New AMD3100 derivatives for CXCR4 chemokine receptor targeted molecular imaging studies: synthesis, anti-HIV-1 evaluation and binding affinities

CXCR4 is a target of growing interest for the development of new therapeutic drugs and imaging agents as its role in multiple disease states has been demonstrated. AMD3100, a CXCR4 chemokine receptor antagonist that is in current clinical use as a haematopoietic stem cell mobilising drug, has been widely studied for its anti-HIV properties, potential to inhibit metastatic spread of certain cancers and, more recently, its ability to chelate radiometals for nuclear imaging. In this study, AMD3100 is functionalised on the phenyl moiety to investigate the influence of the structural modification on the anti-HIV-1 properties and receptor affinity in competition with anti-CXCR4 monoclonal antibodies and the natural ligand for CXCR4, CXCL12. The effect of complexation of nickel(II) in the cyclam cavities has been investigated. Two amino derivatives were obtained and are suitable intermediates for conjugation reactions to obtain CXCR4 molecular imaging agents. A fluorescent probe (BODIPY) and a precursor for 18F (positron emitting isotope) radiolabelling were conjugated to validate this route to new CXCR4 imaging agents

Chemical and stable isotope composition (18O/16O, 2H/1H) of formation waters from the Carabobo Oilfield, Venezuela

In this short note, we present the first data on stable isotope composition of the oilfield waters from Carabobo area of the Faja Petrolífera del Orinoco “Hugo Chávez” (Orinoco Oil Belt). From a chemical point of view, the formation waters show a main Na-Cl level (TDS up to 30g/l) with a dilution trend toward Na-HCO3 composition (down to 1g/l). Until now, such a clear net chemical compositional trend was ascribed to a meteoric dilution (fresh/ brackish bicarbonate) of the seawater endmember (the saltiest chloride). The isotope results of this study reveal that the seawater mother water was modified during a high-temperature thrusting event (120–125°C), forming 18O-enriched diagenetic water (up to +4‰), which was diluted in recent times by glacial meltwater and presentday meteoric water. The hypothetical presence of flood by a meteoric paleo-water also offers new hints to explain the low API gravity (<10°API biodegraded, extra heavy oil) and composition of the local crude

Fluid flow in a Porous Scaffold for Microtia by Lattice Boltzmann Method

The birth deformity of ear, known as microtia, varies from a minimal deformed ear to the absence of auricular tissue or anotia. This malformation has been treated by reconstructing the external ear, mainly by autogenous rib cartilage in auricular repair. The fabrication of the ear framework is a prolonged reconstructive procedure and depends of the surgeon’s skill. In order to avoid these inconveniences and reduce surgery time, it was proposed in a previous work to use implants made with biocompatible materials. One of these is a scaffold made by fused deposition modeling using PLA based in the three-dimensional geometry of the ear cartilage. The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of this scaffold to perform cell culture in a perfusion biorreactor by estimating the flow transport characteristics in porous media using a scaffold with the porous geometry of the human auricular cartilage for microtia. Flow and heat transfer through the scaffold were simulated by the lattice Boltzmann method, and permeability and shear stress distribution were obtained at different Reynolds numbers. The permeability values of the scaffold achieved are in the order of magnitude of scaffolds used for cell culture. Linear dependencies between maximum shear stress and Reynolds number, and between maximum shear stress and permeability were obtained. The values of shear stress achieved correspond to high percentage of cell viability. The scaffolds for microtia treatment with the proposed filling pattern select is appropriate for cell culture in a perfusion bioreactor with characteristics similar to those described herein

Assessment of maize nitrogen uptake from PRISMA hyperspectral data through hybrid modelling

The spaceborne imaging spectroscopy mission PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa (PRISMA), launched on 22 March 2019 by the Italian Space Agency, opens new opportunities in many scientific domains, including precision farming and sustainable agriculture. This new Earth Observation (EO) data stream requires new-generation approaches for the estimation of important biophysical crop variables (BVs). In this framework, this study evaluated a hybrid approach, combining the radiative transfer model PROSAIL-PRO and several machine learning (ML) regression algorithms, for the retrieval of canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) and canopy nitrogen content (CNC) from synthetic PRISMA data. PRISMA-like data were simulated from two images acquired by the airborne sensor HyPlant, during a campaign performed in Grosseto (Italy) in 2018. CCC and CNC estimations, assessed from the best performing ML algorithms, were used to define two relations with plant nitrogen uptake (PNU). CNC proved to be slightly more correlated to PNU than CCC (R-2 = 0.82 and R-2 = 0.80, respectively). The CNC-PNU model was then applied to actual PRISMA images acquired in 2020. The results showed that the estimated PNU values are within the expected ranges, and the temporal trends are compatible with plant phenology stages

Effects of extracellular fiber architecture on cell membrane shear stress in a 3D fibrous matrix

Interstitial fluid flow has been shown to affect the organization and behavior of cells in 3D environments in vivo and in vitro, yet the forces driving such responses are not clear. Due to the complex architecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the difficulty of measuring fluid flow near cells embedded in it, the levels of shear stress experienced by cells in this environment are typically estimated using bulk-averaged matrix parameters such as hydraulic permeability. While this is useful for estimating average stresses, it cannot yield insight into how local matrix fiber architecture-which is cell-controlled in the immediate pericellular environment-affects the local stresses imposed on the cell surface. To address this, we used computational fluid dynamics to study flow through an idealized mesh constructed of a cubic lattice of fibers simulating a typical in vitro collagen gel. We found that, in such high porosity matrices, the fibers strongly affect the flow fields near the cell, with peak shear stresses up to five times higher than those predicted by the Brinkman equation. We also found that minor remodeling of the fibers near the cell surface had major effects on the shear stress profile on the cell. These findings demonstrate the importance of fiber architecture to the fluid forces on a cell embedded in a 3D matrix, and also show how small modifications in the local ECM can lead to large changes in the mechanical environment of the cell

Assessing soil P fractions changes with long-term phosphorus fertilization related to crop yield of soybean and maize

Long-term P Fertiliser application increases soil phosphorus (P) labile fractions, which can be associated with crop P uptake and grain yield and are useful to improve fertilizer recommendations. Research aims were to evaluate in long-term experiments with different P Fertiliser application in a Mollisol and a Vertisol: (a) the changes of soil P fractions and (b) the relationship between soil P fractions with long-term P Fertiliser application, with accumulated apparent P budget, grain P, total P uptake, soybean (Glycine max L.Merr.) and maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield. Soil P fractions were measured after 1 and 9 year since the beginning of the long-term experiments. Experiments included an initial Fertiliser application rate of 200 kg P ha−1 and annual P Fertiliser application rate of 36 kg P ha−1. Bray1-P, total, organic, and inorganic P in fine (53 μm) (CF) soil fractions, and in NaHCO3 extract were measured. Initial P Fertiliser application increased inorganic and total P fractions. However, Bray1-P, total P in NaHCO3 extract and in the CF were the fractions that most increased with continuous long-term P Fertiliser application in both sites. In the Mollisol, maize grain yield was unrelated to long-term P Fertiliser application. In the Vertisol, total P in NaHCO3 extract, and total and organic P in the CF were more closely related to soybean grain yield than Bray1-P. We proposed soil P indices of labile inorganic and organic P that showed close relationships with soybean grain yield and may be useful to improve the diagnosis of P soil fertility.Fil: Appelhans, Stefania Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Departamento de Producción Vegetal; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Entre Ríos. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Barbagelata, Pedro Aníbal. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Departamento de Producción Vegetal; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Entre Ríos. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; ArgentinaFil: Melchiori, Ricardo José Miguel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Entre Ríos. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; ArgentinaFil: Gutiérrez Boem, Flavio Hernán. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Ingeniería Agrícola y Uso de la Tierra. Cátedra de Fertilidad y Fertilizantes; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales; Argentin

Chemical and stable isotope composition (18O/16O, 2H/1H) of formation waters from the Carabobo Oilfield, Venezuela

In this short note, we present the first data on stable isotope composition of the oilfield waters from Carabobo area of the Faja Petrolífera del Orinoco "Hugo Chávez" (Orinoco Oil Belt). From a chemical point of view, the formation waters show a main Na-Cl level (TDS up to 30g/l) with a dilution trend toward Na-HCO3 composition (down to 1g/l). Until now, such a clear net chemical compositional trend was ascribed to a meteoric dilution (fresh/ brackish bicarbonate) of the seawater endmember (the saltiest chloride). The isotope results of this study reveal that the seawater mother water was modified during a high-temperature thrusting event (120-125°C), forming 18O-enriched diagenetic water (up to +4‰), which was diluted in recent times by glacial meltwater and presentday meteoric water. The hypothetical presence of flood by a meteoric paleo-water also offers new hints to explain the low API gravity (<10°API biodegraded, extra heavy oil) and composition of the local crude

UAV Remote Sensing for High-Throughput Phenotyping and for Yield Prediction of Miscanthus by Machine Learning Techniques

Miscanthus holds a great potential in the frame of the bioeconomy, and yield prediction can help improve Miscanthus’ logistic supply chain. Breeding programs in several countries are attempting to produce high-yielding Miscanthus hybrids better adapted to different climates and end-uses. Multispectral images acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Italy and in the UK in 2021 and 2022 were used to investigate the feasibility of high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) of novel Miscanthus hybrids for yield prediction and crop traits estimation. An intercalibration procedure was performed using simulated data from the PROSAIL model to link vegetation indices (VIs) derived from two different multispectral sensors. The random forest algorithm estimated with good accuracy yield traits (light interception, plant height, green leaf biomass, and standing biomass) using a VIs time series, and predicted yield using a peak descriptor derived from a VIs time series with 2.3 Mg DM ha−1 of the root mean square error (RMSE). The study demonstrates the potential of UAVs’ multispectral images in HTP applications and in yield prediction, providing important information needed to increase sustainable biomass production

Louis-Ferdinand Céline, literary genius or national pariah? Defining moral parameters for influential cultural figures, post- Charlie Hebdo

In January 2011 the French Minister of Culture, Frédéric Mitterrand, withdrew Louis-Ferdinand Céline from a list of famous French authors specifically selected for a national celebration of culture. This bold decision polarized opinion: while many welcomed Mitterrand’s intervention, a number of prominent writers, some of them Jewish, opposed it on the grounds that Céline’s abhorrent political beliefs – expressed in three anti-Semitic pamphlets and his flirtation with Nazism- should in no way detract from his literary genius. In the light of this controversy, and of the rise in anti-Semitism following the Charlie Hebdo attacks of January 2015, this paper proposes Céline as a vital case study of the moral parameters a democratic nation should apply to a culturally important figure whose political views are deemed unacceptably reactionary

A prospective evaluation of the predictive value of faecal calprotectin in quiescent Crohn’s disease

Background: The faecal calprotectin (FC) test is a non-invasive marker for gastrointestinal inflammation. Aim: To determine whether higher FC levels in individuals with quiescent Crohn’s disease are associated with clinical relapse over the ensuing 12 months.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Methods: A single centre prospective study was undertaken in Crohn's disease patients in clinical remission attending for routine review. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the primary endpoint of clinical relapse by 12 months, based on FC at baseline, was calculated. Kaplan-Meier curves of time to relapse were based on the resulting optimal FC cutoff for predicting relapse.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Results: Of 97 patients recruited, 92 were either followed up for 12 months without relapsing, or reached the primary endpoint within that period. Of these, 10 (11%) had relapsed by 12 months. The median FC was lower for non-relapsers, 96µg/g (IQR 39-237), than for relapsers, 414µg/g (IQR 259-590), (p=0.005). The area under the ROC curve to predict relapse using FC was 77.4%. An optimal cutoff FC value of 240µg/g to predict relapse of quiescent Crohn’s had sensitivity of 80.0% and specificity of 74.4%. Negative predictive value was 96.8% and positive predictive value was 27.6%. FC≥240μg/g was associated with likelihood of relapse 5.7 (95% CI 1.9-17.3) times higher within 2.3 years than lower values (p=0.002).&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Conclusions: In this prospective dataset, FC appears to be a useful, non-invasive tool to help identify quiescent Crohn’s disease patients at a low risk of relapse over the ensuing 12 months. FC of 240µg/g was the optimal cutoff in this cohort.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt