Twinning and grain subdivision during dynamic deformation of a Mg AZ31 sheet alloy at room temperature

The microstructural evolution of an AZ31 rolled sheet during dynamic deformation at strain rates of ∼103 s−1 has been investigated by electron backscatter diffraction, X-ray and neutron diffraction. The influence of orientation on the predominant deformation mechanisms and on the recovery processes taking place during deformation has been systematically examined. The results have been compared with those corresponding to the same alloy tested quasi-statically under equivalent conditions. It has been found that strain rate enhances the activation of extension twinning dramatically, while contraction and secondary twinning are not significantly influenced. The polarity of extension twinning is even reversed in some grains under selected testing conditions. Significant grain subdivision by the formation of geometrically necessary boundaries (GNBs) takes place during both quasi-static and dynamic deformation of this AZ31 alloy. It is remarkable that GNBs of high misorientations form even at the highest strain rates. The phenomenon of recovery has been found to be orientation dependen

Lethality caused by ADP-glucose accumulation is suppressed by salt-induced carbon flux redirection in cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are widely distributed photosynthetic organisms. During the day they store carbon, mainly as glycogen, to provide the energy and carbon source they require for maintenance during the night. Here, we generate a mutant strain of the freshwater cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 lacking both glycogen synthases. This mutant has a lethal phenotype due to massive accumulation of ADP-glucose, the substrate of glycogen synthases. This accumulation leads to alterations in its photosynthetic capacity and a dramatic decrease in the adenylate energy charge of the cell to values as low as 0.1. Lack of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, the enzyme responsible for ADP-glucose synthesis, or reintroduction of any of the glycogen synthases abolishes the lethal phenotype. Viability of the glycogen synthase mutant is also fully recovered in NaCl-supplemented medium, which redirects the surplus of ADP-glucose to synthesize the osmolite glucosylglycerol. This alternative metabolic sink also suppresses phenotypes associated with the defective response to nitrogen deprivation characteristic of glycogen-less mutants, restoring the capacity to degrade phycobiliproteins. Thus, our system is an excellent example of how inadequate management of the adenine nucleotide pools results in a lethal phenotype, and the influence of metabolic carbon flux in cell viability and fitness.España, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) (grant BFU2013-41712-P and BIO2016-75634-P)España, Junta de Andalucía (P12-BIO-1119

Caregiver Burden Domains and Their Relationship with Anxiety and Depression in the First Six Months of Cancer Diagnosis

Cancer caregiving is associated with burden and a poor psychological state. However, there is no previous information about the predictive utility of specific burden domains on anxiety and depression in the first six months after a partner’s cancer diagnosis. In a longitudinal study, 67 caregivers completed the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at T1 (45–60 days after diagnosis) and T2 (180–200 days after diagnosis). Most of the caregivers were female (65.7%, mean age = 51.63, SD = 13.25), while patients were mostly male (56.7%). The TRIPOD checklist was applied. ZBI scores were moderate and HADS anxiety reached significant values. There were no differences in ZBI and HADS between T1 and T2. The relationship between burden, anxiety, and depression were more consistent at T2, while emotional burden at T1 were related and predicted anxiety and depression at T2. Some burden domains were related and predicted anxiety in caregivers in the first six months after partner cancer diagnosis. This information could be useful to prevent the onset of these symptoms in the first six months after diagnosis

Do nutritional supplements have a role in age macular degeneration prevention?

Purpose. To review the proposed pathogenic mechanisms of age macular degeneration (AMD), as well as the role of antioxidants (AOX) and omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3) supplements in AMD prevention. Materials and Methods. Current knowledge on the cellular/molecular mechanisms of AMD and the epidemiologic/experimental studies on the effects of AOX and omega-3 were addressed all together with the scientific evidence and the personal opinion of professionals involved in the Retina Group of the OFTARED (Spain). Results. High dietary intakes of omega-3 and macular pigments lutein/zeaxanthin are associated with lower risk of prevalence and incidence in AMD. The Age-Related Eye Disease study (AREDS) showed a beneficial effect of high doses of vitamins C, E, beta-carotene, and zinc/copper in reducing the rate of progression to advanced AMD in patients with intermediate AMD or with one-sided late AMD. The AREDS-2 study has shown that lutein and zeaxanthin may substitute beta-carotene because of its potential relationship with increased lung cancer incidence. Conclusion. Research has proved that elder people with poor diets, especially with low AOX and omega-3 micronutrients intake and subsequently having low plasmatic levels, are more prone to developing AMD. Micronutrient supplementation enhances antioxidant defense and healthy eyes and might prevent/retard/modify AMD

Impact of pre- and/or post-autologous stem cell transplantation exposure to brentuximab vedotin on survival outcomes in patients with high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma

The AETHERA trial demonstrated that brentuximab vedotin (BV) consolidation after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) at high risk of relapse/progression increases progression-free survival (PFS). Patients previously exposed to BV were excluded from that trial. However, BV alone or in combination with chemotherapy is frequently used as front-line treatment and/or pre-ASCT salvage therapy. We analyzed data from 156 patients with high-risk HL who underwent ASCT with (BV-CON, n?=?62) or without (non-BV, n?=?94) BV consolidation. Fifty-seven patients received BV-based salvage regimens before ASCT. The 3-year overall survival and PFS for all patients were 91.6% and 70.0%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that BV-CON was associated with better PFS (HR 0.39, p?=?0.01), whereas positive PET at transplant leaded to worse PFS (HR 2.71, p?=?0.001). BV-CON improved PFS in PET-positive patients (72.2% vs. 43.0%, p?=?0.05), with a beneficial trend observed in PET negative (88.8% vs. 75.2%, p?=?0.09). BV-CON patients with or without BV exposure pre-ASCT had a significantly better PFS than non-BV with or without BV pretransplant treatment (HR 0.36, p?=?0.004). The efficacy of real-life BV consolidation therapy was similar to that in the AETHERA trial. This therapeutic strategy improves survival independently of BV exposure prior to ASCT.© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

From national monopoly to Multinational Corporation: how regulation shaped the road towards telecommunications internationalization

One of the consequences of major regulatory reform of the telecommunications sector from the end of the 1970s – particularly, privatization, liberalization and deregulation – was the establishment of a new business environment which permitted former national telecommunications monopolies to expand abroad. From the 1990s, a number of these firms, particularly those based in Europe, joined the rankings of the world’s leading Multinational Corporations. Their internationalization was uneven, however: while some firms internationalised strongly, others ventured abroad much slower. This article explores how the regulatory framework within which telecommunications incumbents evolved over the long-term shaped their subsequent, uneven, paths to internationalization. Two case studies representing ´maximum variation´ are selected: Telefónica, whose early and unrelenting expansion transformed it into one of the world’s most international of Multinational Corporations, and BT, whose overseas ventures failed and, with eroding domestic market share, forced the firm to partially retreat, becoming the least international of the large European incumbents. Long-term ownership, access to capital, management style and exposure to liberalization strongly influenced firms’ approaches to internationalizatio

Baseline immunophenotypic profile of bone marrow leukemia cells in acute myeloid leukemia with nucleophosmin-1 gene mutation: a EuroFlow study

Molecular techniques are the gold standard method for the diagnosis of AML with mutated nucleophosmin gene (NPM1mut). However, their worldwide availability is limited and they provide limited insight into disease heterogeneity. Hence, surrogate markers of NPM1mut are used for fast diagnostic screening of the disease [1], including, among others, immunohistochemical detection of cytoplasmic NPM1 (NPM1c) [2], cup-like nuclear morphology [3], normal karyotype, and/or recurrent flow cytometry profiles -e.g., CD34 negativity, and/or a phenotype resembling acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)- [4]. Nevertheless, some of these methods are also not widely available, they show limited sensitivity (e.g., low or absent NPM1c expression, particularly among monoblastic/monocytic AML-NPM1mut) [5], frequently lack standardized procedures [1], and they might also bring limited information about disease heterogeneity.This study has been funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the project PI21/01115 and co-funded by the European Union and the grant of CIBERONC of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain, and FONDOS FEDER (no. CB16/12/00400); MR was supported by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, grant number NU20J-07-00028.Peer reviewe

Análisis de la seguridad alimentaria de las frutas y hortalizas en las Alhóndigas de Almería

La tradición almeriense en la comercialización de los productos hortícolas, que son la base de la economía agraria de la provincia, se apoyó fundamentalmente en el Sistema Alhóndiga, con sus particularidades locales y su estrecha relación con el agricultor. Durante los 40 últimos años, la alhóndiga, ha ido adaptándose a las circunstancias cambiantes de la economía agraria provincial y a la evolución producida en los gustos del consumidor, con lo que ha demostrado un dinamismo que entendemos es muy positivo para hacer frente a las demandas actuales de un sector productivo que puede padecer, en el futuro inmediato, las consecuencias de la aplicación de las nuevas políticas comerciales derivadas de la reforma de la PAC (Política Agraria Común) de la Unión Europe

Direct approaches to exploit many-core architecture in bioinformatics

Current trends in computer programming look for solutions in the challenging task of porting and optimizing existing algorithms to many-core architectures with tens of Central Processing Units (CPUs). Yet, the lack of standardized general-purpose parallel programming and porting methodologies represents the main bottleneck on these developments. We have focused on bioinformatics applied to genomics in general and the so-called >Next-Generation> Sequencing (NGS) in particular, in order to study the viability and cost of porting and optimizing well known algorithms to a many-core architecture. Three different methods are tackled in order to implement existing algorithms in Tile64, corresponding to a microprocessor containing 64 CPUs, each of them being capable of executing an independent Linux operating system. Three different approaches have been explored: (i) implementation of the Needleman-Wunsch/Smith-Waterman pairwise aligner from scratch; (ii) direct translation of the Message Passing Interface (MPI) C++ ABySS assembly algorithm with changes on the communication layer; and (iii) migration of the ClustalW tool, parallelizing only the most time-consuming stage. The performance-gain/development-cost tradeoffs indicate that the Tile64 microprocessor has the potential to increase the performance of bioinformatics in an unprecedented way for a standalone Personal Computer (PC). Yet, the effective exploitation of these parallel implementations requires a detailed understanding of the peculiar many-core characteristics when migrating previous non-parallel source codes. © 010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This work was supported by “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” (MICINN grants AGL2010-17316, BIO2009-07443 and BIO2011-15237); “Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca” of “Junta de Andalucía” (041/C/2007, 75/C/2009 & 56/C/2010); “Grupo PAI” (AGR-248); and “Universidad de Córdoba” (“Ayuda a Grupos”), Spain.Peer Reviewe