350 research outputs found
Hixosfs_Music: A Filesystem in Linux Kernel Space for Musical Files
No full textHixosfs_music is a Linux filesystem that could be included in the standard Linux kernel. Differences respect to the widely used ext2 filesystem are additional features for storing and efficiently retrieving musical data. Specialty it extends the inode for each musical file with new proprieties relatives to the file content such as album, author, title, year. Beside standard user mode tools (stats, chmod, Is and so (in), specific command are needed to directly handle with new file tags (statmusic, chmusic, orderby, and so on)
Prediction of Class III treatment outcomes through orthodontic data mining
No full textSummary OBJECTIVE: To determine whether it is possible to predict Class III treatment outcomes on the basis of a model derived from a combination of computational analyses derived from complexity science, such as fuzzy clustering repartition and network analysis
Effects of maxillary protraction with or without expansion on the sagittal pharyngeal dimensions in Class III subjects
No full textIntroduction: The aim of this cephalometric study was to analyze the effects of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and facemask (FM), or FM combined with bite block (BB), on the sagittal pharyngeal dimensions in subjects with Class III malocclusion when compared with an untreated Class III control group. Methods: Thirty-nine subjects (22 girls, 17 boys) were divided into 2 groups: the FM/BB group (22 subjects; mean ages, 8.9 years +/- 1.5 before treatment and 10.5 years +/- 1.3 after treatment) and the RME/FM group (17 subjects; mean ages, 7.1 years +/- 1.8 before treatment and 9.2 years +/- 1.8 after treatment). The treated groups were compared with an untreated Class III control group of 20 subjects (mean ages, 8.1 years +/- 1.2 at the first observation and 10 years +/- 1.7 at the second observation). All subjects were at prepubertal stage of skeletal maturity at both times. Comparisons of these changes between the 3 groups were analyzed with the Kruskal-Wallis 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on ranks with post-hoc tests. Results: The favorable skeletal maxillary and mandibular changes produced by maxillary protraction with or without RME were not associated with significant changes in the sagittal oropharygeal and nasopharyngeal airway dimensions. Conclusions: Orthopedic treatment of Class III malocclusion does not produce a significant increase in airway dimensions in the short term. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2009;135:777-81
THE HIXOSFS MUSIC APPROACH VS COMMON MUSICAL FILE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS
No full textHixosfs music is an extension of ext2 Linux filesystem, with additional features to easy accessing and categorizing musical files. Specially it extends the inode struct inside the Virtual file system, considerating as file proprieties meta information such as album, author, title related to the content of a musical file. Comparition have been done respect to the Linux file system in user space Musicmeshfs, the Linux ext2 xattr feature, and ad hoc user space programs for efficiently retriving multimedia data. Since Hixosfs music manages the musical tags at kernel level, it offers higher performances then the other solutions but with less flexibility
A putative metallothionein from the microalga Scenedesmus acutus (Chlorophiceae).
No full textMicroalgae are predominantly aquatic organisms that must be able to discriminate between essential and non-essential heavy metal ions. In addition, they must maintain non-toxic concentrations of these ions inside their cells. In this way, two principal mechanisms have been identified, one which prevents the indiscriminate entrance of heavy metal ions into the cell (i.e., exclusion) and the other which prevents bioavailability of these toxic ions once inside the cell (i.e., the formation of complexes). The molecules responsible for the first mechanism are extra-cellular polymers, mainly carbohydrates; those responsible for the second are essentially the two type metal-chelating peptides: enzymatically synthesized phytochelatins (PCs- class III metallothioneins -MtIII), and gene-encoded metallothioneins (MTs) (1).
MTs are low molecular weight, cysteine-rich metal chelators with an ability to bind heavy metal ions through metal-thiolate bonds. In addition, the thiol(ate)s in MTs can act as powerful antioxidants, and hence MTs may have roles in protection against oxidative stress (2). Mts are widely distributed in animals, plants, fungi as well as cyanobacteria. Plant MTs (pMTs) are considerably longer than their animal counterparts owing to the exclusive presence of a 30-50 residue-long, Cys-devoid region, between the N- and C-terminal Cys-rich domains (four to eight Cys each). Specifically, the distribution of the Cys residues and the length of the spacer region have been used to further classify plant MTs into four subtypes (3, 4).
Currently, pMTs have been extensively identified as a multigenic family in angiosperms (A. thaliana as a model) (3), in gymnosperms (5) and in macroalgae (Fucus) (6), constituting family 15 of the global MTs Kägi classification (7). To date, no evidences of genes encoding Mts in microalgae are reported, although the induction of cadmium-binding MT-like protein has been found in the unicellular algae Chlamidomonas sorokiniana (8) and Chlamidomonas vulgaris (9).
In this work we reported the first evidence of a Mts gene from the microalga Scenedesmus acutus. In the case of the heavy metal tolerance of S. acutus, previous data report the implication of reduced glutathione (GSH) and Phytochelatins-MtIII as the molecular mechanism underlying the Cd tolerance (10).
By RT-PCR amplification approach using degenerate primers, we amplified a full length cDNA of 280 bp sharing high identity with plant metallothioneins. The deduced protein consisted of 91 residues (mol wt of 9,2kDa) which contains 8 Cys residues arranged in CXC and CXXC motifs and showing a high identity homology (89%-98%) with other type2 Mts of the Silene genus. Despite this, the primary structures of Scenedesmus acutus MTs ( named ScaMT) shows some differences with the canonical pMts type 2 which relate it to an archetypal Type 2 sequences from other pMTs members. So, the evidence that ScaMT sequences shows similarity to Types 2 is a phylogenetically important finding and supports both the existence of a common ancestral metallothionein and its diversification at a point after the evolution of Chlorophyta and Streptophyta lineage. Work is in progress in order to define the genomic feature of ScaMT gene and its functional role (response to different heavy metals and/or stress condition). The results will also elucidate the different implications of the two type of heavy metal binding peptides (enzyme and encoding synthesized) in S. acutus in order to better understand the metal tolerance and/or the bioaccumulation mechanisms in this microalga. These molecular mechanism would be potential engineerized to improve the algal phytoremediation performance.
1) H.V. Perales-Vela, J.M. Peña-Castro, R.O. Cañizares-Villanueva (2006) Chemospere, 64, 1-10
2) V. H. Hassinen, A. I. Tervahauta, H. Schat, S.O. Karenlampi (2011) Plant Biol., 13, 225-232
3) C.S. Cobbett, P.B. Goldsbrough (2002) Annu. Rev. Plant Biol., 53, 159-182
4) N.J. Robinson, A.M. Tommey, C. Kuske, P.J. Jackson (1993) Biochem. J., 295, 1-10
5) M. Chatthai, K.H. Kaukinen, T.J. Tranbarger, P.K. Gupta, S. Misra (1997) Plant Mol. Biol. 34, 243-254
6) C.A. Morris, B. Nicolaus, V. Sampson, J.L. Harwood, P. Kille (1999) Biochem. J., 338, 553-560
7) P.A. Binz, J.H.R. Kägi (2001) Metallothionein. http://www. bioc.uzh.ch/mtpage/MT.html
8) N. Yoshida, K. Ishii, T. Okuno, K. Tanaka (2006) Current Microbiology, 52, 460-463
9) Z. Huang, L. Li, G. Huang, Q. Yan, B. Shi, X. Xu (2009) Aquat. Toxicol., 91, 54-61
10) E. Torricelli, G. Gorbi, B. Pawlik-Skowronska, L. Sanità di Toppi, M.G. Corradi (2004) Aquat. Toxicol., 68, 315-32
Spatio-Temporal Keyword Queries in Social Networks
No full textDue to the large amount of social network data produced at an ever growing speed and their complex nature, recent works have addressed the prob- lem of efficiently querying such data according to social, temporal or spatial di- mensions. In this work we propose a data model that keeps into account all these dimensions and we compare different approaches for efficient query execution on a large real dataset using standard relational technologies
NGF-induced activation of immediate early genes in primary cultures of Ts16 basal forebrain cholinergic neurons
No full textExperimental analysis of a multi-conductor uniform line above soil for modelling a railway line
No full textTreatment effects of a modified quad-helix in patients with dentoskeletal open bites
No full textIntroduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a quad-helix/crib (Q-H/C) appliance in a group of growing subjects with thumb-sucking habits and both dental and skeletal open bites. Methods: The records of 23 subjects treated with Q-H/C appliances were compared with a control group of 23 untreated subjects with similar vertical relationships. Lateral cephalograms were analyzed before treatment (T1; mean age, 8.4 +/- 1.4 years) and immediately after treatment (T2; mean age, 9.9 +/- 1.5 years). Mean duration of treatment was 1.5 +/- 7 months. The T2-T1 changes in the 2 groups were compared with a nonparametric test for independent samples (Mann-Whitney U test). Results: The average increase in overbite during Q-H/C therapy (3.6 mm more than the control group) overcorrected the amount of anterior open bite at T2. However, 4 of 23 subjects did not show positive overbites at T2. Both the maxillary and mandibular incisors had significantly greater lingual inclinations (about 4.0 degrees) associated with greater extrusion (1.4 and 1.0 mm, respectively) in the Q-H/C group than in the control group. In addition, the treated group showed a greater downward rotation (1.2 degrees) of the palatal plane than did the control group. This change was associated with a greater increase in upper anterior facial height (0.7 mm) and a clinically significant reduction in the palatal plane-mandibular plane angle (-1.7 degrees) in the Q-H/C group with respect to the controls. The upper and lower lips showed significant tendencies toward retraction relative to the E-plane in the treated group (2.6 and 2.9 mm, respectively) compared with the controls. Conclusions: The Q-H/C appliance was effective in correcting the dental open bite in 90% of growing subjects with thumb-sucking habits and dentoskeletal open bites. The Q-H/C protocol produced a clinically significant improvement in the vertical skeletal relationships because of downward rotation of the palatal plane
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