Advanced titanium scaffolds obtained by directional freeze-drying: on the influence of processing conditions

Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain under Grant No. MAT2010-20855Junta de Andalucía (Spain) / FEDER (EU), through the project Ref. P12-TEP-140

Spectral unmixing of multiply stained fluorescence samples T

The widespread use of fluorescence microscopy along with the vast library of available fluorescent stains and staining methods has been extremely beneficial to researchers in many fields, ranging from material sciences to plant biology. In clinical diagnostics, the ability to combine different markers in a given sample allows the simultaneous detection of the expression of several different molecules, which in turn provides a powerful diagnostic tool for pathologists, allowing a better classification of the sample at hand. The correct detection and separation of multiple stains in a sample is achieved not only by the biochemical and optical properties of the markers, but also by the use of appropriate hardware and software tools. In this chapter, we will review and compare these tools along with their advantages and limitations

Gene deficiency in activating Fcγ receptors influences the macrophage phenotypic balance and reduces atherosclerosis in mice

Immunity contributes to arterial inflammation during atherosclerosis. Oxidized low-density lipoproteins induce an autoimmune response characterized by specific antibodies and immune complexes in atherosclerotic patients. We hypothesize that specific Fcγ receptors for IgG constant region participate in atherogenesis by regulating the inflammatory state of lesional macrophages. In vivo we examined the role of activating Fcγ receptors in atherosclerosis progression using bone marrow transplantation from mice deficient in γ-chain (the common signaling subunit of activating Fcγ receptors) to hyperlipidemic mice. Hematopoietic deficiency of Fcγ receptors significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesion size, which was associated with decreased number of macrophages and T lymphocytes, and increased T regulatory cell function. Lesions of Fcγ receptor deficient mice exhibited increased plaque stability, as evidenced by higher collagen and smooth muscle cell content and decreased apoptosis. These effects were independent of changes in serum lipids and antibody response to oxidized low-density lipoproteins. Activating Fcγ receptor deficiency reduced pro-inflammatory gene expression, nuclear factor-κB activity, and M1 macrophages at the lesion site, while increasing anti-inflammatory genes and M2 macrophages. The decreased inflammation in the lesions was mirrored by a reduced number of classical inflammatory monocytes in blood. In vitro, lack of activating Fcγ receptors attenuated foam cell formation, oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory gene expression, and increased M2-associated genes in murine macrophages. Our study demonstrates that activating Fcγ receptors influence the macrophage phenotypic balance in the artery wall of atherosclerotic mice and suggests that modulation of Fcγ receptor-mediated inflammatory responses could effectively suppress atherosclerosis

Sequential determination of uranium and plutonium in soil and sediment samples by borate salts fusion

[EN] This study describes a rapid method for sequential determination of uranium and plutonium isotopes in soil and sediment samples and its application to the study of Anthropocene sedimentary records. Different pretreatment methods have been tested (open-vessel digestion, borate salts fusion and NaOH salt fusion) achieving the complete dissolution of the sample in case of fusion methods. LiBO2 and Li2B4O7 (80/20) flux was finally selected because a higher amount of sample can be analyzed (up to 5 g). Moreover, separation steps with extraction chromatographic resin UTEVA were optimized. Average recoveries obtained for uranium and plutonium were acceptable, 59% and 72% respectively, and relative bias were below +/- 15%. The time to complete the separation is approximately 11 h without ashing the samples and, consequently, it can be used in emergencies.The authors are grateful to the Universitat Politècnica de València for finantial support under the "Programa propio para la Formación de Personal Investigador (FPI) de la Universitat Politècnica de València - Subprograma 1". We also thank the Valencian Agency for Security and Emergency and the Generalitat Valenciana for their support in the "Convenio de colaboración entre la Agencia Valenciana de Seguridad y Respuesta a las Emergencias y la Universitat Politècnica de València para el Desarrollo del Plan de Vigilancia Radiológica en Emergencias". The research was also funded by the ANTROPICOSTA-2: Anthropocene sedimentary record of the coastal and marine areas of Northern Atlantic Iberia (RTI2018-095678-B-C21, MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and HAREA-Coastal Geology Research Group (Basque Government, IT976-16) projects.Sáez-Muñoz, M.; Ortiz Moragón, J.; Martorell Alsina, SS.; Gómez-Arozamena, J.; Cearreta, A. (2020). Sequential determination of uranium and plutonium in soil and sediment samples by borate salts fusion. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry. 323(3):1167-1177. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-020-07028-5S116711773233Soppera N, Bossant M, Dupont E (2014) JANIS 4: an improved version of the NEA Java-based nuclear data information system. Nucl Data Sheets 120:294–296UNSCEAR (2010) Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. Volume I: sources: report to the general assembly, scientific annexes A and B. UNSCEAR 2008 report. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. United Nations sales publication E.10.XI.3. United Nations, New YorkWaters CN, Syvitski JPM, Gałuszka A, Hancock GJ, Zalasiewicz J, Cearreta A, Grinevald J, Jeandel C, McNeill JR, Summerhayes C, Barnosky A (2015) Can nuclear weapons fallout mark the beginning of the Anthropocene Epoch? Bull Atom Sci 71:46–57IAEA (2015) The Fukushima Daiichi accident, technical radiological consequences, vol 4. International Atomic Energy Agency, ViennaEPA (2012) EPA 402-R-12-006, radiological laboratory sample analysis guide for incident response—radionuclides in soil. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, MontgomeryMietelski JW, Wojtycza J, Zalewski M, Kapała J, Tomankiewicz E, Gaca P (2018) Plutonium and thorium isotopes in the bottom sediments of some Mazurian Lakes (Poland). J Radioanal Nucl Chem 318:2389–2399Corcho-Alvarado JA, Diaz-Asencio M, Froidevaux P, Bochud F, Alonso-Hernández CM, Sanchez-Cabeza JA (2014) Dating young Holocene coastal sediments in tropical regions: use of fallout 239,240Pu as alternative chronostratigraphic marker. Quat Geochronol 22:1–10Waters CN, Zalasiewicz J, Summerhayes C, Barnosky AD, Poirier C, Gałuszka A, Cearreta A, Edgeworth M, Ellis EC, Ellis M, Jeandel C, Leinfelder R, McNeill JR, Richter DDB, Steffen W, Syvitski J, Vidas D, Wagreich M, Williams M, Zhisheng A, Grinevald J, Odada E, Oreskes N, Wolfe AP (2016) The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene. Science 351(6269):aad2622Zalasiewicz J, Waters CN, Summerhayes C, Wolfe AP, Barnosky AD, Cearreta A, Crutzen P, Ellis E, Fairchild IJ, Gałuszka A, Haff P, Hajdas I, Head MJ, Ivar do Sul JA, Jeandel C, Leinfelder R, McNeill JR, Neal C, Odada E, Oreskes N, Steffen W, Syvitski J, Vidas D, Wagreich M, Williams M (2017) The Working Group on the Anthropocene: summary of evidence and interim recommendations. Anthropocene 19:55–60Qiao J, Hou X, Miró M, Roos P (2009) Determination of plutonium isotopes in waters and environmental solids: a review. Anal Chim Acta 652:66–84Croudace I, Warwick P, Reading D, Russell B (2016) Recent contributions to the rapid screening of radionuclides in emergency responses and nuclear forensics. Trends Anal Chem 85:120–129Casacuberta N, Lehritani M, Mantero J, Masqué P, Garcia-Orellana J, Garcia-Tenorio R (2012) Determination of U and Th α-emitters in NORM samples through extraction chromatography by using new and recycled UTEVA resins. Appl Radiat Isot 70:568–573Lozano JC, Herranz M, Mosqueda F, Manjón G, Idoeta R, Quintana B, García-Tenorio R, Bolívar JP (2017) Low-level determination of Th-isotopes by alpha spectrometry. Part 2: evaluation of methods for dissolution of samples and for test sample preparation. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 314:2519–2529Jurečič S, Benedik L, Planinšek P, Nečemer M, Kump P, Pihlar B (2014) Analysis of uranium in the insoluble residues after decomposition of soil samples by various techniques. Appl Radiat Isot 87:61–65Luo M, Xing S, Yang Y, Song L, Ma Y, Wang Y, Dai X, Happel S (2018) Sequential analyses of actinides in large-size soil and sediment samples with total sample dissolution. J Environ Radioact 187:73–80Sahli H, Röllin S, Putyrskaya V, Klemt E, Balsiger B, Burger M, Corcho Alvarado JA (2017) A procedure for the sequential determination of radionuclides in soil and sediment samples. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 314:2209–2218Reading D, Croudace I, Warwick P, Britton R (2015) A rapid dissolution procedure to aid initial nuclear forensics investigations of chemically refractory compounds and particles prior to gamma spectrometry. Anal Chim Acta 900:1–9IAEA (2009) IAEA/AQ/11A, procedure for the rapid determination of Pu isotopes and Am-241 in soil and sediment samples by alpha spectrometry, IAEA analytical quality in nuclear applications series no. 11. International Atomic Energy Agency, ViennaCroudace I, Warwick P, Taylor R, Dee S (1998) Rapid procedure for plutonium and uranium determination in soils using a borate fusion followed by ion-exchange and extraction chromatography. Anal Chim Acta 371:217–225Maxwell S, Culligan B, Hutchison J, McAlister D (2015) Rapid fusion method for the determination of Pu, Np, and Am in large soil samples. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 305:599–608EPA (2014) EPA 402-R-14-004, rapid method for sodium hydroxide fusion of concrete and brick matrices prior to americium, plutonium, strontium, radium, and uranium analyses for environmental remediation following radiological incidents. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, MontgomeryMaxwell S, Culligan B, Noyes G (2010) Rapid separation method for actinides in emergency soil samples. Radiochim Acta 98:793–800Galindo C, Mougin L, Nourreddine A (2007) An improved radiochemical separation of uranium and thorium in environmental samples involving peroxide fusion. Appl Radiat Isot 65:9–16EPA (2012) Rapid method for fusion of soil and soil-related matrices prior to americium, plutonium, and uranium analyses for environmental remediation following radiological incidents. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, MontgomeryMantero J, Lehritane M, Hurtado S, García-Tenorio R (2010) Radioanalytical determination of actinoids in refractory matrices by alkali fusion. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 286:557–563Braysher E, Russell B, Woods S, García-Miranda M, Ivanov P, Bouchard B, Read D (2019) Complete dissolution of solid matrices using automated borate fusion in support of nuclear decommissioning and production of reference materials. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 321:183–196Wang H, Ni Y, Zheng J, Huang Z, Xiao D, Aono T (2019) Low-temperature fusion using NH4HSO4 and NH4HF2 for rapid determination of Pu in soil and sediment samples. Anal Chim Acta 1050:71–79Leorri E, Cearreta A, García-Artola A, Irabien MJ, Blake WH (2013) Relative sea-level rise in the Basque coast (N Spain): different environmental consequences on the coastal area. Ocean Coast Manag 77:3–13Absi A (2005) Evolución del impacto radiactivo ambiental en la ría de Huelva tras el cambio en la gestión de los residuos de las industrias de producción deácido fosfórico. Doctoral thesis, Seville UniversityMARLAP (2004) Part II: chapter 13. Sample dissolution, (volume II), EPA 402-B-04-001B. 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Phase profile analysis of transparent objects through the use of a two windows interferometer based on a one beam splitter configuration

AbstractIn this research we implemented a two windows interferometer based on polarization phase shifting and grating interferometry techniques in order to retrieve the phase data profile of the object in a single capture. The optical configuration has two optical beams with circular polarization in opposite directions, and it is coupled with a 4-f system. An amplitude grid is used as a filter which is placed at the Fourier plane to obtain replicas of each beam which can properly interfere, depending on the separation between beams. The interferometer presents the capability of changing the beam separation in order to make different orders interfere properly. The interference patterns produced can be separately modulated through the operation of linear polarizer's placed on each interference replica. In order to present the capabilities of the system we will select four interferograms result of contiguous orders interference

High-throughput biointerfaces for direct, label-free, and multiplexed metaplasmonic biosensing

In recent years, metaplasmonic biosensors have emerged as a novel counterpart of well-established plasmonic biosensors based on thin metallic layers. Metaplasmonic biosensors offer high potential for sensor miniaturiza-tion, extreme sensitivity biosensing, and high multiplexing capabilities with detection methods free of coupling optical elements. These capabilities make metaplasmonic biosensors highly attractive for Point-of-Care and handled/portable devices or novel On-Chip devices; as a result, it has increased the number of prototypes and potential applications that emerged during the last years. One of the main challenges to achieving fully operative devices is the achievement of high-throughput biointerfaces for sensitive and selective biodetection in complex media. Despite the superior surface sensitivity achieved by metaplasmonic sensors compared to conventional plasmonic sensors based on metallic thin films, the main limitations to achieving high-throughput and multiplexed biosensing usually are associated with the sensitivity and selectivity of the bioin-terface and, as a consequence, their application to the direct analysis of real complex samples. This graphical review discusses the potential challenges and capabilities of different biofunctionalization strategies, biorecog-nition elements, and antifouling strategies to achieve scalable and high-throughput metaplasmonic biosensing for Point-of-Care devices and bioengineering applications like Organs-On-Chip

Extended WKB method, resonances and supersymmetric radial barriers

Semiclassical approximations are implemented in the calculation of position and width of low energy resonances for radial barriers. The numerical integrations are delimited by t/T<<8, with t the period of a classical particle in the barrier trap and T the resonance lifetime. These energies are used in the construction of `haired' short range potentials as the supersymmetric partners of a given radial barrier. The new potentials could be useful in the study of the transient phenomena which give rise to the Moshinsky's diffraction in time.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, 3 table