Ancestry of the Brazilian TP53 c.1010G>A (p.Arg337His, R337H) founder mutation : clues from haplotyping of short tandem repeats on Chromosome 17p

Rare germline mutations in TP53 (17p13.1) cause a highly penetrant predisposition to a specific spectrum of early cancers, defining the Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS). A germline mutation at codon 337 (p.Arg337His, c1010G>A) is found in about 0.3% of the population of Southern Brazil. This mutation is associated with partially penetrant LFS traits and is found in the germline of patients with early cancers of the LFS spectrum unselected for familial his- tory. To characterize the extended haplotypes carrying the mutation, we have genotyped 9 short tandem repeats on chromosome 17p in 12 trios of Brazilian p.Arg337His carriers. Results confirm that all share a common ancestor haplotype of Caucasian/Portuguese-Ibe- ric origin, distant in about 72���84 generations (2000 years assuming a 25 years intergenera- tional distance) and thus pre-dating European migration to Brazil. So far, the founder p. Arg337His haplotype has not been detected outside Brazil, with the exception of two resi- dents of Portugal, one of them of Brazilian origin. On the other hand, increased meiotic recombination in p.Arg337His carriers may account for higher than expected haplotype diversity. Further studies comparing haplotypes in populations of Brazil and of other areas of Portuguese migration are needed to understand the historical context of this mutation in Brazil.

Impact of TGF-��1 -509C/T and 869T/C polymorphisms on glioma risk and patient prognosis

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-��) plays an important role in carcinogenesis. Two polymorphisms in the TGF-��1 gene (-509C/T and 869T/C) were described to influence susceptibility to gastric and breast cancers. The 869T/C polymorphism was also associated with overall survival in breast cancer patients. In the present study, we investigated the relevance of these TGF-��1 polymorphism in glioma risk and prognosis. A case-control study that included 114 glioma patients and 138 cancer-free controls was performed. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to calculate odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI). The influence of TGF-��1 -509C/T and 869T/C polymorphisms on glioma patient survival was evaluated by a Cox regression model adjusted for patients' age and sex and represented in Kaplan-Meier curves. Our results demonstrated that TGF-��1 gene polymorphisms -509C/T and 869T/C are not significantly associated with glioma risk. Survival analyses showed that the homozygous -509TT genotype associates with longer overall survival of glioblastoma (GBM) patients when compared with patients carrying CC + CT genotypes (OR, 2.41; 95 % CI, 1.06-5.50; p = 0.036). In addition, the homozygous 869CC genotype is associated with increased overall survival of GBM patients when compared with 869TT + TC genotypes (OR, 2.62; 95 % CI, 1.11-6.17; p = 0.027). In conclusion, this study suggests that TGF-��1 -509C/T and 869T/C polymorphisms are not significantly associated with risk for developing gliomas but may be relevant prognostic biomarkers in GBM patients.

Rheological characterization of EVA and HDPE polymer modified bitumens under large deformation at 20 �� C

Large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) coupled with Fourier transform rheology (FTR) was used for the first time to characterize the large deformation behavior of selected bituminous binders at 20 C. Two polymer modified bitumens (PMB) containing recycled EVA and HDPE and two unmodified bitumens were tested with LAOS-FTR. The LAOS-FTR response of all binders was compared at same frequency, at same Deborah number (by tuning the frequency to the relaxation time of each binder) and at same phase shift angle d (by tuning the frequency to the one corresponding to d = 50 in the SAOS response of each sample). In all the approaches, LAOS-FTR results allowed to differentiate between all the nonlinear mechanical characteristics of the tested binders. All binders show LAOS-FTR patterns reminiscent from colloidal dispersions and emulsions. EVA PMB was less prone to strain-induced microstructural changes when compared to HDPE PMB which showed larger values of nonlinear FTR parameters for the range of shear strains tested in LAOS.

High performance screen printable lithium-ion battery cathode ink based on C-LiFePO4

Lithium-ion battery cathodes have been fabricated by screen-printing through the development of CLiFePO4 inks. It is shown that shear thinning polymer solutions in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) with Newtonian viscosity above 0.4 Pa s are the best binders for formulating a cathode paste with satisfactory film forming properties. The paste shows an elasticity of the order of 500 Pa and, after shear yielding, shows an apparent viscosity of the order of 3 Pa s for shear rates corresponding to those used during screen-printing. The screen-printed cathode produced with a thickness of 26 mm shows a homogeneous distribution of the active material, conductive additive and polymer binder. The total resistance and diffusion coefficient of the cathode are 450 V and 2.5 10 16cm2 s 1, respectively. The developed cathodes show an initial discharge capacity of 48.2 mAh g 1 at 5C and a discharge value of 39.8 mAh g 1 after 50 cycles. The capacity retention of 83% represents 23% of the theoretical value (charge and/or discharge process in twenty minutes), demonstrating the good performance of the battery. Thus, the developed C-LiFePO4 based inks allow to fabricate screen-printed cathodes suitable for printed lithium-ion batteries

Antibacterial Ag/a-C nanocomposite coatings: The influence of nano-galvanic a-C and Ag couples on Ag ionization rates

Biofilm formation has been pointed as a major concern in different industrial applications, namely on biomedical implants and surgical instruments, which has prompted the development of new strategies for production of efficient antimicrobial surfaces. In this work, nano ��galvanic couples were created to enhance the antibacterial properties of silver, by embedding it into amorphous carbon (a-C) matrix. The developed Ag/a-C nanocomposite coatings, deposited by magnetron sputtering, revealed an outstanding antibacterial activity against S.epidermidis, promoting a total reduction in biofilm formation with no bacteria counts in all dilution. The open circuit potential (OCP) tests in 0.9% NaCl confirmed that a-C shows a positive \OCP\ value, in contrast to Ag coating, thus enhancing the ionization of biocidal Ag+ due to the nano-galvanic couple activation. This result was confirmed by the inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), which revealed a higher Ag ionization rate in the nanocomposite coating in comparison with the Ag coating. The surface of Ag/a-C and Ag coatings immersed in 0.9% NaCl were monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) over a period of 24 hours, being found that the Ag ionization determined by ICP-OES was accompanied by an Ag nanoparticles coalescence and agglomeration in Ag/a-C coating.

Short Guide to Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a rapidly developing area of medicine ��� diagnostic tools are ever more refined, and entirely new treatments and treatment strategies are arriving, with more on the horizon. And because the virus affects such a large and varying population ��� up to 170 million at last count ��� we think it is important to have a pocket reference especially devoted to hepatitis C. We look forward to your comments on the usefulness of our 2014 Short Guide to Hepatitis C, which is an expansion and update of the HCV chapters in Hepatology ��� A Clinical Textbook (2014), also published by Flying Publisher. As always, we invite qualified people everywhere to translate this book into other languages, and make them available widely. This web-based free-of- harge concept is made possible by unrestricted educational grants from the pharmaceutical industry and has allowed the material to reach countries usually not covered by print media. We are convinced that this new pocket guide concept, focusing here on hepatitis C, will become a valuable source of information for our readers.

Weiterentwicklung von OpenSSL.NET als Schnittstelle zwischen der freien OpenSSL-Bibliothek und dem .NET Framework f��r den Einsatz in Smart Metering Systemen

[s.c.]

The Cuntz semigroup, the Elliott conjecture, and dimension functions on C*-Algebras

We prove that the Cuntz semigroup is recovered functorially from the Elliott invariant for a large class of C��-algebras. In particular, our results apply to the largest class of simple C��-algebras for which K-theoretic classification can be hoped for. This work has three significant consequences. First, it provides new conceptual insight into Elliott's classification program, proving that the usual form of the Elliott conjecture is equivalent, among Z-stable algebras, to a conjecture which is in general substantially weaker and for which there are no known counterexamples. Second and third, it resolves, for the class of algebras above, two conjectures of Blackadar and Handelman concerning the basic structure of dimension functions on C��-algebras. We also prove in passing that the Kuntz-Pedersen semigroup is recovered functorially from the Elliott invariant for all simple unital C��-algebras of interest.

A relative double commutant theorem for hereditary sub-C*-algebras

We prove a double commutant theorem for hereditary subalgebras of a large class of C*-algebras, partially resolving a problem posed by Pedersen[8]. Double commutant theorems originated with von Neumann, whose seminal result evolved into an entire field now called von Neumann algebra theory. Voiculescu proved a C*-algebraic double commutant theorem for separable subalgebras of the Calkin algebra. We prove a similar result for hereditary subalgebras which holds for arbitrary corona C*-algebras. (It is not clear how generally Voiculescu's double commutant theorem holds.)

Maximal C*-algebras of quotients and injective envelopes of C*-algebras

"Vegeu el resum a l'inici del document adjunt."

Dise��o del subsistema RF para el receptor SAR biest��tico en banda-C SABRINA

Este proyecto tiene como objetivo dise��ar un nuevo receptor SAR biest��tico para el sistema SABRINA (SAR Bistatic fixed Receiver for INterferometric Applications) caracterizando el sistema que ya exist��a. El nuevo dispositivo deber�� cumplir con las caracter��sticas y requisitos del escenario teniendo en cuenta la potencia recibida y el ruido de cuantificaci��n de la tarjeta digitalizadora. Con este fin se introducen previamente conocimientos de teor��a RADAR y SAR. Adem��s, se deber�� compactar al m��ximo el sistema para conseguir un receptor autocontenido que facilite su traslado. Para tal fin se ha incorporado a la caja del receptor un sintetizador programable que act��a de oscilador local de las cadenas de recepci��n y una fuente de alimentaci��n que provee la tensi��n a todos los componentes activos del dispositivo. Por otra parte el proyecto ilustra las diferentes campa��as de experimentos que se han realizado durante el periodo de trabajo.

An��lisis jurisprudencial del derecho al secreto de las comunicaciones (art. 18.3 C.E.)

Este trabajo aspira a plantear en qu�� estado se halla actualmente la regulaci��n de la intervenci��n de las comunicaciones telef��nicas en nuestro ordenamiento jur��dico. Nuestro enfoque en el presente trabajo ser�� plantearnos la legitimidad o licitud de las medidas de intervenci��n telef��nica as�� como su ��mbito de validez y eficacia a efectos de su utilizaci��n en el proceso penal en el sentido de qu�� l��mites o controles deben establecerse. Asimismo analizaremos el derecho fundamental al secreto de las comunicaciones consagrado en el art. 18.3 de la Constituci��n y la regulaci��n positiva de dicho derecho en nuestro ordenamiento jur��dico. En definitiva, se trata de plantear la problem��tica en t��rminos amplios para posteriormente profundizar y abordar cuestiones de gran relevancia tales como qu�� sucede o qu�� tratamiento debe darse a los llamados hallazgos casuales o a la prueba ilegalmente obtenida, elementos que debido a su extensi��n trataremos de una forma puntual y que ser��n objeto de desarrollo en un trabajo posterior.

Mem��ria de recerca: paral��lelitzaci�� dels diccionaris de la Standard Template Library de C++

Estudi elaborat a partir d���una estada a la Universit��t Karlsruhe entre gener i maig del 2007. Les biblioteques d���estructures de dades defineixen interf��cies i implementen algorismes i estructures de dades fonamentals. Un exemple n�����s la Satandard Template Library (STL ), que forma part del llenguatge de programaci�� C++. En el marc d���una tesi, s���est�� treballant per obtenir implementacions m��s eficients i/o vers��tils d���alguns components de la STL. Per a fer-ho s���utilitzen t��cniques de la enginyeria d���algorismes. En particular, s���integra el coneixement de la comunitat algor��tmica i es t�� en consideraci�� la tecnologia existent. L���acci�� durant l���estada s���ha emmarcat en el desenvolupament la Multi Core STL (MCSTL ). La MCSTL ��s una implementaci�� paral���lela de la STL per a m��quines multi-core. Les m��quines multi-core s��n actualment l�����nic tipus de m��quina disponible al mercat. Per tant, tot i que el paral���lelisme obtingut no sigui ��ptim, ��s preferible a tenir els processadors esperant, ja que , la tend��ncia ��s que el nombre de processadors per computador augmenti.