455 research outputs found
ProFlex: A Probabilistic and Flexible Data Storage Protocol for Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks
This paper presents ProFlex, a proactive data distribution protocol for heterogeneous wireless sensor networks (HWSNs). ProFlex guarantees robustness in data retrieval by intelligently managing data replication among selected storage nodes in the network. Contrarily to related protocols in the literature, ProFlex considers the resource constraints of sensor nodes and constructs multiple data replication structures, which are managed by more powerful nodes. Additionally, ProFlex takes profit of the higher communication range of such powerful nodes in the network and use the long link to improve data distribution. When compared with Supple -- a related protocol, we show by simulation that Proflex increases the network resilience under failures circumstances, decreases the overhead of transmitted messages, and decreases the number of hops to find a specific data in the network.Cet article porte sur la proposition d'un protocole de donnĂ©es proactif de distribution pour les rĂ©seaux de capteurs sans fil hĂ©tĂ©rogĂšnes (HWSNs). Notre protocole, ProFlex, garantit la robustesse de la rĂ©cupĂ©ration des donnĂ©es grĂące Ă sa gestion intelligente de la rĂ©plication des donnĂ©es entre les nĆuds de stockage sĂ©lectionnĂ©s dans le rĂ©seau. Contrairement Ă d'autres protocoles dans la littĂ©rature, ProFlex considĂšre les contraintes de ressources de capteurs et construit plusieurs structures de rĂ©plication des donnĂ©es, qui sont gĂ©rĂ©s par des nĆuds plus puissants. En outre, ProFlex profite de la meilleure communication radio de ces nĆuds plus puissants et utilise ces longues portĂ©e pour amĂ©liorer la distribution des donnĂ©es. Nous avons comparĂ© ProFlex avec le protocole Supple et nous avons montrĂ© par simulation que Proflex augmente la rĂ©silience du rĂ©seau, mĂȘme dans des circonstances des pertes de messages, diminue la surcharge de messages transmis, et diminue le nombre de sauts nĂ©cessaire pour trouver un ensemble de donnĂ©es spĂ©cifiques dans le rĂ©seau
Peter Barlow's insights and contributions to the study of tidal gravity variations and ultra-weak light emissions in plants
Marine sponge and octocoral-associated bacteria show versatile secondary metabolite biosynthesis potential and antimicrobial activities against human pathogens
Marine microbiomes are prolific sources of bioactive natural products of potential pharmaceutical value. This study inspected two culture collections comprising 919 host-associated marine bacteria belonging to 55 genera and several thus-far unclassified lineages to identify isolates with potentially rich secondary metabolism and antimicrobial activities. Seventy representative isolates had their genomes mined for secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (SM-BGCs) and were screened for antimicrobial activities against four pathogenic bacteria and five pathogenic Candida strains. In total, 466 SM-BGCs were identified, with antimicrobial peptide- and polyketide synthase-related SM-BGCs being frequently detected. Only 38 SM-BGCs had similarities greater than 70% to SM-BGCs encoding known compounds, highlighting the potential biosynthetic novelty encoded by these genomes. Cross-streak assays showed that 33 of the 70 genome-sequenced isolates were active against at least one Candida species, while 44 isolates showed activity against at least one bacterial pathogen. Taxon-specific differences in antimicrobial activity among isolates suggested distinct molecules involved in antagonism against bacterial versus Candida pathogens. The here reported culture collections and genome-sequenced isolates constitute a valuable resource of understudied marine bacteria displaying antimicrobial activities and potential for the biosynthesis of novel secondary metabolites, holding promise for a future sustainable production of marine drug leads.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Use of humanised rat basophilic leukaemia cell line RS-ATL8 for the assessment of allergenicity of Schistosoma mansoni proteins.
BACKGROUND
Parasite-specific IgE is thought to correlate with protection against Schistosoma mansoni infection or re-infection. Only a few molecular targets of the IgE response in S. mansoni infection have been characterised. A better insight into the basic mechanisms of anti-parasite immunity could be gained from a genome-wide characterisation of such S. mansoni allergens. This would have repercussions on our understanding of allergy and the development of safe and efficacious vaccinations against helminthic parasites.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
A complete medium- to high-throughput amenable workflow, including important quality controls, is described, which enables the rapid translation of S. mansoni proteins using wheat germ lysate and subsequent assessment of potential allergenicity with a humanised Rat Basophilic Leukemia (RBL) reporter cell line. Cell-free translation is completed within 90 minutes, generating sufficient amounts of parasitic protein for rapid screening of allergenicity without any need for purification. Antigenic integrity is demonstrated using Western Blotting. After overnight incubation with infected individuals' serum, the RS-ATL8 reporter cell line is challenged with the complete wheat germ translation mixture and Luciferase activity measured, reporting cellular activation by the suspected allergen. The suitability of this system for characterization of novel S. mansoni allergens is demonstrated using well characterised plant and parasitic allergens such as Par j 2, SmTAL-1 and the IgE binding factor IPSE/alpha-1, expressed in wheat germ lysates and/or E. coli. SmTAL-1, but not SmTAL2 (used as a negative control), was able to activate the basophil reporter cell line.
CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE
This method offers an accessible way for assessment of potential allergenicity of anti-helminthic vaccine candidates and is suitable for medium- to high-throughput studies using infected individual sera. It is also suitable for the study of the basis of allergenicity of helminthic proteins
II Diretrizes em Cardiogeriatria da Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia
O diagnóstico e tratamento de pacientes idosos com doença cardiovascular apresentam
distinçÔes importantes em relação aos pacientes adultos não idosos. A anamnese pode ser
dificultada por diminuição de sensibilidade dolorosa, déficit de memória e de audição, dificultando
a compreensão das questÔes formuladas pelo médico, com menor precisão das informaçÔes e
consequente erro diagnóstico. A omissão ou desvalorização ou hipervalorização dos sintomas
contribuem para aumentar essas dificuldades. AlĂ©m disso, o exame fĂsico pode confundir. A estase
jugular, caracterĂstica de ICC, pode ser ocasionada por vasos tortuosos e aterosclerĂłticos ou por
compressĂŁo venosa pelo arco aĂłrtico alongado. Estertores pulmonares podem ser ocasionados
por atelectasia ou doença pulmonar obstrutiva crÎnica; a hepatomegalia, por diafragma rebaixado
secundĂĄrio Ă doença pulmonar obstrutiva crĂŽnica; e o edema, por insuficiĂȘncia venosa, ação
gravitacional ou compressĂŁo extrĂnseca por tumor. O tratamento deve ser conduzido com
cuidado. As transformaçÔes que ocorrem com o envelhecimento modificam a farmacocinética e a
farmacodinùmica dos fårmacos, com alteraçÔes em sua distribuição, metabolização e eliminação,
além de repercutirem em sua ação e efeito no organismo do idoso. Esses fatos demandam
adequação das doses dos medicamentos. A presença de comorbidades e aparecimento das doenças
degenerativas associada ao processo de envelhecimento levam ao uso de maior nĂșmero de fĂĄrmacos
e, consequentemente, de interaçÔes medicamentosas, exigindo atenção na prescrição terapĂȘutica
Aquatic Foods to Nourish Nations
Despite contributing to healthy diets for billions of people, aquatic foods are often undervalued as a nutritional solution because their diversity is often reduced to the protein and energy value of a single food type (âseafoodâ or âfishâ)1,2,3,4. Here we create a cohesive model that unites terrestrial foods with nearly 3,000 taxa of aquatic foods to understand the future impact of aquatic foods on human nutrition. We project two plausible futures to 2030: a baseline scenario with moderate growth in aquatic animal-source food (AASF) production, and a high-production scenario with a 15-million-tonne increased supply of AASFs over the business-as-usual scenario in 2030, driven largely by investment and innovation in aquaculture production. By comparing changes in AASF consumption between the scenarios, we elucidate geographic and demographic vulnerabilities and estimate health impacts from diet-related causes. Globally, we find that a high-production scenario will decrease AASF prices by 26% and increase their consumption, thereby reducing the consumption of red and processed meats that can lead to diet-related non-communicable diseases5,6 while also preventing approximately 166 million cases of inadequate micronutrient intake. This finding provides a broad evidentiary basis for policy makers and development stakeholders to capitalize on the potential of aquatic foods to reduce food and nutrition insecurity and tackle malnutrition in all its forms.Additional co-authors: Pierre Charlebois, Manuel Barange, Stefania Vannuccini, Ling Cao, Kristin M. Kleisner, Eric B. Rimm, Goodarz Danaei, Camille DeSisto, Heather Kelahan, Kathryn J. Fiorella, Edward H. Allison, Jessica Fanzo & Shakuntala H. Thilste
Biology of Amblyomma aureolatum (Pallas, 1772) (Acari: Ixodidae) on some laboratory hosts in Brazil
Constraints on axionlike particles with H.E.S.S. from the irregularity of the PKS 2155-304 energy spectrum
Axionlike particles (ALPs) are hypothetical light (sub-eV) bosons predicted in some extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics. In astrophysical environments comprising high-energy gamma rays and turbulent magnetic fields, the existence of ALPs can modify the energy spectrum of the gamma rays for a sufficiently large coupling between ALPs and photons. This modification would take the form of an irregular behavior of the energy spectrum in a limited energy range. Data from the H.E.S.S. observations of the distant BL Lac object PKS 2155-304 (z=0.116) are used to derive upper limits at the 95% C.L. on the strength of the ALP coupling to photons, ggammaa<2.1Ă10-11GeV-1 for an ALP mass between 15 and 60 neV. The results depend on assumptions on the magnetic field around the source, which are chosen conservatively. The derived constraints apply to both light pseudoscalar and scalar bosons that couple to the electromagnetic fieldFil: Medina, Maria Clementina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomia (i); ArgentinaFil: H.E.S. S. collaboration
A list of land plants of Parque Nacional do CaparaĂł, Brazil, highlights the presence of sampling gaps within this protected area
Brazilian protected areas are essential for plant conservation in the Atlantic Forest domain, one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots. A major challenge for improving conservation actions is to know the plant richness, protected by these areas. Online databases offer an accessible way to build plant species lists and to provide relevant information about biodiversity. A list of land plants of âParque Nacional do CaparaĂłâ (PNC) was previously built using online databases and published on the website "CatĂĄlogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil." Here, we provide and discuss additional information about plant species richness, endemism and conservation in the PNC that could not be included in the List. We documented 1,791 species of land plants as occurring in PNC, of which 63 are cited as threatened (CR, EN or VU) by the Brazilian National Red List, seven as data deficient (DD) and five as priorities for conservation. Fifity-one species were possible new ocurrences for ES and MG states
Association of the Gene Polymorphisms IFN-Îł +874, IL-13 â1055 and IL-4 â590 with Patterns of Reinfection with Schistosoma mansoni
Approximately 200 million people have schistosomiasis in parts of Africa, South America, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Asia. Several studies of multiple treatments and reinfections indicate that some people develop resistance to reinfection. Of all the immunologic findings associated with such studies, the most consistent observation is that resistance (usually defined as lower levels of infection upon reinfection) correlates with high IgE and low IgG4 antibodies against schistosome antigens. Our studies test whether single nucleotide polymorphisms residing in the gene or promoter regions of cytokines pivotal in controlling production of these antibody isotypes are different amongst those that develop resistance to reinfection as opposed to those that do not. Through genotyping of these polymorphisms in a cohort of occupationally exposed car washers, we found that men with certain genotypic patterns of polymorphisms in IL-4, IFN-Îł, and IL-13 were significantly more likely to be resistant to reinfection than those with different patterns. These data provide initial insights into the potential genetic foundation of propensities of people to develop resistance to reinfection by schistosomes, and offer a basis for further molecular studies of how these polymorphisms might work at the transcriptional and gene product level in cells stimulated by schistosome antigens
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