Search results for "NETWORKS"

Network dynamics of eukaryotic LTR retroelements beyond phylogenetic trees

2009

Abstract Background Sequencing projects have allowed diverse retroviruses and LTR retrotransposons from different eukaryotic organisms to be characterized. It is known that retroviruses and other retro-transcribing viruses evolve from LTR retrotransposons and that this whole system clusters into five families: Ty3/Gypsy, Retroviridae, Ty1/Copia, Bel/Pao and Caulimoviridae. Phylogenetic analyses usually show that these split into multiple distinct lineages but what is yet to be understood is how deep evolution occurred in this system. Results We combined phylogenetic and graph analyses to investigate the history of LTR retroelements both as a tree and as a network. We used 268 non-redundant …

Optimal positioning of water quality sensors in water distribution networks: Comparison of numerical and experimental results

2017

In the water distribution networks, a deliberate or accidental contamination causes loss of water quality; the implementation of a real-time sensor network is essential to promptly detect the event of contamination. To achieve the optimum positioning of the probes, to reduce the cost of the instrumentation and maintenance, and obtaining, at the same time, a reliable monitoring of the system, optimization techniques are widely applied. In the present study, a numerical optimisation approach was compared with the results of an experimental campaign. The optimization problem is formulated in accordance with literature stateof- the-art, using the genetic algorithm NSGA-II coupled with a hydraul…

Recent Advances in Complex Networks Theories with Applications

2014

A framework for remission in SLE

2017

ObjectivesTreat-to-target recommendations have identified ‘remission’ as a target in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but recognise that there is no universally accepted definition for this. Therefore, we initiated a process to achieve consensus on potential definitions for remission in SLE.MethodsAn international task force of 60 specialists and patient representatives participated in preparatory exercises, a face-to-face meeting and follow-up electronic voting. The level for agreement was set at 90%.ResultsThe task force agreed on eight key statements regarding remission in SLE and three principles to guide the further development of remission definitions:1. Definitions of remission wi…

Disorder-induced single-mode transmission.

2017

Localized states trap waves propagating in a disordered potential and play a crucial role in Anderson localization, which is the absence of diffusion due to disorder. Some localized states are barely coupled with neighbours because of differences in wavelength or small spatial overlap, thus preventing energy leakage to the surroundings. This is the same degree of isolation found in the homogeneous core of a single-mode optical fibre. Here we show that localized states of a disordered optical fibre are single mode: the transmission channels possess a high degree of resilience to perturbation and invariance with respect to the launch conditions. Our experimental approach allows identification…

Structural analyses of a hypothetical minimal metabolism

2007

By integrating data from comparative genomics and large-scale deletion studies, we previously proposed a minimal gene set comprising 206 protein-coding genes. To evaluate the consistency of the metabolism encoded by such a minimal genome, we have carried out a series of computational analyses. Firstly, the topology of the minimal metabolism was compared with that of the reconstructed networks from natural bacterial genomes. Secondly, the robustness of the metabolic network was evaluated by simulated mutagenesis and, finally, the stoichiometric consistency was assessed by automatically deriving the steady-state solutions from the reaction set. The results indicated that the proposed minimal …

Metabolic Networks of Sodalis glossinidius: A Systems Biology Approach to Reductive Evolution

2012

BackgroundGenome reduction is a common evolutionary process affecting bacterial lineages that establish symbiotic or pathogenic associations with eukaryotic hosts. Such associations yield highly reduced genomes with greatly streamlined metabolic abilities shaped by the type of ecological association with the host. Sodalis glossinidius, the secondary endosymbiont of tsetse flies, represents one of the few complete genomes available of a bacterium at the initial stages of this process. In the present study, genome reduction is studied from a systems biology perspective through the reconstruction and functional analysis of genome-scale metabolic networks of S. glossinidius.ResultsThe functiona…

Investigating effects in GNSS station coordinate time series

2014

The vertical and horizontal displacements of the Earth can be measured to a high degree of precision using GNSS. Time series of Latvian GNSS station positions of both the EUPOS®-Riga and LatPos networks have been developed at the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation of the University of Latvia (LU GGI). In this study the main focus is made on the noise analysis of the obtained time series and site displacement identification. The results of time series have been analysed and distinctive behaviour of EUPOS®-Riga and LatPos station coordinate changes have been identified. The possible dependences of GNSS station coordinate distribution on EPN station problems, seismic activity of some area…

Bio-Eco-Analysis for Risk Factors using GIS Software

2013

Agriculture is a business sector ideally suited for the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) because it is natural resource based, requires the movement, distribution, and/or utilization of large quantities of products, goods, and services, and is increasingly required to record details of its business operations from the field to the marketplace. Nearly all agricultural data has some form of spatial component, and a GIS allows you to visualize information that might otherwise be difficult to interpret. Environment has a major impact on agriculture. In this paper we presented how GIS software can be used to analyze risk factors that influence agricultural production naturally…

Wind speed spatial estimation for energy planning in Sicily: A neural kriging application

2008

Abstract One of the first steps for the exploitation of any energy source is necessarily represented by its estimation and mapping at the aim of identifying the most suitable areas in terms of energy potential. In the field of renewable energies this is often a very difficult task, because the energy source is in this case characterized by relevant variations over space and time. This implies that any temporal, but also spatial, estimation model has to be able to incorporate this spatial and temporal variability. The paper deals with the spatial estimation of the wind fields in Sicily (Italy) by following a data-driven approach. Starting from the results of a preliminary study, a novel tech…