Tracheobronchial ruptures in closed thoracic trauma

Authors refer about their experience on five cases of thoracic trauma. Following a review of international literature, they analyze the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this kind of injuries.     

Alu and L1 sequence distributions in Xq24-q28 and their comparative utility in YAC contig assembly and verification

The contents of Alu- and L1-containing TaqI restriction fragments were assessed by Southern blot analyses across YAC contigs already assembled by other means and localized within Xq24-q28. Fingerprinting patterns of YACs in contigs were concordant, and using software based on that of M. V. Olson et al. (1986, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83: 7826) to analyze digitized data on fragment sizes, fingerprinting itself could establish matches among about 40% of a test group of 435 YACs. At 100-kb resolution, both repetitive elements were found throughout the region, with no apparent enrichment of Alu or L1 in DNA of G compared to that found in R bands. However, consistent with a random overall distribution, delimited regions of up to 100 kb contained clusters of repetitive elements. The local concentrations may help to account for the reported differential hybridization of Alu and L1 probes to segments of metaphase chromosomes.     

Stannate and permanganate conversion coatings on AZ31 magnesium alloy

The formation of stannate and permanganate–phosphate conversion coatings on AZ31 magnesium alloy was investigated in situ by EIS measurements and their protective performances were studied by different electrochemical techniques in diluted (0.05 M) sodium sulphate solution.The influence that short or long treatment times exert on the performances of such conversion coatings is discussed. While permanganate–phosphate baths always built layers characterized by penetrating cracks, long stannate baths produced layers without interconnected porosity, but were defective. This accounted for the initial greater protectiveness achieved with the stannate treatment; nevertheless, the easy penetration of the electrolytic solution through such a layer quickly decreased its corrosion resistance.     

ONT-Based Alternative Assemblies Impact on the Annotations of Unique versus Repetitive Features in the Genome of a Romanian Strain of Drosophila melanogaster

To date, different strategies of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) have been developed in order to understand the genome structure and functions. However, the analysis of genomic sequences obtained from natural populations is challenging and the biological interpretation of sequencing data remains the main issue. The MinION device developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) is able to generate long reads with minimal costs and time requirements. These valuable assets qualify it as a suitable method for performing WGS, especially in small laboratories. The long reads resulted using this sequencing approach can cover large structural variants and repetitive sequences commonly present in the genomes of eukaryotes. Using MinION, we performed two WGS assessments of a Romanian local strain of Drosophila melanogaster, referred to as Horezu_LaPeri (Horezu). In total, 1,317,857 reads with a size of 8.9 gigabytes (Gb) were generated. Canu and Flye de novo assembly tools were employed to obtain four distinct assemblies with both unfiltered and filtered reads, achieving maximum reference genome coverages of 94.8% (Canu) and 91.4% (Flye). In order to test the quality of these assemblies, we performed a two-step evaluation. Firstly, we considered the BUSCO scores and inquired for a supplemental set of genes using BLAST. Subsequently, we appraised the total content of natural transposons (NTs) relative to the reference genome (ISO1 strain) and mapped the mdg1 retroelement as a resolution assayer. Our results reveal that filtered data provide only slightly enhanced results when considering genes identification, but the use of unfiltered data had a consistent positive impact on the global evaluation of the NTs content. Our comparative studies also revealed differences between Flye and Canu assemblies regarding the annotation of unique versus repetitive genomic features. In our hands, Flye proved to be moderately better for gene identification, while Canu clearly outperformed Flye for NTs analysis. Data concerning the NTs content were compared to those obtained with ONT for the D. melanogaster ISO1 strain, revealing that our strategy conducted to better results. Additionally, the parameters of our ONT reads and assemblies are similar to those reported for ONT experiments performed on various model organisms, revealing that our assembly data are appropriate for a proficient annotation of the Horezu genome.     

Revealing the Phenotypic and Genomic Background for PHA Production from Rapeseed-Biodiesel Crude Glycerol Using Photobacterium ganghwense C2.2

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are promising biodegradable and biocompatible bioplastics, and extensive knowledge of the employed bacterial strain’s metabolic capabilities is necessary in choosing economically feasible production conditions. This study aimed to create an in-depth view of the utilization of Photobacterium ganghwense C2.2 for PHA production by linking a wide array of characterization methods: metabolic pathway annotation from the strain’s complete genome, high-throughput phenotypic tests, and biomass analyses through plate-based assays and flask and bioreactor cultivations. We confirmed, in PHA production conditions, urea catabolization, fatty acid degradation and synthesis, and high pH variation and osmotic stress tolerance. With urea as a nitrogen source, pure and rapeseed-biodiesel crude glycerol were analyzed comparatively as carbon sources for fermentation at 20 °C. Flask cultivations yielded 2.2 g/L and 2 g/L PHA at 120 h, respectively, with molecular weights of 428,629 g/mol and 81,515 g/mol. Bioreactor batch cultivation doubled biomass accumulation (10 g/L and 13.2 g/L) in 48 h, with a PHA productivity of 0.133 g/(L·h) and 0.05 g/(L·h). Thus, phenotypic and genomic analyses determined the successful use of Photobacterium ganghwense C2.2 for PHA production using urea and crude glycerol and 20 g/L NaCl, without pH adjustment, providing the basis for a viable fermentation process.     

Recent Advances in Hydroxyapatite-Based Biocomposites for Bone Tissue Regeneration in Orthopedics

Bone tissue is a nanocomposite consisting of an organic and inorganic matrix, in which the collagen component and the mineral phase are organized into complex and porous structures. Hydroxyapatite (HA) is the most used ceramic biomaterial since it mimics the mineral composition of the bone in vertebrates. However, this biomimetic material has poor mechanical properties, such as low tensile and compressive strength, which make it not suitable for bone tissue engineering (BTE). For this reason, HA is often used in combination with different polymers and crosslinkers in the form of composites to improve their mechanical properties and the overall performance of the implantable biomaterials developed for orthopedic applications. This review summarizes recent advances in HA-based biocomposites for bone regeneration, addressing the most widely employed inorganic matrices, the natural and synthetic polymers used as reinforcing components, and the crosslinkers added to improve the mechanical properties of the scaffolds. Besides presenting the main physical and chemical methods in tissue engineering applications, this survey shows that HA biocomposites are generally biocompatible, as per most in vitro and in vivo studies involving animal models and that the results of clinical studies on humans sometimes remain controversial. We believe this review will be helpful as introductory information for scientists studying HA materials in the biomedical field.     

Comparative analysis of passive algorithms in adaptive control

Representative passive adaptive algorithms have been developed with a wide variety of applications. However, to the best of our knowledge, the attempt to unify or to compare them has not been clearly established in literature. In this article, we provide a passive adaptive framework which encompasses all those algorithms including the recently developed proportional‐integral (PI) adaptive scheme. A comparative analysis among performances of the passive algorithms is carried out by means of simulations considering the problem of passivity‐based adaptive tracking control of a simple pendulum. In addition, passivity property for PI algorithm is rigorously shown in case of linear parametrization. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pictures in Dispute: Documentary photography in Sandinista Nicaragua

The need for political participation felt in the aftermath of the Cuban revolution, and the widespread mobilization of photography to political ends during this period intersected with postmodern theory in a global arena. While US-based critiques of the documentary genre have been duly analyzed in the relevant literature, related conversations taking place in Latin America have only been marginally explored. This article posits that so-called postmodern discourses in fact created the basis for a horizontal, transnational and multi-centered, rather than vertical (North?South) dynamic between these photographic communities. Through their commitment to politics, and to avant-garde aesthetics, documentary photographers performed gestures of cultural and visual appropriation, fitting their itinerant context. This article analyzes the work of Claudia Gordillo, taking as a case study Nicaragua during the 1980s.