Adiponectin Deficiency Alters Placenta Function but Does Not Affect Fetal Growth in Mice

Adiponectin administration to pregnant mice decreases nutrient transport and fetal growth. An adiponectin deficiency, on the other hand, as seen in obese women during pregnancy, alters fetal growth; however, the mechanism is unclear. To determine the role of adiponectin on placenta function and fetal growth, we used adiponectin knockout, adiponectin heterozygote that displays reduced adiponectin levels, and wild-type mice on a control diet or high fat/high sucrose (HF/HS) diet. Triglycerides (TGs) in the serum, liver, and placenta were measured using colorimetric assays. Gene expression was measured using quantitative RT-PCR. Adiponectin levels did not affect fetal weight, but it reduced adiponectin levels, increased fetal serum and placenta TG content. Wildtype dams on a HF/HS diet protected the fetuses from fatty acid overload as judged by increased liver TGs in dams and normal serum and liver TG levels in fetuses, while low adiponectin was associated with increased fetal liver TGs. Low maternal adiponectin increased the expression of genes involved in fatty acid transport; Lpl and Cd36 in the placenta. Adiponectin deficiency does not affect fetal growth but induces placental dysfunction and increases fetal TG load, which is enhanced with obesity. This could lead to imprinting effects on the fetus and the development of metabolic dysfunction in the offspring.     

Multi-label classification based on analog reasoning

Some of the real-world problems are represented with just one label but many of today’s issues are currently being defined with multiple labels. This second group is important because multi-label classes provide a more global picture of the problem. From the study of the characteristics of the most influential systems in this area, MlKnn and RAkEL, we can observe that the main drawback of these specific systems is the time required. Therefore, the aim of the current paper is to develop a more efficient system in terms of computation without incurring accuracy loss. To meet this objective we propose MlCBR, a system for multi-label classification based on Case-Based Reasoning. The results obtained highlight the strong performance of our algorithm in comparison with previous benchmark methods in terms of accuracy rates and computational time reduction.     

External Weather Data Assimilation to Simulate Wind and Temperature Fields in the Region of Gualeguaych~, Argentina

This work shows the comparison between the results of wind and temperature simulation and data weather measurements in low layers near Gualeguaychfi City, Argentine, for 12 h in January 1, 2011. The model ARPS （advanced regional prediction system） with two options in the boundary conditions is used. In such conditions, wave-radiating open （radiative） with relaxation to the initial state were used while otherwise used absorbing boundary conditions data forced from MBLM （meso-scale boundary layer model） operational forecasters used by the National Weather Office. The results of both simulations are compared with data measured by three weather stations located around of the Uruguay River. As both simulations are initialized using the same data, there is a better agreement between the values obtained by forcing the boundary conditions for which are using ＂radiative＂ boundary conditions after 2 h physical time from the start of the simulation.     

Comparison of Lewis acids of different hardness supported on silica gel as catalysts of Diels–Alder reactions of (E)-2-cyanocinnamates

The behaviour of several Lewis acids, derived from zinc, aluminium and titanium, supported on silica gel, as catalysts of the Diels-Alder reactions of cyclopentadiene with methyl, (1R,2S,5R)-menthyl, and (R)-pantolactone (E)-2-cyanocinnamates has been compared. The best catalytic activities were observed with the zinc catalysts. The extent and even the direction of the asymmetric induction changes for the same chiral auxiliary depending on the catalyst used. Ab initio theoretical calculations, carried out on model dienophile-catalyst intermediates, show that the coordination of the softer zinc derivatives at the nitrogen atom is thermodynamically favoured, whereas coordination to the carbonyl oxygen atom is preferred for the harder aluminium catalysts. However, in both cases the most reactive intermediate comes from the coordination of the Lewis acid to the carbonyl group of the dienophile in the s-trans conformation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Modes of executive control in sequence learning: From stimulus-based to plan-based control.

The authors argue that human sequential learning is often but not always characterized by a shift from stimulus- to plan-based action control. To diagnose this shift, they manipulated the frequency of 1st-order transitions in a repeated manual left-right sequence, assuming that performance is sensitive to frequency-induced biases under stimulus- but not plan-based control. Indeed, frequency biases tended to disappear with practice, but only for explicit learners. This tendency was facilitated by visual-verbal target stimuli, response-contingent sounds, and intentional instructions and hampered by auditory (but not visual) noise. Findings are interpreted within an event-coding model of action control, which holds that plans for sequences of discrete actions are coded phonetically, integrating order and relative timing. The model distinguishes between plan acquisition, linked to explicit knowledge, and plan execution, linked to the action control mode. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electrochemistry of surface grafted copper(II) benzoate complexes

Glassy carbon electrodes were grafted with carboxyphenyl groups by reduction of 4-carboxyphenyldiazonium tetrafluoroborate and these modified electrodes were characterised by cyclic voltammetry and ac impedance measurements. Cu(II) was reacted with the carboxyphenyl groups in the film to give a surface voltammetric response for the immobilised Cu(II)/Cu(I) couple. The results indicated an ECEC mechanism, in which the chemical steps correspond to the change of coordination environment following the electron transfer steps. The relaxation half-life time for the Cu(I) species formed after electron transfer was estimated at (140 ± 11) s. The large value of the peak width of 200 mV was analysed by modelling the voltammograms and the large value of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) could be explained by dispersion in the formal potentials of Cu centres present in a variety of environments in the films studied. An ECEC mechanism (scheme of square) is proposed for the electron transfer reaction considering that the chemical step after reduction of the Cu(II) complex corresponds to conformational changes within the attached layer. Experimental data clearly show that the oxidation of the reduced film can take place from different Cu(I) complexes formed along the reduction to the fully relaxed Cu(I) species.     

Cancer prognostics by direct detection of p53-antibodies on gold surfaces by impedance measurements

The identification and measurement of biomarkers is critical to a broad range of methods that diagnose and monitor many diseases. Serum auto-antibodies are rapidly becoming interesting targets because of their biological and medical relevance. This paper describes a highly sensitive, label-free approach for the detection of p53-antibodies, a prognostic indicator in ovarian cancer as well as a biomarker in the early stages of other cancers. This approach uses impedance measurements on gold microelectrodes to measure antibody concentrations at the picomolar level in undiluted serum samples. The biosensor shows high selectivity as a result of the optimization of the epitopes responsible for the detection of p53-antibodies and was validated by several techniques including microcontact printing, self-assembled-monolayer desorption ionization (SAMDI) mass spectrometry, and adhesion pull-off force by atomic force microscopy (AFM). This transduction method will lead to fast and accurate diagnostic tools for the early detection of cancer and other diseases.     

Solute-solvent interactions in micellar electrokinetic chromatography. 6. Optimization of the selectivity of lithium dodecyl sulfate-lithium perfluorooctanesulfonate mixed micellar buffers

The optimization of the composition of mixed surfactants used as micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) pseudostationary phases is proposed as an effective method for the separation of complex mixtures of analytes. The solvation parameter model is used to select two surfactants (lithium dodecyl sulfate, LDS, and lithium perfluorooctanesulfonate, LPFOS) with contrasting solvation properties. Combination of these two surfactants allows variations of the solvation properties of MEKC pseudostationary phase along a wide range. Thus, the convenient variation of the proportion of both surfactants allows an effective control of the selectivity in such systems. An algorithm that predicts the overall resolution of a given mixture of compounds is described and applied to optimize the composition of the mixed surfactant for the separation of the mixture. The algorithm is based on the calculation of peak purities on simulated chromatograms as a function of the composition of the mixed LDS/LPFOS micellar buffer from data at several micellar buffer compositions. Successful separations were achieved for mixtures containing up to 20 compounds, in less than 12 min.     

New Electrosynthesis of Arylboronic Esters from Aromatic Halides and Pinacolborane

A novel synthesis of arylboronic esters by a reductive electrochemical coupling reaction between aromatic halides and pinacolborane (HBpin, pin=pinacolate) has been carried out leading to arylboronic esters in moderate to good yields.