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This paper provides an algorithmic pipeline for studying the intrinsic structure of a finite discrete dynamical system (DDS) modelling an evolving phenomenon. Here, by intrinsic structure we mean, regarding the dynamics of the DDS under observation, the feature of resulting from the "cooperation" of the dynamics of two or more smaller DDS. The intrinsic structure is described by an equation over DDS which represents a hypothesis over the phenomenon under observation. The pipeline allows solving such an equation, i.e., validating the hypothesis over the phenomenon, as far the asymptotic behavior and the number of states of the DDS under observation are concerned. The results are about the soundness and completeness of the pipeline and they are obtained by exploiting the algebraic setting for DDS introduced in [10]., Comment: Accepted for publication by Journal of Computational Science

Additional file 1. Supplementary Material for SMaSH: A scalable, general marker gene identification framework for single-cell RNA-sequencing.

1st Meeting of the Iberian Ecological Society (SIBECOL) & XIV Asociación Española de Ecología Terrestre (AEET) Meeting, Ecology: an integrative science in the Anthropocene, 4-7 February 2019, Barcelona, Spain.-- 1 page, With the arousal of citizen science in the Academia, the scientific community is facing new challenges but also is offered a plethora of opportunities. The objective of this workshop is, on one hand, bringing together some successful (and unsuccessful) experiences, but also, and more importantly, to discuss about these new challenges and opportunities. We aim at puting some light on issues such as data quality and control, ethics, big data and interoperability, and also at providing tools and strategies to start a project where citizen scientists may be invited to participate. Participants in this workshop may range from senior scientists to PhD students, interested in knowing more about citizen science and how they can (if they may) use this approach to increase the quantity and quality of their project's data

European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) International Conference, 3-5 June 2018, Geneva, Switzerland

This article describes an alternative method of academic advising, as opposed to the traditional faculty-student model. The objective of the counseling liaison model is to increase the retention and graduation rates of students through linking counseling intervention strategies with developmental academic advising.

Veinte conejas nulíparas se alimentaron ad libitum desde las 10 a las 16 semanas de edad con dos piensos isofibrosos, isoenergéticos e isoproteicos suplementados con dos fuentes de grasa diferentes: 0,75% de manteca para la dieta control (grupo C; n=10) ó 1,5% de un suplemento (Optomega-50; Optivite International Ltd., España) que contenía un 50% de extracto etérero y 38% de ácidos grasos poli-insaturados n-3 (AG n-3) para la dieta experimental (grupo P; n=10). A las 16 semanas de edad se determinó el consumo de pienso, así como la tasa de ovulación y las concentraciones plasmáticas de progesterona y LH a 0, 60 min, 5, 7 y 9 días post-inducción de ovulación con 20 μg de Gonadorelina (Inducel-GnRH, Lab. Ovejero). El consumo de pienso (150,5 g/d), el pico preovulatorio de LH (149,7±10,9 ng/ml), la tasa de ovulación (95%) y el número de cuerpos lúteos (9,8±0,7) fueron similares entre tratamientos. Las concentraciones plasmáticas de progesterona aumentaron a los 60 minutos (7,13±19 ng/ml) y 5 días (13,3±1,9 ng/ml) con respecto al día 0 (0,7±1,9 ng/ml; P

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is an autoimmune blistering skin disease associated with gluten-sensitive enteropathy (CD). In order to investigate the pathogenesis of skin lesions at molecular level, we analysed the gene expression profiles in skin biopsies from 6 CD patients with DH and 6 healthy controls using Affymetrix HG-U133A 2.0 arrays. 486 genes were differentially expressed in DH skin compared to normal skin: 225 were upregulated and 261 were downregulated. Consistently with the autoimmune origin of DH, functional classification of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) indicates a B- and T-cell immune response (LAG3, TRAF5, DPP4, and NT5E). In addition, gene modulation provides evidence for a local inflammatory response (IL8, PTGFR, FSTL1, IFI16, BDKRD2, and NAMPT) with concomitant leukocyte recruitment (CCL5, ENPP2), endothelial cell activation, and neutrophil extravasation (SELL, SELE). DEGs also indicate overproduction of matrix proteases (MMP9, ADAM9, and ADAM19) and proteolytic enzymes (CTSG, ELA2, CPA3, TPSB2, and CMA1) that may contribute to epidermal splitting and blister formation. Finally, we observed modulation of genes involved in cell growth inhibition (CGREF1, PA2G4, and PPP2R1B), increased apoptosis (FAS, TNFSF10, and BASP1), and reduced adhesion at the dermal epidermal junction (PLEC1, ITGB4, and LAMA5). In conclusion, our results identify genes that are involved in the pathogenesis of DH skin lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome in children perinatally infected with HIV-1 whose mothers received zidovudine (ZDV) monotherapy in pregnancy. DESIGN: Observational retrospective study of a prospectively recruited cohort. SETTING: Italian Register for HIV Infection in Children. PATIENTS: A group of 216 children perinatally infected with HIV-1, born in 1992-1997 and derived prospectively from birth: 38 children had mothers receiving ZDV monotherapy and for 178 children the mothers received no antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The estimated probability of developing severe disease or severe immune suppression, survival probability [95% confidence interval (CI)] within 3 years, and the hazard ratio (95% CI), adjusted for year of birth, maternal clinical condition at delivery, birthweight and treatments (Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia chemoprophylaxis and/or antiretroviral therapy before the onset of severe disease, severe immune suppression or death) were compared. RESULTS: Comparison of HIV-1-infected children whose mothers were treated with ZDV with children whose mothers were not treated showed that the former group had a higher probability of developing severe disease [57.3% (95% CI 40.9-74.3) versus 37.2% (95% CI 30.0-45.4); log-rank test 7.83, P = 0.005; adjusted hazard ratio 1.8 (95% CI 1.1-3.1)] or severe immune suppression [53.9% (95% CI 36.3-73.5) versus 37.5% (95% CI 30.0-46.2); log-rank test 5.58, P = 0.018; adjusted hazard ratio 2.4, (95% CI: 1.3-4.3)] and a lower survival [72.2% (95% CI 50.4-85.7) versus 81.0% (95% CI 73.7-86.5); log-rank test 4.23, P = 0.039; adjusted hazard ratio of death 1.9 (95% CI 1.1-3.6)]. CONCLUSIONS: This epidemiological observation could stimulate virologic studies to elucidate whether this rapid progression depends on in utero infection or transmission of resistant virus. Findings may suggest a need to hasten HIV-1 diagnosis in infants of ZDV-treated mothers and undertake an aggressive antiretroviral therapy in those found to be infected

The flavonolignan silybin (1), isolated from the seeds of milk thistle (Silybum marianum), occurs in nature as an equimolar mixture of two diastereoisomers, silybin A and silybin B, that exhibit different biologi- cal activities. The preparative production of optically pure silybin A and B in a diastereoisomeric purity greater than 95% was accomplished using immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (Novozym 435) in a combination of two reactions: regioselective acetylation of a natural silybin mixture (1) and subsequent stereoselective alcoholysis of the resulting 23-O-acetylsilybin (2). Several grams of the optically pure sub- stances can be produced within one week using this new, robust and scalable process, which is selective, mild and high-yielding.

In nature, the flavonolignan silybin (1) occurs as a mixture of two diastereomers, silybin A and silybin B, which in a number of biological assays exhibit different activities. A library of hydrolases (lipases, esterases, and proteases) was tested for separating the silybin A and B diastereomers by selective transesterification or by stereoselective alcoholysis of 23-O-acetylsilybin (2). Novozym 435 proved to be the most suitable enzyme for the preparative production of both optically pure silybins A and B by enzymatic discrimination. Gram amounts of the optically pure substances can be produced within one week, and the new method is robust and readily scalable to tens of grams.

Autoimmune liver diseases in childhood includes Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) and Primary (Autoimmune) Sclerosing Cholangitis (P(A)SC). Both diseases are characterized by a chronic, immune-mediated liver inflammation involving mainly hepatocytes in AIH and bile ducts in PSC. Both diseases, if untreated, lead to liver cirrhosis. AIH could be classified, according to the autoantibodies pattern, into two subtypes: AIH type 1 presents at any age as a chronic liver disease with recurrent flares occasionally leading to liver cirrhosis and liver failure. Characterizing autoantibodies are anti-nuclear (ANA) and anti-smooth muscle (SMA), usually at high titer (1:100). These autoantibodies are not specific and probably do not play a pathogenic role. AIH type 2 shows a peak of incidence in younger children, however with a fluctuating course. The onset is often as an acute liver failure. Anti-liver kidney microsome autoantibodies type 1 (LKM1) and/or anti-liver cytosol autoantibody (LC1) are typically found in AIH type 2 and these autoantibodies are accounted to have a potential pathogenic role. Diagnosis of AIH is supported by the histological finding of interface hepatitis with massive portal infiltration of mononuclear cells and plasmocytes. Inflammatory bile duct lesions are not unusual and may suggest features of ''overlap'' with P(A)SC. A diagnostic scoring system has been developed mainly for scientific purposes, but his diagnostic role in pediatric age is debated. Conventional treatment with steroids and azathioprine is the milestone of therapy and it is proved effective. Treatment withdrawal however should be attempted only after several years. Cyclosporin A is the alternative drug currently used for AIH and it is effective as steroids. P(A)SC exhibit a peak of incidence in the older child, typically in pre-pubertal age with a slight predominance of male gender. Small bile ducts are always concerned and the histological picture shows either acute cholangitis (bile duct infiltration and destruction) and/or lesions suggesting chronic cholangitis as well (bile duct paucity and/or proliferation, periductal sclerosis). Small bile ducts damage may be associated, at onset or in the following years, with lesions of larger bile ducts with duct wall irregularities, strictures, dilations, and beading resulting in the characteristic ''bead-on-a-string'' appearance. The ''small duct'' (autoimmune) sclerosing cholangitis is also called autoimmune cholangitis. PSC is strictly associated to a particular form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which shows features not typical of ulcerative colitis neither of Crohn's disease. Symptoms related to IBD often are present at onset (abdominal pain, weight loss, bloody stools) but the liver disease is frequently asymptomatic and it may be discovered fortuitously. Treatment of PSC is particularly challenging. In case of ''small duct'' SC or in case of evidence active inflammation on liver biopsy, immunosuppressive treatment is probably useful while in case of large bile ducts non inflammatory sclerosis, immunosuppression is probably uneffective. Ursodeoxycholic acid, however, may leads to an improvement of liver biochemistry even if there's no evidence that it may alter the course of disease. Thus, liver transplantation, is often necessary in the long term follow-up, even with a risk of disease recurrence. In adjunction to these two main disorders, many patients show an''overlap'' disease with features of both AIH and PSC. In such disorders the immune-mediated damage concerns both the hepatocyte and the cholangiocyte with a continuous clinical spectrum from AIH with minimal bile ducts lesions and PSC with portal inflammation and active inflammatory liver damage.

The hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDHs)-catalyzed one-pot enzymatic synthesis of 12-ketoursodeoxycholic acid (3a,7b-dihydroxy-12- oxo-5b-cholanoic acid), a key intermediate for the synthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid, from cholic acid has been investigated. This goal has been achieved by alternating oxidative and reductive steps in a one- pot system employing HSDHs with different cofactor specificity, namely NADH-dependent HSDHs in the oxidative step and an NADPH-dependent 7b-HSDH in the reductive one. Coupled in situ regeneration systems have been exploited not only to allow the use of catalytic amounts of the cofactors, but also to provide the necessary driving force to opposite reac- tions (i.e., oxidation and reduction) acting on differ- ent sites of the substrate molecule. Biocatalysts suita- ble for the set-up of this process have been selected and their kinetic behaviour in respect of the reac- tions of interest has been evaluated. Finally, the pro- cess has been studied employing the enzymes both in free and compartmentalized form.