O objetivo desta dissertação foi estudar a produção de pós de titanato de alumínio - tialita - pelo processo sol-gel associado à aspersão térmica por plasma. Foram investigados 3 tipos de solventes (etilenoglicol, álcool etílico e água) para a obtenção de um pó com características adequadas para a aplicação por aspersão ténnica a plasma. Os pós foram preparados por co-precipitação de sais inorgânicos de titânio e alumínio através da desestabilização das soluções com uma base forte. Os produtos obtidos foram então secos, calcinados em diferentes temperaturas, observando a evolução das fases. Alternativamente, pós pré-calcinados foram submetidos à aspersão térmica a plasma contra um recipiente com água, e contra um substrato de aço baixo carbono, proporcionando um resfriamento rápido. Os pós obtidos foram caracterizados por análises terrnodiferenciais (ATD) e termogravimétricas (ATG), análise granulométrica por difração de laser, análise da evolução de fases em função da temperatura de calcinação (e após aspersão térmica) por difração de raios X, análise da homogeneidade química e morfologia das partículas utilizando microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) com o auxílio de espectrômetro de energia dispersiva (EDS). Os resultados mostraram que é possível obter, via sol-gel, matérias-primas adequadas para a formação da fase tialita após calcinação a temperaturas acima de 1300°C ou calcinando-se a cerca de 600°C e aspergindo em chama plásmica. Os diferentes solventes utilizados proporcionaram a produção de pós com diferentes morfologias e graus de homogeneidade química. Os pós apresentaram uma distribuição de titânio e alumínio na mesma partícula, sendo que a utilização de etilenoglicol corno solvente levou à maior homogeneidade. Com menores taxas de aquecimento nas calcinações (150Kfh), em temperaturas entre 800 e 1200°C, ocorre a segregação desses elementos com formação e crescimento de grãos de rutila e coríndon. Já com o rápido aquecimento e resfriamento, característicos da aspersão térmica por chama plásmica, a fase final preponderante é a tialita, tanto com resfriamento em água quanto no resfriamento sobre um substrato. / This work has the purpose of studying the production of a ceramic powder of aluminurn titanate - tialita - by sol-gel process associated with plasma spraying. Three kinds of solvents (ethyleneglicol, ethyl alcohol, and distillated water) were investigated in order to obtain a powder with adequate characteristics to be used as feedstock in plasma spray technique. The powders were made by co-prectpttation of inorganic salts of titanium and aluminurn through destabilization of the solutions using a strong base. The products obtained were dried, calcinated at different temperatures with attention to the phase evolution. Alternately, powders pré-calcinated were submitted to plasma thermal spraying in water and in a low-carbon steel substrate, providing an intense cooling rate. The powders obtained were characterized by differential thermal analysis (DT A) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), particle size analysis by laser diffraction, phase evaluation in function of calcinations temperature by X ray diffraction, chemical homogeneity and particle morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The results showed that is possible obtain, by sol-gel, adequate feedstock to formation of tialita phase after calcinations at temperatures above 1300°C, or calcining at temperatures near 600°C followed by thermal spraying with plasma flame. The different kinds of solvents used, propitiated the production of powders with different morphologies and degrees of chemical homogeneity. With low heating rates in calcinations (150Kih), at temperatures between 800°C and 1200°C, occurs the segregation of aluminum and titaniurn with formation and growing of corundum and rutile phases. Since with fast heating and cooling propitiate by plasma spraying, the preponderant final phase is tialite in the substrate (water or metallic) aspersion.

Submitted by JÚLIO HEBER SILVA (julioheber@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-10-27T16:02:50Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Paula Daiany Gonçalves Silva - 2016.pdf: 5020325 bytes, checksum: 7a70eccab776cc3598c1f6236a35273d (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jaqueline Silva (jtas29@gmail.com) on 2016-11-07T13:53:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Paula Daiany Gonçalves Silva - 2016.pdf: 5020325 bytes, checksum: 7a70eccab776cc3598c1f6236a35273d (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-07T13:53:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Paula Daiany Gonçalves Silva - 2016.pdf: 5020325 bytes, checksum: 7a70eccab776cc3598c1f6236a35273d (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Since the early 90's researchers have investigated the combination of nanocomposites comprised of multilayers, which have better efficiency than their corresponding individual particles, may present in certain cases, new properties. The resulting structure is called a core-shell. In this study, were synthesized ZrO2:Y 3+ coated with TiO2, obtaining nanocomposites ZrO2:Y 3+ @TiO2 with a thickness of 10, 20 and 50% shell. The photoluminescent property (FL) of the nanocomposites was studied. Such interest is due to the fact that the order/disorder structural at the interface of the core-shell type systems may be possible recombination processes responsible for the photoluminescence emission of these materials. Nanoparticles of the core and the shell were obtained by the Method of Polymeric Precursors. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to identify the formation of the nanocomposite and evaluate the structural order in the synthesized materials. The core was obtained with tetragonal structure and the shell with anatase structure. From the diffractograms have been carried out calculations of the crystallite size and lattice parameters. The characterization by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), it was not possible to differentiate the core of the shell by the images, since both are structurally ordered, requiring analysis by Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), which was verified the presence of Zr and Ti elements that comprise the core-shell nanocomposite. The FL emission results were explained as a function of the shell thickness, as well as the effect of calcination temperature on the order-disorder structural material. To evaluate the performance of the FL issuing nanocomposites were calculated chromaticity coordinates, based on the FL emission spectra. / Desde o início da década de 90 pesquisadores vêm investigando a combinação de nanocompósitos constituídos por multicamadas, os quais apresentam melhor eficiência do que suas partículas individuais correspondentes, podendo apresentar em alguns casos, novas propriedades. A estrutura obtida é denominada core shell. No presente trabalho, foram sintetizados ZrO2:Y 3+ recobertos com TiO2, obtendo nanocompósitos ZrO2:Y 3+ @TiO2 com espessura de 10, 20 e 50% de shell. Foi estudada a propriedade fotoluminescente (FL) dos nanocompósitos. Tal interesse deve-se ao fato de que a ordem/desordem estrutural na interface dos sistemas do tipo core-shell pode ser possibilitar processos de recombinação responsáveis pela emissão fotoluminescente destes materiais. As nanopartículas do core e do shell foram obtidos pelo Método dos Precursores Poliméricos. As amostras foram caracterizadas por difração de Raios X (DRX) a fim de se identificar a formação do nanocompósito e avaliar a ordem estrutural nos materiais sintetizados. O core foi obtido com estrutura tetragonal e o shell com estrutura anatase. A partir dos difratogramas foram realizados cálculos do tamanho de cristalito e parâmetros de rede. Na caracterização por Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão (MET), não foi possível diferenciar o core do shell pelas imagens, uma vez que ambos encontram-se estruturalmente ordenados, sendo necessária a análise por Energia Dispersiva de Raios X (EDX), na qual verificou-se a presença dos elementos Zr e Ti que compõem o nanocompósito core-shell. Os resultados de emissão FL foram explicados em função da espessura do shell, bem como pelo efeito da temperatura de calcinação na ordem-desordem estrutural do material. Para avaliar o desempenho da emissão FL dos nanocompósitos foram calculadas as coordenadas de cromaticidade, baseado nos espectros de emissão FL.

Este trabalho objetivou o estudo de rotas de formação de metabólitos secundários utilizando precursores isotopicamente marcados com 13C. Os experimentos de crescimento com adição de [1-13C]acetato, [1,2-13C2]acetato e [U-13C315N1]-L-cisteína para o fungo do ambiente marinho Penicillium sp. DRF2 mostrou que as ciclotiocurvularinas são provenientes da rota de formação de policetídeos e pela incorporação de L-cisteína, depois da transformação desta em 3-mercaptopiruvato. Os resultados sugerem que a formação das ciclotiocurvularinas provém de um processo de detoxificação da α,β-desidrocurvularina. O estudo do metabolismo secundário de Aspergillus sp. DLM3-8, também do ambiente marinho, mostrou que o seu perfil metabólico produzido em experimentos de crescimento sob diferentes condições é constante. Os experimentos de incorporação de precursores isotopicamente marcados com 13C na naftoquinonaimina, produzida por Aspergillus sp. DLM3-8 foram inconclusivos, indicando que outras abordagens experimentais devem ser realizadas para se investigar a biossíntese deste metabólito. / This investigation aimed investigated the formation routes of secondary metabolites using 13C-labelled precursors. Feeding experiments with [1-13C]acetate, [1,2-13C2]acetate and [U-13C315N1]-L-cysteine within the growth medium of the marine-derived fungi Penicillium sp. DRF2 showed that cyclothiocurvularins are derived from polyketides and from the incorporation of a L-cysteine residue, after its transformation into 3-mercaptopyruvate. The results suggest that the formation of cyclothiocurvularins is derived from a detoxification process ofα,β-dehydrocurvularin. Investigation of the secondary metabolism of a marine-derived Aspergillus sp. DLM3-8 indicated a stable metabolic profile under a variety of growth conditions. Feeding experiments with 13C-labelled precursors for the biosynthesis investigation of naphthoquinoneimine were inconclusive, indicating that other methodologies should be envisaged in order to investigate the biosynthesis of this metabolite.

La galanthamine est un alcaloïde isoquinoléique, utilisé dans le monde entier pour le traitement palliatif de la maladie d’Alzheimer en raison de son pouvoir inhibiteur de l’acétylcholinestérase. Cet alcaloïde est extrait à partir de bulbes d’Amaryllidaceae, Leucojum aestivum, Galanthus nivalis, et Narcissus sp. ou obtenu par synthèse chimique. La difficulté principale de cette dernière réside dans le respect de la configuration des centres d'asymétrie. La culture de tissus in vitro pourrait constituer une alternative intéressante pour obtenir ce composé à haute valeur ajoutée. Le premier objectif de ce projet, vise à améliorer l’accumulation de cet alcaloïde par les biais des biotechnologies. Le second objectif est de rechercher par criblage phytochimique (HPLC, LCMS, GCMS, et HPTLC-MS) de bulbes in vitro et in vivo d’Amaryllidaceae, de nouveaux alcaloïdes biologiquement actifs. Le troisième objectif porte sur l’étude de la voie de biosynthèse en vue de réaliser une synthèse biomimétique de la galanthamine. Nous avons établi des cultures in vitro de 3 espèces d’Amaryllidaceae. La variation des paramètres exogènes a conduit à une accumulation accrue d’alcaloïdes (0,02 à 0,2 % MS). Le criblage phytochimique a conduit à l’identification d’alcaloïdes nouveaux issus des cultures in vitro, n’existant pas in vivo, et présentant un puissant pouvoir inhibiteur de l’acétylcholinestérase (40 à 80 % Inh). L’ajout, de la 4’-Ométhyl-d3-norbelladine aux cultures in vitro a conduit à sa métabolisation en trois types d’alcaloïdes deutérés. Une stimulation de la synthèse et du relargage de la galanthamine native (0,15 % MS et 0,16 % Milieu) a été observée en présence du précurseur deutéré / Galanthamine is an Amaryllidaceae alkaloid used worldwide for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer’s disease because of his capacity to inhibit the acetylcholinesterase enzyme. There are two galanthamine sources for medical applications. One is the total synthesis, a complicated process because galanthamine has three asymmetric carbons, requiring stereochemically controlled synthesis. Galanthamine is also extracted from bulbs of some Amaryllidaceae such as Leucojum aestivum, Galanthus nivalis, and Narcissus sp.. The first aim of this work is to improve the accumulation of this alkaloid using biotechnologies. The second aim consists on the phytochemical screening (HPLC, LCMS, GCMS, et HPTLCMS) of in vivo and in vitro Amaryllidaceae bulbs, in order to identify new alkaloids with important pharmacological activities. Finally, the third aim concerns the study of the biosynthesis pathway in order to establish a biomimetic synthesis of galanthamine. Therefore, we established in vitro cultures of three Amaryllidaceae species. The variation of exogenousparameters led to the obtainment of high galanthamine accumulation (0.02 to 0.2 % DW). The phytochemical screening showed new alkaloids in extracts of in vitro cultures, which did not exist in in vivo extracts, and possessing high acetylcholinesterase activity (40 to 80 % Inh). The 4’-O-methyl-d3-norbelladine is incorporated into three different groups ofAmaryllidaceae alkaloids. The addition of the labelled precursor to shoot cultures stimulated the synthesis of native galanthamine (0.15 % DW and 0.16 % Culture medium)

Precursors related to seismicity patterns are probably the most promising phenomena for short-term earthquake forecasting, although it remains unclear if such forecasting is possible. Foreshock activity has often been recorded but its possible use as indicator of coming larger events is still debated due to the limited number of unambiguously observed foreshocks. Seismicity data which is inadequate in volume or character might be one of the reasons foreshocks cannot easily be identified. One method used to investigate the possible presence of generic seismicity behavior preceding larger events is the aggregation of seismicity series. Sequences preceding mainshocks chosen from empirical data are superimposed, revealing an increasing average seismicity rate prior to the mainshocks. Such an increase could result from the tendency of seismicity to cluster in space and time, thus the observed patterns could be of limited predictive value. Randomized tests using the empirical catalogues imply that the observed increasing rate is statistically significant compared to an increase due to simple clustering, indicating the existence of genuine foreshocks, somehow mechanically related to their mainshocks. If network sensitivity increases, the identification of foreshocks as such may improve. The possibility of improved identification of foreshock sequences is tested using synthetic data, produced with specific assumptions about the earthquake process. Complications related to background activity and aftershock production are investigated numerically, in generalized cases and in data-based scenarios. Catalogues including smaller, and thereby more, earthquakes can probably contribute to better understanding the earthquake processes and to the future of earthquake forecasting. An important aspect in such seismicity studies is the correct estimation of the empirical catalogue properties, including the magnitude of completeness (Mc) and the b-value. The potential influence of errors in the reported magnitudes in an earthquake catalogue on the estimation of Mc and b-value is investigated using synthetic magnitude catalogues, contaminated with Gaussian error. The effectiveness of different algorithms for Mc and b-value estimation are discussed. The sample size and the error level seem to affect the estimation of b-value, with implications for the reliability of the assessment of the future rate of large events and thus of seismic hazard. / Οι προσεισμοί αποτελούν τα πλέον υποσχόμενα πρόδρομα φαινόμενα για τη βραχυπρόθεσμη πρόγνωση των σεισμών, παρόλο που παραμένει άγνωστο το αν μια τέτοια πρόγνωση είναι εφικτή. Η χρήση της προσεισμικής δραστηριότητας ως ένδειξη ενός επερχόμενου μεγάλου σεισμού είναι αμφιλεγόμενη, κυρίως λόγω του περιορισμένου πλήθους των προσεισμών, γεγονός που πιθανά οφείλεται στην ανεπαρκή καταγραφή σεισμικών δεδομένων. Η άθροιση σεισμικών σειρών είναι μια μέθοδος που εφαρμόζεται προκειμένου να μελετηθεί η πιθανή παρουσία ενός γενικευμένου μοτίβου σεισμικότητας πριν από ισχυρούς σεισμούς. Η υπέρθεση σεισμικών ακολουθιών που προηγήθηκαν των κυρίων σεισμών αναδεικνύει μια αυξανόμενη μέση δραστηριότητα πριν από τους κύριους σεισμούς. Μια τέτοια συμπεριφορά θα μπορούσε να προκύψει και από την εγγενή τάση των σεισμών να ομαδοποιούνται χωρικά και χρονικά, με αποτέλεσμα τα παρατηρούμενα μοτίβα να έχουν περιορισμένη προγνωστική αξία. Τυχαιοποιημένοι έλεγχοι των πραγματικών δεδομένων υποδηλώνουν ότι ο παρατηρούμενος αυξανόμενος ρυθμός είναι στατιστικά σημαντικός σε σύγκριση με τη μεταβολή που οφείλεται στη γένεση απλών συστάδων σεισμών, αναδεικνύοντας την ύπαρξη προσεισμών αιτιολογικά συσχετιζόμενων με τους κύριους σεισμούς. Μια ενδεχόμενη αύξηση της ευαισθησίας των σεισμικών δικτύων πιθανά να συμβάλει στην αποτελεσματικότερη αναγνώριση των προσεισμών. Η πιθανότητα μιας τέτοιας βελτίωσης ελέγχεται με τη χρήση συνθετικών δεδομένων τα οποία προκύπτουν υπό προϋποθέσεις ως προς τη σεισμική διαδικασία. Οι επιπλοκές που μπορεί να προκύψουν από την παρουσία σεισμικότητας υποβάθρου και των μετασεισμικών ακολουθιών διερευνώνται αριθμητικά, με γενικευμένες περιπτώσεις και σενάρια που βασίζονται σε πραγματικά δεδομένα. Οι κατάλογοι που περιλαμβάνουν μικρότερους και επομένως περισσότερους σεισμούς μπορούν πιθανώς να συμβάλουν στην καλύτερη κατανόηση των σεισμικών διεργασιών και στη μελλοντική πρόγνωση των σεισμών. Σημαντική πτυχή σε τέτοιες μελέτες αποτελεί η σωστή εκτίμηση των ιδιοτήτων των σεισμικών καταλόγων, όπως είναι το μέγεθος πληρότητας και η παράμετρος b. Η επίδραση των σφαλμάτων των μεγεθών που υπάρχουν στους σεισμικούς καταλόγους στην εκτίμηση των προαναφερθέντων ιδιοτήτων ερευνάται χρησιμοποιώντας συνθετικά μεγέθη στα οποία ενυπάρχουν κανονικώς κατανεμημένα σφάλματα. Κατά τη διερεύνηση της αποτελεσματικότητας των διαφόρων μεθόδων που χρησιμοποιούνται για την εκτίμηση του μεγέθους πληρότητας προκύπτει ότι το μέγεθος του δείγματος και του σφάλματος των μεγεθών μπορούν να επηρεάσουν την εκτίμηση της παραμέτρου b, με επιπτώσεις στην εκτίμηση του ρυθμού των μελλοντικών ισχυρών σεισμών και την αξιολόγηση του σεισμικού κινδύνου.

La matrice extracellulaire (MEC) constitue une source de balises moléculaires qui guident les axones moteurs en direction de leur cible musculaire. Le collagène XV (COLXV) est un collagène associé aux lames basales qui est codé par deux paralogues chez le poisson zèbre, col15a1a et col15a1b. Au cours de ma thèse, nous avons déterminé le patron d’expression du second paralogue col15a1b et caractérisé sa fonction in vivo au cours du développement du poisson zèbre. Dans le tronc, col15a1b est spécifiquement exprimé par les précurseurs du muscle lent qui sont la source d’un grand nombre de molécules de la MEC constituant le chemin des axones moteurs en croissance. Grâce à des anticorps spécifiquement dirigés contre COLXV-B nouvellement générés, nous avons montré que COLXV-B balise la trajectoire des axones moteurs. Des expériences de perte et de gain de fonction ont montré que l’expression et l’organisation extracellulaire de col15a1b dépend des voies de signalisation Hedgehog et unplugged/MuSK respectivement. L’inhibition de l’expression de col15a1b provoque principalement un arrêt de croissance ou des erreurs de trajectoire des axones des motoneurones primaires et secondaires au niveau du point de sélection des trajectoires. Ce défaut d’innervation s’accompagne d’une atrophie musculaire et d’un comportement de nage anormal des embryons en réponse à une stimulation. La conservation de la synthénie, la similarité du patron d’expression de col15a1b et COL15A1 pourrait avoir une fonction identique chez l’humain et représenter un gène candidat pour les maladies neuromusculaires / The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides positional information to guide motoneuron axons toward their muscle target. Collagen XV is a basement membrane component encoded by two paralogs in zebrafish, col15a1a and col15a1b. My PhD project consisted in the characterization of the expression pattern of the col15a1b paralog during development and in the analysis of the in vivo function of this paralog in developing zebrafish embryos. Interestingly, we showed that col15a1b paralog is expressed by slow muscle precursors that represent an important source of the ECM path. Using newly generated antibodies to collagen XV-B (COLXV-B), we found that COLXV-B paves the trajectory of motor axons. Loss and gain of function experiments showed that col15a1b expression and extracellular organization depends respectively on Hedgehog and unplugged/MuSK signaling. Col15a1b knockdown weakly affected slow muscle differentiation but provoked primary and secondary motoneuron axons truncation or pathfinding errors at the choice point where pathway selection takes place. This resulted in muscle atrophy and compromised swimming behavior. Our data identified an unexpected role for COLXV-B as an unplugged/MuSK-dependent cue that paves the axonal motor path to guide the decision of axons at the choice point. The conserved syntheny, the broad expression pattern of col15a1b similar to COL15A1 ortholog and the conservation of the primary sequence of COLXV-B with the mammalian counterparts suggested that the human protein COLXV could display similar function and represent a gene candidate for neuromuscular disorders

Multiple sclerosis · Cortical demyelination · Oligodendrocytes · Oligodendrocyte precursors · Targeted cortical EAE

Les médulloblastomes (MB) sont les tumeurs cérébrales les plus fréquentes en pédiatrie. Ils apparaissent le plus souvent au niveau du cervelet. Ils peuvent être stratifiés en quatre groupes : les groupes WNT et SHH, où ces voies de signalisation sont altérées, et les groupes 3 et 4, présentant des anomalies chromosomiques et amplifications multiples, dont c-Myc (groupe 3) et N-Myc (groupe 4). L’une des altérations génétiques les plus retrouvées dans les MB est la surexpression du facteur de transcription OTX2. Ce facteur est exprimé dans les précurseurs des cellules granulaires (GCP) du cervelet, cellules d’origine de la majorité des MB. Pendant la période périnatale, les GCP subissent une phase de prolifération très intense en réponse au mitogène Sonic Hedgehog (SHH), ce qui les rendrait particulièrement sensibles à la tumorigenèse. Au cours de cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressé à la fonction d’Otx2 dans ces GCP. Nous avons montré que l’ablation conditionnelle d’Otx2 conduit à un défaut de prolifération des ces cellules. L’analyse approfondie de ce phénotype a permis de révéler qu’Otx2 stimule la prolifération des GCP parallèlement à la voie de signalisation Shh. Par ailleurs, l’ablation d’Otx2 dans un modèle murin mimant la formation de MB Shh-dépendants a montré qu’Otx2 s’avère indispensable pour leur maintien à long terme. En parallèle, nous avons tenté de créer un nouveau modèle murin mimant la formation de MB de groupe 3 en induisant l’expression, pendant la période postnatale, d’un dominant actif de c-Myc dans les cellules exprimant Otx2. Cette approche a donné des résultats inattendus : des carcinomes de plexus choroïdes, et non des MB, ont été obtenus. / Medulloblastomas (MB) are the most common brain tumors in paediatrics. They appear during development in the posterior part of the brain, mainly in cerebellum. MB can be stratified in four groups: the WNT and SHH groups, where these signalling pathways are aberrantly activated, and the groups 3 and 4, which display chromosomal abnormalities and multiple amplifications, including c-Myc (group 3) and N-Myc (group 4). One of the most frequent genetic alterations in MB is the overexpression of the Otx2 transcription factor (in 75% of cases). This factor, which is essential for central nervous system development, is expressed in granule cell precursors (GCP) of the cerebellum, which represent the cell of origin of the majority of MB. During the perinatal period, GCPs undergo intense proliferation in response to Sonic Hedgegog (SHH), making them particularly susceptible to tumorigenesis. During this thesis, we were interested in examining the function of Otx2 in GCPs. We have shown that conditional ablation of Otx2 leads to a GCP proliferation defect and that Otx2 stimulates the proliferation of these cells independently of the Shh signaling pathway. Moreover, ablation of Otx2 in a mice model of Shh-dependent medulloblastomas yielded very interesting results: while Otx2 does not seem to be required for the initiation of these tumors, it is essential for their long-term maintenance. In parallel, we tried to create a new murine model for the MB group 3 by inducing the expression, during the postnatal period, of an active dominant of c-Myc in cells expressing Otx2. This approach yielded unexpected results: choroid plexus carcinomas, instead of MB, were obtained.

No description available.

The electric grid has been expanding both in size and the technologies used. As of the 2020s, the United States power grid consists of more than 9,200 electric generating units with more than 1 million megawatts of generating capacity connected to more than 300,000 miles of transmission lines. The United States electricity grid has rapidly expanded in recent decades, and the majority (over 70\%) of its infrastructure has exceeded 25 years of age. Due to its size and age, several challenges have emerged. Widespread power outages have been increasing across the United States. Between 2018 and 2020, more than 231,000 power outages occurred in the United States that lasted more than one hour, out of which 17,484 lasted at least eight hours. In the same period, the power outages resulted in an annual loss of 520 million customer hours across 2,447 U.S. counties. Moreover, and with the rapidly changing climate, between 2000 and 2021, approximately 83\% of significant power outages impacting a minimum of 50,000 customers in the United States were attributed to severe weather conditions. Lastly, the increasing use of renewables and other non-traditional generation methods forces the power system towards a more decentralized model, with many integrated systems constantly added to the grid. This decentralization adds additional burdens on controlling systems and grid operators. The rapid growth of technology and data storage allowed the deployment of sensing devices across the electric grid. Such technologies present a golden opportunity to tackle many of the electric grid's challenges. Despite that, such technologies presented many challenges simultaneously. With the large amounts of data, it became humanly impossible to comprehend, analyze, and use all collected data manually. While machine learning can be used to analyze smart grid data, this can be challenged by the nature of its data. Smart grid produces high-dimensional spatiotemporal data, and many applications require multi-modal data. Moreover, power systems' data quality challenges add complexities to model development. The data is noisy, contains missing segments, and usually has incomplete and inaccurate labels. In addition, interpreting machine learning models in the context of smart grids poses unique challenges. To address these challenges, different models for multiple smart-grid applications were introduced in this research, where each model focused on producing practical solutions for the challenges facing current-day smart grids. Using spatiotemporal data, a solar generation prediction model was proposed. The solution combined spatial and temporal data, then utilized machine learning embeddings to build datasets to train downstream models. This resulted in accurate prediction of solar generation across several settings. In addition to solar generation prediction, several models were introduced to detect, predict and explain power grid faults. A neural model is introduced to detect power faults from Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) data. A novel method is introduced to preprocesses, de-noise, and combine high dimensional data, then this data is used to train novel neural methods that detect faults in multiple settings. This model addressed issues of high dimensionality and data quality. After that, several models studying power fault prediction and precursor discovery were introduced. A model that jointly predicts outages 6 hours ahead and produces explainable event precursors from multi-modal data is introduced. Where such precursors can assist power grid operators to take action to mitigate widespread power outages. Finally, a novel methodology is introduced that expands to previous work by predicting and extracting event precursors spatiotemporally 12 hours in advance. Where event precursors can be predicted on multiple spatial locations simultaneously, extracted spatiotemporal event precursors can help grid operators narrow down mitigation plans and help reduce the risk of widespread power outages. / Computer and Information Science