Normalized read abundance family level

Relative read abundance (CSS normalized) at the fungal family level by sample. Data for HMSC analysis

Magneto-structural correlation in (mu-alkoxo/hydroxo)(mu-carboxylato)dicopper(II) systems: Synthesis, X-ray structure and magnetic properties of aquo(mu-hydroxo) (mu-arylcarboxylato)bis(N,N,N ',N '-tetramethylethane-1,2-diamine)dicopper(II) diperchlorate

Asymmetrically dibridged dicopper(II) complexes, [Cu-2(OH)(O2CC6H4-p-Me)(tmen)(2)(H2O)](ClO4)(2) (1) and [Cu-2(OH)(O2CC6H4-p-OMe)(tmen)(2)(H2O)](ClO4)(2) (2) (tmen = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethane-1,2-diamine), were prepared and structurally characterized. Complex 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/a with a = 17.718(2), b = 9.869(1), c = 19.677(2) Angstrom, beta = 115.16(1)degrees, V = 3114.3(6) Angstrom(3) and Z = 4. The structure was refined to R(wR(2)) = 0.067(0.178). Complex 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/a with a = 17.695(3), b = 9.574(4), c = 20.104(2) Angstrom, beta = 114.18(1)degrees, V = 3107(1) Angstrom(3) and Z = 4. The final residuals are R(wR(2)) = 0.067(0.182). The complexes have a [Cu-2(mu-OH)(mu-OH)(mu-O2CAr)](2+) core with tmen Ligands occupying the terminal sites of the core. In addition, one copper is axially bound to a water molecule. The Cu ... Cu distances and the Cu-OH Cu angles in the core are 3.394(1) Angstrom, 124.4(2)degrees for 1 and 3.374(1) Angstrom, 123.3(3)degrees for 2. The complexes show axial X-band EPR spectral features in methanol glass at 77 K giving g(perpendicular to) = 2.02, g(parallel to) = 2.3 (A(parallel to) = 165 x 10(-4) cm(-1)) and a visible band near similar to 630 nm in methanol. The complexes are weakly antiferromagnetic. A theoretical fit of the magnetic susceptibility data in the temperature range 40-295 K gives -J = 10 cm(-1), g = 2.05 for 1 and -J = 10 cm(-1), g = 2.0 for 2. Plots of -2J versus the Cu-OH-Cu angle (phi) in this class of asymmetrically dibridged dicopper(II) complexes having d(x2-y2)-d(x2-y2) magnetic orbitals show a linear magneto-structural correlation: -2J(cm(-1)) = 11.48 phi(deg) - 1373

Fractional Flow Reserve in the Femoral Arteries Derived through Computational Fluid Dynamics: A Non-Invasive Diagnostic Tool for Stenotic Diseases [Poster]

Introduction: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is considered to be the current “gold standard” for assessing the severity of coronary stenotic diseases [1], however it is not yet tested at assessing diseases in other arteries. FFR is the ratio between the maximum achievable blood flow in a stenotic artery and the theoretical maximum achievable blood flow in the same artery in the absence of stenosis, during maximum hyperaemia [2]. Furthermore FFR measurement is costly and is associated with certain risks: it requires drug administration, specialist equipment, an operating room and a medical team [3]. Nevertheless, FFR is a good and relatively simple index of predicting the severity of a stenosis which makes it desirable to test this principle in other vessels, such as the femoral arteries. Purpose Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) combined with high quality medical imaging data can be a viable alternative to catheter derived pressure measurements for FFR calculation. In addition CFD analysis can be useful in predicting blood flow conditions and stenosis severity in a wider range of blood vessels in which catheter measurement may not be possible. To test this, in-silico measurement of FFR in femoral arteries has been the main focus of this study. The use of primarily open-source software has also been identified as one of the goals of the study to reduce diagnostic costs. Method: The method starts with a 3D DICOM vascular dataset of the patient in which the blood vessels of interest are identified and a surface model is generated as shown in Figure 1(a) using VMTK (www.vmtk.org). A 3D computational mesh is then generated and imported into a CFD software STAR-CCM+ (Siemens PLM, 2017) or OpenFoam (https://www.openfoam.com/), where simulations are performed with varying boundary conditions. Blood is modelled as a Newtonian fluid with density of 1060 kg/m3 and dynamic viscosity of 4 mPa·s [4]. Velocity is defined at the inlet and pressure is set at the outlet. Steady state (constant velocity) and transient (pulsatile) boundary conditions were tested. Results and Discussion: Figure 1(b) shows velocity plots on a cut surface plane though the model. Velocity profiles obtained from CFD appear realistic. Inspection of the pressure field, however, shows that it is strongly dependent on the boundary conditions. For example appropriate model needs to be used to take into account the rest of the cardiovascular system which is not otherwise represented in the 3D model. Furthermore, parameters such as vessel length, number of outlets and proximity of the outlets to the inlet also showed to have an influence on the pressure field. This emphasised that in order to use CFD derived FFR as a reliable diagnostic measure, special care needs to be taken when choosing the boundary conditions. Therefore further studies will seek to establish the optimal type of boundary conditions, with special focus on patient specific values, as well as to apply the method to a wider range of vessels

Adaptive Educational Resources Framework for e-Learning using Rule-Based System

The implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education sector has been carrying a great potential possibility to provide students an environments to their needs and preferences. There currently numerous education industry that are working with standard, traditional or non-adaptive e-learning. There are no fixed learning resources, processes and strategies for students, so adaptive framework is really needed. In addition, educational content adapted for some students may not be appropriate for the others. In this paper, an adaptive framework is proposed. This proposed framework developed using rule-based system to orchestrate the interaction with the student and deliver customized resources that are available through e-learning repositories. Moreover, this proposed framework could be accessed by student with visual disabilities by equipping with customized user interface

Mesenchymal stromal cell labeling by new uncoated superparamagnetic maghemite nanoparticles in comparison with commercial Resovist – an initial in vitro study

Josef Skopalik,1 Katerina Polakova,2 Marketa Havrdova,2 Ivan Justan,1 Massimiliano Magro,3 David Milde,2 Lucia Knopfova,4 Jan Smarda,4 Helena Polakova,1 Eva Gabrielova,5 Fabio Vianello,2,3 Jaroslav Michalek,1 Radek Zboril21Department of Pharmacology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; 2Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic; 3Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padova, Italy; 4Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; 5Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech RepublicObjective: Cell therapies have emerged as a promising approach in medicine. The basis of each therapy is the injection of 1–100×106 cells with regenerative potential into some part of the body. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are the most used cell type in the cell therapy nowadays, but no gold standard for the labeling of the MSCs for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is available yet. This work evaluates our newly synthesized uncoated superparamagnetic maghemite nanoparticles (surface-active maghemite nanoparticles – SAMNs) as an MRI contrast intracellular probe usable in a clinical 1.5 T MRI system.Methods: MSCs from rat and human donors were isolated, and then incubated at different concentrations (10–200 µg/mL) of SAMN maghemite nanoparticles for 48 hours. Viability, proliferation, and nanoparticle uptake efficiency were tested (using fluorescence microscopy, xCELLigence analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and advanced microscopy techniques). Migration capacity, cluster of differentiation markers, effect of nanoparticles on long-term viability, contrast properties in MRI, and cocultivation of labeled cells with myocytes were also studied.Results: SAMNs do not affect MSC viability if the concentration does not exceed 100 µg ferumoxide/mL, and this concentration does not alter their cell phenotype and long-term proliferation profile. After 48 hours of incubation, MSCs labeled with SAMNs show more than double the amount of iron per cell compared to Resovist-labeled cells, which correlates well with the better contrast properties of the SAMN cell sample in T2-weighted MRI. SAMN-labeled MSCs display strong adherence and excellent elasticity in a beating myocyte culture for a minimum of 7 days.Conclusion: Detailed in vitro tests and phantom tests on ex vivo tissue show that the new SAMNs are efficient MRI contrast agent probes with exclusive intracellular uptake and high biological safety.Keywords: mesenchymal stromal cells, stem cell tracking, magnetic resonance imaging, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, stem cell labellin

Dynamics of Profit-Sharing Games

An important task in the analysis of multiagent systems is to understand how groups of selfish players can form coalitions, i.e., work together in teams. In this paper, we study the dynamics of coalition formation under bounded rationality. We consider settings where each team’s profit is given by a concave function, and propose three profit-sharing schemes, each of which is based on the concept of marginal utility. The agents are assumed to be myopic, i.e., they keep changing teams as long as they can increase their payoff by doing so. We study the properties (such as closeness to Nash equilibrium or total profit) of the states that result after a polynomial number of such moves, and prove bounds on the price of anarchy and the price of stability of the corresponding games.