Constrained Functional Time Series: Applications to the Italian Gas Market

Motivated by market dynamic modelling in the Italian Natural Gas Balancing Platform, we propose a model for analyzing time series of functions, subject to equality and inequality constraints at the two edges of the domain, respectively, such as daily demand and offer curves. Specifically, we provide the constrained functions with suitable pre-Hilbert structures, and introduce a useful isometric bijective map that associates each possible bounded and monotonic function to an unconstrained one. We introduce a functional-to-functional autoregressive model that is used to forecast future demand/offer functions, and estimate the model via the minimization of a penalized mean squared error of prediction, with a penalty term based on the Hilbert–Schmidt squared norm of autoregressive lagged operators. The approach is of general interest and could be generalized to any situation in which one has to deal with functions that are subject to the above constraints which evolve over time

On the ability of perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) bioaccumulation by two Pseudomonas sp. strains isolated from PFAS‐contaminated environmental matrices

PFASs (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are highly fluorinated, aliphatic, synthetic compounds with high thermal and chemical stability as well as unique amphiphilic properties which make them ingredients in a range of industrial processes. PFASs have attracted consideration due to their persistence, toxicity and bioaccumulation tendency in the environment. Recently, attention has begun to be addressed to shorter‐chain PFASs, such as perfluorohexane sulfonate [PFHxS], apparently less toxic to and more easily eliminated from lab animals. However, short‐chain PFASs represent end‐products from the transformation of fluorotelomers whose biotic breakdown reactions have not been identified to date. This means that such emergent pollutants will tend to accumulate and persist in ecosystems. Since we are just learning about the interaction between short‐chain PFASs and microorganisms, this study reports on the response to PFHxS of two Pseudomonas sp. strains isolated from environmental matrices contaminated by PFASs. The PFHxS bioaccumulation potential of these strains was unveiled by exploiting different physiological conditions as either axenic or mixed cultures under alkanothrofic settings. Moreover, electron microscopy revealed nonorthodox features of the bacterial cells, as a consequence of the stress caused by both organic solvents and PFHxS in the culturing substrate

On the Ability of Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS) Bioaccumulation by Two Pseudomonas sp. Strains Isolated from PFAS-Contaminated Environmental Matrices

PFASs (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are highly fluorinated, aliphatic, synthetic compounds with high thermal and chemical stability as well as unique amphiphilic properties which make them ingredients in a range of industrial processes. PFASs have attracted consideration due to their persistence, toxicity and bioaccumulation tendency in the environment. Recently, attention has begun to be addressed to shorter-chain PFASs, such as perfluorohexane sulfonate [PFHxS], apparently less toxic to and more easily eliminated from lab animals. However, short-chain PFASs represent end-products from the transformation of fluorotelomers whose biotic breakdown reactions have not been identified to date. This means that such emergent pollutants will tend to accumulate and persist in ecosystems. Since we are just learning about the interaction between short-chain PFASs and microorganisms, this study reports on the response to PFHxS of two Pseudomonas sp. strains isolated from environmental matrices contaminated by PFASs. The PFHxS bioaccumulation potential of these strains was unveiled by exploiting different physiological conditions as either axenic or mixed cultures under alkanothrofic settings. Moreover, electron microscopy revealed nonorthodox features of the bacterial cells, as a consequence of the stress caused by both organic solvents and PFHxS in the culturing substrate

How to prioritize bridge maintenance using a functional priority index

The progressive aging of civil infrastructures makes it essential to develop managerial tools and instrument for planning maintenance activities. As public entities, typically in charge of the management of infrastructures, have limited resources, it is crucial to define clear prioritization criteria. Addressing this need, this work introduces the usage of a functional priority index for ranking infrastructures on the basis of the impact of their closure. The impact is expressed in terms of induced travel delay for people due to path detour. To estimate this delay an analytical strategy is introduced and applied to assess the priority index on a sample of 290 bridges in Lombardy. Relevant information are gathered integrating two data sources providing information on the transportation network and on the travel demand, i.e. road network data and Origin Destination matrices. The results of this application show that the method enables the identification of the most critical infrastructures and the detection, for each bridge closure, of the most impacted areas of the region and the most impacted hours of the day

Peak shape clustering reveals biological insights

Background: ChIP-seq experiments are widely used to detect and study DNA-protein interactions, such as transcription factor binding and chromatin modifications. However, downstream analysis of ChIP-seq data is currently restricted to the evaluation of signal intensity and the detection of enriched regions (peaks) in the genome. Other features of peak shape are almost always neglected, despite the remarkable differences shown by ChIP-seq for different proteins, as well as by distinct regions in a single experiment. Results: We hypothesize that statistically significant differences in peak shape might have a functional role and a biological meaning. Thus, we design five indices able to summarize peak shapes and we employ multivariate clustering techniques to divide peaks into groups according to both their complexity and the intensity of their coverage function. In addition, our novel analysis pipeline employs a range of statistical and bioinformatics techniques to relate the obtained peak shapes to several independent genomic datasets, including other genome-wide protein-DNA maps and gene expression experiments. To clarify the meaning of peak shape, we apply our methodology to the study of the erythroid transcription factor GATA-1 in K562 cell line and in megakaryocytes. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that ChIP-seq profiles include information regarding the binding of other proteins beside the one used for precipitation. In particular, peak shape provides new insights into cooperative transcriptional regulation and is correlated to gene expression

Efeitos da substituição do soro fetal bovino (SFB) e da albumina sérica bovina (BSA) pela ovalbumina (OVA) na produção in vitro de embriões bovinos.

As biotecnologias aplicadas à reprodução animal vêm causando grandes impactos à produção animal, principalmente nas últimas duas décadas. Historicamente, o meio de cultivo contém SFB ou BSA, que são preparados e purificados a partir de produtos derivados sangUíneos e apresentam altos riscos de contaminação por patógenos, como vírus: BHV-I e BVDV (GUERIN et ai., Buli Academic Veterinarian France, v.61, po513-520, 1988), e prions: BSE (KRISHER et ai., Biology of Reproduction, v.60, p.1345-1352, 1999). De acordo com Barlian et ai. (Cell Biology Intemational, v.17, p.677-684, 1993), a OVA é um suplemento protéico não aparentado ao BSA, mas que -possui a capacidade de manter a proliferação celular. Além disso, por ser de origem heteróloga, os riscos de transmissão de doenças são menores. O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar os efeitos da substituição do SFB e do BSA pela OVA na PIV. Os oócitos foram maturados in vitro (MlV) em meio TCM 199 com sais de Earle, suplementado de acordo com os tratamentos: SFB (10% SFB; Crypion«», BSA (Inlab«>; 4mgimL BSA), OVA (Inlab«>; 4mg/mLOVA), e 1,0~gimL de FSH (Pluset>C, alier), 50ug/mL de hCG (Profasi«>,S erono), 1,0ug/mL de estradiol (Sigma E-2758), 0,2mM de piruvato de sódio e 83,4ugimL de amicacina, durante 24h à 38,5°C e atmosfera de 5% de CO2 em aro A fecundação in vitro (FIV) foi realizada após 24h de MIV, em meio TALP-FIV, com 0,2mM de piruvato, 83,4ugimL de amicacina e suplementado de acordo com os tratamentos: 6mgimL de BSA ou 6mgimL de OVAo Após o ténnino da incubação com os espennatozóides, os prováveis zigotos foram submetidos ao cultivo em meio SOF e suplementado de acordo com os tratamentos (SFB, BSA ou OVA), atmosfera com baixa tensão de O2 (5% de O" 5% de CO2 e 90% de NJ, umidade saturada, em câmara modular e mantida em incubadora de cultivo à 38,5C1Cd, urante 7 a 8 dias, para atingirem o estádio de blastocisto. Os tratamentos foram nomeados da seguinte maneira: a primeira letra referente à etapa de maturação, a segunda à fecundação, e a terceira ao cultivo. Para avaliação quantitativa, foram utilizados 2355 oócitos bovinos distribuídos entre sete grupos experimentais: CONT, SBS, SOS, BBB, BOB, 000 ou OBO, em cinco repetições. No total dos oócitos avaliados, 1795 (76,22%) clivaram, 646 (27,43% do total de oócitos) tomaram-se blastQcistos e 243 (10,32% do total de oócitos, ou 37,62% do total de blastocistos) eclodiram. A etapa de CIV pennitiu avaliar que os diferentes tratamentos foram semelhantes (p>0,05) quanto à taxa de clivagem. Entretanto, quanto à taxa de produção de blastocistos, o grupo 000 (26,0%) foi semelhante (p>0,05) aos grupos SOS (33,8%), BBB (35,8%), BOB (32%) e OBO (33%), mas foi inferior (p<0,05) aos grupos CONT (45%) e SBS (42,8%). Quanto à taxa de eclosão, o grupo 000 (20,4%), foi inferior (p<0,05) aos grupos CONT (46,2%), SBS (43,4%), SOS (38,4%), BBB (41,6%), e semelhante aos grupos BOB (28,2%) e OBO (25,4%). Apesar da redução na quantidade blastocistos produzidos, concluímos que é possível produzir in vitro embriões bovinos na ausência de SFB e/ou BSA

Reliability of toxicokinetic modelling for PFAS exposure assessment in contaminated water in northern Italy

Introduction: Long-term contamination of tap water and groundwater by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been documented in the Veneto region of northern Italy. This study aimed to assess the exposure of individuals residing in the contaminated area and to test several toxicokinetic (TK) models of varying complexities to identify an efficient method for predicting perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) concentrations in human serum using observed data. The ultimate goal is to provide public health officials with guidance on selecting the appropriate TK model for specific contexts, a reliable and rapid tool to support human bio-monitoring (HBM) studies. Methods: Two simpler empirical TK models and a more complex multi-compartment physiologically based toxicokinetic (PBTK) model were compared with individual and aggregate data from an HBM study. In addition, the PBPK model was modified by adjusting input parameters and introducing new terms into the equations within the original model code. These modifications aimed to optimize the results compared to the original model, with some versions incorporating adjustments to account for the influence of menstruation in women. All models were evaluated to understand their strengths and weaknesses, providing guidance on the appropriate model to use according to specific scenarios. Results: The results obtained from the tested models were quite similar, with significant improvements observed only in the modified models. Simpler models also provided satisfactory results in scenarios involving low PFOS serum concentrations and recent exposure cessation. In many cases, predictions demonstrated high accuracy, particularly at the aggregate level and for women. Conclusions: These findings suggest that environmental protection agencies and health authorities may benefit from employing the tested models at the aggregate level as an initial step in HBM studies, rather than conducting more invasive and expensive screening campaigns