Objectif Nous avons développé une application Android pour smart phone pour aider les patients diabétiques de type 1 (DT1) à compter les glucides alimentaires avec une moindre erreur afin d’ajuster ...leurs doses prandiales d’insuline. Nous en rapportons une première évaluation. Patients et méthodes Dix patients DT1 (4 hommes/6 femmes), âgés de 21 à 61 ans, avec une HbA1c de 6,5 à 8,5 %, se sont portés volontaires pour utiliser l’application durant une semaine. Chaque repas a été saisi dans l’application en mode aveugle, c’est-à-dire sans aucun retour d’informations, tandis que le comptage des glucides par le patient était écrit sur un carnet. Les données collectées comprenaient la composition des repas, les glucides calculés par l’application et par l’utilisateur, le temps de saisie dans l’application et les glycémies postprandiales. Résultats Cent soixante-huit repas ont été analysés. Selon l’application, chaque repas contenait 74,1 ± 32,5 g de glucides. 61 % des patients ont sous-estimé les glucides consommés, avec une différence (Delta glucides) de 2,8 ± 8,9g par repas (soit 9,6 ± 7,9 % des glucides en valeur absolue). Les repas fortement glucidiques étaient toujours sous-estimés par les patients. Lorsque le Delta glucides était < 15 ou 10 g (surestimation), dans respectivement 100 et 80 % des cas une hypoglycémie postprandiale est survenue. Lorsque le Delta glucides était > 15 ou 10 g (sous-estimation), dans respectivement 61 et 32 % des cas une hyperglycémie postprandiale est survenue. Le temps moyen pour saisir un repas a diminué de 21 % durant la semaine d’essai. Conclusion En plus d’avoir confirmé la fréquente sous-estimation des glucides des repas par les patients DT1, notre étude suggère qu’une application de comptage de glucides pourrait être utile pour la réduire ainsi que les excursions glycémiques qui en résultent. Une évaluation de cette application à propos des effets sur le contrôle glycémique à plus long terme est prévue. Déclaration d’intérêt Les auteurs déclarent ne pas avoir d’intérêt direct ou indirect (financier ou en nature) avec un organisme privé, industriel ou commercial en relation avec le sujet présenté.
Hippo signaling, an evolutionarily conserved kinase cascade involved in organ size control, plays key roles in various tissue developmental processes, but its role in craniofacial development remains ...poorly understood. Using the transgenic Wnt1-Cre2 driver, we inactivated the Hippo signaling components Lats1 and Lats2 in the cranial neuroepithelium of mouse embryos and found that the double conditional knockout (DCKO) of Lats1/2 resulted in neural tube and craniofacial defects. Lats1/2 DCKO mutant embryos had microcephaly with delayed and defective neural tube closure. Furthermore, neuroepithelial cell shape and architecture were disrupted within the cranial neural tube in Lats1/2 DCKO mutants. RNA sequencing of embryonic neural tubes revealed increased TGFB signaling in Lats1/2 DCKO mutants. Moreover, markers of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were upregulated in the cranial neural tube. Inactivation of Hippo signaling downstream effectors, Yap and Taz, suppressed neuroepithelial defects, aberrant EMT and TGFB upregulation in Lats1/2 DCKO embryos, indicating that LATS1/2 function via YAP and TAZ. Our findings reveal important roles for Hippo signaling in modulating TGFB signaling during neural crest EMT.
A reliable preliminary forecast of heating energy demand of a building by using a detailed dynamic simulation software typically requires an in-depth knowledge of the thermal balance, several input ...data and a very skilled user. The authors will describe how to use Artificial Neural Networks to predict the demand for thermal energy linked to the winter climatization of non-residential buildings. To train the neural network it was necessary to develop an accurate energy database that represents the basis of the training of a specific Artificial Neural Networks. Data came from detailed dynamic simulations performed in the TRNSYS environment. The models were built according to the standards and laws of building energy requirements in seven different European countries, for 3 cities in each country and with 13 different shape factors, obtaining 2184 detailed dynamic simulations of non-residential buildings designed with high energy performances. The authors identified the best ANN topology developing a tool for determining, both quickly and simply, the heating energy demand of a non-residential building, knowing only 12 well-known thermo-physical parameters and without any computational cost or knowledge of the thermal balance. The reliability of this approach is demonstrated by the low standard deviation less than 5 kWh/(m2·year).
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•Alternative method to solve the building energy balance without any computational cost.•Development of an ANN to assess of the energy performance of non residential building.•Several dynamic models in different location with different shape factor were built TRNSYS.•Implementation and creation of an organised energy database set.
Approximately 40% of the European energy consumption and a large proportion of environmental impacts are related to the building sector. However, the selection of adequate and correct designs can ...provide considerable energy savings and reduce environmental impacts. To achieve this objective, a simultaneous energy and environmental assessment of a building's life cycle is necessary. To date, the resolution of this complex problem is entrusted to numerous software and calculation algorithms that are often complex to use. They involve long diagnosis phases and are characterised by the lack of a common language. Despite the efforts by the scientific community in the building sector, there is no simple and reliable tool that simultaneously solves the energy and environmental balance of buildings. In this work, the authors address this challenge by proposing the application of an Artificial Neural Network. Due to the high reliability of learning algorithms in the resolution of complex and non-linear problems, it was possible to simultaneously solve two different but strongly dependent aspects after a deep training phase. In previous researches, the authors applied several topologies of neural networks, which were trained on a large and representative database and developed for the Italian building stock. The database, characterised by several building models simulated in different climatic conditions, collects 29 inputs (13 energy data and 16 environmental data) and provides 7 outputs, 1 for heating energy demand and 6 of the most used indicators in life cycle assessment of buildings. A statistical analysis of the results confirmed that the proposed method is appropriate to achieve the goal of the study. The best artificial neural network for each output presented low Root Mean Square Error, Mean Absolute Error lower than 5%, and determination coefficient close to 1. The excellent results confirmed that this methodology can be extended in any context and to any condition (other countries and building stocks). Furthermore, the implementation of this solution algorithm in a software program can enable the development of a suitable decision support tool, which is simple, reliable, and easy to use even for a non-expert user. The possibility to use an instrument to predict a building's performance in its design and planning phase, represent an important result to support decision-making processes toward more sustainable choices.
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•Implementation of a representative energy and environmental building stock database.•Artificial Neural Network to forecast energy and environmental building performance.•A decision support tool to contemporary solve energy and environmental aspects.•A new tool easy to use and with high reliability degree.•Methodology proposal extendible for any building and climatic conditions.
Diachasmimorpha longicaudata is a hymenopteran fruit fly endoparasitoid. Females of this species find their hosts for oviposition by using complex sensorial mechanisms in response to physical and ...chemical stimuli associated with the host and host habitat. Ecological and behavioral aspects related to host-seeking behavior for oviposition have been extensively studied in D. longicaudata, including the identification of volatile organic compounds acting as attractants to females. In this sense, molecular mechanisms of chemoreception have been explored in this species, including a preliminary characterization of odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), chemosensory proteins (CSPs) and odorant receptors (ORs), among other proteins. Functional assays on OBP and CSP have been conducted as a first approach to identify molecular mechanisms associated with the female host-seeking behavior for oviposition. The aims of the present study were to identify the D. longicaudata sensory gene repertoire expressed in the antenna of sexually mature and mated individuals of both sexes, and subsequently, characterize transcripts differentially expressed in the antennae of females to identify candidate genes associated with the female host-seeking behavior for oviposition.
A total of 33,745 predicted protein-coding sequences were obtained from a de novo antennal transcriptome assembly. Ten sensory-related gene families were annotated as follows: 222 ORs, 44 ionotropic receptors (IRs), 25 gustatory receptors (GRs), 9 CSPs, 13 OBPs, 2 ammonium transporters (AMTs), 8 pickpocket (PPKs) receptors, 16 transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, 12 CD36/SNMPs and 3 Niemann-Pick type C2 like proteins (NPC2-like). The differential expression analysis revealed 237 and 151 transcripts up- and downregulated, respectively, between the female and male antennae. Ninety-seven differentially expressed transcripts corresponded to sensory-related genes including 88 transcripts being upregulated (87 ORs and one TRP) and nine downregulated (six ORs, two CSPs and one OBP) in females compared to males.
The sensory gene repertoire of D. longicaudata was similar to that of other taxonomically related parasitoid wasps. We identified a high number of ORs upregulated in the female antenna. These results may indicate that this gene family has a central role in the chemoreception of sexually mature females during the search for hosts and host habitats for reproductive purposes.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
We experimentally propose and demonstrate how to double the capacity per wavelength in short distance data center interconnect fiber links by polarization multiplexing two pulse-amplitude modulation ...streams and by using a very compact silicon photonic polarization rotator driven by an algorithm implemented in a low-speed digital signal processing platform, avoiding more complex coherent and/or Stokes receiver structures. Tackling up to 100 rad/s, the system gives automatic stabilization against polarization fluctuations. We also report on the experimentally measured evolution of the state of polarization in an installed data center link.
The role of the Hippo signaling pathway in cranial neural crest (CNC) development is poorly understood. We used the Wnt1(Cre) and Wnt1(Cre2SOR) drivers to conditionally ablate both Yap and Taz in the ...CNC of mice. When using either Cre driver, Yap and Taz deficiency in the CNC resulted in enlarged, hemorrhaging branchial arch blood vessels and hydrocephalus. However, Wnt1(Cre2SOR) mutants had an open cranial neural tube phenotype that was not evident in Wnt1(Cre) mutants. In O9-1 CNC cells, the loss of Yap impaired smooth muscle cell differentiation. RNA-sequencing data indicated that Yap and Taz regulate genes encoding Fox transcription factors, specifically Foxc1. Proliferation was reduced in the branchial arch mesenchyme of Yap and Taz CNC conditional knockout (CKO) embryos. Moreover, Yap and Taz CKO embryos had cerebellar aplasia similar to Dandy-Walker spectrum malformations observed in human patients and mouse embryos with mutations in Foxc1. In embryos and O9-1 cells deficient for Yap and Taz, Foxc1 expression was significantly reduced. Analysis of Foxc1 regulatory regions revealed a conserved recognition element for the Yap and Taz DNA binding co-factor Tead. ChIP-PCR experiments supported the conclusion that Foxc1 is directly regulated by the Yap-Tead complex. Our findings uncover important roles for Yap and Taz in CNC diversification and development.
Introduction Nous avons revisité la pertinence de deux idées fréquemment énoncées quant aux hypoglycémies à l’exercice chez le diabétique insuliné : la première est qu’une glycémie avant exercice ...excédant 2,5 g/l doit contre-indiquer l’exercice car dans ce cas l’exercice aggraverait notoirement l’hyperglycémie ; la seconde est que la prédiction de l’oxydation des glucides par le niveau d’exercice (« glucose pulse » 1), prédit l’hypoglycémie. Patients et méthodes Vingt-quatre diabétiques de type 1 (12 hommes et 12 femmes, âge 19-71 ans) traités par basal-bolus ou pompe à insuline ont réalisé un exercice à plateau sur ergocycle à 50 % de leur Pmax (soit 40 à 200 watts) avec suivi de la glycémie, de la lactatémie, et calorimétrie d’effort. Résultats Ce protocole fait baisser la glycémie (p < 0,05), de –0,04 à -1,78 g/l (moyenne : -0,51 ± 0,09 g/l), baisse retrouvée dans chez 21 sujets (87,5 % des cas). L’oxydation des glucides ne prédit cependant en rien l’évolution de la glycémie. La glycémie de départ G0 (comprise entre 0,89 et 2,7 g/l, soit en moyenne 1,79 ± 0,14 g/l) s’avère de façon inattendue corrélée négativement (et non positivement) à la variation glycémique à l’exercice (r = -0,462 p < 0,05), de sorte que plus G0 est élevé plus la glycémie baisse, et que pour des G0> 2,5 g/l la glycémie baisse en moyenne de -0,97 ± 0,26 g/l (p < 0,05). Conclusion Au cours de ces exercices prolongés à plateau, qui sont donc nettement hypoglycémiants, l’oxydation des glucides ne prédit pas la baisse de glycémie (ôtant son intérêt au concept de “glucose pulse”), et une G0> 2,5 g/l n’annonce pas une hyperglycémie d’effort (battant en brèche le dogme d’un seuil hyperglycémique de 2,5 g/l de contre-indication à l’effort).
This research is focused on alcohol polyethoxylates (AEOs), nonionic surfactants used in a wide variety of products such as household cleaners and detergents. Our main objective in this work was to ...study the anaerobic degradation of these compounds and their main aerobic degradation products and precursors (polyethylene glycols, PEGs, which are also used for many other applications) in marine sediments, providing the first data available on this topic. First, we observed that average AEO sediment-water partition coefficients (Kd) increased towards those homologs having longer alkyl chains (from 257L/kg for C12 to 5772L/kg for C18), which were less susceptible to undergo biodegradation. Overall, AEO and PEG removal percentages reached up to 99.7 and 93%, respectively, after 169days of incubation using anaerobic conditions in sediments (O2=0ppm, Eh=−170 to −380mV and T=30°C). Average half-life was estimated to be in a range from 10 to 15days for AEO homologs (C12AEO8–C18AEO8), and 18days for PEGEO8. Methanogenic activity proved to be intense during the experiment, confirming the occurrence of anaerobic conditions. This is the first study showing that AEOs and PEGs can be degraded in absence of oxygen in marine sediments, so this new information should be taken into account for future environmental risk assessments on these chemicals.
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•Anoxic degradation of AEOs/PEG in marine sediments were studied for the first time.•Methanogenic activity is a good indicator of AEOs and PEG degradation.•Removal of AEOs and PEG reached up to 99.7 and 93%, respectively (169days, 30°C).•The major fraction on the non-degraded AEOs corresponded to C16 and C18 homologs.
The literature shows a lack of environmental indicators able to support the transition from a sustainable to a smart city framework, since the priority area "built environment" is indeed more ...comprehensively addressed by urban sustainability assessment systems (13%), than by smart city frameworks (4%) 12. As "smaller cities inside a larger agglomerate" 19, urban districts play a key role in defining effective and innovative paths toward a smarter city, but defining a sustainable urban district is not straightforward, and even less is capturing the induced impacts due to interactions between individual buildings and their surround urban setting 23. The adoption of a quantitative method for evaluation, such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), emerges as an essential step for this purpose 24. This article explores the application of a streamlined LCA on the urban district main issues (buildings, energy, water and waste), referring to an urban retrofitting intervention of Bolognina neighbourhood. A set of mitigation strategies developed by an interdisciplinary research group (joining researcher team from the Department of Architecture of the University of Bologna and Institute of Sustainability in Civil Engineering of the RWTH Aachen University) provides the reference framework for the application deepened within the article. This work is a first application of LCA to a case study but it not includes a comprehensive sustainability framework yet, further activities are planned to finalize the analysis, e.g. taking account of social dimension by applying Social Life Cycle Assessment.
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