Genomics-Based Insights Into the Biosynthesis and Unusually High Accumulation of Free Fatty Acids by Streptomyces sp NP10

Schneider O, Ilic-Tomic T, Rückert C, et al. Genomics-Based Insights Into the Biosynthesis and Unusually High Accumulation of Free Fatty Acids by Streptomyces sp NP10. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY. 2018;9: 10.Streptomyces sp. NP10 was previously shown to synthesize large amounts of free fatty acids (FFAs). In this work, we report the first insights into the biosynthesis of these fatty acids (FAs) gained after genome sequencing and identification of the genes involved. Analysis of the Streptomyces sp. NP10 draft genome revealed that it is closely related to several strains of Streptomyces griseus. Comparative analyses of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters, as well as those presumably involved in FA biosynthesis, allowed identification of an unusual cluster C12-2, which could be identified in only one other S. griseus-related streptomycete. To prove the involvement of identified cluster in FFA biosynthesis, one of its three ketosynthase genes was insertionally inactivated to generate mutant strain mNP10. Accumulation of FFAs in mNP10 was almost completely abolished, reaching less than 0.01% compared to the wild-type strain. Cloning and transfer of the C12-2 cluster to the mNP10 mutant partially restored FFA production, albeit to a low level. The discovery of this rare FFA biosynthesis cluster opens possibilities for detailed characterization of the roles of individual genes and their products in the biosynthesis of FFAs in NP10

Stereotype Darstellungen okinawanischer Figuren in Nakae Yūjis Film Nabī no koi

The following article discusses the film Nabī no koi (Nabbie’s Love, 1999) by Japanese director Nakae Yūji. The movie was released at the beginning of the so called ‘Okinawa boom’ in Japan in the 1990s and contributed significantly to promoting Okinawa as an idyllic paradise to people from the Japanese main islands. Since Nakae intended to depict everyday life of the Okinawan people, this article explores what images of Okinawa are actually (re)created within the film and how these can be read in the context of the tense political and cultural relationship between Okinawa and Japan. By analysing the main and secondary characters, it will be determined whether Nabī no koi breaks down or reproduces the dichotomy of a progressive Japan and a regressive Okinawa and how the aspect of gender is used to enforce that very dichotomy. Based on this analysis it will be shown whether Nabī no koi depicts Okinawa as part of the Japanese main islands or not

Manipulation robotique à deux mains inspirée des aptitudes humaines

The number of humanoid robots has increased in recent years to be able to collaborate with humans or replace them in tedious tasks. The objective of this thesis is to transfer to humanoid robots, skills or human competences, in particular for movements involving coordination between the two arms. In the first part of the thesis, a process of conversion from a human movement to a robot movement, with the aim of imitation is proposed. Since humans have much more freedom than a humanoid robot, identical movements cannot be produced, the characteristics (body lengths) canal so be different. Our conversion process takes into account the recording of marker locations attached to human bodies and joints to improve the imitation processes. The second part of the thesis aims at analyzing the strategies used by humans to generate movement. Human movements are assumed to be optimal and our goal is to find criteria minimized during manipulations. We hypothesize that this criterion is a combination of classical criteria used in robotics and we look for the weights of each criterion that best represents human movement. In this way, an optimal kinematic control approach can then be used to generate movements of the humanoid robot.Le nombre de robot humanoïde s’est accru ces dernières années pour pouvoir collaborer avec l’homme ou le remplacer dans des tâches fastidieuses. L’objectif de cette thèse est de transférer aux robots humanoïdes, des habilités ou compétences humaines, en particulier pour des mouvements impliquant une coordination entre les deux bras. Dans la première partie de la thèse, un processus de conversion d’un mouvement humain vers un mouvement de robot, dans un objectif d’imitation est proposé. Comme les humains possèdent beaucoup plus de degrés de liberté qu’un robot humanoïde, les mouvements identiques ne peuvent pas être produits, les caractéristiques(longueurs des corps) peuvent aussi être différentes. Notre processus de conversion prend en compte l’enregistrement des localisations de marqueurs attachés aux corps de l’humain et des articulations pour améliorer les processus d’imitation. La deuxième partie de la thèse vise à analyser les stratégies de génération du mouvement utilisées par l’homme. Les mouvements humains sont supposés optimaux et notre objectif est de trouver un critère à minimiser pendant les manipulations. Nous faisons l’hypothèse que ce critère est une combinaison de critères classiquement utilisés en robotique et nous recherchons les poids de chaque critère qui représente au mieux le mouvement humain. De cette façon, une approche de commande cinématique optimale peut ensuite être utilisée pour générer des mouvements du robot humanoïde

Dual-arm robotic manipulation inspired by human skills

Le nombre de robot humanoïde s’est accru ces dernières années pour pouvoir collaborer avec l’homme ou le remplacer dans des tâches fastidieuses. L’objectif de cette thèse est de transférer aux robots humanoïdes, des habilités ou compétences humaines, en particulier pour des mouvements impliquant une coordination entre les deux bras. Dans la première partie de la thèse, un processus de conversion d’un mouvement humain vers un mouvement de robot, dans un objectif d’imitation est proposé. Comme les humains possèdent beaucoup plus de degrés de liberté qu’un robot humanoïde, les mouvements identiques ne peuvent pas être produits, les caractéristiques(longueurs des corps) peuvent aussi être différentes. Notre processus de conversion prend en compte l’enregistrement des localisations de marqueurs attachés aux corps de l’humain et des articulations pour améliorer les processus d’imitation. La deuxième partie de la thèse vise à analyser les stratégies de génération du mouvement utilisées par l’homme. Les mouvements humains sont supposés optimaux et notre objectif est de trouver un critère à minimiser pendant les manipulations. Nous faisons l’hypothèse que ce critère est une combinaison de critères classiquement utilisés en robotique et nous recherchons les poids de chaque critère qui représente au mieux le mouvement humain. De cette façon, une approche de commande cinématique optimale peut ensuite être utilisée pour générer des mouvements du robot humanoïde.The number of humanoid robots has increased in recent years to be able to collaborate with humans or replace them in tedious tasks. The objective of this thesis is to transfer to humanoid robots, skills or human competences, in particular for movements involving coordination between the two arms. In the first part of the thesis, a process of conversion from a human movement to a robot movement, with the aim of imitation is proposed. Since humans have much more freedom than a humanoid robot, identical movements cannot be produced, the characteristics (body lengths) canal so be different. Our conversion process takes into account the recording of marker locations attached to human bodies and joints to improve the imitation processes. The second part of the thesis aims at analyzing the strategies used by humans to generate movement. Human movements are assumed to be optimal and our goal is to find criteria minimized during manipulations. We hypothesize that this criterion is a combination of classical criteria used in robotics and we look for the weights of each criterion that best represents human movement. In this way, an optimal kinematic control approach can then be used to generate movements of the humanoid robot

Quality analysis of manufacturer's incident reports regarding medical devices

Abstract Background Medical devices provide a great number of medical treatments and have an important role in patients’ healthcare; however, there are certain risks, sometimes even serious incidents, associated with their usage. To ensure that benefits of medical device usage always outweigh associated risks, it is necessary to closely monitor known risks post-market and detect new ones as early as possible. Among others, valuable instrument of post-market surveillance is manufacturer incident report. Yet to accomplish its intended use, such report must be sufficiently populated and supplied with correct information. Aim of this paper is to assess the quality of manufacturer’s incident reports received in HALMED since 2012 to May 2021. Methods The study included 578 initial reports and 566 final reports that were scored according to the evaluating system we designed and categorized as Excellent, Good, Medium, Qualified and Unqualified. For each report medical device risk class was also extracted to calculate the frequency of report occurrence per risk class and time that passed between the initial and final report. Difference in quality of the reports between manufacturers based on EU countries and countries outside the EU was determined by Mann Whitney U test. Results Most of initial and final reports fall into two highest quality category level, which means that a sufficient amount of reports are of good/excellent quality and quality of reports prevails. However, the study’s results indicate the need for higher scores, especially in critical fields of the form. Conclusions Data obtained from the manufacturer can be scarce and insufficient, causing negative influence on Competent Authority’s investigation procedure. Another issue we recognized is extensive underreporting in Croatia, which can seriously undermine the established system

Diffusion of drugs in hydrogels based on (meth)acrylates, poly(alkylene glycol) (meth)acrylates and itaconic acid

The aim of this paper is to propose equations for the diffusion of drugs for investigated drug/hydrogel systems using the parameters affecting the transport of drug through poly- (2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate/itaconic acid) (P(HEMA/IA)), poly(2-hydroxyethylacrylate/ita- conic acid) (P(HEA/IA)), and poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate/poly(alkyleneglycol) (meth)- acrylates) (P(HEMA/BIS)) copolymeric hydrogels. Different monomer types, as well as the variable content of some components in hydrogel composition (the amount of ionizable comonomer (IA) and different type of nonionic poly(alkyleneglycol) (meth)acrylates), ultimately defined the pore size available for drug diffusion. The hydrogels synthesized ranged from nonporous to microporous, based on the classification in accordance to the pore size, and could be classified as hydrogels that contain ionic groups and hydrogels without ionic groups. The drugs selected for this study are bronchodilators-theophylline (TPH), fenethylline hydrochloride (FE), and antibiotic cephalexin (CEX). Results of in vitro drug release tests defined the release systems based on the drug type, as well as the type of hydrogel used. The diffusion coefficient of drugs and the restriction coefficient, λ, defined as the ratio of solute to 'pore' radius (rs/rζ) that describes the ease of drug release from the gels, were used as factors that govern the release process.Cilj ove studije je da se predlože difuzione jednačine za ispitivane sisteme lek/hidrogel. Korišćeni su hidrogelovi poli(2-hidroksietilmetakrilat/itakonska kiselina) (P(HEMA/IK)), poli(2-hidroksietilakrilat/itakonska kiselina) (P(HEA/IK)) i poli-(2-hidroksietilmetakrilat/poli(alkilenglikol)-(met)akrilati) (P(HEMA/BIS)). Komponenta koja se menja u sastavu hidrogela HEMA, HEA, kao i udeo komponente sa promenljivim sadržajem (udeo jonizujućeg komonomera (IK) i tip BIS komponente) definiše veličinu pora koja je dostupna za difuziju leka. U ovoj studiji su korišćeni lekovi bronhodilatori teofilin (TPH) i fenetilin-hidrohlorid (FE), i antibiotik cefaleksin (CEX). Ovi gelovi su klasifikovani u režimu poroznosti kao neporozni i mikroporozni, sa veličinom pora u opsegu 0,18-24,9 nm. Kontrolisano otpuštanje lekova je izvedeno u in vitro uslovima u puferu pH 7,40 i na 37 °C, da bi se odredili difuzioni koeficijenti leka u hidrogelovima. Na osnovu toga su predložene jednačine difuzije leka kroz hidrogel za svaki sistem lek/hidrogel. Rezultati dobijeni fitovanjem eksperimentalnih podataka su pokazali da difuzija leka zavisi od hemijske strukture i morfologije hidrogela i parametra λ, koji predstavlja odnos prečnika leka i veličine pora. Eksponencijalna zavisnost koeficijenta restrikcije od normalizovanog koeficijenta difuzije je dobijena za sisteme TPH/P(HEMA/IA), FE/P(HEMA/ /IA), CEX/P(HEMA/BIS) i CEX/P(HEA/IA).Utvrđeno je da veliki uticaj na difuziju leka imaju interakcije koje se odigravaju između funkcionalnih grupa leka i polimerne mreže

2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate/Gelatin/Alginate Scaffolds Reinforced with Nano TiO₂ as a Promising Curcumin Release Platform

The idea of this study was to create a new scaffolding system based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, gelatin, and alginate that contains titanium(IV) oxide nanoparticles as a platform for the controlled release of the bioactive agent curcumin. The innovative strategy to develop hybrid scaffolds was the modified porogenation method. The effect of the scaffold composition on the chemical, morphology, porosity, mechanical, hydrophilicity, swelling, degradation, biocompatibility, loading, and release features of hybrid scaffolds was evaluated. A porous structure with interconnected pores in the range of 52.33–65.76%, favorable swelling capacity, fully hydrophilic surfaces, degradability to 45% for 6 months, curcumin loading efficiency above 96%, and favorable controlled release profiles were obtained. By applying four kinetic models of release, valuable parameters were obtained for the curcumin/PHEMA/gelatin/alginate/TiO2 release platform. Cytotoxicity test results depend on the composition of the scaffolds and showed satisfactory cell growth with visible cell accumulation on the hybrid surfaces. The constructed hybrid scaffolds have suitable high-performance properties, suggesting potential for further in vivo and clinical studies

Overview of consumer research in Western Balkan countries

A set of 205 publications from Western Balkan countries was gathered and systematically ordered as an action of the EU project ‘Focus Balkans – Food Consumer Sciences in the Balkans’. Six country reports provided the base data. Methodologically, publications were split up by the use of primary or secondary data or both, as well as being a qualitative or quantitative study. Qua research concept focus on the individual (human being), on the environment or on the product itself was analysed. As research tools interviews, focus groups and experiments as well as surveys, questionnaires and on-line panel data were considered. There is in general a lack of primary data, and a disproportion between qualitative and quantitative studies in favour of quantitative in the WBC. The majority of publications gathered were ‘environment’ oriented. There is somewhat less focus on fruit than on other product groups, being organic, traditional and health claimed. Use of interviews and written questionnaires is by far the most popular. On-line panels are not yet utilized. A study of keywords listed gave quite a useful and objective impression concerning the emphasis on different topics in the various WBC publications under consideration. The keywords indicate a focus on ‘market’ and ‘marketing’ research in most countries. Consumer ‘behaviour’ and ‘attitude’ are less listed as a main keyword, while, remarkably, ‘obesity’ as concept is hardly mentioned. It was noted that the ‘house’ of scientific expertise in this field has, perhaps, a poor foundation, while ‘the pillars behind consumer science’ are not interrelated and fastened together. Indeed, a multidisciplinary approach is rare. There is also a lack of interaction with the international community. By far the most publications are published in the local languages and nearly all are written by local authors. Some of the countries conclude that there is a huge knowledge gap on food consumers’ science and that should be used as a stimulus for developing further research and knowledge transfer in this field

The mechanisms responsible for neuroprotective capacity of arylpiperazine dopaminergic ligands against cell death induced by sodium nitroprusside

A group of sixteen arylpiperazines had been previously synthesized and evaluated for atypical antipsychotic activity. Here we examined these compounds for their neuroprotective capacity. The affinity and agonist/antagonist action of the arylpiperazines at dopamine hD(2S) receptors were determined in vitro on membranes from stably transfected CHO-hD(2S) cell line. The assays for cell viability and antioxidative capacity (total glutathione and total superoxide dismutase activity), amount of nitric oxide and superoxide radicals, as well as influence on prosurvival pathways (Akt and ERK), were performed on the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Cell death was induced by oxidative or nitrosative stress, or by growing cells in the medium deprived of serum. Only four of the arylpiperazines exhibited notable neuroprotection against cell death induced by sodium nitroprusside. Two of these arylpiperazines induced elevations of pAkt, while two other compounds reduced the levels of pErk, whereas these actions are considered to support the cell survival. The benzimidazole heteroaryl-group, that mimics catechol moiety of the dopamine molecule, might be the prerequisite structure for the neuroprotective action of these ligands. It is postulated that neuroprotection was acquired also by elevation of endogenous glutathione or total superoxide dismutase activity. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved