Flooding is the world's most costly type of natural disaster in terms of both economic losses and human causalities. A first and essential procedure toward flood monitoring is based on identifying ...the area most vulnerable to flooding, which gives authorities relevant regions to focus. In this letter, we propose several methods to perform flooding identification in high-resolution remote sensing images using deep learning. Specifically, some proposed techniques are based upon unique networks, such as dilated and deconvolutional ones, whereas others were conceived to exploit diversity of distinct networks in order to extract the maximum performance of each classifier. The evaluation of the proposed methods was conducted in a high-resolution remote sensing data set. Results show that the proposed algorithms outperformed the state-of-the-art baselines, providing improvements ranging from 1% to 4% in terms of the Jaccard Index.
The world scenario has undergone a nutritional transition in which some countries have left the reality of malnutrition and now face an epidemic of excess body weight. Researchers have been looking ...for strategies to reverse this situation. Peptides and proteins stand out as promising molecules with anti-obesity action. However, oral administration and passage through the gastrointestinal tract face numerous physiological barriers that impair their bioactive function. Encapsulation aims to protect the active substance and modify the action, one possibility of potentiating anti-obesity activity. Research with encapsulated peptides and proteins has demonstrated improved stability, delivery, controlled release, and increased bioactivity. However, it is necessary to explore how proteins and peptides affect weight loss and satiety, can impact the nutritional status of obesity, and how encapsulation can enhance the bioactive effects of these molecules. This integrative review aimed to discuss how the encapsulation of protein molecules impacts the nutritional status of obesity. From the studies selected following pre-established criteria, it was possible to infer that the encapsulation of proteins and peptides can contribute to greater efficiency in reducing weight gain, changes in adipose tissue function, and lower hormone levels that modulate appetite and body weight in animals with obesity.
Protein-peptide interactions play a fundamental role in a wide variety of biological processes, such as cell signaling, regulatory networks, immune responses, and enzyme inhibition. Peptides are ...characterized by low toxicity and small interface areas; therefore, they are good targets for therapeutic strategies, rational drug planning and protein inhibition. Approximately 10% of the ethical pharmaceutical market is protein/peptide-based. Furthermore, it is estimated that 40% of protein interactions are mediated by peptides. Despite the fast increase in the volume of biological data, particularly on sequences and structures, there remains a lack of broad and comprehensive protein-peptide databases and tools that allow the retrieval, characterization and understanding of protein-peptide recognition and consequently support peptide design.
We introduce Propedia, a comprehensive and up-to-date database with a web interface that permits clustering, searching and visualizing of protein-peptide complexes according to varied criteria. Propedia comprises over 19,000 high-resolution structures from the Protein Data Bank including structural and sequence information from protein-peptide complexes. The main advantage of Propedia over other peptide databases is that it allows a more comprehensive analysis of similarity and redundancy. It was constructed based on a hybrid clustering algorithm that compares and groups peptides by sequences, interface structures and binding sites. Propedia is available through a graphical, user-friendly and functional interface where users can retrieve, and analyze complexes and download each search data set. We performed case studies and verified that the utility of Propedia scores to rank promissing interacting peptides. In a study involving predicting peptides to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 main protease, we showed that Propedia scores related to similarity between different peptide complexes with SARS-CoV-2 main protease are in agreement with molecular dynamics free energy calculation.
Propedia is a database and tool to support structure-based rational design of peptides for special purposes. Protein-peptide interactions can be useful to predict, classifying and scoring complexes or for designing new molecules as well. Propedia is up-to-date as a ready-to-use webserver with a friendly and resourceful interface and is available at: https://bioinfo.dcc.ufmg.br/propedia.
RESUMO: Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo do líquido cérebro-espinhal de cães (LCE), atendidos pelo Serviço de Neurologia do Hospital Veterinário da Instituição, de 2004 a 2015, com o objetivo de ...analisar os resultados de cães com sinais neurológicos, comparar as alterações encontradas em dois locais de colheita no mesmo paciente e verificar se esse exame auxiliou o clínico em reforçar a suspeita clínica das principais doenças do sistema nervoso central. A pleocitose linfocítica esteve presente em 78,3% (29/37) das amostras de cães com cinomose e em 23,2% (10/43) de cães com DDIV. Houve dissociação albuminocitológica (DAC) em 73% (19/26) das amostras de cães com tumores IC e em 64,3% (9/14) de cães com tumores envolvendo a ME. Em cães com DDIV, houve significância estatística (p<0,05) entre o grau de disfunção neurológica e o total de células nucleadas (TCN) e total de proteínas (TP). Em 29 cães, houve a colheita do LCE da cisterna magna e da cisterna lombar e em 12 (41,4%) os resultados foram diferentes entre as duas amostras colhidas do mesmo cão, onde dois (6,9%) apresentaram alteração na amostra colhida cranial à lesão. Pode-se concluir que a pleocitose linfocítica foi a principal alteração encontrada no LCE de cães com cinomose e DDIV e DAC nas neoplasias, IC e ME, cães acometidos pela DDIV apresentaram sinais neurológicos mais severos conforme o TCN e o TP aumentaram e o LCE sofreu alteração, mesmo colhido cranial ao local da lesão e auxiliou o clínico em reforçar a suspeita clínica, mas não confirmou, as principais doenças neurológicas em cães.
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus that has recently been associated with an increased incidence of neonatal microcephaly and other neurological disorders. The virus is primarily transmitted by ...mosquito bite, although other routes of infection have been implicated in some cases. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is considered to be the main vector to humans worldwide; however, there is evidence that other mosquito species, including Culex quinquefasciatus, transmit the virus. To test the potential of Cx. quinquefasciatus to transmit ZIKV, we experimentally compared the vector competence of laboratory-reared Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus. Interestingly, we were able to detect the presence of ZIKV in the midgut, salivary glands and saliva of artificially fed Cx. quinquefasciatus. In addition, we collected ZIKV-infected Cx. quinquefasciatus from urban areas with high microcephaly incidence in Recife, Brazil. Corroborating our experimental data from artificially fed mosquitoes, ZIKV was isolated from field-caught Cx. quinquefasciatus, and its genome was partially sequenced. Collectively, these findings indicate that there may be a wider range of ZIKV vectors than anticipated.
Emerging Microbes & Infections (2017) 6, e69; doi:10.1038/emi.2017.59; published online 9 August 2017
Abstract
Background
Protein engineering has many applications for industry, such as the development of new drugs, vaccines, treatment therapies, food, and biofuel production. A common way to engineer ...a protein is to perform mutations in functionally essential residues to optimize their function. However, the discovery of beneficial mutations for proteins is a complex task, with a time-consuming and high cost for experimental validation. Hence, computational approaches have been used to propose new insights for experiments narrowing the search space and reducing the costs.
Results
In this study, we developed Proteus (an acronym for Protein Engineering Supporter), a new algorithm for proposing mutation pairs in a target 3D structure. These suggestions are based on contacts observed in other known structures from Protein Data Bank (PDB). Proteus’ basic assumption is that if a non-interacting pair of amino acid residues in the target structure is exchanged to an interacting pair, this could enhance protein stability. This trade is only allowed if the main-chain conformation of the residues involved in the contact is conserved. Furthermore, no steric impediment is expected between the proposed mutations and the surrounding protein atoms. To evaluate Proteus, we performed two case studies with proteins of industrial interests. In the first case study, we evaluated if the mutations suggested by Proteus for four protein structures enhance the number of inter-residue contacts. Our results suggest that most mutations proposed by Proteus increase the number of interactions into the protein. In the second case study, we used Proteus to suggest mutations for a lysozyme protein. Then, we compared Proteus’ outcomes to mutations with available experimental evidence reported in the ProTherm database. Four mutations, in which our results agree with the experimental data, were found. This could be initial evidence that changes in the side-chain of some residues do not cause disturbances that harm protein structure stability.
Conclusion
We believe that Proteus could be used combined with other methods to give new insights into the rational development of engineered proteins. Proteus user-friendly web-based tool is available at <
http://proteus.dcc.ufmg.br
>.
•Simulation of six different cumene production processes including their utility plants for more realistic results.•Development of seven different categories of eco-indicators.•Eco-indicators lumping ...in a single index for global eco-efficiency comparison.•Economic analysis by estimating the processes’ gross annual profits.•The heat integrated process proved to be the most economical and sustainable.
The need for mitigating environmental impacts has been heading towards the development of new technologies that could lead the industries to a greater ecological efficiency. Countless methodologies for evaluating processes’ efficiency in relation to their respective ecological footprint have been employed, among which the concept of eco-efficiency has stood out. In this context, this work aims to compare six different cumene production plants, namely conventional, transalkylation, heat-integrated, dividing wall column, reactive distillation and double-effect distillation technologies, with regard to their economics and environmental efficiencies. The economic analysis was performed by estimating their respective Gross Annual Profit (GAP) and determining the specific production costs indicator, whereas the environmental assessment was carried out by calculating seven eco-indicators, namely raw materials consumption, fuel consumption, energy use, CO2 emissions, water consumption, specific production costs and wastewater generation. The processes’ environmental performances were then compared through the Eco-efficiency Comparison Index (ECI) method. The study showed that the intensified processes are not only more economically attractive but also more environmentaly friendly.
Several studies have sought new therapies for obesity and liver diseases. This study investigated the effect of the trypsin inhibitor isolated from tamarind seeds (TTI), nanoencapsulated in chitosan ...and whey protein isolate (ECW), on the liver health status of the Wistar rats fed with a high glycemic index (HGLI) diet. The nanoformulations without TTI (CW) and ECW were obtained by nanoprecipitation technique, physically and chemically characterized, and then administered to the animals. The adult male Wistar rats (
= 20) were allocated to four groups: HGLI diet + water; standard diet + water; HGLI diet + ECW (12.5 mg/kg); and HGLI diet + CW (10.0 mg/kg), 1 mL per gagave, for ten days. They were evaluated using biochemical and hematological parameters, Fibrosis-4 Index for Liver Fibrosis (FIB-4), AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) scores, and liver morphology. Both nanoparticles presented spherical shape, smooth surface, and nanometric size 120.7 nm (ECW) and 136.4 nm (CW). In animals, ECW reduced (
< 0.05) blood glucose (17%), glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (39%), and alkaline phosphatase (24%). Besides, ECW reduced (
< 0.05) APRI and FIB-4 scores and presented a better aspect of hepatic morphology. ECW promoted benefits over a liver injury caused by the HGLI diet.
Chlorobenzene is an important chemical intermediate in the production of commodities, such as herbicides, dyestuffs, and rubber. In this work, a heat integration was proposed for a monochlorobenzene ...separation process. The conventional process structure and the proposed integrated one were designed and simulated. An optimization focused on minimizing the cooling and heating costs was performed to obtain the best-operating conditions for the heat integration. The simulation of a utility plant, including cooling water and steam generation sections, was also carried out for more accurate estimations of CO2 emissions, water, energy consumption, and operating costs. The processes were evaluated and compared in terms of their sustainable performances using the eco-efficiency comparison index method and environmental and economic indicators, such as CO2 emission, water consumption, and utility cost, to assess the benefits of heat integration. The results demonstrated that the proposed strategy reduced around 57% of all environmental impacts and utility costs. As the composite evaluation index from the performance indicators showed, the proposed optimal heat integrated industrial plant significantly improved the initial processes? eco-efficiencies, up to 83%, proving a suitable strategy for a more sustainable process.
Lapa do Santo rockshelter, a Paleoindian site located in Eastern-Central Brazil, presented two main occupations; one during Early Holocene (12,460 to 8700 cal BP), and a latter in Middle Holocene ...(5100 to 4200 cal BP). In spite of this 3600 year gap, the stratigraphy and general characteristics of the material culture did not indicate any visible discontinuity. This led us to hypothesise a reoccupation of the rockshelter by the same cultural group, tested by means of statistical analyses comparing lithics, bone artifacts, and faunal remains from early and middle Holocene layers. No significant differences were found, and our results indicate the presence of a cultural tradition that persisted for 8240 years, or roughly 412 generations.
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