Assessing the potentially misleading nature of metrics and of those who assess and create them

This self-published note makes a formal critique of a paper published in Wiley’s Bioessays as an invited paper: Gutierrez, F.R.S., Beall, J., Forero, D.A. (2015) Spurious alternative impact factors: The scale of the problem from an academic perspective. Bioessays 37: 474-476. DOI: 10.1002/bies.201500011. I am of the opinion that several incorrect and even misleading statements have been made in that paper. The refusal by the authors to respond to these concerns publicly, as well as the excuse by the publisher to not consider this critique on the basis of “journal space limitations” further accentuates the concerns. This model of publishing also serves as a viable way of exposing ideas and criticisms that lie beyond the manipulated hand of the self-serving interests of publishers

Bradysia hygida (Diptera, Sciaridae) presents two eukaryotic Elongation Factor 1A gene homologues: partial characterization of the eukaryotic Elongation Factor 1A-F1 gene

Elongation factor 1A is a highly conserved protein that participates in translation. We report the occurrence of two genes homologous to the eukaryotic Elongation Factor 1A in Bradysia hygida and describe the partial cloning and characterization of the B. hygida eukaryotic Elongation Factor 1A-F1 (BheEF1A-F1) gene. The pattern of BheEF1A-F1 expression in the salivary gland at the end of the fourth larval instar was investigated using real-time PCR. The results showed that BheEF1A-F1 expression levels are relatively constant at the time when rapid changes in protein synthesis occur in this tissue. In situ hybridization experiments coupled to Southern blot analyses showed that the BheEF1A-F1 gene is located at position 3d of the A chromosome and a second gene homologous to eEF1A is located at position 6a of the X chromosome. Southern blot analyses showed that both the BheEF1A-F1 gene and the second gene homologous to eEF1A constitute non-amplified genes. The present results contribute to the molecular characterization of a sciarid eEF1A gene

Increasing the Size of a Piece of Popcorn

Popcorn is an extremely popular snack food in the world today. Thermodynamics can be used to analyze how popcorn is produced. By treating the popping mechanism of the corn as a thermodynamic expansion, a method of increasing the volume or size of a kernel of popcorn can be studied. By lowering the pressure surrounding the unpopped kernel, one can use a thermodynamic argument to show that the expanded volume of the kernel when it pops must increase. In this project, a variety of experiments are run to test the validity of this theory. The results show that there is a significant increase in the average kernel size when the pressure of the surroundings is reduced.Comment: Latex document, 14 pages, 4 figures, 1 page of table

The XPF-ERCC1 endonuclease and homologous recombination contribute to the repair of minor groove DNA interstrand crosslinks inmammalian cells produced by the pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine dimer SJG-136

SJG-136, a pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine (PBD) dimer, is a highly efficient interstrand crosslinking agent that reacts with guanine bases in a 5'-GATC-3' sequence in the DNA minor groove. SJG-136 crosslinks form rapidly and persist compared to those produced by conventional crosslinking agents such as nitrogen mustard, melphalan or cisplatin which bind in the DNA major groove. A panel of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with defined defects in specific DNA repair pathways were exposed to the bi-functional agents SJG-136 and melphalan, and to their mono-functional analogues mmy-SJG and mono-functional melphalan. SJG-136 was >100 times more cytotoxic than melphalan, and the bi-functional agents were much more cytotoxic than their respective mono-functional analogues. Cellular sensitivity of both SJG-136 and melphalan was dependent on the XPF-ERCC1 heterodimer, and homologous recombination repair factors XRCC2 and XRCC3. The relative level of sensitivity of these repair mutant cell lines to SJG-136 was, however, significantly less than with major groove crosslinking agents. In contrast to melphalan, there was no clear correlation between sensitivity to SJG-136 and crosslink unhooking capacity measured using a modified comet assay. Furthermore, repair of SJG-136 crosslinks did not involve the formation of DNA double-strand breaks. SJG-136 cytotoxicity is likely to result from the poor recognition of DNA damage by repair proteins resulting in the slow repair of both mono-adducts and more importantly crosslinks in the minor groove

The evolution of design with concerns on sustainability

This paper aims to analyse the birth and evolution of design with concerns over sustainability, in the context of social and civilizational changes experienced since the industrial revolution, with particular focus since the post-war period and in the context of sustainable development. It will examine several factors that influenced this design approach and that drove its evolution through different stages of maturity and complexity. It will analyse the various forms of design with environmental concerns, as well as the inclusion of other criteria in the context of sustainability, namely social ones. The aim is to settle knowledge that can allow us to draw some lessons to meet the challenges we face today

Generalized derivations and additive theory II

AbstractWe return to the theme of generalized derivations related to symmetric functions to correct the hypothesis of one of the main theorems of our first paper, so that all cases are now properly covered

Mathematical models to study the biological phosphorus flow in sheep fed increasing levels of mineral

Dois modelos compartimentais foram aplicados e comparados para avaliar o fluxo biológico de fósforo em ovinos que receberam dietas com níveis crescentes do mineral - 0, 2, 4 e 6g por dia. Foram utilizados 24 machos, da raça Santa Inês, com média de peso de 33,6kg. Foi utilizado fosfato bicálcico como fonte de fósforo e 32P como traçador. Avaliou-se o fluxo de fósforo entre os compartimentos: trato gastrintestinal, sangue, ossos e tecidos moles, além da ingestão, excreção e balanço do mineral. O incremento na ingestão de P aumentou a perda fecal do mineral. O fluxo de fósforo entre o trato gastrintestinal e o sangue e o fluxo contrário foram influenciados de forma quadrática pelo incremento na ingestão, diminuindo após a ingestão de 5,5g/dia, sem diferença entre os modelos avaliados. Os modelos estudados mostraram diferenças em relação ao fluxo entre sangue, ossos e tecidos moles, sem efeito dos tratamentos sobre o balanço geral do mineral, porém os níveis de ingestão praticados interferiram no fluxo biológico do fósforo. A disponibilidade biológica do fósforo ingerido diminuiu quando a ingestão superou a necessidade do animal, o que aumentou as excreções no ambiente. A quantificação do fluxo biológico de fósforo diferiu quando aplicados os modelos estudados em decorrência da sua estrutura.Two compartimental models were applied and compared to evaluate the biological flow of P in lambs fed diets containing increasing levels of P (0, 2, 4 and 6g per day). Twenty four Santa Inês lambs with liveweight of 33.6kg were used. Dicalcium phosphate was used as P source and 32P as a tracer. P flow between compartments (gastrointestinal tract, blood, bones and soft tissues), ingestion, excretion and the mineral balance were evaluated. The increase in P intake increased fecal P loss. P flow from gastrointestinal tract to blood stream and opposite flow were affected quadratically by increased P intake, decreasing after the ingestion of 5.5g/day, without a difference among models. The models studied showed differences regarding the P flow between blood, bone and soft tissues, however, the P balance was not affected by the treatments. The increased P levels interfered with the biological P flow in sheep. The bioavailability of P diet decreases when intake exceeds the animal requirement, increasing losses to the environment. The quantification of biological P flow was different between models due to the structure of each one.Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)CNPqFAPEMI

Design of few-mode fibers with M-modes and low differential mode delay

In this paper, we investigate the design of few-mode fibers (FMFs) guiding 2 to 12 linearly polarized (LP) modes with low differential mode delay (DMD) over the C-band, suitable for long-haul transmission. Two different types of refractive index profile have been considered: a graded-core with a cladding trench (GCCT) profile and a multi-step-index (MSI) profile. The profiles parameters are optimized in order to achieve: the lowest possible DMD and macro-bend losses (MBL) lower than the ITU-T standard recommendation. The optimization results show that the MSI profiles present lower DMD than the minimum achieved with a GCCT profile. Moreover, it is shown that the optimum DMD and the MBL scale with the number of modes for both profiles. The optimum DMD obtained for 12 LP modes is lower than 3 ps/km using a GCCT profile and lower than 2.5 ps/km using a MSI profile. The optimization results reveal that the most preponderant parameter of the GCCT profile is the refractive index relative difference at the core center, Δnco. Reducing Δn co, the DMD is reduced at the expense of increasing the MBL. Regarding the MSI profiles, it is shown that 64 steps are required to obtain a DMD improvement considering 12 LP modes. Finally, the impact of the fabrication margins on the optimum DMD is analyzed. The probability of having a manufactured FMF with 12 LP modes and DMD lower than 12 ps/km is approximately 68% using a GCCT profile and 16% using a MSI profile