Crassaminicella profunda gen. nov., sp nov., an anaerobic marine bacterium isolated from deep-sea sediments

A novel, anaerobic, chemo-organotrophic bacterium, designated strain Ra1766HT, was isolated from sediments of the Guaymas basin (Gulf of California, Mexico) taken from a depth of 2002 m. Cells were thin, motile, Gram-stain-positive, flexible rods forming terminal endospores. Strain Ra1766H(T) grew at temperatures of 25-45 degrees C (optimum 30 degrees C), pH 6.7-8.1 (optimum 7.5) and in a salinity of 5-60 g l(-1) NaCl (optimum 30 g l(-1)). It was an obligate heterotrophic bacterium fermenting carbohydrates (glucose and mannose) and organic acids (pyruvate and succinate). Casamino acids and amino acids (glutamate, aspartate and glycine) were also fermented. The main end products from glucose fermentation were acetate, butyrate, ethanol, H-2 and CO2. Sulfate, sulfite, thiosulfate, elemental sulfur, fumarate, nitrate, nitrite and Fe(III) were not used as terminal electron acceptors. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C-14 : 0, C-16:1 omega 7, C-16:1 omega 7 DMA and C-16:0. The main polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phospholipids. The G +C content of the genomic DNA was 33.7 molo/o. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain Ra1766H(T) was affiliated to cluster XI of the order Clostridia les, phylum Firmicutes. The closest phylogenetic relative of Ra1766H(T) was Geosporobacter subterraneus (94.2% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). On the basis of phylogenetic inference and phenotypic properties, strain Ra1766H(T) (=DSM 27501(T)=JCM 19377(T)) is proposed to be the type strain of a novel species of a novel genus, named Crassaminicella pro funda.

Secuenciación y análisis del gen de la miostatina (gdf 8) en búfalos de la raza murrah y sus cruces para determinar la existencia de posibles mutaciones que se expresen en doble musculatura en el departamento de Antioquia

Tesis (Médico Veterinario). -- Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Programa de Medicina Veterinaria, 2014

Evaluación del perfil transcripcional y potenciales vías de señalización neuronal afectadas tras la inhibición del gen PRR12 por ArNi

Introducción: El sistema nervioso tiene como función el controlar y regular el funcionamiento de los diversos órganos y sistemas de los vertebrados, coordinando su interrelación, así como la relación del organismo con el medio externo, permitiendo su interacción. Este sistema se comienza a desarrollar durante la etapa embrionaria mediante la neurogénesis, en la cual múltiples procesos biológicos trabajan en conjunto para asegurar que los diversos tipos de células nerviosas proliferen, se diferencien, migren y formen sinapsis en el momento y lugar apropiado, siendo un mecanismo finamente regulado, dependiente de la apropiada expresión temporal y espacial, así como del correcto funcionamiento de diferentes productos génicos. Debido a esto, mutaciones que alteren la correcta expresión o función de un gen involucrado en la neurogénesis y/o en el mantenimiento del SNC pueden contribuir a la iniciación y/o progresión de diversos desórdenes neurológicos. En este respecto, nuestro grupo de investigación identificó por primera vez la ruptura del gen PRR12, en una paciente con discapacidad intelectual, alteraciones neuropsiquiátricas y múltiples malformaciones menores. Debido a esto, y a las características de la proteína PRR12, con una función hasta la fecha totalmente desconocida, este es un blanco deseable para el análisis de las vías de señalización en las que participa. Objetivo: Describir los genes que son potencialmente regulados por PRR12 y, a partir de ello, analizar las posibles vías y procesos de comunicación neuronal afectados tras su inhibición. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó una cuantificación relativa de la expresión de PRR12 en cerebro de rata en diferentes estadios del desarrollo (embrión, neonatal y adulto), mediante Western blot y qPCR. Posteriormente se realizó la inhibición de PRR12 en células C6 de glioblastoma de rata, mediante ARNi, con el fin de determinar los cambios en el perfil de expresión celular, mediante microarreglos de expresión. Resultados: PRR12 se encontró mayormente expresado en cerebro durante la etapa de embrión; además de esto, se encontraron afectados múltiples genes tras su inhibición, entre los que destacan aquellos involucrados en procesos biológicos relacionados a comunicación celular y de las vías de señalización de receptores de membrana acoplados a proteína G. Conclusiones: PRR12 es probablemente un factor de transcripción de remodelación de la cromatina, con posible implicación en el proceso de neurogénesis, especialmente en procesos de comunicación y diferenciación celular.

Development of Core Design Methods and Tools for Gen-IV Heavy Liquid Metal Cooled Reactors

Heavy Liquid Metal Cooled Reactors are among the concepts, fostered by the GIF, as potentially able to comply with stringent safety, economical, sustainability, proliferation resistance and physical protection requirements. The increasing interest around these innovative systems has highlighted the lack of tools specifically dedicated to their core design stage. The present PhD thesis summarizes the three years effort of, partially, closing the mentioned gap, by rationally defining the role of codes in core design and by creating a development methodology for core design-oriented codes (DOCs) and its subsequent application to the most needed design areas. The covered fields are, in particular, the fuel assembly thermal-hydraulics and the fuel pin thermo-mechanics. Regarding the former, following the established methodology, the sub-channel code ANTEO+ has been conceived. Initially restricted to the forced convection regime and subsequently extended to the mixed one, ANTEO+, via a thorough validation campaign, has been demonstrated a reliable tool for design applications. Concerning the fuel pin thermo-mechanics, the will to include safety-related considerations at the outset of the pin dimensioning process, has given birth to the safety-informed DOC TEMIDE. The proposed DOC development methodology has also been applied to TEMIDE; given the complex interdependence patterns among the numerous phenomena involved in an irradiated fuel pin, to optimize the code final structure, a sensitivity analysis has been performed, in the anticipated application domain. The development methodology has also been tested in the verification and validation phases; the latter, due to the low availability of experiments truly representative of TEMIDE's application domain, has only been a preliminary attempt to test TEMIDE's capabilities in fulfilling the DOC requirements upon which it has been built. In general, the capability of the proposed development methodology for DOCs in delivering tools helping the core designer in preliminary setting the system configuration has been proven.

Discovery Of A Rare Pterosaur Bone Bed In A Cretaceous Desert With Insights On Ontogeny And Behavior Of Flying Reptiles.

A pterosaur bone bed with at least 47 individuals (wing spans: 0.65-2.35 m) of a new species is reported from southern Brazil from an interdunal lake deposit of a Cretaceous desert, shedding new light on several biological aspects of those flying reptiles. The material represents a new pterosaur, Caiuajara dobruskii gen. et sp. nov., that is the southermost occurrence of the edentulous clade Tapejaridae (Tapejarinae, Pterodactyloidea) recovered so far. Caiuajara dobruskii differs from all other members of this clade in several cranial features, including the presence of a ventral sagittal bony expansion projected inside the nasoantorbital fenestra, which is formed by the premaxillae; and features of the lower jaw, like a marked rounded depression in the occlusal concavity of the dentary. Ontogenetic variation of Caiuajara dobruskii is mainly reflected in the size and inclination of the premaxillary crest, changing from small and inclined (∼ 115°) in juveniles to large and steep (∼ 90°) in adults. No particular ontogenetic features are observed in postcranial elements. The available information suggests that this species was gregarious, living in colonies, and most likely precocial, being able to fly at a very young age, which might have been a general trend for at least derived pterosaurs.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: case report

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva is a rare genetic disease characterized by widespread soft tissue ossification and congenital stigmata of the extremities. We report on a male child followed for ten years since the age of 3 years and 9 months, when the diagnosis was made. He was born with bilateral hypoplasic hallux valgus and ventricular septal defect, corrected by transsternal approach when 32 months old. Restriction of neck mobility followed and foci of ectopic ossification appeared. Four crises of disease exacerbation were treated with oral prednisone and/or other antiinflammatory drugs. Sodium etidronate 5 to 10 mg/kg/day was prescribed intermittently during about six years but was discontinued due to osteopenia. The disease course has been relentless, with severe movement restriction including the chest wall. A review showed few similar case reports in the Brazilian literature. We revisit the criteria for diagnosis and the essentials of management and treatment.

Physicochemical characterization of two deproteinized bovine xenografts

Calcium phosphate salts, or more specifically hydroxyapatite, are products of great interest in the fields of medical and dental science due to their biocompatibility and osteoconduction property. Deproteinized xenografts are primarily constituted of natural apatites, sintered or not. Variations in the industrial process may affect physicochemical properties and, therefore, the biological outcome. The purpose of this work was to characterize the physical and chemical properties of deproteinized xenogenic biomaterials, Bio-Oss (Geistlich Biomaterials, Wolhuser, Switzerland) and Gen-Ox (Baumer S.A., Brazil), widely used as bone grafts. Scanning electron microscopy, infrared region spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry and degradation analysis were conducted. The results show that both materials presented porous granules, composed of crystalline hydroxyapatite without apparent presence of other phases. Bio-Oss presented greater dissolution in Tris-HCl than Gen-Ox in the degradation test, possibly due to the low crystallinity and the presence of organic residues. In conclusion, both commercial materials are hydroxyapatite compounds, Bio-Oss being less crystalline than Gen-Ox and, therefore, more prone to degradation.

Novo gênero de Calliini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae)

Paradrycothaea gen. nov. (Calliini, Lamiinae) é proposto para duas espécies mexicanas: P. pilosicornis sp. nov., espécie-tipo, de Quintana Roo e P. jamesi sp. nov. de Chiapas.

Eranina Monné (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) e novo gênero de Hemilophini

Novas espécies descritas em Eranina Monné, 2005: E. moysesi e E. esquinas da Costa Rica; E. rondonia do Brasil (Rondônia) e E. hovorei do Equador. Acrescenta-se chave para as 34 espécies de Eranina. O gênero monotípico Eraninella gen. nov. é criado para Eranina longiscapus (Bates, 1881).

Novos táxons em Elaphidionini (Cerambycinae) e Onciderini (Lamiinae) e novos registros em Cerambycidae

Fundamentados em material da Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense (Museu de Entomologia), descreve-se em Cerambycinae, Elaphidionini: Magaliella gen. nov., espécie-tipo, M. punctata sp. nov. (Espírito Santo) e em Lamiinae, Onciderini: Oncideres hoffmanni sp. nov. (Bahia). Acrescentam-se novos registros para o Brasil: Potiaxixa intermedia (Martins, 1979) (Bahia); Appula melancholica Gounelle, 1909 (Distrito Federal), Pseudogisostola reichardti Fontes & Martins, 1977 (Rio de Janeiro), Hesycha bimaculata Martins & Galileo, 1990 (Bahia) e .Xenofrea apicalis Melzer, 1931 (Rio de Janeiro).

Contribuição para o estudo dos Rhinotragini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae). II. Revisão de Ommata White, 1855

O gênero Ommata é revisto e dividido em quatro gêneros: Ommata sensu strictu, Acatainga gen. nov. (espécie-tipo Odontocera (?) maia Newman, 1841), Etimasu gen. nov. (espécie-tipo Ommata cosmipes Peñaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003) e Pyrpotyra gen. nov. (espécie-tipo Ommata (Ommata) paradisiaca Tippmann, 1953). São descritas cinco espécies novas provenientes do Brasil e Bolívia: Ommata nigricollis (Brasil, Espírito Santo), O. andina (Bolívia), Pyrpotyra pytinga (Brasil, Pará), P. capixaba (Brasil, Espírito Santo) e P. paraensis (Brasil, Pará). As seguintes espécies são transferidas de Ommata para os novos gêneros, além das espécies-tipos: Acatinga boucheri (Tavakilian & Peñaherrera-Leiva, 2005), comb. nov.; A. gallardi (Peñaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2004), comb. nov.; A. quinquemaculata (Zajciw, 1966), comb. nov.; Pyrpotyra albitarsis (Galileo & Martins, 2010), comb. nov.

Notas e descrições em Hesperophanini, Eburiini, Piezocerini e Trachyderini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae) do Brasil e da Bolívia

Novos táxons descritos - Hesperophanini: Paraliostola nigramacula sp. nov., do Brasil (Rondônia); Eburiini: Simplexeburia gen. nov., e sua espécie-tipo, S. divisa sp. nov. do Brasil (Amazonas); Piezocerini: Gorybia amazonensis sp. nov. and G. sulcata sp. nov., ambas do Brasil (Amazonas); Trachyderini: Galissus rubiventris sp. nov., da Bolívia (Santa Cruz). Notas e novos registros são apresentados para Liostola nitida Zajciw, 1962 e Ochrus chapadense Napp & Martins, 1982 (Hesperophanini); Uncieburia rogersi (Bates, 1870) e Quiacaua taguaiba Martins, 1970 (Eburiini).

Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) da Serra Bonita, Camacan, Bahia, Brasil

Serra Bonita está situada na Mata Atlântica do sul da Bahia. A área, sob proteção ambiental, tem 2.000 ha e a maior parte está coberta por floresta de neblina. Os Coleoptera ainda não foram estudados na região e esta é a primeira contribuição sobre a Ordem. São mencionadas 51 espécies de Cerambycidae, das quais 19 são novos registros para a Bahia. Em Hexoplonini, é descrito Uirassu gen. nov., espécie-tipo, U. beckeri sp. nov.