Measuring and managing changes in estuaries and lagoons: Morphological and eco-toxicological aspects

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ExoMol Molecular linelists -- XXXIII. The spectrum of Titanium Oxide

Accurate line lists are crucial for correctly modelling a variety of astrophysical phenomena, including stellar photospheres and the atmospheres of extra-solar planets. This paper presents a new line database Toto for the main isotopologues of titanium oxide (TiO): $^{46}$Ti$^{16}$O, $^{47}$Ti$^{16}$O, $^{48}$Ti$^{16}$O, $^{49}$Ti$^{16}$O and $^{50}$Ti$^{16}$O. The TiO line list contains transitions with wave-numbers up to 30,000 cm$^{-1}$ ie long-wards of 0.33 $\mu$m. The Toto line list includes all dipole-allowed transitions between 13 low-lying electronic states (X $^3\Delta$, a $^1\Delta$, d $^1\Sigma^+$, E $^3\Pi$, A $^3\Phi$ B $^3\Pi$, C $^3\Delta$, b $^1\Pi$, c $^1\Phi$, f $^1\Delta$, e $^1\Sigma^+$). Ab initio potential energy curves (PECs) are computed at the icMRCI level and combined with spin-orbit and other coupling curves. These PECs and couplings are iteratively refined to match known empirical energy levels. Accurate line intensities are generated using ab initio dipole moment curves. The Toto line lists are appropriate for temperatures below 5000 K and contain 30 million transitions for TiO; it is made available in electronic form via the CDS data centre and via www.exomol.com. Tests of the line lists show greatly improved agreement with observed spectra for objects such as M-dwarfs GJ876 and GL581

Pi±-p total cross sections in the range 450 Mev to 1650 Mev

A series of counter experiments is being carried out at the Berkeley Bevatron and 184-inch cyclotron to measure total and differential scattering cross sections for pions at energies above the first resonance. (1-3) In this Letter we report the results of measurements of the total cross section for positive and negative pions on protons in the energy range from 450-Mev to 1650-Mev pion kinetic energy (lab)

Positive-pion production in inelastic π-p interactions between 500 and 1300 MeV

The momentum distributions of the π+ in the reaction π-p→π+π-n were measured at several π+ angles for incident π- beam energies of 516, 550, 599, 667, and 715 MeV; π-n mass spectra were calculated from the π+ momentum distributions. Partial data were also obtained at higher energies. The π- beam was obtained from the Berkeley Bevatron. The momenta of the π+ were measured with a magnetic spectrometer consisting of a C magnet and thin-walled aluminum spark chambers to display the trajectory of the particle entering and leaving the magnet. An array of scintillation counters was used to detect the occurrence of an event. An electronic time-of-flight system was used to distinguish positive pions from protons that passed through the spectrometer. The measured spectra can not be adequately explained by any of the several models with which we tried to fit our spectra, including an isobar model, although production of the (3,3) isobar is prominent

Introgression of peanut smut resistance from landraces to elite peanut cultivars (\u3ci\u3eArachis hypogaea\u3c/i\u3e L.)

Smut disease caused by the fungal pathogen Thecaphora frezii Carranza & Lindquist is threatening the peanut production in Argentina. Fungicides commonly used in the peanut crop have shown little or no effect controlling the disease, making it a priority to obtain peanut varieties resistant to smut. In this study, recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were developed from three crosses between three susceptible peanut elite cultivars (Arachis hypogaea L. subsp. hypogaea) and two resistant landraces (Arachis hypogaea L. subsp. fastigiata Waldron). Parents and RILs were evaluated under high inoculum pressure (12000 teliospores g-1 of soil) over three years. Disease resistance parameters showed a broad range of variation with incidence mean values ranging from 1.0 to 35.0% and disease severity index ranging from 0.01 to 0.30. Average heritability (h2) estimates of 0.61 to 0.73 indicated that resistance in the RILs was heritable, with several lines (4 to 7 from each cross) showing a high degree of resistance and stability over three years. Evidence of genetic transfer between genetically distinguishable germplasm (introgression in a broad sense) was further supported by simple-sequence repeats (SSRs) and Insertion/Deletion (InDel) marker genotyping. This is the first report of smut genetic resistance identified in peanut landraces and its introgression into elite peanut cultivars

Glioblastoma on a microfluidic chip: Generating pseudopalisades and enhancing aggressiveness through blood vessel obstruction events

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most lethal tumor types. Hypercellular regions, named pseudo- palisades, are characteristic in these tumors and have been hypothesized to be waves of migrating glioblastoma cells.These “waves” of cells are thought to be induced by oxygen and nutrient depletion caused by tumor-induced blood vessel occlusion. Although the universal presence of these structures in GBM tumors suggests that they may play an instrumental role in GBM’s spread and invasion, the recreation of these structures in vitro has remained challenging. Methods: Here we present a new microfluidic model of GBM that mimics the dynamics of pseudopalisade forma- tion.To do this, we embedded U-251 MG cells within a collagen hydrogel in a custom-designed microfluidic device. By controlling the medium flow through lateral microchannels, we can mimic and control blood-vessel obstruction events associated with this disease. Results: Through the use of this new system, we show that nutrient and oxygen starvation triggers a strong migratory process leading to pseudopalisade generation in vitro.These results validate the hypothesis of pseudo- palisade formation and show an excellent agreement with a systems-biology model based on a hypoxia-driven phenomenon. Conclusions: This paper shows the potential of microfluidic devices as advanced artificial systems capable of mod- eling in vivo nutrient and oxygen gradients during tumor evolution

Control of protein synthesis and memory by GluN3A-NMDA receptors through inhibition of GIT1/mTORC1 assembly

De novo protein synthesis is required for synapse modifications underlying stable memory encoding. Yet neurons are highly compartmentalized cells and how protein synthesis can be regulated at the synapse level is unknown. Here, we characterize neuronal signaling complexes formed by the postsynaptic scaffold GIT1, the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase, and Raptor that couple synaptic stimuli to mTOR-dependent protein synthesis; and identify NMDA receptors containing GluN3A subunits as key negative regulators of GIT1 binding to mTOR. Disruption of GIT1/mTOR complexes by enhancing GluN3A expression or silencing GIT1 inhibits synaptic mTOR activation and restricts the mTOR-dependent translation of specific activity-regulated mRNAs. Conversely, GluN3A removal enables complex formation, potentiates mTOR-dependent protein synthesis, and facilitates the consolidation of associative and spatial memories in mice. The memory enhancement becomes evident with light or spaced training, can be achieved by selectively deleting GluN3A from excitatory neurons during adulthood, and does not compromise other aspects of cognition such as memory flexibility or extinction. Our findings provide mechanistic insight into synaptic translational control and reveal a potentially selective target for cognitive enhancement

Nanoinformatics: developing new computing applications for nanomedicine

Nanoinformatics has recently emerged to address the need of computing applications at the nano level. In this regard, the authors have participated in various initiatives to identify its concepts, foundations and challenges. While nanomaterials open up the possibility for developing new devices in many industrial and scientific areas, they also offer breakthrough perspectives for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In this paper, we analyze the different aspects of nanoinformatics and suggest five research topics to help catalyze new research and development in the area, particularly focused on nanomedicine. We also encompass the use of informatics to further the biological and clinical applications of basic research in nanoscience and nanotechnology, and the related concept of an extended ?nanotype? to coalesce information related to nanoparticles. We suggest how nanoinformatics could accelerate developments in nanomedicine, similarly to what happened with the Human Genome and other -omics projects, on issues like exchanging modeling and simulation methods and tools, linking toxicity information to clinical and personal databases or developing new approaches for scientific ontologies, among many others

Adjuvant dabrafenib and trametinib for patients with resected BRAF-mutated melanoma: DESCRIBE-AD real-world retrospective observational study

BRAF and MEK inhibitor, dabrafenib plus trametinib, adjuvant therapy is effective for high-risk resected melanoma patients with BRAF-V600 mutations. However, real-world evidence is limited. We aimed to determine the feasibility of this therapy in routine clinical practice. DESCRIBE-AD, a retrospective observational study, collected real-world data from 25 hospitals in Spain. Histologically confirmed and resected BRAF-mutated melanoma patients aged & GE;18 years who were previously treated with dabrafenib plus trametinib adjuvant therapy, were included. The primary objectives were treatment discontinuation rate and time to discontinuation. The secondary objectives included safety and efficacy. From October 2020 to March 2021, 65 patients were included. Dabrafenib and trametinib discontinuation rate due to treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of any grade was 9%. Other reasons for discontinuation included patients' decisions (6%), physician decisions (6%), unrelated adverse events (3%), disease progression (5%), and others (5%). The median time to treatment discontinuation was 9 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 5-11]. G3-4 TRAEs occurred in 21.5% of patients, the most common being pyrexia (3%), asthenia (3%), and diarrhoea (3%). Unscheduled hospitalisations and clinical tests occurred in 6 and 22% of patients, respectively. After 20-month median follow-up (95% CI, 18-22), 9% of patients had exitus due to disease progression, with a 12-month relapse-free survival and overall survival rates of 95.3% and 100%, respectively. Dabrafenib and trametinib adjuvant therapy proved effective for melanoma patients in a real-world setting, with a manageable toxicity profile. Toxicity frequencies were low leading to low incidence of unscheduled medical visits, tests, and treatment discontinuations