Stability of three-dimensional relativistic jets: implications for jet collimation

The stable propagation of jets in FRII sources is remarkable if one takes into account that large-scale jets are subjected to potentially highly disruptive three-dimensional (3D) Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. Numerical simulations can address this problem and help clarify the causes of this remarkable stability. Following previous studies of the stability of relativistic flows in two dimensions (2D), it is our aim to test and extend the conclusions of such works to three dimensions. We present numerical simulations for the study of the stability properties of 3D, sheared, relativistic flows. This work uses a fully parallelized code Ratpenat that solves equations of relativistic hydrodynamics in 3D. The results of the present simulations confirm those in 2D. We conclude that the growth of resonant modes in sheared relativistic flows could be important in explaining the long-term collimation of extragalactic jets.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Improvements of the particle-in-cell code EUTERPE for petascaling machines

In the present work we report some performance measures and computational improvements recently carried out using the gyrokinetic code EUTERPE (Jost, 2000 [1] and Jost et al., 1999 [2]), which is based on the general particle-in-cell (PIC) method. The scalability of the code has been studied for up to sixty thousand processing elements and some steps towards a complete hybridization of the code were made. As a numerical example, non-linear simulations of Ion Temperature Gradient (ITG) instabilities have been carried out in screw-pinch geometry and the results are compared with earlier works. A parametric study of the influence of variables (step size of the time integrator, number of markers, grid size) on the quality of the simulation is presented.Fil: Sáez, Xavier. Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion; EspañaFil: Soba, Alejandro. Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sánchez, Edilberto. No especifíca;Fil: Kleiber, Ralf. No especifíca;Fil: Castejón, Francisco. No especifíca;Fil: Cela, José M.. Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion; Españ

Effects of Nonthermal Plasma (NTP) on the Growth and Quality of Baby Leaf Lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. acephala Alef.) Cultivated in an Indoor Hydroponic Growing System

The aim of this research was to develop an effective protocol for the application of nonther-mal plasma (NTP) technology to the hydroponic nutrient solution, and to investigate its effects on the growth and quality of baby leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. acephala Alef.) grown in a hydroponic growing system (HGS) specifically designed for indoor home cultivation. Four HGSs were placed in separate growth chambers with temperature of 24 ± 1◦ C and relative humidity of 70 ± 5%). Lettuce plants were grown for nine days in nutrient solutions treated with NTP for 0 (control) to 120 s every hour. Results of the first experiments showed that the optimal operating time of NTP was 120 s h−1 . Fresh leaf biomass was increased by the 60 and 120 s NTP treatments compared to the control. Treating the nutrient solution with NTP also resulted in greater leaf content of total chloro-phylls, carotenoids, total phenols, and total antioxidant capacity. NTP also positively influenced chlorophyll a fluorescence in Photosystem I (PSI) and photosynthetic electron transport. These results revealed that the NTP treatment of the nutrient solution could improve the production and quality of hydroponically grown baby leaf lettuce

Label-Free Analysis and Sorting of Microalgae and Cyanobacteria in Microdroplets by Intrinsic Chlorophyll Fluorescence for the Identification of Fast Growing Strains.

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are promising organisms for sustainable biofuel production, but several challenges remain to make this economically viable, including identification of optimized strains with high biomass productivity. Here we report on a novel methodology for the label-free screening and sorting of cyanobacteria and microalgae in a microdroplet platform. We show for the first time that chlorophyll fluorescence can be used to measure differences in biomass between populations of picoliter microdroplets containing different species of cyanobacteria, Synechocystis PCC 6803 and Synechococcus PCC 7002, which exhibit different growth dynamics in bulk culture. The potential and robustness of this label-free screening approach is further demonstrated by the screening and sorting of cells of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii encapsulated in droplets.Author R.J.B. was supported by a Doctoral Training Grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the UK (Reference EP/P505445/1), and author J.J.L. was in receipt of a studentship from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) of the U.K. as part of the Cambridge BBSRC-DTP Programme (Reference BB/J014540/1). Authors S.A.-C., C.A., and A.G.S. acknowledge funding from the EC within the FP7 DEMA project, Grant Agreement No. 309086, and authors Z.Y., C.A., and A.G.S. were in receipt of funding from BBSRC sLoLa Award Reference BB/L002957/1.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the American Chemical Society via https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.6b0236

High mobilization of CD133+/CD34+ cells expressing HIF-1α and SDF-1α in septic abdominal surgical patients

Background: The control of endothelial progenitor cells (CD133+/CD34+ EPCs) migrating from bone marrow to peripheral blood is not completely understood. Emerging evidence suggests that stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) mediates egression of EPCs from bone marrow, while the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) transcriptional system regulates SDF-1α expression. Our study aimed to investigate the time course of circulating CD133+/CD34+ EPCs and its correlation with the expression of HIF-1α protein and SDF-1α in postoperative laparoscopic abdominal septic patients. Methods: Postoperative patients were divided in control (C group) and septic group (S group) operated immediately after the diagnosis of sepsis/septic shock. Blood samples were collected at baseline (0), 1, 3 and 7 postoperative days for CD133+/CD34+ EPCs count expressing or not the HIF-1α and SDF-1α analysis. Results: Thirty-two patients in S group and 39 in C group were analyzed. In C group CD133+/CD34+ EPCs count remained stable throughout the study period, increasing on day 7 (173 [0-421] /μl vs baseline: P = 0.04; vs day 1: P = 0.002). In S group CD133+/CD34+ EPCs count levels were higher on day 3 (vs day 1: P = 0.006 and day 7: P = 0.026). HIF-1α expressing CD133+/CD34+ EPCs count decreased on day 1 as compared with the other days in C group (day 0 vs 1: P = 0.003, days 3 and 7 vs 1: P = 0.008), while it was 321 [0-1418] /μl on day 3 (vs day 1; P = 0.004), and 400 [0-587] /μl on day 7 in S group. SDF-1α levels were higher not only on baseline but also on postoperative day 1 in S vs C group (219 [124-337] pg/ml vs 35 [27-325] pg/ml, respectively; P = 0.01). Conclusion: Our results indicate that sepsis in abdominal laparoscopic patients might constitute an additional trigger of the EPCs mobilization as compared with non-septic surgical patients. A larger mobilization of CD133+/CD34+ EPCs, preceded by enhanced plasmatic SDF-1α, occurs in septic surgical patients regardless of HIF-1α expression therein. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov no. NCT02589535. Registered 28 October 2015

Los valores humanos y el cerebro

los autores señalan la existencia de una base evolutiva de los valores humanos a través de estudios de neuroimagen con el fin de explicar con precisión la evolución de la estética y la ética.The authors point out the existence of a cognitive basis to human valúes through neuroimaging studies in order to explain accurately the evolution of ethics and aesthetics

Oxidative Stress-Related Signaling Pathways Predict Oocytes’ Fertilization In Vitro and Embryo Quality

Oocyte development and fertilization are largely influenced by the microenvironment of the follicular fluid (FF), and the exploration of its molecular/metabolic composition may help in improving in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. Here, the concentrations of molecules related to oxidative stress/inflammation were measured in FF from follicles at oocyte retrieval during IVF. Here, the FF antioxidant potential was correlated with the number of retrieved/mature oocytes and the number of fertilized ones. FF collected from the follicles of normal fertilized oocytes presented an elevated antioxidant capability, lower levels of pro-inflammatory molecules (i.e., IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, TGF-beta, and HIF-1 alpha), and a higher IL-10 concentration. FF samples from follicles at oocyte retrieval that resulted in top-quality embryos displayed a peculiar antioxidant capability and a further decrease in proinflammatory molecules when compared with FF, giving rise to poor-quality embryos. Finally, pro-inflammatory molecules were lower and accompanied by a high antioxidant capability in samples giving rise to successful embryo implantation. The antioxidant capability and IL-10 displayed a good predictive ability for fertilization and embryo quality. Overall, our data showed the great influence of oxidative stress on the oocytes' fertilization, and shed light on the importance of controlling the inflammatory and oxidative status of FF to obtain good-quality embryos with significant implantation potential

ROB performance in a high luminosity scenario

oS(TIPP2014)37