Search results for "Meter"
showing 10 items of 16915 documents
A New Method for Studying Licking Behavior Determinants in Rodents: Application to Diet-Induced Obese Mice
2018
OBJECTIVE An original device for exploring taste-guided reward behavior in rodents using a newly designed computer-controlled liquid delivery system equipped with "lickometers" is described. METHODS This octagonal shaped "gustometer" is composed of eight shutters that give random access during a few seconds to eight bottles delivering different liquid stimuli. This original design, which forces the animal to move for access to the drinking source, allows a simultaneous analysis of the licking behavior and motivation to drink. Determination of the sucrose licking behavior in diet-induced obese mice was used to validate this method because nutritional obesity disturbs the sweet taste percepti…
Coarse-grained models of double-stranded DNA based on experimentally determined knotting probabilities
2018
Abstract To accurately model double-stranded DNA in a manner that is computationally efficient, coarse-grained models of DNA are introduced, where model parameters are selected by fitting the spectrum of observable DNA knots: We develop a general method to fit free parameters of coarse-grained chain models by comparing experimentally obtained knotting probabilities of short DNA chains to knotting probabilities that are computed in Monte Carlo simulations, resulting in coarse-grained DNA models which are tailored to reflect DNA topology in the best possible way. The method is exemplified by fitting ideal chain models as well as a bead-spring model with excluded volume interactions, to model …
Developmental programming of somatic growth, behavior and endocannabinoid metabolism by variation of early postnatal nutrition in a cross-fostering m…
2017
Background Nutrient deprivation during early development has been associated with the predisposition to metabolic disorders in adulthood. Considering its interaction with metabolism, appetite and behavior, the endocannabinoid (eCB) system represents a promising target of developmental programming. Methods By cross-fostering and variation of litter size, early postnatal nutrition of CB6F1-hybrid mice was controlled during the lactation period (3, 6, or 10 pups/mother). After weaning and redistribution at P21, all pups received standard chow ad libitum. Gene expression analyses (liver, visceral fat, hypothalamus) were performed at P50, eCB concentrations were determined in liver and visceral …
Impact of PNPLA3 and IFNL3 polymorphisms on hepatic steatosis in Asian patients with chronic hepatitis C.
2017
Background and aims A recent meta-analysis revealed that the genotype PNPLA3 rs738409 GG is associated with a higher risk of hepatic steatosis (HS) in Caucasian patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). However, controversial results were found regarding Asian populations. Furthermore, previous studies have shown a negative association between interferon lambda 3 (IFNL3) rs12979860 CC and HS in Caucasian CHC patients, but there have been no reports indicating any such association in Asian populations. In this study, then, we investigated the association of PNPLA3 and IFNL3 polymorphisms with HS in Asian CHC patients. Methods We enrolled consecutive CHC patients who underwent liver biopsy pri…
3-Dimensional Analysis and Systematic Review of Root Canal Morphology and Physiological Foramen Geometry of 109 Mandibular First Premolars by Micro-c…
2019
Abstract Introduction The aim of this study was to systematically revise the root canal configuration (RCC) literature and to investigate the root canal morphology of mandibular first premolars (Ma1Ps) of 2 populations by means of micro–computed tomographic imaging. Methods This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines including RCC randomized controlled trials and cross-sectional, cohort, comparative, validation, and evaluation studies. Furthermore, the RCC, physiological foramina, the frequency of accessory and connecting canals, and the physiological foramina morphology of 109 Ma1Ps were investigated by means of micro–co…
The marine activities performed within the TOMO-ETNA experiment
2016
<p>The TOMO-ETNA experiment was planned in order to obtain a detailed geological and structural model of the continental and oceanic crust beneath Mt. Etna volcano and northeastern Sicily up to the Aeolian Islands (southern Italy), by integrating data from active and passive refraction and reflection seismic methodologies, magnetic and gravity surveys. This paper focuses on the marine activities performed within the experiment, which have been carried out in the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas, during three multidisciplinary oceanographic cruises, involving three research vessels (“Sarmiento de Gamboa”, “Galatea” and “Aegaeo”) belonging to different countries and institutions. During the o…
A heuristic, iterative algorithm for change-point detection in abrupt change models
2017
Change-point detection in abrupt change models is a very challenging research topic in many fields of both methodological and applied Statistics. Due to strong irregularities, discontinuity and non-smootheness, likelihood based procedures are awkward; for instance, usual optimization methods do not work, and grid search algorithms represent the most used approach for estimation. In this paper a heuristic, iterative algorithm for approximate maximum likelihood estimation is introduced for change-point detection in piecewise constant regression models. The algorithm is based on iterative fitting of simple linear models, and appears to extend easily to more general frameworks, such as models i…
LEGO-based generalized set of two linear algebraic 3D bio-macro-molecular descriptors: Theory and validation by QSARs
2019
Abstract Novel 3D protein descriptors based on bilinear, quadratic and linear algebraic maps in R n are proposed. The latter employs the kth 2-tuple (dis) similarity matrix to codify information related to covalent and non-covalent interactions in these biopolymers. The calculation of the inter-amino acid distances is generalized by using several dis-similarity coefficients, where normalization procedures based on the simple stochastic and mutual probability schemes are applied. A new local-fragment approach based on amino acid-types and amino acid-groups is proposed to characterize regions of interest in proteins. Topological and geometric macromolecular cutoffs are defined using local and…
Evolutionary distances corrected for purifying selection and ancestral polymorphisms.
2019
Abstract Evolutionary distance formulas that take into account effects due to ancestral polymorphisms and purifying selection are obtained on the basis of the full solution of Jukes–Cantor and Kimura DNA substitution models. In the case of purifying selection two different methods are developed. It is shown that avoiding the dimensional reduction implicitly carried out in the conventional model solving is instrumental to incorporate the quoted effects into the formalism. The problem of estimating the numerical values of the model parameters, as well as those of the correction terms, is not addressed.
Insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism drive steatosis and fibrosis risk in young females with PCOS
2017
Background and aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) recognize obesity and insulin resistance (IR) as common pathogenic background. We assessed 1) whether PCOS is a risk factor for steatosis, and 2) the impact, in PCOS patients, of IR and hyperandrogenism on steatosis and fibrosis. Methods We considered 202 consecutive Italian PCOS nondiabetic patients and 101 age-matched controls. PCOS was diagnosed applying the Rotterdam diagnostic criteria. Steatosis was diagnosed if hepatic steatosis index (HSI) >36, while fibrosis by using the FIB-4 score. As surrogate estimate of insulin sensitivity we considered the insulin sensitivity index (ISI). Free an…