Computational analysis and in vivo validation of a microRNA encoded by the IBTK gene,a regulator of B-lymphocytes differentiation and survival

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small single-stranded RNA molecules that play an essential role in the regulation of gene expression and cell physiology. Gene rearrangements occurring in the miRNA sequence are associated with cancer. The IBTK genetic locus is located in the genomic sequence 6q14.1 that undergoes chromosomal aberration in lymphoproliferative disorders. The IBTK gene encodes the proteins IBtk-α, β and γ that regulate the B cell receptor signalling through Bruton's tyrosine kinase, which promotes B cell survival and differentiation. Pro-MirII-based analysis predicted four precursors of microRNAs (pre-miR) encoded by introns 17, 21, 26 and the 3′ un-translated region of the IBTK gene. Pre-miR-IBTK3, which was encoded by intron 26, was the effective substrate of RNase III Dicer in vitro as well as the precursor of an IBtk miRNA generated in vivo. By CLUSTALW-based analysis, pre-miR-IBTK3 homologues were found in Pan troglodytes, Pongo pygmaeus and Macaca mulatta, suggesting an evolutionary conserved function in primates.     

Risk Analysis in Transport and Storage of Monomers: An Accident Investigation

Summary: In this work the analysis of an accident in transport of dangerous goods is proposed. The objective of this study is to contribute to the determination of the causes that brought about the self-polymerization of commercial divinylbenzene (DVB 63%) contained in an iso-container, in order to prevent this accident to happen in the future. Time and conditions during transport and storage of monomers (in particular the storage temperature) are very important factors, that affect the self-polymerization aptitude of these substances. To stabilize this monomer, usually 4-tert-Butylcatechol (TBC) is added at a level of 900–1200 ppm by weight to act as an inhibitor to prevent the self-initiated autopolymerization of the material. In particular one hypothesis has been investigated: probably the quantity of oxygen in the tanker was insufficient to activate properly the inhibition mechanism of TBC. From this consideration the self-polymerization of DVB and the inhibition mechanism of TBC have been studied as a function of temperature and monomer exposure to air. Different calorimetric techniques have been applied, in particular Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Adiabatic Calorimetry, to investigate the causes of the accident.     

A Novel Coordination Polymer Based on Decavanadate Units Linked by Copper(II) Ethylenediamine Complexes

Summary: A novel coordination polymer[{Cu(en)₂}(V₁₀O₂₈)]_n · 2n[Cu(en)₂(H₂O)] · 2n(H₃BO₃) · 2n(H₂O) was obtained by hydrothermal reaction. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, in the C2/c space group, with a = 26.490 (3) Å; b = 11.6558 (11) Å; c = 19.8426 (19) Å; β = 124.011 (1)°; V = 5078.6(8) ų. The solid structure is formed by polymeric chains, [Cu(en)₂(H₂O)]²⁺ cations, and boric acid and water solvate molecules, stabilized through a multiple hydrogen bond network.     

[Cu(H2btec)(bipy)]∞: Reusable Metal Organic Polymer Catalyst for Epoxidation Reactions

Summary: The search of new inorganic materials with better catalytic properties is an important field of research. Reusability, efficiency and atom economy correspond to the main parameters to characterize a catalyst. In this work, we inform the effectiveness of [Cu(H₂btec)(bipy)]_∞ (H₄btec = 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid) as an heterogeneous coordination polymer catalyst for the oxidation of olefins. The catalyst exhibits good atom economy, high turnover numbers and good selectivity for a ratio of 4000/1 substrate/catalyst for cyclohexene and styrene oxidation. Furthermore, the catalyst was recycled and reused for seven consecutive cycles, retaining the structural integrity and effectiveness as catalyst in all the performed experiments.     

Overview of analytical methods for beauvericin and fusaproliferin in food matrices

In recent years consumers and the scientific community have become increasingly interested in food safety, making it a major focus among the objectives of the international institutions responsible for food safety monitoring, e.g. the European Union or the EFSA. Aspects attracting much attention are the colonization of food by microscopic fungi which, under aerobic conditions, produce toxic secondary metabolites known as mycotoxins, and the accumulation of these toxins in the food chain. Numerous studies of surveillance, detoxification, prevention, and toxicological aspects reported in the literature mostly concentrate on major mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, trichothecenes, and fumonisins; studies on toxic secondary metabolites of mycotoxins are less common or are only just beginning. Among the molecules of interest, the family of beauvericin and fusaproliferin is certainly the most interesting. The objective of this review is to summarize reported data and the methods used to extract and quantify beauvericin and fusaproliferin in food matrices.     

Gradient regularity for elliptic equations in the Heisenberg group

We give dimension-free regularity conditions for a class of possibly degenerate sub-elliptic equations in the Heisenberg group exhibiting super-quadratic growth in the horizontal gradient; this solves an issue raised in [J.J. Manfredi, G. Mingione, Regularity results for quasilinear elliptic equations in the Heisenberg group, Math. Ann. 339 (2007) 485-544], where only dimension dependent bounds for the growth exponent are given. We also obtain explicit a priori local regularity estimates, and cover the case of the horizontal p-Laplacean operator, extending some regularity proven in [A. Domokos, J.J. Manfredi, C1,α-regularity for p-harmonic functions in the Heisenberg group for p near 2, in: Contemp. Math., vol. 370, 2005, pp. 17-23]. In turn, using some recent techniques of Caffarelli and Peral [L. Caffarelli, I. Peral, On W1,p estimates for elliptic equations in divergence form, Comm. Pure Appl. Math. 51 (1998) 1-21], the a priori estimates found are shown to imply the suitable local Calderón-Zygmund theory for the related class of non-homogeneous, possibly degenerate equations involving discontinuous coefficients. These last results extend to the sub-elliptic setting a few classical non-linear Euclidean results [T. Iwaniec, Projections onto gradient fields and Lp-estimates for degenerated elliptic operators, Studia Math. 75 (1983) 293-312; E. DiBenedetto, J.J. Manfredi, On the higher integrability of the gradient of weak solutions of certain degenerate elliptic systems, Amer. J. Math. 115 (1993) 1107-1134], and to the non-linear case estimates of the same nature that were available in the sub-elliptic setting only for solutions to linear equations.     

Synthesis and Molecular Structure Investigation by DFT and X-Ray Diffraction of ARNO

Abstract  

We report here the synthesis of (Z)-5-(4-nitrobenzyliden)-3-N(2-ethoxyphenyl)-2-thioxo-thiazolidin-4-one (ARNO) compound. The crystal structure has been determined by X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic system with space group P[`1] P\bar{1} and cell parameters: a = 9.1289(19), b = 9.3717(7), c = 12.136(3) ?, α = 102.133(11)°, β = 90.99(2)°, γ = 117.165(9)°, V = 895.4(3) ?³ and Z = 2. The structure has been refined to a final R = 0.05 for 2591 observed reflections. The refined structure was found to be significantly non planar. The molecule exhibits intermolecular hydrogen bond of type C–H⋯O and C–H⋯S. ab initio calculations were also were performed at Hartree–Fock and density functional theory levels. The full HF and DFT geometry optimization was carried out using LANL2DZ, 6-31G* and B3LYP/6-31+G** basis sets. The optimized geometry of the title compound was found to be consistent structure determined by X-ray diffraction. The minimum energy of geometrical structure is obtained by using level HF/LANL2DZ basis sets.     

Asymptotic analysis of the Bell polynomials by the ray method

We analyze the Bell polynomials B_n(x) asymptotically as n→∞. We obtain asymptotic approximations from the differential-difference equation which they satisfy, using a discrete version of the ray method. We give some examples showing the accuracy of our formulas.     

Surfaces with pg?=?q?=?1, K2?=?8 and nonbirational bicanonical map

We prove that if the bicanonical map of a minimal surface of general type S with p _g  = q = 1 and K_S²=8{K_{S}^2=8} is nonbirational, then it is a double cover onto a rational surface. An application of this theorem is the complete classification of minimal surfaces of general type with p_g=q=1, K_S²=8{p_{g}=q=1, K_{S}^2=8} and nonbirational bicanonical map.     

Weyl quantization of Lebesgue spaces

We study boundedness and compactness properties for the Weyl quantization with symbols in L^q (?^2d ) acting on L^p (?^d ). This is shown to be equivalent, in suitable Banach space setting, to that of the Wigner transform. We give a short proof by interpolation of Lieb's sufficient conditions for the boundedness of the Wigner transform, proving furthermore that these conditions are also necessary. This yields a complete characterization of boundedness for Weyl operators in L^p setting; compactness follows by approximation. We extend these results defining two scales of spaces, namely L_*^q (?^2d ) and L_?^q (R^2d ), respectively smaller and larger than the L^q (?^2d ),and showing that the Weyl correspondence is bounded on L_*^q (R^2d ) (and yields compact operators), whereas it is not on L_?^q (R^2d ). We conclude with a remark on weak‐type L^p boundedness (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)