CIVIC EPISTEMOLOGIES – Development of a Roadmap for Citizen Researchers in the Age of Digital Culture

The CIVIC EPISTEMOLOGIES project investigates citizen science and crowdsourcing in the domain of the research in Digital Cultural Heritage and Humanities (DCHH). The ultimate aim is to produce a validated Roadmap indicating the suggested direction that the deployment of services and infrastructures should take, in order to support the participation of citizens in the research processes and the participation of creative industries in the exploitation of digital cultural content. The case of DCHH is particularly relevant because of the major cross-cutting role that the humanities play in European research and innovation, recently acknowledged in a clear way in the Horizon2020 Community Programme for Research and Innovation. Cultural heritage and humanities also represent a subject area in which citizens are particularly active, counting several – still spread - experiences of their involvement in recording, annotating and cataloguing activities on an individual or group basis, as volunteers and amateurs. The case of broadening e-Infrastructure deployment to support the participation of citizens to DCHH research, even if holding a strong impact potential for social cohesion and job development, is not yet fully explored. The paper discusses about the multidisciplinary approach to citizen science and how this method can contribute to the benefit of many scientific domains, research communities, and technology advancements as well as delivering novel social and economic impact

Rapidly Destructive Staphylococcus epidermidis Endocarditis

Abstract : A 29-year-old man with rapidly destructive Staphylococcus epidermidis endocarditis after mitral valve reconstruction is presented. Resistance to rifampin and teicoplanin occurred during antibiotic treatment resulting in clinical failure and valve destruction. Subsequently, the patient was successfully treated, by combining valve replacement with antibiotic therapy including quinupristin/dalfopristin, levofloxacin, and vancomycin. In conclusion, S. epidermidis can cause rapid valve destruction with large vegetations, and combination of surgery and antibiotic therapy may be necessar

Medidas lineares preliminares de cascos de diferentes categorias de cavalos pantaneiros premiadas em pista de julgamento.

Os cascos constituem a base de sustentação de qualquer raça de cavalos, portanto, medidas biométricas dos cascos para as diferentes raças são registros importantes como referência e futuras avaliações quantitativas do equilíbrio do casco. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar cavalos Pantaneiros de diferentes categorias premiados em pistas de julgamento da raça em Corumbá, MS, em setembro de 2010. The hooves are the sustentation base of any horse breed, thus biometric measures for the different breeds are important records for reference and future quantitative assessments of the hoof balance. This study aimed to evaluate different categories of winners horses in judging in Corumbá city, in September 2010

Study of the light-induced metal-insulator transition in SrTiO3 by photoresistance spectroscopy

Photoresistivity and its spectral response has been systematically studied in oxygen deficient SrTiO3 single crystals for a wide range of resistivities, ρ, and carrier densities, n. At roomtemperature we have found a persistent photoresistance that gradually decreases as ρ is diminished or n is increased in addition to relaxation times of seconds to a few minutes suggesting that trapping of carriers is playing a major role. An analysis of the photoresistance excitation spectra shows two distinctive features that are related to the indirect gap of SrTiO3 at (3.25 ± 0.04) eV and to a direct transition at (3.40 ± 0.03) eV. The photoresistive crystals present a temperature dependent resisitivity under illumination that experiences a metal-insulator transition below T ∼ 85 K. Lowtemperature photoresistance spectrum reveals as a suitable technique to understand the origin of this transition, pointing to an enhanced efficiency of the ∼ 3.25 eV gap to promote electrons to the bottom of the conduction band.Fil: Bridoux, German. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Física del Solido; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Villafuerte, Manuel Jose. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Física del Solido; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ferreyra, J. M.. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Física del Solido; ArgentinaFil: Bachi, N.. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Física del Solido; ArgentinaFil: Figueroa, C. A.. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Física del Solido; ArgentinaFil: Heluani, S. P.. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Física del Solido; Argentin

Tumors escape immunosurveillance by overexpressing the proteasome activator PSME3

The success of CD8+ T cell-based cancer immunotherapy emphasizes the importance of understanding the mechanisms of generation of MHC-I peptide ligands and the possible pathways of tumor cell escape from immunosurveillance. Recently, we showed that peptides generated in the nucleus during a pioneer round of mRNA translation (pioneer translation products, or PTPs) are an important source of tumor specific peptides which correlates with the aberrant splicing and transcription events associated with oncogenesis. Here we show that up-regulation of PSME3 proteasome activator in cancer cells results in increased destruction of PTP-derived peptides in the nucleus thus enabling cancer cell to subvert immunosurveillance. These findings unveil a previously unexpected role for PSME3 in antigen processing and identify PSME3 as a druggable target to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy

Relation between TNF-alpha and exercise induced bronchoconstriction

Introduction: Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) describes an acute airway narrowing that occurs as a result of exercise. EIB is associated with a hyperosmolar environment that lead to airway smooth muscle contraction. The proinflammatory cytokine, TNF-alpha, has a prominent role in the development of airway hiperresponsiveness (AHR). A single bout of heavy exercise can trigger EIB. The aim of this research was to compare the response of TNF-alpha over time with the presence or absence of EIB in marathon runners. Methods: Thirty-eight male runners, who did not have any chronic or acute airway disease, performed maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a treadmill coupled to the gas analyzer (FitMate ™, Cosmed, Italy). Was used a ramp protocol with fixed slope of 1% and an increase of load (1km/h) every minute. Spirometry was performed before (pre), immediately after, five, ten, fifteen and twenty minutes after exercise stress testing. Were considered positive for BIE those athletes that presented a decrease in expiratory volume in one second greater than 10% in any of the spirometric tests. Blood samples were obtained the day before the marathon, immediately and after 72 hours after the race. Cytokines were determined in serum by ELISA. Was used analysis of variance (ANOVA) with two factors, group and time of blood collection, considering repeated measures on the time factor. In the case of statistical significance for interaction group and blood was concluded that the behavior over time was significantly different between EIB negative (-) and EIB positive (+), in this case applied the method of Tukey\u27s multiple comparisons to determine the moment that occurred these differences (p\u3c0.05). Results: We observed a statistically significant difference (p=0.048) in the behavior of the concentration of TNF-alpha between groups EIB- and EIB+. The measure pre of the EIB+ have an higher concentration of TNF-alpha compared to those obtained immediately after the marathon for EIB+ and the results obtained at the three moments for EIB-. (Figure 1). Conclusion: Our results suggests that an inflammatory status in serum of the marathon runners presenting BIE, before the race may be associated with bronchoconstriction triggering

Some of us are most at risk: Systematic review and meta-analysis of correlates of depressive symptoms among healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe psychosocial impact on healthcare workers (HCWs). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at evaluating the association between individual features and depressive symptoms reported by HCWs during the pandemic. We searched Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo up to 23 June 2020. We included cross-sectional studies testing the association between individual correlates and depressive symptoms in HCWs during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria, involving 14,173 HCWs (3,070 with depressive symptoms). Women (OR = 1.50; 95 %CI: 1.28–1.76; I2 = 40.0 %), individuals with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 (OR = 2.10; 95 %CI: 1.64–2.69; I2 = 0 %), and those with an infected family member or friend (OR = 1.67; 95 %CI: 1.37–2.04; I2 = 0%) were more likely to report depressive features, which, instead, were less frequent among doctors (compared with nurses) (OR = 0.80; 95 %CI: 0.66–0.98; I2 = 48.2 %) and HCWs who felt adequately protected (OR = 0.48; 95 %CI: 0.32–0.72; I2 = 36.3 %). Our study provided timely evidence on the correlates of depressive symptoms among HCWs during the pandemic. Early screening is crucial to develop tailored health interventions, redesigning the response to COVID-19

A common core RNP structure shared between the small nuclear box C/D RNPs and the spliceosomal U 4 snRNP.

AbstractThe box C/D snoRNAs function in directing 2′-O-methylation and/or as chaperones in the processing of ribosomal RNA. We show here that Snu13p (15.5kD in human), a component of the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP, is also associated with the box C/D snoRNAs. Indeed, genetic depletion of Snu13p in yeast leads to a major defect in RNA metabolism. The box C/D motif can be folded into a stem-internal loop-stem structure, almost identical to the 15.5kD binding site in the U4 snRNA. Consistent with this, the box C/D motif binds Snu13p/15.5kD in vitro. The similarities in structure and function observed between the U4 snRNP (chaperone for U6) and the box C/D snoRNPs raises the interesting possibility that these particles may have evolved from a common ancestral RNP

Submitting Plant Specimens for Disease Diagnosis

Accurate diagnosis of a plant disease depends on having a fresh sample representative of the problem. To get an accurate diagnosis when your plant has a disease problem, you need to collect the right kind of sample. You also need to provide complete information about the plant and its history. Since the county Extension agent and the person making a diagnosis probably won\u27t see the problem first hand at the growing site, you need to help them create a mental picture of the disease situation. You can provide this help by filling out the information requested on various Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab forms, along with the sample. Complete information and a representative sample are keys to an accurate diagnosis. Before you collect the sample, please find the part of this publication relating to your plant\u27s problem and read it carefully. Doing so can save you a lot of wasted time and effort and will help you get an accurate diagnosis