Fluctuation theorem for entropy production during effusion of a relativistic ideal gas

The probability distribution of the entropy production for the effusion of a relativistic ideal gas is calculated explicitly. This result is then extended to include particle and anti-particle pair production and annihilation. In both cases, the fluctuation theorem is verified.Comment: 6 pages, no figure

The timing of family commitments in the early work career:Work-family trajectories of young adults in Flanders

OBJECTIVE This article examines the diverse ways in which young adults develop both their professional career and family life in the years immediately after they complete their education. Building a career and starting a family often occur simultaneously in this stage of life. By studying the simultaneous developments in these life domains, we can gain a better understanding of this complex interplay. METHODS The data consist of a sample of 1,657 young adults born in 1976 who were interviewed as part of the SONAR survey of Flanders at ages 23, 26, and 29 about their education, their entry into and early years on the labour market, and their family life. Sequence analysis is used to study the timing of union formation and having children among these young adults, as well as how these events are related to their work career. Multinomial regression analysis is applied to help us gain a better understanding of the extent to which these life course patterns are determined by education and economic status at the start of the career. RESULTS The results reveal a set of work-family trajectories which vary in terms of the extent of labour market participation and the type and timing of family formation. Various aspects of the trajectory are found to be determined by different dimensions of an individual’s educational career (duration, level, field of study). Education is more relevant for women than for men, as a man’s trajectory is more likely than a woman’s to be determined by the first job. CONCLUSIONS By using a simultaneous approach which takes into account both family and work, this life course analysis confirms that men have a head start on the labour market, and examines the factors which influence the distinct trajectories of young women and men

Yeast Nanometric Scale Oscillations Highlights Fibronectin Induced Changes in C. albicans

Yeast resistance to antifungal drugs is a major public health issue. Fungal adhesion onto the host mucosal surface is still a partially unknown phenomenon that is modulated by several actors among which fibronectin plays an important role. Targeting the yeast adhesion onto the mucosal surface could lead to potentially highly efficient treatments. In this work, we explored the effect of fibronectin on the nanomotion pattern of different Candida albicans strains by atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based nanomotion detection and correlated the cellular oscillations to the yeast adhesion onto epithelial cells. Preliminary results demonstrate that strongly adhering strains reduce their nanomotion activity upon fibronectin exposure whereas low adhering Candida remain unaffected. These results open novel avenues to explore cellular reactions upon exposure to stimulating agents and possibly to monitor in a rapid and simple manner adhesive properties of C. albicans

Machine learning method for the classification of the state of living organisms' oscillations.

The World Health Organization highlights the urgent need to address the global threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Efficient and rapid detection of bacterial response to antibiotics and their virulence state is crucial for the effective treatment of bacterial infections. However, current methods for investigating bacterial antibiotic response and metabolic state are time-consuming and lack accuracy. To address these limitations, we propose a novel method for classifying bacterial virulence based on statistical analysis of nanomotion recordings. We demonstrated the method by classifying living Bordetella pertussis bacteria in the virulent or avirulence phase, and dead bacteria, based on their cellular nanomotion signal. Our method offers significant advantages over current approaches, as it is faster and more accurate. Additionally, its versatility allows for the analysis of cellular nanomotion in various applications beyond bacterial virulence classification

DNA-interacting characteristics of the archaeal rudiviral protein SIRV2_Gp1

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Whereas the infection cycles of many bacterial and eukaryotic viruses have been characterized in detail, those of archaeal viruses remain largely unexplored. Recently, studies on a few model archaeal viruses such as SIRV2 (Sulfolobus islandicus rod-shaped virus) have revealed an unusual lysis mechanism that involves the formation of pyramidal egress structures on the host cell surface. To expand understanding of the infection cycle of SIRV2, we aimed to functionally characterize gp1, which is a SIRV2 gene with unknown function. The SIRV2_Gp1 protein is highly expressed during early stages of infection and it is the only protein that is encoded twice on the viral genome. It harbours a helix-turn-helix motif and was therefore hypothesized to bind DNA. The DNA-binding behavior of SIRV2_Gp1 was characterized with electrophoretic mobility shift assays and atomic force microscopy. We provide evidence that the protein interacts with DNA and that it forms large aggregates, thereby causing extreme condensation of the DNA. Furthermore, the N-terminal domain of the protein mediates toxicity to the viral host Sulfolobus. Our findings may lead to biotechnological applications, such as the development of a toxic peptide for the containment of pathogenic bacteria, and add to our understanding of the Rudiviral infection cycle.This research was supported by the Geconcerteerde Onderzoeks Actie grant ‘Phage Biosystems’ from the KULeuven (http://www.kuleuven.be/onderzoek/kernprojecten/goa.htm). T.E.F.Q. was supported by a FWO Pegasus Marie-Curie fellowship and a Marie-Curie Intra-European Fellowship. The Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (Belspo) and the European Space Agency (ESA) PRODEX program supported the work of RGW. E.P. was supported by start-up funds provided by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

Single yeast cell nanomotions correlate with cellular activity.

Living single yeast cells show a specific cellular motion at the nanometer scale with a magnitude that is proportional to the cellular activity of the cell. We characterized this cellular nanomotion pattern of nonattached single yeast cells using classical optical microscopy. The distribution of the cellular displacements over a short time period is distinct from random motion. The range and shape of such nanomotion displacement distributions change substantially according to the metabolic state of the cell. The analysis of the nanomotion frequency pattern demonstrated that single living yeast cells oscillate at relatively low frequencies of around 2 hertz. The simplicity of the technique should open the way to numerous applications among which antifungal susceptibility tests seem the most straightforward

Interventional radiology virtual simulator for liver biopsy

Purpose Training in Interventional Radiology currently uses the apprenticeship model, where clinical and technical skills of invasive procedures are learnt during practice in patients. This apprenticeship training method is increasingly limited by regulatory restrictions on working hours, concerns over patient risk through trainees’ inexperience and the variable exposure to case mix and emergencies during training. To address this, we have developed a computer-based simulation of visceral needle puncture procedures. Methods A real-time framework has been built that includes: segmentation, physically based modelling, haptics rendering, pseudo-ultrasound generation and the concept of a physical mannequin. It is the result of a close collaboration between different universities, involving computer scientists, clinicians, clinical engineers and occupational psychologists. Results The technical implementation of the framework is a robust and real-time simulation environment combining a physical platform and an immersive computerized virtual environment. The face, content and construct validation have been previously assessed, showing the reliability and effectiveness of this framework, as well as its potential for teaching visceral needle puncture. Conclusion A simulator for ultrasound-guided liver biopsy has been developed. It includes functionalities and metrics extracted from cognitive task analysis. This framework can be useful during training, particularly given the known difficulties in gaining significant practice of core skills in patients

Banana as adjunct in beer production: applicability and performance of fermentative parameters

Traditionally, the raw materials for beer production are barley, hops, water, and yeast, but most brewers use also different adjuncts. During the alcoholic fermentation, the contribution of aroma compounds from other ingredients to the final beer flavor depends on the wort composition, on the yeast strain, and mainly on the process conditions. In this context, banana can also be a raw material favorable to alcoholic fermentation being rich in carbohydrates and minerals and providing low acidity. In this work, the objective was to evaluate the performance of wort adjusted with banana juice in different concentrations. For this, static fermentations were conducted at 15 °C at pilot scale (140 L of medium). The addition of banana that changed the concentration of all-malt wort from 10 °P to 12 and 15 °P were evaluated (°P is the weight of the extract or the sugar equivalent in 100 g solution, at 20 °C). The results showed an increase in ethanol production, with approximately 0.4 g/g ethanol yield and 0.6 g/L h volumetric productivity after 84 h of processing when concentrated wort was used. Thus, it was concluded that banana can be used as an adjunct in brewing methods, helping in the development of new products as well as in obtaining concentrated worts.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)EMATER-MGJohnson-DiverseyFapesp (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo/Brasil)Wallerstein Industrial & CommercialNovozymesCAPES (Coordenação para Aperfeiçoamento do Ensino Superior/ Brasil)Malteria do ValeGRICES (Gabinete de Relações Internacionais da Ciência e do Ensino Superior/Portugal

Insights on the Evolution of Prolyl 3-Hydroxylation Sites from Comparative Analysis of Chicken and Xenopus Fibrillar Collagens

Recessive mutations that prevent 3-hydroxyproline formation in type I collagen have been shown to cause forms of osteogenesis imperfecta. In mammals, all A-clade collagen chains with a GPP sequence at the A1 site (P986), except α1(III), have 3Hyp at residue P986. Available avian, amphibian and reptilian type III collagen sequences from the genomic database (Ensembl) all differ in sequence motif from mammals at the A1 site. This suggests a potential evolutionary distinction in prolyl 3-hydroxylation between mammals and earlier vertebrates. Using peptide mass spectrometry, we confirmed that this 3Hyp site is fully occupied in α1(III) from an amphibian, Xenopus laevis, as it is in chicken. A thorough characterization of all predicted 3Hyp sites in collagen types I, II, III and V from chicken and xenopus revealed further differences in the pattern of occupancy of the A3 site (P707). In mammals only α2(I) and α2(V) chains had any 3Hyp at the A3 site, whereas in chicken all α-chains except α1(III) had A3 at least partially 3-hydroxylated. The A3 site was also partially 3-hydroxylated in xenopus α1(I). Minor differences in covalent cross-linking between chicken, xenopus and mammal type I and III collagens were also found as a potential index of evolving functional differences. The function of 3Hyp is still unknown but observed differences in site occupancy during vertebrate evolution are likely to give important clues

A Novel Mutation in LEPRE1 That Eliminates Only the KDEL ER- Retrieval Sequence Causes Non-Lethal Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Prolyl 3-hydroxylase 1 (P3H1), encoded by the LEPRE1 gene, forms a molecular complex with cartilage-associated protein (CRTAP) and cyclophilin B (encoded by PPIB) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This complex is responsible for one step in collagen post-translational modification, the prolyl 3-hydroxylation of specific proline residues, specifically α1(I) Pro986. P3H1 provides the enzymatic activity of the complex and has a Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu (KDEL) ER-retrieval sequence at the carboxyl terminus. Loss of function mutations in LEPRE1 lead to the Pro986 residue remaining unmodified and lead to slow folding and excessive helical post-translational modification of type I collagen, which is seen in both dominant and recessive osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Here, we present the case of siblings with non-lethal OI due to novel compound heterozygous mutations in LEPRE1 (c.484delG and c.2155dupC). The results of RNA analysis and real-time PCR suggest that mRNA with c.2155dupC escapes from nonsense-mediated RNA decay. Without the KDEL ER- retrieval sequence, the product of the c.2155dupC variant cannot be retained in the ER. This is the first report of a mutation in LEPRE1 that eliminates only the KDEL ER-retrieval sequence, whereas other functional domains remain intact. Our study shows, for the first time, that the KDEL ER- retrieval sequence is essential for P3H1 functionality and that a defect in KDEL is sufficient for disease onset