Genetics and epigenetics of Pinus nigra populations with differential exposure to air pollution

Forest species in the course of their evolution have experienced several environmental challenges, which since historic times include anthropogenic pollution. The effects of pollution on the genetic and epigenetic diversity in black pine (Pinus nigra) forests were investigated in the Amyntaio – Ptolemais – Kozani Basin, which has been for decades the largest lignite mining and burning center of Greece, with a total installed generating capacity of about 4.5 GW, operating for more than 70 years and resulting in large amounts of primary air pollutant emissions, mainly SO2, NOx and PM10. P. nigra, a biomarker for air pollution and a keystone species of affected natural ecosystems, was examined in terms of phenology (cone and seed parameters), genetics (283 AFLP loci) and epigenetics (606 MSAP epiloci), using two populations (exposed to pollution and control) of the current (mature trees) and future (embryos) stand. It was found that cone, seed, as well as genetic diversity parameters, did not show statistically significant differences between the exposed population and the control. Nevertheless, statistically significant differences were detected at the population epigenetic level. Moreover, there was a further differentiation regarding the intergenerational comparison: while the epigenetic diversity does not substantially change in the two generations assessed in the control population, epigenetic diversity is significantly higher in the embryo population compared to the parental stand in the exposed population. This study sheds a light to genome dynamics in a forest tree population exposed to long term atmospheric pollution burden and stresses the importance of assessing both genetics and epigenetics in biomonitoring applications

Dendritic silver self-assembly in molten-carbonate membranes for efficient carbon dioxide capture

Membranes for CO2 capture should offer high permeant fluxes to keep membrane surface area small and material requirements low. Ag-supported, dual-phase, molten-carbonate membranes routinely demonstrate the highest CO2 fluxes in this class of membrane. However, using Ag as a support incurs high cost. Here, the non-equilibrium conditions of permeation were exploited to stimulate the self-assembly of a percolating, dendritic network of Ag from the molten carbonate. Multiple membrane support geometries and Ag incorporation methods were employed, demonstrating the generality of the approach, while X-ray micro-computed tomography confirmed that CO2 and O2 permeation stimulated self-assembly. We report the highest flux of Ag-supported molten-salt membranes to date (1.25 ml min−1 cm−2 at 650 °C) and ultrahigh permeability (9.4 × 10−11 mol m−1 s−1 Pa−1), surpassing the permeability requirement for economically-competitive post-combustion CO2 capture, all whilst reducing the membrane-volume-normalised demand for Ag by one order of magnitude

Increased Expression of Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte-Associated Protein 4 by T Cells, Induced by B7 in Sera, Reduces Adaptive Immunity in Patients With Acute Liver Failure.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients with acute liver failure (ALF) have defects in innate immune responses to microbes (immune paresis) and are susceptible to sepsis. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4), which interacts with the membrane receptor B7 (also called CD80 and CD86), is a negative regulator of T-cell activation. We collected T cells from patients with ALF and investigated whether inhibitory signals down-regulate adaptive immune responses in patients with ALF. METHODS: We collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with ALF and controls from September 2013 through September 2015 (45 patients with ALF, 20 patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure, 15 patients with cirrhosis with no evidence of acute decompensation, 20 patients with septic shock but no cirrhosis or liver disease, and 20 healthy individuals). Circulating CD4+ T cells were isolated and analyzed by flow cytometry. CD4+ T cells were incubated with antigen, or agonist to CD3 and dendritic cells, with or without antibody against CTLA4; T-cell proliferation and protein expression were quantified. We measured levels of soluble B7 molecules in supernatants of isolated primary hepatocytes, hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells, and biliary epithelial cells from healthy or diseased liver tissues. We also measured levels of soluble B7 serum samples from patients and controls, and mice with acetaminophen-induced liver injury using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: Peripheral blood samples from patients with ALF had a higher proportion of CD4+ CTLA4+ T cells than controls; patients with infections had the highest proportions. CD4+ T cells from patients with ALF had a reduced proliferative response to antigen or CD3 stimulation compared to cells from controls; incubation of CD4+ T cells from patients with ALF with an antibody against CTLA4 increased their proliferative response to antigen and to CD3 stimulation, to the same levels as cells from controls. CD4+ T cells from controls up-regulated expression of CTLA4 after 24-48 hours culture with sera from patients with ALF; these sera were found to have increased concentrations of soluble B7 compared to sera from controls. Necrotic human primary hepatocytes exposed to acetaminophen, but not hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells and biliary epithelial cells from patients with ALF, secreted high levels of soluble B7. Sera from mice with acetaminophen-induced liver injury contained high levels of soluble B7 compared to sera from mice without liver injury. Plasma exchange reduced circulating levels of soluble B7 in patients with ALF and expression of CTLA4 on T cells. CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral CD4+ T cells from patients with ALF have increased expression of CTLA4 compared to individuals without ALF; these cells have a reduced response to antigen and CD3 stimulation. We found sera of patients with ALF and from mice with liver injury to have high concentrations of soluble B7, which up-regulates CTLA4 expression by T cells and reduces their response to antigen. Plasma exchange reduces levels of B7 in sera from patients with ALF and might be used to restore antimicrobial responses to patients

MerTK expressing hepatic macrophages promote the resolution of inflammation in acute liver failure.

OBJECTIVE: Acute liver failure (ALF) is characterised by overwhelming hepatocyte death and liver inflammation with massive infiltration of myeloid cells in necrotic areas. The mechanisms underlying resolution of acute hepatic inflammation are largely unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate the impact of Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK) during ALF and also examine how the microenvironmental mediator, secretory leucocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), governs this response. DESIGN: Flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, confocal imaging and gene expression analyses determined the phenotype, functional/transcriptomic profile and tissue topography of MerTK+ monocytes/macrophages in ALF, healthy and disease controls. The temporal evolution of macrophage MerTK expression and its impact on resolution was examined in APAP-induced acute liver injury using wild-type (WT) and Mer-deficient (Mer-/-) mice. SLPI effects on hepatic myeloid cells were determined in vitro and in vivo using APAP-treated WT mice. RESULTS: We demonstrate a significant expansion of resolution-like MerTK+HLA-DRhigh cells in circulatory and tissue compartments of patients with ALF. Compared with WT mice which show an increase of MerTK+MHCIIhigh macrophages during the resolution phase in ALF, APAP-treated Mer-/- mice exhibit persistent liver injury and inflammation, characterised by a decreased proportion of resident Kupffer cells and increased number of neutrophils. Both in vitro and in APAP-treated mice, SLPI reprogrammes myeloid cells towards resolution responses through induction of a MerTK+HLA-DRhigh phenotype which promotes neutrophil apoptosis and their subsequent clearance. CONCLUSIONS: We identify a hepatoprotective, MerTK+, macrophage phenotype that evolves during the resolution phase following ALF and represents a novel immunotherapeutic target to promote resolution responses following acute liver injury

Diversity and ethics in trauma and acute care surgery teams: results from an international survey

Background Investigating the context of trauma and acute care surgery, the article aims at understanding the factors that can enhance some ethical aspects, namely the importance of patient consent, the perceptiveness of the ethical role of the trauma leader, and the perceived importance of ethics as an educational subject. Methods The article employs an international questionnaire promoted by the World Society of Emergency Surgery. Results Through the analysis of 402 fully filled questionnaires by surgeons from 72 different countries, the three main ethical topics are investigated through the lens of gender, membership of an academic or non-academic institution, an official trauma team, and a diverse group. In general terms, results highlight greater attention paid by surgeons belonging to academic institutions, official trauma teams, and diverse groups. Conclusions Our results underline that some organizational factors (e.g., the fact that the team belongs to a university context or is more diverse) might lead to the development of a higher sensibility on ethical matters. Embracing cultural diversity forces trauma teams to deal with different mindsets. Organizations should, therefore, consider those elements in defining their organizational procedures. Level of evidence Trauma and acute care teams work under tremendous pressure and complex circumstances, with their members needing to make ethical decisions quickly. The international survey allowed to shed light on how team assembly decisions might represent an opportunity to coordinate team member actions and increase performance

Infected pancreatic necrosis: outcomes and clinical predictors of mortality. A post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study

: The identification of high-risk patients in the early stages of infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is critical, because it could help the clinicians to adopt more effective management strategies. We conducted a post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study to assess the association between clinical risk factors and mortality among adult patients with IPN. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify prognostic factors of mortality. We identified 247 consecutive patients with IPN hospitalised between January 2019 and December 2020. History of uncontrolled arterial hypertension (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.135-15.882; aOR 4.245), qSOFA (p = 0.005; 95% CI 1.359-5.879; aOR 2.828), renal failure (p = 0.022; 95% CI 1.138-5.442; aOR 2.489), and haemodynamic failure (p = 0.018; 95% CI 1.184-5.978; aOR 2.661), were identified as independent predictors of mortality in IPN patients. Cholangitis (p = 0.003; 95% CI 1.598-9.930; aOR 3.983), abdominal compartment syndrome (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.090-6.967; aOR 2.735), and gastrointestinal/intra-abdominal bleeding (p = 0.009; 95% CI 1.286-5.712; aOR 2.710) were independently associated with the risk of mortality. Upfront open surgical necrosectomy was strongly associated with the risk of mortality (p < 0.001; 95% CI 1.912-7.442; aOR 3.772), whereas endoscopic drainage of pancreatic necrosis (p = 0.018; 95% CI 0.138-0.834; aOR 0.339) and enteral nutrition (p = 0.003; 95% CI 0.143-0.716; aOR 0.320) were found as protective factors. Organ failure, acute cholangitis, and upfront open surgical necrosectomy were the most significant predictors of mortality. Our study confirmed that, even in a subgroup of particularly ill patients such as those with IPN, upfront open surgery should be avoided as much as possible. Study protocol registered in ClinicalTrials.Gov (I.D. Number NCT04747990)

Logic and semantics for languages that contain vague predicates

A formal semantic theory is formulated, based on specific philosophical assumptions -in regards to the nature of the phenomenon of vagueness and the characteristics of vague expressions- that are the product of appropriate philosophical investigations, both of the phenomenon in question aswell as of the relevant theories that have up to that point been proposed. Based on these, a specific non classical system of logic is developed, governed by a non transitive consequence relation. The characteristics of the system are then studied, two syntactic proof systems are outlined, and, moreover, the appropriate proofs of soundness and completeness are given. Finally, specific extensions of the object language are developed and studied, accompanied by an appropriate enrichment of the corresponding semantic structure and its description in the classical metalanguage. The object language is thusly enriched with an operator that can be translated in narural language as 'Definitely', something that allows for the emergence of higher order phenomena of vagueness within its confines. From a semantic point of view, this enrichment of the object language is accompanied by a parallel enrichment of the corresponding semantic structure, which now appears in the form of an infinite hierarchy of vague languages. This hierarchy, to a certain extent can be treated as a hierarchy of vague metalanguages. Following this realization, the languages that form the hierarchy -apart from the base object language- are then also enriched with appropriate expressions that can be treated as a sort of truth predicate, something that allows for the verification of the fact that some of the non transitive features of the system will be reflected, within a vague metalanguage, as non transitivity of necessary preservation of truth.Διατυπώνεται μια τυπική σημασιολογική θεωρία για γλώσσες που περιέχουν ασαφή κατηγορήματα, βάσει συγκεκριμένων φιλοσοφικών παραδοχών -όσον αφορά την φύση του φαινομένου της ασάφειας και τα χαρακτηριστικά των ασαφών εκφράσεων- που προκύπτουν έπειτα από κατάλληλη φιλοσοφική διερεύνηση τόσο του υπό εξέταση φαινομένου όσο και των υπολοίπων θεωριών που έχουν μέχρι αυτό το σημείο προταθεί. Βάσει αυτής προσδιορίζεται ένα συγκεκριμένο σύστημα μη κλασικής λογικής που διέπεται από μια μη μεταβατική σχέση συνέπειας, μελετώνται τα χαρακτηριστικά του και προσδιορίζονται δύο συντακτικά συστήματα αποδείξεων, για τα οποία επιπλέον δίνονται αποδείξεις ορθότητας και πληρότητας. Τέλος, ερευνώνται συγκεκριμένες επεκτάσεις της γλώσσας με επιπλέον εκφράσεις, οι οποίες συνοδεύονται από κατάλληλο εμπλουτισμό της περιγραφής της αντίστοιχης σημασιολογικής δομής εντός της μεταγλώσσας. Εμπλουτίζεται έτσι η γλώσσα αντικείμενο με έναν τελεστή ο οποίος μεταφράζεται στην φυσική γλώσσα ως 'ξεκάθαρα', κάτι που επιτρέπει την εμφάνιση γλωσσικών φαινομένων που χαρακτηρίζονται από ασάφεια ανώτερης τάξης εντός αυτής. Από σημασιολογική άποψη, ο εμπλουτισμός της γλώσσας αντικείμενο βασίζεται σε μια κατασκευή που αποτελείται από μια άπειρη ιεραρχία ασαφών γλωσσών. Η συγκεκριμένη ιεραρχία γίνεται μέχρι ενός σημείου να αντιμετωπιστεί ως μια ιεραρχία ασαφών εν μέρει μεταγλωσσών. Οι γλώσσες εντός αυτής της ιεραρχίας -πέραν της αρχικής γλώσσας αντικείμενο- εμπλουτίζονται λοιπόν με μια κατάλληλη κατηγορηματική έκφραση που γίνεται να ερμηνευτεί ως ένα είδος κατηγορήματος αλήθειας, οπότε και επαληθεύεται ότι ορισμένα μη μεταβατικά χαρακτηριστικά αντικατοπτρίζονται εντός των ασαφών μεταγλωσσών ως μη μεταβατικότητα της αναγκαίας διατήρησης αλήθειας

Λογική και Σημασιολογία για γλώσσες που περιέχουν ασαφή κατηγορήματα

Διατυπώνω μια τυπική σημασιολογική θεωρία για γλώσσες που περιέχουν ασαφή κατηγορήματα, βασιζόμενος σε συγκεκριμένες φιλοσοφικές παραδοχές όσον αφορά την φύση του φαινομένου της ασάφειας και τα χαρακτηριστικά των ασαφών εκφράσεων. Βάσει αυτής προσδιορίζω μια συγκεκριμένη μη κλασική λογική ως αυτή που διέπει τις ασαφείς γλώσσες, μελετώ τα χαρακτηριστικά της, και προσδιορίζω δύο συντακτικά συστήματα αποδείξεων για τα οποία δίνω αποδείξεις ορθότητας και πληρότητας. Τέλος, εμπλουτίζω την γλώσσα με έναν τελεστή ο οποίος μεταφράζεται στην φυσική γλώσσα ως 'ξεκάθαρα', και μελετώ το φαινόμενο της ασάφειας ανώτερης τάξης, βασιζόμενος σε μια κατασκευή που αποτελείται από μια άπειρη ιεραρχία ασαφών γλωσσών.I formulate a formal semantic theory for languages ​​that contain vague predicates, based on specific philosophical assumptions about the nature of the vagueness phenomenon and the characteristics of vague expressions. On the basis of this I define a specific non-classical logic as the one governing vague languages, I study its characteristics, and I identify two syntactical proof systems for which I give proofs of correctness and completeness. Finally, I enrich the language with an operator, that translates into natural language as "definitely", and study the phenomenon of higher order vagueness

On the Design of an Autonomous Robot Fish

Abstract—A fish-like propulsion system seems to be an interesting and efficient alternative to propellers in small underwater vehicles. This paper presents the early design stages of a small autonomous robotic vehicle driven by an oscillating foil. It describes the preliminary dimensioning of the vehicle and the selection and sizing of the necessary actuators according to the project’s objectives and constraints. Finally there is a description of the control system implementation for the tail’s motion. Index terms—Fish propulsion, underwater robot, fish design. I