EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT OF INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OF A TUBE IN COOLING ON A BED OF PASSAGECONTINUOUS UNDER NATURAL CONVECTION

The process behind manufacturing bars and profiles in the steel industry utilizes heating and cooling at controlled rates in order to facilitate changes in their geometries, as well as to obtain desired changes in mechanical steel properties.This work develops an experimental procedure to reproduce the thermal behavior tubes over a cooling bed. In literature the experimental results obtained by Damasceno (2004) do not take into account the temperature measurements of the sidewalls and the floor below the bed and storage temperatures within and outside the shed. These failures compromise the claim to validate the mathematical model of Souza (2015) and therefore new measurements were obtained with room temperatures controlled, order to validate the mathematical model of a cooling bed heat treatment of steel mill Vallourec Tubes, located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Effect of a multistrain probiotic (Lactoflorene® Plus) on inflammatory parameters and microbiota composition in subjects with stress-related symptoms

Stress affects the immune system and intestinal microbiota composition and can lead to imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines or to uncontrolled production of cytokines. The effect of emotional stress on secretory IgA levels also indicates that stress decreases mucosal integrity. Our aim was to evaluate whether a probiotic product (Lactoflorene® Plus) can prevent alterations in the immune response associated with self-reported stress and microbiota composition. Healthy adult volunteers who self-reported psychological stress were enrolled and randomised into a placebo and a probiotic group. Salivary stress markers (α-amylase, cortisol, chromogranin A) and immunological parameters (sIgA, NK cell activity, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α) in feces and the composition of intestinal microbiota were evaluated. Administration of the product did not exert a direct effect on the salivary stress markers or NK cell activity but did reduce abdominal pain and increase faecal IgA and IL-10 levels. The probiotic product induced a moderate increase in Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp., as expected, and in Faecalibacterium spp., and decreased the size of the Dialister spp. and Escherichia and Shigella populations. Administration of the product helped protect the mucosal barrier by supporting the number of short-chain fatty acid producers and decreasing the load of potentially harmful bacteria, thus reducing intestinal inflammation and abdominal discomfort. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03234452

Australia and Other Nations are Failing to Meet Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children: Implications and a Way Forward

BACKGROUND: Australia has joined a growing number of nations which have evaluated the physical activity and sedentary behaviour status of their children. Australia received a 'D minus' in the first Active Healthy Kids Australia Physical Activity Report Card. METHODS: An expert subgroup of the Australian Report Card Research Working Group iteratively reviewed available evidence to answer three questions: 1) What are the main sedentary behaviours of children?, 2) What are the potential mechanisms for sedentary behaviour to impact on child health and development? and, 3) What are the effects of different types of sedentary behaviours on child health and development? RESULTS: Neither sedentary time nor screen time are homogeneous activities likely to result in homogenous effects. There are several mechanisms by which various sedentary behaviours may positively or negatively affect cardiometabolic, neuro-musculoskeletal, and psycho-social health, though the strength of evidence varies. National surveillance systems, and mechanistic, longitudinal and experimental studies are needed for Australia and other nations to improve their grade. CONCLUSIONS: Despite limitations, available evidence is sufficiently convincing that the total exposure and pattern of exposure to sedentary behaviours are critical to the healthy growth, development and wellbeing of children. Nations therefore need strategies to address these common behaviours

Performance Analysis of Available Bandwidth Estimation Tools for Grid Networks

Abstract Modern large-scale grid computing systems for processing advanced science and engineering applications rely on geographically distributed clusters. In such highly distributed environments, estimating the available bandwidth between clusters is a key issue for efficient task scheduling. We analyze the performance of two well known available bandwidth estimation tools, pathload and abget, with the aim of using them in grid environments. Our experiments consider the accuracy of the estimation, the convergence time, their level of intrusion in the grid links, and the ability to handle multiple simultaneous estimations. Overall, pathload represents a good solution to estimate available bandwidth in grid environments

Weight management interventions in adults with intellectual disabilities and obesity: a systematic review of the evidence

o evaluate the clinical effectiveness of weight management interventions in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) and obesity using recommendations from current clinical guidelines for the first line management of obesity in adults. Full papers on lifestyle modification interventions published between 1982 to 2011 were sought by searching the Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL databases. Studies were evaluated based on 1) intervention components, 2) methodology, 3) attrition rate 4) reported weight loss and 5) duration of follow up. Twenty two studies met the inclusion criteria. The interventions were classified according to inclusion of the following components: behaviour change alone, behaviour change plus physical activity, dietary advice or physical activity alone, dietary plus physical activity advice and multi-component (all three components). The majority of the studies had the same methodological limitations: no sample size justification, small heterogeneous samples, no information on randomisation methodologies. Eight studies were classified as multi-component interventions, of which one study used a 600 kilocalorie (2510 kilojoule) daily energy deficit diet. Study durations were mostly below the duration recommended in clinical guidelines and varied widely. No study included an exercise program promoting 225–300 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity per week but the majority of the studies used the same behaviour change techniques. Three studies reported clinically significant weight loss (≥ 5%) at six months post intervention. Current data indicate weight management interventions in those with ID differ from recommended practice and further studies to examine the effectiveness of multi-component weight management interventions for adults with ID and obesity are justified

Comprehensive Genetic Characterisation of Mitochondrial Ca2+ Uniporter Components Reveals Their Different Physiological Requirements in Vivo

Mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake is an important mediator of metabolism and cell death. Identification of components of the highly conserved mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter has opened it up to genetic analysis in model organisms. Here, we report a comprehensive genetic characterisation of all known uniporter components conserved in Drosophila. While loss of pore-forming MCU or EMRE abolishes fast mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, this results in only mild phenotypes when young, despite shortened lifespans. In contrast, loss of the MICU1 gatekeeper is developmental lethal, consistent with unregulated Ca2+ uptake. Mutants for the neuronally-restricted regulator MICU3 are viable with mild neurological impairment. Genetic interaction analyses reveal that MICU1 and MICU3 are not functionally interchangeable. More surprisingly, loss of MCU or EMRE does not suppress MICU1 mutant lethality, suggesting that this results from uniporter-independent functions. Our data interrogates the interplay between components of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter, and sheds light on their physiological requirements in vivo.This work is supported by MRC core funding (MC_UU_00015/4, MC-A070-5PSB0 and MC_UU_00015/6) and ERC Starting grant (DYNAMITO; 309742) to A.J.W., and the Italian Ministry of Health “Ricerca Finalizzata” [GR-2011-02351151] to E.Z. T.P.G. and J.J.L. are supported by MRC Studentships awarded via the MRC MBU. V.L.H. was funded by an EMBO Long-Term Fellowship (ALTF 740-2015) co-funded by the European Commission FP7 (Marie Curie Actions, LTFCOFUND2013, GA-2013-609409). Stocks were obtained from the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center which is supported by grant NIH P40OD018537, and material was obtained from the Drosophila Genomics Resource Center, which is supported by NIH grant 2P40OD010949

Retinoic acid-induced 1 gene haploinsufficiency alters lipid metabolism and causes autophagy defects in Smith-Magenis syndrome

Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by cognitive and behavioral symptoms, obesity, and sleep disturbance, and no therapy has been developed to alleviate its symptoms or delay disease onset. SMS occurs due to haploinsufficiency of the retinoic acid-induced-1 (RAI1) gene caused by either chromosomal deletion (SMS-del) or RAI1 missense/nonsense mutation. The molecular mechanisms underlying SMS are unknown. Here, we generated and characterized primary cells derived from four SMS patients (two with SMS-del and two carrying RAI1 point mutations) and four control subjects to investigate the pathogenetic processes underlying SMS. By combining transcriptomic and lipidomic analyses, we found altered expression of lipid and lysosomal genes, deregulation of lipid metabolism, accumulation of lipid droplets, and blocked autophagic flux. We also found that SMS cells exhibited increased cell death associated with the mitochondrial pathology and the production of reactive oxygen species. Treatment with N-acetylcysteine reduced cell death and lipid accumulation, which suggests a causative link between metabolic dyshomeostasis and cell viability. Our results highlight the pathological processes in human SMS cells involving lipid metabolism, autophagy defects and mitochondrial dysfunction and suggest new potential therapeutic targets for patient treatment

Comprehensive Genetic Characterization of Mitochondrial Ca2+ Uniporter Components Reveals Their Different Physiological Requirements In Vivo.

Mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake is an important mediator of metabolism and cell death. Identification of components of the highly conserved mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter has opened it up to genetic analysis in model organisms. Here, we report a comprehensive genetic characterization of all known uniporter components conserved in Drosophila. While loss of pore-forming MCU or EMRE abolishes fast mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, this results in only mild phenotypes when young, despite shortened lifespans. In contrast, loss of the MICU1 gatekeeper is developmentally lethal, consistent with unregulated Ca2+ uptake. Mutants for the neuronally restricted regulator MICU3 are viable with mild neurological impairment. Genetic interaction analyses reveal that MICU1 and MICU3 are not functionally interchangeable. More surprisingly, loss of MCU or EMRE does not suppress MICU1 mutant lethality, suggesting that this results from uniporter-independent functions. Our data reveal the interplay among components of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter and shed light on their physiological requirements in vivo.This work is supported by MRC core funding (MC_UU_00015/4, MC-A070-5PSB0, and MC_UU_00015/6) and an ERC starting grant (DYNAMITO; 309742) to A.J.W., as well as by the Italian Ministry of Health “Ricerca Finalizzata” (GR-2011-02351151) to E.Z. T.P.G. and J.J.L. are supported by MRC studentships awarded via the MRC MBU. V.L.H. was funded by an EMBO Long-Term Fellowship (ALTF 740-2015) co-funded by the European Commission FP7 (Marie Curie Actions, LTFCOFUND2013, GA-2013-609409)

Agregação e distribuição do carbono nos agregados de Latossolo Vermelho sob diferentes níveis de palhada da cana-de-açúcar em Paranavaí (PR).

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar o impacto da aplicação de diferentes níveis de palhada da cana-de-açúcar sobre a agregação e distribuição de carbono orgânico (C) em classes de agregados de um Latossolo Vermelho, sob colheita mecânica em Paranavaí (PR). Para esse estudo, em novembro de 2014, após a colheita mecanizada de cana-planta (primeira colheita após o plantio), variedade RB-867515, foram aplicados sobre o solo as seguintes quantidades de palha: 0, 3,65, 7,55 e 14,85 Mg ha-1 que corresponderam, respectivamente, à manutenção em campo de 0, 25, 50 e 100% da palha. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos casualizados, com 4 repetições. Aproximadamente um ano após a aplicação dos níveis de palha sobre o solo, amostras de solo foram coletadas na camada de 0-10 cm. Nessas amostras avaliou-se o diâmetro médio ponderado (DMP) dos agregados, a distribuição dos agregados nas classes de diâmetros 4-2, 2-1, 1-0,5, 0,5-0,25, e 0,25-0,105 e < 0,105 mm, por via seca, e o teor de C nessas classes com exceção da classe < 0,105 mm.Na distribuição dos agregados houve predominância da classe de agregados 0,25-0,105 mm, possivelmente devido a quantidade de areia fina (290 g kg-1) presente nesse diâmetro de peneira, contudo dentro dessa classe não verificou-se efeito significativo dos níveis de palha. As maiores deposições de palha sobre o solo (50 e 100 %) aumentaram a percentagem dos agregados na classe 4-2 mm (25,7 e 32,0 %, respectivamente) em relação aos tratamentos 0 e 25% (13,5 e 22,7 %, respectivamente), apresentando comportamento quadrático significativo. Esse mesmo efeito foi observado para os valores de DMP, com maiores valores nos tratamentos com 50 e 100% (1,65 e 1,60 mm, respectivamente) em relação aos tratamentos com 25 e 0% de palha (1,32 e 1,01 mm, respectivamente). Dentro de cada nível de palha, os teores de C nas classes de agregados apresentaram diferenças significativas entre si, com exceção do tratamento com 100% de palha, onde de maneira geral os valores foram maiores nas classes com diâmetro de 4-2 e 2-1 mm (12,5 e 12,4 g kg-1, respectivamente) e menores na classe 0,25- 0,105 mm (6,6 g kg-1). Assim, as principais conclusões foram, que a aplicação de 50 e 100% (7,55 e 14,85 Mg ha-1 ano-1) aumenta a agregação do solo, e que a aplicação de 50 % de palha sobre o solo também aumenta os agregados de maiores diâmetros (4-2 e 2-1 mm), os quais estão associados aos teores mais elevados de carbono orgânico do solo (14,4 e 13,2 g Kg-1, respectivamente), sendo o nível de palha mais adequado para se manter sobre a superfície do solo visando a manutenção da estrutura do solo