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In this article, the yield strength, tensile strength, and the microstructure of the wrought aluminium alloy 7449 rolled thick plate have been studied through thickness under different temper conditions. For all heat treatments, it has been proven that the yield strength and tensile strength values increase from the surface to the centre. The largest difference between the centre and the surface, in both properties, occurs in the case of a sample aged at room temperature for 120 h (TTA temper). The sample artificially aged at 120 °C for 24 h (TTB temper) shows the best strength-gradient relationship of the tensile properties through the thickness. Metallographic characterisation carried out by optical and scanning electron microscopy shows much finer elongated grains in the region near the surface of the plate than in the centre, with incipient recrystallisation in the area near the surface. In addition, electron backscattered diffraction technique, used for micro-texture analysis, has proven the presence of a gradient of crystallography texture in the plate. This explains the yield strength gradient, since the rate of change of the Taylor factor through thickness correlates with the rate of the change of yield strength in the longitudinal direction for the samples studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SpaceX Inspiration4 mission provided a unique opportunity to study the impact of spaceflight on the human body. Biospecimen samples were collected from four crew members longitudinally before (Launch: L-92, L-44, L-3 days), during (Flight Day: FD1, FD2, FD3), and after (Return: R + 1, R + 45, R + 82, R + 194 days) spaceflight, spanning a total of 289 days across 2021-2022. The collection process included venous whole blood, capillary dried blood spot cards, saliva, urine, stool, body swabs, capsule swabs, SpaceX Dragon capsule HEPA filter, and skin biopsies. Venous whole blood was further processed to obtain aliquots of serum, plasma, extracellular vesicles and particles, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In total, 2,911 sample aliquots were shipped to our central lab at Weill Cornell Medicine for downstream assays and biobanking. This paper provides an overview of the extensive biospecimen collection and highlights their processing procedures and long-term biobanking techniques, facilitating future molecular tests and evaluations.As such, this study details a robust framework for obtaining and preserving high-quality human, microbial, and environmental samples for aerospace medicine in the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA) initiative, which can aid future human spaceflight and space biology experiments. Here the authors provide the biospecimen collection methodology from the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, including venous blood, capillary blood, saliva, urine, stool, skin biopsy, body swab, and environmental swab samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mucormycosis is a lethal and difficult-to-treat fungal infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales. Mucor lusitanicus, a member of Mucorales, is commonly used as a model to understand disease pathogenesis. However, transcriptional control of hyphal growth and virulence in Mucorales is poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of Tec proteins, which belong to the TEA/ATTS transcription factor family, in the hyphal development and virulence of M. lusitanicus. Unlike in the genome of Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes, which have a single Tec homologue, in the genome of Mucorales, two Tec homologues, Tec1 and Tec2, were found, except in that of Phycomyces blakesleeanus, with only one Tec homologue. tec1 and tec2 overexpression in M. lusitanicus increased mycelial growth, mitochondrial content and activity, expression of the rhizoferrin synthetase-encoding gene rfs, and virulence in nematodes and wax moth larvae but decreased cAMP levels and protein kinase A (PKA) activity. Furthermore, tec1- and tec2-overexpressing strains required adequate mitochondrial metabolism to promote the virulent phenotype. The heterotrimeric G beta subunit 1-encoding gene deletant strain (Δgpb1) increased cAMP-PKA activity, downregulation of both tec genes, decreased both virulence and hyphal development, but tec1 and tec2 overexpression restored these defects. Overexpression of allele-mutated variants of Tec1(S332A) and Tec2(S168A) in the putative phosphorylation sites for PKA increased both virulence and hyphal growth of Δgpb1. These findings suggest that Tec homologues promote mycelial development and virulence by enhancing mitochondrial metabolism and rhizoferrin accumulation, providing new information for the rational control of the virulent phenotype of M. lusitanicus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PumAB type-II toxin–antitoxin (TA) system is encoded by pumAB genes that are organized into an operon. This system is encoded by the pUM505 plasmid, isolated from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical strain. The pumA gene encodes a putative RelE toxin protein (toxic component), whereas the pumB gene encodes a putative HTH antitoxin protein. The expression of the PumAB system in Escherichia coli confers plasmid stability. In addition, PumA toxin overexpression in P. aeruginosa possesses the capability to increase bacterial virulence, an effect that is neutralized by the PumB antitoxin. The aim of this study was to establish the mechanism of regulation of the PumAB toxin–antitoxin system from pUM505. By an in silico analysis of the putative regulatory elements, we identified two putative internal promoters, PpumB and PpumB-AlgU (in addition to the already reported PpumAB), located upstream of pumB. By RT-qPCR assays, we determined that the pumAB genes are transcribed differentially, in that the mRNA of pumB is more abundant than the pumA transcript. We also observed that pumB could be expressed individually and that its mRNA levels decreased under oxidative stress, during individual expression as well as co-expression of pumAB. However, under stressful conditions, the pumA mRNA levels were not affected. This suggests the negative regulation of pumB by stressful conditions. The PumB purified protein was found to bind to a DNA region located between the PpumAB and the pumA coding region, and PumA participates in PumB binding, suggesting that a PumA–PumB complex co-regulates the transcription of the pumAB operon. Interestingly, the pumA mRNA levels decreased after incubation in vitro with PumB protein. This effect was repressed by ribonuclease inhibitors, suggesting that PumB could function as an RNAse toward the mRNA of the toxin. Taken together, we conclude that the PumAB TA system possesses multiple mechanisms to regulate its expression, as well as that the PumB antitoxin generates a decrease in the mRNA toxin levels, suggesting an RNase function. Our analysis provides new insights into the understanding of the control of TA systems from mobile plasmid-encoded genes from a human pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen (H2) is an energy carrier capable of replacing fossil fuels without the main effect of combustion-based pollutant generation into the atmosphere. Therefore, its sustainable production is of great interest. In this research study, the effect of temperature in the reaction of hydrolysis with recycled aluminum for the H2 production has been evaluated. The reaction was carried by using a concentrated NaOH solution, and different operating temperatures were established. According to the gas chromatography analysis, the produced H2 has a purity of 93.33%. Accumulated H2 production over time at different temperatures was statistically modeled with growth models (Gompertz, Logistic and Asymptotic) which showed a good fit. According to the statistical analysis, it was found that the main effect of temperature on the reaction is the increase in speed, with the highest production (727 mL) in 116 s at 50 °C. Nevertheless, at room temperature, the reaction efficiency was found to be 97%, obtaining 660 mL of H2 in 268 s. The physicochemical characterization of the solid residues obtained in the reaction revealed that these are formed by micrometric agglomerates containing aluminum, sodium, and oxygen. Moreover, the main crystalline phases detected were aluminum hydroxide and sodium aluminum oxide hydrate. It is concluded that the production of H2 from recycled aluminum at room temperature can be a viable option for the generation of clean power with lower energy consumption and financial costs than traditional technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of microstructure and processing parameters on the mechanical behavior of extruded Mg-Y2x-Znx alloys containing different volume fractions of the long-period stacking order (LPSO) phase is evaluated using in situ diffraction experiments. The Mg-LPSO extruded alloys exhibit a microstructure consisting of a mixture of fine dynamically recrystallized α-Mg grains, highly oriented non-recrystallized coarse α-Mg grains with the basal plane parallel to the extrusion direction, and particles of the LPSO phase elongated in the extrusion direction. The volume fraction of dynamically recrystallized α-Mg grain areas tends to increase as the volume fraction of the LPSO phase and the processing stress increase. In situ diffraction experiments have allowed the understanding of the elastic–plastic behavior of non-DRXed and DRXed grains, and their individual contribution to the macroscopic deformation of magnesium alloys containing LPSO phases and, consequently, the reverse tension–compression asymmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature evolution of the Hall–Petch parameters for basal slip and twinning systems has been evaluated for the AZ31 alloy, using synchrotron radiation diffraction during compression tests from room temperature to 473 K. The AZ31 alloy was processed following two processing routes, casting and powder metallurgy, to obtain two different grain sizes with a similar strong fiber texture. Although macroscopic plasticity is controlled by tensile twinning, the stress for the activation of basal slip can also be calculated. At low temperatures, the grain size dependence of twinning is much higher than that for basal slip. However, basal slip prevails at 473 K, especially for the alloy processed through the powder metallurgy route, because of the low tendency for twinning deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mucormycosis is a fungal infection caused by Mucorales, with a high mortality rate. However, only a few virulence factors have been described in these organisms. This study showed that deletion of rfs, which encodes the enzyme for the biosynthesis of rhizoferrin, a siderophore, in Mucor lusitanicus, led to a lower virulence in diabetic mice and nematodes. Upregulation of rfs correlated with the increased toxicity of the cell-free supernatants of the culture broth (SS) obtained under growing conditions that favor oxidative metabolism, such as low glucose levels or the presence of H2O2 in the culture, suggesting that oxidative metabolism enhances virulence through rhizoferrin production. Meanwhile, growing M. lusitanicus in the presence of potassium cyanide, N-acetylcysteine, a higher concentration of glucose, or exogenous cAMP, or the deletion of the gene encoding the regulatory subunit of PKA (pkaR1), correlated with a decrease in the toxicity of SS, downregulation of rfs, and reduction in rhizoferrin production. These observations indicate the involvement of the cAMP-PKA pathway in the regulation of rhizoferrin production and virulence in M. lusitanicus. Moreover, rfs upregulation was observed upon macrophage interaction or during infection with spores in mice, suggesting a pivotal role of rfs in M. lusitanicus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The normal force exerted on a propulsive element is estimated based on acceleration measurements of an articulate-flexible propulsion mechanism in a subcarangiform swimming robotic fish. The propulsion mechanism is an articulating torso followed by a flexible caudal fin to provide thrust. The trunk is an assemblage of five ABS-plastic vertebrae driven by an actuator through a pair of wires, whereas the caudal fin is a silicone-rubber lunate-shaped tail coupled to the last vertebra. MEMS 3-axis sensors measured the linear acceleration experienced by the rigid head, articulated trunk, and compliant caudal fin at different undulation frequencies with the robotic fish prototype suspended in still water. The transverse acceleration measured was approximated as the reaction force exerted by the water on a propulsive element that accelerates the surrounding water. Subsequently, the caudal fin midline motion was analyzed by video processing to compare with the subcarangiform swimming kinematics model and to depict the normal force vectors in an undulation excursion. This study provides a feasible alternative to quantify the normal force generated by propulsive elements in bio-inspired propulsion mechanisms by using low-cost MEMS sensors to complement other well-suited techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the modeling, simulation, and implementation of mobile robots based on wireless robotic components (WRCs) through a model-based development framework that uses the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and Colored Petri Nets (CPNs). Each WRC is a standalone module composed of a wireless communication unit, a processing unit, and sensor(s)/actuator(s) to perform a specific function. The WRC architecture is described generically by UML diagrams to lead the development of WRC-based robotic systems. The proposed framework customizes the UML diagrams based on the analysis of the robot platform, its assigned task, and the operational environment. Then the WRC behavioral design specifications are translated to the formalism of CPNs. The developer complements the CPNs to generate a module per each WRC into a hierarchical CPN. The WRC architecture and the development framework are used to implement an Ackermann steering robot and differential drive robots to perform the tasks of wall-following and exploration while avoiding obstacles, respectively. The validation schema follows three phases: simulation, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation, and physical implementation of mobile robots configured with the appropriate WRCs. The experimental results validate the development framework using standard and formal modeling tools to guide the implementation of robotic systems build with WRCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the magnetic, structural and 57Fe Mossbauer characterization of soils collected from an ancient mercury contaminated city named Huancavelica in Peru. The characterization results indicate that silicates and carbonates are the main mineralogical constituents in the samples. In addition, 57Fe Mössbauer spectra at room temperature reveal, the presence of two components: a magnetic component related to magnetic Fe-oxides (magnetite, hematite, goethite) and a high non-magnetic component related to Fe+3 in high spin configuration and tetrahedral coordination in silicates. The magnetization measurements present screening of paramagnetic, ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic signals, typical from soils containing different silicates and iron minerals. Remarkably the Verwey and Morin transitions corresponding to magnetite and hematite, respectively, are screened by the paramagnetic signal corresponding to the major silicate components in the samples. Overall, the soils are mainly composed of crystalline and amorphous silicates, calcites and iron bearing which are typical from Andean soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructured (Fe0.5Ni0.5)92Zr5B3 alloy was prepared by milling a blend of pre-alloyed Fe50Ni50 precursor and high purity chemical elemental powders of Zr and B in a high-energy ball mill setup. Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction pattern of the final sample (30 h of milling) revealed presence of two Fe–Ni rich phases [disordered fcc γ–(Fe,Ni) alloy with Zr and B and the atomically ordered FeNi] with grain sizes in nanometer scale. Fe and Ni atoms were locally probed using extended X-ray absorption fine structure EXAFS and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Whilst EXAFS analysis of milled samples suggested structural properties similar to the pre-alloyed precursor, Mössbauer data have shown the Fe2B phase formation after 3 h of milling, suggesting that the final material consists of nanograins of ordered FeNi (8%) and Fe2B (6%) phases dispersed in solid solution of γ–(Fe,Ni) alloy rich in nickel (86%) with Zr and B atoms impregnated in grain boundary defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici is an important plant pathogen that has been used to understand the virulence mechanisms that soil inhabiting fungi exhibit during the infection process. In F. oxysporum many of the virulence factors are secreted, and the secretion process requires the formation of vesicles. Arf family members, represented by Arf (ADP- Ribosylation Factor), Arl (Arf-like), and Sar (Secretion-associated and Ras-related) proteins, are involved in the vesicle creation process. In this study we identified the Arf family members in F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, which includes seven putative proteins: Arf1, Arf3, Arl1 through Arl3, Arl8B, and Sar1. Quantification of the mRNA levels of each arf encoding gene revealed that the highest expression corresponds to arf1 in all tested conditions. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that no other Arf1 paralogue, such as Arf2 from yeast, is present in F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. The essential function suggested of Arf1 in F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici was corroborated experimentally when, after several attempts, it was impossible to obtain a knockout mutant in arf1. Moreover, arl3 mRNA levels increased significantly when plant tissue was added as a sole carbon source, suggesting that the product of these genes could play pivotal roles during plant infection, the corresponding mutant ∆arl3 was less virulent compared to the wild-type strain. These results describe the role of arl3 as a critical regulator of the virulence in F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and stablish a framework for the arf family members to be studied in deeper details in this phytopathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, MWCNTs were dispersed using the Hamelia patens plant extract and then decorated with AgNPs synthesized with the same aqueous extract as a reducing agent. The UV–Vis technique evaluates the products as a catalyst in the degradation of methylene blue dye during four repetition cycles. SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR, and UV–Vis studied the products' size, structure, and morphology. SEM studies show MWCNTs successfully dispersed employing the stabilizing agents present in the Hamelia patens aqueous extract. Also, SEM and UV–Vis studies showed synthesized AgNPs and homogeneously dispersed on MWCNTs using Hamelia patens aqueous extract. XRD studies identified the mixture of Ag-cubic and C-hexagonal phases. At the same time, Raman spectroscopy determines MWCNTs structural defects caused by the AgNPs decoration. TEM illustrates AgNPs decorated on the MWCNTs surface with two average particle sizes attributed to Ostwald ripening. MWCNTs with smaller diameters are better decorated than those with larger diameters. HRTEM images illustrated that smaller AgNPs cause better surface decoration regardless of MWCNTs diameter. The CV technique shows that the MWCNTs decoration substantially improves the transport of electrons in the material. Finally, the AgNPs/MWCNTs showed a degradation efficiency of 86% for methylene blue in the first cycle and 44% after four cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mucor circinelloides is a fungus that produces diverse spores throughout its life cycle. The sporangiospores, which are the most well-studied spores in this fungus, are asexual spores produced during aerial mycelial development. M. circinelloides has the potential to be used in diverse biotechnological applications. In this study, we propose rice (Oryza sativa) grains as an alternative substrate for inexpensive and large-scale sporangiospore production. The sporangiospores produced from rice and a yeast extract-peptone-glucose (YPG) medium exhibited similar protein and nucleic acid contents and phenotypes in terms of germination under different conditions and culture media, including similar virulence rates against the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Transgenic strains carrying self-replicative plasmids were sporulated on rice and showed plasmid stability similar to that of spores produced on the YPG medium. Approximately 20% of the spore population lost plasmids after the first passage on rice. These results reveal that rice is a suitable substrate for the mass production of sporangiospores in M. circinelloides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Load partitioning between Mg17Al12 precipitates and the magnesium matrix was examined from room temperature to 200 °C using in-situ synchrotron radiation diffraction during uniaxial compressive tests of AZ91 alloy. Precipitation of the Mg17Al12 phase during aging increases the yield stress of the alloy compared to the solutionized state. In addition to the increase in critical resolved shear stress for the activation of the deformation system, the magnesium matrix transfers some of its internal load to the harder Mg17Al12 intermetallic phase. Load transfer is carried out by the accumulation of dislocations at the Mg-Mg17Al12 interface. The increase in the local stress induces a widening of diffraction peaks of the Mg17Al12 phase. At 200 °C, dislocations can easily shear through or climb around Mg17Al12 precipitates reducing dramatically their reinforcing capacity and, therefore, the magnesium matrix must bear a higher fraction of the applied load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specific relationships among reactive oxygen species, activation pathways, and inflammatory mechanisms involved in kidney injury were assessed in a combined model of obesity and hyperoxaluria. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Control, HFD (high fat diet), OX (0.75% ethylene glycol), and HFD + OX (combined model) Changes in basal O2− levels were evaluated by chemiluminescence in renal interlobar arteries and renal cortex. Furthermore, the effect of different inhibitors on NADPH-stimulated O2− generation was assessed in renal cortex. Oxidative stress sources, and local inflammatory mediators, were also determined, in parallel, by RT-PCR, and correlated with measures of renal function, urinary biochemistry, and renal structure. Rats from the HFD group developed overweight without lipid profile alteration. Tubular deposits of crystals were seen in OX and severely enhanced in HFD + OX groups along with a significantly higher impairment of renal function. Basal oxidative stress was increased in renal cortex of OX rats and in renal arteries of HFD rats, while animals from the combined HFD + OX group exhibited the highest levels of oxidative stress in renal cortex, derived from xanthine oxidase and COX-2. NADPH oxidase-dependent O2− generation was elevated in renal cortex of the OX group and markedly enhanced in the HFD + OX rats, and associated to an up-regulation of Nox1 and a down-regulation of Nox4 expression. High levels of oxidative stress in the kidney, of OX and HFD + OX groups were also associated to an inflammatory response mediated by an elevation of TNFα, COX-2, NFκB1 MCP-1, and OPN. Oxidative stress is a key pathogenic factor in renal disease associated to hyperoxaluria and a common link underlying the exacerbated inflammatory response and kidney injury found under conditions of both obesity and hyperoxaluria. Nox1 pathway must be considered as a potential therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To analyze the differences in toxicity and biochemical relapse-free survival with hypofractionated radiotherapy with three-dimensional radiotherapy (3D-CRT) or volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) for prostate cancer taking into account comorbidity measured using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Methods: From January 2011 to June 2016, 451 patients with prostate cancer were treated with 60 Gy (20 daily fractions). VMAT or 3D-CRT was used. Distribution by stage: 17% low-risk, 27.2% intermediate-risk; 39.2% high-risk, 16.6% very high-risk. Mean CCI was 3.4. Results: With a median follow up of 51 months, most patients did not experience any degree of acute GI toxicity (80.9%) compared to 19.1%, who experienced some degree, mainly G-I /II. In the multivariate analysis, only technique was associated with acute GI toxicity ≥ G2. Patients treated with VMAT had greater acute GI toxicity compared with those who received 3D-CRT (23.9% vs. 13.5%, p = 0.005). With respect to acute GU toxicity, 72.7% of patients experienced some degree, fundamentally G-I/II. Neither age, CCI, nor androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) were associated with greater toxicity. Overall survival at 2, 5 and 7 years was 97%, 88% and 83% respectively. The only factor with statistical significance was CCI, with a greater number of events in individuals with a CCI ≥ 4 (p < 0.03). Conclusions: Hypofractionated radiotherapy for prostate cancer is an effective, well-tolerated treatment even for elderly patients with no associated comorbidity. Longer follow up is needed in order to report data on late toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid carcinoma is the most frequent endocrine malignancy and accounts for around 3% of global cancer incidence. Different histologies and clinical scenarios make necessary a multidisciplinary approach that includes new diagnostic methods and surgical, radiopharmaceutical and systemic therapies. This guideline updates several aspects of management of thyroid cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evaluate the safety, toxicity and efficacy of an institutional-simplified SBRT protocol with two short SBRT regimens (three or five fractions) for the treatment of lung cancer and oligometastases, according to the volume and localization of tumours. Methods: Patients with stage I (T1 or T2) non-small cell lung cancer or lung oligometastases were treated from August 2011 to October 2015. Patients were required to be considered medically inoperable and were discussed in a multidisciplinary team. Results: 100 patients were analysed, 59 had a peripheral location (P), and 41 a central location (C).All patients finished their SBRT course without interruptions related to acute toxicity. The most frequent acute toxicity was grade 1 asthenia, only one patient developed grade 3 toxicity (pneumonitis) and there were no grade 4 or 5 acute toxicities. Three asymptomatic radiation-induced rib fractures were identified, the 1 and 2-year rib fracture-free survival were 97% and 94%, respectively. Two-year progression-free survival and 2-year overall survival of all patients were 52% and 70%, respectively, with a median PFS and OS of 26 and 43 months. Survival free of local progression (SFLP) at 2 years was 89%. A higher PFS in primary lung cancer compared with metastatic tumours was observed, with a median of 35 months with 19 months (p = 0.01). However, no statistical difference was observed in terms of OS between both diseases. Conclusions: SBRT in lung cancer with three sessions for peripheral tumours and five sessions for central tumours may be safely delivered, with low morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Up to 80 % of cartilage is water; the rest is collagen fibers and proteoglycans. Magnetic resonance (MR) T1-weighted measurements can be employed to calculate the water content of a tissue using T1 mapping. In this study, a method that translates T1 values into water content data was tested statistically.Materials and Methods: To develop a predictive equation, T1 values were obtained for tissue-mimicking gelatin samples. 1.5 T MRI was performed using inverse angle phase and an inverse sequence at 37 (±0.5) °C. Regions of interest were manually delineated and the mean T1 value was estimated in arbitrary units. Data were collected and modeled using linear regression. To validate the method, articular cartilage from six healthy pigs was used. The experiment was conducted in accordance with the Danish Animal Experiment Committee. Double measurements were performed for each animal. Ex vivo, all water in the tissue was extracted by lyophilization, thus allowing the volume of water to be measured. This was then compared with the predicted water content via Lin's concordance correlation coefficient at the 95 % confidence level.Results: The mathematical model was highly significant when compared to a null model (p < 0.0001). 97.3 % of the variation in water content can be explained by absolute T1 values. Percentage water content could be predicted as 0.476 + (T1 value) × 0.000193 × 100 %. We found that there was 98 % concordance between the actual and predicted water contents.Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that MR data can be used to predict percentage water contents of cartilage samples.Level Of Evidence: 3 (case-control study). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe the benefits and the disadvantages of angioplasty in dialysis fistulas using only ultrasound guidance.Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study in 132 failing or non-maturing arteriovenous accesses that underwent 189 ultrasound-guided balloon angioplasties. The technical success was defined as non-use of X-ray fluoroscopy during the procedure.Results: 127 procedures (67%) were successfully completed without fluoroscopy. Most failures were due to difficulty to traverse aneurismal segments, as well as anastomotic stenoses. Including initial failures, the primary patency rates at 6, 12 months and 2 years were 75 ± 3, 41 ± 3 and 14 ± 2%, respectively.Conclusion: Endovascular repair of the dysfunctional vascular access for haemodialysis under ultrasound guidance is feasible and safe in roughly two-thirds of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feature construction and selection are two key factors in the field of machine learning (ML). Usually, these are very time-consuming and complex tasks because the features have to be manually crafted. The features are aggregated, combined or split to create features from raw data. In this paper, we propose a methodology that makes use of ontologies to automatically generate features for the ML algorithms. The features are generated by combining the concepts and relationships that are already in the knowledge base, expressed in form of ontology. The proposed methodology has been evaluated with three different activities of a popular dataset, showing its effectiveness in the recognition of activities of daily living (ADL). The obtained successful results indicate that the use of extended feature vectors provided by the use of ontologies offers a better accuracy, regarding the original feature vectors of the classic approach, where each feature corresponds to the activation of a sensor. Although the classic approach produces classifiers with accuracies above 92%, the proposed methodology improves those results by 1.9%, on average, without adding more information to the dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcomas are an infrequent and heterogeneous group of neoplasia. Surgery with or without associated radiotherapy (RT) is the basic treatment for this type of tumour. To increase the therapeutic ratio (the index between cytotoxic effects in tumours and normal tissue complications with a certain dose of radiation), new advances are being investigated to increase local and distant control and to decrease the morbidity of the treatment. The aim of this review was to analyse the different strategies, based on technology and biology, which are being investigated to increase the therapeutic ratio of this disease [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mucor circinelloides is a dimorphic fungus used to study cell differentiation that has emerged as a model to characterize mucormycosis. In this work, we identified four ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf)-encoding genes (arf1-arf4) and study their role in the morphogenesis and virulence. Arfs are key regulators of the vesicular trafficking process and are associated with both growth and virulence in fungi. Arf1 and Arf2 share 96% identity and Arf3 and Arf4 share 89% identity, which suggests that the genes arose through gene-duplication events in M. circinelloides. Transcription analysis revealed that certain arf genes are affected by dimorphism of M. circinelloides, such as the arf2 transcript, which was accumulated during yeast development. Therefore, we created knockout mutants of four arf genes to evaluate their function in dimorphism and virulence. We found that both arf1 and arf2 are required for sporulation, but these genes also perform distinct functions; arf2 participates in yeast development, whereas arf1 is involved in aerobic growth. Conversely, arf3 and arf4 play only minor roles during aerobic growth. Moreover, we observed that all single arf-mutant strains are more virulent than the wild-type strain in mouse and nematode models, with the arf3 mutant being most virulent. Lastly, arf1/arf2 and arf3/arf4 double mutations produced heterokaryon strains that did not reach the homokaryotic state, indicating that these genes participate in essential and redundant functions. Overall, this work reveals that Arfs proteins regulate important cellular processes in M. circinelloides such as morphogenesis and virulence, laying the foundation to characterize the molecular networks underlying this regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To display a recombinant avidin fused to the autotransporter ShdA to bind biotinylated molecules on the surface of Escherichia coli.Results: Two chimeric protein constructs containing avidin fused to the autotransporter ShdA were expressed on the surface of Escherichia coli DH5α. One fusion protein contained 476 amino acids of the ShdA α and β domains, whereas the second consisted of a 314 amino acid from α and truncated β domains. Protein production was verified by SDS-PAGE using an antibody to the molecular FLAG-tag. The surface display of the avidin-shdA fusion protein was confirmed by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry analysis, and the biotin-binding activity was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry using biotin-4-fluorescein and biotinylated-ovalbumin (OVA).Conclusions: Expression of a recombinant avidin with biotin-binding activity on the surface of E. coli was achieved using the autotransporter ShdA. This system is an alternative to bind biotinylated molecules to E. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we address the problem of quantifying the commonly observed disorganization of the stereotyped wave form of the ERP associated with the P300 component in patients with Alzheimer's disease. To that extent, we propose two new measures of complexity which relate the spectral content of the signal with its temporal waveform: the spectral matching coefficient and the spectral matching entropy. We show by means of experiments that those measures effectively measure complexity and are related to the shape in an intuitive way. Those indexes are compared with commonly used measures of complexity when comparing AD patients against age-matched healthy controls. The results indicate that AD ERP signals are, indeed, more complex in the shape than that of controls, and this result is evidenced mainly by means of our new measures which have a better performance compared to similar ones. Finally, we try to explain this increase in complexity in light of the communication through coherence hypothesis framework, relating commonly found changes in the EEG with our own results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate a new organisational model, 'process management' (PM), implemented in the Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria (HUVV) compared with traditional models used in other Radiation Oncology Departments (RODs), in terms of efficacy and efficiency. Methods: The study period ranged from September 2011 to August 2012. Efficacy was assessed, comparing the number of patients attended in first consultation and treated per month, average waiting time from referral to first visit and average waiting time from first visit to treatment. Data were collected from two public hospitals in Andalusia: the HUVV and another Public Hospital in Andalusia (PHA1). Efficiency was assessed comparing the costs per patient attended in first visit and treated at HUVV in 2012 compared with those of a second Public Hospital in Andalusia (PHA2) for 2008. The number of sessions saved using hypofractionation versus classical schemes during the year 2012 in HUVV was estimated, and the money saved was calculated. Results: In the efficacy analysis, we found significant differences in the average waiting time for first visit, start of treatment, and the number of patients seen and treated annually. After calculating the total cost generated in the ROD, the efficiency analysis showed a lower cost per patient attended in first visit (EUR 599.17) and per patient treated (EUR 783.50), with a saving of 6035 sessions using hypofractionated schemes. Conclusions: Process management in an ROD reduces time, both to first medical visit and to treatment initiation, allowing an optimisation of linear accelerator (LINAC) capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biomass to generate energy has grown significantly in recent years in response to social awareness and renewable-based sustainability policies geared to conserving the environment and eradicating coal as a raw material in electric power production. The bioenergy industry also gives rise to by-products or waste, however, most of which are presently deposited in landfills. This study aims to characterise three types of biomass waste from Spanish bioenergy plants with a view to their valorisation as additions in the design of new eco-efficient cements with a lower clinker content. The focus is on the pozzolanicity of this waste and the hydration products formed in the biomass waste/Ca(OH) system. The findings show that irrespective of their nature, all three types of waste are apt for use in the cement industry or in concrete as supplementary cementitious materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated systems based on programmable logic controllers (PLC) are still applied in discrete event systems (DES) for controlling and monitoring of industrial processes signals. PLC-based control systems are characterized for having physical input and output signals coming from and going to sensors and actuators, respectively, which they are in direct contact with the production or manufacturing process. The input subsystem to PLC consists of sensor-wiring-physical inputs module, and it can present two kinds of faults: short circuit or open circuit, in one or more signals of the process physical inputs, which it causes faults in the control and/or in the control algorithms behavior. Ladder diagram (LD) is one of the five programming languages supported by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) through the IEC-61131-3 standard, and it remains being used at industry for control algorithm design of PLC-based systems. This paper proposes the simulation and validation of control algorithms developed in LD by using Petri Nets (PN) in order to deal with the possible fault options (short circuit and/or open circuit) in the physical inputs subsystem of a PLC-based control system. One control algorithms in LD have been analyzed in order to show the advantages of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) is the standard of care for young patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). However, there is limited experience of its efficacy and feasibility in older patients. The characteristics and outcomes of 121 patients aged ≥50 years (42 of them are ≥60 years old) with R/R HL who underwent AHCT were reviewed. After a median follow-up of 3.1 years, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) at 5 years were 64 and 55 %, respectively, with no differences between 50-59-year-old and ≥60-year-old patients. Hematological and extra-hematological toxicities after AHCT were comparable between the two groups of age. In univariate analysis, poorer OS and PFS were associated with disease status other than complete remission, hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index (HCT-CI) scores >1, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores >1. HCT-CI scores >1 were also associated with a higher risk of grade 3-4 extrahematologic toxicity. In multivariate analysis, HCT-CI and CCI remained significantly associated with OS and PFS after adjustment for disease status. Our data show that AHCT can be performed in selected patients with R/R HL ≥50 years with acceptable outcome and toxicity. Comorbidities appear to impact AHCT outcome more than age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The cure rate in Hodgkin lymphoma is high, but the response along with treatment is still unpredictable and highly variable among patients. Detecting those patients who do not respond to treatment at early stages could bring improvements in their treatment. This research tries to identify the main biological prognostic variables currently gathered at diagnosis and design a simple machine learning methodology to help physicians improve the treatment response assessment. Methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis of the response to treatment of a cohort of 263 Caucasians who were diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in Asturias (Spain). For that purpose, we used a list of 35 clinical and biological variables that are currently measured at diagnosis before any treatment begins. To establish the list of most discriminatory prognostic variables for treatment response, we designed a machine learning approach based on two different feature selection methods (Fisher's ratio and maximum percentile distance) and backwards recursive feature elimination using a nearest-neighbor classifier (k-NN). The weights of the k-NN classifier were optimized using different terms of the confusion matrix (true- and false-positive rates) to minimize risk in the decisions. Results and conclusions: We found that the optimum strategy to predict treatment response in Hodgkin lymphoma consists in solving two different binary classification problems, discriminating first if the patient is in progressive disease; if not, then discerning among complete and partial remission. Serum ferritin turned to be the most discriminatory variable in predicting treatment response, followed by alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase. The importance of these prognostic variables suggests a close relationship between inflammation, iron overload, liver damage and the extension of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potency to block nervous impulse of members of normal aliphatic homologous series of primary and secondary isomers of functional derivatives of alkanes was tested in bundles of a few axons from sciatic nerves of the toad Bufo marinus. For the primary substituted functional derivates of pentane, the relative potency series was I greater than H approximately equal to Br greater than Cl greater than COOCH3 greater than F greater than CH2OH greater than COCH3 greater than OH approximately equal to NH2 greater than COOH. For the homologous series of primary alkanols, and from saturated Ringer's solutions, the time required to reversibly reduce the amplitude of the action potential to one-half its initial value were determined. The cut-off effect was detected at the level of dodecan-1-ol, while for the primary bromoalkanes it was bromooctane. However, solutions of the secondary isomer of the inactive primary homologues, such as tridecan-5-ol and tridecan-7-ol or 2-bromononane, were able to block nervous impulse conduction reversibly. From the concentration required for an equipotent effect it was calculated that the standard free energy for adsorption of primary alkanols was -705 cal mol- CH2. Similarly, for primary bromoalkanes a value of -733 cal mol-1 CH2 was obtained. The concentration required for an equipotent effect for primary isomer (either of alkanols or bromoalkanes) is lower than those obtained for the secondary isomers. Therefore, the latter are less potent than the former. Among secondary isomers the potency decreases as the functional group is moved away from the terminal carbon. The differential effect of structural isomers of long-chain alkane derivates around the point of cut-off cannot be explained in terms of differences in chemical properties, concentration in aqueous and membrane phases, or mean molecular volume. It is concluded that a volume related to that of the hydrophobic region of the agent and not its mean molecular volume should be responsible for an expansion of the target region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the formation of dental enamel, maturation-stage ameloblasts express ion-transporting transmembrane proteins. The SLC4 family of ion-transporters regulates intra- and extracellular pH in eukaryotic cells by cotransporting HCO with Na. Mutation in SLC4A4 (coding for the sodium-bicarbonate cotransporter NBCe1) induces developmental defects in human and murine enamel. We have hypothesized that NBCe1 in dental epithelium is engaged in neutralizing protons released during crystal formation in the enamel space. We immunolocalized NBCe1 protein in wild-type dental epithelium and examined the effect of the NBCe1-null mutation on enamel formation in mice. Ameloblasts expressed gene transcripts for NBCe1 isoforms B/D/C/E. In wild-type mice, weak to moderate immunostaining for NBCe1 with antibodies that recognized isoforms A/B/D/E and isoform C was seen in ameloblasts at the secretory stage, with no or low staining in the early maturation stage but moderate to high staining in the late maturation stage. The papillary layer showed the opposite pattern being immunostained prominently at the early maturation stage but with gradually less staining at the mid- and late maturation stages. In NBCe1 mice, the ameloblasts were disorganized, the enamel being thin and severely hypomineralized. Enamel organs of CFTR and AE2a,b mice (CFTR and AE2 are believed to be pH regulators in ameloblasts) contained higher levels of NBCe1 protein than wild-type mice. Thus, the expression of NBCe1 in ameloblasts and the papillary layer cell depends on the developmental stage and possibly responds to pH changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is related, on the one hand, to the framework of multi-adjoint concept lattices with heterogeneous conjunctors and, on the other hand, to the use of intensifying hedges as truth-stressers. Specifically, we continue on the line of recent works by Belohlavek and Vychodil, which use intensifying hedges as a tool to reduce the size of a concept lattice. In this paper we use hedges as a reduction tool in the general framework of multi-adjoint concept lattices with heterogeneous conjunctors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ladder diagram (LD) is a common programming language at industry in order to develops control algorithms of discrete event systems. Besides, it is one of the five programming languages supported by the International Electrotechnical Commission through the IEC-61131-3 standard. Petri net (PN) theory is both a graphical and mathematical tool, which allows modeling discrete event systems in order to obtain a useful formalization to analyze them in a better way. LD control algorithms are continuously developed based on the experience of control system developers. Therefore, it is still a relevant problem on how to formalize a validation for the current and new control algorithms. In the present work, an element-to-element transformation methodology from a LD program to a PN structure is proposed. The original part of this manuscript is the proposal of five PN structures where their markings represent the states and dynamic behavior of energized and de-energized coils, which are not included in previous works. Furthermore, this methodology preserves the structural and dynamical behavior of the LD in the obtained PN. Two control algorithms of real cases are transformed using the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Concurrent radio-chemotherapy (RT-CT) is the standard treatment for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC), but RT plus epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors is an effective option when CT is not appropriate. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with an improved prognosis in LA-HNSCC; however, it has not been fully studied as a prognostic factor after RT + EGFR inhibitors. Experimental design: Immunohistochemical expression of p16INK4A and PCR of HPV16 DNA were retrospectively analyzed in tumor blocks from 52 stage III/IV LA-HNSCC patients treated with RT + EGFR inhibitors. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: DNA of HPV16 was found in six of 52 tumors (12 %) and p16 positivity in eight tumors (15 %). After a median follow-up time of 45 months (6-110), p16-positive patients treated with RT + EGFR inhibitors showed an improved DFS (2-year DFS 75 vs. 44 %, HR 0.25, 95 % CI 0.06-0.99, p = 0.047) compared with p16-negative patients. These differences were outperformed when compared by HPV16 status (2-year OS rates of 83 vs. 58 %, HR 0.17, 95 % CI 0.02-0.99, p = 0.049 and 2-year DFS rates of 83 vs. 45 %, HR 0.17, 95 % CI 0.02-0.99, p = 0.049). In the Cox regression analysis with OS as the end point, ECOG 0-1 was the only prognostic factor independently associated with a good prognosis in the multivariable analysis. Conclusion: In this study, p16/HPV16-positive patients with LA-HNSCC treated with RT + EGFR inhibitors showed a better survival, not confirmed in multivariate analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Intraventricular hemorrhage is the most common cause of infantile acquired hydrocephalus. Our objective is to determine if the implantation of ventriculoperitoneal shunt in posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus as a primary and definitive neurosurgical treatment, with no previous temporary procedures, would decrease complication rates with good functional outcomes. Methods: Two hundred seventy-one patients with germinal matrix hemorrhage were diagnosed at the Carlos Haya Hospital between 2003 and 2010. Forty-seven patients underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt after developing symptomatic hydrocephalus. The minimum weight required for shunt implantation was 1,500 g. We recorded complications related to the surgical procedure and analyzed functional state with a self-developed four-grade scale. Results: One hundred thirty-nine (51.3 %) patients with intraventricular hemorrhage developed ventricular dilatation, but only 47 patients (17.34 %) needed shunting. In seven cases, temporary neurosurgical procedures were performed, but in all of them, this was followed by ventriculoperitoneal shunt implantation. The infection rate was 4.25 %, and shunt obstruction rate was 4.25 %. More than 80 % of patients were classified as good or excellent functional state. Mean follow-up period was 38.75 months (SD, 27.09; range, 1-102 months). Conclusions: Ventriculoperitoneal shunting as a primary neurosurgical treatment in posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus would decrease surgical morbidity with good functional outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]