Introducing fuzziness in object models and database interfaces through aspects

Imperfection in information can be considered a crosscutting concern that manifests itself in diverse kinds of imprecision, uncertainty, or inconsistency in the data models of a software system. The extension of existing programming and querying interfaces for the different aspects of information imperfection requires a proper modularization of the different concerns of numerical imprecision handling, so that the extensions do not interfere with existing programming practices and do not obscure the original design. Aspect‐oriented design (AOD) enables such a form of nonintrusive extensions to be added to existing software libraries, clearly separating fuzziness or other imperfections in data as a differentiated concern that can be considered from the early phases of development. In this article, a general framework for aspect‐based extension of data models and fuzzy databases is described, and some design and implementation issues of such AOD‐based extensions on OJB database libraries are described as a case study. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 21: 1199–1216, 2006.     

Cadmium uptake by Caco-2 cells. Effect of some milk components

The effect of some milk components on the cellular uptake of cadmium has been studied using a human intestinal cell line (Caco-2). Cadmium uptake by Caco-2 cells increased with the concentration of this metal in the culture medium, in a saturable way. These cells were exposed to different concentrations of cadmium and the synthesis of metallothionein was studied by a cadmium-saturation method. The levels of metallothionein increased with the cadmium concentration in the medium up to 20 microM of metal. Supplementation of the culture medium with 10% bovine milk caused a 25% decrease in the uptake of cadmium with respect to that internalized by the cells maintained in the culture medium alone. However, the uptake of cadmium from the medium supplemented with 10% human milk was similar to that with serum-free medium. beta-Lactoglobulin interacted with cadmium when studied by equilibrium dialysis, showing a stoichiometric binding constant of 5 x 10(4) l/mol. Interaction of lactoferrin with cadmium, however, was negligible. When Caco-2 cells were incubated in culture medium containing lactoferrin, cadmium uptake decreased with respect to that observed incubating the cells in a medium containing beta-lactoglobulin or in the free-protein medium. The inhibitory effect of lactoferrin on the uptake of cadmium might be due to a reduction of the cell surface charge, through its binding to the membrane.     

Effect of oil degradation during frying on the color of fried, battered squid rings

Oil degradation caused by the number of fryings performed and the effect of oil degradation on the color of fried battered squid rings were studied. Spectrophotometric techniques with absorbance in the UV and visible ranges, and iodine, peroxide, and acid values were used to determine oil degradation. Determination of various CIELAB parameters in order to study the external color of the fried battered squid rings revealed no differences in color due to the number of fryings. A study of the color of the battered squid rings at various frying times and temperatures showed significant differences for both variables. Although there was some degradation in the oil after 20 fryings, appearing as a slight darkening, it did not affect the final color of the fried, battered squid rings.     

Supercritical CO2 impregnation of Radiata pine with organic fungicides: Effect of operating conditions and two-parameters modeling

Supercritical impregnation of Radiata pine with ethyl acetate and decanal using CO₂ as carrier solvent has been studied at pilot plant scale. Radiata pine is one of the most common wood species that is originally from Australia and is widely grown in Spain and Portugal and ethyl acetate and decanal were selected as organic compounds.Some experiences were carried out to obtain the optimal operating conditions for the supercritical impregnation process. Experiments were conducted at pressures of 7–15 MPa, temperatures of 35–50 °C and solvent flow rate between 1.5 and 3.5 kg/h. The results of this study have indicated that the treatment gives much better preservative penetration and retention operating with low pressures (7.5 MPa), low temperatures (close to 35 °C) and moderate CO₂ flow rate (3.5 kg/h) in the selected operating range. Moreover, a simple mathematical model of two adjustable parameters (external mass transfer coefficient and partition coefficient) has demonstrated to fit the experimental impregnation curves with reasonable accuracy (average absolute deviation, 3–10%).     

Influence of temperature on the liver circadian clock in the ruin lizard Podarcis sicula

Reptiles represent an interesting animal model to investigate the influence of temperature on molecular circadian clocks. The ruin lizard Podarcis sicula lives in a continental climate and it is subjected to wide range of environmental temperatures during the course of the year. As consequence, ruin lizard daily activity pattern includes either the hibernation or periods of inactivity determined by hypothermia. Here we showed the rhythmic expression of two clock genes, lPer2 and lClock, in the liver of active lizards exposed to summer photo-thermoperiodic conditions. Interestingly, the exposition of lizards to hypothermic conditions, typical of winter season, induced a strong dampening of clock genes mRNA rhythmicity with a coincident decrease of levels. We also examined the qualitative and quantitative distribution of lPER2 and lCLOCK protein in different cellular compartments during the 24-h cycle. In the liver of active lizards both proteins showed a rhythmic expression profile in all cellular compartments. After 3 days at 6 degrees C, some temporal fluctuations of the lCLOCK and lPER2 are still detectable, although, with some marked modifications in respect to the values detected in the liver of active lizards. Besides demonstrating the influence of low temperature on the lizard liver circadian oscillators, present results could provide new essential information for comparative studies on the influence of temperature on the circadian system across vertebrate classes.     

Mass appraisal of residential apartments: An application of Random forest for valuation and a CART-based approach for model diagnostics

To the best knowledge of authors, the use of Random forest as a potential technique for residential estate mass appraisal has been attempted for the first time. In the empirical study using data on residential apartments the method performed better than such techniques as CHAID, CART, KNN, multiple regression analysis, Artificial Neural Networks (MLP and RBF) and Boosted Trees. An approach for automatic detection of segments where a model significantly underperforms and for detecting segments with systematically under- or overestimated prediction is introduced. This segmentational approach is applicable to various expert systems including, but not limited to, those used for the mass appraisal.     

Towards 3D Bioprinted Spinal Cord Organoids

Three-dimensional (3D) cultures, so-called organoids, have emerged as an attractive tool for disease modeling and therapeutic innovations. Here, we aim to determine if boundary cap neural crest stem cells (BC) can survive and differentiate in gelatin-based 3D bioprinted bioink scaffolds in order to establish an enabling technology for the fabrication of spinal cord organoids on a chip. BC previously demonstrated the ability to support survival and differentiation of co-implanted or co-cultured cells and supported motor neuron survival in excitotoxically challenged spinal cord slice cultures. We tested different combinations of bioink and cross-linked material, analyzed the survival of BC on the surface and inside the scaffolds, and then tested if human iPSC-derived neural cells (motor neuron precursors and astrocytes) can be printed with the same protocol, which was developed for BC. We showed that this protocol is applicable for human cells. Neural differentiation was more prominent in the peripheral compared to central parts of the printed construct, presumably because of easier access to differentiation-promoting factors in the medium. These findings show that the gelatin-based and enzymatically cross-linked hydrogel is a suitable bioink for building a multicellular, bioprinted spinal cord organoid, but that further measures are still required to achieve uniform neural differentiation.     

The Cytoskeletal Protein Zyxin Inhibits Retinoic Acid Signaling by Destabilizing the Maternal mRNA of the RXRγ Nuclear Receptor

Zyxin is an LIM-domain-containing protein that regulates the assembly of F-actin filaments in cell contacts. Additionally, as a result of mechanical stress, Zyxin can enter nuclei and regulate gene expression. Previously, we found that Zyxin could affect mRNA stability of the maternally derived stemness factors of Pou5f3 family in Xenopus laevis embryos through binding to Y-box factor1. In the present work, we demonstrate that Zyxin can also affect mRNA stability of the maternally derived retinoid receptor Rxrγ through the same mechanism. Moreover, we confirmed the functional link between Zyxin and Rxrγ-dependent gene expression. As a result, Zyxin appears to play an essential role in the regulation of the retinoic acid signal pathway during early embryonic development. Besides, our research indicates that the mechanism based on the mRNA destabilization by Zyxin may take part in the control of the expression of a fairly wide range of maternal genes.     

First Report on Genome Editing via Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) in Castanea sativa Mill.

Castanea sativa is an important tree nut species worldwide, highly appreciated for its multifunctional role, in particular for timber and nut production. Nowadays, new strategies are needed to achieve plant resilience to diseases, climate change, higher yields, and nutritional quality. Among the new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs), the CRISPR/Cas9 system represents a powerful tool to improve plant breeding in a short time and inexpensive way. In addition, the CRISPR/Cas9 construct can be delivered into the cells in the form of ribonucleoproteins (RNPs), avoiding the integration of exogenous DNA (GMO-free) through protoplast technology that represents an interesting material for gene editing thanks to the highly permeable membrane to DNA. In the present study, we developed the first protoplast isolation protocol starting from European chestnut somatic embryos. The enzyme solution optimized for cell wall digestion contained 1% cellulase Onozuka R-10 and 0.5% macerozyme R-10. After incubation for 4 h at 25 °C in dark conditions, a yield of 4,500,000 protoplasts/mL was obtained (91% viable). The transfection capacity was evaluated using the GFP marker gene, and the percentage of transfected protoplasts was 51%, 72 h after the transfection event. The direct delivery of the purified RNP was then performed targeting the phytoene desaturase gene. Results revealed the expected target modification by the CRISPR/Cas9 RNP and the efficient protoplast editing.     

Elevation of Tear MMP-9 Concentration as a Biomarker of Inflammation in Ocular Pathology by Antibody Microarray Immunodetection Assays

Matrix metalloproteinases are a family of enzymes fundamental in inflammatory processes. Between them, MMP-9 is up-regulated during inflammation; thus, its quantification in non-invasive fluids is a promising approach for inflammation identification. To this goal, a biomarker quantification test was developed for ocular inflammation detection using anti-MMP-9 antibody microarrays (AbMAs). After validation with eight healthy control tear samples characterized by ELISA, 20 samples were tested from individuals diagnosed with ocular inflammation due to: cataracts, glaucoma, meibomian gland dysfunction, allergy, or dry eye. Concentration values of tear MMP-9 were obtained for each sample, and 12 patients surpassed the pathological threshold (30 ng/mL). A significant elevation of MMP-9 concentration in the tears of glaucoma patients compared with healthy controls was observed. In order to evaluate the diagnostic ability, an ROC curve analysis was performed using our data, determining the optimal threshold for the test at 33.6 ng/mL of tear MMP-9. In addition, a confusion matrix was applied, estimating sensitivity at 60%, specificity at 88%, and accuracy at 68%. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the AbMAs system allows the quantification of MMP-9 in pathologies that involve inflammation of the ocular surface.