Variation of growth performance of the striped venus clam Chamelea gallina (Mollusca: Bivalvia) (Linnaeus, 1758) in relation to environmental variables along the southern part of its geographic range

This study reports relative growth, shell length-age keys and growth performance indices (overall growth performance (OGP) and phi prime) for the striped venus Chamelea gallina from the Huelva coast in southwest (SW) Spain. The morphometric relationship shell height (SH)/shell length (SL) presented isometric growth whereas SL/shell width (SW) and SL/weight (W) displayed negative allometric growth. Shell length at age was estimated through length-frequency distribution (LF) and internal shell growth bands by acetate peel method (AP). C. gallina population consists mainly of three age classes with shell lengths around 13-15 mm for the first year, 25 mm for the second year and 30 mm for the third year. The OGP and phi prime values obtained in the present study are within the range of values for other C. gallina populations from the Gulf of Cádiz. Nevertheless, marked differences in growth performance were observed between populations from the Black Sea (lower growth performance) and from other locations along the southern distribution area of this species, which may be related to the low levels of temperature (SST), salinity (SSS) and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration that exhibit large intra-annual fluctuations.En prensa0,371

Organic-inorganic magnetic hybrids as multifunctional imaging and therapeutic agents

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have become key elements in the design of functional nanostructures able to play an active role in different biomedical applications, e. g. as heat generating nanosources in magnetic hyperthermia, as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in drug delivery and cell separation, and in biosensing. On the other hand, polymeric nanostructures have received great interest as suitable bioactive encapsulating agents and carriers due to their biocompatibility, low toxicity and ability to influence the bioactive delivery profile [1]. In a further step, hybrid organic-inorganic nanocomposites have been explored as a synergistic approach that combines the modified bioactive release induced by the polymer/lipid encapsulation and the intrinsic physico-chemical properties from the inorganic counterpart [2]. In particular, magnetic hybrid self-assemblies have been found to open new perspectives for biomedical and environmental applications [3, 4]. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Electron energy-loss cross sections for the chemical bond overlap plasmon Of the hydrogen molecule

We examine the possibility of detecting the chemical bond overlap plasmon (CBOP) of the hydrogen molecule by electron inelastic scattering. The CBOP has been predicted to efficiently absorb and scatter electromagnetic radiation above the molecular ionization threshold in the cases of alkali halides. For the hydrogen molecule the quadrupole nature of the CBOP energy-loss cross section leads to cross section values with impacting electron energy dependence and an angular behavior which are totally distinguishable from the usual ionization, inter-band transitions and dissociation processes. Previously established relationships between the CBOP and the polarizability of the overlap region suggest this an a promising theoretical tool for quantifying covalency in the chemical bond

Default mode network maturation and environmental adversities during childhood

Default mode network (DMN) plays a central role in cognition and brain disorders. It has been shown that adverse environmental conditions impact neurodevelopment, but how these conditions impact in DMN maturation is still poorly understood. This article reviews representative neuroimaging functional studies addressing the interactions between DMN development and environmental factors, focusing on early life adversities, a critical period for brain changes. Studies focused on this period of life offer a special challenge: to disentangle the neurodevelopmental connectivity changes from those related to environmental conditions. We first summarized the literature on DMN maturation, providing an overview of both typical and atypical development patterns in childhood and early adolescence. Afterward, we focused on DMN changes associated with chronic exposure to environmental adversities during childhood. This summary suggests that changes in DMN development could be a potential allostatic neural feature associated with an embodiment of environmental circumstances. Finally, we discuss about some key methodological issues that should be considered in paradigms addressing environmental adversities and open questions for future investigations

Higher-Derivative Corrected Black Holes: Perturbative Stability and Absorption Cross-Section in Heterotic String Theory

This work addresses spherically symmetric, static black holes in higher-derivative stringy gravity. We focus on the curvature-squared correction to the Einstein-Hilbert action, present in both heterotic and bosonic string theory. The string theory low-energy effective action necessarily describes both a graviton and a dilaton, and we concentrate on the Callan-Myers-Perry solution in d-dimensions, describing stringy corrections to the Schwarzschild geometry. We develop the perturbation theory for the higher-derivative corrected action, along the guidelines of the Ishibashi-Kodama framework, focusing on tensor type gravitational perturbations. The potential obtained allows us to address the perturbative stability of the black hole solution, where we prove stability in any dimension. The equation describing gravitational perturbations to the Callan-Myers-Perry geometry also allows for a study of greybody factors and quasinormal frequencies. We address gravitational scattering at low frequencies, computing corrections arising from the curvature-squared term in the stringy action. We find that the absorption cross-section receives \alpha' corrections, even though it is still proportional to the area of the black hole event-horizon. We also suggest an expression for the absorption cross-section which could be valid to all orders in \alpha'.Comment: JHEP3.cls, 29 pages; v2: added refs, minor corrections and additions; v3: added more refs, more minor corrections and addition

Mixed carbon nanomaterial/epoxy resin for electrically conductive adhesives

The increasing complexity of printed circuit boards (PCBs) due to miniaturization, increased the density of electronic components, and demanding thermal management during the assembly triggered the research of innovative solder pastes and electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs). Current commercial ECAs are typically based on epoxy matrices with a high load (>60%) of silver particles, generally in the form of microflakes. The present work reports the production of ECAs based on epoxy/carbon nanomaterials using carbon nanotubes (single and multi-walled) and exfoliated graphite, as well as hybrid compositions, within a range of concentrations. The composites were tested for morphology (dispersion of the conductive nanomaterials), electrical and thermal conductivity, rheological characteristics and deposition on a test PCB. Finally, the ECA’s shelf life was assessed by mixing all the components and conductive nanomaterials, and evaluating the cure of the resin before and after freezing for a time range up to nine months. The ECAs produced could be stored at −18 °C without affecting the cure reaction.This research was funded by the Portugal Incentive System for Research and Technological Development,Project in Co-Promotion n◦039479/2019 (Factory of the Future: Smart Manufacturing 2019–202

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF FUTSAL PLAYERS’ ORGANIZATION ON THE COURT

The purpose of this study was to quantify and analyze professional Futsal teams’ organization on the court in shots to goal and tackles situations. Two-dimensional coordinates of 22 players’ positions were obtained during a match between Brazil and Paraguay using a computational tracking system. Team organization in 58 specific situations of shots to goal and 120 tackles were analysed. The variables quantified were teams’ coverage area and distance between teams’ centroids. Results showed that defending team coverage area was greater (

Use of retinoids during oocyte maturation diminishes apoptosis in caprine embryos

Exposure of caprine oocytes and embryos to retinoids enhances embryonic development, but the mechanisms governing this phenomenon have not been characterised. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if the incidence of apoptosis is affected by the addition of retinyl acetate (RAc) and 9-cis-retinoic acid (RA) during in vitro maturation (IVM) of caprine oocytes. Embryonic development was recorded on days 3 and 8 post-fertilisation, and apoptosis was measured by caspase activity and DNA fragmentation (TUNEL assay). Control zygotes had lower capacity to cleave and reach the blastocyst stage (24.45 ± 2.32 and 5.32 ± 0.81, respectively) than those of RAc- (29.96 ± 1.62 and 7.94 ± 0.93, respectively) and RA-treated groups (30.12 ± 1.51 and 7.36 ± 1.02, respectively). Oocytes and blastocysts positive for TUNEL assay were more frequent, respectively, in the controls (8.20 ± 0.78, 8.70 ± 1.05) than in RAc (5.60 ± 0.52, 4.80 ± 0.51) and RA (6.40 ± 0.69, 5.40 ± 0.69). Caspase activity did not differ between control oocytes (7.20 ± 0.91), RAc (6.60 ± 0.68) and RA (7.30 ± 0.67), but it was reduced in RAc- (5.05 ± 0.62) and RA-treated blastocysts (5.75 ± 0.22) compared to controls (8.35 ± 0.71). These results indicate that the addition of retinoids during IVM increases the developmental potential of goat embryos with a concomitant reduction in apoptosis rates

Allograft Inflammatory Factor-1 Governs Hematopoietic Stem Cell Differentiation Into cDC1 and Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells Through IRF8 and RelB in vitro

The multistep differentiation process from hematopoietic stem cells through common myeloid progenitors into committed dendritic cell (DC) subsets remains to be fully addressed. These studies now show that Allograft Inflammatory Factor-1 (AIF1) is required for differentiation of classical DC type 1 (cDC1) subsets and monocyte-derived DC (Mo-DC). Phenotypic studies found that AIF1 expression increased in committed subsets differentiating from common myeloid progenitors (CMP). However, silencing AIF1 expression in hematopoietic stem progenitors restrained the capacity to differentiate into Mo-DC and cDC1 cell subsets under GM-CSF or Flt3-L stimuli conditions, respectively. This was further marked by restrained expression of IRF8, which is critical for development of Mo-DC and cDC1 subsets. As a result, absence of AIF1 restrained the cells at the Lin−CD117+FcγR−CD34+ CMP stage. Further biochemical studies revealed that abrogating AIF1 resulted in inhibition of the NFκB family member RelB expression and p38 MAPK phosphorylation during differentiation of Mo-DC. Lastly, protein binding studies identified that AIF1 interacts with protein kinase C (PKC) to influence downstream signaling pathways. Taken together, this is the first report showing a novel role of AIF1 as a calcium-responsive scaffold protein that supports IRF8 expression and interacts with PKC to drive NFκB-related RelB for successfully differentiating hematopoietic progenitor cells into cDC and Mo-DC subsets under Flt3-L and GM-CSF stimuli, respectively

Reef fish and benthic assemblages of the Trindade and Martin Vaz Island group, southwestern Atlantic

O conjunto insular de Trindade e Martin Vaz (CITMV) está localizado a aproximadamente 1.120 km da costa brasileira. Apesar de sua importância, salientada pela presença de diversas espécies endêmicas de peixes, não existem informações detalhadas sobre as assembléias de peixes e bentos do CITMV. É apresentada aqui a primeira caracterização quantitativa das assembléias de peixes e bentos do CITMV em um gradiente de profundidade entre 5 e 45 m. Informações qualitativas adicionais sobre assembléias recifais entre 45 e 100 m foram obtidas utilizando-se técnicas avançadas de mergulho (TRIMIX) e um veículo de operação remota (VOR). Assim como outras ilhas oceânicas brasileiras, a CITMV possui assembléias depauperadas de peixes e bentos, possivelmente devido ao seu isolamento e pequeno tamanho em comparação ao continente. A profundidade foi o fator que mais afetou a estrutura das assembléias de peixes, com a densidade da maioria das espécies declinando com o aumento da profundidade. Os recifes profundos (>; 45 m) foram caracterizados pela presença de bancos extensivos de rodolitos e recifes rochosos esparsamente cobertos por algas coralináceas incrustantes, corais negros (Cirripathes sp.) e alguns corais massivos e em de forma de placa. Peixes parcialmente ou obrigatoriamente planctívoros (e.g. Cephalopholis furcifer and Clepticus brasiliensis) também dominaram em recifes profundos. Características similares foram registradas para recifes mesofóticos ao longo do Atlântico Ocidental. Evidências de sobrepesca (obtidas aqui e em outros estudos recentes), a presença de quatro espécies de peixes endêmicas e com distribuição restrita, e o aumento no número de espécies novas ainda não descritas, indicam que a adoção de medidas de conservação baseadas no princípio da precaução é urgentemente necessária para garantir a manutenção dos ecossistemas frágeis e únicos do CITMV.The Trindade and Martin Vaz island group (TMVIG) is located at about 1,120 km off the Brazilian coast. Despite its importance, highlighted by the presence of several endemic fish species, the TMVIG lacks detailed information on the structure of fish and benthic assemblages. Presented here is the first quantitative assessment of reef fish and benthic assemblages of the TMVIG in a depth gradient ranging from 5 to 45 m. Additional qualitative information on reef assemblages between 45 and 100 m was obtained using advanced gas diving techniques (TRIMIX) and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Similarly to other Brazilian oceanic islands, the TMVIG possesses depauperated fish and benthic assemblages, possibly due to its isolation and small size in comparison to the mainland. Depth was the most important factor affecting the structure of fish assemblages, with the density of most fish species declining with depth. Deep reefs (>; 45 m) were characterized by the presence of extensive rhodolith beds and rocky reefs sparsely covered with crustose coralline algae, black coral (Cirripathes sp.) and a few massive or plate-like reef corals. Part-time or obligatory planktivorous fishes (e.g. Cephalopholis furcifer and Clepticus brasiliensis) also dominated deep reefs. Similar characteristics were recorded in mesophotic reef ecosystems across the Western Atlantic. Evidence of overfishing (obtained here and in other recent studies), the presence of four endemic and restricted range fish species, as well as the increase in number of new (and still undescribed) endemic taxa, indicates that the adoption of precautionary conservation measures are urgently needed in order to maintain the fragile and unique ecosystems of the TMVIG