Differences of quality in deliveries of pine sawlogs to Bollsta sawmill by region, season, origin and diameter

The study compared quality distribution in deliveries of pine sawlogs to SCA's sawmill Bollsta in 2019. The purpose was to investigate whether there were any differences depending on region, origin, season for harvesting and diameter and to create a picture of how the current quality classification meets the sawmill's own sorting. This was done by analyzing data on measured volumes. In order to investigate how the current quality classification meets Bollsta's own quality sorting, an interview was performed. Jämtland was the region that delivered the largest share of class 1 sawlogs. However, Medelpad and Ångermanland were not far behind. Västerbotten, on the other hand, had the smallest share of class 1 and the largest share of class 4. Medelpad and Ångermanland had the highest average topdiameter, followed by Jämtland. These three regions were relatively even, while Västerbotten had a clearly lower average topdiameter. It was found that there was a greater share of class 1 from individual forest owners than from SCA's own forest holdings. It was also possible to see trends of more class 1 sawlogs being delivered during spring and autumn. The proportion of class 1 sawlogs increased in the coarser diameter classes. The wreckage proportion increased exponentially with the diameter. However, there was no connection between quality distribution and average site productivity. The total wreckage share for all deliveries to Bollsta sawmill in 2019 was 2.1 percent, which is a very good level. In the sorting of sawlogs at the sawmill, information from the quality classification carried out by Biometria is not used because it is not fully adapted to the products produced at Bollsta. Instead, the wood is sorted using a three-dimensional measuring frame and an X-ray equipment. However, the payment to the seller is based on Biometria's quality rating. In order to create a better picture of the raw material delivered to Bollsta sawmill, the results from the sawmill's analysis equipment linked to deliveries would need to be analyzed. Then clearer correlations can be made on how the distribution of wood properties looks in deliveries depending on region, origin, season and diameter

South–South cooperation and the geographies of Latin America–Caribbean integration and development: a socio-spatial approach

Structured around the case of South–South cooperation in the construction of “complementary economic zones” among the member states of the ALBA-TCP, Petrocaribe, CARICOM and MERCOSUR, this article argues for a socio-spatial approach to the study of the Latin America–Caribbean integration and development. Two interrelated arguments are developed: first, in contrast to methodologically nationalist approaches, which typically view the regionalisms that are to form the complementary economic zones as ideologically separate, incompatible or conflicting projects, a sociospatial approach in conjunction with a South–South cooperation analytical lens explains their commonality and, subsequently, their interrelatedness and convergence. Second, while this South–South cooperation space is not per se non-capitalist, a socio-spatial analysis also facilitates “seeing” the production of a socialist “counter-space” within this South–South cooperation structure

Activation of Neural and Pluripotent Stem Cell Signatures Correlates with Increased Malignancy in Human Glioma

The presence of stem cell characteristics in glioma cells raises the possibility that mechanisms promoting the maintenance and self-renewal of tissue specific stem cells have a similar function in tumor cells. Here we characterized human gliomas of various malignancy grades for the expression of stem cell regulatory proteins. We show that cells in high grade glioma co-express an array of markers defining neural stem cells (NSCs) and that these proteins can fulfill similar functions in tumor cells as in NSCs. However, in contrast to NSCs glioma cells co-express neural proteins together with pluripotent stem cell markers, including the transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, Nanog and Klf4. In line with this finding, in high grade gliomas mesodermal- and endodermal-specific transcription factors were detected together with neural proteins, a combination of lineage markers not normally present in the central nervous system. Persistent presence of pluripotent stem cell traits could only be detected in solid tumors, and observations based on in vitro studies and xenograft transplantations in mice imply that this presence is dependent on the combined activity of intrinsic and extrinsic regulatory cues. Together these results demonstrate a general deregulated expression of neural and pluripotent stem cell traits in malignant human gliomas, and indicate that stem cell regulatory factors may provide significant targets for therapeutic strategies

Sox2 Acts in a Dose-Dependent Fashion to Regulate Proliferation of Cortical Progenitors

Summary: Organ formation and maintenance depends on slowly self-renewing stem cells that supply an intermediate population of rapidly dividing progenitors, but how this proliferative hierarchy is regulated is unknown. By performing genome-wide single-cell and functional analyses in the cortex, we demonstrate that reduced Sox2 expression is a key regulatory signature of the transition between stem cells and rapidly dividing progenitors. In stem cells, Sox2 is expressed at high levels, which enables its repression of proproliferative genes, of which Cyclin D1 is the most potent target. Sox2 confers this function through binding to low-affinity motifs, which facilitate the recruitment of Gro/Tle corepressors in synergy with Tcf/Lef proteins. Upon differentiation, proneural factors reduce Sox2 expression, which derepresses Cyclin D1 and promotes proliferation. Our results show how concentration-dependent Sox2 occupancy of DNA motifs of varying affinities translates into recruitment of repressive complexes, which regulate the proliferative dynamics of neural stem and progenitor cells. : Hagey and Muhr show that high levels of Sox2 maintain stem cells of the developing cortex in a slowly self-renewing state by directly repressing cell-cycle genes. They further demonstrate that proneural protein-induced commitment to differentiation induces a rapidly dividing state via the reduction of Sox2 expression levels

The establishment of neuronal properties is controlled by Sox4 and Sox11

The progression of neurogenesis relies on proneural basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors. These factors operate in undifferentiated neural stem cells and induce cell cycle exit and the initiation of a neurogenic program. However, the transient expression of proneural bHLH proteins in neural progenitors indicates that expression of neuronal traits must rely on previously unexplored mechanisms operating downstream from proneural bHLH proteins. Here we show that the HMG-box transcription factors Sox4 and Sox11 are of critical importance, downstream from proneural bHLH proteins, for the establishment of pan-neuronal protein expression. Examination of a neuronal gene promoter reveals that Sox4 and Sox11 exert their functions as transcriptional activators. Interestingly, the capacity of Sox4 and Sox11 to induce the expression of neuronal traits is independent of mechanisms regulating the exit of neural progenitors from the cell cycle. The transcriptional repressor protein REST/NRSF has been demonstrated to block neuronal gene expression in undifferentiated neural cells. We now show that REST/NRSF restricts the expression of Sox4 and Sox11, explaining how REST/NRSF can prevent precocious expression of neuronal proteins. Together, these findings demonstrate a central regulatory role of Sox4 and Sox11 during neuronal maturation and mechanistically separate cell cycle withdrawal from the establishment of neuronal properties

Sequentially acting Sox transcription factors in neural lineage development

Previous studies have shown that pluripotent stem cells express Sox2, which can control many genes that will be expressed at later stages of development. However, how a stem cell lineage is selected and maintained during development is an important but unresolved problem. Bergsland et al. used gain- and loss-of-function experiments along with genome-wide binding analysis of Sox2, Sox3, and Sox11 in pluripotent stem cells, neural precursors, and maturing neurons to investigate this question. They found that in pluripotent and neural stem cells, Sox proteins preselect gene programs that will be induced by other members of the Sox family binding at a later stage of neurogenesis. These findings uncover how the Sox family functions to coordinate lineage selection and maintenance from early to late stages of neural development

CYCLIN-B1/2 and -D1 act in opposition to coordinate cortical progenitor self-renewal and lineage commitment

Sequential generation of layer-specific cortical neurons requires radial glial cells (RGCs) to balance self-renewal and commitment. Here the authors show that RGCs and lineage committed progenitors are defined by distinct cell cycle phases and CYCLIN-B1/2 cooperates with CDK1 to activate Notch and maintain RGCs

C-H and Si-H Activation Reactions at Ru/Ga Complexes: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Case Study on the Ru-Ga Bond

International audienceTreatment of  [Ru(COD)(MeAllyl) 2 ] and [Ru(COD)(COT)]  with GaCp* under hydrogenolytic conditions leads to reactive intermediates which activate Si-H or C-H bonds, respectively. The product complexes [Ru(GaCp*) 3 (SiEt 3 )H 3 ] ( 1 ) and [Ru(GaCp*) 3 (C 7 H 7 )H 3 ] ( 2 ) are formed with HSiEt 3 or with toluene as the solvent, respectively. While  1  was isolated and fully characterized by NMR, MS, IR and SC-XRD,  2  was too labile to be isolated and was observed and characterized  in-situ  by using mass spectrometry, including labelling experiments for the unambiguous assignment of the elemental composition. The structural assignment was confirmed by DFT computations. The relative energies of the four isomers possible upon toluene activation at the  ortho -,  meta -,  para - and CH 3 -positions have been determined and point  to aromatic C-H activation. The Ru-Ga bond was analyzed by EDA and QTAIM and compared to the Ru-P bond in the analogue phosphine compound. Bonding analyses indicate that the Ru-GaCp* bond is weaker than the Ru-PR 3  bond