showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Molecular Proteomics and Signalling of Human Platelets in Health and Disease
2021
Platelets are small anucleate blood cells that play vital roles in haemostasis and thrombosis, besides other physiological and pathophysiological processes. These roles are tightly regulated by a complex network of signalling pathways. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic techniques are contributing not only to the identification and quantification of new platelet proteins, but also reveal post-translational modifications of these molecules, such as acetylation, glycosylation and phosphorylation. Moreover, target proteomic analysis of platelets can provide molecular biomarkers for genetic aberrations with established or non-established links to platelet dysfunctions. In this report, we review …
Exploring the mechanisms by which reindeer droppings induce fen peat methane production
2021
Abstract Peatlands, especially fens, are known to emit methane. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) use mires mainly as spring and summer pastures. In this work we observed that adding reindeer droppings to fen peat increased the potential methane production by 40%. This became apparent when droppings originating from reindeer kept in pen or pasture in winter were added to methanogenic fen peat samples. The droppings introduced Methanobacteriaceae (Methanobrevibacter; > 90% of the mcrA MiSeq reads) to the peat, which was originally populated by Methanosarcinaceae, Methanosaetaceae, Methanoregulaceae, Methanobacteriaceae, Methanomassiliicoccaceae, Methanocellaceae and Methanomicrobiaceae. The origi…
Le trésor et ses joyaux. De Jean Duvet à Joseph Armand-Calliat, quatre siècles d'orfèvrerie
2021
International audience
Deep Importance Sampling based on Regression for Model Inversion and Emulation
2021
Understanding systems by forward and inverse modeling is a recurrent topic of research in many domains of science and engineering. In this context, Monte Carlo methods have been widely used as powerful tools for numerical inference and optimization. They require the choice of a suitable proposal density that is crucial for their performance. For this reason, several adaptive importance sampling (AIS) schemes have been proposed in the literature. We here present an AIS framework called Regression-based Adaptive Deep Importance Sampling (RADIS). In RADIS, the key idea is the adaptive construction via regression of a non-parametric proposal density (i.e., an emulator), which mimics the posteri…
Metabolic Syndrome: From Molecular Mechanisms to Novel Therapies
2021
The metabolic syndrome (MetS) consists of a cluster of metabolic abnormalities including central obesity, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, hypertension, and atherogenic dyslipidemia [...]
Drosophila Evolution over Space and Time (DEST) : A New Population Genomics Resource
2021
Drosophila melanogaster is a leading model in population genetics and genomics, and a growing number of whole-genome datasets from natural populations of this species have been published over the last years. A major challenge is the integration of disparate datasets, often generated using different sequencing technologies and bioinformatic pipelines, which hampers our ability to address questions about the evolution of this species. Here we address these issues by developing a bioinformatics pipeline that maps pooled sequencing (Pool-Seq) reads from D. melanogaster to a hologenome consisting of fly and symbiont genomes and estimates allele frequencies using either a heuristic (PoolSNP) or a…
Tropomyosin: A panallergen that causes a worldwide allergic problem
2021
Background: Panallergens are proteins that take part in key processes of organisms and, therefore, are ubiquitously distributed with highly conserved sequences and structures. One class of these panallergens is composed of the tropomyosins. The highly heat-stable tropomyosins comprise the major allergens in crustaceans and mollusks, which make them important food allergens in exposed populations. Tropomyosins are responsible for a widespread immunoglobulin E cross-reactivity among allergens from different sources. Allergic tropomyosins are expressed in many species, including parasites and insects. Methods: This panallergen class is divided, according to it capacity of induced allergic symp…
Lilybaeum. Aspetti della vita in una domus al tempo di Cicerone
2021
In a II c. BC house at Marsala (via Sibilla), partially uncovered in the seventies of the last century, an atrium-like room with four central columns was brought to light. The other excavated rooms are paved with opus signinum and white/black mosaics, and some First Style wall painting fragments were recovered above the floors. Other Late Hellenistic houses at Marsala present the same characteristic tetrapyle courtyard. Some scholars consider these courtyards as atria, others as small perystiled courts. To introduce this theme, it’s briefly discussed the s.c. ‘Romanization’. In the particular context of Roman Republican Sicily, the cultural processes started under the Roman rule should not …
Automatic mass spectra recognition for Ultra High Vacuum systems using multilabel classification
2021
Abstract In Ultra High-Vacuum (UHV) systems it is common to find a mixture of many gases originating from surface outgassing, leaks and permeation that contaminate vacuum chambers and cause issues to reach ultimate pressures. The identification of these contaminants is, in general, done manually by trained technicians from the analysis of mass spectra. This task is time consuming and can lead to misinterpretation or partial understanding of issues. The challenge resides in the rapid identification of these contaminants by using some automatic gas identification technique. This paper explores the automatic and simultaneous identification of 80 molecules, including some of the most commonly p…
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs): Advances and Challenges
2021
The study of the electrochemical catalyst conversion of renewable electricity and carbon oxides into chemical fuels attracts a great deal of attention by different researchers. The main role of this process is in mitigating the worldwide energy crisis through a closed technological carbon cycle, where chemical fuels, such as hydrogen, are stored and reconverted to electricity via electrochemical reaction processes in fuel cells. The scientific community focuses its efforts on the development of high-performance polymeric membranes together with nanomaterials with high catalytic activity and stability in order to reduce the platinum group metal applied as a cathode to build stacks of proton …
Diversità dei procarioti in acque di falda contaminate da solventi clorurati
2021
Effects of maternal psychological distress and perception of COVID-19 on prenatal attachment in a large sample of Italian pregnant women
2021
Background: Evidence concerning the impact of COVID-19-related stress exposure on prenatal attachment in pregnant women is unknown. In this study we sought to assess the effect of psychological distress and risk perception of COVID-19 on prenatal attachment in a Italian sample of pregnant women. Methods: 1179 pregnant women completed an anonymous online survey and self-report questionnaires measuring socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics, psychological distress (STAI Form Y-1-2 and BDI-II), prenatal attachment (PAI) and risk perception of COVID-19. Data were collected from March 2020 to April 2020 referring to the national lockdown period. Results: After adjusting for the socio-de…
Fascioliasis in Llama, Lama glama, in Andean Endemic Areas: Experimental Transmission Capacity by the High Altitude Snail Vector Galba truncatula and…
2021
Simple Summary The infection by the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica in South American camelids, mainly llamas and alpacas, has been the focus of many studies. However, their capacity to participate in the transmission of the disease and their potential reservoir role in human or animal endemic areas have never been studied. Therefore, all development stages of an isolate from Argentine llama of the high Andean plateau have been experimentally investigated, from egg embryogenesis to metacercarial infectivity, by using the vector snail Galba truncatula from the high altitude Bolivian Altiplano human hyperendemic area. Although eggs shed by llamas may successfully develop until the adult stage i…
The negative-parity spin-1/2 Λ baryon spectrum from lattice QCD and effective theory
2021
The spectrum of the negative-parity spin-1/2 $\Lambda$ baryons is studied using lattice QCD and hadronic effective theory in a unitarized coupled-channel framework. A direct comparison between the two approaches is possible by considering the hadronic effective theory in a finite volume and with hadron masses and mesonic decay constants that correspond to the situation studied on the lattice. Comparing the energy level spectrum and $SU(3)$ flavor decompositions of the individual states, it is found that the lowest two states extracted from lattice QCD can be identified with one of the two $\Lambda(1405)$-poles and the $\Lambda(1670)$ resonance. The quark mass dependences of these two lattic…
Flavor Non-universal Pati-Salam Unification and Neutrino Masses
2021
We analyze the neutrino mass spectrum and discuss the extra-dimensional interpretation of a three-site Pati-Salam model which i) unifies all families of quark and leptons, ii) provides a natural description of the Standard Model Yukawa couplings, iii) could account for the recent $B$-physics anomalies. The key feature of the model is a breaking of the Pati-Salam and electroweak gauge symmetries localized on opposite sites, communicated to the other sites in an attenuated manner via nearest-neighbor interactions. We show that in this context gauge-singlet fermions localized on each site, receiving hierarchical Majorana masses, can allow the implementation of an inverse seesaw mechanism leadi…
Energie rinnovabili e trasformazioni territoriali: il caso del fotovoltaico in Sicilia
2021
La presente comunicazione intende trattare il tema delle trasformazioni territoriali sono avvenute negli ultimi due decenni in Sicilia, in seguito alla costruzione di centinaia di impianti fotovoltaici di piccole, medie e grandi dimensioni. Tali impianti sono stati costruiti causando spesso profondi mutamenti paesaggio, con trasformazioni territoriali che non hanno tenuto conto delle caratteristiche di produttività dei suoli, della vicinanza di aree protette e siti della Rete Natura 2000 e soprattutto senza il reale coinvolgimento delle comunità locali che spesso hanno subito passivamente tali trasformazioni. Gli strumenti di pianificazione territoriale, quali il Piano Paesistico Regionale,…
De la régulation financière au contrôle de gestion : les défis écologiques dans l'action publique
2021
Cutinases: Characteristics and Insights in Industrial Production
2021
Cutinases (EC 3.1.1.74) are serin esterases that belong to the α/β hydrolases superfamily and present in the Ser-His-Asp catalytic triad. They show characteristics between esterases and lipases. These enzymes hydrolyze esters and triacylglycerols and catalyze esterification and transesterification reactions. Cutinases are synthesize by plant pathogenic fungi, but some bacteria and plants have been found to produce cutinases as well. In nature they facilitate a pathogen’s invasion by hydrolyzing the cuticle that protects plants, but can be also used for saprophytic fungi as a way to nourish themselves. Cutinases can hydrolyze a wide range of substrates like esters, polyesters, triacylglycero…
Is processing speed a valid neurocognitive endophenotype in bipolar disorder? Evidence from a longitudinal, family study.
2021
[Background] Substantial evidence supports the existence of neurocognitive endophenotypes in bipolar disorder (BD), but very few longitudinal studies have included unaffected relatives. In a 5-year, follow-up, family study, we have recently suggested that deficits in manual motor speed and visual memory could be endophenotype candidates for BD. We aimed to explore whether this also applies to processing speed.
Spinal relay neurons for central control of autonomic pathways in a photoperiodic rodent.
2021
Location and distribution of spinal sympathetic preganglionic neurons projecting to the superior cervical ganglion were investigated in a rodent model organism for photoperiodic regulation, the Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus). Upon unilateral injection of Fluoro-Gold into the superior cervical ganglia, retrograde neuronal tracing demonstrated labeled neurons ipsilateral to the injection site. They were seen in spinal segments C8 to Th5 of which the segments Th1 to Th3 contained about 98% of the labeled cells. Neurons were found in the spinal cord predominantly in the intermediolateral nucleus pars principalis and pars funicularis. At the same time, the central autonomic area and the …
The good, the bad and the ugly – A visual guide for common post-mortem wear patterns in vertebrate teeth
2021
Abstract Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) is a common wear proxy using dental wear features to reconstruct diet in extant and extinct taxa. Dietary reconstructions of extinct species can be biased due to post-mortem mechanical modification of the dental surface. These post-mortem surface alterations can be caused by material loss after death, or as the result of burial, excavation, or preparation processes. In this study, we explore post-mortem surface alterations that occur during excavation, preparation, and conservation processes. We present a first general overview of unsuitable and suspicious dental surface scans and describe them both qualitatively and quantitatively using den…
VOT production, writing skills, and general proficiency in multilingual learners of French: approaching the intertwinement of different linguistic le…
2021
Abstract We investigate the interrelations between pronunciation and writing skills in French as a foreign language produced by two groups of bilingual learners (German-Russian; German-Turkish) and a monolingually raised German control group (each n = 10). As an indicator of the learners’ pronunciation skills, we refer to a perceptually relevant acoustic feature of stop production, “Voice Onset Time” (VOT). Our aim is to explore whether the learners’ proficiency at the level of pronunciation is mirrored in (1) their global language competencies and (2) their writing skills. We applied an extreme-cases approach based on the learners’ VOT productions in L3 French. Both positive and negative d…
Total Plasma Exchange for the Management of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura in a 13-Year-Old Female – A Case Presentation
2021
Abstract Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare thrombotic microangiopathy, affecting preferentially young women in their fourth decade. Intensive care admission is often required due to organ dysfunction development risk and for specific critical care measures (Plasma Exchange-PEX). In this article, we will discuss our experience with PEX in the treatment of TTP. Case report: A previously healthy 13-year-old female presented with neurological impairment, and suspicion of stroke. The head computed tomography (CT) scan revealed absence of acute intracranian pathology, and biological evaluation displayed severe thrombocytopenia and haemolytic anemia. After 24 hours, the …
Current Trends in Advanced Alginate-Based Wound Dressings for Chronic Wounds
2021
Chronic wounds represent a major public health issue, with an extremely high cost worldwide. In healthy individuals, the wound healing process takes place in different stages: inflammation, cell proliferation (fibroblasts and keratinocytes of the dermis), and finally remodeling of the extracellular matrix (equilibrium between metalloproteinases and their inhibitors). In chronic wounds, the chronic inflammation favors exudate persistence and bacterial film has a special importance in the dynamics of chronic inflammation in wounds that do not heal. Recent advances in biopolymer-based materials for wound healing highlight the performance of specific alginate forms. An ideal wound dressing shou…
Contribution of local factors to the status of a groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystem in the transboundary Gauja-Koiva River basin, North-East…
2021
Abstract A pilot study was carried out in the Matsi spring fen, southern Estonia to test a proposed methodology ( Terasmaa et al., 2020 ) for identifying potential effects of groundwater bodies on groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems (GDTE). A comprehensive hydrochemical and isotopic dataset was collected and analyzed using multivariate statistical methods to assess the origin of the groundwater discharging in the spring fen and to determine both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of GDTE-groundwater interdependence. The hydrochemical findings were complemented with the hydrogeological, hydrodynamical and botanical observations, and summarized into a conceptual model of the st…
Conformational clamping by a membrane ligand activates the EphA2 receptor
2021
AbstractThe EphA2 receptor is a promising drug target for cancer treatment, since EphA2 activation can inhibit metastasis and tumor progression. It has been recently described that the TYPE7 peptide activates EphA2 using a novel mechanism that involves binding to the single transmembrane domain of the receptor. TYPE7 is a conditional transmembrane (TM) ligand, which only inserts into membranes at neutral pH in the presence of the TM region of EphA2. However, how membrane interactions can activate EphA2 is not known. We systematically altered the sequence of TYPE7 to identify the binding motif used to activate EphA2. With the resulting six peptides, we performed biophysical and cell migratio…
Immersed in Pop
2021
In 2019, Dolby Atmos Music launched on Tidal HiFi and Amazon Prime Music HD, integrating 3D sound with music streaming services for the first time. This is one of several recent incursions by popular music into immersive and interactive mediums, which also includes technologies such as virtual reality and 360-degree video. As immersive productions become more normal in popular music, they are increasingly critical to examine. How are aesthetic features of pop compositions altered or maintained in these productions? And how do these different spatial mediums affect compositional design, subject positioning, artists’ performativity, and staging? This article aims to address these questions by…
Negotiating a transnational career around borders: Women's stories in boundaryless academia
2021
The study aimed to give voice to two women sport scientists' life stories to centralize the challenges and ways of coping their career journeys entailed, and enlighten our understanding of the lived experience and meaning of academic migrating. They shared transnational career stories through interviews and ongoing conversations which we re-story in a creative non-fiction story where we blended the two. Our data collection, analysis and representation were informed by theoretical, methodological and interpretive bricolage. As the creative non-fiction story shows, the academic entrepreneur ideal was somewhat disrupted in the women's lives, as migration experiences, aside from thrills, also i…
false
2021
Background MASK-air® is an app that supports allergic rhinitis patients in disease control. Users register daily allergy symptoms and their impact on activities using visual analog scales (VASs). We aimed to assess the concurrent validity, reliability, and responsiveness of these daily VASs. Methods Daily monitoring VAS data were assessed in MASK-air® users with allergic rhinitis. Concurrent validity was assessed by correlating daily VAS values with those of the EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) VAS, the Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) score, and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Allergic Specific (WPAI-AS) Questionnaire (work and activity impairment scores). Int…
Proteomic signature of the Dravet syndrome in the genetic Scn1a-A1783V mouse model.
2021
Abstract Background Dravet syndrome is a rare, severe pediatric epileptic encephalopathy associated with intellectual and motor disabilities. Proteomic profiling in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome can provide information about the molecular consequences of the genetic deficiency and about pathophysiological mechanisms developing during the disease course. Methods A knock-in mouse model of Dravet syndrome with Scn1a haploinsufficiency was used for whole proteome, seizure, and behavioral analysis. Hippocampal tissue was dissected from two- (prior to epilepsy manifestation) and four- (following epilepsy manifestation) week-old male mice and analyzed using LC-MS/MS with label-free quantificati…
The inconvenience yield of carbon futures
2021
Abstract Since 2009, the European Carbon Futures Market has been in a permanent contango situation that is characterised by systematic negative convenience yields that allow investors to exploit profitable arbitrage opportunities. The objective of this paper is to analyse the possible drivers of these negative convenience yields. Our empirical results indicate that although some carbon trading variables are behind this contango situation, the carbon inconvenience yield is better explained if other financial markets and variables are considered, suggesting a financialization of the European Carbon Futures Market.
The Peptide for Life Initiative: a call for action to provide equal access to the use of natriuretic peptides in the diagnosis of acute heart failure…
2021
n/a Funding Agencies|Applied Therapeutics; Innolife; Novartis PharmaceuticalsNovartis; Abbott DiagnosticsAbbott Laboratories; AstraZenecaAstraZeneca; AbbottAbbott Laboratories; Boehringer IngelheimBoehringer Ingelheim; Cardior Pharmaceuticals Gmbh; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novo NordiskNovo Nordisk; RocheRoche Holding; Swiss National Science FoundationSwiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)European Commission; Swiss Heart Foundation; KTI; European UnionEuropean Commission; University of Basel; University Hospital Basel; Beckman Coulter; BRAHMS; Idorsia; NovartisNovartis; Ortho Clinical Diagnostics; Quidel; SiemensSiemens AG; Singulex; Sphingotec; CardioRenal
Immune Thrombocytopenia in Antiphospholipid Syndrome: Is It Primary or Secondary?
2021
Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is frequently associated with thrombocytopenia, in most cases mild and in the absence of major bleedings. In some patients with a confirmed APS diagnosis, secondary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) may lead to severe thrombocytopenia with consequent major bleeding. At the same time, the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in patients with a diagnosis of primary ITP has been reported in several studies, although with some specific characteristics especially related to the variety of antigenic targets. Even though it does not enter the APS defining criteria, thrombocytopenia should be regarded as a warning sign of a “high risk” APS and thus thoroughly ev…
Emotional and Aesthetic Labor of Finnish Military Officers
2021
This study analyzes the emotional and aesthetic labor of Finnish military officers. It examines the kinds of valuations officers attach to the notion of an ideal soldier. The meanings that officers give to these ideals are explored within the wider framework of post-Fordist new work. The ideal soldier is traditionally considered to be physically capable and strong, rational, and in control—features culturally coded as masculine. An analysis of 108 military officers’ writings and 12 interviews showed that while the traditional masculine ideal still exists, a vast variety of valuations are related to new work. The notion of the new ideal worker includes attributes, such as empathy, emotional …
Novel Digital Measurement Technique to Analyze the Palatine Suture Expansion after Palatine Rapid Maxillary Expansion Technique
2021
The aim of the study was to validate a novel digital measurement method to quantify the volume of the midpalatal suture after rapid maxillary expansion (RME). Material and methods: Eight patients with maxillary skeletal transverse deficiency were submitted to palatine suture expansion using the McNamara orthodontic appliance during a period of nine months. After 30 days of treatment, all patients were exposed postoperatively to a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan. Afterwards, the scans were uploaded into the three-dimensional orthodontic-planning software to allow the volumetric assessment of the palatine suture expansion through palatine rapid maxillary expansion using a McNamara a…
European Society of Gynaecological Oncology guidelines for the peri-operative management of advanced ovarian cancer patients undergoing debulking sur…
2021
The European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO) developed and established for the first time in 2016, and updated in 2020, quality indicators for advanced ovarian cancer surgery to audit and improve clinical practice in Europe and beyond. As a sequela of the continuous effort to improve oncologic care in patients with ovarian cancer, ESGO issued in 2018 a consensus guidance jointly with the European Society of Medical Oncology addressing in a multidisciplinary fashion 20 selected key questions in the management of ovarian cancer, ranging from molecular pathology to palliation in primary and relapse disease. In order to complement the above achievements and consolidate the promoted sy…