Biostimulant Action of Dissolved Humic Substances From a Conventionally and an Organically Managed Soil on Nitrate Acquisition in Maize Plants

Conversion of conventional farming (CF) to organic farming (OF) is claimed to allow a sustainable management of soil resources, but information on changes induced on dissolved organic matter (DOM) are scarce. Among DOM components, dissolved humic substances (DHS) were shown to possess stimulatory effects on plant growth. DHS were isolated from CF and OF soil leacheates collected from soil monolith columns: first in November (bare soils) and then in April and June (bare and planted soils). DHS caused an enhancement of nitrate uptake rates in maize roots and modulated several genes involved in nitrogen acquisition. The DHS from OF soil exerted a stronger biostimulant action on the nitrate uptake system, but the first assimilatory step of nitrate was mainly activated by DHS derived from CF soil. To validate the physiological response of plants to DHS exposure, real-time RT-PCR analyses were performed on those genes most involved in nitrate acquisition, such as ZmNRT2.1, ZmNRT2.2, ZmMHA2 (coding for two high-affinity nitrate transporters and a PM H+-proton pump), ZmNADH:NR, ZmNADPH:NR, and ZmNiR (coding for nitrate reductases and nitrite reductase). All tested DHS fractions induced the upregulation of nitrate reductase (NR), and in particular the OF2 DHS stimulated the expression of both tested transcripts encoding for two NR isoforms. Characteristics of DHS varied during the experiment in both OF and CF soils: a decrease of high molecular weight fractions in the OF soil, a general increase in the carboxylic groups content, as well as diverse structural modifications in OF vs. CF soils were observed. These changes were accelerated in planted soils. Similarity of chemical properties of DHS with the more easily obtainable water-soluble humic substance extracted from peat (WEHS) and the correspondence of their biostimulant actions confirm the validity of studies which employ WEHS as an easily available source of DHS to investigate biostimulant actions on agricultural crops

Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators in neonatal sepsis: association between homeostasis and clinical outcome

OBJETIVO: avaliar a utilidade de citocinas pró-inflamatórias (TNF-±, IL-1² e IL-6) e de citocinas antinflamatórias (IL-10 e IL-1Ra) no diagnóstico da sepse neonatal, e verificar se a homeostase entre estes mediadores poderia ser determinante para a evolução clínica da doença. MÉTODO: coorte prospectiva compreendendo 31 recém-nascidos (RN) com diagnóstico de sepse neonatal, classificados em dois grupos: sepse e sepse grave, com evolução complicada (choque, falência múltipla de órgãos, óbito). Os níveis séricos de TNF-±; IL-1²; IL-6; IL-10 e IL-1Ra foram mensurados nos dias 0 (diagnóstico), 3 e 7 (evolutivos). Foram calculadas as médias, desvios-padrão, medianas, e valores mínimos e máximos para cada um dos mediadores. Foram construídos gráficos dos perfis individuais dos pacientes, e o perfil médio dos dois grupos contendo os erros-padrão. Para o tratamento estatístico dos dados oriundos da avaliação das concentrações de citocinas ao longo do tempo, foi utilizado o teste ANOVA com medidas repetidas. Para todas as análises realizadas foi adotado nível de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: no grupo de recém-nascidos com sepse e boa evolução, os níveis séricos de TNF-±; IL-1² e Il-10 se apresentaram próximos aos valores mínimos detectáveis pelo método, e nos RN com sepse grave, esses níveis foram estatisticamente superiores (p;1) e da resposta antiinflamatória nos dia 3 e 7 de evolução (razão ;1) e somente no dia 7, houve predomínio da ação antiinflamatória (razão ;1, com inversão nos dias 3 e 7). A persistência de predomínio das citocinas pró-inflamatórias em relação às antiinflamatórias no terceiro dia após o diagnóstico está correlacionada à evolução clínica desfavorável.OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the utility of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-±, IL1-², and IL- 6) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and IL-1Ra) for the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis, and to verify if the homeostasis of these mediators might determine the clinical outcome. METHOD: prospective cohort study including 31 newborns with neonatal sepsis whose diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical signs and positive blood culture, or high C-reactive protein. Newborns were classified in two groups: sepsis and favorable outcome, and severe sepsis with unfavorable outcome (septic shock and/or DIVC and/or FMOS and/or death). On days 0 (diagnosis), 3 and 7 after diagnosis, serum levels of TNF-±, IL-1², IL-6, IL-10, and IL-1Ra were measured. Statistical analysis included mean values, standard deviation, median, and minimum and maximum values of all mediators, as well as the construction of mean profiles for each patient and then for both groups (with standard errors). The ANOVA with repetitive measures was used to compare cytokines variation according to time. The significance level for all statistical analyses was 5%. RESULTS: the newborns who evolved favorably presented serum levels of TNF-±, IL-1² and IL-10 very close to the minimum levels detectable by the method, whilst in the newborns with severe sepsis, these cytokine levels were significantly higher (p;1 on day 0 and 3, and ;1), and there was a ratio inversion on days 3 and 7 (r ;1 on days 0 and 3). In the latter group the persistence of pro-inflammatory predominance versus antiinflammatory factors on day 3 after diagnosis of sepsis was correlated to clinical outcome

Intelligenza artificiale e sicurezza: opportunità, rischi e raccomandazioni

L'IA (o intelligenza artificiale) è una disciplina in forte espansione negli ultimi anni e lo sarà sempre più nel prossimo futuro: tuttavia è dal 1956 che l’IA studia l’emulazione dell’intelligenza da parte delle macchine, intese come software e in certi casi hardware. L’IA è nata dall’idea di costruire macchine che - ispirandosi ai processi legati all’intelligenza umana - siano in grado di risolvere problemi complessi, per i quali solitamente si ritiene che sia necessario un qualche tipo di ragionamento intelligente. La principale area di ricerca e applicazione attuale dell’IA è il machine learning (algoritmi che imparano e si adattano in base ai dati che ricevono), che negli ultimi anni ha trovato ampie applicazioni grazie alle reti neurali (modelli matematici composti da neuroni artificiali) che a loro volta hanno consentito la nascita del deep learning (reti neurali di maggiore complessità). Appartengono al mondo dell’IA anche i sistemi esperti, la visione artificiale, il riconoscimento vocale, l’elaborazione del linguaggio naturale, la robotica avanzata e alcune soluzioni di cybersecurity. Quando si parla di IA c'è chi ne è entusiasta pensando alle opportunità, altri sono preoccupati poiché temono tecnologie futuristiche di un mondo in cui i robot sostituiranno l'uomo, gli toglieranno il lavoro e decideranno al suo posto. In realtà l'IA è ampiamente utilizzata già oggi in molti campi, ad esempio nei cellulari, negli oggetti smart (IoT), nelle industry 4.0, per le smart city, nei sistemi di sicurezza informatica, nei sistemi di guida autonoma (drive o parking assistant), nei chat bot di vari siti web; questi sono solo alcuni esempi basati tutti su algoritmi tipici dell’intelligenza artificiale. Grazie all'IA le aziende possono avere svariati vantaggi nel fornire servizi avanzati, personalizzati, prevedere trend, anticipare le scelte degli utenti, ecc. Ma non è tutto oro quel che luccica: ci sono talvolta problemi tecnici, interrogativi etici, rischi di sicurezza, norme e legislazioni non del tutto chiare. Le organizzazioni che già adottano soluzioni basate sull’IA, o quelle che intendono farlo, potrebbero beneficiare di questa pubblicazione per approfondirne le opportunità, i rischi e le relative contromisure. La Community for Security del Clusit si augura che questa pubblicazione possa fornire ai lettori un utile quadro d’insieme di una realtà, come l’intelligenza artificiale, che ci accompagnerà sempre più nella vita personale, sociale e lavorativa.AI (or artificial intelligence) is a booming discipline in recent years and will be increasingly so in the near future.However, it is since 1956 that AI has been studying the emulation of intelligence by machines, understood as software and in some cases hardware. AI arose from the idea of building machines that-inspired by processes related to human intelligence-are able to solve complex problems, for which it is usually believed that some kind of intelligent reasoning is required. The main current area of AI research and application is machine learning (algorithms that learn and adapt based on the data they receive), which has found wide applications in recent years thanks to neural networks (mathematical models composed of artificial neurons), which in turn have enabled the emergence of deep learning (neural networks of greater complexity). Also belonging to the AI world are expert systems, computer vision, speech recognition, natural language processing, advanced robotics and some cybersecurity solutions. When it comes to AI there are those who are enthusiastic about it thinking of the opportunities, others are concerned as they fear futuristic technologies of a world where robots will replace humans, take away their jobs and make decisions for them. In reality, AI is already widely used in many fields, for example, in cell phones, smart objects (IoT), industries 4.0, for smart cities, cybersecurity systems, autonomous driving systems (drive or parking assistant), chat bots on various websites; these are just a few examples all based on typical artificial intelligence algorithms. Thanks to AI, companies can have a variety of advantages in providing advanced, personalized services, predicting trends, anticipating user choices, etc. But not all that glitters is gold: there are sometimes technical problems, ethical questions, security risks, and standards and legislation that are not entirely clear. Organizations already adopting AI-based solutions, or those planning to do so, could benefit from this publication to learn more about the opportunities, risks, and related countermeasures. Clusit's Community for Security hopes that this publication will provide readers with a useful overview of a reality, such as artificial intelligence, that will increasingly accompany us in our personal, social and working lives

Biological Wastewater Treatments for Metallurgical Industries

Variable contents of nitrite (NO2 -)- and nitrate (NO3 -)-nitrogen are present in wastewater of metallurgical cylinder-producing industries after treatment in a physical-chemical plant. Biological denitrification and oxidation treatments to reduce the oxidized nitrogen forms to within legal limits were evaluated. Wastewater streams were characterized and quantified in order to build a pilot plant, improve strategies to reduce environmental impact and increase water recycling. Initial sedimentation of raw mixed streams reduced iron and zinc contents by 87% and 71%, respectively. The resulting COD was refractory to be used in biological phases and an added carbon source was necessary to optimise the denitrification process. The biological treatment gave good results even without subsequent physical-chemical treatments, lowering NO2 - and NO3 - values to below the 0.6 and 20 mg L-1 limits respectively

O ABUSO DO TELETRABALHO A PARTIR DA LEGISLAÇÃO EMERGENCIAL DA PANDEMIA COVID-19

This article deals with the intensified adoption of the teleworking as an alternative to continue work activities during the COVID-19 pandemic period, which imposed drastic measures of social confinement and the shutdown of economic activities. The adoption of this mode of work is critically analyzed in this piece, since is often practiced in breach of labor legislation: while the company reduces its expenses, the working class is burdened and starts to bear the costs of labor infrastructure. Regardless of the pandemic context, the recent labor reforms also contributed to increase the employer's surplus value and make employment relations more flexible, a scenario that is accentuated during the COVID-19 pandemic.O presente artigo trata da adoção intensificada do teletrabalho como alternativa à realização das atividades laborais durante o período de pandemia de COVID-19, que impôs drásticas medidas de confinamento social e paralisação das atividades econômicas. Analisa-se criticamente a adoção desse modo de trabalho, muitas vezes praticado ao arrepio da legislação trabalhista: ao passo em que a empresa diminui seus gastos, onera-se a classe trabalhadora, que passa a arcar com os custos da infraestrutura do trabalho. Independentemente do contexto de pandemia, as recentes reformas trabalhistas também concorreram para aumentar a mais-valia do patronato e flexibilizar as relações de emprego, cenário que é acentuado durante a pandemia de COVID-19

Prevalência de marcadores imuno-hematológicos em recém-nascidos ao nascimento e em suas respectivas mães e incidência de doença hemolítica numa maternidade de São Paulo Prevalence of immunohematologic tests at birth and the incidence of hemolytic disease in the newborn

A introdução da imunoglobulina anti-D diminuiu a incidência da doença hemolítica neonatal por isoimunização Rh, porém persiste este diagnóstico por outros anticorpos mais raros e o avanço tecnológico tornou possível a detecção destes anticorpos. OBJETIVOS: Verificar a prevalência de marcadores imuno-hematológicos, representados pelos testes de Coombs indireto, direto e de eluição com identificação do anticorpo detectado; incidência de doença hemolítica e de tratamento entre os recém-nascidos sensibilizados. MÉTODOS: Estudo do tipo Coorte retrospectiva, de janeiro de 1996 a julho de 1998, consistiu na descrição da análise dos perfis imuno-hematológicos de 1698 pares de mães e recém-nascidos como fator de risco para doença hemolítica, subdivididos de acordo com os marcadores. A metodologia empregada para identificação dos marcadores foi o da microplaca com hemácias de triagem, soro antiglobulina humana e gel centrifugação. Para tipagens e fenotipagens utilizou-se o método de microplaca com soros monoclonais. Para o estudo da incidência e seguimento neonatal foram realizadas bilirrubinas totais e frações, por método enzimático colorímetro, hemoglobina e hematócrito, automatizado e reticulócitos, por coloração supra vital, azul cresil brilhante e leitura por microscopia óptica. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de marcadores imuno-hematológicos associados à doença hemolítica foi de 9,07%. Por grupos estratificados obtivemos no grupo com Coombs indireto (grupo I) 0,43%; no grupo com Coombs direto (grupo D), 4,10% e no grupo com eluição (grupo E) 4,53%. A incidência de doença hemolítica no estudo foi de 36,23%. Quando estratificada por grupos, obtivemos no grupo I, 33,56%, no grupo D, 44,43% e no grupo E, 29,24%. O tratamento com fototerapia foi necessário em 36,23% dos RN, sendo maior sua indicação no grupo D e a exsangüíneotransfusão foi necessária em 0,88% dos RN, sendo maior sua indicação no grupo I. CONCLUSÕES: O grupo I, onde se concentram as incompatibilidades Rh, apresentou maior incidência de doença hemolítica e maior necessidade de tratamento com exsangüíneotransfusão, o que mostra ainda a gravidade deste sistema em nosso meio. O grupo D, onde se concentram as incompatibilidades ABO, apresentou maior incidência de doença hemolítica e tratamento com fototerapia e menor necessidade de exsangüíneotransfusão.<br>The administration of anti-D globulin to the mothers has decreased the incidence of Rh hemolytic disease but the improvement of technologic assays has made it possible to identify several hemolytics diseases of the newborn. BACKGROUND: To identify the prevalence of immunohematologic tests demonstrated by indirect (IC), direct (DC) and elution tests; to identify the incidence of hemolytic disease and its treatment (phototherapy and/or exchange transfusion) in neonates with hemolytic disease. This is a retrospective cohort-study performed from January 1st 1996 to July 1st 1998. METHODS: This is a descriptive study of the immunohematologic profile of 1698 mothers and their offsprings, as risk factors for developing hemolytic disease. The inclusion criteria were the positivity of the indirect (IC) and direct (DC) Coombs tests and elution tests. Based on the inclusion criteria three group of infants were analyzed: Group I was composed of 149 offsprings of Coombs-positive mothers (IC+) with antibodies associated with neonatal hemolytic disease. This group was further divided into two groups: Group I-A (IC+DC+) was composed of 83 Coombs-positive offsprings (DC+) of Coombs-positive mothers (IC+) and Group I-B (IC+DC-) was composed of 66 Coombs-negative offsprings (DC-) of Coombs-positive mothers (IC+); Group D was composed of 736 Coombs-positive offspring's of Coombs-negative mothers (IC-); and Group E was composed of 807 Coombs-negative and elution-positive offspring's of Coombs-negative mothers. RESULTS: This study shown that the overall prevalence of immunohematologic tests associated with hemolytic disease was 9.07% (3212/35429), 0.43% (154/35429) among offsprings of Coombs-positive mothers, 4.10% (1453/35429) among Coombs-positive infants, and 4.53% (1605/35429) among elution-positive infants. The overall incidence of hemolytic disease was 36.23% (613/1692), 33.56% (50/149) among offspring's of Coombs-positive mothers, 44.43% (327/736) among Coombs-positive infants, and 29.24% (236/807) among elution-positive infants. The overall incidence of phototherapy among infants with hemolytic disease was 36.23% (613/1692), 49.40% (41/83) in group I-A (IC+DC+), 13.64% (9/66) in group I-B(IC+DC-), 44.43% (327/736) in group D, and 29.24% (236/807) in group E. The overall incidence of exchange transfusion among infants with hemolytic disease was 0.88% (15/1692), 14.46% (12/83) in group I-A (IC+DC+), 0% (0/66) in group I-B (IC+DC-), 0.27% (2/736) in group D, and 0.12% (1/807) in group E. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study allowed us to conclude that the overall prevalence of immunohematologic tests associated with hemolytic disease was 9.07% (3212/35429) and the overall incidence of hemolytic disease was 36.23% (613/1692) in this study-group. The highest incidences of hemolytic disease and phototherapy were observed among Coombs-positive offsprings of Coombs-positive mothers

Crystal structures and atomic model of NADPH oxidase

NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are the only enzymes exclusively dedicated to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Dysregulation of these polytopic membrane proteins impacts the redox signaling cascades that control cell proliferation and death. We describe the atomic crystal structures of the catalytic flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)and heme-binding domains of Cylindrospermum stagnale NOX5. The two domains form the core subunit that is common to all seven members of the NOX family. The domain structures were then docked in silico to provide a generic model for the NOX family. A linear arrangement of cofactors (NADPH, FAD, and two membrane-embedded heme moieties) injects electrons from the intracellular side across the membrane to a specific oxygen-binding cavity on the extracytoplasmic side. The overall spatial organization of critical interactions is revealed between the intracellular loops on the transmembrane domain and the NADPH-oxidizing dehydrogenase domain. In particular, the C terminus functions as a toggle switch, which affects access of the NADPH substrate to the enzyme. The essence of this mechanistic model is that the regulatory cues conformationally gate NADPH-binding, implicitly providing a handle for activating/deactivating the very first step in the redox chain. Such insight provides a framework to the discovery of much needed drugs that selectively target the distinct members of the NOX family and interfere with ROS signaling