Showing papers by "Rovira i Virgili University published in 1999"
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that with codon usage analysis, the proposed horizontally transferred genes can be distinguished from highly expressed genes.
Abstract: Glycosyl hydrolase (GH) genes from Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis were used to search for cases of horizontal gene transfer. Such an event was inferred by G + C content, codon usage analysis, and a phylogenetic congruency test. The codon usage analysis used is a procedure based on a distance derived from a Pearson linear correlation coefficient determined from a pairwise codon usage comparison. The distances are then used to generate a distance-based tree with which we can define clusters and rapidly compare codon usage. Three genes (yagH from E. coli and xynA and xynB from B. subtilis) were determined to have arrived by horizontal gene transfer and were located in E. coli CP4-6 prophage, and B. subtilis prophages 6 and 5, respectively. In this study, we demonstrate that with codon usage analysis, the proposed horizontally transferred genes can be distinguished from highly expressed genes.
249 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a new approach for calculating uncertainties of analytical results based on the information from the validation process is proposed, which complements the existing approaches proposed to date and can be applied to any validated analytical method.
107 citations
TL;DR: Human adipose tissue levels of PBDE obtained in the current samples from Spain are comparable with the tissue levels reported in recent Swedish investigations.
99 citations
TL;DR: The results of the present study show that food groups such as vegetables, fruits, and cereals should not be excluded to estimate the total dietary intake of PCDD/Fs by general populations, especially in those countries and/or regions in which their consumptions are notable.
95 citations
TL;DR: While a significant correlation between the age of the subjects and the levels of PCDD/F in plasma could be observed, no significant differences were found in relation to the specific residential area.
86 citations
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TL;DR: It is shown that trace-level reuse is more effective than instruction- level reuse because the former can avoid fetching the instructions of reused traces, and this has two important benefits: it reduces the fetch bandwidth requirements, and it increases the effective instruction window size.
Abstract: Trace-level reuse is based on the observation that some traces (dynamic sequences of instructions) are frequently repeated during the execution of a program, and in many cases, the instructions that make up such traces have the same source operand values. The execution of such traces will obviously produce the same outcome and thus, their execution can be skipped if the processor records the outcome of previous executions. This paper presents an analysis of the performance potential of trace-level reuse and discusses a preliminary realistic implementation. Like instruction-level reuse, trace-level reuse can improve performance by decreasing resource contention and the latency of some instructions. However, we show that trace-level reuse is more effective than instruction-level reuse because the former can avoid fetching the instructions of reused traces. This has two important benefits: it reduces the fetch bandwidth requirements, and it increases the effective instruction window size since these instructions do not occupy window entries. Moreover, trace-level reuse can compute all at once the result of a chain of dependent instructions, which may allow the processor to avoid the serialization caused by data dependences and thus, to potentially exceed the dataflow limit.
70 citations
TL;DR: Although PCDD/F levels in milk from mothers living in the industrial area were found to be slightly higher than those observed in women living Tarragona downtown, most differences did not reach the level of statistical significance.
68 citations
TL;DR: A new procedure is proposed, which is totally consistent with the ISO approach in the sense that all the sources of error are identified, quantified and combined, but which is conceptually more similar to the `top-down' approach because of its holistic character.
Abstract: In this article, we critically describe the different approaches proposed so far for calculating uncertainty in chemical measurements: (1) the ISO approach, adapted for the analytical field by EURACHEM (commonly known as `bottom-up'), and (2) the Analytical Methods Committee approach (commonly known as `top-down'), based on interlaboratory information. We also propose a new procedure, which is totally consistent with the ISO approach in the sense that all the sources of error are identified, quantified and combined, but which is conceptually more similar to the `top-down' approach because of its holistic character. This new procedure estimates uncertainty from the information generated during the process of assessing accuracy.
62 citations
TL;DR: The concentrations of most elements in soil and vegetation samples collected near the MSWI are within the ranges previously reported for soil and Vegetation in the vicinity of MSWIs.
62 citations
TL;DR: The increase of fibrinopeptide A:D dimer ratio shows that the activation of coagulation is associated with a relative hypofibrinolysis in pre‐eclampsia.
48 citations
TL;DR: The PCDD/F concentrations in adipose tissue found in the current study are of the same order of magnitude than those reported for most industrialized countries, and although individuals living in industrial areas showed higher PC DD levels than those living Tarragona downtown the difference was not statistically significant.
TL;DR: Laser ablation of electrochemically deposited C60Mn [M = Pt, Ir(CO)2] films produces [C59M]+ whose electronic and geometric structures have been investigated by density functional theory.
TL;DR: Significant age-differences were found in most of the parameters used as indicators of nephrotoxicity in young and adult rats, with adverse renal effects being more severe with age.
TL;DR: The study of the faunal and lithic assemblage recovered from the Aurora stratum-TD6 level of the Lower Pleistocene cave site of Gran Dolina has allowed us to answer some important questions concerning the debate about the earliest evidence for human occupation of Europe and started new discussions about some geographical, ecological, and economic aspects of this earliest occupation.
01 Mar 1999
TL;DR: A scheme for anonymous fingerprinting based on committed oblivious transfer is presented in this paper where all computations can be performed efficiently.
Abstract: Thwarting unlawful redistribution of information sold electronically is a major problem of information-based electronic commerce. Anonymous fingerprinting has appeared as a technique for copyright protection which is compatible with buyer anonymity in electronic transactions. However, the complexity of known algorithms for anonymous fingerprinting deters their practical implementation, since they rely either on secure multiparty computation or on general zero-knowledge proofs. A scheme for anonymous fingerprinting based on committed oblivious transfer is presented in this paper where all computations can be performed efficiently.
TL;DR: The current levels of PCDD/Fs in soils, as well as those found in the previous survey are similar or even lower thanPCDD/F concentrations reported for soil samples taken near to municipal solid waste incinerators from different places.
Abstract: In order to determine the temporal variation in the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in soils in the vicinity of an old municipal solid waste incinerator (Montcada, Barcelona, Spain), in 1997 we collected 24 soil samples at the same sampling points in which samples were taken 1 year before. Each sample was analyzed for PCDDs and PCDFs by GC/MS. While in the previous study PCDD/F concentrations ranged from 0.30 to 44.26 ng TEQ/kg (dry matter), (median and mean values: 3.52 and 6.91 ng TEQ/kg), in the present study PCDD/F levels ranged from 0.15 to 29.27 ng TEQ/kg (median and mean values: 2.56 and 4.47 ng TEQ/kg). PCDD/F concentrations decreased in 14 of the 24 soil samples, while the remaining 10 samples showed increases of different orders. No statistically significant differences in PCDD/F levels according to the main wind directions in the area were noted. In both surveys, the highest PCDD/F concentrations were found 750 m from the stack to the south. The current levels of PCDD/Fs in soils, as well as those found in the previous survey are similar or even lower than PCDD/F concentrations reported for soil samples taken near to municipal solid waste incinerators from different places.
TL;DR: In this paper, the temporal variation in the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in soils in the vicinity of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI), 24 soil samples were collected at the same points in which samples had been taken one year before.
TL;DR: This article examined how three item response models performed when they were applied to data collected from a conventionally developed Likert-type personality scale, each model examined is based on a...
Abstract: This study examined how three item response models performed when they were applied to data collected from a conventionally developed Likert-type personality scale. Each model examined isbased on a...
TL;DR: Oral administration of L1 was the most effective treatment in enhancing urinary Al excretion in both age groups of Al-loaded rats, and this beneficial effect was similar for old and young animals.
24 Oct 1999
TL;DR: An iterative algorithm for approximating gray-scale images with adaptive triangular meshes ensuring a given tolerance at each iteration applies a non-iterative adaptive meshing technique, which converges faster than traditional mesh refinement algorithms.
Abstract: This paper presents an iterative algorithm for approximating gray-scale images with adaptive triangular meshes ensuring a given tolerance. At each iteration, the algorithm applies a non-iterative adaptive meshing technique. In this way, this technique converges faster than traditional mesh refinement algorithms. The performance of the proposed technique is studied in terms of compression ratio and speed, comparing it with an optimization-based mesh refinement algorithm.
TL;DR: Although the present results scarcely show Al-induced neurobehavioral effects, the influence of restraint stress on Al levels in whole brain and cerebellum can be the basis for further studies on the potential role of this element in certain neurological disorders.
Abstract: The influence of restraint stress on potential aluminum (Al)-induced behavioral changes was assessed in CD-1 mice. Three groups of adult mice were given 0, 300 and 600 mg Al/kg body weight per day in drinking water for 2 weeks. One-half of the animals in each group were concurrently subjected to restraint stress during 1 h per day throughout the study. After cessation of treatment, open-field activity, active avoidance learning, and motor resistance and coordination of the animals were evaluated. At the end of the behavioral testing period, mice were killed and Al concentrations were determined in a number of tissues. There were no remarkable effects of Al, restraint stress or their combined administration on either open-field activity or on the number of avoidances in an automatic reflex conditioner. However, a lower motor resistance and coordination in a rotarod were observed following exposure to Al at 600 mg/kg/day, restraint alone or concurrent administration of Al (300 and 600 mg/kg/day) plus restraint stress. The levels of Al in whole brain and cerebellum were significantly enhanced in mice exposed to Al plus restraint. Although the present results scarcely show Al-induced neurobehavioral effects, the influence of restraint stress on Al levels in whole brain and cerebellum can be the basis for further studies on the potential role of this element in certain neurological disorders.
TL;DR: Inspired by the experiments in the emerging area of DNA computing, a somewhat unusual type of computation strategy was recently proposed by one of us: to generate a (large) set of candidate solutions of a problem, then remove the non-solutions such that what remains is the set of solutions.
Abstract: Inspired by the experiments in the emerging area of DNA computing, a somewhat unusual type of computation strategy was recently proposed by one of us: to generate a (large) set of candidate solutions of a problem, then remove the non-solutions such that what remains is the set of solutions. This has been called a computation by carving. This idea leads both to a speculation with possible important consequences—computing non-recursively enumerable languages—and to interesting theoretical computer science (formal language) questions.
TL;DR: The present results suggest that Tiron may protect, at least in part, against metavanadate-induced behavioral toxicity.
Abstract: Recent studies have shown that oral vanadate (V5+) administration results in behavioral toxicity in rats. The chelating agent Tiron (sodium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-l,3-disulfonate) is an effective antidote in the removal of vanadium from vanadium-loaded rats. In this study, the protective activity of Tiron on vanadate-induced behavioral toxicity was evaluated in adult rats. Intraperitoneal treatment with Tiron at 235 or 470 mg/kg was initiated after 6 wk of oral sodium metavanadate administration (16 mg/kg/d) and continued for 2 wk. Although vanadate exposure did not result in a significant reduction in the general activity of the animals in an open field, a lower active avoidance acquisition could be observed. However, the vanadate-induced behavioral deficit was reverted by Tiron administration at 470 mg/kg. The present results suggest that Tiron may protect, at least in part, against metavanadate-induced behavioral toxicity.
01 Jan 1999-Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A-toxic\/hazardous Substances & Environmental Engineering
TL;DR: In this paper, the temporal variation in the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-pdioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in vegetation grown near an old municipal solid waste incinerator (Montcada, Barcelona, Spain) was determined.
Abstract: To determine the temporal variation in the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in vegetation grown near an old municipal solid waste incinerator (Montcada, Barcelona, Spain), 24 herbage samples were collected at the same sampling points in which samples had been taken one year before. While in the previous survey PCDD/F concentrations ranged from 1.07 to 3.05 ng I‐TEQ/kg (dry matter) (median value: 1.88 ng I‐TEQ/kg, mean value: 1.92 ng I‐TEQ/kg), in the current samples PCDD/F levels ranged from 0.75 to 1.95 ng I‐TEQ/kg (dry matter) (median value: 1.27 ng I‐TEQ/kg, mean value: 1.30 ng I‐TEQ/kg). An individual comparison between PCDD/F concentrations in samples collected in both studies shows a decrease in all the sampling points with an average reduction of 32.3%. This reduction can be due to general abatement actions for PCDD/F emissions.
TL;DR: A Spanish adaptation of the Test Anxiety Scale for Children (TASC) was administered to a sample of 1022 primary school children as mentioned in this paper, and the dimensionality and structure and gender differences of the adaptation were assessed and its criteria-related validity was compared with the Revised Children MAS and the EPQ-J N scale.
TL;DR: In this paper, a mathematical programming approach is proposed to study the integration of absorption chillers in combined heat and power plants, and the results highlighted the benefit obtained with the simultaneous presence of ammonia absorption cycles and a cogeneration based energy plant.
TL;DR: Under the current experimental conditions, caffeine alone or combined with restraint stress was not embryotoxic or teratogenic in mice and no significant effects of caffeine, restraint, or caffeine plus restraint on embryo/fetal development were noted.
Abstract: The maternal and developmental toxicity of combined exposure to restraint stress and caffeine was assessed in mice. On Day 9 of gestation, six groups of pregnant mice were treated (p.o.) with a single dose of 30, 60, or 120 mg/kg of caffeine. Immediately after caffeine administration, three of these groups were subjected to restraint for 14 hr. Control groups included unrestrained and restrained pregnant mice not exposed to caffeine. An additional group of animals (unrestrained and not exposed to caffeine) was deprived of food for 14 hr. A two-way (caffeine dose × restraint) analysis of variance revealed an overall effect (reduction) of restraint and caffeine exposure on maternal body weight gain and food consumption on gestation Days 9–11. Significant reductions were also observed in body weight at termination and corrected body weight change of dams concurrently exposed to 120 mg/kg of caffeine and restraint. By contrast, no significant effects of caffeine, restraint, or caffeine plus restraint on embryo/fetal development were noted. The doses of caffeine administered here are much higher than those usually consumed by the general population. Under the current experimental conditions, caffeine alone or combined with restraint stress was not embryotoxic or teratogenic in mice.
TL;DR: Dietary silicon was not effective in protecting against Al-induced developmental toxicity in mice and neither 118 nor 236 mg/l of silicon produced significant ameliorations on Al- induced foetotoxicity.
Abstract: In recent years, it has been demonstrated that oral aluminium (Al) exposure can produce growth retardation, delayed ossification and an increased incidence of foetal abnormalities in rats and mice. On the other hand, it has been also suggested that silicon may have a protective effect in limiting oral Al absorption. The aim of the present study was to assess whether dietary silicon could prevent against Al-induced maternal and developmental toxicity in mice. On gestation days 6-15, Al nitrate nonahydrate (398 mg/kg/day) was given by gavage to three groups of pregnant animals, which also received silicon in drinking water at concentrations of 0, 118 and 236 mg/l on days 7-18 of gestation. Three additional groups of pregnant mice received respectively: 270.6 mg/kg of sodium nitrate (gavage), and silicon in drinking water at 118 and 236 mg/l. Although silicon administration at 236 mg/l significantly reduced the percentage of Al-induced deaths, abortions and early deliveries, neither 118 nor 236 mg/l of silicon produced significant ameliorations on Al-induced foetotoxicity. Under the current experimental conditions dietary silicon was not effective in protecting against Al-induced developmental toxicity.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The presence of both mosquito-specific IgE and IgG in the patient's serum suggest a possible cooperative immune response leading to clinical manifestations of serum sickness.
Abstract: Local inflammatory reactions at the site of a mosquito bite are frequent. Immediate systemic reactions have occasionally been reported. The first case of a patient with relapsing episodes of a serum sickness-like syndrome following mosquito bites is reported herein. A 62-year-old patient came to the emergency room complaining of sudden malaise, chills, fever, headache, cervical lymph node enlargement, arthromyalgia, generalized purpura and leukopenia 6 h after a mosquito bite. He had experienced multiple similar episodes in the last 20 years, also following mosquito bites. Infectious and autoimmune diseases were ruled out. Serum IgE was 9,102 kU/l. Prick test of whole-body Culex pipiens extract was positive. Specific IgE to Aedes communis was 2.25 kU/l. SDS-PAGE immunoblotting of the patient's serum with whole-body C. pipiens extract revealed 43 and 17 kDa IgG-binding proteins and 22 and 17 kDa IgE-binding proteins, neither of which were found with control sera. Skin biopsy was consistent with leukocytoclastic vasculitis. The presence of both mosquito-specific IgE and IgG in the patient's serum suggest a possible cooperative immune response leading to clinical manifestations of serum sickness.
01 Jan 1999
TL;DR: Only the articulation of biology, ecology and culture could explain the multifarious faces of the human alimentation and its evolution, and it also could avoid biological, economic or social determinism.
Abstract: Feeding is a primary necessity, but food has not only a physiological or psychic function, but also a social and cultural one. The complexity of the alimentary act has awaked the interest of a number of disciplines, that study it from different perspectives and interests. But only the articulation of biology, ecology and culture could explain the multifarious faces of the human alimentation and its evolution, and it also could avoid biological, economic or social determinism. Because of this reason, interdisciplinarity appears to be necessary but difficult, and today it seems to be more a proposal than a fertile reality.