Hasil untuk "Science (General)"

Xuezhong Fu, Yutong Fu, Xiaotao Yang et al.

To accurately evaluate the dynamic characteristics of helical gear transmission systems under high-speed operating conditions and to address the problem that the lumped parameter model fails to accurately reflect the system’s dynamic performance because its degrees of freedom are imperfectly considered, the full-degree-of-freedom dynamic model of the high-speed shaft-bearing-helical gear transmission system was established. The system’s dynamic equations were derived, and the natural frequencies calculated from the theoretical model, as well as the corresponding mode shapes for each degree of freedom, were compared with the finite element model simulation results. The relationship between the critical rotational speed within the system’s 3 × 104 rpm range of rotational speed and the system frequency was analyzed. The dynamic characteristics of the driving wheel and driven wheel in terms of amplitude and motion trajectory were investigated, and the influence of eccentricity on these characteristics was discussed. Results indicate that the relative deviation of the first six natural frequencies between the proposed model and finite element model ranges from 0.09 % to 13.1 %, and the deviations of the higher-order modes are within 1 %. This effectively validates that the full-degree-of-freedom model can accurately reflect the dynamic characteristics of the system, providing a theoretical basis for the design of high-speed-helical gear transmission system.

Laurenz De Cock, Erika D’haenens, Lies Vantomme et al.

Abstract RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has become key to complementing exome and genome sequencing for variant interpretation. We present a minimally invasive RNA-seq protocol using short-term cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with and without cycloheximide treatment, enabling detection of transcripts subject to nonsense-mediated decay. While broadly applicable, this protocol is particularly suited for neurodevelopmental disorders, as up to 80% of the genes in our intellectual disability and epilepsy gene panel are expressed in PBMCs. Applied to 46 affected individuals and 15 parents, RNA-seq revealed splicing defects in six of nine individuals with splice variants, allowing reclassification of seven variants. Targeted cDNA analysis confirmed aberrant splicing in four individuals but missed intron retention in two. Global analyses (FRASER, OUTRIDER, and monoallelic expression) supported findings but did not yield new diagnoses. We propose a flowchart integrating RNA-seq into diagnostic workflows. Overall, our protocol is easily implementable, captures complex splicing events, and enhances variant classification.

Dulce V Ramírez-Rodríguez, Christine J Band-Schmidt, Bárbara González-Acosta et al.

Gymnodinium catenatum, un dinoflagelado productor de toxinas paralizantes, es una de las especies de dinoflagelados más estudiadas, sin embargo, poco se conoce sobre sus interacciones con bacterias. En este estudio se determinó el efecto de un consorcio bacteriano en cepas de G. catenatum. Se emplearon 4 cepas de G. catenatum aisladas de Bahía de Santiago, Colima; Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán; Bahía Concepción y Bahía de La Paz, Baja California Sur. De la cepa originaria de la costa de Colima se aisló un consorcio bacteriano compuesto de 3 bacterias empleando placas de agar con medio GSe. Se incubaron a una salinidad de 34, a 24 °C y en un ciclo de 12:12 h L:O. Gymnodinum catenatum se cultivó en medio GSe líquido en las mismas condiciones que las bacterias. La interacción entre los microorganismos se evaluó inoculando el consorcio bacteriano en las cepas de G. catenatum. Se determinó la abundancia máxima, las tasas de crecimiento, la longitud de cadenas y el perfil de pigmentos y toxinas paralizantes en G. catenatum en presencia y ausencia del consorcio bacteriano. En presencia de las bacterias no se observó la misma respuesta en el crecimiento de las cepas de G. catenatum, ni en el perfil y contenido de toxinas, pero sí se observó un incremento significativo en el número de células en cadena. También se notaron cambios en la morfología de G. catenatum. Además, en presencia del consorcio bacteriano, en la mayoría de las cepas incrementó el contenido de pigmentos accesorios. Los resultados sugieren que el consorcio bacteriano pudiera ser un agente estresante para G. catenatum proporcionando nuevas perspectivas de interacción entre las bacterias y G. catenatum.

Calum McHale, Susanne Cruickshank, Tamara Brown et al.

Abstract Objectives To determine the feasibility and acceptability of implementing the Mini-AFTERc intervention. Design Non-randomised cluster-controlled pilot trial. Setting Four NHS out-patient breast cancer centres in Scotland. Participants Ninety-two women who had successfully completed primary treatment for breast cancer were screened for moderate levels of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). Forty-five were eligible (17 intervention and 28 control) and 34 completed 3-month follow-up (15 intervention and 21 control). Intervention Mini-AFTERc, a single brief (30 min) structured telephone discussion with a specialist breast cancer nurse (SBCN) trained to target the antecedents of FCR. Outcomes Feasibility and acceptability of Mini-AFTERc and the study design were assessed via recruitment, consent, retention rates, patient outcomes (measured at baseline, 2, 4, and 12 weeks), and post-study interviews with participants and SBCNs, which were guided by Normalisation Process Theory. Results Mini-AFTERc was acceptable to patients and SBCNs. SBCNs believe the implementation of Mini-AFTERc to be feasible and an extension of discussions that already happen routinely. SBCNs believe delivery, however, at the scale required would be challenging given current competing demands for their time. Recruitment was impacted by variability in the follow-up practices of cancer centres and COVID-19 lockdown. Consent and follow-up procedures worked well, and retention rates were high. Conclusions The study provided invaluable information about the potential challenges and solutions for testing the Mini-AFTERc intervention more widely where limiting high FCR levels is an important goal following recovery from primary breast cancer treatment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT0376382 . Registered on 4 December 2018.

Giuliano Colosimo, Gwyneth Montemuro, Gregory A. Lewbart et al.

As the analysis of blood metabolites has become more readily accessible thanks to the use of point-of-care analyzers, it is now possible to evaluate stress level of wild animals directly in the field. Lactate is receiving much attention as a good stress level proxy in individuals subjected to capture, manual restraint, and data sampling in the wild, and appropriate protocols to maintain lactate values low should be preferred. In this study we compare how two different capture methodologies, hand grab vs. noose pole, affect the variation of blood lactate values in Cyclura carinata iguanas when captured for sampling. We used blood lactate concentration, measured immediately upon- and 15 min after-capture, as a proxy for stress level. While the primary goal of this work is to determine the least stressful capture methodology to be favored when sampling this and other wild iguanas, we also evaluated additional baseline physiological parameters relevant to the health and disease monitoring for this species. Our results show that while initial lactate values level-out in sampled individuals after 15 min in captivity, regardless of the capture methodology, rock iguanas captured by noose pole showed significantly higher lactate concentration and increased heartbeat rate immediately after capture. While the overall health evaluation determined that all analyzed individuals were in good health, based on our results we recommend that, when possible, hand capture should be preferred over noose pole when sampling wild individuals.

Danang Dwi Cahyadi, Tomoko Warita, Nanami Irie et al.

ABSTRACTNormalization is a crucial step in gene expression analysis to avoid misinterpretation. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression of 10 candidate housekeeping genes in non-differentiated (ND) and differentiated (DI) 3T3-L1 cells on days 5 and 10. We used geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, RefFinder, and the ∆Ct method to evaluate expression stability. The findings revealed that (1) the expression levels of the reference genes changed over time, even in non-differentiating cells, and (2) peptidylprolyl isomerase A (Ppia) and TATA box-binding protein (Tbp) were stable reference genes for 10 days in both undifferentiated and differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. Notably, the expression of known reference genes in non-differentiating cells was altered throughout the experiment.

Parisa Karami-Kolmoti, Hadi Beitollahi, Sina Modiri

This study addressed the use of manganese dioxide nanorods/graphene oxide nanocomposite (MnO₂ NRs/GO) for modifying a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The modified electrode (MnO₂ NRs/GO/GCE) was used as an electrochemical sensor for the determination of hydroquinone (HQ) in water samples. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and chronoamperometry were used for more analysis of the HQ electrochemical behavior. Analyses revealed acceptable electrochemical functions with lower transfer resistance of electrons and greater conductivity of the MnO₂ NRs/GO/GCE. The small peak-to-peak separation is an indication of a rapid electron transfer reaction. Therefore, this result is probably related to the effect of the MnO₂ NRs/GO nanocomposite on the surface of GCE. In the concentration range of 0.5 μM to 300.0 μM with the detection limit as 0.012 μM, there was linear response between concentration of HQ and the current. The selectivity of the modified electrode was determined by detecting 50.0 μM of HQ in the presence of various interferent molecules. At the end, the results implied the acceptable outcome of the prepared electrode for determining HQ in the water samples.

Angel Chao, Ren-Chin Wu, Chiao-Yun Lin et al.

Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (SCNECC) is an uncommon but aggressive uterine malignancy, the cause of which is generally associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. A lack of clinical trials and evidence-based treatment guidelines poses therapeutic challenges to this rare tumor. At present, published data remain limited to case series and case reports. While clinical management has traditionally followed those of small cell neuroendocrine (SCNE) lung cancer relying on surgery, chemoradiation, and systemic chemotherapy, the prognosis remains dismal. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as monoclonal antibodies that target programmed death-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), atezolizumab and durvalumab have proven effective in extensive-stage SCNE lung cancer. Moreover, pembrolizumab has also proven beneficial effects when added onto chemotherapy in metastatic and recurrent HPV-associated non-SCNE cervical cancer. It holds promise to use ICIs in combination with chemoradiation to improve the clinical outcomes of patients with SCNECC. Future advances in our understanding of SCNECC biology – associated with the study of its genomic and molecular aberrations as well as knowledge from SCNE of lung and other extrapulmonary sites– would be helpful in discovering new molecular targets for drug development. Collaborative efforts and establishment of a SCNECC-specific biobank will be essential to achieve this goal.

Mohammed Alyahya, Taghrid Aloraini, Youseef Al-Harbi et al.

Background: Physicians and geneticists face challenges in making accurate diagnoses during clinical evaluations; affecting patients and clinicians. The aim of this study was to estimate the hit rate of the non-consanguineous population. Moreover, prevalence of the genetic disorder in both the consanguineous and non- consanguineous population of Saudi Arabia at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh data. Methods: We reviewed 681 families and 1563 individuals with 2,565,335 variants in the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) Genomic Database (KGD), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All the ES requests were obtained from the physician and clinical geneticist of KAIMRC, and the test was performed either in-house or in a College of American Pathologists accredited laboratory center for clinical purposes. Results: A total of 151 non-consanguineous individuals with exome sequencing requests in the population genomic database of King Abdullah International Medical Research Center was considered for the study. In total, 27 had disease-causing variants, and the hit rate was 27/151 (18%). Among the 28 different variants in the 27 individuals, 50% were de novo variants and 50% inherited. The hit rate of the variants causing autosomal recessive disorders was 12/28 (42.8%), autosomal dominant disorders 13/28 (46.4%), and X-linked disorders 3/28 (10.7%). Conclusion: Non-consanguineous marriages have a lower risk of genetic disorders, and reducing consanguinity reduces the risk of genetic disorders by two to three times.   [JBCGenetics 2022; 5(2.000): 37-42]

M. P. Kalynychenko

The relevance of the study is that a comparative analysis of the conditions of readiness for neo-industrialization of economic systems (states, regions, industrial complexes, industrial enterprises), taking into account the totality of obstacles and risks, makes it possible to establish competitive advantages and weaknesses of objects, strategic and operational directions, effective tools for achieving goals in a new technological order. The aim of the study is to carry out a comparative analysis of the conditions for the readiness of the industry in Russia and Ukraine for neo-industrialization based on digitalization. The methodological basis of the research is made up of general and general scientific methods of cognition, as well as the concrete historical method, the comparative historical method, the method of the unity of the historical and the logical, the method of comparative analysis, etc. Considering that Russia and Ukraine had equal starting conditions for the beginning of neo-industrialization after the collapse of the USSR, and in the post-Soviet period there were a number of general tendencies in de-industrialization, then the modern experience of Russia should be considered as a standard for a number of post-Soviet countries. The article presents the main results of a comparative analysis of obstacles (institutional, technological, socio-economic) to neo-industrialization in Russia and Ukraine. It has been substantiated that synergistic and multiplier effects from neo-industrialization can be obtained through complex solutions in the spheres of institutions, technologies and economics. The study also presents a classification of risks (by levels of formation: global, supra-organizational, including sectoral, organizational; by areas: social, environmental, cyber-physical, etc.) of neo-industrialization and assessed them. It has been established that against the background of the continuing «active» processes of de-industrialization in the Ukrainian industry, the Russian industry has a much higher degree of readiness for neo-industrialization, including due to the digitalization of the manufacturing industry. The process of de-industrialization in Ukraine can be stopped only with economic integration with Russia. Having a sufficiently high scientific and educational potential, states should transform it as actively as possible into fundamental innovations: technological, institutional, managerial, product innovations. The practical significance of the obtained research results lies in the fact that the developed scientific and methodological approaches allow assessing the level of readiness of economic systems for neo-industrialization and comparative analysis with the standard, diagnosing competitive advantages and weaknesses, which should be further taken into account when justifying and implementing strategic and operational decisions. In subsequent publications, the results will be presented, reflecting the developed applied directions and proposed measures to accelerate the neoindustrialization of the two countries, taking into account the spatial and industrial, technological, institutional, organizational and managerial, financial and economic and quantitative (economic and mathematical modeling of the «digital factor» of production) aspects.

Yoomi Park, Heewon Seo, Kyunghun Yoo et al.

Abstract Some of the variants detected by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) are often not reproducible. To minimize the technical-induced artifacts, secondary experimental validation is required but this step is unnecessarily slow and expensive. Thus, developing a rapid and easy to use visualization tool is necessary to systematically review the statuses of sequence read alignments. Here, we developed a high-performance alignment capturing tool, CaReAl, for visualizing the read-alignment status of nucleotide sequences and associated genome features. CaReAl is optimized for the systematic exploration of regions of interest by visualizing full-depth read-alignment statuses in a set of PNG files. CaReAl was 7.5 times faster than IGV ‘snapshot’, the only stand-alone tool which provides an automated snapshot of sequence reads. This rapid user-programmable capturing tool is useful for obtaining read-level data for evaluating variant calls and detecting technical biases. The multithreading and sequential wide-genome-range-capturing functionalities of CaReAl aid the efficient manual review and evaluation of genome sequence alignments and variant calls. CaReAl is a rapid and convenient tool for capturing aligned reads in BAM. CaReAl facilitates the acquisition of highly curated data for obtaining reliable analytic results.

Lisa Argnani, Anna Zanetti, Anna Zanetti et al.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increase in cardiovascular (CV) risk. This issue maybe not only explained by a genetic component, as well as by the traditional CV risk factors, but also by an underestimation and undertreatment of concomitant CV comorbidities.Method: This was a retrospective matched-cohort analysis in the Italian RA real-world population based on the healthcare-administrative databases to assess the CV risk factors and incidence of CV events in comparison with the general population. Persistence and adherence to the CV therapy were also evaluated in both groups.Results: In a RA cohort (N = 21,201), there was a greater prevalence of hypertension and diabetes with respect to the non-RA subjects (N = 249,156) (36.9 vs. 33.4% and 10.2 vs. 9.6%, respectively), while dyslipidemia was more frequent in the non-RA group (15.4 vs. 16.5%). Compared with a non-RA cohort, the patients with RA had a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation (incidence rate ratio, IRR 1.28), heart failure (IRR 1.53), stroke (IRR 1.19), and myocardial infarction (IRR 1.48). The patients with RA presented a significantly lower persistence rate to glucose-lowering and lipid-lowering therapies than the controls (odds ratio, OR 0.73 [95% CI 0.6–0.8] and OR 0.82 [0.8–0.9], respectively). The difference in the adherence to glucose-lowering therapy was significant (OR 0.7 [0.6–0.8]), conversely no statistically significant differences emerged regarding the adherence to lipid-lowering therapy (OR 0.89 [95% CI 0.8–1.0]) and anti-hypertensive therapy (OR 0.96 [95% CI 0.9–1.0]).Conclusion: The patients with RA have a higher risk of developing CV events compared with the general population, partially explained by the excess and undertreatment of CV risk factors.

Sanjay Mishra, Manish Charan, Ajeet Kumar Verma et al.

Recent studies revealed that ethnic differences in mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK-1/2) signaling pathways might be associated with the development and progression of different human malignancies. The African American (AA) population has an increased rate of cancer incidence and mortality compared to the Caucasian American (CA) population. Although the socioeconomic differences across different ethnic groups contribute to the disparity in developing different cancers, recent scientific evidence indicates the association of molecular and genetic variations in racial disparities of different human malignancies. The mTOR and ERK-1/2 signaling pathways are one of the well-known oncogenic signaling mechanisms that regulate diverse molecular and phenotypic aspects of normal as well as cancer cells in response to different external or internal stimuli. To date, very few studies have been carried out to explore the significance of racial disparity with abnormal mTOR and ERK-1/2 kinase signaling pathways, which may contribute to the development of aggressive human cancers. In this review, we discuss the differential regulation of mTOR and ERK-1/2 kinase signaling pathways across different ethnic groups, especially between AA and CA populations. Notably, we observed that key signaling proteins associated with mTOR and ERK-1/2 pathway including transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), Akt, and VEGFR showed racially disparate expression in cancer patients. Overall, this review article encompasses the significance of racially disparate signaling molecules related to mTOR/ERK1/2 and their potential in developing tailor-made anti-cancer therapies.

R. I. Dzuev, A. A. Cheprakova, F. H. Zhilyaeva et al.

Aim. The purpose of this research based on the study of the ecological and biological characteristics of the shrub vole is to expand knowledge about patterns of microevolution in space, ecology and biology on the basis of which to assess the adapted characteristics of the Central North Caucasian population of the shrub vole (Microtus majori Thomas, 1906) in natural conditions.Material and Methods. The material for this work was obtained during expeditions and stationary studies carried out by the authors in the Russian Central Caucasus from 2013 to 2017. During this time, a survey of various biotopes of the broad-leaved forest belt was carried out, taking into account both anthropogenic loads and the season of the year.Results. Stationary studies were carried out, taking into account the season of the year, in deciduous forest belt. Reproduction of shrub voles in the population studied takes place over five months (April‐August). Overwintered voles reproduce within four months (from early April to late July), females bearing three litters. Accordingly, we can say that the greatest importance in maintaining the viability of the population of this vole species falls on the overwintered yearlings of the first spring cohorts.Conclusions. The data obtained indicate the regular dynamics of the (seasonal) age structure of the population, associated with the reproduction and death of individuals of certain age groups. When conditions of existence in the population of the shrub vole studied change, it reacts with an increase in the intensity of reproduction, a seasonal change in the number of embryos in a litter, a change in sex and age structure: it is sensitive to any fluctuations in its habitat.

Joachim Kloehn, Rebecca D. Oppenheim, Ghizal Siddiqui et al.

Abstract Background Acetyl-CoA is a key molecule in all organisms, implicated in several metabolic pathways as well as in transcriptional regulation and post-translational modification. The human pathogen Toxoplasma gondii possesses at least four enzymes which generate acetyl-CoA in the nucleo-cytosol (acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACS); ATP citrate lyase (ACL)), mitochondrion (branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase-complex (BCKDH)) and apicoplast (pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDH)). Given the diverse functions of acetyl-CoA, we know very little about the role of sub-cellular acetyl-CoA pools in parasite physiology. Results To assess the importance and functions of sub-cellular acetyl-CoA-pools, we measured the acetylome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome of parasites lacking ACL/ACS or BCKDH. We demonstrate that ACL/ACS constitute a synthetic lethal pair. Loss of both enzymes causes a halt in fatty acid elongation, hypo-acetylation of nucleo-cytosolic and secretory proteins and broad changes in gene expression. In contrast, loss of BCKDH results in an altered TCA cycle, hypo-acetylation of mitochondrial proteins and few specific changes in gene expression. We provide evidence that changes in the acetylome, transcriptome and proteome of cells lacking BCKDH enable the metabolic adaptations and thus the survival of these parasites. Conclusions Using multi-omics and molecular tools, we obtain a global and integrative picture of the role of distinct acetyl-CoA pools in T. gondii physiology. Cytosolic acetyl-CoA is essential and is required for the synthesis of parasite-specific fatty acids. In contrast, loss of mitochondrial acetyl-CoA can be compensated for through metabolic adaptations implemented at the transcriptional, translational and post-translational level.

Kai Aoki, Takehito Sugasawa, Kouki Yanazawa et al.

Background With the rapid progress of genetic engineering and gene therapy methods, the World Anti-Doping Agency has raised concerns regarding gene doping, which is prohibited in sports. However, there is no standard method available for detecting transgenes delivered by injection of naked plasmids. Here, we developed a detection method for detecting transgenes delivered by injection of naked plasmids in a mouse model that mimics gene doping. Methods Whole blood from the tail tip and one piece of stool were used as pre-samples of injection. Next, a plasmid vector containing the human erythropoietin (hEPO) gene was injected into mice through intravenous (IV), intraperitoneal (IP), or local muscular (IM) injection. At 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after injection, approximately 50 µL whole blood was collected from the tail tip. One piece of stool was collected at 6, 12, 24, and 48 h. From each sample, total DNA was extracted and transgene fragments were analyzed by Taqman quantitative PCR (qPCR) and SYBR green qPCR. Results In whole blood DNA samples evaluated by Taqman qPCR, the transgene fragments were detected at all time points in the IP sample and at 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 h in the IV and IM samples. In the stool-DNA samples, the transgene fragments were detected at 6, 12, 24, and 48 h in the IV and IM samples by Taqman qPCR. In the analysis by SYBR green qPCR, the transgene fragments were detected at some time point in both specimens; however, many non-specific amplicons were detected. Conclusions These results indicate that transgene fragments evaluated after each injection method of naked plasmids were detected in whole-blood and stool DNA samples. These findings may facilitate the development of methods for detecting gene doping.

Jean-Étienne R. L. Morlighem, Chen Huang, Qiwen Liao et al.

Marine invertebrates, such as sponges, tunicates and cnidarians (zoantharians and scleractinian corals), form functional assemblages, known as holobionts, with numerous microbes. This type of species-specific symbiotic association can be a repository of myriad valuable low molecular weight organic compounds, bioactive peptides and enzymes. The zoantharian Protopalythoa variabilis (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) is one such example of a marine holobiont that inhabits the coastal reefs of the tropical Atlantic coast and is an interesting source of secondary metabolites and biologically active polypeptides. In the present study, we analyzed the entire holo-transcriptome of P. variabilis, looking for enzyme precursors expressed in the zoantharian-microbiota assemblage that are potentially useful as industrial biocatalysts and biopharmaceuticals. In addition to hundreds of predicted enzymes that fit into the classes of hydrolases, oxidoreductases and transferases that were found, novel enzyme precursors with multiple activities in single structures and enzymes with incomplete Enzyme Commission numbers were revealed. Our results indicated the predictive expression of thirteen multifunctional enzymes and 694 enzyme sequences with partially characterized activities, distributed in 23 sub-subclasses. These predicted enzyme structures and activities can prospectively be harnessed for applications in diverse areas of industrial and pharmaceutical biotechnology.

Hamed Hamishehkar, Soheila Hosseini, Abdolhossein Naseri et al.

Introduction: The drug-plasma protein interaction is a fundamental issue in guessing and checking the serious drug side effects related with other drugs. The purpose of this research was to study the interaction of cephalexin with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and displacement reaction using site probes. Methods: The interaction mechanism concerning cephalexin (CPL) with BSA was investigated using various spectroscopic methods and molecular modeling method. The binding sites number, n, apparent binding constant, K, and thermodynamic parameters, ΔG0, ΔH0, and ΔS0 were considered at different temperatures. To evaluate the experimental results, molecular docking modeling was calculated. Results: The distance, r=1.156 nm between BSA and CPL were found in accordance with the Forster theory of non-radiation energy transfer (FRET) indicating energy transfer occurs between BSA and CPL. According to the binding parameters and ΔG0= negative values and ΔS0= 28.275 j mol-1K-1, a static quenching process is effective in the CPL-BSA interaction spontaneously. ΔG0 for the CPL-BSA complex obtained from the docking simulation is -28.99 kj mol-1, which is close to experimental ΔG of binding, -21.349 kj mol-1 that indicates a good agreement between the results of docking methods and experimental data. Conclusion: The outcomes of spectroscopic methods revealed that the conformation of BSA changed during drug-BSA interaction. The results of FRET propose that CPL quenches the fluorescence of BSA by static quenching and FRET. The displacement study showed that phenylbutazon and ketoprofen displaced CPL, indicating that its binding site on albumin is site I and Gentamicin cannot be displaced from the binding site of CPL. All results of molecular docking method agreed with the results of experimental data.

Luis Laércio Fernandes Melo, Roselane Gomes Bezerra

Este artigo tem o objetivo de analisar como o urbanismo contemporâneo prestigia a mobilidade e o fluxo em detrimento dos lugares destinados à habitação e relacionamentos, gerando entropia e disfuncionalidade no cotidiano dos cidadãos. A ausência de solidarie dade arregimentada pelo urbanismo das mobilidades e dos fluxos cria cidades de mal estar, em decorrência da fragmentação dos espaços urbanos.

Russ Giesy, Albert De Vries, Jay Giesy

AN200, a 4-page fact sheet by Russ Giesy, Albert De Vries, and Jay Giesy, describes the situation, outlook, and challenges and opportunities for Florida dairy production in 2008. Published by the UF Department of Animal Sciences, July 2008.