This document describes the design and implementation sequence of hardware and firmware components of two microcontroller boards of 8-bit and 32-bit architectures, which use similar form factors and ...share common input/output devices and recently developed Web-based user interfaces. These developments are the result of over two decades of experimentation in educational and research measurement systems in renewable energy projects. The boards are intended to fill a gap between low-cost hobby systems and high-end research loggers, especially where international standards require control of uncertainties, as is the case with small wind turbine power curve assessments. The focus was to increase reliability in the hardware aspects and make software development easier by including user-friendly firmware and a set of in-house C language coding rules for new developments and refactoring of legacy code. Testing of the low-level driver sections and the use of automated tools such as Ceedling for higher-level module testing are also described.
The human sperm cell is very well suited for proteomic studies, as it is accessible, can be easily purified and is believed to be transcriptionally and translationally silent. The recent use of ...advanced proteomic approaches is clearly challenging the understanding of sperm biology. The aims of this review are to discuss the various human sperm proteomic studies, to create a compiled list of all the sperm proteins described to date and to re-assess the potential functional implications.
A search of the scientific literature available in the PubMed/Medline database at 31 December 2012 was conducted for studies on human sperm proteomics. The complete list of proteins obtained was carefully analysed using different bioinformatics tools, including Reactome, a knowledgebase of biological pathways.
A total of 30 studies were identified. The proteomics studies have resulted in the identification of 6198 different proteins, an important proportion of which (around 30%) are known to be expressed in the testis. The proteins were assigned to various functional pathways, including metabolism, apoptosis, cell cycle, meiosis and membrane trafficking, among others. Unexpectedly, the sperm cell also contains a range of proteins involved in RNA metabolism and translational regulation, as well as proteins usually located in organelles believed to be absent in sperm, such as cytoplasmatic ribosomes and peroxisomes. Additionally, some proteins whose levels seem to be altered in low-quality sperm might have clinical relevance.
The analysis of the most complete sperm proteome available to date indicates the presence of several cellular protein pathways previously ignored in the male gamete. Confirming the activity of each of these pathways and understanding their biological significance will certainly boost the knowledge of human sperm and male fertility and infertility in the next years.
Este trabajo presenta un sistema de medición para equipamiento de energías renovables que incorpora dos conexiones basadas en el protocolo abierto Modbus (RTU/Serial hacia módulos internos, TCP hacia ...el exterior) y logra la vinculación entre el módulo datalogger y un dashboard centralizado remoto. La instalación y puesta en marcha reciente de instrumentos de alta calidad hacen posible reunir información confiable y a la vez contar con un monitoreo y persistencia remota de los datos. El conjunto toma información de viento utilizando sensores Thies instalados en la misma torre de un aerogenerador e información de corriente y tensión producida por un conjunto de paneles fotovoltaicos y aerogenerador que cargan un banco de baterías y suministra energía a un invernadero. A su vez, se construyó y programó un módulo auxiliar externo para medición de temperatura y humedad en el invernadero, comunicado por RS485 y protocolo Modbus RTU con el datalogger principal. El datalogger envía los datos a través de Modbus/TCP a una Raspberry Pi 4B que convierte este protocolo a MQTT TLS para dar seguridad a la transmisión de los datos, ya que el servidor con el dashboard se encuentra fuera de la red de campo. El análisis de performance del sistema híbrido eólico-solar de baja potencia es posible debido a la disponibilidad y persistencia de los datos en el servidor remoto y localmente en la tarjeta CF del datalogger.
Mammalian sperm motility is a prerequisite for in vivo fertilization, and alterations in this parameter are commonly observed in infertile males. However, we still do not have a complete ...understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling it. The aim of this study was to identify proteins involved in human sperm motility deficiency by using TMT protein labeling and LC–MS/MS. Two complementary approaches were used: comparison between sperm samples differing in motility (asthenozoospermic versus normozoospermic) and comparison between sperm subpopulations of fractionated normozoospermic samples differing in motility (non-migrated versus migrated). LC–MS/MS resulted in the identification of 1157 and 887 proteins in the first and second approaches, respectively. Remarkably, similar proteomic alterations were detected in the two experiments, with 80 proteins differentially expressed in the two groups of samples and 93 differentially expressed in the two groups of subpopulations. The differential proteins were analyzed by GO, cellular pathways, and clustering analyses and resulted in the identification of core deregulated proteins and pathways associated with sperm motility dysfunction. These included proteins associated with energetic metabolism, protein folding/degradation, vesicle trafficking, and the cytoskeleton. Contrary to what is usually accepted, the outcomes support the hypothesis that several metabolic pathways (notably, mitochondrial-related ones) contribute toward regulating sperm motility.
Proteomic studies are contributing greatly to our understanding of the sperm cell, and more detailed descriptions are expected to clarify additional cellular and molecular sperm attributes. The aim ...of this study was to characterize the subcellular proteome of the human sperm tail and, hopefully, identify less concentrated proteins (not found in whole cell proteome studies). Specifically, we were interested in characterizing the sperm metabolic proteome and gaining new insights into the sperm metabolism issue. Sperm were isolated from normozoospermic semen samples and depleted of any contaminating leukocytes. Tail fractions were obtained by means of sonication followed by sucrose-gradient ultracentrifugation, and their purity was confirmed via various techniques. Liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry of isolated sperm tail peptides resulted in the identification of 1049 proteins, more than half of which had not been previously described in human sperm. The categorization of proteins according to their function revealed two main groups: proteins related to metabolism and energy production (26%), and proteins related to sperm tail structure and motility (11%). Interestingly, a great proportion of the metabolic proteome (24%) comprised enzymes involved in lipid metabolism, including enzymes for mitochondrial beta-oxidation. Unexpectedly, we also identified various peroxisomal proteins, some of which are known to be involved in the oxidation of very long chain fatty acids. Analysis of our data using Reactome suggests that both mitochondrial and peroxisomal pathways might indeed be active in sperm, and that the use of fatty acids as fuel might be more preponderant than previously thought. In addition, incubation of sperm with the fatty acid oxidation inhibitor etomoxir resulted in a significant decrease in sperm motility. Contradicting a common concept in the literature, we suggest that the male gamete might have the capacity to obtain energy from endogenous pools, and thus to adapt to putative exogenous fluctuations.
As redes sociais tornaram-se um dos principais canais de convergência social, desencadeando ações sociais e políticas. Este artigo objetiva compreender e discutir a aglutinação de usuários pelas ...redes sociais, por meio dos algoritmos, a partir de temas, ideologias, preferências, etnias, além do cruzamento de uma série de metadados para induzir a comportamentos, o que os autores denominam de Magnetismo Psicossocial. A partir da pesquisa exploratória e uso de revisão de literatura não sistemática e pesquisa bibliográfica, buscam-se os diversos fatores que permitam a compreensão deste fenômeno, sob ponto de vista político. Dentre os resultados destacam-se a capacidade dos algoritmos em determinar conteúdos oferecidos aos usuários, como um dos meios de manipulação dos processos eleitorais e sociais pelo mundo. Corroborando com isso estão pesquisas que demonstram a capacidade de contágio das emoções pelas redes sociais e do trabalho desenvolvido pela Meta de buscar entender o comportamento emocional de cada indivíduo, para oferecer conteúdo que estimule manter-se mais tempo conectado. Assim, conceitua-se que o Magnetismo Psicossocial se traduz pela influência dos algoritmos em exercer o poder de conectar pessoas por seus sentimentos, interesses, preferências, e características físicas, sociais e emocionais. Porém, há necessidade de ampliar estudos e possíveis barreiras a estes dispositivos.
Protamines are the major nuclear sperm proteins. The human sperm nucleus contains two types of protamine: protamine 1 (P1) encoded by a single-copy gene and the family of protamine 2 (P2) proteins ...(P2, P3 and P4), all also encoded by a single gene that is transcribed and translated into a precursor protein. The protamines were discovered more than a century ago, but their function is not yet fully understood. In fact, different hypotheses have been proposed: condensation of the sperm nucleus into a compact hydrodynamic shape, protection of the genetic message delivered by the spermatozoa, involvement in the processes maintaining the integrity and repair of DNA during or after the nucleohistone–nucleoprotamine transition and involvement in the epigenetic imprinting of the spermatozoa. Protamines are also one of the most variable proteins found in nature, with data supporting a positive Darwinian selection. Changes in the expression of P1 and P2 protamines have been found to be associated with infertility in man. Mutations in the protamine genes have also been found in some infertile patients. Transgenic mice defective in the expression of protamines also present several structural defects in the sperm nucleus and have variable degrees of infertility. There is also evidence that altered levels of protamines may result in an increased susceptibility to injury in the spermatozoan DNA causing infertility or poor outcomes in assisted reproduction. The present work reviews the articles published to date on the relationship between protamines and infertility.
BACKGROUND
Alterations in RNAs present in sperm have been identified using microarrays in teratozoospermic patients and in other types of infertile patients. However, so far, there have been no ...reports on using microarrays to determine the RNA content of sperm from asthenozoospermic patients.
METHODS
We started the present project with the goal of characterizing the RNA abundance in the sperm cells of asthenozoospermic patients when compared with controls. To reach this objective, we initially selected four normal fertile donors and four asthenozoospermic infertile patients. Equal amounts of RNA were extracted from the sperm samples, subjected to different quality controls and hybridized to the Affymetrix U133 Plus version 2 arrays.
RESULTS
Several transcripts were identified that were present in different abundance in patients compared with controls. Subsequently, we validated the differential expression of three of the detected transcripts (ANXA2, BRD2 and OAZ3), using real-time PCR in a larger set of samples. A positive correlation between the expression of these transcripts and progressive motility was observed.
CONCLUSIONS
The sperm cells of asthenozoospermic patients contain an altered amount of some RNAs as detected using microarray analysis and subsequently validated using real-time PCR. These results open up the possibility to investigate the implication of these genes in the pathogenic mechanisms in asthenozoospermia and to consider their potential utility as infertility biomarkers.
The classical idea about the function of the mammalian sperm chromatin is that it serves to transmit a highly protected and transcriptionally inactive paternal genome, largely condensed by ...protamines, to the next generation. In addition, recent sperm chromatin genome-wide dissection studies indicate the presence of a differential distribution of the genes and repetitive sequences in the protamine-condensed and histone-condensed sperm chromatin domains, which could be potentially involved in regulatory roles after fertilization. Interestingly, recent proteomic studies have shown that sperm chromatin contains many additional proteins, in addition to the abundant histones and protamines, with specific modifications and chromatin affinity features which are also delivered to the oocyte. Both gene and protein signatures seem to be altered in infertile patients and, as such, are consistent with the potential involvement of the sperm chromatin landscape in early embryo development. This present work reviews the available information on the composition of the human sperm chromatin and its epigenetic potential, with a particular focus on recent results derived from high-throughput genomic and proteomic studies. As a complement, we provide experimental evidence for the detection of phosphorylations and acetylations in human protamine 1 using a mass spectrometry approach. The available data indicate that the sperm chromatin is much more complex than what it was previously thought, raising the possibility that it could also serve to transmit crucial paternal epigenetic information to the embryo.
Generating a catalogue of sperm nuclear proteins is an important first step towards the clarification of the function of the paternal chromatin transmitted to the oocyte upon fertilization. With this ...goal, sperm nuclei were obtained through CTAB treatment and isolated to over 99.9% purity without any tail fragments, acrosome or mitochondria as assessed by optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The nuclear proteins were extracted and separated in 2‐D and 1‐D gels and the 2‐D spots and 1‐D bands were excised and analysed to identify the proteins through LC‐MS/MS. With this approach, 403 different proteins have been identified from the isolated sperm nuclei. The most abundant family of proteins identified are the histones, for which several novel members had not been reported previously as present in the spermatogenic cell line or in the human mature spermatozoa. More than half (52.6%) of the proteins had not been detected in the previous human whole sperm cell proteome reports. Of relevance, several chromatin‐related proteins, such as zinc fingers and transcription factors, so far not known to be associated with the sperm chromatin, have also been detected. This provides additional information about the nuclear proteins that are potentially relevant for epigenetic marking, proper fertilization and embryo development.
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