Surface electromyography as a tool to assess the responses of car passengers to lateral accelerations: Part I. Extraction of relevant muscular activities from noisy recordings

The aim of this paper is to develop a method to extract relevant activities from surface electromyography (SEMG) recordings under difficult experimental conditions with a poor signal to noise ratio. High amplitude artifacts, the QRS complex, low frequency noise and white noise significantly alter EMG characteristics. The CEM algorithm proved to be useful for segmentation of SEMG signals into high amplitude artifacts (HAA), phasic activity (PA) and background postural activity (BA) classes. This segmentation was performed on signal energy, with classes belonging to a χ² distribution. Ninety-five percent of HAA events and 96.25% of BA events were detected, and the remaining noise was then identified using AR modeling, a classification based upon the position of the coordinates of the pole of highest module. This method eliminated 91.5% of noise and misclassified only 3.3% of EMG events when applied to SEMG recorded on passengers subjected to lateral accelerations.     

Heterogeneity of muscle activation in relation to force direction: A multi-channel surface electromyography study on the triceps surae muscle

Several skeletal muscles can be divided into sub-modules, called neuromuscular compartments (NMCs), which are thought to be controlled independently and to have distinct biomechanical functions. We looked for distinct muscle activation patterns in the triceps surae muscle (TS) using surface electromyography (EMG) during voluntary contraction. Nine subjects performed isometric and isotonic plantar flexions combined with forces along pre-defined directions. Besides the forces under the ball of the foot, multi-channel surface EMG was measured with electrodes homogeneously distributed over the entire TS. Using principal component analysis, common (global) components were omitted from the EMG signals, thereby estimating muscle activity sufficiently accurate to track fine fluctuations of force during an isotonic contraction (r = 0.80 ± 0.09). A subsequent cluster analysis showed a topographical organization of co-activated parts of the muscle that was different between subjects. Low and negative correlations between the EMG activity within clusters were found, indicating a substantial heterogeneity of TS activation. The correlations between cluster time series and forces at the foot in specific directions differed substantially between clusters, showing that the differentially activated parts of the TS had specific biomechanical functions.     

Blood puncture as a nondestructive sampling tool to obtain DNA in frogs: comparison of protocols and survival analysis

In molecular biology studies of Anura, nondestructive methods to obtain genetic material are needed as alternatives to toe clipping. This work evaluates a nondestructive method for sampling DNA from blood puncture, comparing the performance of three different extraction protocols (Qiagen Kit, Salting-out and Chelex). We collected 134 individuals of Eleutherodactylus johnstonei, extracting blood via puncture of the medial vein using commercial-grade glucometer lancets. We extracted 100-1880 ng DNA, finding no differences between the extraction protocols. We compared the quality of the resulting DNA through amplification and sequencing of the 16S mitochondrial gene. Amplification was successful for the three extraction protocols, although Chelex showed better performance, making it the most recommendable protocol for extraction of DNA from blood. The resulting sequences corresponded to those registered in the GenBank for this species. Additionally, we found no significant differences in survival or weight change between the individuals that were manipulated and a control group (mean survival 66.7% treated, 62.9% untreated). Data reveal that blood samples obtained by puncture are a convenient alternative to other tissues (phalange, buccal swab, liver) that have traditionally been used as DNA sources for anurans. The technique is applicable to small and large species, covering most anuran diversity, provides enough DNA for many genetic applications and produces no noticeable effect on the survival or performance, given that it does not affect the motor parts or the dexterity of the animals.     

Biomarkers as a tool to assess effects of chromium (VI): Comparison of responses in zebrafish early life stages and adults

The present work aims to compare the sensitivity of embryos and adult zebrafish to chromium (VI) (as potassium dichromate) focusing on biomarkers (cholinesterase, glutathione S-transferase and lactate dehydrogenase) as endpoints. Zebrafish eggs showed less sensitivity to Cr (VI) (96 h-LC₅₀ = 145.7 mg/L) than adults (96 h-LC₅₀ = 39.4 mg/L) probably due to the protective action of the chorion. However, biomarkers were much more responsive in larvae than in adults and gave clear indications about Cr (VI) mode of action: it seems to be neurotoxic (inhibited cholinesterase), to inhibit glutathione S-transferase activity and to interfere with cellular metabolic activity (changes in lactate dehydrogenase activity) in larvae. In adults, only glutathione S-transferase was responsive, showing a clear inhibition. The responsiveness of the analyzed biomarkers in larvae reinforces the idea of the usefulness of early life stage assays in the assessment of chemicals effects. Moreover, early life stage assays also contributed with relevant information regarding anomalies in larvae development and behavior. Further research should focus on the use of biomarkers to assess long term effects which are ecologically more relevant.     

Three-dimensional, sequence order-independent structural comparison of a serine protease against the crystallographic database reveals active site similarities: potential implications to evolution and to protein folding.

We have recently developed a fast approach to comparisons of 3-dimensional structures. Our method is unique, treating protein structures as collections of unconnected points (atoms) in space. It is completely independent of the amino acid sequence order. It is unconstrained by insertions, deletions, and chain directionality. It matches single, isolated amino acids between 2 different structures strictly by their spatial positioning regardless of their relative sequential position in the amino acid chain. It automatically detects a recurring 3D motif in protein molecules. No predefinition of the motif is required. The motif can be either in the interior of the proteins or on their surfaces. In this work, we describe an enhancement over our previously developed technique, which considerably reduces the complexity of the algorithm. This results in an extremely fast technique. A typical pairwise comparison of 2 protein molecules requires less than 3 s on a workstation. We have scanned the structural database with dozens of probes, successfully detecting structures that are similar to the probe. To illustrate the power of this method, we compare the structure of a trypsin-like serine protease against the structural database. Besides detecting homologous trypsin-like proteases, we automatically obtain 3D, sequence order-independent, active-site similarities with subtilisin-like and sulfhydryl proteases. These similarities equivalence isolated residues, not conserving the linear order of the amino acids in the chains. The active-site similarities are well known and have been detected by manually inspecting the structures in a time-consuming, laborious procedure. This is the first time such equivalences are obtained automatically from the comparison of full structures. The far-reaching advantages and the implications of our novel algorithm to studies of protein folding, to evolution, and to searches for pharmacophoric patterns are discussed.     

Development of image analysis techniques as a tool to detect and quantify morphological changes in anaerobic sludge: II. Application to a granule deterioration process triggered by contact with oleic acid

Image analysis techniques are applied to monitor the morphological changes in granular sludge present in an expanded granular sludge blanket (EGSB) reactor fed with oleic acid. Deterioration of granular sludge was monitored along the trial period by measuring the percentage of aggregates smaller than 1 mm (in terms of Feret diameter) either in terms of projected area or in terms of number of aggregates. A good correlation was obtained between these values and the percentage of aggregates smaller than 1 mm were physically sorted and quantified by the volatile suspended solid content. The ratio of total filaments length to cross-sectional area of aggregates defined as LfA, was applied to quantify the dispersion level of the granular sludge, which increased until day 141 and remained almost invariant afterwards. LfA was sensitive to the sludge deterioration process and was able to indicate, with the anticipation of about 1 month, the most significant biomass washout episode that occurred in the trial period. A mechanism of filaments' release, detachment and selective washout was proposed to explain the action of LfA from this viewpoint. The equivalent diameter of the bottom aggregates larger than 1 mm increased with the increase on the amount of long chain fatty acids associated with the biomass by mechanisms of adsorption, precipitation, or entrapment. After a threshold value of about 200 mg COD-LCFA gVSS (COD = chemical oxygen demand; LCFA = long chain fatty acids; VSS = volatile suspended solids), a migration of granular sludge from the bottom to a top-floating layer was evident.     

Fasciola hepatica: humoral and cytokine responses to a member of the saposin-like protein family following delivery as a DNA vaccine in mice

The humoral and cellular responses to DNA vaccination of BALB/c mice with a novel antigen from the Fasciola hepatica saposin-like protein family (FhSAP-2) have been investigated. Two constructs were produced containing the FhSAP-2 DNA sequence, one intended for extracellular secretion of FhSAP-2 protein, and one expressing FhSAP-2 in the cytoplasm of a transfected cell. The constructs were tested in HEK 293T cells, with the secretory construct producing less detectable FhSAP-2 relative to cytoplasmic construct when observed by fluorescence. The size of expressed protein was confirmed by Western blot of cell lysate, but FhSAP-2 was undetectable in cell supernatants. Both, secretory and cytoplasmic constructs as well as FhSAP-2 recombinant protein were tested in mice. The antibody response elicited in mice vaccinated with the rFhSAP-2 induced high levels of IgG(1), IgG(2), and IgE as well as high levels of IL-10 and IFNgamma indicating a mixed Th1/Th2 response. Vaccination of mice intramuscularly with the cytoplasmic FhSAP-2 construct resulted in a dominant IgG(2a) isotype antibody as well as a dominant IFNgamma cytokine, with significant IgE, IgG(1), and IL-10 responses also present, suggesting a mixed Th1/Th2 profile. Isotype and cytokine profiles elicited by the FhSAP-2 secretory construct were similar to those obtained with the cytoplasmic construct but at levels that were significantly lower. The results demonstrate that FhSAP-2 can be delivered as a DNA vaccine construct and induces a stronger Th1 response than the recombinant protein alone. This could result in an improvement in the immunoprophylactic potential of this candidate vaccine against F. hepatica.     

A comparison between the responses of neutral red and acridine orange: acridine orange should be preferential and alternative to neutral red as a dye for the monitoring of contaminants by means of biological sensors

The acridine orange (AO) and neutral red (NR) dyes, commonly used as probes to measure the internal pH in acidic vesicles, are compared in this article. The comparison between the two dyes (arising from calculations taking into account their analytical constants) illustrated that the use of AO is preferential to that of NR because the AO response is sensitive over the whole pH range between 4.0 and 7.4, whereas the NR response is effective only between pHs 4.0 and 6.0. In addition, it became evident from the mitochondrial respiration response that NR, unlike AO, is a protonophore. When taken into consideration, these two properties suggest that AO is more suitable than NR as an indicator of toxicity measurements in water samples because the environmental toxic compounds induce pH changes in the acidic vesicles of biological structures that are used as environmental biosensors.     

Resistance of Pediococcus cerevisiae to amethopterin as a consequence of changes in enzymatic activity and cell permeability : II. Permeability changes to amethopterin and other folates in the drug-resistant mutant

Pediococcus cerevisiae/AMr, resistant to amethopterin, possesses a higher dihydrofolate reductase (5, 6, 7, 8-tetrahydrofolate: NADP⁺ oxidoreductase, EC 1.5.1.3) activity than the parent, a folate-permeable and thus amethopterin-susceptible strain and than the wild-type. The properties of dihydrofolate reductase from the three strains have been compared. Temperature, pH optima, heat stability, as well amethopterin binding did not reveal significant differences between the enzymes from the susceptible and resistant strains. The enzyme from the wild-type was 10 times more sensitive to inhibition by amethopterin and more susceptible to heat denaturation. The apparent K_m values for dihydrofolate in enzymes from the three strains were in the range of 4.8–7.2 μM and for NADPH 6.5–8.0 μM. The amethopterin-resistant strain exhibited cross-resistance to trimethoprim and was about 40-fold more resistant to the latter than the sensitive parent and the wild-type. The resistance to trimethoprim appears to be a direct result of the increased dihydrofolate reductase activity. Inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase activity by this drug was similar in the three strains. 10–20 nmol caused 50% inhibition of 0.02 enzyme unit. Trimethoprim was about 10 000 times less effective inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase than amethopterin. The cell extract of the AMr strain possessed a folate reductase activity three times higher than that of the sensitive strain. The activities of other folate-related enzymes like thymidylate synthethase and 10-formyltetra-hydrofolate synthetase (formate: tetrahydrofolate ligase (ADP)-forming), EC 6.3.4.3) were similar in the three strains studied.     

Immobilization of the glycosidases: α- -arabinofuranosidase and β- -glucopyranosidase from Aspergillus niger on a chitosan derivative to increase the aroma of wine. Part II

The purpose of this paper was to study the immobilization of two glycosidases, α- -arabinofuranosidase (EC 3.2.1.55) and β- -glucopyranosidase (EC 3.2.1.21), contained in a commercial preparation and purified as reported in Part I. The procedure which proved to be the best is simple and inexpensive to perform, employing the chitosan derivative, glyceryl-chitosan, especially synthesized and characterized, as a support. The glycosidases were adsorbed on this support and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to prevent them from being released into the wine. Subsequent reduction of the biocatalyst with sodium borohydride allowed for improved stability. Finally, the immobilized glycosidases were compared with free ones in terms of optimum pH and temperature, stability over time, and kinetics parameters (K_m and V_max) after which they were employed for aromatizing a model wine solution containing aromatic precursors.