Advanced Control Facility for the CERN-UNICOS Framework

CERN, during last decade, has extensively applied the CERN/UNICOS framework to large scale cryoplant control system. An increase of interested to advanced control techniques and innovative simulation environment applied to cryogenic processes has also occur. Since new control algorithm development into UNICOS framework requires significant time, a control testing platform which can be externally connected can improve and simplify the procedure of testing advanced controllers implementation. In this context, the present paper describes the development of a control testing tool at CERN, which allows rapid control strategies implementation through the Matlab/Simulink® environment, coupled with the large scale cryogenics UNICOS control system or with the CERN PROCOS simulation environment. The time delays which are inherently introduced by network links and communication protocols are analyzed and experimentally identified. Security and reliability issues are also discussed

Disruption of ph dynamics suppresses proliferation and potentiates doxorubicin cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells

The reverse pH gradient is a major feature associated with cancer cell reprogrammed metabolism. This phenotype is supported by increased activity of pH regulators like ATPases, carbonic anhydrases (CAs), monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) and sodium–proton exchangers (NHEs) that induce an acidic tumor microenvironment, responsible for the cancer acid-resistant phenotype. In this work, we analyzed the expression of these pH regulators and explored their inhibition in breast cancer cells as a strategy to enhance the sensitivity to chemotherapy. Expression of the different pH regulators was evaluated by immunofluorescence and Western blot in two breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and by immunohistochemistry in human breast cancer tissues. Cell viability, migration and invasion were evaluated upon exposure to the pH regulator inhibitors (PRIs) concanamycin-A, cariporide, acetazolamide and cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate. Additionally, PRIs were combined with doxorubicin to analyze the effect of cell pH dynamic disruption on doxorubicin sensitivity. Both cancer cell lines expressed all pH regulators, except for MCT1 and CAXII, only expressed in MCF-7 cells. There was higher plasma membrane expression of the pH regulators in human breast cancer tissues than in normal breast epithelium. Additionally, pH regulator expression was significantly associated with different molecular subtypes of breast cancer. pH regulator inhibition decreased cancer cell aggressiveness, with a higher effect in MDA-MB-231. A synergistic inhibitory effect was observed when PRIs were combined with doxorubicin in the breast cancer cell line viability. Our results support proton dynamic disruption as a breast cancer antitumor strategy and the use of PRIs to boost the activity of conventional therapy.This research was funded by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) - project UIDB/50026/2020 and UIDP/50026/2020; and by the projects NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013 and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000023, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This work was also supported by an internal CESPU project MetabRes_CESPU_2017. DT-V received a fellowship from FCT (ref. SFRH/BD/103025/2014)

Assessing the impact of different penalty factors of the Bayesian reconstruction algorithm Q.Clear on in vivo low count kinetic analysis of [11C]PHNO brain PET-MR studies

Introduction: Q.Clear is a Bayesian penalised likelihood (BPL) reconstruction algorithm available on General Electric (GE) Positron Emission Tomography (PET)-Computed Tomography (CT) and PET-Magnetic Resonance (MR) scanners. This algorithm is regulated by a β value which acts as a noise penalisation factor and yields improvements in signal to noise ratio (SNR) in clinical scans, and in contrast recovery and spatial resolution in phantom studies. However, its performance in human brain imaging studies remains to be evaluated in depth. This pilot study aims to investigate the impact of Q.Clear reconstruction methods using different β value versus ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) on brain kinetic modelling analysis of low count brain images acquired in the PET-MR. Methods: Six [11C]PHNO PET-MR brain datasets were reconstructed with Q.Clear with β100–1000 (in increments of 100) and OSEM. The binding potential relative to non-displaceable volume (BPND) were obtained for the Substantia Nigra (SN), Striatum (St), Globus Pallidus (GP), Thalamus (Th), Caudate (Cd) and Putamen (Pt), using the MIAKAT™ software. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), repeatability coefficients (RC), coefficients of variation (CV) and bias from Bland–Altman plots were reported. Statistical analysis was conducted using a 2-way ANOVA model with correction for multiple comparisons. Results: When comparing a standard OSEM reconstruction of 6 iterations/16 subsets and 5 mm filter with Q.Clear with different β values under low counts, the bias and RC were lower for Q.Clear with β100 for the SN (RC = 2.17), Th (RC = 0.08) and GP (RC = 0.22) and with β200 for the St (RC = 0.14), Cd (RC = 0.18)and Pt (RC = 0.10). The p-values in the 2-way ANOVA model corroborate these findings. ICC values obtained for Th, St, GP, Pt and Cd demonstrate good reliability (0.87, 0.99, 0.96, 0.99 and 0.96, respectively). For the SN, ICC values demonstrate poor reliability (0.43). Conclusion: BPND results obtained from quantitative low count brain PET studies using [11C]PHNO and reconstructed with Q.Clear with β < 400, which is the value used for clinical [18F]FDG whole-body studies, demonstrate the lowest bias versus the typical iterative reconstruction method OSEM

Spatial distribution, host specificity, and affinity of Branchiura for surface and macrohabitat types in fish species from the Brazilian Amazon.

This study investigated the spatial distribution, parasite interactions, and affinities of Branchiura parasites according to macrohabitat and surface type on fish from the Araguari River, Amapá State, in the Brazilian Amazon. This study presents novel information on the interactions of branchiuran species with host fish, and how the morphology of their attachment structures is associated with different host surface morphologies, with and without scales. A total of 558 fish specimens of 26 species were collected, of which 109 fish (10 species) were parasitized by at least one branchiuran parasite; these were selected for further study. The parasites were collected from the buccal cavity, gills, fins, and integument of the host fish. Parasites with suction discs (Argulus) were mainly associated to hosts with small scales and no scales, while parasites with hooks (Dolops) were mainly associated to hosts with large scales. Overall, parasites with suction discs were more specialized per site than those with hooks

Primeiro registro de Braga patagonica (Isopoda) em peixes da Amazônia Oriental, Brasil.

PAR05

Records of new localities and hosts for crustacean parasites in fish from the eastern Amazon in northern Brazil.

The aim of this study was to investigate parasites crustacean fauna in Arapaima gigas, Cichla monoculus, Cichla ocellaris, Cichla jariina, Satanoperca jurupari, Leporinus friderici, Leporinus fasciatus, Hoplias malabaricus, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus, Serrasalmus altispinis, Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum and Potamotrygon motoro of the State Amapa´ and Para´, in northern Brazil. A total of 242 parasites, including Argulus elongatus, Argulus multicolor, Argulus juparanaensis, Argulus nattereri, Dolops discoidalis, Dolops longicauda, Braga patagonica, Braga fluviatilis, Livoneca guianensis and undetermined Lernaeidae, were collected from these hosts. The Argulus species had the greatest richness among the community of parasitic crustaceans. There was a low abundance of parasites among the hosts, other than D. discoidalis, was most abundant in the integument of A. gigas and P. tigrinum. Finally, the present study reported nine new hosts for the crustacean parasite species and expanded knowledge of the occurrence of some parasite species in the Jari River basin, in eastern Amazon