Evidence of epigenetic regulation of the tumor suppressor gene cluster flanking RASSF1 in breast cancer cell lines

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Informative Radio Models in Brazil: The All-News Networks

This study analyzes the particularities of Brazilian radio networks that adopt the all-news format and briefly presents the main national and international experiences for the implementation of the model and its conceptualization. Besides the bibliographic review, we use the multiple-case study, analyzing as the empirical objects CBN and BandNews FM networks. Also, we apply methodological procedures of systematic non-participant observation, supplemented by interviews and surveys. We conclude that the different all-news programming models and network organizations influence the processes of production, information structure, broadcasting language, and therefore the stations' profile. © 2011 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

QK-Means: A clustering technique based on community detection and K-Means for deployment of cluster head nodes

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) are a special kind of ad-hoc networks that is usually deployed in a monitoring field in order to detect some physical phenomenon. Due to the low dependability of individual nodes, small radio coverage and large areas to be monitored, the organization of nodes in small clusters is generally used. Moreover, a large number of WSN nodes is usually deployed in the monitoring area to increase WSN dependability. Therefore, the best cluster head positioning is a desirable characteristic in a WSN. In this paper, we propose a hybrid clustering algorithm based on community detection in complex networks and traditional K-means clustering technique: the QK-Means algorithm. Simulation results show that QK-Means detect communities and sub-communities thus lost message rate is decreased and WSN coverage is increased. © 2012 IEEE.

Influence of two different vinification procedures on the physicochemical and sensory properties of Brazilian non-Vitis vinifera red wines

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between the physicochemical properties and sensory acceptance of Brazilian red wines by applying chemometric techniques. Therefore, three winemaking processes were carried out: a traditional winemaking process and two novel winemaking processes, pre-drying and static pomace. Significant differences could be identified amongst the physicochemical properties of the wines (P<0.001). The sensory results showed greater acceptance of the wines made after pre-drying of the grapes or from the static pomace, as compared to commercial brands. Cluster analysis and Multidimensional Scaling were successfully applied and their results demonstrated the influence of the total phenolic content and color indexes on acceptance of the appearance of the wines. The odor was associated with the alcohol content, acidity, dry extract, total and reducing sugars and the body of the wines. The flavor was associated with several physicochemical properties which influenced the overall acceptance of the samples. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Análise de sequências da região intergência ITS-1 do rDNA em espécies de Drosophila do cluster buzzatti, (complexo Buzzatti, subgrupo Mullerri, grupo Repleta). -

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A new transmission model in cognitive radio based on cyclic generalized polynomial codes for bandwidth reduction

The frequency spectrums are inefficiently utilized and cognitive radio has been proposed for full utilization of these spectrums. The central idea of cognitive radio is to allow the secondary user to use the spectrum concurrently with the primary user with the compulsion of minimum interference. However, designing a model with minimum interference is a challenging task. In this paper, a transmission model based on cyclic generalized polynomial codes discussed in [2] and [15], is proposed for the improvement in utilization of spectrum. The proposed model assures a non interference data transmission of the primary and secondary users. Furthermore, analytical results are presented to show that the proposed model utilizes spectrum more efficiently as compared to traditional models.

Bayesian analysis of weak gravitational lensing and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich data for six galaxy clusters

We present an analysis of observations made with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) and the CanadaFranceHawaii Telescope (CFHT) of six galaxy clusters in a redshift range of 0.160.41. The cluster gas is modelled using the SunyaevZeldovich (SZ) data provided by AMI, while the total mass is modelled using the lensing data from the CFHT. In this paper, we (i) find very good agreement between SZ measurements (assuming large-scale virialization and a gas-fraction prior) and lensing measurements of the total cluster masses out to r200; (ii) perform the first multiple-component weak-lensing analysis of A115; (iii) confirm the unusual separation between the gas and mass components in A1914 and (iv) jointly analyse the SZ and lensing data for the relaxed cluster A611, confirming our use of a simulation-derived masstemperature relation for parametrizing measurements of the SZ effect.

The young stellar cluster [DBS2003] 157 associated with the H ii region GAL 331.31-00.34

We report a study of the stellar content of the near-infrared (NIR) cluster [DBS2003] 157 embedded in the extended H ii region GAL 331.31-00.34, which is associated with the IRAS source 16085-5138. JHK photometry was carried out in order to identify potential ionizing candidates, and the follow-up NIR spectroscopy allowed the spectral classification of some sources, including two O-type stars. A combination of NIR photometry and spectroscopy data was used to obtain the distance of these two stars, with the method of spectroscopic parallax: IRS 298 (O6 V, 3.35 +/- 0.61 kpc) and IRS 339 (O9 V, 3.24 +/- 0.56 kpc). Adopting the average distance of 3.29 +/- 0.58 kpc and comparing the Lyman continuum luminosity of these stars with that required to account for the radio continuum flux of the H ii region, we conclude that these two stars are the ionizing sources of GAL 331.31-00.34. Young stellar objects (YSOs) were searched by using our NIR photometry and mid-infrared (MIR) data from the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) survey. The analysis of NIR and MIR colourcolour diagrams resulted in 47 YSO candidates. The GLIMPSE counterpart of IRAS 16085-5138, which presents IRAS colour indices compatible with an ultracompact H ii region, has been identified. The analysis of its spectral energy distribution between 2 and m revealed that this source shows a spectral index a= 3.6 between 2 and m, which is typical of a YSO immersed in a protostellar envelope. Lower limits to the bolometric luminosity and the mass of the embedded protostar have been estimated as L= 7.7 x 10(3) L? and M= 10 M?, respectively, which correspond to a B0B1 V zero-age main sequence star.

FINDING FOSSIL GROUPS: OPTICAL IDENTIFICATION AND X-RAY CONFIRMATION

We report the discovery of 12 new fossil groups (FGs) of galaxies, systems dominated by a single giant elliptical galaxy and cluster-scale gravitational potential, but lacking the population of bright galaxies typically seen in galaxy clusters. These FGs, selected from the maxBCG optical cluster catalog, were detected in snapshot observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. We detail the highly successful selection method, with an 80% success rate in identifying 12 FGs from our target sample of 15 candidates. For 11 of the systems, we determine the X-ray luminosity, temperature, and hydrostatic mass, which do not deviate significantly from expectations for normal systems, spanning a range typical of rich groups and poor clusters of galaxies. A small number of detected FGs are morphologically irregular, possibly due to past mergers, interaction of the intra-group medium with a central active galactic nucleus (AGN), or superposition of multiple massive halos. Two-thirds of the X-ray-detected FGs exhibit X-ray emission associated with the central brightest cluster galaxy (BCG), although we are unable to distinguish between AGN and extended thermal galaxy emission using the current data. This sample representing a large increase in the number of known FGs, will be invaluable for future planned observations to determine FG temperature, gas density, metal abundance, and mass distributions, and to compare to normal (non-fossil) systems. Finally, the presence of a population of galaxy-poor systems may bias mass function determinations that measure richness from galaxy counts. When used to constrain power spectrum normalization and Omega(m), these biased mass functions may in turn bias these results.

A system for classification of time-series data from industrial non-destructive device

This work proposes a system for classification of industrial steel pieces by means of magnetic nondestructive device. The proposed classification system presents two main stages, online system stage and off-line system stage. In online stage, the system classifies inputs and saves misclassification information in order to perform posterior analyses. In the off-line optimization stage, the topology of a Probabilistic Neural Network is optimized by a Feature Selection algorithm combined with the Probabilistic Neural Network to increase the classification rate. The proposed Feature Selection algorithm searches for the signal spectrogram by combining three basic elements: a Sequential Forward Selection algorithm, a Feature Cluster Grow algorithm with classification rate gradient analysis and a Sequential Backward Selection. Also, a trash-data recycling algorithm is proposed to obtain the optimal feedback samples selected from the misclassified ones.

Knowledge Flows and Networks: the Interplay between Local and Global Linkages within Bangalore IT Cluster

This doctoral work gains deeper insight into the dynamics of knowledge flows within and across clusters, unfolding their features, directions and strategic implications. Alliances, networks and personnel mobility are acknowledged as the three main channels of inter-firm knowledge flows, thus offering three heterogeneous measures to analyze the phenomenon. The interplay between the three channels and the richness of available research methods, has allowed for the elaboration of three different papers and perspectives. The common empirical setting is the IT cluster in Bangalore, for its distinguished features as a high-tech cluster and for its steady yearly two-digit growth around the service-based business model. The first paper deploys both a firm-level and a tie-level analysis, exploring the cases of 4 domestic companies and of 2 MNCs active the cluster, according to a cluster-based perspective. The distinction between business-domain knowledge and technical knowledge emerges from the qualitative evidence, further confirmed by quantitative analyses at tie-level. At firm-level, the specialization degree seems to be influencing the kind of knowledge shared, while at tie-level both the frequency of interaction and the governance mode prove to determine differences in the distribution of knowledge flows. The second paper zooms out and considers the inter-firm networks; particularly focusing on the role of cluster boundary, internal and external networks are analyzed, in their size, long-term orientation and exploration degree. The research method is purely qualitative and allows for the observation of the evolving strategic role of internal network: from exploitation-based to exploration-based. Moreover, a causal pattern is emphasized, linking the evolution and features of the external network to the evolution and features of internal network. The final paper addresses the softer and more micro-level side of knowledge flows: personnel mobility. A social capital perspective is here developed, which considers both employees’ acquisition and employees’ loss as building inter-firm ties, thus enhancing company’s overall social capital. Negative binomial regression analyses at dyad-level test the significant impact of cluster affiliation (cluster firms vs non-cluster firms), industry affiliation (IT firms vs non-IT fims) and foreign affiliation (MNCs vs domestic firms) in shaping the uneven distribution of personnel mobility, and thus of knowledge flows, among companies.

Metodi avanzati di indagine di ammassi rocciosi a blocchi in matrice (bimrock).

The research focuses on the implementation and validation of advanced direct and indirect methods of investigation for the structural and mechanical characterisation of bimrocks. In particular, a non conventional in situ shear test has been develop in order to evaluate the strength parameters of bimrocks by properly taking into account the influence of blocks. Also, a geostatistical approach has been introduced for the investigation of block morphological and spatial properties from digital images, by means of a variographic analysis of the block Indicator Variable.

Very Long Baseline Interferometry in Italy Wide-field VLBI imaging and astrometry and prospects for an Italian VLBI network including the Sardinia Radio Telescope

In this thesis the use of widefield imaging techniques and VLBI observations with a limited number of antennas are explored. I present techniques to efficiently and accurately image extremely large UV datasets. Very large VLBI datasets must be reduced into multiple, smaller datasets if today’s imaging algorithms are to be used to image them. I present a procedure for accurately shifting the phase centre of a visibility dataset. This procedure has been thoroughly tested and found to be almost two orders of magnitude more accurate than existing techniques. Errors have been found at the level of one part in 1.1 million. These are unlikely to be measurable except in the very largest UV datasets. Results of a four-station VLBI observation of a field containing multiple sources are presented. A 13 gigapixel image was constructed to search for sources across the entire primary beam of the array by generating over 700 smaller UV datasets. The source 1320+299A was detected and its astrometric position with respect to the calibrator J1329+3154 is presented. Various techniques for phase calibration and imaging across this field are explored including using the detected source as an in-beam calibrator and peeling of distant confusing sources from VLBI visibility datasets. A range of issues pertaining to wide-field VLBI have been explored including; parameterising the wide-field performance of VLBI arrays; estimating the sensitivity across the primary beam both for homogeneous and heterogeneous arrays; applying techniques such as mosaicing and primary beam correction to VLBI observations; quantifying the effects of time-average and bandwidth smearing; and calibration and imaging of wide-field VLBI datasets. The performance of a computer cluster at the Istituto di Radioastronomia in Bologna has been characterised with regard to its ability to correlate using the DiFX software correlator. Using existing software it was possible to characterise the network speed particularly for MPI applications. The capabilities of the DiFX software correlator, running on this cluster, were measured for a range of observation parameters and were shown to be commensurate with the generic performance parameters measured. The feasibility of an Italian VLBI array has been explored, with discussion of the infrastructure required, the performance of such an array, possible collaborations, and science which could be achieved. Results from a 22 GHz calibrator survey are also presented. 21 out of 33 sources were detected on a single baseline between two Italian antennas (Medicina to Noto). The results and discussions presented in this thesis suggest that wide-field VLBI is a technique whose time has finally come. Prospects for exciting new science are discussed in the final chapter.

Utilizzo di variabili proxy per la disaggregazione delle emissioni atmosferiche a livello locale e stima delle relative pressioni ambientali

Il presente lavoro di tesi nasce dalla collaborazione tra l’Università di Bologna, Polo Scientifico Didattico di Ravenna, e l’Agenzia Regionale Prevenzione ed Ambiente dell’Emilia Romagna (ARPA EMR), sezione di Ravenna, inserendosi nell’ambito del progetto di Dottorato “Sviluppo di tecniche per la progettazione delle reti di monitoraggio della qualità dell’aria”. Lo scopo principale dello studio è quello di definire una metodologia di tipo Top-Down per disaggregare spazialmente sulla Provincia di Ravenna le emissioni in atmosfera stimate dall’inventario provinciale di ARPA EMR. La metodologia CORINAIR (COordination INformation AIR), sviluppata dalla Agenzia Europea per l’Ambiente, prefigura due possibili procedure di stima delle emissioni in atmosfera: Top-Down (parte dalla scala spaziale più ampia e discende a livelli inferiori) e Bottom-Up (parte invece dall’analisi della realtà produttiva locale per passare a quella relativa a livelli di aggregazione maggiori). La metodologia proposta, di tipo Top-Down, si avvale volutamente di variabili proxy facilmente reperibili a livello comunale, in modo che possa essere applicata anche ad altre realtà locali, meno ricche di dati statistici e ambientali di quanto non lo sia la regione Emilia Romagna in generale e la provincia di Ravenna in particolare. La finalità ultima dello studio è quella di fornire una metodologia per ottenere, attraverso dati resi disponibili da ogni amministrazione comunale, un quadro conoscitivo della situazione emissiva in atmosfera a livello locale a supporto della gestione della qualità dell’aria e dei relativi fattori di pressione. Da un punto di vista operativo, il lavoro di tesi è stato suddiviso in: una fase progettuale, con l’obiettivo di individuare i Macrosettori CORINAIR e gli inquinanti principali da tenere in considerazione nello studio, ed identificare le variabili proxy più opportune per la disaggregazione delle emissioni; una fase di raccolta dei dati ed infine, l’elaborazione dei dati con l’ausilio del software GIS ArcMap 9.3. La metodologia Top-Down è stata applicata in due fasi: con la prima si è effettuata la disaggregazione dal livello provinciale a quello comunale; con la seconda, le emissioni attribuite al comune di Ravenna sono state distribuite spazialmente su una griglia le cui celle hanno dimensione 100m x 100m in modo da ottenere una disaggregazione ad alta risoluzione. I risultati ottenuti dalla disaggregazione effettuata sono stati confrontati, là dove possibile, con dati ottenuti da un approccio Bottom-Up, allo scopo di validare la metodologia proposta. I confronti fra le stime effettuate con l’approccio Top-Down e quelle derivanti dall’approccio Bottom-Up hanno evidenziato risultati diversi per i differenti Macrosettori investigati. Per il macrosettore industriale, si sono evidenziate una serie di limitazioni dimostrando che l’utilizzo della proxy ‘superficie industriale’, così come applicata, non è adeguata né a livello qualitativo né quantitativo. Limitazioni significative, si osservano anche per il macrosettore ‘traffico veicolare’ per il quale è possibile effettuare una stima accurata delle emissioni totali ma poi la disaggregazione spaziale ad alta risoluzione appare insoddisfacente. Ottime risultano invece le performance della metodologia proposta per il macrosettore combustione non industriale, per il quale si osserva un buon accordo sia per i valori emissivi globali, sia per la loro distribuzione spaziale ad alta risoluzione. Relativamente agli altri settori e macrosettori analizzati (‘Altre sorgenti mobili’ e ‘Agricoltura’), non è stato possibile effettuare confronti con dati provenienti dall’approccio Bottom- Up. Nonostante ciò, dopo un’attenta ricerca bibliografica, si può affermare, che le proxy utilizzate sono fra quelle più impiegate in letteratura, ed il loro impiego ha permesso l’ottenimento di una distribuzione spaziale verosimile ed in linea con l’inventario provinciale ARPA EMR. In ultimo, le mappe di pressione ottenute con l’ausilio di ArcMap sono state analizzate qualitativamente per identificare, nel territorio del Comune di Ravenna, le zone dove insiste una maggiore pressione emissiva sul comparto atmosferico. E’ possibile concludere che il livello di dettaglio ottenuto appare sufficiente a rappresentare le zone più critiche del territorio anche se un ulteriore lavoro dovrà essere previsto per sviluppare meglio i macrosettori che hanno mostrato le maggiori criticità. Inoltre, si è riusciti a tracciare una metodologia sufficientemente flessibile per poterla applicare anche ad altre realtà locali, tenendo comunque sempre presente che, la scelta delle proxy, deve essere effettuata in funzione delle caratteristiche intrinseche del territorio.

Transposable elements: structure and dynamic of the autonomous retrotransposon R2 in Arthropoda with non-canonical reproduction

Eukaryotic ribosomal DNA constitutes a multi gene family organized in a cluster called nucleolar organizer region (NOR); this region is composed usually by hundreds to thousands of tandemly repeated units. Ribosomal genes, being repeated sequences, evolve following the typical pattern of concerted evolution. The autonomous retroelement R2 inserts in the ribosomal gene 28S, leading to defective 28S rDNA genes. R2 element, being a retrotransposon, performs its activity in the genome multiplying its copy number through a “copy and paste” mechanism called target primed reverse transcription. It consists in the retrotranscription of the element’s mRNA into DNA, then the DNA is integrated in the target site. Since the retrotranscription can be interrupted, but the integration will be carried out anyway, truncated copies of the element will also be present in the genome. The study of these truncated variants is a tool to examine the activity of the element. R2 phylogeny appears, in general, not consistent with that of its hosts, except some cases (e.g. Drosophila spp. and Reticulitermes spp.); moreover R2 is absent in some species (Fugu rubripes, human, mouse, etc.), while other species have more R2 lineages in their genome (the turtle Mauremys reevesii, the Japanese beetle Popilia japonica, etc). R2 elements here presented are isolated in 4 species of notostracan branchiopods and in two species of stick insects, whose reproductive strategies range from strict gonochorism to unisexuality. From sequencing data emerges that in Triops cancriformis (Spanish gonochoric population), in Lepidurus arcticus (two putatively unisexual populations from Iceland) and in Bacillus rossius (gonochoric population from Capalbio) the R2 elements are complete and encode functional proteins, reflecting the general features of this family of transposable elements. On the other hand, R2 from Italian and Austrian populations of T. cancriformis (respectively unisexual and hermaphroditic), Lepidurus lubbocki (two elements within the same Italian population, gonochoric but with unfunctional males) and Bacillus grandii grandii (gonochoric population from Ponte Manghisi) have sequences that encode incomplete or non-functional proteins in which it is possible to recognize only part of the characteristic domains. In Lepidurus couesii (Italian gonochoric populations) different elements were found as in L. lubbocki, and the sequencing is still in progress. Two hypothesis are given to explain the inconsistency of R2/host phylogeny: vertical inheritance of the element followed by extinction/diversification or horizontal transmission. My data support previous study that state the vertical transmission as the most likely explanation; nevertheless horizontal transfer events can’t be excluded. I also studied the element’s activity in Spanish populations of T. cancriformis, in L. lubbocki, in L. arcticus and in gonochoric and parthenogenetic populations of B. rossius. In gonochoric populations of T. cancriformis and B. rossius I found that each individual has its own private set of truncated variants. The situation is the opposite for the remaining hermaphroditic/parthenogenetic species and populations, all individuals sharing – in the so far analyzed samples - the majority of variants. This situation is very interesting, because it isn’t concordant with the Muller’s ratchet theory that hypothesizes the parthenogenetic populations being either devoided of transposable elements or TEs overloaded. My data suggest a possible epigenetic mechanism that can block the retrotransposon activity, and in this way deleterious mutations don’t accumulate.