Controlled Heterometallic Composition in Linear Trinuclear [LnCeLn] Lanthanide Molecular Assemblies.

The combination of two different β-diketone ligands facilitates the size-controlled assembly of pure heterometallic [LnLn'Ln] linear compounds thanks to two different coordination sites present in the molecular scaffold. [HoCeHo], [ErCeEr], and [YbCeYb] analogues are presented here and are characterized both in the solid state and in solution, demonstrating the selectivity of this unique method to produce heterometallic 4f molecular entities

A heterometallic [LnLn′Ln] lanthanide complex as a qubit with embedded quantum error correction

We show that a [Er–Ce–Er] molecular trinuclear coordination compound is a promising platform to implement the three-qubit quantum error correction code protecting against pure dephasing, the most important error in magnetic molecules. We characterize it by preparing the [Lu–Ce–Lu] and [Er–La–Er] analogues, which contain only one of the two types of qubit, and by combining magnetometry, low-temperature specific heat and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements on both the elementary constituents and the trimer. Using the resulting parameters, we demonstrate by numerical simulations that the proposed molecular device can efficiently suppress pure dephasing of the spin qubits.This work has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ERC Starting Grant 258060 FuncMolQIP, COST Action 15128 MOLSPIN, QUANTERA project SUMO, FET-OPEN grant 862893 FATMOLS), the Spanish MICINN (grants CTQ2015-68370-P, CTQ2015-64486-R, RTI2018-096075-B-C21, PCI2018-093116, PGC2018-098630-B-I00, MAT2017-86826-R), the Gobierno de Aragón (grants E09-17R-Q-MAD, and PLATON E31_17R), the Generalitat de Catalunya (ICREA Academia 2018 to GA), and from the Italian Ministry of Education and Research (MIUR) through the co-funding of SUMO and through the PRIN Project 2015 HYFSRT “Quantum Coherence in Nanostructures of Molecular Spin Qubits”. Institució Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats: ICREA Academia Prize 2018.Peer reviewe

Um modelo conceitual para avaliar o impacto de fatores antropogênicos nos serviços ecossistêmicos relacionados à água no Cerrado

The development of strategies that conciliate anthropogenic activities with nature conservation is becoming increasingly urgent, particularly in regions facing rapid conversion of native vegetation to agriculture. Conceptual modelling enables assessment of how anthropogenic drivers (e.g. land use/land cover change and climate change) modify natural processes, being a useful tool to support strategic decision-making. The present work describes a conceptual model to evaluate water-related ecosystem service provision under different land use scenarios in the Matopiba region of the Brazilian Cerrado, the world’s most biodiverse savanna and an agricultural frontier. Model variables were determined (direct drivers, indirect drivers, focal components and responses) and the Nature Futures Framework was consulted to incorporate socio-ecological components and feedbacks. Future scenarios were developed considering potential trajectories of drivers and governance responses that may impact land use in the region, including the possibility of full compliance with Forest Code and implementation of the Soy Moratorium in the region. The conceptual model and scenarios developed in the present study may be useful to improve understanding of the complex interactions among anthropogenic drivers, water-related ecosystem services and their potential repercussions for natural and social systems of the region. Governance decisions will be critical to maintaining the ecosystems of the region, the services it provides and the culture and tradition of the people historically embedded in the landscape. In acknowledgment of humanity’s dependence on nature, the importance of inverting the way scenarios are used is highlighted. Rather than using scenarios to measure the impacts of different policy options on nature, scenarios representing the desired outcomes for biodiversity and ecosystem services can be used to inform how policies can guarantee ecosystem integrity into the future.O desenvolvimento de estratégias que conciliem atividades antropogênicas com a conservação da natureza tem se tornado cada vez mais urgente, principalmente em regiões que enfrentam uma rápida conversão da vegetação nativa em agricultura. Modelos conceituais permitem avaliar como fatores antropogênicos (por exemplo, mudança de uso e cobertura do solo e mudanças climáticas) modificam os processos naturais, sendo uma ferramenta útil para apoiar a tomada de decisões estratégicas. O presente trabalho descreve um modelo conceitual para avaliar a provisão de serviços ecossistêmicos relacionados à água sob diferentes cenários de uso do solo na região de Matopiba, no Cerrado, a savana com maior biodiversidade do mundo e uma fronteira agrícola. Foram determinadas as variáveis do modelo (fatores diretos, fatores indiretos, componentes focais e respostas) e o Nature Futures Framework foi consultado para incorporar componentes socioeconômicos e feedbacks. Cenários futuros foram desenvolvidos considerando possíveis trajetórias de fatores antropogênicos e respostas de governança que podem impactar o uso do solo na região, incluindo a possibilidade de cumprimento total do Código Florestal e a implementação da Moratória da Soja na região. O modelo conceitual e os cenários apresentados no presente trabalho podem ser úteis para melhorar a compreensão das complexas interações entre fatores antropogênicos, serviços ecossistêmicos relacionados à água e suas possíveis implicações para os sistemas naturais e sociais da região. Decisões de governança serão críticas para manter os ecossistemas da região, os serviços fornecidos por eles, a cultura e tradição das pessoas historicamente inseridas na paisagem. Em reconhecimento da dependência da humanidade em relação à natureza, destaca-se a importância de inverter a maneira como os cenários são usualmente usados. Em vez de mensurar os impactos de diferentes políticas na natureza, cenários representando os resultados desejados para biodiversidade e serviços ecossistêmicos podem ser usados para informar como políticas podem garantir a integridade dos ecossistemas no futuro.Fil: Resende, Fernando de Moura. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Denman, Lara A. Cornejo. Universidad de Sonora; MéxicoFil: Selva, Gracie Verde. Instituto Brasileiro de Desenvolvimento Florestal; BrasilFil: Campanhão, Ligia Maria Barrios. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Nobre, Regina Lúcia Guimarães. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte; BrasilFil: Jiménez, Yohana Gisell. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Lima, Edberto Moura. Universidade Federal de Santa Maria; BrasilFil: Niemeyer, Julia. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasi

Observation of environments with different restorative potential results in differences in eye patron movements and pupillary size

The Environmental Psychological Restoration (EPR) is the result of the recovery of an antecedent deficit (e.g. stress or attentional fatigue) culminating in a restorative environment exposure. Recent findings suggest that visual contact with nature is important in triggering restorative responses. We measure the behavioral evidence of visual exposure to restorative environments in an eye-tracking study. Eye movement patterns (fixations and pupil dilatation) were evaluated while a sample of participants (n = 27; 15 females and 12 males) viewed photographs with High Restorative Potential (HRP) or Low Restorative Potential (LRP). The eye patterns during the observation of LRP were distinct to those of the HRP environments. Eye movements related to LRP photographs were characterized by a greater number of fixations compared to those related to HRP. Fixation times predicted an inverse relation, with LRP settings having a significantly shorter time per fixation than HRP pictures. Differences on pupil diameter were found. A higher pupil size was found during the view of HRP vs. LRP environments. Our eye tracking study suggest that restorative environment observation is associated with reduced eye movement activity relative to low restorative potential environment perception, which may reflect a lower cognitive effort in processing natural scenes. Likewise, pupillary dilatation variations suggest a possible link between the affective valences of the settings and its restorative quality. Data results are confronted according to attention restoration theory on restorative environments. Keywords: Restoration, Fatigue, Restorative potential, Eye tracking, Pupil dilation, Fixatio

Role of microRNAs in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: translation as biomarkers into clinical practice

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is a rare inherited entity, characterized by a progressive fibro-fatty replacement of the myocardium. It leads to malignant arrhythmias and a high risk of sudden cardiac death. Incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity are hallmarks of this arrhythmogenic cardiac disease, where the first manifestation may be syncope and sudden cardiac death, often triggered by physical exercise. Early identification of individuals at risk is crucial to adopt protective and ideally personalized measures to prevent lethal episodes. The genetic analysis identifies deleterious rare variants in nearly 70% of cases, mostly in genes encoding proteins of the desmosome. However, other factors may modulate the phenotype onset and outcome of disease, such as microRNAs. These small noncoding RNAs play a key role in gene expression regulation and the network of cellular processes. In recent years, data focused on the role of microRNAs as potential biomarkers in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy have progressively increased. A better understanding of the functions and interactions of microRNAs will likely have clinical implications. Herein, we propose an exhaustive review of the literature regarding these noncoding RNAs, their versatile mechanisms of gene regulation and present novel targets in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy

Sex-based differences in growth-related IGF1 signaling in response to PAPP-A2 deficiency: comparative effects of rhGH, rhIGF1 and rhPAPP-A2 treatments

Understanding the physiological role of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A2 (PAPP-A2), a proteinase involved in the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) availability to regulate growth, could provide insight into new treatments for patients with short stature and skeletal abnormalities. Although progressive postnatal growth retardation in patients with PAPP-A2 mutations can differ between males and females, we do not know the underlying differences in IGF1 system and signaling, and their response to treatment that contribute to growth improvement. The present study examines whether Pappa2 deficiency and pharmacological administration of rhGH, rhIGF1 and rhPAPP-A2 are associated with sex-specific differences in IGF1 ternary complexes and IGF1 signaling pathways. Reduced body and femur length of Pappa2-deficient mice was associated with sex- and tissue-specific alteration of IGF ternary/binary complexes and IGF1 signaling pathways. rhPAPP-A2 treatment induced female-specific increase in body and femur length and reduction in IGF ternary/binary complexes through STAT5-AKT-ERK2-AMPK signaling pathways in liver. The involvement of PAPP-A2 in sex-based growth physiology supports the use of promising drugs to alleviate postnatal growth retardation underlying low IGF1 bioavailability in a female-specific manner.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation with the help of European Regional Development Funds-European Union (ERDF-EU) (PI19/00166 and PI19/00343), Consejería de Universidad, Investigación e Innovación, Junta de Andalucía (ProyExcel PI21/0291), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (BFU 2017-82565-C2-1-R) and the Network Center for Biomedical Research on Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII

Music reduces pain and increases functional mobility in fibromyalgia

Peer reviewe

Handmade clay bricks: chemical, physical and mechanical properties

The clay brick masonry that is much used in historical structures often is in a rather poor state of conservation. In order to intervene correctly in these buildings, it is convenient to characterize the old material. For this purpose, a large sample of clay brick specimens from the 12th to 19th century were collected from six Portuguese monasteries, and were characterized chemically, physically and mechanically. A large variability of the properties was found. Additionally, a sample of handmade new bricks, which are commonly used as replacing material, was also analysed. The results were compared to the old bricks and could be possibly adequate as substitution bricks. Still, significant differences were found in chemical composition, and in water absorption and porosity, which are much lower in modern handmade bricks. With respect to mechanical properties, the range of values found in old bricks was rather high and the degree of deterioration exhibited a large scatter, meaning that a conclusion is hardly possible.The authors gratefully acknowledge the Instituto de Gestao do Patrimonio Arquitectonico e Arqueologico (IGESPAR) for providing the old clay bricks used in the present work. The first author acknowledges the partial funding of this work by the FCT through the following scholarships POCTI SFRH/BD/6409/2001 and POCTI SFRH/BPD/26706/2005