Role of non-coding RNAs in non-aging-related neurological disorders

CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOCAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOProtein coding sequences represent only 2% of the human genome. Recent advances have demonstrated that a significant portion of the genome is actively transcribed as non-coding RNA molecules. These non-coding RNAs are emerging as key players in the regula518CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOCAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOCAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOsem informaçãosem informação2016/22447-52011/506802013/07559-

The role of pyrimidine and water as underlying molecular constituents for describing radiation damage in living tissue: A comparative study

8 págs.; 7 figs.; 2 tabs.© 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. Water is often used as the medium for characterizing the effects of radiation on living tissue. However, in this study, charged-particle track simulations are employed to quantify the induced physicochemical and potential biological implications when a primary ionising particle with energy 10 keV strikes a medium made up entirely of water or pyrimidine. Note that pyrimidine was chosen as the DNA/RNA bases cytosine, thymine, and uracil can be considered pyrimidine derivatives. This study aims to assess the influence of the choice of medium on the charged-particle transport, and identify how appropriate it is to use water as the default medium to describe the effects of ionising radiation on living tissue. Based on the respective electron interaction cross sections, we provide a model, which allows the study of radiation effects not only in terms of energy deposition (absorbed dose and stopping power) but also in terms of the number of induced molecular processes. Results of these parameters for water and pyrimidine are presented and compared.This research was supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) through its Centres of Excellence Program. D.B.J. thanks the ARC for provision of a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. We also acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitivad under Project No. FIS 2012-31230 and the European Union COST Actions (MP1002 and CM1301). P.L.V. acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCTMEC) through research grants PTDC/FIS-ATO/1832/2012, UID/FIS/00068/2013, and SFRH/BSAB/105792/2014. P.L.V. also acknowledges his Visiting Professor position at Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia.Peer Reviewe

Intermediate-energy differential and integral cross sections for vibrational excitation in α-tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol

9 pags.; 5 figs.; 6 tabs.Differential and integral cross section measurements, for incident electron energies in the 20-50 eV range, are reported for excitation of several composite vibrational modes in α-tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA). Optimisation and frequency calculations, using GAUSSIAN 09 at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ level, were also undertaken for the two most abundant conformers of THFA, with results being reported for their respective mode classifications and excitation energies. Those calculations assisted us in the experimental assignments of the composite features observed in our measured energy loss spectra. There are, to the best of our knowledge, no other experimental or theoretical data currently available in the literature against which we can compare the present results. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.Spanish (Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad under Project FIS2012-31230) funding agencies who financially supported various aspects of this work.Peer Reviewe

Theoretical and experimental differential cross sections for electron impact excitation of the electronic bands of furfural

13 págs.; 8 figs.; 6 tabs.We report results from a joint experimental and theoretical investigation into electron scattering from the important industrial species furfural (CHO). Specifically, differential cross sections (DCSs) have been measured and calculated for the electron-impact excitation of the electronic states of CHO. The measurements were carried out at energies in the range 20-40 eV, and for scattered-electron angles between 10°and 90°. The energy resolution of those experiments was typically ∼80 meV. Corresponding Schwinger multichannel method with pseudo-potential calculations, for energies between 6-50 eV and with and without Born-closure, were also performed for a sub-set of the excited electronic-states that were accessed in the measurements. Those calculations were undertaken at the static exchange plus polarisation-level using a minimum orbital basis for single configuration interaction (MOB-SCI) approach. Agreement between the measured and calculated DCSs was qualitatively quite good, although to obtain quantitative accord, the theory would need to incorporate even more channels into the MOB-SCI. The role of multichannel coupling on the computed electronic-state DCSs is also explored in some detail. ©2016 AIP Publishing LLCR.F.C.N. thanks CNPq (Brazil) and the Science Without Borders Programme for opportunities to study abroad. D.B.J. thanks the Australian Research Council (ARC) for financial support provided through a Discovery Early Career Research Award, while M.J.B. also thanks the ARC for their support. M.J.B. and M.C.A.L. acknowledge the Brazilian agencies CNPq and FAPEMIG. P.L.-V. acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCTMEC) through Grant Nos. PTDC/FIS-ATO/1832/2012 and UIO/FIS/00068/2013. G.G. acknowledges partial financial support from the Spanish Ministry MINECO (Project No. FIS2012-31230) and the European Union COST Action No. CM1301 (CELINA). Finally, R.F.d.C., M.T.d.N.V., M.H.F.B., and M.A.P.L. acknowledge support from the Brazilian agency CNPq and M.T.d.N.V. also thanks FAPESP.Peer Reviewe

Electronic excitation of furfural as probed by high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and ab initio calculations

13 págs.; 7 figs.; 8 tabs.© 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. The electronic spectroscopy of isolated furfural (2-furaldehyde) in the gas phase has been investigated using high-resolution photoabsorption spectroscopy in the 3.5-10.8 eV energy-range, with absolute cross section measurements derived. Electron energy loss spectra are also measured over a range of kinematical conditions. Those energy loss spectra are used to derive differential cross sections and in turn generalised oscillator strengths. These experiments are supported by ab initio calculations in order to assign the excited states of the neutral molecule. The good agreement between the theoretical results and the measurements allows us to provide the first quantitative assignment of the electronic state spectroscopy of furfural over an extended energy range.F.F.S. and P.L.V. acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-MEC) through Grant Nos. SFRH/BPD/68979/2010 and SFRH/BSAB/105792/2014, respectively, the research Grant Nos. PTDC/FIS-ATO/1832/ 2012 and UID/FIS/00068/2013. P.L.V. also acknowledges his Visiting Research Fellow position at Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia. The Patrimoine of the University of Liège, the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique, and the Fonds de la Recherche Fondamentale Collective of Belgium have also supported this research. E.L. and R.F.C.N. thank CNPq (Brazil) and the Science Without Borders Programme for opportunities to study abroad. The authors wish to acknowledge the beam time at the ISA synchrotron at Aarhus University, Denmark. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (Grant No. FP7/2007-2013) CALIPSO under Grant Agreement No. 312284. D.B.J. thanks the Australian Research Council for financial support provided through a Discovery Early Career Research Award. M.J.B. also thanks the Australian Research Council for some financial support, while M.J.B. and M.C.A.L. acknowledge the Brazilian agencies CNPq and FAPEMIG for financial support. F.B. and G.G. acknowledge partial financial support from the Spanish Ministry MINECO (Project No. FIS2012-31230) and the EU COST Action No. CM1301 (CELINA). Finally, R.F.C., M.T.do N.V., M.H.F.B., and M.A.P.L. acknowledge support from the Brazilian agency CNPq.Peer Reviewe

Electron transport in furfural: dependence of the electron ranges on the cross sections and the energy loss distribution functions

GEC 2016 ; 69th Annual Gaseous Electronics Conference ; Bochum, Germany, Monday–Friday, October 10–14Recent theoretical and experimental studies have provided a complete set of differential and integral electron scattering cross section data from furfural over a broad energy range1, 2. The energy loss distribution functions have been determined in this study by averaging electron energy loss spectra for different incident energies and scattering angles. All these data have been used as input parameters for an event by event Monte Carlo simulation procedure to obtain the electron energy deposition patterns and electron ranges in liquid furfural. The dependence of these results on the input cross sections is then analysed to determine the uncertainty of the simulated values.Peer Reviewe

Efeitos das deficiências de macronutrientes em duas variedades de soja (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), Santa rosa e UFV-1, cultivadas em solução nutritiva

Two soybean varieties were grown in nutrient solution in the presence and in conditions of deficiency of macronutrients (supplied at 1 tenth of full strength level). During the life cycle samples were taken for leaf analyses, as well as for the determination of the activity of nitrate reductase (NO3R). At the end of the pod filling, periodical mineral analyses were carried out in all the organs of the plants under the "complete" tratment; only leaves were analysed in teh remaining plants. The main conclusion were the following (1) symptoms of deficiency which showed up (N, P, K and Ca) are in agreement with those described in the literature; (2) plants deficient in N,P, K or Ca did not produce any pods; (3) there was a differential response in quantitative terms, of the two varieties to the deficiency of elements in the substrate; (4) the adequate levels of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S are not the same for the two varieties; (5) quick tests provided and indication of the nutritional status; (6) NO3R activity reflected the level of N in the nutrient solution.Duas variedades de soja, Santa Rosa e UFV-1 foram cultivadas em solução nutritiva deficiente em macronutrientes. Foi possível obter sintomas de carência, verificar o efeito das deficiências no crescimento, composição mineral e produção de vagens. Fez-se a diagnose foliar no caso de N, P e K e verificou-se o efeito do nivel de N na solução sobre a atividade da redutase de nitrato