A novel DR/NIR T-shaped aiegen: Synthesis and x-ray crystal structure study

We developed a new benzodifuran derivative as the condensation product between 2,6-diamino-4-(4-nitrophenyl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b’]difuran-3,7-dicarboxylate and 3-hydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde. The intramolecular hydrogen-bond interactions in the terminal half-salen moieties produce a sterically encumbered highly conjugated main plane and a D-A-D (donor-acceptor-donor) T-shaped structure. The novel AIEgen (aggregation-induced enhanced emission generator) fulfils the requirement of RIR (restriction of intramolecular rotation) molecules. DR/NIR (deep red/near infrared) emission was recorded in solution and in the solid state, with a noteworthy photoluminescence quantum yield recorded on the neat crystals which undergo some mechanochromism. The crystal structure study of the probe from data collected at a synchrotron X-ray source shows a main aromatic plane π-stacked in a columnar arrangement

Wildlife park of Etna

Mount Etna is located west of the east coast of Sicily, within the territory of the province of Catania and is crossed by 15\u2019 meridian east, which it takes its name. It\u2019s occupies an area of 1570 . It\u2019s dimensions place it among the largest in the world and, from the geological standpoint, the highest of the European continent

Microscopic Origin of the Valley Hall Effect in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Revealed by Wavelength Dependent Mapping

The band structure of many semiconducting monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) possesses two degenerate valleys, with equal and opposite Berry curvature. It has been predicted that, when illuminated with circularly polarized light, interband transitions generate an unbalanced non-equilibrium population of electrons and holes in these valleys, resulting in a finite Hall voltage at zero magnetic field when a current flows through the system. This is the so-called valley Hall effect that has recently been observed experimentally. Here, we show that this effect is mediated by photo-generated neutral excitons and charged trions, and not by inter-band transitions generating independent electrons and holes. We further demonstrate an experimental strategy, based on wavelength dependent spatial mapping of the Hall voltage, which allows the exciton and trion contributions to the valley Hall effect to be discriminated in the measurement. These results represent a significant step forward in our understanding of the microscopic origin of photo-induced valley Hall effect in semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides, and demonstrate experimentally that composite quasi-particles, such as trions, can also possess a finite Berry curvature.Comment: accepted for publication in Nano Letter

RelA/NF-kappaB recruitment on the bax gene promoter antagonizes p73-dependent apoptosis in costimulated T cells

The balance between antiapoptotic and proapoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family is critical in determining the fate of T cells in response to death stimuli. Proapoptotic genes, such as bax, are generally regulated by the p53 family of transcription factors, whereas NF-kappaB subunits can activate the transcription of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 members. Here, we show that CD28 activation protects memory T cells from irradiation-induced apoptosis by both upregulating bcl-xL and inhibiting bax gene expression. We found that p73, but not p53, binds to and trans-activates the bax gene promoter in irradiated T cells. The activation of RelA/NF-kappaB subunit in CD28 costimulated T cells and its binding onto the bax gene promoter results in suppression of bax transcription and decrease in both p73 and RNA polymerase II recruitment in vivo. RelA recruitment on the bax gene promoter is also accompanied by the lost of p300 binding and the parallel appearance of histone deacetylase-1-containing complexes. These findings identify RelA/NF-kappaB as a critical regulator of T-cell survival by affecting the balance of Bcl-2 family members

Krill oil, vitamin D and Lactobacillus reuteri cooperate to reduce gut inflammation

Current research into original therapies to treat intestinal inflammation is focusing on no-drug therapies. KLD is a mixture of krill oil (KO), probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri (LR), and vitamin D (VitD3). The aim of this study was to assess in vitro and in vivo the potential cooperative effects of KLD in reducing gut inflammation. Colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines, CACO2 and HT29, and C57BL/6 mice were used for in vitro and in vivo analyses, respectively. Cells were exposed to cytomix (interferon gamma + tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a)) to induce inflammation or co-exposed to cytomix and KO, LR and VitD3 alone or to cytomix and KLD. Animals were treated for 7 days with dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) to induce colitis or with DSS and KLD. In vitro assays: F-actin expression was analysed by immunofluorescence; scratch test and trans-epithelial electric resistance test were performed to measure wound healing; adhesion/invasion assays of adhesive and invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) bacteria were made; mRNA expression of TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-8 and vitamin D receptor (VDR) was detected by quantitative PCR. In vivo assays: body weight, clinical score, histological score and large intestine weight and length were estimated; mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-10 by quantitative PCR; VDR expression was detected by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. In vitro: KLD restores epithelial cell-cell adhesion and mucosal healing during inflammation, while decreases the adhesiveness and invasiveness of AIEC bacteria and TNF-α and IL-8 mRNA expression and increases VDR expression. In vivo: KLD significantly improves body weight, clinical score, histological score and large intestine length of mice with DSS-induced colitis and reduces TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 mRNA levels, while increases IL-10 mRNA and VDR levels. KLD has significant effects on the intestinal mucosa, strongly decreasing inflammation, increasing epithelial restitution and reducing pathogenicity of harmful commensal bacteria

Effect of Climatic Factors on the Plant Population Dynamics in Temperate Pasture Implantation

The objective of this experiment was to determine the environmental influence on seedling emergence of alfalfa and fescue in mixture. We hypothesized that the temperature and precipitation data could be used to estimate field emergence of alfalfa and fescue. A field trial was carried out at Zavalla, Argentina and consisted of sowing a tall fescue – alfalfa mixture at different seeding date (March, April and June). Relationships between the range of temperature, rainfalls and alfalfa and fescue seedling emergence were described by linear regression models. Patterns of emergence and death of alfalfa and fescue seedling were found in the different sowing dates. The measurements performed in other mixed pastures on the area were used to adjust the models. Historical series (1973-1999) of temperature and rainfall data were used to verify the obtained models. The r2 of the correlation between predicted and observed demographic curves of the species was 64 to 97%. The species studied presented varied situations in the phase of emergency and death. When they were sowed in different dates, the April sowing generated an appropriate composition of the mixture. The application of models based on meteorological factors that explain the demographic variations of a forage mixture will allow to plan sowing strategies and to predict the structure of the resulting pastures

Detecting Deepfake Videos in Data Scarcity Conditions by Means of Video Coding Features

The most powerful deepfake detection methods developed so far are based on deep learning, requiring that large amounts of training data representative of the specific task are available to the trainer. In this paper, we propose a feature-based method for video deepfake detection that can work in data scarcity conditions, that is, when only very few examples are available to the forensic analyst. The proposed method is based on video coding analysis and relies on a simple footprint obtained from the motion prediction modes in the video sequence. The footprint is extracted from video sequences and used to train a simple linear Support Vector Machine classifier. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated experimentally on three different datasets, namely, a synthetic street video dataset and two datasets of Deepfake face videos

Discrete foci containing RNase A are found in nucleoli of HeLa cells aged in culture

We have studied by means of ultrastructural immunocytochemistry the localization of RNase A in nuclei of HeLa cells in control conditions and following cell ageing in culture. We have found that roundish, electron dense foci, which contain a significant amount of RNase A, can be detected within nucleoli of aged cells. These bodies also contain RNA and lack ribosomal S3 proteins, and may represent either simple storage sites or areas where RNA degradation takes place

A novel l-shaped fluorescent probe for aie sensing of zinc (Ii) ion by a dr/nir response

In the field of optical sensors, small molecules responsive to metal cations are of current interest. Probes displaying aggregation-induced emission (AIE) can solve the problems due to the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) molecules, scarcely emissive as aggregates in aqueous media and in tissues. The addition of a metal cation to an AIE ligand dissolved in solution can cause a “turn-on” of the fluorescence emission. Half-cruciform-shaped molecules can be a winning strategy to build specific AIE probes. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a novel L-shaped fluorophore containing a benzofuran core condensed with 3-hydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde crossed with a nitrobenzene moiety. The novel AIE probe produces a fast colorimetric and fluorescence response toward zinc (II) in both in neutral and basic conditions. Acting as a tridentate ligand, it produces a complex with enhanced and red-shifted emission in the DR/NIR spectral range. The AIE nature of both compounds was examined on the basis of X-ray crystallography and DFT analysis