Natural and amyloid self-assembly of S100 proteins: structural basis of functional diversity

The S100 proteins are 10-12 kDa EF-hand proteins that act as central regulators in a multitude of cellular processes including cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and motility. Consequently, many S100 proteins are implicated and display marked changes in their expression levels in many types of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The structure and function of S100 proteins are modulated by metal ions via Ca2+ binding through EF-hand motifs and binding of Zn2+ and Cu2+ at additional sites, usually at the homodimer interfaces. Ca2+ binding modulates S100 conformational opening and thus promotes and affects the interaction with p53, the receptor for advanced glycation endproducts and Toll-like receptor 4, among many others. Structural plasticity also occurs at the quaternary level, where several S100 proteins self-assemble into multiple oligomeric states, many being functionally relevant. Recently, we have found that the S100A8/A9 proteins are involved in amyloidogenic processes in corpora amylacea of prostate cancer patients, and undergo metal-mediated amyloid oligomerization and fibrillation in vitro. Here we review the unique chemical and structural properties of S100 proteins that underlie the conformational changes resulting in their oligomerization upon metal ion binding and ultimately in functional control. The possibility that S100 proteins have intrinsic amyloid-forming capacity is also addressed, as well as the hypothesis that amyloid self-assemblies may, under particular physiological conditions, affect the S100 functions within the cellular milieu.

Effects of self-administered exercises based on Tuina techniques on musculoskeletal disorders of professional orchestra musicians: a randomized controlled trial

Background Musicians are frequently affected by playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMD). Common solutions used by Western medicine to treat musculoskeletal pain include rehabilitation programs and drugs, but their results are sometimes disappointing. Objective To study the effects of self-administered exercises based on Tuina techniques on the pain intensity caused by PRMD of professional orchestra musicians, using numeric visual scale (NVS). Design, setting, participants and interventions We performed a prospective, controlled, single-blinded, randomized study with musicians suffering from PRMD. Participating musicians were randomly distributed into the experimental (n = 39) and the control (n = 30) groups. After an individual diagnostic assessment, specific Tuina self-administered exercises were developed and taught to the participants. Musicians were instructed to repeat the exercises every day for 3 weeks. Main outcome measures Pain intensity was measured by NVS before the intervention and after 1, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 d of treatment. The procedure was the same for the control group, however the Tuina exercises were executed in points away from the commonly-used acupuncture points. Results In the treatment group, but not the control group, pain intensity was significantly reduced on days 1, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20. Conclusion The results obtained are consistent with the hypothesis that self-administered exercises based on Tuina techniques could help professional musicians controlling the pain caused by PRMD. Although our results are very promising, further studies are needed employing a larger sample size and double blinding designs.

Genetic Control of Mosquitoes: population suppression strategies

Over the last two decades, morbidity and mortality from malaria and dengue fever among other pathogens are an increasing Public Health problem. The increase in the geographic distribution of vectors is accompanied by the emergence of viruses and diseases in new areas. There are insufficient specific therapeutic drugs available and there are no reliable vaccines for malaria or dengue, although some progress has been achieved, there is still a long way between its development and actual field use. Most mosquito control measures have failed to achieve their goals, mostly because of the mosquito's great reproductive capacity and genomic flexibility. Chemical control is increasingly restricted due to potential human toxicity, mortality in no target organisms, insecticide resistance, and other environmental impacts. Other strategies for mosquito control are desperately needed. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is a species-specific and environmentally benign method for insect population suppression, it is based on mass rearing, radiation mediated sterilization, and release of a large number of male insects. Releasing of Insects carrying a dominant lethal gene (RIDL) offers a solution to many of the drawbacks of traditional SIT that have limited its application in mosquitoes while maintaining its environmentally friendly and species-specific utility. The self-limiting nature of sterile mosquitoes tends to make the issues related to field use of these somewhat less challenging than for self-spreading systems characteristic of population replacement strategies. They also are closer to field use, so might be appropriate to consider first. The prospect of genetic control methods against mosquito vectored human diseases is rapidly becoming a reality, many decisions will need to be made on a national, regional and international level regarding the biosafety, social, cultural and ethical aspects of the use and deployment of these vector control methods.

Adapter module for self-learning production systems

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica, Sistemas e Computadores

Recursive neuro fuzzy techniques for online identification and control

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Enhancing physical activity coaching through personalized motivational strategies and self-adaptive goal-setting: development of self-adaptive processes in a monitoring and coaching smartphone application

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Biomédica

Assessing self-organization and emergence in Evolvable Assembly Systems (EAS)

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Illness perception, knowledge and self-care about cervical cancer

Prevention plays a central role in early detection of cervical cancer. Common Sense Model proposes that the nature and organization of illness representations can guide actions related to health and how self-care is exercised. The aim of this study was to describe and compare illness perception, knowledge and self-care in women with and without cancer precursor lesions. Participants were 92 women (aged 18-59) from primary care unity divided into two groups: women with and without premalignant lesion. Measures for illness perception, knowledge and self-care were used. There was no statistically signifi cant difference (t test e chi-square test) between groups in the variables analyzed. Despite the risk for cervical cancer, women with precursor lesions do not adjust their illness perceptions, knowledge and self-care to the situation. These data show the need to warn women against the cervical cancer risks, because their distorted perceptions and lack of knowledge about the disease may hamper the screening and control of cervical cancer.

Impact of insecticide resistance on the field control of Aedes aegypti in the State of São Paulo

IntroductionThe need to control dengue transmission by means of insecticides has led to the development of resistance to most of the products used worldwide against mosquitoes. In the State of São Paulo, the Superintendência de Controle de Endemias(SUCEN) has annually monitored the susceptibility of Aedes aegypti to insecticides since 1996; since 1999, surveys were conducted in collaboration with the National Network of Laboratories (MoReNAa Network) and were coordinated by the Ministry of Health. In this study, in addition to the biological characterization of insecticide resistance in the laboratory, the impact of resistance on field control was evaluated for vector populations that showed resistance in laboratory assays.MethodsField efficacy tests with larvicides and adulticides were performed over a 13-year period, using World Health Organization protocols.ResultsData from the field tests showed a reduction in the residual effect of temephos on populations with a resistance ratio of 3. For adults, field control was less effective in populations characterized as resistant in laboratory qualitative assays, and this was confirmed using qualitative assays and field evaluation.ConclusionsOur results indicated that management of resistance development needs to be adopted when insect populations show reduced susceptibility. The use of insecticides is a self-limiting tool that needs to be applied cautiously, and dengue control requires more sustainable strategies.

Creep behaviour of cracked steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete laminar structures

Tese de Doutoramento - Civil Engineering

Psychological intervention in Portuguese college students: effects of two career self-management seminars

This article describes the evaluation of a psychological intervention—the Career Self-Management Seminar, Version A, for undergraduate students, and Version B for postgraduate students—developed to support Portuguese college students in career exploration, goal setting, design and implementation of action plans, and decision-making. A total of 120 participants from CSMS-A (experimental group, n = 58; control group, n = 62) and 98 from CSMS-B (experimental group, n = 62; control group, n = 36) were assessed by the Career Exploration Survey according to a pretest and posttest plan. Results demonstrate a significant increase in most of the cognitive, behavioral, and affective career exploration dimensions among the CSMS-A and CSMS-B experimental groups.

Effect of surface plasmon resonance in TiO2/Au thin films on the fluorescence of self-assembled CdTe QDs structure

The exceptional properties of localised surface plasmons (LSPs), such as local field enhancement and confinement effects, resonant behavior, make them ideal candidates to control the emission of luminescent nanoparticles. In the present work, we investigated the LSP effect on the steady-state and time-resolved emission properties of quantum dots (QDs) by organizing the dots into self-assembled dendrite structures deposited on plasmonic nanostructures. Self-assembled structures consisting of water-soluble CdTe mono-size QDs, were developed on the surface of co-sputtered TiO2 thin films doped with Au nanoparticles (NPs) annealed at different temperatures. Their steady-state fluorescence properties were probed by scanning the spatially resolved emission spectra and the energy transfer processes were investigated by the fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) microscopy. Our results indicate that a resonant coupling between excitons confined in QDs and LSPs in Au NPs located beneath the self-assembled structure indeed takes place and results in (i) a shift of the ground state luminescence towards higher energies and onset of emission from excited states in QDs, and (ii) a decrease of the ground state exciton lifetime (fluorescence quenching).

Self-compacting concrete and conventional concrete in the arena Pernambuco: comparative study of durability indicators and economic feasibility

This study addressed the application, strength and durability of self-compacting concrete (SCC) in a large-scale construction site, comparing its performance with vibrated conventional concrete (CC) with similar characteristics, assessing its economic feasibility. The studies were undertaken in the Arena Pernambuco project and involved the concreting during May, June and July 2012, for data collection, accompanying the routine concrete control tests and performing specific strength and durability tests. The SCC compressive strength was on average 4.5% higher than the CC one, and its formwork reinforced to withstand greater lateral pressure of the fresh concrete. The durability indicators results were in favour of SCC, which cost was 13.5% higher than CC.

Investigation into the potential for establishing a self-sustainable wetland ecosystem over pyritic mine tailings

Research was conducted to investigate the potential for ecologically engineering a sustainable wetland ecosystem over pyritic mine tailings to prevent the generation of acid mine drainage. Ecological engineering is technology with the primary goal being the creation of self-sustainable ecological systems. Work involved the design and construction of a pilot-scale wetland system comprising three wetland cells, each covering 100 m2. Approximately forty tonnes of pyritic mine tailings were deposited on the base of the first cell above a synthetic liner, covered with peat, flooded and planted with emergent wetland macrophytes Typha latifolia, Phragmites australis, and Juncus effusus. The second cell was constructed as a conventional free water surface wetland, planted identically, and used as a reference wetland/experimental control. Wetland monitoring to determine long-term sustainability focused on indicators of ecosystem health including ecological, hydrological, physico-chemical, geochemical, and biotic metrics. An integrated assessment was conducted that involved field ecology in addition to ecological risk assessment. The objective of the field ecology study was to use vegetative parameters as ecological indicators for documenting wetlands success or degradation. The goal of the risk assessment was to determine if heavy-metal contamination of the wetland sediments occurred through metal mobilisation from the underlying tailings, and to evaluate if subsequent water column chemistry and biotic metal concentrations were significantly correlated with adverse wetland ecosystem impacts. Data were used to assess heavy metal bioavailability within the system as a function of metal speciation in the wetland sediments. Results indicate hydrology is the most important variable in the design and establishment of the tailings wetland and suggest a wetland cover is an ecologically viable alternative for pyritic tailings which are feasible to flood. Ecological data indicate that in terms of species richness and diversity, the tailings-wetland was exhibiting the ecological characteristics of natural wetlands within two years. Ata indicate that pH and conductivity in the tailings-wetland were not adversely impacted by the acid-generating potential or sulphate concentration of the tailings substrate and its porewater. Similarly, no enhanced seasonal impacts from sulphate or metals in the water column, nor adverse impacts on the final water quality of the outflows, were detected. Mean total metal concentrations in the sediments of the tailings-wetland indicate no significant adverse mobilisation of metals into the peat substrate from the tailings. Correlation analyses indicate a general increase in sediment metal concentration in this wetland with increasing water depth and pH, and a corresponding decrease in the metal concentrations of the water column. Sediment extractions also showed enrichment of Cd, Fe, Pb and Zn in the oxidisable fraction (including sulphides and organic matter) of the tailings-wetland sediments. These data suggest that adsorption and coprecipitation of metals is occurring from the water column of the tailings wetland with organic material at increasing depths under reducing conditions. The long-term control of metal bioavailability in the tailings wetland will likely be related to the presence and continual build-up of organic carbon binding sites in the developing wetland above the tailings. Metal speciation including free-metal ion concentration and the impact of physico-chemical parameters particularly pH and organic matter, were investigated to assess ecotoxicological risk. Results indicate that potentially bioavailable metals (the sum of the exchangeable and reducible fractions) within the tailings wetland are similar to values cited for natural wetlands. Estimated free-metal ion concentrations calculated from geochemical regression models indicate lower free-metal ion concentrations of Cd in the tailings wetland than natural wetlands and slightly higher free-metal ion concentrations of Pb and Zn. Increased concentrations of metals in roots, rhizomes and stems of emergent macrophytes did not occur in the tailings wetland. Even though a substantial number of Typha latifolia plants were found rooting directly into tailings, elevated metals were not found in these plant tissues. Phragmites also did not exhibit elevated metal concentrations in any plant tissues. Typha and Phragmites populations appear to be exhibiting metal-tolerant behaviour. The chemistry of the water column and sediments in Silvermines wetland were also investigated and were much more indicative of a wetland system impacted by heavy metal contamination than the tailings-wetland. Mean Dc, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn concentrations in the water column and sediments of Silvermines wetlands were substantially higher than in the pilot wetlands and closely approximate concentrations in these matrices contaminated with metals from mining. In addition, mean sulphate concentration in Silvermines wetland was substantially higher and is closer to sulphate concentrations in waters associated with mining. Potentially bioavailable metals were substantially elevated in Silvermines wetland in comparison to the pilot wetlands and higher than those calculated for natural rive sediments. However, Fe oxy-hydroxide concentrations in Silvermines sediments are also much higher than in the pilot wetlands and this significantly impacts the concentration of free-metal ions in the sediment porewater. The free-metal ion concentrations for Pb and Zn indicate that Silvermines wetland is retaining metals and acting as a treatment wetland for drainage emanating from Silvermines tailings dam.