Does Cell Lineage in the Developing Cerebral Cortex Contribute to its Columnar Organization?

Since the pioneer work of Lorente de Nó, Ramón y Cajal, Brodmann, Mountcastle, Hubel and Wiesel and others, the cerebral cortex has been seen as a jigsaw of anatomic and functional modules involved in the processing of different sets of information. In fact, a columnar distribution of neurons displaying similar functional properties throughout the cerebral cortex has been observed by many researchers. Although it has been suggested that much of the anatomical substrate for such organization would be already specified at early developmental stages, before activity-dependent mechanisms could take place, it is still unclear whether gene expression in the ventricular zone (VZ) could play a role in the development of discrete functional units, such as minicolumns or columns. Cell lineage experiments using replication-incompetent retroviral vectors have shown that the progeny of a single neuroepithelial/radial glial cell in the dorsal telencephalon is organized into discrete radial clusters of sibling excitatory neurons, which have a higher propensity for developing chemical synapses with each other rather than with neighboring non-siblings. Here, we will discuss the possibility that the cell lineage of single neuroepithelial/radial glia cells could contribute for the columnar organization of the neocortex by generating radial columns of sibling, interconnected neurons. Borrowing some concepts from the studies on cell–cell recognition and transcription factor networks, we will also touch upon the potential molecular mechanisms involved in the establishment of sibling-neuron circuits

High gain observer with dynamic deadzone to estimate liquid water saturation in PEM fuel cells

[EN] In the area of PEM fuel cells, water management remains one of the most challenging issues affecting PEMFC efficiency and lifetime. Liquid water active control and supervision techniques are limited by the absence of online sensors that can estimate the liquid water saturation. For this reason, this work presents the design of a state observer to estimate the cathode catalyst layer's liquid water saturation of an open-cathode PEM fuel cell. The proposed observer is based on High-Gain techniques, and is modified with a dynamic dead-zone which reduces the observer's noise sensibility. The results have been validated through numerical simulation and experiments. It is shown that, in the absence of noise, the proposed observer presents a similar performance than its non dead-zone equivalent. Moreover, in the presence of noise, the dead-zone significantly reduces the estimation error induced by it.[ES] En el campo de las pilas de combustible PEM, la gestión de agua líquida es una de las problemáticas más importantes que afectan a la eficiencia y vida útil del sistema. Las técnicas de control activo y supervisión del agua se ven limitadas por la ausencia de sensores que puedan medir la saturación de agua líquida en línea. Por eso, en este trabajo se presenta el diseño de un observador de estado para la estimación de la saturación de agua líquida en la capa catalizadora del cátodo de una pila de combustible PEM de cátodo abierto. El observador propuesto se basa en técnicas de alta ganancia. Además, se modifica con una función de zona muerta autoajustable con el fin de reducir su sensibilidad al ruido en la medida. Los resultados se han validado mediante simulación numérica y experimentación. Estos muestran que, en ausencia de ruido, el observador propuesto presenta unas prestaciones similares a las de su equivalente sin zona muerta. Además, en presencia de ruido, la zona muerta disminuye significativamente el error de estimación inducido por este.Este proyecto se ha financiado parcialmente por el proyecto DOVELAR (ref. RTI2018-096001-B-C32). Este trabajo se ha realizado con el apoyo de la Agencia Estatal de Investigación española a través del sello de excelencia de María de Maeztu, IRI (MDM-2016-0656). Este trabajo se ha financiado parcialmente por AGAUR of Generalitat de Catalunya a través de la subvención del grupo Advanced Control Systems (SAC) (2017 SGR 482). Este trabajo se ha realizado con el apoyo de ACCIÓ (Operational Program FEDER Catalunya 2014-2020) a través de REFER project (COMRDI15-1-0036-11).Cecilia, A.; Costa-Castelló, R. (2020). Observador de alta ganancia con zona muerta ajustable para estimar la saturación de agua líquida en pilas de combustible tipo PEM. Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática industrial. 17(2):169-180. https://doi.org/10.4995/riai.2020.12689OJS16918017

A Conversion Layer Based on Trivalent Chromium and Cobalt for the Corrosion Protection of Electrogalvanized Steel

The corrosion resistance of pure zinc coatings can be improved through the application of suitable chemical passivation treatments. Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) compounds have widely been used to formulate conversion layers providing better anticorrosive protection as well as anchorage properties to painting systems. However, taking into account that they are produced using hazardous chemical compounds, the development of alternative and “green” technologies with equivalent protective performance is a paramount purpose of many R&D laboratories working around the world. In the present paper, the corrosion behavior of industrially electrogalvanized steel subjected to a Cr3+ + Co2+-based passivation treatment was studied. The experimental work involved electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)measurements and polarization curves in a 0.1 mol/L Na2SO4 solution, surface microstructural and morphological characterization by electronic microscopy as well as chemical analysis by EDXS and XPS. The most commonly observed failures on the Cr6+ treated sampleswere attributed to microstructural features of the substrate that were not adequately healed by the Cr6+ passivation treatment.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Tecnología de Pintura

Molecular diversity within the genus Laeonereis (Annelida, Nereididae) along the west Atlantic coast: paving the way for integrative taxonomy

The polychaete genus Laeonereis (Annelida, Nereididae) occurs over a broad geographic range and extends nearly across the entire Atlantic coast of America, from the USA to Uruguay. Despite the research efforts to clarify its diversity and systematics, mostly by morphological and ecological evidence, there is still uncertainty, mainly concerning the species Laeonereis culveri, which constitutes an old and notorious case of taxonomic ambiguity. Here, we revised the molecular diversity and distribution of Laeonereis species based on a multi-locus approach, including DNA sequence analyses of partial segments of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S rRNA, and 28S rRNA genes. We examined Laeonereis specimens collected from 26 sites along the American Atlantic coast from Massachusetts (USA) to Mar del Plata (Argentina). Although no comprehensive morphological examination was performed between different populations, the COI barcodes revealed seven highly divergent MOTUs, with a mean K2P genetic distance of 16.9% (from 6.8% to 21.9%), which was confirmed through four clustering algorithms. All MOTUs were geographically segregated, except for MOTUs 6 and 7 from southeastern Brazil, which presented partially overlapping ranges between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo coast. Sequence data obtained from 16S rRNA and 28S rRNA markers supported the same MOTU delimitation and geographic segregation as those of COI, providing further evidence for the existence of seven deeply divergent lineages within the genus. The extent of genetic divergence between MOTUs observed in our study fits comfortably within the range reported for species of polychaetes, including Nereididae, thus providing a strong indication that they might constitute separate species. These results may therefore pave the way for integrative taxonomic studies, aiming to clarify the taxonomic status of the Laeonereis MOTUs herein reported.This work was supported by the FAPESP (Grants n~ 2011/50317-5, 2015/25623-6, 2017/06167-5, 2018/10313-0) and CNPq through a productivity grant to A.C.Z.A (301551/2019-7). Marcos AL Teixeira was supported by a PhD fellowship (SFRH/BD/131527/2017) from FCT. Pedro Vieira was supported by a Post-Doctoral Fellowships (BPD1/next-sea/2018, NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000032). Filipe Costa and the University of Minho's contribution was supported by the strategic program UID/BIA/04050/2013 POCI-010145-FEDER-007569. Victor C Seixas was supported by a Post-Doctoral Fellowship sponsored by CAPES-PNPD (88882.316714/2019-01). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Evaluation of Zn-Cr III-organic coating by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Corrosion control of electrogalvanized steel employing Cr VI based treatments is widely known and studied. However, researchers have been trying to find out alternatives to replace these salts once they must be banned in accord to environmental and industrial guidelines. Cr III – based conversion coatings have shown performance compatible to Cr VI – based treatments. In this work, EIS measurements are performed in NaCl 0,05 mol/L and Na2SO4 0,1 mol/L, during the immersion time, to evaluate the corrosion resistance of electrogalvanized steel passivated with Cr III – based conversion treatment and painted with three different organic coatings. The organic coatings are characterized by their adherence. The results show a similar behavior for the three coatings and, despite a second constant time has been pointed by the EIS fitting, the R2 values indicate a low corrosion rate. The system Zn – Cr III – organic coating is compatible to the system Zn – Cr VI – organic coating, for the immersion period considered.O controle da corrosão de aço eletrogalvanizado empregando soluções à base de sais de Cr VI é amplamente conhecido e estudado. No entanto, pesquisadores vêm buscando alternativas para substituir estes sais já que diretrizes ambientais e industriais exigem que sejam banidos. Os revestimentos de conversão à base de Cr III têm mostrado um desempenho compatível aos baseados em Cr VI. Neste trabalho são utilizadas medidas de espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica (EIE) em NaCl 0,05 mol/L e em Na2 SO4 0,1 mol/L, durante o tempo de imersão, para avaliar a resistência à corrosão de aço eletrogalvanizado revestido com tratamento à base de Cr III e pintado com três diferentes revestimentos orgânicos. Os revestimentos orgânicos sãocaracterizados por sua adesão. Os resultados mostram um comportamento semelhante para os três revestimentos e, apesar de uma segunda constante de tempo ter sido observada nos ajustes de EIE, os valores de R2 indicam uma baixa velocidade de corrosão. O sistema Zn – Cr III – revestimento orgânico é compatível ao sistema Zn – Cr VI – revestimento orgânico, para o período de imersão consideradoCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Tecnología de Pintura

Evaluation of Zn-Cr III-organic coating by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Corrosion control of electrogalvanized steel employing Cr VI based treatments is widely known and studied. However, researchers have been trying to find out alternatives to replace these salts once they must be banned in accord to environmental and industrial guidelines. Cr III – based conversion coatings have shown performance compatible to Cr VI – based treatments. In this work, EIS measurements are performed in NaCl 0,05 mol/L and Na2SO4 0,1 mol/L, during the immersion time, to evaluate the corrosion resistance of electrogalvanized steel passivated with Cr III – based conversion treatment and painted with three different organic coatings. The organic coatings are characterized by their adherence. The results show a similar behavior for the three coatings and, despite a second constant time has been pointed by the EIS fitting, the R2 values indicate a low corrosion rate. The system Zn – Cr III – organic coating is compatible to the system Zn – Cr VI – organic coating, for the immersion period considered.O controle da corrosão de aço eletrogalvanizado empregando soluções à base de sais de Cr VI é amplamente conhecido e estudado. No entanto, pesquisadores vêm buscando alternativas para substituir estes sais já que diretrizes ambientais e industriais exigem que sejam banidos. Os revestimentos de conversão à base de Cr III têm mostrado um desempenho compatível aos baseados em Cr VI. Neste trabalho são utilizadas medidas de espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica (EIE) em NaCl 0,05 mol/L e em Na2 SO4 0,1 mol/L, durante o tempo de imersão, para avaliar a resistência à corrosão de aço eletrogalvanizado revestido com tratamento à base de Cr III e pintado com três diferentes revestimentos orgânicos. Os revestimentos orgânicos sãocaracterizados por sua adesão. Os resultados mostram um comportamento semelhante para os três revestimentos e, apesar de uma segunda constante de tempo ter sido observada nos ajustes de EIE, os valores de R2 indicam uma baixa velocidade de corrosão. O sistema Zn – Cr III – revestimento orgânico é compatível ao sistema Zn – Cr VI – revestimento orgânico, para o período de imersão consideradoCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Tecnología de Pintura

Synthesis, crystal structure, spectroscopic characterization, DFT calculations and cytotoxicity assays of a new cu(II) complex with an acylhydrazone Ligand derived from thiophene

A new Cu(II) complex is synthetized by the reaction of copper nitrate and a N-acylhydrazone ligand obtained from the condensation of o-vanillin and 2-thiophecarbohydrazide (H2L). The solid-state structure of [Cu(HL)(H2O)](NO3)·H2O, or CuHL for simplicity, was determined by X-ray diffraction. In the cationic complex, the copper center is in a nearly squared planar environment with the nitrate interacting as a counterion. CuHL was characterized by spectroscopic techniques, including solid-state FTIR, Raman, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and diffuse reflectance and solution UV-Vis electronic spectroscopy. Calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) assisted the interpretation and assignment of the spectroscopic data. The complex does not show relevant antioxidant activity evaluated by the radical cation of 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) method, being even less active than the free ligand as a radical quencher. Cytotoxicity assays of CuHL against three human tumor cell lines, namely MG-63, A549 and HT-29, revealed an important enhancement of the effectiveness as compared with both the ligand and the free metal ion. Moreover, its cytotoxic effect was remarkably stronger than that of the reference metallodrug cisplatin in all cancer cell lines tested, a promissory result in the search for new metallodrugs of essential transition metals.Fil: Rodríguez, María R.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Balsa, Lucia Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Piro, Oscar Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Etcheverría, Gustavo A.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: García Tojal, Javier. Universidad de Burgos; EspañaFil: Pis Diez, Reinaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Leon, Ignacio Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Parajón Costa, Beatriz Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez Baro, Ana Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; Argentin

Curcumin and Novel Synthetic Analogs in Cell-Based Studies of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that is associated with the most common type of dementia and is characterized by the presence of deposits of the protein fragment amyloid beta (Aβ) in the brain. The natural product mixture of curcuminoids that improves certain defects in innate immune cells of AD patients may selectively enhance Aβ phagocytosis by alteration of gene transcription. In this work, we evaluated the protective effects of curcuminoids in cells from AD patients by investigating the effect on NF-κB and BACE1 signaling pathways. These results were compared to the gene expression profile of the clearance of Aβ. The minor curcumin constituent, bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDC) showed the most potent protective action to decrease levels of NF-κB and BACE1, decrease the inflammatory cascade and diminish Aβ aggregates in cells from AD patients. Moreover, mannosyl-glycoprotein 4-beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (MGAT3) and vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene mRNAs were up-regulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from AD patients treated with BDC. BDC treatment impacts both gene expression including Mannosyl (Beta-1,4-)-Glycoprotein Beta-1,4-N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferase, Vitamin D and Toll like receptor mRNA and Aβ phagocytosis. The observation of down-regulation of BACE1 and NF-κB following administration of BDC to cells from AD patients as a model system may have utility in the treatment of asymptomatic AD patients

Venom alkaloids against Chagas disease parasite: search for effective therapies

Chagas disease is an important disease affecting millions of patients in the New World and is caused by a protozoan transmitted by haematophagous kissing bugs. It can be treated with drugs during the early acute phase; however, effective therapy against the chronic form of Chagas disease has yet to be discovered and developed. We herein tested the activity of solenopsin alkaloids extracted from two species of fire ants against the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the aetiologic agent of Chagas disease. Although IC50 determinations showed that solenopsins are more toxic to the parasite than benznidazole, the drug of choice for Chagas disease treatment, the ant alkaloids presented a lower selectivity index. As a result of exposure to the alkaloids, the parasites became swollen and rounded in shape, with hypertrophied contractile vacuoles and intense cytoplasmic vacuolization, possibly resulting in osmotic stress; no accumulation of multiple kinetoplasts and/or nuclei was detected. Overexpressing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase—an enzyme essential for osmoregulation that is a known target of solenopsins in mammalian cells—did not prevent swelling and vacuolization, nor did it counteract the toxic effects of alkaloids on the parasites. Additional experimental results suggested that solenopsins induced a type of autophagic and programmed cell death in T. cruzi. Solenopsins also reduced the intracellular proliferation of T. cruzi amastigotes in infected macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner and demonstrated activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense bloodstream forms, which is another important aetiological kinetoplastid parasite. The results suggest the potential of solenopsins as novel natural drugs against neglected parasitic diseases caused by kinetoplastids.Fil: Silva, Rafael C. M. Costa. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Fox, Eduardo G. P.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. South China Agricultural University; ChinaFil: Gomes, Fabio M.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Feijó, Daniel F.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Ramos, Isabela. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Koeller, Carolina M.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. University at Buffalo; Estados UnidosFil: Costa, Tatiana F. R.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Rodrigues, Nathalia S.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Lima, Ana P.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Atella, Georgia C.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Rocha de Miranda, Kildare. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem; BrasilFil: Schoijet, Alejandra Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Alonso, Guillermo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: de Alcântara Machado, Ednildo. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Heise, Norton. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasi