Clear and Compress: Computing Persistent Homology in Chunks

We present a parallelizable algorithm for computing the persistent homology of a filtered chain complex. Our approach differs from the commonly used reduction algorithm by first computing persistence pairs within local chunks, then simplifying the unpaired columns, and finally applying standard reduction on the simplified matrix. The approach generalizes a technique by G\"unther et al., which uses discrete Morse Theory to compute persistence; we derive the same worst-case complexity bound in a more general context. The algorithm employs several practical optimization techniques which are of independent interest. Our sequential implementation of the algorithm is competitive with state-of-the-art methods, and we improve the performance through parallelized computation.Comment: This result was presented at TopoInVis 2013 (http://www.sci.utah.edu/topoinvis13.html

A reduced basis ensemble Kalman method

In the process of reproducing the state dynamics of parameter dependent distributed systems, data from physical measurements can be incorporated into the mathematical model to reduce the parameter uncertainty and, consequently, improve the state prediction. Such a data assimilation process must deal with the data and model misfit arising from experimental noise as well as model inaccuracies and uncertainties. In this work, we focus on the ensemble Kalman method (EnKM), a particle-based iterative regularization method designed for a posteriori analysis of time series. The method is gradient free and, like the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), relies on a sample of parameters or particle ensemble to identify the state that better reproduces the physical observations, while preserving the physics of the system as described by the best knowledge model. We consider systems described by parameterized parabolic partial differential equations and employ model order reduction techniques to generate surrogate models of different accuracy with uncertain parameters. Their use in combination with the EnKM involves the introduction of the model bias which constitutes a new source of systematic error. To mitigate its impact, an algorithm adjustment is proposed accounting for a prior estimation of the bias in the data. The resulting RB-EnKM is tested in different conditions, including different ensemble sizes and increasing levels of experimental noise. The results are compared to those obtained with the standard EnKF and with the unadjusted algorithm.</p

Desempenho Agronômico De Batata Doce Sob Diversos Níveis De K

Sweet potato is a vegetable with great potential due to its versatility of use,which covers human food,animal feed and biofuels. However,it is still little studied,especially regarding mineral nutrition and potassium. Thus,a study was conducted to evaluate potassium fertilizer doses (0,30,60,90,120 and 150 kg/ha K2O) on mineral nutrition and yield of ‘Beauregard’ sweet potato in a typic Hapludult soil with low K level (0.3 mmolc/dm3). The experimental design was of randomized blocks with four repetitions. Harvest took place 123 days after seedling transplanting. Foliar K content,shoot,root and total dry matter,root total yield,root commercial yield,K accumulation,K content in the soil and K optimal economic dose were assessed. The highest foliar K content was observed at the dose of 100 kg/ha K2O,with K value of 44.6 g/kg on leaf dry matter. In soils with low K availability,the highest yield (38 t/ha) was observed at the dose of 87 kg/ha K2O. Maximum commercial yield (24.3 t/ha) was obtained at the dose of 85 kg/ha K2O,and K accumulation of 150 kg/ha in the shoot and 57 kg/ha in the root,respectively,were observed (72.5 and 27.5%). Optimal economic production was of 71 kg/ha K2O,which corresponds to 83% of the dose that maximized commercial production. © 2016,Sociedade de Olericultura do Brasil. All rights reserved.34458859

Serine hydroxymethyl transferase is required for optic lobe neuroepithelia development in Drosophila

Funding Information: This work was supported by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (H2020-ERC-2017-STG-GA 759853-StemCellHabitat); Wellcome Trust and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI-208581/Z/17/ZMetabolicRegSCfate); EMBO Installation grant (H2020-EMBO-3311/2017/G2017) and Fundaçaõ para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (IF/01265/2014/CP1252/CT0004 and SFRH/BD/135262/2017 Eunice Silva); ‘Inova4Health – UIDB/04462/2020 and UIDP/04462/2020, and the Associated Laboratory LS4FUTURE (LA/P/0087/2020), Fundaçaõ para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior’. E.A.B.S. was partially funded by a Fundaçaõ para a Ciência e a Tecnologia doctoral fellowship under the PGCD-Graduate Program Science for Development (SFRH/BD/135262/ 2017). This research was funded in part by the Wellcome Trust [208581/Z/17/Z]. Open Access funding provided by the European Research Council. Deposited in PMC for immediate release. Publisher Copyright: © 2023. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.Cell fate and growth require one-carbon units for the biosynthesis of nucleotides, methylation reactions and redox homeostasis, provided by one-carbon metabolism. Consistently, defects in one-carbon metabolism lead to severe developmental defects, such as neural tube defects. However, the role of this pathway during brain development and in neural stem cell regulation is poorly understood. To better understand the role of one carbon metabolism we focused on the enzyme Serine hydroxymethyl transferase (Shmt), a key factor in the one-carbon cycle, during Drosophila brain development. We show that, although loss of Shmt does not cause obvious defects in the central brain, it leads to severe phenotypes in the optic lobe. The shmt mutants have smaller optic lobe neuroepithelia, partly justified by increased apoptosis. In addition, shmt mutant neuroepithelia have morphological defects, failing to form a lamina furrow, which likely explains the observed absence of lamina neurons. These findings show that one-carbon metabolism is crucial for the normal development of neuroepithelia, and consequently for the generation of neural progenitor cells and neurons. These results propose a mechanistic role for one-carbon during brain development.publishersversionpublishe

Polar exploration of complex surface germs

We prove that the topological type of a normal surface singularity pX, 0q provides finite bounds for the multiplicity and polar multiplicity of pX, 0q, as well as for the combinatorics of the families of generic hyperplane sections and of polar curves of the generic plane projections of pX, 0q. A key ingredient in our proof is a topological bound of the growth of the Mather discrepancies of pX, 0q, which allows us to bound the number of point blowups necessary to achieve factorization of any resolution of pX, 0q through its Nash transform. This fits in the program of polar explorations, the quest to determine the generic polar variety of a singular surface germ, to which the final part of the paper is devoted

Spin-phonon coupling in Gd(Co1/2Mn1/2)O3 perovskite

We have investigated the temperature-dependent Raman-active phonons and the magnetic properties of Gd(Co1/2Mn1/2)O3 perovskite ceramics in the temperature range from 40 K to 300 K. The samples crystallized in an orthorhombic distorted simple perovskite, whose symmetry belongs to the Pnma space group. The data reveals spin-phonon coupling near the ferromagnetic transition occurring at around 120 K. The correlation of the Raman and magnetization data suggests that the structural order influences the magnitude of the spin-phonon coupling.Comment: 3 Figures, suplementary materia

A reduced basis ensemble Kalman method

In the process of reproducing the state dynamics of parameter dependent distributed systems, data from physical measurements can be incorporated into the mathematical model to reduce the parameter uncertainty and, consequently, improve the state prediction. Such a data assimilation process must deal with the data and model misfit arising from experimental noise as well as model inaccuracies and uncertainties. In this work, we focus on the ensemble Kalman method (EnKM), a particle-based iterative regularization method designed for a posteriori analysis of time series. The method is gradient free and, like the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), relies on a sample of parameters or particle ensemble to identify the state that better reproduces the physical observations, while preserving the physics of the system as described by the best knowledge model. We consider systems described by parameterized parabolic partial differential equations and employ model order reduction techniques to generate surrogate models of different accuracy with uncertain parameters. Their use in combination with the EnKM involves the introduction of the model bias which constitutes a new source of systematic error. To mitigate its impact, an algorithm adjustment is proposed accounting for a prior estimation of the bias in the data. The resulting RB-EnKM is tested in different conditions, including different ensemble sizes and increasing levels of experimental noise. The results are compared to those obtained with the standard EnKF and with the unadjusted algorithm.</p

Spironolactone treatment attenuates vascular dysfunction in type 2 diabetic mice by decreasing oxidative stress and restoring NO/GC signaling

Type 2 diabetes (DM2) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Aldosterone, which has pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory effects in the cardiovascular system, is positively regulated in DM2. We assessed whether blockade of mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) with spironolactone decreases reactive oxygen species (ROS)-associated vascular dysfunction and improves vascular nitric oxide (NO) signaling in diabetes. Leptin receptor knockout [LepRdb/LepRdb (db/db)] mice, a model of DM2, and their counterpart controls [LepRdb/LepR+, (db/+) mice] received spironolactone (50 mg/kg body weight/day) or vehicle (ethanol 1%) via oral per gavage for 6 weeks. Spironolactone treatment abolished endothelial dysfunction and increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation (Ser1177) in arteries from db/db mice, determined by acetylcholine-induced relaxation and Western Blot analysis, respectively. MR antagonist therapy also abrogated augmented ROS-generation in aorta from diabetic mice, determined by lucigenin luminescence assay. Spironolactone treatment increased superoxide dismutase-1 and catalase expression, improved sodium nitroprusside and BAY 41-2272-induced relaxation, and increased soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) β subunit expression in arteries from db/db mice. Our results demonstrate that spironolactone decreases diabetes-associated vascular oxidative stress and prevents vascular dysfunction through processes involving increased expression of antioxidant enzymes and sGC. These findings further elucidate redox-sensitive mechanisms whereby spironolactone protects against vascular injury in diabetes

Immunization with rP22 induces protective immunity against Schistosoma mansoni: Effects on granuloma down-modulation and cytokine production

AbstractSchistosomiasis remains a significant public health problem in tropical countries and it is recognized as the most important human helminth infection in terms of morbidity and mortality. Although the existing antischistosomal drugs are highly effective, they do not prevent against reinfection or granuloma formation. Therefore, vaccine strategies are essential for the control of schistosomiasis. Our group recently identified the recombinant (r) P22 protein, a component of the adult worm protein fraction PIII that has been shown to engender protective and immunomodulatory effects on murine schistosomiasis. A cDNA clone encoding rP22 was isolated from a Schistosoma mansoni adult worm cDNA library using anti-PIII rabbit serum; it exhibited complete identity with S. mansoni Sm21.7 EF-hand antigen. Confocal microscopy revealed that rP22 is a tegument protein localized on the surface of S. mansoni miracidia and adult worms. Mice immunized with rP22 exhibited a 51% and 22.5% decrease in adult worm burden and in hepatic eggs, respectively. Additionally, rP22 vaccine produced a reduction in 60% of liver granuloma size and 71% of fibrosis in mice, suggesting that rP22 might contribute to down-modulate granulomatous hypersensitivity to S. mansoni eggs. Protective immunity in mice was associated with high titers of rP22-specific IgG antibodies; elevated production of IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-10; and a reduced level of IL-4. In conclusion, these findings indicate that rP22-based vaccines could be useful to elicit protection and reduce pathology associated to schistosomiasis

Configured distribution of the celiac artery in blue-fronted amazon (Amazona aestiva)

Foram descritas a origem e a distribuição da artéria celíaca em 20 papagaios-verdadeiros (Amazona aestiva), por meio do preenchimento do sistema arterial com solução de látex corado, fixado em solução de formol, para posterior dissecação de seus ramos colaterais. Como primeiro ramo, a artéria célica emitiu a artéria proventricular dorsal, que seguiu para o ventrículo como artéria gástrica dorsal e, em seguida, enviou a artéria proventricular ventral, que em 85% dos exemplares se originou diretamente da artéria celíaca, ou do seu ramo esquerdo em 15%. Em 25% dos casos, a artéria esplênica foi emitida antes da bifurcação em ramo esquerdo e direito. O ramo esquerdo foi responsável pela origem de ramos proventriculares, ramos pilóricos, artéria esplênica e artéria proventricular ventral, a qual emitiu ramos ao proventrículo e ao esôfago. A artéria celíaca também originou as artérias gástrica ventral e gástrica esquerda, que foram responsáveis pela emissão da artéria hepática esquerda. O ramo direito emitiu artérias esplênicas − que variaram de uma a sete −, duodenal − destinada ao segmento mais caudal da alça ascendente do duodeno, hepática direita − para o lobo direito do fígado. Em seu segmento terminal, o ramo direito dividiu-se em artérias gástrica direita − para o ventrículo −, pancreaticoduodenal − para o pâncreas, alças ascendente e descendente do duodeno e segmentos cranial do íleo e caudal do jejuno. A irrigação determinada pela artéria celíaca nos papagaios segue o que é proposto para aves de outros gêneros, apresentando divergências como ausência das artérias vesicular e ileocecal, bem como da vesícula biliar e ceco. _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThis research was performed aiming to describe the origin and the distribution of the celiac artery in 20 blue fronted amazon (Amazona aestiva), through the completion of their circulatory system with an aqueous solution of colored latex, followed by fixation in formol for later dissection of the collateral branches. The first branch emitted the proventricular dorsal artery that headed to the ventricle as gastric dorsal artery and next emitted the proventricular ventral artery which originated on the celiac artery in 85% of the cases and in 15% had its origin on the left branch of the celiac artery. In 25% of the cases the splenic artery was emitted before the bifurcation on left and right branches. The left branch was responsible for the origin of the proventricular branches, piloric branches, splenic artery and proventricular artery, which emitted branches to the proventricle and esophagus. The celiac artery also emitted the gastric ventral artery and left gastric. The right branch emitted splenic arteries (that varied from a number of seven); duodenal bound for the more caudal segment of the ascendant segment of the duodenum and the right hepatica to the right liver lobe. On its terminal segment the right branch was divided into right gastric arteries to the ventricle and pancreaticduodenal to the pancreas, ascendant and descendant braces of the duodenum and to the cranial segments of the ileum and caudal of the jejune. The irrigation provided by the celiac artery in parrots remains the same as described for other bird genders showing as divergences: the lack of vesicular arteries and ileocecal as well the gall bladder and the cecos