Macromolecular crowding has a profound impact on reaction rates and the physical properties of the cell interior, but the mechanisms that regulate crowding are poorly understood. We developed ...genetically encoded multimeric nanoparticles (GEMs) to dissect these mechanisms. GEMs are homomultimeric scaffolds fused to a fluorescent protein that self-assemble into bright, stable particles of defined size and shape. By combining tracking of GEMs with genetic and pharmacological approaches, we discovered that the mTORC1 pathway can modulate the effective diffusion coefficient of particles ≥20 nm in diameter more than 2-fold by tuning ribosome concentration, without any discernable effect on the motion of molecules ≤5 nm. This change in ribosome concentration affected phase separation both in vitro and in vivo. Together, these results establish a role for mTORC1 in controlling both the mesoscale biophysical properties of the cytoplasm and biomolecular condensation.
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•GEMs enable high-throughput microrheology in unperturbed living cells•mTORC1 controls diffusion by tuning ribosome concentration•Diffusion can be accurately predicted as a function of ribosome concentration•Crowding of the cytoplasm by ribosomes increases phase separation
mTORC1 signaling controls phase transitions in the cytoplasm through its effects on molecular crowding.
Many information processing challenges are difficult to solve with traditional Turing or von Neumann approaches. Implementing unconventional computational methods is therefore essential and optics ...provides promising opportunities. Here we experimentally demonstrate optical information processing using a nonlinear optoelectronic oscillator subject to delayed feedback. We implement a neuro-inspired concept, called Reservoir Computing, proven to possess universal computational capabilities. We particularly exploit the transient response of a complex dynamical system to an input data stream. We employ spoken digit recognition and time series prediction tasks as benchmarks, achieving competitive processing figures of merit.
•Biodegradable and edible cassava starch films with yerba mate extract were developed.•TGA, DSC, ATR/FTIR and DRX tests demonstrated plasticizing effects of the extract.•Extract compounds of low ...molecular weight reduced starch–starch chains interactions.•The extract use limited crystal growth, recrystallization and starch retrogradation.•The degradation in compost of films with yerba mate extract was faster than matrix.
Biodegradable and edible cassava starch-glycerol based films with different concentrations of yerba mate extract (0, 5 and 20wt.%) were prepared by casting. The plasticizing effect of yerba mate extract when it was incorporated into the matrix as an antioxidant was investigated. Thermal degradation and biodegradability of the obtained biofilms were also studied. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR/FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), water absorbance, stability in different solutions and biodegradability studies were performed. The clear correlation among the results obtained from the different analysis confirmed the plasticizing effect of yerba mate extract on the starch-glycerol matrix. Also, the extract led to a decrease in the degradation time of the films in soil ensuring their complete biodegradability before two weeks and to films stability in acidic and alkaline media. The plasticizing effect of yerba mate extract makes it an attractive additive for starch films which will be used as packaging or coating; and its contribution to an earlier biodegradability will contribute to waste reduction.
All starch fractions not digested and absorbed in the small intestine of healthy humans are considered resistant starch (RS), and their habitual intake has been associated with different beneficial ...effects on health. In particular, starch-lipid V-type complexes, such as starch-fatty acids and starch-monoglycerides, have traditionally been classified as type 5 RS.
Other starch V-type complexes have emerged more recently, such as starch-glycerol, starch-amino acids, starch-peptides, starch-proteins, starch-lipid-protein, starch-polyphenols, starch-other polysaccharides, among others, which do not fit well into the traditionally accepted nutritional classification of RS. Here, these complexes are analyzed in order to highlight the pertinence of redefining RS5 for the inclusion of this new type of RS.
All those self-assembled starch V-type complexes can be classified as RS5. However, starch-polyphenol V-type complexes should particularly be further investigated to ensure their inclusion in this new extended RS5.
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•The update of the resistant starch type 5 (RS5) concept was exhaustively discussed.•All self-assembled starch V-type complexes can be considered RS5.•Self-assembled starch V-type complexes may find industrial uses as functional food additives.
ABSTRACT
Observational gridded products are commonly used to evaluate the performance of regional climate models. To this aim, gridded datasets should be comparable to the output of these models and, ...thus, should represent grid‐cell area‐averaged values and, whenever possible, they should be defined on the same spatial domains as the models, in order to avoid re‐gridding or re‐projection. In this study, we present an update of the Spain02 gridded observational dataset for daily precipitation and mean temperature building on the grids defined for the EURO‐CORDEX initiative. In order to assess and intercompare different interpolation approaches, we analysed (1) two standard methodologies (ordinary kriging and thin plate splines), (2) three horizontal resolutions: 0.11°, 0.22° and 0.44° (matching the rotated EURO‐CORDEX and ENSEMBLES grids), (3) two different approaches to guarantee either area‐averaged or point representativity of the resulting grid values and (4) including/excluding orography as a covariable in the interpolation procedure. Besides introducing the new gridded datasets, in this work we also present some preliminary results on the sensitivity of temperature and precipitation (both mean and extreme regimes) to all these factors.
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•Thermosensitive polymers for medical applications were reviewed.•Multi-thermosensitive polymers were thoroughly reviewed.•Thermosensitive polymers with structural differences were ...analyzed.•The synthesis of the thermosensitive polymers was considered.
A wide variety of smart polymer systems such as thermosensitive polymers (TSPs) have been developed and applied mimicking nature. TSPs are a class of macromolecules that exhibit bio-inspired behavior and have various applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, theranostic particles and bioseparation. An inherent feature of a living system is its ability to react in response to an external stimulus. The temperature dependence of polymer properties is the reason behind dramatic changes in morphology, solubility, shape and sol-gel transition. TSPs can be synthesized as hydrogel, micro- and nanoparticles, film, micelle and mussel-inspired materials. The architecture of TSPs determines their biomimetic patterns and allows one to expand their uses. TSPs can be used as systems for the controlled release of drugs to a specific organ, as well as scaffolds in tissue engineering. Multi-responsive and thermosensitive features of TSPs give rise to design of smart systems for special applications. For example, pH- and photo-responsive abilities in combination with temperature sensitivity can play a vital role in drug delivery and tissue engineering. In-depth knowledge about the structure-property relationship is a key factor to design a smart biomimetic polymer. In this review paper, the functional design of the TSPs, their biomedical applications and the road ahead for their developments are comprehensively overviewed.
Rhythmic oscillations are common features of nervous systems. One of the fundamental questions posed by these rhythms is how individual neurons or groups of neurons are recruited into different ...network oscillations. We modeled competing fast and slow oscillators connected to a hub neuron with electrical and inhibitory synapses. We explore the patterns of coordination shown in the network as a function of the electrical coupling and inhibitory synapse strengths with the help of a novel visualization method that we call the “parameterscape.” The hub neuron can be switched between the fast and slow oscillators by multiple network mechanisms, indicating that a given change in network state can be achieved by degenerate cellular mechanisms. These results have importance for interpreting experiments employing optogenetic, genetic, and pharmacological manipulations to understand circuit dynamics.
► Parallel synaptic pathways permit robust switching of network states ► Electrical synapses enable integer coupling in a heterogeneous oscillator network ► Patterned circuit output can be switched by three different synaptic modifications ► The parameterscape is a novel tool for visualizing multiple dimensions on a plane
Gutierrez et al. use a model network to show how electrical coupling between heterogeneous oscillators offers multiple ways to switch between robust network states. The analysis introduces a technique for visualizing full network activity as a function of circuit parameters.
The goal of this study is to develop a high-resolution atmospheric hindcast over the Mediterranean area using the WRF-ARW model, focusing on offshore surface wind fields. In order to choose the most ...adequate model configuration, the study provides details on the calibration of the experimental saet-up through a sensitivity test considering the October–December 2001 period (the 2001 super-storm event in the West Mediterranean). A daily forecast outperforms the spectral technique of previous products and the boundary data from ERA-Interim reanalysis produces the most accurate estimates in terms of wind variability and hour-to-hour correspondence. According to the sensitivity test, two data sets of wind hindcast are produced: the SeaWind I (30-km horizontal resolution for a period of 60 years) and the SeaWind II (15-km horizontal resolution for 20 years). The validation of the resulting surface winds is undertaken considering two offshore observational datasets. On the one hand, hourly surface buoy stations are used to validate wind time series at specific locations; on the other hand, wind altimeter satellite observations are considered for spatial validation in the whole Mediterranean Sea. The results obtained from this validation process show a very good agreement with observations for the southern Europe region. Finally, SeaWind I and II are used to characterize offshore wind fields in the Mediterranean Sea. The statistical structure of sea surface wind is analyzed and the agreement with Weibull probability distribution is discussed. In addition, wind persistence and extreme wind speed (50 year return period) are characterized and relevant areas of wind power generation are described by estimating wind energy quantities.
There is an increasing interest in berries, especially blackberries in the diet, because of recent reports of their health benefits due to their high content of flavonoids. A broad range of genomic ...tools are available for other Rosaceae species but these tools are still lacking in the Rubus genus, thus limiting gene discovery and the breeding of improved varieties.
De novo RNA-seq of ripe blackberries grown under field conditions was performed using Illumina Hiseq 2000. Almost 9 billion nucleotide bases were sequenced in total. Following assembly, 42,062 consensus sequences were detected. For functional annotation, 33,040 (NR), 32,762 (NT), 21,932 (Swiss-Prot), 20,134 (KEGG), 13,676 (COG), 24,168 (GO) consensus sequences were annotated using different databases; in total 34,552 annotated sequences were identified. For protein prediction analysis, the number of coding DNA sequences (CDS) that mapped to the protein database was 32,540. Non redundant (NR), annotation showed that 25,418 genes (73.5%) has the highest similarity with Fragaria vesca subspecies vesca. Reanalysis was undertaken by aligning the reads with this reference genome for a deeper analysis of the transcriptome. We demonstrated that de novo assembly, using Trinity and later annotation with Blast using different databases, were complementary to alignment to the reference sequence using SOAPaligner/SOAP2. The Fragaria reference genome belongs to a species in the same family as blackberry (Rosaceae) but to a different genus. Since blackberries are tetraploids, the possibility of artefactual gene chimeras resulting from mis-assembly was tested with one of the genes sequenced by RNAseq, Chalcone Synthase (CHS). cDNAs encoding this protein were cloned and sequenced. Primers designed to the assembled sequences accurately distinguished different contigs, at least for chalcone synthase genes.
We prepared and analysed transcriptome data from ripe blackberries, for which prior genomic information was limited. This new sequence information will improve the knowledge of this important and healthy fruit, providing an invaluable new tool for biological research.
Daily precipitation statistics as simulated by the ERA-Interim-driven EURO-CORDEX regional climate model (RCM) ensemble are evaluated over two distinct regions of the European continent, namely the ...European Alps and Spain. The potential added value of the high-resolution 12 km experiments with respect to their 50 km resolution counterparts is investigated. The statistics considered consist of wet-day intensity and precipitation frequency as a measure of mean precipitation, and three precipitation-derived indicators (90th percentile on wet days—90pWET, contribution of the very wet days to total precipitation—R95pTOT and number of consecutive dry days—CDD). As reference for model evaluation high resolution gridded observational data over continental Spain (Spain011/044) and the Alpine region (EURO4M-APGD) are used. The assessment and comparison of the two resolutions is accomplished not only on their original horizontal grids (approximately 12 and 50 km), but the high-resolution RCMs are additionally regridded onto the coarse 50 km grid by grid cell aggregation for the direct comparison with the low resolution simulations. The direct application of RCMs e.g. in many impact modelling studies is hampered by model biases. Therefore bias correction (BC) techniques are needed at both resolutions to ensure a better agreement between models and observations. In this work, the added value of the high resolution (before and after the bias correction) is assessed and the suitability of these BC methods is also discussed. Three basic BC methods are applied to isolate the effect of biases in mean precipitation, wet-day intensity and wet-day frequency on the derived indicators. Daily precipitation percentiles are strongly affected by biases in the wet-day intensity, whereas the dry spells are better represented when the simulated precipitation frequency is adjusted to the observed one. This confirms that there is no single optimal way to correct for RCM biases, since correcting some distributional features typically leads to an improvement of some aspects but to a deterioration of others. Regarding mean seasonal biases before the BC, we find only limited evidence for an added value of the higher resolution in the precipitation intensity and frequency or in the derived indicators. Thereby, evaluation results considerably depend on the RCM, season and indicator considered. High resolution simulations better reproduce the indicators’ spatial patterns, especially in terms of spatial correlation. However, this improvement is not statistically significant after applying specific BC methods.
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