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Reproducibility of a deep-learning fully convolutional neural network is evaluated by training several times the same network on identical conditions (database, hyperparameters, and hardware) with nondeterministic graphics processing unit operations. The network is trained to model three typical time–space-evolving physical systems in two dimensions: heat, Burgers’, and wave equations. The behavior of the networks is evaluated on both recursive and nonrecursive tasks. Significant changes in models’ properties (weights and feature fields) are observed. When tested on various benchmarks, these models systematically return estimations with a high level of deviation, especially for the recurrent analysis which strongly amplifies variability due to the nondeterminism. Trainings performed with double floating-point precision provide slightly better estimations and a significant reduction of the variability of both the network parameters and its testing error range.

Aim of the study: To evaluate the effects of a mega-fire on the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community and parameters in soils under Cerrado vegetation. Study area: Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, Goiás, Brazil. This site suffered the biggest fire in its history on October 10, 2017, with an affected area of 66,000 ha. Material and methods: We analyzed AMF spore density, roots’ mycorrhizal colonization rate, easily extractable glomalin (EEG), as well as the AMF genera present. These parameters were evaluated in burned and unburned areas of five common phytophysiognomies of the region. Main results: Fire presence immediately affected the mycorrhizal community parameters in Cerrado soils, which tended to increase afterwards. The presence of AMF genera did not differ between burned and unburned areas, with Acaulospora, Claroideglomus, Diversispora, Glomus, Funneliformis, Sclerocystis, and Gigaspora being present. The recovery of AMF community conditions in the Cerrado after fire events could also be observed in the mycorrhizal parameters evaluated, as the values of spore density, roots’ mycorrhizal colonization rate, and EEG were similar in the burned and unburned areas. Research highlights: AMF diversity, and especially their community parameters, show great recovery after fire events, since they are crucial in processes like nutrient cycling and soil aggregation.

It is well-known that bacteria and fungi play important roles in the relationships between mycelium growth and the formation of fruiting bodies. The sun mushroom, Agaricus subrufescens, was discovered in Brazil ca. 1960 and it has become known worldwide due to its medicinal and nutritional properties. This work evaluated the bacterial community present in mushroom-colonized compost extract (MCCE) prepared from cultivation of A. subrufescens, its dynamics with two different soaking times and the influence of the application of those extracts on the casing layer of a new compost block for A. subrufescens cultivation. MCCEs were prepared through initial submersion of the colonized compost for 1 h or 24 h in water followed by application on casing under semi-controlled conditions. Full-length 16S rRNA genes of 1 h and 24 h soaked MCCE were amplified and sequenced using nanopore technology. Proteobacteria, followed by Firmicutes and Planctomycetes, were found to be the most abundant phyla in both the 1 h and 24 h soaked MCCE. A total of 275 different bacterial species were classified from 1 h soaked MCCE samples and 166 species from 24 h soaked MCCE, indicating a decrease in the bacterial diversity with longer soaking time during the preparation of MCCE. The application of 24 h soaked MCCE provided increases of 25% in biological efficiency, 16% in precociousness, 53% in the number of mushrooms and 40% in mushroom weight compared to control. Further investigation is required to determine strategies to enhance the yield and quality of the agronomic traits in commercial mushroom cultivation.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Cysteine-rich secretory protein 3 (CRISP3) is expressed at low levels in normal human prostate but often overexpressed in prostate cancer (PCa). The relevance of this overexpression for the malignancy of PCa is still unclear. The prognostic value of the currently used prostate specific antigen (PSA) test can be misleading under certain circumstances, resulting in overtreatment of indolent tumors. New biomarkers are needed to reduce overtreatment and improve quality of life of men. Objective: Evaluate if CRISP3 expression could be a good biomarker for PCa. Methods: CRISP3 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry in tissue sections of prostate cancer from twenty-five patients subjected to radical prostatectomy. Gleason grading system was used as prognostic indicator and the staging of PCa was defined using the TNM system. Clinical parameters and PSA levels before and after surgery were determined. Results: CRISP3 expression was strong in 14 (56%), moderate in four (16%) and weak in seven (28%) specimens. There was no correlation between the intensity of CRISP3 expression and pre- and post-treatment PSA levels. Fifteen (60%) of PCa biopsies showed extension of the primary tumor pT2. Seven patients (28%) showed Gleason score higher than 7; thirteen (52%) equal to 7, and five (20%) lower than 7. There were no significant statistical differences between Gleason score and CRISP3 expression. Conclusion: CRISP3 is expressed in prostate cancer at different levels. Additional studies are required to better evaluate if CRISP3 could be used as a biomarker.

In the present work, the effect of the cultivation process, in the field and under a controlled environment, on biochemical parameters by using commercial strains of A. subrufescens were evaluated. The results obtained revealed that the strains cultivated in the field presented higher levels for most of the parameters evaluated (organic acids (20.5–48.0 g/100 g dw), tocopherols (107.0–198.6 µg/100 g dw), and phenolic acids and related compounds (245.2–359.0 µg/100 g dw and 10.6–23.7 µg/100 g dw, respectively)), except for the carbohydrates (53.4–72.6 g/100 g dw), energetic value (373–380 Kcal/100 g dw), and total free sugars (28.8–43.1 g/100 g dw), parameters in which the strains grown in a controlled environment present better results. For both cultivation systems, similar results were obtained regarding saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These data contribute to the knowledge and highlight the characterized strains and the cultivation process, which can be used to obtain ingredients with potential applicability as a source of functional compounds.

Elizabeth M O’Day,1,2 Greg E Idos,3 Collin Hill,4 Joan W Chen,5 Gerhard Wagner1 1Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; 2Olaris Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; 3Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; 4PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA 02451, USA; 5Rancho Biosciences, San Diego, CA 92127, USA Background: Cancer cells have altered bioenergetics, which contributes to their ability to proliferate, survive in unusual microenvironments, and invade other tissues. Changes in glucose metabolism can have pleomorphic effects on tumor cells. Methods: To investigate potential mechanisms responsible for the increased malignancy associated with altered glucose metabolism, we used an unbiased nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy screening method to identify glucose metabolites differentially produced in a highly malignant human triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line (BPLER) and a less malignant isogenic TNBC cell line (HMLER). Results: N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), the predominant sialic acid derivative in mammalian cells, which forms the terminal sugar on mucinous cell surface glycoproteins, was the major glucose metabolite that differed. Neu5Ac was ~7-fold more abundant in BPLER than HMLER. Loss of Neu5Ac by enzymatic removal or siRNA knockdown of cytidine monophosphate N-acetylneuraminic acid synthetase (CMAS), which activates cellular sialic acids for glycoprotein conjugation, had no significant effect on cell proliferation, but decreased the ability of BPLER to invade through a basement membrane. Conversely, overexpressing CMAS in HMLER increased invasivity. TNBCs in The Cancer Genome Atlas also had significantly more CMAS copy number variations and higher mRNA expression than non-TNBC, which have a better prognosis. CMAS knockdown in BPLER ex vivo blocked xenograft formation in mice. Conclusion: Neu5Ac is selectively highly enriched in aggressive TNBC, and CMAS, the enzyme required for sialylation, may play an important role in TNBC tumor formation and invasivity. Keywords: triple-negative breast cancer, metabolism, invasion, cytidine monophosphate N-acetylneuraminic acid, sialic acid, NMR spectroscopy, metabolomics

We report herein a study on the glycosylation of cyclohexanol with four D-glucosamine-based peracetylated glycosyl chlorides bearing different substituents at C-2 and three glycosylation promoters, silver carbonate, silver triflate and mercury II chloride/mercury II oxide, by the Koenigs-Knorr method. Under the conditions studied, glycosylation was successful only when 3,4,6-tri-O -acetyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-α-D-glucopyranosyl chloride was used as the glycosyl donor, with silver carbonate proving the best promoter. In order to investigate the influence of the nature of the halogen at C-1, we also carried out the glycosylation of cyclohexanol with 3,4,6-tri-O -acetyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-α-D-glucopyranosyl bromide, a more reactive glycosyl donor. As expected, the yield with the bromide derivative was higher with the three promoters and, again, silver carbonate was the most efficient promoter. Finally, to illustrate the well-known efficient procedure for conversion of the phtalimido group at C-2 to the corresponding acetamido group, cyclohexyl 3,4,6-tri-O -acetyl-2-deoxy-2-phtalimido-β-D-glucopyranoside was converted into cyclohexyl 2-deoxy-2-acetamido-β-D-glucopyranoside in two steps, namely, hydrazinolysis of the phtalimido group followed by chemoselective acetylation of the free amino group by treatment with acetic anhydride in methanol, at 77% overall yield.

ABSTRACT This paper presents a paleoenvironmental reconstruction from palynological analyses of a sedimentary core of Holocene age, drilled at municipality of Garopaba (Santa Catarina), Southern Brazil. A total of 46 samples was collected for palynological analyses in the 450 cm-long core PCSC-3, as also three samples for radiocarbon dating and granulometric analyses. The palynological content includes 84 taxa related to pollen grains of angiosperms (38) and gimnosperm (3), spores of pteridophyta (16) and bryophyta (2), spores of fungi (8), algae (3), acritarchs (3), dinoflagellate cysts (2) and microforaminiferal linings (1). Three specimens of acritarchs are described and illustrated in detail. Three palynological phases were defined based on changes in assemblages: Phase I, Phase II and Phase III. The Phase I is characterized as a lagoonal paleoenvironment with marine influence from the beginning of the sedimentation (5390 cal yr BP), based on occurrences of acritarchs, dinoflagellate cysts and microforaminiferal linings. The Phase II (3032 yr BP until 858 cal yr BP) also is characterized by a lagoonal paleoenvironment, however, presented decrease in percentage of marine elements and increase in freshwater algae record, suggesting less marine influence in the lagoonal body. In Phase III (last 856 years), underwater sedimentation prevailed, under swamp-like conditions.

This paper presents the integration of micropaleontological (palynology and foraminifera) and isotopic (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of a selected interval from the well 2-TG-96-RS, drilled on the onshore portion of the Pelotas Basin, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A total of eight samples of the section between 140.20 and 73.50 m in depth was selected for palynological analysis, revealing diversified and abundant palynomorph associations. Species of spores, pollen grains and dinoflagellate cysts are the most common palynomorphs found. Planktic and benthic calcareous foraminifera were recovered from the lowest two levels of the section (140.20 and 134.30 m). Based on the stratigraphic range of the species of dinoflagellate cysts and sporomorphs, a span age from Late Miocene to Early Pliocene is assigned. The relative age obtained from the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in shells of calcareous foraminifers indicates a Late Miocene (Messinian) correspondence, corroborating the biostratigraphic positioning performed with palynomorphs. Paleoenvironmental interpretations based on the quantitative distribution of organic components (palynomorphs, phytoclasts and amorphous organic matter) throughout the section and on foraminiferal associations indicate a shallow marine depositional environment for the section. Two palynologicals intervals were recognized based on palynofacies analysis, related to middle to outer shelf (140.20 to 128.90 m) and inner shelf (115.75 to 73.50 m) conditions.

Friesella schrottkyi is a small stingless bee (3-mm long) important for agricultural and native forest pollination. This study describes the morphology and morphometry of the midgut in F. schrottkyi forager workers. The F. schrottkyi midgut presents a single-layered epithelium with digestive, regenerative and endocrine cells. The digestive cells are similar along the entire midgut length with a spherical nucleus, apex with long striated border, cytoplasmic granules in the apical region and well-developed basal labyrinth associated with mitochondria, suggesting they are multifunctional, synthesizing digestive enzymes and peritrophic matrix compounds and absorbing nutrients. Regenerative cells are located around the basal region organized in nests with some cells with a spherical nucleus. Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2-amide (FMRFamide) positive endocrine cells are restricted to the posterior midgut region, suggesting a paracrine function in the midgut. This is the first morphological description of the F. schrottkyi midgut contributing to the comprehension of the digestive process of this bee.

In this retrospective (1980-1998) study, we have analyzed clinico-demographically, from the records of the University Hospital of Fortaleza (Brazil), a group of 87 patients showing signs and symptoms of motor neuron diseases (MNDs). Their diagnosis was determined clinically and laboratorially. The WFN criteria were used for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis. The clinico-demographic analysis of the 87 cases of MNDs showed that 4 were diagnosed as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), 5 cases as ALS subsets: 2 as progressive bulbar paralysis (PBP), 2 as progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) and 1 as monomelic amyotrophy (MA), and 78 cases of ALS. The latter comprised 51 males and 27 females, with a mean age of 42.02 years. They were sub-divided into 4 groups according to age: from 15 to 29 years (n= 17), 30 to 39 years (n= 18), 40 to 69 years (n= 39) and 70 to 78 years (n= 4). From the 78 ALS patients, 76 were of the classic sporadic form whilst only 2 were of the familial form. The analysis of the 87 patients with MNDs from the University Hospital of Fortaleza showed a predominance of ALS patients, with a high number of cases of juvenile and early onset adult sporadic ALS.

Tools for the genetic manipulation of Trypanosoma cruzi are largely unavailable, although several vectors for transfection of epimastigotes and expression of foreign or recombinant genes have been developed. We have previously constructed several plasmid vectors in which recombinant genes are expressed in T. cruzi using the rRNA promoter. In this report, we demonstrate that one of these vectors can simultaneously mediate expression of neomycin phosphotransferase and green fluorescent protein when used to stably transfect cultured epimastigotes. These stably transfected epimastigotes can be selected and cloned as unique colonies on solid medium. We describe a simple colony PCR approach to the screening of these T. cruzi colonies for relevant genes. Thus, the methodologies outlined herein provide important new tools for the genetic dissection of this important parasite.

We report on the preliminary clinical and electrophysiological aspects of an in-patient possibly presenting epilepsia partialis continua (Koshevnikov). We discuss the different etiologies and emphasize on the possible idiopathic form in this case.Relatamos os aspectos clínicos e eletrofisiológicos preliminares de um paciente hospitalizado que possivelmente apresenta crises de epilepsia parcial contínua (Kojevnikov). Discutimos as diferentes etiologias dessa condição e salientamos a possível forma idiopática, nesse caso.

We study magic angle graphene in the presence of both strain and particle-hole symmetry breaking due to nonlocal interlayer tunneling. We perform a self-consistent Hartree-Fock study that incorporates these effects alongside realistic interaction and substrate potentials and explore a comprehensive set of competing orders including those that break translational symmetry at arbitrary wave vectors. We find that at all nonzero integer fillings very small strains, comparable to those measured in scanning tunneling experiments, stabilize a fundamentally new type of time-reversal-symmetric and spatially nonuniform order. This order, which we dub the "incommensurate Kekulé spiral"(IKS) order, spontaneously breaks both the emergent valley-charge conservation and moiré translation symmetries but preserves a modified translation symmetry T^′-which simultaneously shifts the spatial coordinates and rotates the U(1) angle which characterizes the spontaneous intervalley coherence. We discuss the phenomenological and microscopic properties of this order. We argue that our findings are consistent with all experimental observations reported so far, suggesting a unified explanation of the global phase diagram in terms of the IKS order.

Historically the double-pionic fusion to 3He is the reaction, where the ABC effect (low-mass enhancement of the ππ-invariant mass spectrum) was observed for the first time more than 50 years ago. Meanwhile exclusive and kinematically complete high-statistics measurements with WASA at COSY revealed a strict correlation between the ABC effect and a narrow resonance structure with I(JP) = 0(3+) in the total cross section of the most basic double-pionic fusion, the pn → dπ0π0 reaction. In order to investigate the situation in the double-pionic fusion to 3He the energy dependence of the ABC effect in the fusion to 3He has been measured by fixed energy measurements of the type pd →3Heππ as well as by quasifree and coherent measurements of the type dd →3He n ππ.

With pd collisions at Tp = 1.2 GeV exclusive measurements of the quasi-free pn → ppπ0π− reaction have been carried out. Using the WASA detector setup at COSY total and differential cross sections have been obtained for the energy region √s = 2.35 − 2.48 GeV. Though this includes the region of the ABC effect and its associated resonance structure, no low-mass enhancement (ABC effect) is found in the π0π−-invariant mass spectrum – in agreement with the constraint from Bose statistics demanding the isovector pion pair to be in relative p-wave. Conventional calculations including t-channel processes for Roper, Δ(1600) and ΔΔ excitations and their decays, which are well-known from the study of the two-pion production in pp collisions, provide a reasonable description of the data at high energies, but fall low at low energies. From this we conclude that a large contribution from a so far unknown isoscalar low-energy process is missed in the calculations. Inclusion of the ABC resonance at m = 2.37 GeV with Γ = 70 MeV and I(JP) = 0(3+), which was recently observed in the pn → dπ0π0 reaction, leads to a much improved description of the data at low energies.

With a proton beam of Tp = 1.2 GeV incident on the deuterium pellet target of the WASA detector setup all three basic double-pionic fusion reactions have been measured simultaneously. By use of quasifree kinematics the energy range 2.3 GeV ≤ √s < 2.5 GeV could be covered, which just coincides with the energy region, where the ABC effect and its associated resonance structure has been observed. From the isospin decomposition we see that the resonance effect is solely in the isoscalar part of the reaction process, whereas the isovector part exhibits a monotonic smoothly rising energy dependence and no ABC effect.

ABC effect, an intriguing low-mass enhancement in the ππ invariant mass spectrum — known since more than 50 years from inclusive measurements of double-pionic fusion reactions — is reexamined. To this end exclusive and kinematically complete high-statistics experiments of the fusion reactions to d, 3He and 4He have been carried out with WASA at COSY. These measurements cover the full energy region, where the ABC effect has been observed previously. They also complement the systematic measurements of nucleon-nucleon induced two-pion production. An isospin decomposition of all three basic double-pionic fusion reactions leading to the deuteron uniquely shows that solely the isoscalar reaction part exhibits the ABC effect tightly correlated with a narrow resonance structure in the total cross section. The peak energy of the resonance structure is about 90 MeV below the nominal ΔΔ threshold of 2 mΔ and its width of only 70 MeV is much less than the 2 ГΔ expected from the conventional t-channel ΔΔ process. Based on angular distributions the quantum numbers I(JP) = 0(3+) have been assigned. In the double-pionic fusion reaction dd→4Heπ0π0 again the ABC effect is observed to be correlated with the appearance of a resonance-like structure in the total cross section at the same excess energy. From this we conclude that this resonance structure obviously is strong enough to survive even in nuclei.

Finding robust brain substrates of mood disorders is an important target for research. The degree to which major depression (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are associated with common and/or distinct patterns of volumetric changes is nevertheless unclear. Furthermore, the extant literature is heterogeneous with respect to the nature of these changes. We report a meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies in MDD and BD. We identified studies published up to January 2015 that compared grey matter in MDD (50 data sets including 4101 individuals) and BD (36 data sets including 2407 individuals) using whole-brain VBM. We used statistical maps from the studies included where available and reported peak coordinates otherwise. Group comparisons and conjunction analyses identified regions in which the disorders showed common and distinct patterns of volumetric alteration. Both disorders were associated with lower grey-matter volume relative to healthy individuals in a number of areas. Conjunction analysis showed smaller volumes in both disorders in clusters in the dorsomedial and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, including the anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral insula. Group comparisons indicated that findings of smaller grey-matter volumes relative to controls in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left hippocampus, along with cerebellar, temporal and parietal regions were more substantial in major depression. These results suggest that MDD and BD are characterised by both common and distinct patterns of grey-matter volume changes. This combination of differences and similarities has the potential to inform the development of diagnostic biomarkers for these conditions.