42 research outputs found
Toxorhynchites (Lynchiella) theobaldi Dyar & Knab
No full text<i>Toxorhynchites</i> (<i>Lynchiella</i>) <i>theobaldi</i> Dyar & Knab <p> OUR SpEcImENS HaVE all THE cHaRacTERS dEScRIbEd IN DaRSIE (1985), aNd THE SINglE fEmalE (FIg. 5B) aNd THE laRVal EXUVIaE WERE IdENTIfIEd USINg THE KEY bY THaT aUTHOR. THE fEmalE Of <i>Tx. theobaldi</i> maY bE dISTINgUISHEd fROm THE OTHER SpEcIES Of THE SUbgENUS <i>Lynchiella</i> bY HaVINg abdOmINal STERNa WITHOUT TUfTS Of REd ScalES, aNd mIdTaRSOmERE 3 aNd HINdTaRSOmERE 4 WITH WHITE ScalES.</p> <p> <b>Bionomics and distribution.</b> A SINglE laRVa WaS cOllEcTEd fROm aN INTERNOdE Of a <i>Guadua</i> SpEcIES Of bambOO. CURRENT dISTRIbUTION IN CENTRal aNd SOUTH AmERIca: ARgENTINa, BElIzE, BOlIVIa, BRazIl, COlOmbIa, COSTa RIca, EcUadOR, El SalVadOR, GUaTEmala, HONdURaS, MEXIcO, NIcaRagUa, PaNama, PaRagUaY, TRINIdad aNd TObagO, VENEzUEla (WalTER REEd BIOSYSTEmaTIcS UNIT, 2013; ROSSI, 2015). <i>Toxorhynchites theobaldi</i> WaS REcORdEd pREVIOUSlY fROm BUENOS AIRES, CHacO, FORmOSa, MISIONES aNd SalTa pROVINcES. IT IS REcORdEd HERE fROm CORRIENTES PROVINcE.</p> <p> <b>Collection data.</b> CORRIENTES PROVINcE: SaN CaYETaNO, RIacHUElO, 5-VI-2015, 1F, LE, PE. AlVaREz cOll. aNd dET. SpEcImENS IMR. CUL 22-004.</p>Published as part of <i>Stein, Marina, Alvarez, Carla N., Alonso, Ana C., Bangher, Débora N., Willener, Juana A. & Campos, Raúl E., 2018, New records of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) found in phytotelmata in Northern Argentina, pp. 87-100 in Zootaxa 4399 (1)</i> on page 96, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4399.1.5, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/1206470">http://zenodo.org/record/1206470</a>
Analysis of differential formed mitochondrial proteins during ageing in the filamentous ascomycete Podospora anserina and characterization of the O-methyltransferase PaMTH1
No full textDie im Rahmen dieser Arbeit durchgeführten Untersuchungen führten zu folgenden Ergebnissen: 1. Eindimensionale Gelelektrophoresen Die Analyse mitochondrialer Proteine aus juvenilen und seneszenten P. anserina-Wildstämmen mit Hilfe von eindimensionalen SDS- und eindimensionalen Blau-Nativen-Gelelektrophoresen zeigt keine deutlichen, seneszenzspezifischen Unterschiede. Im Gegensatz dazu werden in initialen Versuchen der nicht-radioaktiven 2D-PAGE differentiell gebildete Proteine visualisiert. 2. 2D-PAGE mit radioaktiv-markierten, mitochondrialen Proteinen aus jungen und alten P. anserina-Wildstämmen In der ungerichteten Proteomanalyse wurden 29 differentiell-gebildete Proteine identifiziert und zusätzlich zahlreiche Isoformen einiger Proteine gezeigt. Von der ß-ATPase wurden modifizierte Isoformen gefunden. Außerdem wurde eine seneszenspezifisch verringerte Bildung von ROS-Abwehr-Proteinen in den Mitochondrien detektiert. Im Gegensatz dazu wurde eine größere Menge eines Chaperons gefunden, das bei der Proteinsynthese eine Rolle spielt: eine Protein-Disulfid-Isomerase, die die Umlagerung und Neubildung von Di-Sulfid-Brücken bei der Faltung von Proteinen katalysiert. Zusätzlich wurde eine erhöhte Menge des Proteins SSC1 identifiziert. Dieses gehört zur Hsp70-Hitzeschock-Proteinfamilie. Es wurde ebenfalls eine erhöhte Menge des Apoptosefaktors Cyclophilin D in den mitochondrialen Proben aus den seneszenten Wildstämmen identifiziert. Die Identifizierung dieses Proteins in Mitochondrien von P. anserina stellt neben der Charakterisierung der Metacaspasen (Hamann et al., 2007) einen weiteren Ansatzpunkt für die Apoptoseforschung in P. anserina dar. Die molekularbiologische Analyse dieses Proteins wurde aufgrund dieser Proteomanalyse im Arbeitskreis aufgenommen (Dissertation D. Brust). Ein weiteres Protein, das in stark erhöhter Menge in den Proteinisolaten identifiziert wurde, ist PaMTH1. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die Struktur und die Funktion dieser neu identifizierten differentiell-gebildeten Methyltransferase während der Alterung in P. anserina mit Hilfe molekularbiologischer, biochemischer und physiologischen Analysen untersucht. 3. Charakterisierung von PaMTH1 Im Rahmen von Northernblot-Analysen wurde gezeigt, dass die PaMth1-Transkriptmenge in drei unabhängigen alten Wildstämmen im Vergleich zu den entsprechenden jungen Wildtsämmen deutlich erhöht ist. In einer Westernblot-Analyse von Gesamtproteinen und Mitochondrien aus jungen und seneszenten Wildstämmen wird der seneszenzspezifische Anstieg der Proteinmenge verifiziert. Die genauere Einordnung von PaMTH1 in die Klasse I der Methyltransferasen und die Ergebnisse der Analyse der Substratspezifizität geben einen Hinweis auf eine Schutzfunktion durch die Verhinderung einer ROS-Entstehung unter der Beteiligung von Substanzen mit einer Catecholgruppe. Die Ergebnisse der Analyse der Modulation der PaMth1-Expression in P. anserina deuten ebenfalls auf eine Schutzwirkung von PaMTH1 hin: PaMth1-Überexpressionsstämme zeigen eine verbesserte Wuchsrate auf stress-induzierenden Medien, weniger carbonylierte Proteine und vor allem eine verlängerte Lebensspanne ohne physiologische Nachteile im Vergleich zum Wildstamm. Dagegen lebt die PaMth1-Deletionsmutante kürzer und wächst schlechter auf ROS-induzierenden Medien, sie zeigt allerdings keine erhöhte Menge von carbonylierten Proteinen im eindimensionalen „Oxyblot“. Die beobachtete Lebensspannenverkürzung der PaMth1-Deletionsmutante wird jedoch durch die Reversion dieser Stämme wieder aufgehoben, sodass die Hypothese des Schutzes vor der ROS-Generierung durch die Methylierung von Dihydroxylgruppen anhand der erhaltenen Daten unterstützt wird.The experiments in this work showed the following results: 1. one-dimensional SDS- and BN-PAGES The analyses of mitochondrial proteins of juvenile and senescent P. anserina wild type strains via SDS- and BN-PAGE did not show significant differences in the protein compositions. However, during initial experiments by non-radioactive 2D-PAGE, age-specific differential formed proteins were visualized. 2. 2D-PAGE using radioactive-marked, mitochondrial proteins from juvenile and senescent P. anserina wild type isolates In an unbiased proteome analysis, 29 differentially formed proteins were identified, in addition numerous isoforms of some specific proteins were shown. Modified isoforms of the ß-ATPase und an age-specific reduced formation of ROS-scavenging proteins in the mitochondria were detected. In contrast, an increased abundance of a protein-disulfide isomerase was found, which catalyses the formation of disulfide bridges during protein folding. Furthermore, an age-dependent formation of the protein SSC1 was identified, which belongs to the heat shock proteinfamily and an increased amount of the apoptosis factor cyclophilin D was detected in the samples of the old P. anserina strains. The identification of cyclophilin D constitutes a further point beside the analysis of the metacaspases in apoptosis-research in P. anserina. Based on this result of the proteome analysis, the characterization of cyclophilin D was started in our group (dissertation D. Brust). Another protein, which was also found in highly increased abundance in the protein samples of senescent wild type strains is PaMTH1. In this work, the structure and function of this newly detected age-dependent differentially formed methyltransferase in P. anserina was investigated using molecularbiological, biochemical and physiological analyses. 3. characterization of PaMTH1 By an age-related transcript analysis of RNA-samples of three independent P. anserina wild-type strains an increase of transcript levels was found to occur during ageing. In Western Blot analyses of total and mitochondrial wild-type protein extracts using an antibody against PaMTH1 the age-dependent increase in the abundance of PaMTH1 was verified. The classification of PaMTH1 as a class I-methyltransferase and the results of the analysis of the substrate specificity point to a scavenging function via the prevention of ROS-development caused by substances possessing a catechol-residue. Also the results of the modulation of the PaMth1-expression in P. anserina hint to a scavenging function of PaMTH1: PaMth1-overexpressing strains show an improved growth rate on stress-inducing media, less carbonylated proteins and most notably an elongated life span without any physiological disadvantages compared to the wild type strains. In contrast to this, the PaMth1 deletion mutant lives shorter and shows an impaired growth on ROS-inducing media. However, these strains do not show an increased amount of carbonylated protein in one-dimensional oxyblot-analyses. But the shortened life span of the deletion mutant is abandoned by the reversion of this strain, thus the hypothesis of the scavenging role against ROS-generation via a methylation of dihydroxyl groups is supported by the obtained data of this work
Novel functions of cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) in tumorigenesis and tumor immune surveillance
No full textDissertation - Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien - 2022Cyclin-abhängige Kinasen (CDKs) sind Serin/Threonin-Proteinkinasen, die häufig in Krebserkrankungen dereguliert sind und vielversprechende therapeutische Ansatzpunkte darstellen. CDK8 wurde als erkrankungsinduzierendes Onkogen in einer Reihe von Tumorarten beschrieben (u.a. Kolorektalkrebs, Melanom, Brustkrebs und hämatologischen Krebserkrankungen). Konträr dazu, wurden auch Funktionen als Tumorsuppressor identifiziert. Die Funktionen von CDK8 scheinen somit divergent und stark kontextabhängig zu sein. CDK8 und ihr Homolog CDK19 wurden ursprünglich in der Regulation der Transkription beschrieben. Sie benötigen die Bindung von Cyclin C um ihre Funktion als Kinase auszuüben und in einem weiteren Schritt den Mediator Komplex zu binden. In den letzten Jahren wurde zunehmend bekannt, dass CDK8 jedoch deutlich vielfältigere Funktionen besitzt. Das CDK8-Untermodul kann direkt Signalmoleküle phosphorylieren, unter anderem im JAK-STAT, TGF-ß und BMP Rezeptor Signalweg. Diese Dissertation fokussiert auf triple-negativen Brustkrebs und BCR-ABL positive Leukämie und analysiert, identifiziert und bewertet neue Funktionen von CDK8 in der Tumorentstehung. Anhand von in vivo Experimenten und differentieller Genexpressionsanalyse zeigen wir eine essenzielle Rolle von CDK8 in der Regulation der Invasivität und der metastatischen Fähigkeit von hoch-aggressivem und metastatischem triple-negativem Brustkrebs auf. Unsere Ergebnisse aus in vitro und in vivo Experimenten enthüllen kritische Funktionen von CDK8 in der Immunüberwachung des Tumors. In triple-negativem Brustkrebs erweist sich CDK8 als Modulator der Immunevasion vor natürlichen Killerzellen (NK-Zellen). Diese Evasion erfolgt, indem CDK8 wesentliche Immuncheckpoints reguliert, unter anderem PD-L1. Wir konnten somit erstmals eine CDK8-PD-L1 Achse identifizieren. In dem zweiten Teil dieser Dissertation finden wir eine essentielle Rolle für CDK8 in BCR-ABL positiven Leukämien und zeigen einen neuen therapeutischen Ansatz für die Behandlung von ALL Patienten auf. Unsere Ergebnisse ordnen CDK8 eine Schlüsselrolle in der Aufrechterhaltung der Leukämien zu. Analysen des Transkriptoms und Korrelationen mit humanen Datensätzen zeigen einen Zusammenhang zwischen CDK8 und dem mTOR Signalweg auf. Basierend auf dieser Erkenntnis, bedienen wir uns eines „small molecules“, welches mTOR hemmt und gleichzeitig den Abbau des CDK8 Proteins induziert. Wir beweisen, dass die Behandlung von humanen Leukämie Zelllinien und primären Patientenproben zur Reduktion der Viabilität führt. Zusammenfassend stellen meine Ergebnisse neue und wesentliche Teile eines größeren Puzzles dar, welches darauf abzielt passende Kandidaten für zielgerichtete Therapieansätze aufzuzeigen. Sie helfen uns Funktionen und Mechanismen zu verstehen, wie CDK8 zur Krebsentstehung und Immunüberwachung des Tumors beiträgt. Wir demonstrieren, dass es sich bei CDK8 um einen vielversprechenden Ansatzpunkt handelt, der uns eventuell in der Zukunft helfen kann, fatale Erkrankungen zu heilen.Dissertation - University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna - 2022Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are serine/threonine kinases that are frequently deregulated in cancer and represent promising therapeutic targets. CDK8 and its close homolog CDK19 were initially reported to exert transcriptional functions, relying on binding of cyclin C for kinase activity and subsequent binding to the mediator complex. Over the last decades we learned that CDK8 has a lot more functions. The CDK8 submodule can directly phosphorylate signaling molecules including members of the JAK-STAT pathway, TGF-ß and BMP receptor signaling. In tumorigenesis, CDK8 has been identified as an oncogenic driver in various cancer types, including colorectal cancer, melanoma, breast cancer and hematological malignancies. In contrast, tumor suppressing roles were identified, so its functions seem to be divergent and highly context-dependent. In this thesis, novel functions of CDK8 in the tumorigenesis of triple-negative breast cancer and BCR-ABL-positive leukemia have been studied and identified. We demonstrate an essential role for CDK8 in regulating the invasiveness and metastatic capacity of highly aggressive and metastatic triple-negative breast cancer cells, as observed in in vivo experiments and differential gene expression analysis. Our in vitro and in vivo experiments further uncovered an essential function of CDK8 in tumor immune surveillance. In TNBC cells, we found that CDK8 is a crucial regulator of natural killer (NK)-cell-mediated immune evasion by regulating crucial immune checkpoints including the expression of PD-L1. We pioneered and uncovered a CDK8-PD-L1 axis. In the second part, we could assign a critical role to CDK8 in BCR-ABL-positive leukemia and provide a potential therapeutic point of attack for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Our findings identify CDK8 as a key mediator of leukemia maintenance. Transcriptomic and correlation analyses in human datasets identified a connection of CDK8 and the mTOR signaling pathway and led us to apply a small molecule, which inhibits mTOR and simultaneously degrades the CDK8 protein. We showed successful reduction of viability of human leukemic cell lines and primary patient cells upon treatment with this small molecule, suggesting a new promising treatment avenue. In summary, my studies add novel and highly relevant pieces to the big puzzle on finding candidates for targeted therapies and allow us to closer understand functions and mechanisms of CDK8-driven tumorigenesis and tumor immune surveillance. The studies further demonstrate CDK8 as a new promising drug target, which might in future help us to cure fatal diseases
Methylation of polyphenols with vicinal hydroxyl groups: A protection pathway increasing organismal lifespan
No full textPrevention of corruption and current trends in Latvia
No full textBakalaura darba “Korupcijas novēršana un aktuālās tendences Latvijā” mērķis ir sniegt ieskatu korupcijas teorētiskā analīzē, tās novēršanas metodēs, regulējumā un tās problemātikā. Darba ietvaros autors vispirms pētīja korupcijas teorētisko aspektu – apskatīja korupcijas jēdzienu, apzināja korupcijas cēloņus un sekas, paplašināti skatot tieši situāciju Latvijā. Tālāk autors bakalaura darbā izvērsa korupcijas novēršanas analīzi, pirmkārt, iepazīstoties ar korupcijas novēršanas normatīvo regulējumu un novēršanas metodēm, padziļināti pētot korupcijas novēršanas un apkarošanas biroja (KNAB) funkcijas un kompetenci. Lai noskaidrotu, kādas ir korupcijas novēršanas galvenās problēmas Latvijā, autors veica ar korupcijas saistīto aktuālo lietu un tiesu prakses izpēti, un izvirzīja ierosinājumus, kā uzlabot procesa virzīšanu, lai KNAB uzsāktās lietas operatīvāk nonāktu līdz tiesai. Darbā papildus tika skatīta korupcijas saistīto lietu statistika, lai objektīvi analizētu KNAB darbību un korupcijas tendences Latvijā pēdējos gados. Pētot tiesu praksi ar korupciju saistītajās lietās un apskatot ar korupciju saistītos noziegumus Latvijā, darbā rasti ierosinājumi, kā pilnveidot Krimināllikumu, lai atvieglotu ar korupciju saistīto noziedzīgo nodarījumu pierādīšanas procesu.The aim of the bachelor's thesis “Prevention of Corruption and Current Trends in Latvia” is to provide an insight into the theoretical analysis of corruption, its prevention methods, regulation and its problems. Within the framework of the work, the author first researched the theoretical aspect of corruption - looked at the concept of corruption, identified the causes and consequences of corruption, looked in an expanded way at the situation in Latvia. The author further in the bachelor's thesis developed the analysis of corruption prevention, first of all, acquainted with the regulatory framework and methods of prevention of corruption, and deeply researched the functions and competence of the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB). In order to find out what are the main problems of corruption prevention in Latvia, the author conducted a study of current cases and court practice related to corruption, and put forward suggestions on how to improve the progress of the process, so that cases initiated by KNAB can reach court more operatively. In addition, the statistics of corruption-related cases were examined to objectively analyse the activities of the KNAB and corruption trends in Latvia in recent years. Researching the case law in corruption-related cases and looking at corruption-related crimes in Latvia, the suggestions on how to improve the Criminal Law to facilitate the process of proving corruption-related crimes have been found in the thesis
Comparison of the leadership practices of principals of Blue Ribbon Schools with principals of randomly selected schools
No full textPrincipals have been identified as critical to the success of schools and integral in effective schools to affect lasting reform. To achieve excellence, principals must embrace transformational leadership behaviors to motivate faculty and staff to perform beyond normal levels.In 1982, the Department of Education initiated the Blue Ribbon School Program to recognize excellent schools and to promote the sharing of these schools' successes. Schools must complete a rigorous application process, which includes an extensive application, nomination by the appropriate agency, a review by an independent committee, and a school visit.The purpose of this study is to determine if principals of Blue Ribbon Schools exhibit the five leadership practices as measured by the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) more than principals of non-Blue Ribbon schools.The procedure employed was a correlational research design. Participants included a stratified, simple random sample of 200 Blue Ribbon Schools and the control group included 400 public and private schools that have never received Blue Ribbon School honors. At each school, the principal and a randomly selected faculty member were asked to complete the LPI and a demographic survey. All hypotheses were stated in the null form. Tests for significance were set at.05 level of confidence. The statistical analysis that was conducted for each hypothesis was t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), or Pearson correlation.There were three major findings. First, principals of Blue Ribbon Schools scored significantly higher on the visionary questions of the factor Inspiring a Shared Vision, and the empowerment questions of the factors Challenging the Process and Enabling Others to Act.Second, though principals of Blue Ribbon Schools were older, had higher academic degrees, and had more years of experience than non-Blue Ribbon School principals, differences in LPI scores were of no significance. There were no significant gender differences among principals of Blue Ribbon Schools.Third, there were no significant differences among principals of Blue Ribbon Schools based on type (public versus private), size (small versus large), and location (urban versus suburban/rural). However, there was a statistically significant difference between elementary and secondary principals for the factor Enabling Others to Act.Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 59-03, Section: A, page: 6770.Advisors: Frederic Jacobs; Charles Tesconi; Sarah Irvine.Ph.D. American University 1998.Englis
Visual patterns in software process data
No full textSoftware development teams gather valuable data about features and bugs in issue tracking systems. This information can be used to measure and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the development process. In this paper we present an approach that harnesses the extraordinary capability of the human brain to detect visual patterns. We specify generic visual process patterns that can be found in issue tracking data. With these patterns we can analyze information about effort estimation, and the length, and sequence of problem resolution activities. In an industrial case study we apply our interactive tool to identify instances of these patterns and discuss our observations. Our approach was validated through extensive discussions with multiple project managers and developers, as well as feedback from the project review board. Preprint accepted for publication in Proceedings of the International Conference on Software Process (ICSP), Beijing (China), 24-28 Oct., 2010, Springer.Software TechnologyElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Smart views for analyzing problem reports: tool demo
No full textIssue tracking repositories contain a wealth of information for reasoning about various aspects of software development processes. In this paper, we focus on bug triaging and provide visual means to explore the effort estimation quality and the bug life-cycle of reported problems.
Our approach uses a combination of graphical views to investigate details of individual problem reports while maintaining the context provided by the surrounding data population. This enables the detection and detailed analysis of hidden patterns and facilitates the analysis of problem report outliers
A Comparison of the Leadership Practices of Principals of High Schools That Work Schools as Measured by the Leadership Practices Inventory
No full textAccording to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, leadership is defined as “the office or position of a leader, capacity to lead, the act or an instance of leading.” (Merriam-Webster, 2008). Therefore, one needs to go to the definition of “lead” to discover the true meaning of leadership. Accordingly, to lead means “to guide on a way especially by going in advance, to direct on a course or in a direction, to serve as a channel for ” (2008). Leadership as a verb must mean that individuals are able to motivate people to advance in some direction. Leadership also implies that the leader serves as a channel for people to move forward to accomplish organizational goals. This could include the need to change organizations so they are ripe to achieve these goals. What this means in practice is much more difficult. It is the pursuit of what leader’s do that has motivated many a researcher including the author to investigate leadership in many venues
Algunos apuntes acerca del pochuteco
No full textThis work explores the history and current status of the pochuteco language spoken in Pochutla, Oaxaca. Based on early 20th-century documentation and recent testimonies, the author assesses language decline and the challenges in locating native speakers. The paper discusses reconstruction efforts, phonetic analysis, and the influence of ancient manuscript accounts. The research emphasizes the uniqueness and cultural significance of pochuteco, highlighting the importance of preserving and studying endangered languages within the context of dialectology and linguistic genealogy within the uto-azteca familyEste trabajo aborda la historia y el estado actual del idioma pochuteco, utilizado en la región de Pochutla, Oaxaca. Basándose en documentación de principios del siglo XX y en testimonios recientes, el autor evalúa la pérdida del idioma y la dificultad para encontrar hablantes nativos. Se discuten los esfuerzos de reconstrucción y análisis fonético, además de la influencia de relatos manuscritos antiguos. La investigación resalta la singularidad y el valor cultural del pochuteco, además de la importancia de preservar y estudiar lenguas en peligro de extinción, en el contexto de los debates sobre dialectología y genealogía lingüística en la familia uto-aztecaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Instituto de Investigaciones Histórica
