Automatic crater detection using DEM and circular coherency analysis - A case study on South American craters

Accepted versio

Proven, probable, and possible impact craters in South America revealed by ASTER and SRTM data and image processing techniques

Accepted versio

The production rate of small craters on Earth and the expected crater population in South America

Accepted versio

IFN-γ-producing CD4+ T cells promote experimental cerebral malaria by modulating CD8+ T cell accumulation within the brain.

It is well established that IFN-γ is required for the development of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection of C57BL/6 mice. However, the temporal and tissue-specific cellular sources of IFN-γ during P. berghei ANKA infection have not been investigated, and it is not known whether IFN-γ production by a single cell type in isolation can induce cerebral pathology. In this study, using IFN-γ reporter mice, we show that NK cells dominate the IFN-γ response during the early stages of infection in the brain, but not in the spleen, before being replaced by CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. Importantly, we demonstrate that IFN-γ-producing CD4(+) T cells, but not innate or CD8(+) T cells, can promote the development of ECM in normally resistant IFN-γ(-/-) mice infected with P. berghei ANKA. Adoptively transferred wild-type CD4(+) T cells accumulate within the spleen, lung, and brain of IFN-γ(-/-) mice and induce ECM through active IFN-γ secretion, which increases the accumulation of endogenous IFN-γ(-/-) CD8(+) T cells within the brain. Depletion of endogenous IFN-γ(-/-) CD8(+) T cells abrogates the ability of wild-type CD4(+) T cells to promote ECM. Finally, we show that IFN-γ production, specifically by CD4(+) T cells, is sufficient to induce expression of CXCL9 and CXCL10 within the brain, providing a mechanistic basis for the enhanced CD8(+) T cell accumulation. To our knowledge, these observations demonstrate, for the first time, the importance of and pathways by which IFN-γ-producing CD4(+) T cells promote the development of ECM during P. berghei ANKA infection

The Rio Cuarto crater field re-visited: remote sensing imagery analysis and new field observations.

Accepted versio

Extraction and Fractionation of Pigments from Saccharina latissima (Linnaeus, 2006) Using an Ionic Liquid plus Oil plus Water System

There is a strong industrial interest in the development of greener and more sustainable processes based on the use of renewable resources, and a biorefinery based on marine resources, such as macroalgae, stands as a major opportunity toward that end. In this work, Saccharina latissima (Linnaeus), a brown macroalga, was used as a source of pigments to develop an integrated platform that is able to promote the extraction and separation of chlorophyll and fucoxanthin in one single step. The process was studied, and its operational conditions were optimized with yields of extraction of chlorophyll and fucoxanthin of 4.93 ± 0.22 mgchl·gdry biomass–1 and 1956 ± 84 μgfuco·gdry biomass–1, respectively. These results were achieved with extraction systems composed of 84% of an aqueous solution of a tensioactive phosphonium-based ionic liquid (IL) at 350 mM + 16% of sunflower oil, during 40 min, using a solid–liquid ratio of 0.017 gdry biomass·mLsolvent–1. After the separation of both aqueous IL-rich and oil-rich phases, the IL content in both phases was investigated, the oil phase being free of IL. Envisioning the industrial potential of the process developed in this work, the recovery of the IL from the aqueous IL-rich phase of the initial system was attempted by a back-extraction using organic solvents immiscible in water, being shown that 82% of the IL can be recovered and reused in new cycles of extraction. The environmental and economic impacts of the final process proposed for the extraction and fractionation of chlorophyll and fucoxanthin were evaluated. Different scenarios were considered, but summing up the main results, the solvents’ recycling allowed better results, proving the economic and environmental viability of the overall process

Dermatological remedies in the traditional pharmacopoeia of Vulture-Alto Bradano, inland southern Italy

Dermatological remedies make up at least one-third of the traditional pharmacopoeia in southern Italy. The identification of folk remedies for the skin is important both for the preservation of traditional medical knowledge and in the search for novel antimicrobial agents in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI). Our goal is to document traditional remedies from botanical, animal, mineral and industrial sources for the topical treatment of skin ailments. In addition to SSTI remedies for humans, we also discuss certain ethnoveterinary applications. Field research was conducted in ten communities in the Vulture-Alto Bradano area of the Basilicata province, southern Italy. We randomly sampled 112 interviewees, stratified by age and gender. After obtaining prior informed consent, we collected data through semi-structured interviews, participant-observation, and small focus groups techniques. Voucher specimens of all cited botanic species were deposited at FTG and HLUC herbaria located in the US and Italy. We report the preparation and topical application of 116 remedies derived from 38 plant species. Remedies are used to treat laceration, burn wound, wart, inflammation, rash, dental abscess, furuncle, dermatitis, and other conditions. The pharmacopoeia also includes 49 animal remedies derived from sources such as pigs, slugs, and humans. Ethnoveterinary medicine, which incorporates both animal and plant derived remedies, is addressed. We also examine the recent decline in knowledge regarding the dermatological pharmacopoeia. The traditional dermatological pharmacopoeia of Vulture-Alto Bradano is based on a dynamic folk medical construct of natural and spiritual illness and healing. Remedies are used to treat more than 45 skin and soft tissue conditions of both humans and animals. Of the total 165 remedies reported, 110 have never before been published in the mainland southern Italian ethnomedical literature

A Mitochondrial DNA Phylogeny Indicates Close Relationships between Populations of Lutzomyia whitmani (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) from the Rain-forest Regions of Amazônia and Northeast Brazil

Phylogenetic analysis of all 31 described mitochondrial (cytochrome b) haplotypes of Lutzomyia whitmani demonstrated that new material from the State of Rondônia, in southwest Amazônia, forms a clade within a lineage found only in the rain-forest regions of Brazil. This rain-forest lineage also contains two other clades of haplotypes, one from eastern Amazônia and one from the Atlantic forest zone of northeast Brazil (including the type locality of the species in Ilhéus, State of Bahia). These findings do not favour recognizing two allopatric cryptic species of L. whitmani, one associated with the silvatic transmission of Leishmania shawi in southeast Amazônia and the other with the peridomestic transmission of Le. braziliensis in northeast Brazil. Instead, they suggest that there is (or has been in the recent past) a continuum of inter-breeding populations of L. whitmani in the rain-forest regions of Brazil

INTERPRETANDO O LÍQUOR – COMO DADOS EPIDEMIOLÓGICOS PODEM AJUDAR NO RACIOCÍNIO CLÍNICO

Introdução: A meningite bacteriana sofreu grandes mudanças epidemiológicas após a introdução dos antibióticos e vacinas, passando de uma condição letal para tratável e prevenível. Compreender essas mudanças no perfil epidemiológico em nível local permitem planejar estratégias de terapia empírica. As alterações de líquor possuem papel fundamental nessa avaliação. Metodologia: Foi realizado um estudo transversal dos casos notificados de meningite entre janeiro de 2010 e junho de 2015 no Complexo Hospital de Clínicas – Universidade Federal do Paraná. Foram analisados a celularidade e citologia do líquor e os agentes etiológicos. Para as etiologias bacterianas, foi avaliado dados epidemiológicos. Resultados: Foram notificados 504 casos de meningite no período avaliado. A meningite asséptica foi a classificação epidemiológica mais comum. As meningites bacterianas com confirmação etiológica causadas por Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae ou Haemophilus influenzae ocorreram em 8,7% dos casos notificados, sendo que 30% delas ocorreram em menores de 1 ano. A N. meningitidis correspondeu a 61% desses casos, enquanto que S. pneumoniae a 34%. As meningites neutrofílicas com mais de 75% de neutrófilos são causadas por tais bactérias em mais da metade (53%). A meningite asséptica é a segunda principal etiologia (20%) seguida de perto pela meningite tuberculosa (17%). Os casos de meningite meningocócica se concentram em crianças até 1 ano (56% dos casos), a meningite pneumocócica se concentra nos adultos entre 18 e 50 anos (46%) e idosos (27%). Conclusões: O conhecimento da epidemiologia local através da interpretação do líquor, somada à avaliação da faixa etária são importantes aliados da avaliação clínica para determinação do agente etiológico mais provável e podem ajudar na decisão terapêutica

Free Rhodium (II) citrate and rhodium (II) citrate magnetic carriers as potential strategies for breast cancer therapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Rhodium (II) citrate (Rh₂(H₂cit)₄) has significant antitumor, cytotoxic, and cytostatic activity on Ehrlich ascite tumor. Although toxic to normal cells, its lower toxicity when compared to carboxylate analogues of rhodium (II) indicates Rh₂(H₂cit)₄as a promising agent for chemotherapy. Nevertheless, few studies have been performed to explore this potential. Superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide (SPIOs) represent an attractive platform as carriers in drug delivery systems (DDS) because they can present greater specificity to tumor cells than normal cells. Thus, the association between Rh₂(H₂cit)₄and SPIOs can represent a strategy to enhance the former's therapeutic action. In this work, we report the cytotoxicity of free rhodium (II) citrate (Rh₂(H₂cit)₄) and rhodium (II) citrate-loaded maghemite nanoparticles or magnetoliposomes, used as drug delivery systems, on both normal and carcinoma breast cell cultures.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Treatment with free Rh₂(H₂cit)₄induced cytotoxicity that was dependent on dose, time, and cell line. The IC₅₀values showed that this effect was more intense on breast normal cells (MCF-10A) than on breast carcinoma cells (MCF-7 and 4T1). However, the treatment with 50 μM Rh₂(H₂cit)₄-loaded maghemite nanoparticles (Magh-Rh₂(H₂cit)₄) and Rh₂(H₂cit)₄-loaded magnetoliposomes (Lip-Magh-Rh₂(H₂cit)₄) induced a higher cytotoxicity on MCF-7 and 4T1 than on MCF-10A (p < 0.05). These treatments enhanced cytotoxicity up to 4.6 times. These cytotoxic effects, induced by free Rh₂(H₂cit)₄, were evidenced by morphological alterations such as nuclear fragmentation, membrane blebbing and phosphatidylserine exposure, reduction of actin filaments, mitochondrial condensation and an increase in number of vacuoles, suggesting that Rh₂(H₂cit)₄induces cell death by apoptosis.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The treatment with rhodium (II) citrate-loaded maghemite nanoparticles and magnetoliposomes induced more specific cytotoxicity on breast carcinoma cells than on breast normal cells, which is the opposite of the results observed with free Rh₂(H₂cit)₄treatment. Thus, magnetic nanoparticles represent an attractive platform as carriers in Rh₂(H₂cit)₄delivery systems, since they can act preferentially in tumor cells. Therefore, these nanopaticulate systems may be explored as a potential tool for chemotherapy drug development.</p