the protein
Liv-CHH-SG1
Conformational polymorphic changes in the crystal structure of the chiral antiparasitic drug praziquantel and interactions with calcium carbonate
Praziquantel is an antiparasitic drug used for decades. Currently, the praziquantel commercial preparation is a racemic mixture, in which only the levo-enantiomer possesses anthelmintic activity. The knowledge of its properties in the solid state and other chemical-physical properties is necessary for improving its efficacy and applications. Drug solid dispersions were prepared with calcium carbonate at 1:5 drug to excipient weight ratio by solvent evaporation method. Then, the modification of the crystal structure of the racemic polymorph of praziquantel in presence of calcium carbonate has been studied by means of several analytical techniques (DSC,TGA, XRD, SEM, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy and chiral liquid chromatography). This study has been completed with atomistic calculations based on empirical interatomic force fields and quantum mechanics methods applied to the crystal structure of praziquantel and of intermolecular interactions. The results evidenced that calcium carbonate provoked a conformational change in the praziquantel molecule yielding the formation of different polymorphs of praziquantel crystal. These alterations were not observed replacing calcium carbonate with colloidal silica as excipient in the solid dispersion
Biomimetic Citrate-Coated Luminescent Apatite Nanoplatforms for Diclofenac Delivery in Inflammatory Environments
Luminescent nanoparticles are innovative tools for medicine, allowing the imaging of cells and tissues, and, at the same time, carrying and releasing different types of molecules. We explored and compared the loading/release ability of diclofenac (COX-2 antagonist), in both undoped- and luminescent Terbium3+ (Tb3+)-doped citrate-coated carbonated apatite nanoparticles at different temperatures (25, 37, 40 \ub0C) and pHs (7.4, 5.2). The cytocompatibility was evaluated on two osteosarcoma cell lines and primary human osteoblasts. Biological effects of diclofenac-loaded-nanoparticles were monitored in an in vitro osteoblast\u2019s cytokine\u2013induced inflammation model by evaluating COX-2 mRNA expression and production of PGE2. Adsorption isotherms fitted the multilayer Langmuir-Freundlich model. The maximum adsorbed amounts at 37 \ub0C were higher than at 25 \ub0C, and particularly when using the Tb3+ -doped particles. Diclofenac-release efficiencies were higher at pH 5.2, a condition simulating a local inflammation. The luminescence properties of diclofenac-loaded Tb3+ -doped particles were affected by pH, being the relative luminescence intensity higher at pH 5.2 and the luminescence lifetime higher at pH 7.4, but not influenced either by the temperature or by the diclofenac-loaded amount. Both undoped and Tb3+-doped nanoparticles were cytocompatible. In addition, diclofenac release increased COX-2 mRNA expression and decreased PGE2 production in an in vitro inflammation model. These findings evidence the potential of these nanoparticles for osteo-localized delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs and the possibility to localize the inflammation, characterized by a decrease in pH, by changes in luminescence
Width-Dependent Band Gap in Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons Reveals Fermi Level Pinning on Au(111)
We report the energy level alignment evolution of valence and conduction bands of armchair-oriented graphene nanoribbons (aGNR) as their band gap shrinks with increasing width. We use 4,4\u2033-dibromo-para-terphenyl as the molecular precursor on Au(111) to form extended poly-para-phenylene nanowires, which can subsequently be fused sideways to form atomically precise aGNRs of varying widths. We measure the frontier bands by means of scanning tunneling spectroscopy, corroborating that the nanoribbon's band gap is inversely proportional to their width. Interestingly, valence bands are found to show Fermi level pinning as the band gap decreases below a threshold value around 1.7 eV. Such behavior is of critical importance to understand the properties of potential contacts in GNR-based devices. Our measurements further reveal a particularly interesting system for studying Fermi level pinning by modifying an adsorbate's band gap while maintaining an almost unchanged interface chemistry defined by substrate and adsorbate
Influence of initial pH of the growing medium on the activity, production and genes expression profiles of laccase of Pleurotus ostreatus in submerged fermentations
Background: Enzymatic activity and laccase isoenzymes number of
Pleurotus ostreatus grown in different pH values of the growing
medium in submerged fermentation and incubated in buffer solutions of
different initial pH values were determined. The expression profiles of
five laccase genes (Lacc1, Lacc4, Lacc6, Lacc9 and Lacc10) in these
cultures were also studied. Results: The highest laccases activity was
obtained in cultures grown at initial pH of 4.5 and the lowest in
cultures grown at initial pH of 8.5. Isoenzyme profiles were different
in all the cases. Lacc1, Lacc4, Lacc6 and Lacc10 were expressed in all
the cultures. Conclusions: The initial pH of the growing medium is an
important factor for regulating the expression of laccase genes, having
an effect on the activity and on the laccase isoenzymes number produced
by P. ostreatus in SmF. This is the first report on the influence of
different initial pH values of the growing medium on the laccases
activity, laccase isoenzymes number and laccases expression profiles of
P. ostreatus grown in submerged fermentation
Association of MC1R Variants and host phenotypes with melanoma risk in CDKN2A mutation carriers: a GenoMEL study
<p><b>Background</b> Carrying the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) germline mutations is associated with a high risk for melanoma. Penetrance of CDKN2A mutations is modified by pigmentation characteristics, nevus phenotypes, and some variants of the melanocortin-1 receptor gene (MC1R), which is known to have a role in the pigmentation process. However, investigation of the associations of both MC1R variants and host phenotypes with melanoma risk has been limited.</p>
<p><b>Methods</b> We included 815 CDKN2A mutation carriers (473 affected, and 342 unaffected, with melanoma) from 186 families from 15 centers in Europe, North America, and Australia who participated in the Melanoma Genetics Consortium. In this family-based study, we assessed the associations of the four most frequent MC1R variants (V60L, V92M, R151C, and R160W) and the number of variants (1, ≥2 variants), alone or jointly with the host phenotypes (hair color, propensity to sunburn, and number of nevi), with melanoma risk in CDKN2A mutation carriers. These associations were estimated and tested using generalized estimating equations. All statistical tests were two-sided.</p>
<p><b>Results</b> Carrying any one of the four most frequent MC1R variants (V60L, V92M, R151C, R160W) in CDKN2A mutation carriers was associated with a statistically significantly increased risk for melanoma across all continents (1.24 × 10−6 ≤ P ≤ .0007). A consistent pattern of increase in melanoma risk was also associated with increase in number of MC1R variants. The risk of melanoma associated with at least two MC1R variants was 2.6-fold higher than the risk associated with only one variant (odds ratio = 5.83 [95% confidence interval = 3.60 to 9.46] vs 2.25 [95% confidence interval = 1.44 to 3.52]; Ptrend = 1.86 × 10−8). The joint analysis of MC1R variants and host phenotypes showed statistically significant associations of melanoma risk, together with MC1R variants (.0001 ≤ P ≤ .04), hair color (.006 ≤ P ≤ .06), and number of nevi (6.9 × 10−6 ≤ P ≤ .02).</p>
<p><b>Conclusion</b> Results show that MC1R variants, hair color, and number of nevi were jointly associated with melanoma risk in CDKN2A mutation carriers. This joint association may have important consequences for risk assessments in familial settings.</p>
Expected Performance of the ATLAS Experiment - Detector, Trigger and Physics
A detailed study is presented of the expected performance of the ATLAS
detector. The reconstruction of tracks, leptons, photons, missing energy and
jets is investigated, together with the performance of b-tagging and the
trigger. The physics potential for a variety of interesting physics processes,
within the Standard Model and beyond, is examined. The study comprises a series
of notes based on simulations of the detector and physics processes, with
particular emphasis given to the data expected from the first years of
operation of the LHC at CERN
Stable expression and characterization of a fungal pectinase and bacterial peroxidase genes in tobacco chloroplast
Background: The high capacity of chloroplast genome response to
integrate and express transgenes at high levels makes this technology a
good option to produce proteins of interest. This report presents the
stable expression of Pectin lyase (PelA gene) and the first stable
expression of manganese peroxidase (MnP-2 gene) from the chloroplast
genome. Results: pES4 and pES5 vectors were derived from pPV111A
plasmid and contain the PelA and MnP-2 synthetic genes, respectively.
Both genes are flanked by a synthetic rrn16S promoter and the
3\u2032UTR from rbcL gene. Efficient gene integration into both
inverted repeats of the intergenic region between rrn16S and
3\u2032rps\u203212 was confirmed by Southern blot. Stable processing
and expression of the RNA were confirmed by Northern blot analysis.
Enzymatic activity was evaluated to detect expression and functionality
of both enzymes. In general, mature plants showed more activity than
young transplastomic plants. Compared to wild type plants,
transplastomic events expressing pectin lyase exhibited enzymatic
activity above 58.5% of total soluble protein at neutral pH and
60\ub0C. In contrast, MnP-2 showed high activity at pH 6 with optimum
temperature at 65\ub0C. Neither transplastomic plant exhibited an
abnormal phenotype. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that hydrolytic
genes PelA and MnP-2 could be integrated and expressed correctly from
the chloroplast genome of tobacco plants. A whole plant, having ~470 g
of biomass could feasibly yield 66,676.25 units of pectin or 21,715.46
units of manganese peroxidase. Also, this study provides new
information about methods and strategies for the expression of enzymes
with industrial value
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