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In this article, we present the command cub, which fits ordinal rating data using combination of uniform and binomial (CUB) models, a class of finite mixture distributions accounting for both feeling and uncertainty of the response process. CUB identifies the components that define the mixture in the baseline model specification. We apply maximum likelihood methods to estimate feeling and uncertainty parameters, which are possibly explained in terms of covariates. An extension to inflated CUB models is discussed. We also present a subcommand, scattercub, for visualization of results. We then illustrate the use of cub using a case study on students’ satisfaction for the orientation services provided by the University of Naples Federico II in Italy.

A novel system-on-a-chip compatible one-transistor one-capacitor ferroelectric random-access memory array (1T1C FeRAM) based on ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 with a capacitor under bitline (CUB) structure was experimentally demonstrated. The CUB structure facilitates the application of post-metallization annealing on metal/ferroelectric/metal capacitors above 500 °C because they are fabricated before the back-end-of-line process. A large remanent polarization of 2Pr $ {>}40~\mu \text{C}$ /cm2, projected endurance ${>}10^{11}$ cycles, and ten years of data retention at 85 °C were obtained at 500 °C, after metallization using a single large capacitor. Furthermore, a large memory window of the 64 kbit 1T1C FeRAM array with 500 °C post-metallization was comprehensively demonstrated without degradation of the underlying CMOS logic transistors. The operation voltage and speed dependence were extensively investigated using a dedicated sense amplifier for the 1T1C FeRAM. Furthermore, the perfect bit functionality at an operation voltage of 2.5 V and a read/write speed < 10 ns were obtained. Therefore, superior properties of CUB-structured 1T1C FeRAM can be achieved by flexible process engineering of crystallization annealing for metal/ferroelectric/metal fabrication.

The Dalbergia plants are widely distributed across more than 130 tropical and subtropical countries and have significant economic and medicinal value. Codon usage bias (CUB) is a critical feature for studying gene function and evolution, which can provide a better understanding of biological gene regulation. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the CUB patterns of the nuclear genome, chloroplast genome, and gene expression, as well as systematic evolution of Dalbergia species. Our results showed that the synonymous and optimal codons in the coding regions of both nuclear and chloroplast genome of Dalbergia preferred ending with A/U at the third codon base. Natural selection was the primary factor affecting the CUB features. Furthermore, in highly expressed genes of Dalbergia odorifera, we found that genes with stronger CUB exhibited higher expression levels, and these highly expressed genes tended to favor the use of G/C-ending codons. In addition, the branching patterns of the protein-coding sequences and the chloroplast genome sequences were very similar in the systematic tree, and different with the cluster from the CUB of the chloroplast genome. This study highlights the CUB patterns and features of Dalbergia species in different genomes, explores the correlation between CUB preferences and gene expression, and further investigates the systematic evolution of Dalbergia, providing new insights into codon biology and the evolution of Dalbergia plants.

The present study reports that the combined use of sorafenib and cucurbitacin B can inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis in vitro at the same time as reducing tumor progression in vivo, demonstrating synergistic antitumor effects against hepatocellular carcinoma cells. In addition, combination treatment inhibited epidermal growth factor‐induced signal transducer and activator of transcription‐3 (STAT3) phosphorylation. These findings suggest that inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation may be involved in the synergistic molecular mechanisms., Sorafenib, the first‐line agent for treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), improves median overall survival by approximately 3 months. In the present study, we investigated whether sorafenib combined with cucurbitacin B (CuB), a natural tetracyclic triterpenoid isolated from Cucurbitaceae, exerts enhanced antitumor effects against HCC. Cell viability and colony formation ability were detected by cell‐counting kit‐8 and colony formation assays. Cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. Protein expression was detected by western blotting. HepG2 xenografts in nude mice were used to evaluate in vivo antitumor effects. We report that sorafenib and CuB exhibited synergistic effects on cellular proliferation inhibition and cell apoptosis induction, but not on cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, combination treatment enhanced levels of cleaved caspase 3 and cleaved caspase 9, but suppressed phosphorylation of STAT3. Epidermal growth factor, a potent stimulator of signal transducer and activator of transcription‐3 (STAT3), promoted cell viability and colony formation ability, whereas combination treatment exerted inhibitory effects on epidermal growth factor‐induced STAT3 phosphorylation. Finally, HepG2 xenograft mice cotreated with sorafenib and CuB exhibited reduced tumor progression without notable weight loss. In conclusion, sorafenib and CuB exert synergistic antitumor effects through a pathway that may involve STAT3 phosphorylation, and this may represent a promising therapeutic approach for treatment of HCC.

[Portugu��s] Este artigo analisa os tempos de COVID-19 em uma sociedade socialista, Cuba, e a interdisciplinaridade e intersetorialidade presentes nas a����es desenvolvidas. A democracia participativa da Cuba, coerente com a defesa do socialismo, toma decis��es solid��rias ao seu povo e aos povos de outros pa��ses. Revela ao mundo que n��o se mercantiliza a vida e que a defesa dos valores de coopera����o e humanismo e o exerc��cio constante da unidade s��o premissas a serem seguidas. [English] This article analyzes the COVID-19 times in a socialist society, Cuba, and the interdisciplinarity and intersectionality present in the actions developed. Cuba's participative democracy, consistent with the defense of socialism, makes decisions in solidarity with its people and the people of other countries. It reveals to the world that life is not commodified and that the defense of the values of cooperation and humanism and the constant exercise of unity are premises to be followed., Revista do CEAM, 7(1), 2021.

With the emergence and the production of a large volume of spatial data, supporting large scale and high-performance queries and analysis has become crucial and essential in several applications and fields. The tremendous advances in technology such as smartphones, internet of things, web, navigation systems and sensors, have led to the production of spatial datasets having large sizes. For example, climate and precision agriculture sector are ones of the fields affected by these advances in data acquisition technology where this kind of data is produced in high precision and large temporal sequences. Querying large-scale data allows extracting more valuable and meaningful information that is vital for decision-making, scientific advancement and scenario predictions. Unfortunately, most of existing methods and approaches are based on traditional computing framework (uniprocessors) which makes them not scalable and not adequate to deal with large-scale data. In this work, we show that using the GPGPU can reduce the time of spatial data processing and save computations. In this regard, we have proposed to speed up three classical queries that have never been tackled before in the literature. First, we have proposed an optimized parallel method based on GPGPU to produce overlapping aggregated data summaries by the computation of the average temperature for all overlapped raster subsequences of a determined length for the studied region. As a second contribution, we have tackled a raster selection query based on a threshold fixed by the user. In fact, in different analyses, users can be interested only in some rasters. Hence, we have implemented two solutions based on the GPGPU and the CPU that include a rejection procedure of rasters in the early stages of computations using on a sorting step.Finally, we have proposed two high-performance methods for a selection query based on GPGPU and CPU for massive spatio-temporal data. The query consists on selecting fixed size disjoint raster subsequences based on their average satisfying a user threshold condition. The two methods include a rejection procedure of subsequences based on sorting., Ces dernières années, la production des données spatiales a connu un bond qualitatif et quantitative. En effet, Les énormes progrès technologiques, tels que les smartphones, l'Internet des objets, les systèmes de navigation et les capteurs ont conduit à la production des données spatiales de grande taille et à haute définition. Les capteurs, par exemple, sont maintenant plus précis, moins chers et plus performants générant des données haute précision et à grande fréquence. Proposer des requêtes et des opérations d’analyse puissantes et à grande échelle devient cruciale et essentielle dans plusieurs applications et domaines. Le secteur d’agriculture et environnemental est l'un des domaines touchés par ces progrès de la technologie d'acquisition de données. Interroger et analyser ce jeu de données permet d'extraire des informations vitales pour la prédiction, la prise de décision, et l'avancement scientifique. Malheureusement, la plupart des méthodes et approches existantes sont basées sur une approche traditionnelle à base de CPU (monoprocesseurs), ce qui les rend non évolutives, inadéquates pour traiter des données à grande échelle et prennent beaucoup de temps pour l’exécution.Dans ce travail, nous montrons que l'utilisation du GPGPU peut réduire le temps de traitement des données spatiales et économiser les calculs. À cet égard, nous avons proposé d'accélérer une opération d’agrégation et deux requêtes classiques qui n'avaient jamais été abordées auparavant dans la littérature.Tout d'abord, nous avons proposé une méthode parallèle optimisée en utilisant GPGPU pour produire des résumés de données basée sur l’agrégation chevauchées, plus précisément,Le calcul de la température moyenne des séquences chevauchées des rasters de taille fixe.Dans un second temps, nous avons abordé la requête de sélection des rasters basée sur un seuil fixé par l'utilisateur. En effet, dans différents scénarios, les utilisateurs ne peuvent s'intéresser qu'à certains rasters. Par conséquent, nous avons mis en place deux solutions robustes basées sur le GPGPU et le CPU qui incluent une procédure de rejet des rasters aussitôt que possible pour réduire le temps d’exécution en utilisant une étape de trie. Finalement, nous avons proposé deux méthodes basées sur le GPGPU et le CPU pour une requête de sélection des séquences des rasters non chevauchés à base de leurs moyennes selon un seuil fixé par l’utilisateur.

Le site de hauteur des Barasses, jusqu’alors absent du corpus des sites perchés protohistoriques connus en Ardèche, a fait l’objet d’une première campagne archéologique en mai 2015, dans le cadre du Projet Collectif de Recherche « L’habitat fortifié à l'âge du Bronze et au premier âge du Fer sur le versant oriental du Massif Central : départements de la Loire, de l'Ardèche et du Rhône », puis d’une seconde, de manière indépendante, en juin 2016. Une phase de prospection suivie de l’ouverture de plusieurs sondages ont permis de déterminer diverses phases d’occupations et de fréquentations de l’éperon. Une occupation pérenne de la première moitié du premier âge du Fer a pu notamment être diagnostiquée, avec la présence de bâti en matériaux légers et périssables, ainsi que de diverses preuves d’artisanat et de consommation alimentaire. La présence importante de céramique d’importation inscrit le site des Barasses dans les réseaux de circulation et d’échanges rhodanien et méditerranéen, qui se développent à la transition des deux âges du Fer. The hilltop settlement of the Barasses, until then unknown among protohistoric perched settlements in Ardèche, was first the subject of an archeological campaign in May 2015. This work was part of the Collective Research Project "The fortified settlement from the Bronze Age and the First Iron Age on the eastern slope of the Massif Central: the Departments of the Loire, Ardèche and Rhone." A second independent study followed in June 2016. A phase of prospecting followed by the opening of several excavations made it possible to determine various phases of settlement on the spur. A perennial occupation of the first half of the First Iron Age could then be diagnosed, including the presence of constructions made of light and perishable material, as well as clear evidence of craftsmanship and food consumption. The significant presence of imported ceramics places the Barasses site in the Rhone and Mediterranean circulation and exchange networks, which developed at the transition of the two Iron Ages.

Codon usage bias (CUB), where certain codons are used more frequently than expected by chance, is a ubiquitous phenomenon and occurs across the tree of life. The dominant paradigm is that the proportion of preferred codons is set by weak selection. While experimental changes in codon usage have at times shown large phenotypic effects in contrast to this paradigm, genome-wide population genetic estimates have supported the weak selection model. Here we use deep genomic population sequencing of two Drosophila melanogaster populations to measure selection on synonymous sites in a way that allowed us to estimate the prevalence of both weak and strong purifying selection. We find that selection in favor of preferred codons ranges from weak (|Nes| ∼ 1) to strong (|Nes| > 10), with strong selection acting on 10–20% of synonymous sites in preferred codons. While previous studies indicated that selection at synonymous sites could be strong, this is the first study to detect and quantify strong selection specifically at the level of CUB. Further, we find that CUB-associated polymorphism accounts for the majority of strong selection on synonymous sites, with secondary contributions of splicing (selection on alternatively spliced genes, splice junctions, and spliceosome-bound sites) and transcription factor binding. Our findings support a new model of CUB and indicate that the functional importance of CUB, as well as synonymous sites in general, have been underestimated.

Se describe una investigación conjunta entre la Facultad de Comunicación de la Universidad de La Habana, y el Programa de Asociación de País“De apoyo a la implementación del Programa Nacional de Lucha contra la Desertificación y la Sequía en Cuba”, apoyado por el Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial. Como resultado, se caracterizan las prácticas comunicativas que sustentan la gestión de los recursos hidráulicos en el poblado rural de Güira de Melena, en la provincia cubana de Artemisa, y se propone una estrategia de comunicación. El estudio se condujo desde la Evaluación Rural Participativa y constató altos grados de sensibilización, en contraste con limitadas competencias comunicativas. Se describe una investigación conjunta entre la Facultad de Comunicación de la Universidad de La Habana, y el Programa de Asociación de País “De apoyo a la implementación del Programa Nacional de Lucha contra la Desertificación y la Sequía en Cuba”, apoyado por el Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial. Como resultado, se caracterizan las prácticas comunicativas que sustentan la gestión de los recursos hidráulicos en el poblado rural de Güira de Melena, en la provincia cubana de Artemisa, y se propone una estrategia de comunicación. El estudio se condujo desde la Evaluación Rural Participativa y constató altos grados de sensibilización, en contraste con limitadas competencias comunicativas. The paper describes a joint investigation between the Faculty of Communications from University of Havana and the Country Partnership Program “Supporting the implementation of the Cuban National Program for fighting against Desertification and Draught”, supported by the Global Environment Fund. As a result, there is a characterization of the communicative practices that sustain water resources management in the rural settlement Güira de Melena, in the Cuban province of Artemisa; and a communicative strategy is proposed. The study was conducted from the Rural Participatory Evaluation, and it verified high public awareness on the matter, contrasting with limited communicative competences.

New and more advanced prenatal tests have steadily been introduced in the Swedish maternity care system in the last 30 years. The combined test, CUB, was introduced step wise in Swedish maternal care from 2008 and onward. The CUB test detects children with chromosomal abnormalities prenatally and is offered at no charge for women in treated counties. This thesis investigate the reform using a difference-in-difference approach to determine the effect of the CUB test on the number of late abortions performed. My theoretical framework suggest that the introduction of CUB should increase the number of abortions of children with chromosomal aberrations. As supported by theory I find a positive effect of CUB on late abortions for my main group of interest, women 35-39 years old. These women were the ones most effected by CUB. The positive effect of 0.47 percentage units is statistically significant at the 10% level. It corresponds to a 3.6-7.1% decrease in the number of babies born with chromosomal aberrations.

Mutations and copy number variants of the CUB and Sushi multiple domains 2 (CSMD2) gene are associated with neuropsychiatric disease.CSMD2encodes a single-pass transmembrane protein with a large extracellular domain comprising repeats of CUB and Sushi domains. High expression ofCSMD2in the developing and mature brain suggests possible roles in neuron development or function, but the cellular functions of CSMD2 are not known. In this study, we show that mouseCsmd2is expressed in excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the forebrain. Csmd2 protein exhibits a somatodendritic localization in the neocortex and hippocampus, with smaller puncta localizing to the neuropil. Using immunohistochemical and biochemical methods, we demonstrate that Csmd2 localizes to dendritic spines and is enriched in the postsynaptic density (PSD). Accordingly, we show that the cytoplasmic tail domain of Csmd2 interacts with synaptic scaffolding proteins of the membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family. The association between Csmd2 and MAGUK member PSD-95 is dependent on a PDZ-binding domain on the Csmd2 tail, which is also required for synaptic targeting of Csmd2. Finally, we show that knock-down ofCsmd2expression in hippocampal neuron cultures results in reduced complexity of dendritic arbors and deficits in dendritic spine density. Knock-down ofCsmd2in immature developing neurons results in reduced filopodia density, whereasCsmd2knock-down in mature neurons causes significant reductions in dendritic spine density and dendrite complexity. Together, these results point toward a function for Csmd2 in development and maintenance of dendrites and synapses, which may account for its association with certain psychiatric disorders.

A Amostragem Não Destrutiva (AND) permite uma caracterização eficiente, simples e segura das propriedades químicas do vegetal, como o Coeficiente de Utilização Biológico (CUB). A associação da AND com a técnica de Redes Neurais Artificiais (RNA) pode ser uma alternativa potencial em substituição às equações de regressão e aos métodos tradicionais de interpolação. Portanto, o presente trabalho objetivou avaliar a eficiência da RNA e da amostragem não destrutiva para estimar a eficiência de uso de nutrientes no tronco. O experimento foi instalado em blocos ao acaso, sendo estudado, em três blocos, o efeito de cinco espaçamentos de plantio: T1 – 3,0 m x 0,5 m; T2 – 3,0 m x 1,0 m; T3 – 3,0 m x 1,5 m; T4 – 3,0 m x 2,0 m e T5 – 3,0 m x 3,0 m. Uma árvore-amostra foi abatida para realizar a cubagem rigorosa e quantificar a matéria seca de casca e lenho por unidade experimental, totalizando-se 15 árvores. As árvores-amostras foram pesadas no campo e subamostras de casca e lenho foram coletadas ao longo do fuste para compor uma amostra composta por árvore. Também foi retirada uma amostra simples de cada componente obtidas com auxílio de um formão e martelo na região do DAP nas mesmas árvores-amostras. As amostras foram secas a 65ºC até peso constante. O material vegetal foi moído e submetido à análise química. Ajustaram-se modelos de regressão e aplicação de RNA para estimação do CUBTronco a partir do CUBDAP Casca e CUBDAP Lenho. As RNA apresentaram maior precisão e confiabilidade do que a regressão. A modelagem por redes neurais artificiais utilizando-se apenas uma amostra da casca na região do DAP demonstrou ser adequada para a estimativa do coeficiente de utilização biológico do tronco.

Treballs Finals de Grau de Matemàtiques, Facultat de Matemàtiques, Universitat de Barcelona, Any: 2018, Director: Luis Victor Dieulefait, [en] In number theory, Waring’s problem (1770) asks whether for each natural number k exists an associated positive integer $s(k)$ such that every natural number is the sum of at most s natural numbers to the power of $k$. The statement was proved by Hilbert in 1909. We present an overview of Hilbert-Waring theorem. First, we introduce the modern notation and find several lower and upper bounds using elementary methods. Next, we offer a proof of the theorem based on Schnirelmann’s density. Finally, we summarize the current state of the problem.

Bakgrund: Efterfrågan på tidig fosterdiagnostik har ökat bland blivande föräldrar. KUB är den vanligast förekommande fosterdiagnostiska metoden men är inte diagnostiserande utan kalkylerar en sannolikhet för huruvida trisomi 13, 18 eller 21 föreligger. Detta är kvinnorna inte alltid medvetna om, varför förberedelse och noggrann information är viktigt. Denna studie utfördes därmed för att belysa kvinnors upplevelser relaterat till genomfört KUB. Syfte: Att beskriva kvinnors upplevelser relaterat till genomfört KUB. Metod: Kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats användes. 10 trådar från Internetforumet Familjeliv.se och 12 bloggar hittades under datainsamlingen och låg till grund för dataanalys. Resultat: Analysen mynnade ut ett sammanfattande tema: KUB ses som en möjlighet att bekräfta graviditeten men leder till varierande känslor som barnmorskor måste stödja på ett förtroendefullt sätt. De mest framträdande känslorna som beskrevs relaterat till KUB var oro och rädsla. Barnmorskor upplevdes inte ge det stöd som behövdes. Konklusion: KUB ses som ett sätt att bekräfta graviditeten. För att minska oron behöver barnmorskor ge individanpassad information till kvinnorna. Kvinnors oro relaterat till KUB tenderar att grumla graviditeten och kvarstå lång tid framöver. Background: The demand on prenatal diagnosis increases among expecting parents. CUB is the most common method for the matter but doesn’t provide any diagnosis. CUB only calculates the probability of a fetus with trisomy 13, 18 or 21. Women aren’t always aware of this. Hence, careful preparations and information are necessary. This study was performed to enhance knowledge in women’s experiences in relation to have undergone CUB. Aim: To describe women’s experiences related to having undergone CUB. Method: A qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach was used. Internet was used for data collection. This collection resulted in 10 threads from bulletin board Familjeliv.se and 12 blogs which became the base for data analysis. Result: The analysis resulted in one theme: CUB is seen as an opportunity to confirm the pregnancy but leads to mixed feelings which the midwives need to support in a trustful way. Anxiety and fear are the most common emotions mentioned among women who have undergone CUB. Women felt that midwives didn’t always provide enough information or the requested information. The encounters with midwives during CUB were described as stressful and even unpleasant. Conclusion: CUB is seen as an early way to confirm the pregnancy. To reduce the anxiety, midwives need to give individualised information. Anxiety tends to obscure the pregnancy and remain a long time.

Comerciantes unidos de Buenaventura manifiestan apoyo para el paro cívico de Buenaventura por la afectacción que el sector comercio también han sentido por parte del gobierno nacional ante la carencia de servicios básicos y condiciones dignas.

The new mass communications technology, such as social media and network, began a different era for spectrum of political discourses in the term of contents, dealing with crises and influences on the recent surroundings. Usage of these devices and technologies could change the style of promotion of ideas in the society. New technology can facilitate the effective interaction between individuals, groups, movements and beneficiaries in handling of crises. In this research, the hypothesis is referring to the new political participation by means of new social media like internet, social network (face book, twitter), cell phones, weblogs, chat rooms and Emails. In a political sociological perspective, a great number of young, unemployed Egyptians who had suffered from the tyranny of Mubarak took advantages of the new communicational tools and lead the process of a protest. This research will concentrate on the role of these new tools as accelerator of Egypt 2011 January 25 uprising.

Se realizó un estudio cualitativo y descriptivo sobre la evolución histórica tendencial del proceso de formación del psicólogo en Cuba, con énfasis en la sistematización de los contenidos básicos de la profesión a partir de 1962 hasta 2011. Para ello se revisaron documentos y normativas relacionados con la redimensionalización de las funciones de este profesional en el sistema de salud cubano, pero igualmente se consideró necesario entrevistarse con varios profesores experimentados en la asistencia y la docencia de diferentes generaciones, así como también con estudiantes que se forman actualmente, incluidos en ese contexto los criterios del autor. El análisis y la interpretación de la información obtenida revelaron que el proceso formativo del psicólogo en el país ha evolucionado favorablemente, con una tendencia ascendente en su desarrollo. Se establecen las principales tendencias históricas en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de los contenidos básicos en la formación del mencionado profesional, con el uso de los métodos histórico-lógico y de análisis-síntesis.A qualitative and descriptive study was carried out on tendency of historical development of the psychologist's career training in Cuba, focusing on systematization of the profession basic contents from 1962 to 2011. With this purpose documents and regulations related to the redimensionalization of this professional's functions in the Cuban health system were reviewed, but it was also considered necessary to interview several teachers with experience in care and teaching from different generations, as well as students that are training today, including the author's criteria in this context. The analysis and interpretation of the obtained information revealed that the psychologist's career training in the country has evolved favorably with an upward tendency in its development. The main historical tendencies are established in the teaching-learning process of the basic contents in the career training of this professional, using analysis-synthesis and historical and logical methods.

A exigência para boro (B) varia largamente entre e dentro das espécies vegetais. Objetivando avaliar a resposta de clones de eucalipto ao B em solução nutritiva foi realizado ensaio em casa de vegetação com oito clones. As plantas cresceram em soluções nutritivas com 0, 10, 20, 50 e 100 µmol/L de B, durante 70 dias. Na finalização do ensaio determinaram-se características fisiológicas, produção de matéria seca e teores de B no tecido vegetal. Houve resposta diferenciada dos clones à concentração de B na solução nutritiva, com máxima produção de matéria seca entre 28 e 69 µmol/L de B. Em baixas concentrações de B, pôde-se observar sintomas visuais de deficiência e, em altas concentrações, não foram observados sintomas de toxidez, porém houve redução na produção de matéria seca. A resposta do eucalipto ao B na solução nutritiva depende do clone, havendo diferenças entre eles na tolerância à deficiência e toxidez e na eficiência de utilização de B. Os clones 68 e 129 apresentaram as mais elevadas taxas de fotossíntese. O clone 3487 foi o mais responsivo ao B. Os clones 3487, 3336 e 68 foram mais sensíveis à deficiência e os clones 3281 e 1270 os mais tolerantes à deficiência. O clone 2486 foi o mais sensível à toxidez e o clone 3281 o mais tolerante. Os clones 3487, 2486 e 129 foram mais eficientes na utilização de B.Boron (B) requirement for plant growth varies both within and among plant species. In order to evaluate the response of clones of eucalyptus to B in nutrient solution, an experiment was carried out under glasshouse conditions, with eight clones. Plants were grown in nutrient solutions at B concentrations of 0, 10, 20, 50 and 100 µmol/L for 70 days, after which, physiological variables, dry matter production and boron content were determined. There was a differential response of the eucalyptus clones to the concentration of boron in nutrient solution with maximum dry matter production occurring between 28 and 68 µmol/L of B in nutrient solution. At low concentrations of B, visual symptoms of deficiency were observed. At high B concentrations, toxicity symptoms were not observed; however, there was a reduction in dry matter production. The response to B depends on the clone. The clones 129 and 68 showed the highest rates of photosynthesis. The clone 3487 was the most responsive to B. The clones 3487, 3336 and 68 were more sensitive to B deficiency whereas clones 3281 and 1270 exhibited greater tolerance to B deficiency. Clone 2486 was the most sensitive to B toxicity and the clone 3281 showed the highest tolerance to B. Clones 3487, 2486 and 129 were more efficient in the use of boron.

The goal of this study was to observe the specific behavior of Carpathian wolf cubs, considering the importance of this specie from fauna balance and ecology point of view. Chronological observations of young cubs’ evolution from birth to wean period were made, in order to determine the mother-cubs relation and the relations between brother cubs from the same litter.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior Literature for fertilizer recommendations and diagnosis of nutritional status of carrot cultivation is outdated because it includes productivity lower than the obtained ones in the country currently. This study aimed to estimate the necessary attributes for modeling nutritional demand of the main carrot cultivars; to propose fertilizer recommendation system for culture (FERTICALC Carrot); and to determine reference values for interpretation of carrot leaf analysis. Productivity of roots and leaves, root dry matter (DM) content, and nutrients levels in the root and shoot were quantified in 210 commercial stands of carrot located in Alto Paranaíba region, Minas Gerais State (MG), Brazil. To model the nutritional demand, the biological utilization coefficient (BUC) of nutrients and harvest index (HI) of DM and nutrients in the culture were estimated. The modeling was generated for both carrot cropping seasons (winter and summer). The proposed system for fertilizer recommendations took into consideration the crop nutritional demand and the nutrients supply by the soil. To model the nutrients supply, the literature was reviewed for finding related issue to the theme. Reference values (levels and optimum ranges of nutrients in the tissues) were generated for diagnosis of nutritional status by analyzing the sampled shoot at harvest time. The reference values were generated using the Critical Level (CL), Sufficiency Ranges (SR), Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) and Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis (CND) methods. The harvest index of DM and nutrients was higher for winter cultivars. Regardless of the growing season, the N, P, K, Mg, and B were mainly accumulated in roots. Differences in the nutritional demand of N, P, Ca, S, B, Cu, and Zn were insignificant among winter and summer crops for the average yields obtained in each season (80 and 60 Mg ha-1, respectively). The summer crop accumulated greater amounts of Fe and minor amounts of K, Mg, and Mn when compared to the winter crop. The developed FERTICALC proved to be efficient for fertilizer recommendation for the carrot crop. The reference values were in accordance with all evaluated diagnostic methods. However, they were different from those results found in the literature indicating that regionalized reference values allow better diagnosis of nutritional status. The Mn was the most limiting nutrient in carrot cultivation, followed by Mg, K, and Ca. A literatura existente para recomendação de fertilizantes e para diagnose do estado nutricional da cultura da cenoura está desatualizada por contemplar produtividades inferiores às obtidas atualmente no país. Objetivou-se, com este trabalho, estimar os atributos necessários para modelar a demanda nutricional das principais cultivares de cenoura; propor sistema de recomendação de fertilizantes para a cultura (FERTICALC Cenoura); e determinar valores de referência para interpretação de análises foliares da cenoura. Quantificou-se, em 210 talhões comerciais de cenoura localizados no Alto Paranaíba-MG, a produtividade de raízes e de folhas, o teor de matéria seca (MS) de raízes e os teores de nutrientes na raiz e na parte aérea. Para modelar a demanda nutricional estimou-se o coeficiente de utilização biológica (CUB) dos nutrientes e o índice de colheita (IC) de MS e de nutrientes na cultura. A modelagem foi gerada para ambas as épocas de cultivo de cenoura (inverno e verão). O sistema proposto para recomendar fertilizantes levou em consideração a demanda nutricional da cultura e o suprimento de nutrientes pelo solo. Para modelar o suprimento de nutrientes recorreu-se à literatura buscando trabalhos relacionados ao tema. Valores de referência (teores e faixas ótimas dos nutrientes nos tecidos) foram gerados para diagnose do estado nutricional por meio da análise da parte aérea amostrada no momento da colheita. Os valores de referências foram gerados pelos métodos Nível Crítico (NC), Faixa de Suficiência (FS), Sistema Integrado de Diagnose e Recomendação (DRIS) e Diagnose da Composição Nutricional (CND). O IC de MS e de nutrientes foi maior para as cultivares de inverno. Independente da época de cultivo, o N, P, K, Mg e B foram acumulados majoritariamente nas raízes. Foram insignificativas as diferenças na demanda nutricional de N, P, Ca, S, B, Cu e Zn entre os cultivos de inverno e verão para as produtividades médias obtidas em cada época (80 e 60 Mg ha-1, respectivamente). O cultivo de verão acumulou maiores quantidades de Fe e menores quantidades de K, Mg e Mn quando comparado ao de inverno. O FERTICALC desenvolvido mostrou-se eficiente para recomendar fertilizantes para a cultura da cenoura. Os valores de referência foram concordantes entre todos os métodos de diagnose avaliados. Contudo, distintos dos existentes na literatura, indicando que valores de referência regionalizados permitem melhor diagnóstico do estado nutricional. O Mn foi o nutriente mais limitante ao cultivo da cenoura, seguido do Mg, K e Ca.

Nutrients, biological waste-products, toxins, pathogens, and other ligands for endocytosis are typically captured by multidomain receptors with multiligand specificity. Upon internalization, the receptor-ligand complex segregates, followed by lysosomal degradation of the ligand and recycling of the receptor. Endosomal acidification and calcium efflux lead to the essential ligand-receptor affinity switch and separation. Recent data, including crystal structures of receptor-ligand complexes, now reveal how calcium, in different types of domain scaffolds, functions in a common way as a removable 'lynchpin' that stabilizes favorable positioning of ligand-attractive receptor residues. In addition to explaining how calcium depletion can cause ligand-receptor dissociation, the new data add further insight into how acidification contributes to dissociation through structural changes that affect the receptor calcium sites.

Recent years have shown a broad spectra of tangible interfaces or TUI's, based upon interaction with music, but also other interfaces containing ubiquitous computing. This is an interesting field due to how engaging music can be and work as connector between people. But the field of human computer interaction has some explorational properties. This paper presents an idea of abstraction with a tangible interface for creating music. The idea behind abstraction of the interface is to engage the user(s) in exploring the artifact, rather than explaining the artifact to the user what can and cannot be done with the artifact.

Evaluation of measurement systems is necessary in many industrial contexts. The literature on this topic is mainly focused on how to measure uncertainties for systems that yield continuous output. Few references are available for categorical data and they are briefly recalled in this paper. Finally a new proposal to measure uncertainty when the output is bounded ordinal is introduced.

A exigência para boro (B) varia largamente entre e dentro das espécies vegetais. Objetivando avaliar a resposta de clones de eucalipto ao B em solução nutritiva foi realizado ensaio em casa de vegetação com oito clones. As plantas cresceram em soluções nutritivas com 0, 10, 20, 50 e 100 µmol/L de B, durante 70 dias. Na finalização do ensaio determinaram-se características fisiológicas, produção de matéria seca e teores de B no tecido vegetal. Houve resposta diferenciada dos clones à concentração de B na solução nutritiva, com máxima produção de matéria seca entre 28 e 69 µmol/L de B. Em baixas concentrações de B, pôde-se observar sintomas visuais de deficiência e, em altas concentrações, não foram observados sintomas de toxidez, porém houve redução na produção de matéria seca. A resposta do eucalipto ao B na solução nutritiva depende do clone, havendo diferenças entre eles na tolerância à deficiência e toxidez e na eficiência de utilização de B. Os clones 68 e 129 apresentaram as mais elevadas taxas de fotossíntese. O clone 3487 foi o mais responsivo ao B. Os clones 3487, 3336 e 68 foram mais sensíveis à deficiência e os clones 3281 e 1270 os mais tolerantes à deficiência. O clone 2486 foi o mais sensível à toxidez e o clone 3281 o mais tolerante. Os clones 3487, 2486 e 129 foram mais eficientes na utilização de B. Boron (B) requirement for plant growth varies both within and among plant species. In order to evaluate the response of clones of eucalyptus to B in nutrient solution, an experiment was carried out under glasshouse conditions, with eight clones. Plants were grown in nutrient solutions at B concentrations of 0, 10, 20, 50 and 100 µmol/L for 70 days, after which, physiological variables, dry matter production and boron content were determined. There was a differential response of the eucalyptus clones to the concentration of boron in nutrient solution with maximum dry matter production occurring between 28 and 68 µmol/L of B in nutrient solution. At low concentrations of B, visual symptoms of deficiency were observed. At high B concentrations, toxicity symptoms were not observed; however, there was a reduction in dry matter production. The response to B depends on the clone. The clones 129 and 68 showed the highest rates of photosynthesis. The clone 3487 was the most responsive to B. The clones 3487, 3336 and 68 were more sensitive to B deficiency whereas clones 3281 and 1270 exhibited greater tolerance to B deficiency. Clone 2486 was the most sensitive to B toxicity and the clone 3281 showed the highest tolerance to B. Clones 3487, 2486 and 129 were more efficient in the use of boron.

Calmodulin-ubiquitin (cub) is a single-copy gene of Trypanosoma cruzi, which encodes a 208 aminoacid polypeptide of unknown function, containing putative calcium-binding domains. After targeted deletion, a clone (TulCub8) was derived where one of the two alleles was disrupted. This clone displayed a sharp and stable loss of virulence for mice. Parasitemias after inoculation of 106 trypomastigotes of the mutant, as compared to wild-type parasites were 68-fold lower (p = 0.018) in adult Swiss mice and 27-fold lower (p = 0.002) in newborn Balb/c mice. Epimastigote inocula of the mutant were strongly protective against infection by wild-type parasites. Virulence was not restored by serial passage in mice, showing that the attenuated phenotype is stable and gene-conversion from the intact cub allele does not occur at an appreciable rate. Retransfection of the missing cub allele restored virulence. Complementation experiments showed that the intact cub gene is necessary for full expression of virulence. Fil: Barrio, Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de Salta; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Patología Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Instituto de Patología Experimental; Argentina Fil: Van Voorhis, Wesley C.. University Of Washington Medical Center; Estados Unidos Fil: Basombrío, Miguel Ángel Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Patología Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Instituto de Patología Experimental; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Salta; Argentina

En l’àmbit empresarial, la competitivitat es tradueix per un millor aprofitament de les oportunitats de negoci. En aquest sentit, les empreses desenvolupen sistemes informàtics de suport a la presa de decisions com ara Data Warehouse o Data Marts. Proposem dissenyar i desenvolupar un Data mart de suport a la presa de decisions pel departament financer d’una entitat bancària especialitzada en crèdits al consum que resolgui la següent problemàtica: -Dispersió de dades útils a la presa de decisions. -Maximitzar el temps d’anàlisi en detriment del formateig manual. -Situar l’entitat al capdavant de la gestió de la informació. Per assolir els objectius prèviament esmentats, aquest projecte aporta el disseny, desenvolupament i implantació d’un Data Mart financer per l’entitat bancària COFIDIS. S’exposen la selecció de proveïdors, la presa de requeriments, l’anàlisi funcional, la selecció de programari, el disseny tècnic, l’execució i explotació del sistema resultant.

Hand rised bears are habituated to humans and there are severe limitations to relesing them into the nature. The rehabilitation options has been discussed and evaluated.

Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden die Metallzentren der Cytochrom-c-Oxidasen (CCO) aus Thermus thermophilus (T.t.), aus Paracoccus denitrificans (P.d.) und dreier mit gentechnischen Methoden erzeugten Proteine (M227I, C216S, SU II) mit Hilfe der EXAFS-Spektroskopie untersucht. Die EXAFS-Messungen an der löslichen Domäne der Untereinheit II der CCO aus P.d. exprimiert in E. coli (SU II) ermöglichten erstmals die Untersuchung eines CuA-Zentrums mit EXAFS ohne die Überlagerung durch Signale von CuB. Das CuA-Zentrum ist ein zweikerniges Zentrum mit sehr kurzem Cu-Cu-Abstand dessen Kupfer-Atome von zwei (mü)2-Schwefel-Liganden verbrückt werden. Terminal an die beiden Cu-Atome koordiniert jeweils ein Histidin. Es kann nicht ausgeschlossen werden, daß die in verschiedenen Arbeiten als schwach koordinierend diskutierten Methionin- und Glutamat-Backbone-Liganden maskiert und damit nicht zu detektieren sind. Somit ist eine CuA-Zentrum. Am CuB koordinieren drei Histidinliganden. Der mittlere Fe-Cu-Abstand im Fea3/CuB-Zentrum beträgt 3,99 Å. Die beiden Eisenatome des Enzyms sind durch je einen Porphyrin-Ring koordiniert. Das Feb-Zentrum vervollständigt seine Koordination durch zwei axial zum Ring gebundene Histidin-Reste, das Fea3 durch einen axial gebundenen Histidin-Rest. Der Vergleich der EXAFS-Messungen an der CCO aus P.d. mit denen für die CCO aus T.t. zeigt, daß die Metallzentren der beiden Enzyme bis auf Details identisch sind. Das Kupfer-EXAFS der Mutante M227I der CCO aus P.d. zeigt eine Erhöhung der mittleren Koordinationszahl der Kupfer-Atome im mutierten CuA-Zentrum auf vier. Die daraus resultierende strukturelle Änderung bedingt eine Spin-Lokalisation im nativ Spin-delokalisierten Zentrum. Offensichtlich ist das in CCO hochkonservierte Methionin 227 erforderlich, um die einzigartige geometrische und elektronische Struktur des CuA-Zentrums zu stabilisieren. Die spektroskopischen Untersuchungen an der Mutante C216S der CCO aus P.d. zeigen statt des CuA-Zentrums ein einkerniges Kupfer-Zentrum an der Bindungsstelle des dem konservierten Methionin 227 zugewandten Kupferatoms des CuA-Zentrums. Das Zentrum wird durch ein Histidin, ein Cystein, ein Methionin und einen weiteren Liganden (S/Cl) tetraedrisch koordiniert. Es wird deutlich, daß das im CuA verbrückend koordinierende Cystein 216 essentiell zur Bildung eines homodinuklearen Zentrums ist. Ausserdem wurde eine optimierte Meßstrategie entworfen, mit der die zur Verfügung stehende Meßzeit zugunsten der kritischen Bereiche des Spektrums teilweise umverteilt wird. Es wurde eine neuartige Methode zur quantitativen Bestimmung der statistischen Qualität von EXAFS-Spektren entwickelt. Mit Hilfe dieser Methode konnte ein neuartiges dynamisch-adaptives Verfahren zur Glättung von Spektren entwickelt und programmiert werden. Es wurden zusätzlich Erweiterungen zur Standardsoftware Cerius2 entwickelt. Die Erweiterungen ergänzen die Funktion und die Oberfläche des Programms.

Background Genetic mutation, selective pressure for translational efficiency and accuracy, level of gene expression, and protein function through natural selection are all believed to lead to codon usage bias (CUB). Therefore, informative measurement of CUB is of fundamental importance to making inferences regarding gene function and genome evolution. However, extant measures of CUB have not fully accounted for the quantitative effect of background nucleotide composition and have not statistically evaluated the significance of CUB in sequence analysis. Results Here we propose a novel measure--Codon Deviation Coefficient (CDC)--that provides an informative measurement of CUB and its statistical significance without requiring any prior knowledge. Unlike previous measures, CDC estimates CUB by accounting for background nucleotide compositions tailored to codon positions and adopts the bootstrapping to assess the statistical significance of CUB for any given sequence. We evaluate CDC by examining its effectiveness on simulated sequences and empirical data and show that CDC outperforms extant measures by achieving a more informative estimation of CUB and its statistical significance. Conclusions As validated by both simulated and empirical data, CDC provides a highly informative quantification of CUB and its statistical significance, useful for determining comparative magnitudes and patterns of biased codon usage for genes or genomes with diverse sequence compositions.

Reaction of cyanide with oxidized cytochrome c oxidase at a low concentration of the ligand and pH >8 reveals an initial phase, not reported earlier, associated with a small blue shift of the absorption spectrum, which is followed by a conventional red shift of the heme us;. The initial blue shift resembles the spectral changes induced under the same conditions by low concentrations of azide and it is not observed in the presence of 0.3 mM azide. It is suggested that, similarly to NO, cyanide and HN, cannot only bind to heme a3 but to Cu’,’ as well, perturbing the spectrum of& indirectly. A rapid binding to Cu’,+ could provide the long-sought intermediate m the cyanide reaction with heme a’;, the existence of which is implied by the Michaelis-Menten type kinetics of the latter process. Cytochrome c oxidase; Cyanide; Cu,; Ligand binding; Azide; Respiratory chain