Relación entre la abundancia de distintas especies de lombrices de tierra (Annelids, Oligochaeta) y algunos parámetros fisicoquímicos en un suelo típico de la estepa pampeana

Se tomaron muestras de lombrices de tierra en 14 fases de un suelo argiudol típico sobre una superficie total de 250 has. Se midieron 13 parámetros fisicoquímicos y se estudió su relación con la presencia de diferentes especies de lombrices. Los factores que resultaron más útiles en la predicción de las especies de lombrices presentes fueron el pH, el contenido de materia orgánica, el contenido de fósforo asimilable, el contenido de nitrógeno y la resistencia eléctrica de la pasta. De las siete especies halladas, las de los géneros Octolasion y Microscolex mostraron preferencia por los suelos con alto contenido de fósforo asimilable. Todas las especies encontradas son comunes en ambientes sometidos a erturbaciones agrícolas. Aporrectodea caliginosa aparenta ser la especie pionera. La única especie autóctona fue Microscolex dubius.Sampling of earthworms was carried out in a 250 ha field encompassing 14 soil phases belonging to the argiudol type soil. The relation between earthworm species composition and 13 physicochemical parameters was studied. The most important accounting for the presence and abundance of the dfferent endogeic mesohumic earthworms species were pH, soil organic content, assimilable phosphorus, nitrogen, and electric resistance of the paste. Octolasion and Microscolex were the most restricted to high contents of phosphorus and organic matter genera. All species found in the area are common in environments subjected to agricultural disturbance. Aporrectodea caliginosa seems to be the pioneer species. All the earthworms identified in this study were exotic species except Microscolex dubius

New insight into the chemical nature of the plasmonic nanostructures synthesized by the reduction of Au(III) with sulfide species

We have studied the products of the controversial synthesis of HAuCl4 with Na2S, which include gold nanostructures (Au NSs) that absorb in the near-infrared (NIR) region and are highly promising for photothermal therapies and other nanomedical applications. From high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering, we have found that only metallic Au NSs are formed as a result of this synthesis, with no detectable amount of gold sulfide or other oxidized gold species that could account for the NIR absorption. Different sulfur species are adsorbed on the Au NSs, mainly sulfides (monomeric sulfur) and polysulfides, similar to what is found on the planar gold surfaces, therefore precluding the idea that thiosulfate or other oxidized species are the actual reducing agents for Au(III) ions. The presence of strongly adsorbed S species, which are difficult to remove from the gold surface, is of great importance for their applications as regards toxicity and use of postfunctionalization strategies to anchor biomolecules and/or to increase circulation time after administration.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicada

Case report: Urbanized non-human primates as sentinels for human zoonotic diseases: a case of acute fatal toxoplasmosis in a free-ranging marmoset in coinfection with yellow fever virus

Free-ranging non-human primates (NHP) can live in anthropized areas or urban environments in close contact with human populations. This condition can enable the emergence and transmission of high-impact zoonotic pathogens. For the first time, we detected a coinfection of the yellow fever (YF) virus with Toxoplasma gondii in a free-ranging NHP in a highly urbanized area of a metropolis in Brazil. Specifically, we observed this coinfection in a black-tufted marmoset found dead and taken for a necropsy by the local health surveillance service. After conducting an epidemiological investigation, characterizing the pathological features, and performing molecular assays, we confirmed that the marmoset developed an acute fatal infection caused by T. gondii in coinfection with a new YF virus South American-1 sub-lineage. As a result, we have raised concerns about the public health implications of these findings and discussed the importance of diagnosis and surveillance of zoonotic agents in urbanized NHPs. As competent hosts of zoonotic diseases such as YF and environmental sentinels for toxoplasmosis, NHPs play a crucial role in the One Health framework to predict and prevent the emergence of dangerous human pathogens

Exclusive Photoproduction of the Cascade (Xi) Hyperons

We report on the first measurement of exclusive Xi-(1321) hyperon photoproduction in gamma p --> K+ K+ Xi- for 3.2 < E(gamma) < 3.9 GeV. The final state is identified by the missing mass in p(gamma,K+ K+)X measured with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Laboratory. We have detected a significant number of the ground-state Xi-(1321)1/2+, and have estimated the total cross section for its production. We have also observed the first excited state Xi-(1530)3/2+. Photoproduction provides a copious source of Xi's. We discuss the possibilities of a search for the recently proposed Xi5-- and Xi5+ pentaquarks.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.

Stability and Reversible Oxidation of Sub-Nanometric Cu5 Metal Clusters: Integrated Experimental Study and Theoretical Modeling

Related Research Article by M. P. de Lara-Castells, F. G. Requejo, M. A. López-Quintela and co-workers http://hdl.handle.net/10261/311689Bare clusters of five Cu atoms, synthesized electrochemically, display remarkable oxidation stability on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. They exhibit reversible O2 adsorption, transitioning between various Cu oxidation states with changes in temperature and O2 pressure. In-situ XPS and XANES spectroscopy experiments, along with theoretical characterizations of Cu5–(O2)n complexes, provide direct evidence of the Cu5 clusters’ O2 stabilityPeer reviewe

Stability and Reversible Oxidation of Sub-Nanometric Cu5 Metal Clusters: Integrated Experimental Study and Theoretical Modeling

12 pags., 6 figs.Sub-nanometer Metal clusters have special physical and chemical properties, significantly different from those of nanoparticles. However, there is a major concern about their thermal stability and susceptibility to oxidation. In situ X-ray Absorption spectroscopy and Near Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy results reveal that supported Cu5 clusters are resistant to irreversible oxidation at least up to 773 K, even in the presence of 0.15 mbar of oxygen. These experimental findings can be formally described by a theoretical model which combines dispersion-corrected DFT and first principles thermochemistry revealing that most of the adsorbed O2 molecules are transformed into superoxo and peroxo species by an interplay of collective charge transfer within the network of Cu atoms and large amplitude "breathing" motions. A chemical phase diagram for Cu oxidation state of the Cu5-oxygen system is presented, clearly different from the already known bulk and nano-structured chemistry of Cu.This work has been partly supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (TED2021-131899BI00/MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ Unión Europea NextGenerationEU/PRTR), and the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, UE) under Grants Nos, PID2019-107115GBC21, and PID2020-117605GB-I00; the EU Doctoral Network PHYMOL 101073474 (project call reference HORIZON-MSCA2021-DN-01); the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) under Grant P29893-N36; XUNTA DE GALICIA (Spain) (Grupos Ref. Comp. 2021 - ED431C 2021/16); ANPCyT PICT (2017-1220 and 2017- 3944) and UNLP (Project 11/X937), Argentina. This publication is also based upon work of COST Action CA21101 "Confined molecular systems: from a new generation of materials to the stars" (COSY) supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).Peer reviewe

Silver clusters of five atoms as highly selective antitumoral agents through irreversible oxidation of thiols

Low atomicity clusters present properties dependent on the size, due to the quantum confinement, with well-defined electronic structures and high stability. Here it is shown that Ag5 clusters catalyze the complete oxidation of sulfur to S+6. Ag5 catalytic activity increases with different oxidant species in the order O2 ≪ H2O2 < OH•. Selective oxidation of thiols on the cysteine residues of glutathione and thioredoxin is the primary mechanism human cells have to maintain redox homeostasis. Contingent upon oxidant concentration, Ag5 catalyzes the irreversible oxidation of glutathione and thioredoxin, triggering apoptosis. Modification of the intracellular environment to a more oxidized state to mimic conditions within cancer cells through the expression of an activated oncogene (HRASG12V) or through ARID1A mutation, sensitizes cells to Ag5 mediated apoptosis. While cancers evolve to evade treatments designed to target pathways or genetic mutations that drive them, they cannot evade a treatment that takes advantage of aberrant redox homeostasis, which is essential for tumor progression and metastasis. Ag5 has antitumor activity in mice with orthotopic lung tumors reducing primary tumor size, and the burden of affected lymphatic nodes. The findings suggest the unique intracellular redox chemistry of Ag5 may lead to new redox-based approaches to cancer therapyThis research was partially supported by 1) “la Caixa” Foundation, Ref. LCF/PR/PR12/11070003 to F.D. and M.A.L.Q.; 2) Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MAT2017-89678-R, AEI/FEDER, UE) to F.D. and A.V.; 3) the Consellería de Educación (Xunta de Galicia), Grants No. Grupos Ref. Comp. ED431C 2017/22, ED431C 2019/13 and AEMAT-ED431E2018/08 to M.A.L.Q.; and ED431C 2019/13 to A.V. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Bac-To-Fuel) under Grant Agreement No. 825999 (M.A.L.Q.). J.C.H. acknowledge financial support from European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 823717-ESTEEM3, and the MICIIN (projects PID2019-107578GA-100 and PID-110018GA-100). J.M.D, L.J.G., and F.G.R. thank to the ANPCyT (PICT 2015-2285 and 2017-3944), UNLP (Project 11/X790) and the partial support by the Laboratório Nacional de Luz Síncrotron (LNLS, Brazil) under proposal SXS-20180280. G.B. acknowledges the CINECA Award N. IsC51, year 2017, under the ISCRA initiative, for the availability of high-performance computing resources and support. D.B. expresses gratitude for a postdoctoral grant from Xunta de Galicia, Spain (POS-A/2013/018). B.D. expresses gratitude for a predoctoral grant from MICINN, Spain (BES-2016-076765). F.D. and A.V. also acknowledged Xunta de Galicia (Centro singular de investigación de Galicia accreditation 2019-2022 ref ED431G 2019/02) and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund – ERDF). Work in M.P.M.'s lab was supported by the Medical Research Council UK (MC_U105663142). T.G.C. gratefully acknowledges the technical assistance of María José Otero-Fraga (FIDIS)S

Multiplex PCR method for MinION and Illumina sequencing of Zika and other virus genomes directly from clinical samples

Genome sequencing has become a powerful tool for studying emerging infectious diseases; however, genome sequencing directly from clinical samples (i.e., without isolation and culture) remains challenging for viruses such as Zika, for which metagenomic sequencing methods may generate insufficient numbers of viral reads. Here we present a protocol for generating coding-sequence-complete genomes, comprising an online primer design tool, a novel multiplex PCR enrichment protocol, optimized library preparation methods for the portable MinION sequencer (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) and the Illumina range of instruments, and a bioinformatics pipeline for generating consensus sequences. The MinION protocol does not require an Internet connection for analysis, making it suitable for field applications with limited connectivity. Our method relies on multiplex PCR for targeted enrichment of viral genomes from samples containing as few as 50 genome copies per reaction. Viral consensus sequences can be achieved in 1-2 d by starting with clinical samples and following a simple laboratory workflow. This method has been successfully used by several groups studying Zika virus evolution and is facilitating an understanding of the spread of the virus in the Americas. The protocol can be used to sequence other viral genomes using the online Primal Scheme primer designer software. It is suitable for sequencing either RNA or DNA viruses in the field during outbreaks or as an inexpensive, convenient method for use in the lab