Biotechnological implications of the salivary proteome

Although very attractive for noninvasive specimen collection, saliva has not yet been considered a relevant bodily fluid for the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases. The functional roles of specific salivary peptides and proteins have also not yet been studied in detail. Recent proteomic analysis of human whole saliva has shown that salivary biomarkers could contribute to the detection of local and systemic diseases, provided the standardization of proper sampling procedures exists. Recently, interesting and novel functions for different families of specific secretory peptides and proteins have been demonstrated, which could be a basis for the design of peptidomimetics with relevant biotechnological applications. In this review, we focus on the most recent advances in analysing salivary proteins and their potential application in biotechnology.     

Afterlives of Dean C. Worcester's Colonial Photographs: Visualizing Igorot Material Culture,from Archives to Anthropological Fieldwork in Northern Luzon

Dean C. Worcester, an American colonial official, journeyed through northern Luzon in the early 1900s, recording the people's appearance, customs and material culture. His photographs had a profound impact on scientific activities in the Philippines, fostering an implicit theme of the unreadiness of the Filipinos for independence. While the photographs also reflect the paradigm of social evolutionism, I argue that they provide substantial visual evidence of the Igorots’ way of life, and can be used effectively in photo-elucidation today. This reveals deeper meanings of Igorot material culture through local narratives, meaningful analysis and closer examination.     

Model uncertainty quantification in Cox regression

We consider covariate selection and the ensuing model uncertainty aspects in the context of Cox regression. The perspective we take is probabilistic, and we handle it within a Bayesian framework. One of the critical elements in variable/model selection is choosing a suitable prior for model parameters. Here, we derive the so-called conventional prior approach and propose a comprehensive implementation that results in an automatic procedure. Our simulation studies and real applications show improvements over existing literature. For the sake of reproducibility but also for its intrinsic interest for practitioners, a web application requiring minimum statistical knowledge implements the proposed approach.     

The effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on concentration of dicarboxymide and acylanilide fungicides and pyrethroid insecticides during fermentation

Summary Continuing the investigation into possible yeast influence on ferment degradation of residual pesticides, two dicarboxymide antibotrytic fungicides (Iprodione and Procymidone), three acylanilide antiperonosporic fungicides (Benalaxyl, Furalaxyl and Ofurace) and two pyrethroid insecticides (Permethrin and Fenvalerate) were tested.Only the pyrethroids were degraded completely during fermentation.