185 research outputs found
Molecular Heterogeneity of Photosystem I (psaD, psaE, psaF, psaH, and psaL Are All Present in Isoforms in Nicotiana spp.)
EXACT2: the semantics of biomedical protocols
© 2014 Soldatova et al.; licensee BioMed Central. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Background: The reliability and reproducibility of experimental procedures is a cornerstone of scientific practice. There is a pressing technological need for the better representation of biomedical protocols to enable other agents (human or machine) to better reproduce results. A framework that ensures that all information required for the replication of experimental protocols is essential to achieve reproducibility. Methods: We have developed the ontology EXACT2 (EXperimental ACTions) that is designed to capture the full semantics of biomedical protocols required for their reproducibility. To construct EXACT2 we manually inspected hundreds of published and commercial biomedical protocols from several areas of biomedicine. After establishing a clear pattern for extracting the required information we utilized text-mining tools to translate the protocols into a machine amenable format. We have verified the utility of EXACT2 through the successful processing of previously âunseenâ (not used for the construction of EXACT2) protocols. Results: The paper reports on a fundamentally new version EXACT2 that supports the semantically-defined representation of biomedical protocols. The ability of EXACT2 to capture the semantics of biomedical procedures was verified through a text mining use case. In this EXACT2 is used as a reference model for text mining tools to identify terms pertinent to experimental actions, and their properties, in biomedical protocols expressed in natural language. An EXACT2-based framework for the translation of biomedical protocols to a machine amenable format is proposed. Conclusions: The EXACT2 ontology is sufficient to record, in a machine processable form, the essential information about biomedical protocols. EXACT2 defines explicit semantics of experimental actions, and can be used by various computer applications. It can serve as a reference model for for the translation of biomedical protocols in natural language into a semantically-defined format.This work has been partially funded by the Brunel University BRIEF award and a grant from Occams Resources
Specific heat and magnetization study on single crystals of a frustrated, quasi one-dimensional oxide: Ca3Co2O6
Specific heat and magnetization measurements have been carried out under a
range of magnetic fields on single crystals of Ca3Co2O6. This compound is
composed of Ising magnetic chains that are arranged on a triangular lattice.
The intrachain and interchain couplings are ferromagnetic and
antiferromagnetic, respectively. This situation gives rise to geometrical
frustration, that bears some similarity to the classical problem of a
two-dimensional Ising triangular antiferromagnet. This paper reports on the
ordering process at low-T and the possibility of one-dimensional features at
high-T.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in PR
Characteristics of Core Promoter Types with respect to Gene Structure and Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana
It is now well known that vertebrates use multiple types of core promoter to accomplish differentiated tasks in Pol II-dependent transcription. Several transcriptional characteristics are known to be associated with core types, including distribution patterns of transcription start sites (TSSs) and selection between tissue-specific and constitutive expression profiles. However, their relationship to gene structure is poorly understood. In this report, we carried a comparative analysis of three Arabidopsis core types, TATA, GA, and Coreless, with regard to gene structure. Our genome-wide investigation was based on the peak TSS positions in promoters that had been identified in a large-scale experimental analysis. This analysis revealed that the types of core promoter are related with the room for promoters that is measured as the distance from the TSS to the end of the upstream gene, the distance from the TSS to the start position of the coding sequence (CDS), and the number and species of the cis-regulatory elements. Of these, it was found that the distance from the TSS to the CDS has a tight, inverse correlation to the expression level, and thus the observed relationship to the core type appears to be indirect. However, promoter length and preference of cis-elements are thought to be a direct reflection of core type-specific transcriptional initiation mechanisms
Thermodynamics of Spin S = 1/2 Antiferromagnetic Uniform and Alternating-Exchange Heisenberg Chains
The magnetic susceptibility chi and specific heat C versus temperature T of
the spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic alternating-exchange (J1 and J2) Heisenberg
chain are studied for the entire range 0 \leq alpha \leq 1 of the alternation
parameter alpha = J2/J1. For the uniform chain (alpha = 1), detailed
comparisons of the high-accuracy chi(T) and C(T) Bethe ansatz data of Kluemper
and Johnston are made with the asymptotically exact low-T field theory
predictions of Lukyanov. QMC simulations and TMRG calculations of chi(alpha,T)
are presented. From the low-T TMRG data, the spin gap Delta(alpha)/J1 is
extracted for 0.8 \leq alpha \leq 0.995. High accuracy fits to all of the above
numerical data are obtained. We examine in detail the theoretical predictions
of Bulaevskii for chi(alpha,T) and compare them with our results. Our
experimental chi(T) and C(T) data for NaV2O5 single crystals are modeled in
detail. The chi(T) data above the spin dimerization temperature Tc = 34 K are
not in agreement with the prediction for the uniform Heisenberg chain, but can
be explained if there is a moderate ferromagnetic interchain coupling and/or if
J changes with T. By fitting the chi(T) data, we obtain Delta(T = 0) = 103(2)
K, alternation parameter delta(0) = (1 - alpha)/(1 + alpha) = 0.034(6) and
average exchange constant J(0) = 640(80) K. The delta(T) and Delta(T) are
derived from the data. A spin pseudogap with a large magnitude \approx 0.4
Delta(0) is consistently found just above Tc, which decreases with increasing
T. Analysis of our C(T) data indicates that at Tc, at least 77% of the entropy
change due to the transition at Tc and associated order parameter fluctuations
arise from the lattice and/or charge degrees of freedom and less than 23% from
the spin degrees of freedom.Comment: 53 two-column REVTeX pages, 50 embedded figures, 7 tables. Revisions
required due to incorrect Eq. (39) in Ref. 51 which gives the low-T
approximation for the specific heat of a S = 1/2 1D system with a spin gap;
no conclusions were changed. Additional minor revisions made. Phys. Rev. B
(in press
StemCellNet: an interactive platform for network-oriented investigations in stem cell biology.
Stem cells are characterized by their potential for self-renewal and their capacity to differentiate into mature cells. These two key features emerge through the interplay of various factors within complex molecular networks. To provide researchers with a dedicated tool to investigate these networks, we have developed StemCellNet, a versatile web server for interactive network analysis and visualization. It rapidly generates focused networks based on a large collection of physical and regulatory interactions identified in human and murine stem cells. The StemCellNet web-interface has various easy-to-use tools for selection and prioritization of network components, as well as for integration of expression data provided by the user. As a unique feature, the networks generated can be screened against a compendium of stemness-associated genes. StemCellNet can also indicate novel candidate genes by evaluating their connectivity patterns. Finally, an optional dataset of generic interactions, which provides large coverage of the human and mouse proteome, extends the versatility of StemCellNet to other biomedical research areas in which stem cells play important roles, such as in degenerative diseases or cancer. The StemCellNet web server is freely accessible at http://stemcellnet.sysbiolab.eu
Endothelial cells enhance the in vivo bone-forming ability of osteogenic cell sheets
Addressing the problem of vascularization is of vital importance when engineering three-dimensional (3D) tissues. Endothelial cells are increasingly used in tissue-engineered constructs to obtain prevascularization and to enhance in vivo neovascularization. Rat bone marrow stromal cells were cultured in thermoresponsive dishes under osteogenic conditions with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to obtain homotypic or heterotypic cell sheets (CSs). Cells were retrieved as sheets from the dishes after incubation at 20â°C. Monoculture osteogenic CSs were stacked on top of homotypic or heterotypic CSs, and subcutaneously implanted in the dorsal flap of nude mice for 7 days. The implants showed mineralized tissue formation under both conditions. Transplanted osteogenic cells were found at the new tissue site, demonstrating CS bone-inductive effect. Perfused vessels, positive for human CD31, confirmed the contribution of HUVECs for the neovascularization of coculture CS constructs. Furthermore, calcium quantification and expression of osteocalcin and osterix genes were higher for the CS constructs, with HUVECs demonstrating the more robust osteogenic potential of these constructs. This work demonstrates the potential of using endothelial cells, combined with osteogenic CSs, to increase the in vivo vascularization of CS-based 3D constructs for bone tissue engineering purposes.We would like to acknowledge Mariana T Cerqueira for the illustration in Figure 1. This study was supported by Formation of Innovation Center for Fusion of Advanced Technologies in the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology 'Cell Sheet Tissue Engineering Center (CSTEC)' and the Global CUE program, the Multidisciplinary Education and Research Center for Regenerative Medicine (MERCREM), from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. Financial support to RP Pirraco by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the PhD Grant SFRH/BD/44893/2008 is also acknowledged
Divergent mind-sets, convergent policies: Policing models against organized crime in Italy and in England within international frameworks
The fight against organized crime is a very fertile ground for policymaking at various levels. On one side, because of the perceived transnationality of the phenomenon, national states are inclined to develop harmonized responses within the European or international law frameworks. On the other side, national conceptualizations and manifestations of organized crime often make these harmonizations quite challenging. This paper shares the findings of a socio-legal investigation carried out in England and in Italy through interviews and document analysis, comparing the two national models against organized crime. The paper presents these two models ? the Italian Structure Model and the English Activity Model, which are very different in many ways ? in order to identify divergences and convergences of policies and practices. This comparative exercise not only improves our understanding of national approaches, beyond cultural, linguistic and legal boundaries, but also improves the dialogue towards concerted efforts at the international level. Nevertheless, the globalization of criminal markets and the internationalization of policies have influenced perceptions of organized crime and related policing tactics at national levels too. This paper will briefly look at international perspectives to assess to what extent divergent and convergent areas between the two models are also areas of interest and focus at the international level, in order to conclude with an enhanced understanding of both models before drawing conclusions
Human adipose stem cells cell sheet constructs impact epidermal morphogenesis in full-thickness excisional wounds
Among the wide range of strategies to target skin repair/regeneration, tissue engineering (TE) with stem cells at the forefront, remains as the most promising route. Cell sheet (CS) engineering is herein proposed, taking advantage of particular cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions and subsequent cellular milieu, to create 3D TE constructs to promote full-thickness skin wound regeneration. Human adipose derived stem cells (hASCs) CS were obtained within five days using both thermoresponsive and standard cell culture surfaces. hASCs-based constructs were then built by superimposing three CS and transplanted into full-thickness excisional mice skin wounds with delayed healing. Constructs obtained using thermoresponsive surfaces were more stable than the ones from standard cell culture surfaces due to the natural adhesive character of the respective CS. Both CS-generating strategies lead to prolonged hASCs engraftment, although no transdifferentiation phenomena were observed. Moreover, our findings suggest that the transplanted hASCs might be promoting neotissue vascularization and extensively influencing epidermal morphogenesis, mainly through paracrine actions with the resident cells. The thicker epidermis, with a higher degree of maturation characterized by the presence of rete ridges-like structures, as well as a significant number of hair follicles observed after transplantation of the constructs combining the CS obtained from the thermoresponsive surfaces, reinforced the assumptions of the influence of the transplanted hASCs and the importance of the higher stability of these constructs promoted by cohesive cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions. Overall, this study confirmed the potential of hASCs CS-based constructs to treat full-thickness excisional skin wounds and that their fabrication conditions impact different aspects of skin regeneration, such as neovascularisation, but mainly epidermal morphogenesis.We would like to thank Hospital da Prelada (Porto), in particular, to Dr. Paulo Costa for the lipoaspirates collection and for financial support by Skingineering (PTDC/SAU-OSM/099422/2008), Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) funded project. The research leading to these results has also received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement No. REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS
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