Coherent optical transduction of suspended microcapillary resonators for multi-parameter sensing applications

Characterization of micro and nanoparticle mass has become increasingly relevant in a wide range of fields, from materials science to drug development. The real-time analysis of complex mixtures in liquids demands very high mass sensitivity and high throughput. One of the most promising approaches for real-time measurements in liquid, with an excellent mass sensitivity, is the use of suspended microchannel resonators, where a carrier liquid containing the analytes flows through a nanomechanical resonator while tracking its resonance frequency shift. To this end, an extremely sensitive mechanical displacement technique is necessary. Here, we have developed an optomechanical transduction technique to enhance the mechanical displacement sensitivity of optically transparent hollow nanomechanical resonators. The capillaries have been fabricated by using a thermal stretching technique, which allows to accurately control the final dimensions of the device. We have experimentally demonstrated the light coupling into the fused silica capillary walls and how the evanescent light coming out from the silica interferes with the surrounding electromagnetic field distribution, a standing wave sustained by the incident laser and the reflected power from the substrate, modulating the reflectivity. The enhancement of the displacement sensitivity due to this interferometric modulation (two orders of magnitude better than compared with previous accomplishments) has been theoretically predicted and experimentally demonstrated

Characterizing ecoregions in Argentinian patagonia using extant continental ostracods

In order to characterize Patagonian (Argentina) ecoregions using non-marine ostracods, their associations in 69 environments were assessed. Twenty eight taxa were recorded, including 12 endemic of the Neotropical region. Our results indicate that Patagonian ostracods are mainly influenced by electrical conductivity (EC), altitude, pH, and temperature; and shows a correlation with Argentinian ecoregions. Assemblage I is composed of sites located at high altitude in the Andean Patagonian forest ecoregion. Host waters have low temperature, EC and pH, and support as representative species Cypris pubera, Eucypris virens, Bradleystrandesia fuscata, Tonacypris lutaria and Amphicypris nobilis. Assemblage II, related to mid-altitude environments in the Patagonian Steppe ecoregion, thrived in waters with moderate to high EC, and alkaline pH values. Dominant species includes Limnocythere rionegroensis, L. patagonica, E. virgata, Riocypris whatleyi, Riocypris sarsi, Newnhamia patagonica, Kapcypridopsis megapodus, Ilyocypris ramirezi and Penthesinelula incae. Assemblage III inhabited environments within Monte and Espinal ecoregions, situated in the eastern part of the study area at low altitude, EC moderate and temperate waters, supporting Heterocypris hyalinus, Amphicypris argentinensis, Sarscypridopsis aculeata, Cypridopsis vidua, Herpetocypris intermedia and Chlamidotheca incisa. Our results indicates that Argentinian Patagonia hosts a diverse ostracod fauna and highlights their capacity as proxies in ecological and palaeoenvironmental studies.Fil: Cusminsky, Gabriela Catalina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Coviaga, Corina Anabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Ramos, Lorena Yésica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Patricia Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Schwalb, Antje. Technische Universität Braunschweig; AlemaniaFil: Markgraf, Vera. University of Colorado; Estados UnidosFil: Ariztegui, Daniel. Universidad de Ginebra; SuizaFil: Viehberg, Finn. Universitat zu Köln; Alemania. Universität Greifswald; AlemaniaFil: Alperin, Marta Ines. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentin

Inter-Individual variability in insulin response after grape pomace supplementation in subjects at high cardiometabolic risk: role of microbiota and miRNA

Scope Dietary polyphenols have shown promising effects in mechanistic and preclinical studies on the regulation of cardiometabolic alterations. Nevertheless, clinical trials have provided contradictory results, with high inter‐individual variability. This study explores the role of gut microbiota and microRNAs (miRNAs) as factors contributing to the inter‐individual variability in polyphenol response. Methods and Results 49 subjects with at least two factors of metabolic syndrome are divided between responders (n = 23) or non‐responders (n = 26), depending on the variation rate in fasting insulin after grape pomace supplementation (6 weeks). The populations of selected fecal bacteria are estimated from fecal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), while the microbial‐derived short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are measured in fecal samples by gas chromatography. MicroRNAs are analyzed on a representative sample, followed by targeted miRNA analysis. Responder subjects show significantly lower (p < 0.05) Prevotella and Firmicutes levels, and increased (p < 0.05) miR‐222 levels. Conclusion After evaluating the selected substrates for Prevotella and target genes of miR‐222, these variations suggest that responders are those subjects exhibiting impaired glycaemic control. This study shows that fecal microbiota and miRNA expression may be related to inter‐individual variability in clinical trials with polyphenols

Total and high molecular weight adiponectin have similar utility for the identification of insulin resistance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insulin resistance (IR) and related metabolic disturbances are characterized by low levels of adiponectin. High molecular weight adiponectin (HMWA) is considered the active form of adiponectin and a better marker of IR than total adiponectin. The objective of this study is to compare the utility of total adiponectin, HMWA and the HMWA/total adiponectin index (S_Aindex) for the identification of IR and related metabolic conditions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional analysis was performed in a group of ambulatory subjects, aged 20 to 70 years, in Mexico City. Areas under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve for total, HMWA and the S_Aindex were plotted for the identification of metabolic disturbances. Sensitivity and specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy for the identification of IR were calculated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study included 101 men and 168 women. The areas under the ROC curve for total and HMWA for the identification of IR (0.664 <it>vs</it>. 0.669, <it>P </it>= 0.74), obesity (0.592 <it>vs</it>. 0.610, <it>P </it>= 0.32), hypertriglyceridemia (0.661 <it>vs</it>. 0.671, <it>P </it>= 0.50) and hypoalphalipoproteinemia (0.624 <it>vs</it>. 0.633, <it>P </it>= 0.58) were similar. A total adiponectin level of 8.03 μg/ml was associated with a sensitivity of 57.6%, a specificity of 65.9%, a positive predictive value of 50.0%, a negative predictive value of 72.4%, and an accuracy of 62.7% for the diagnosis of IR. The corresponding figures for a HMWA value of 4.25 μg/dl were 59.6%, 67.1%, 51.8%, 73.7% and 64.2%.</p> <p>The area under the ROC curve of the S_Aindex for the identification of IR was 0.622 [95% CI 0.554-0.691], obesity 0.613 [95% CI 0.536-0.689], hypertriglyceridemia 0.616 [95% CI 0.549-0.683], and hypoalphalipoproteinemia 0.606 [95% CI 0.535-0.677].</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Total adiponectin, HMWA and the S_Aindex had similar utility for the identification of IR and metabolic disturbances.</p

On the Tunability of Toxicity for Viologen‐Derivatives as Anolyte for Neutral Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries

Viologen-derivatives are the most widely used redox organic molecules for neutral pH negative electrolyte of redox flow batteries. However, the long-established toxicity of the herbicide methyl-viologen raises concern for deployment of viologen-derivatives at large scale in flow batteries. Herein, we demonstrate the radically different cytotoxicity and toxicology of a series of viologen-derivatives in in vitro assays using model organisms representative of human and environmental exposure, namely human lung carcinoma epithelial cell line (A549) and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The results show that safe viologen derivatives can be molecularly engineered, representing a promising family of negolyte materials for neutral redox flow batteries.The authors acknowledge financial support by the Spanish Government (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion, Grants PID2021-124974OB-C22 and PID2020-115789GB-C21) and Ramon y Cajal award (RYC2018-026086-I) as well as the MeBattery project. MeBattery has received funding from the European Innovation Council of the European Union under Grant Agreement no. 101046742. This work was supported by the Regional Government of Castilla y Leon (Junta de Castilla y Leon) and by the Ministry of Science and Innovation MICIN and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. We also gratefully acknowledge Junta de Castilla y Leon (BU049P20) and FEDER for financial support

Early-life and chronic exposure to high-fat diet alters noradrenergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission in the male rat amygdala and hippocampus under cognitive challenges

OBEETEEN Consortium: Guillaume Ferreira, Gustavo Pacheco-Lopez, Etienne Coutureau, Ranier Gutierrez, Pascal Barat, Federico Bermudez-Rattoni, Gwenaelle Catheline, Claudia I. Pérez,, Pauline Lafenêtre, Daniel Osorio-Gomez, Kioko Guzman-Ramos, Fabien Naneix, Ernesto Sanz-Arigita, Ioannis Bakoyiannis. Note: Consortium author list recognizes the significant and irreducible commitment with the conceptualization, management, and realization of this research project.Peer reviewe

Mortuary Pottery and Sacred Landscapes in Complex Hunter-gatherers in the Paraná Basin, South America

Tubular pottery comprises certain peculiar artifacts that were produced by late Holocene complex hunter-gatherer societies in southeastern South America for unknown purposes. Some authors have related them to mortuary behaviour which has also been suggested by historical sources, while others have considered domestic use. In this paper, the technical, compositional and functional properties of these artifacts are explored in order to contrast both hypotheses, given an example of how technical analysis allows the identification of special pottery within archeological contexts. This analysis includes a study of the fabrics involved using low and high magnification, thin sections, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Mössbauer Spectroscopy, Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and fatty acid profiles. The results show that these tubular artifacts are not fit structurally for utilitarian purposes and show no evidence of domestic use. Based on these results and on historical data, it can be postulated that they were used as part of mortuary rituals, thus becoming part of the select global group of pottery manufactured exclusively for mortuary purposes.Fil: Loponte, Daniel Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Secretaría de Cultura de la Nación. Dirección Nacional de Cultura y Museos. Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano; ArgentinaFil: Ottalagano, Flavia Vanina. Secretaría de Cultura de la Nación. Dirección Nacional de Cultura y Museos. Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Pérez, Maricel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Secretaría de Cultura de la Nación. Dirección Nacional de Cultura y Museos. Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano; ArgentinaFil: Malec, Laura. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Ramos, Cinthia Paula. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Bozzano, Patricia Beatriz. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Iribarren, Manuel José. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Rodolfo Ariel. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Leiva, Graciela Edith. Universidad de Belgrano. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Domínguez Gutiérrez, Silvia. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Constituyentes; ArgentinaFil: Ali, Sheila Grisel. Secretaría de Cultura de la Nación. Dirección Nacional de Cultura y Museos. Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Alejandro Alberto. Secretaría de Cultura de la Nación. Dirección Nacional de Cultura y Museos. Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Structural basis of NINJ1-mediated plasma membrane rupture in cell death

Eukaryotic cells can undergo different forms of programmed cell death, many of which culminate in plasma membrane rupture as the defining terminal event; 1-7; . Plasma membrane rupture was long thought to be driven by osmotic pressure, but it has recently been shown to be in many cases an active process, mediated by the protein ninjurin-1; 8; (NINJ1). Here we resolve the structure of NINJ1 and the mechanism by which it ruptures membranes. Super-resolution microscopy reveals that NINJ1 clusters into structurally diverse assemblies in the membranes of dying cells, in particular large, filamentous assemblies with branched morphology. A cryo-electron microscopy structure of NINJ1 filaments shows a tightly packed fence-like array of transmembrane α-helices. Filament directionality and stability is defined by two amphipathic α-helices that interlink adjacent filament subunits. The NINJ1 filament features a hydrophilic side and a hydrophobic side, and molecular dynamics simulations show that it can stably cap membrane edges. The function of the resulting supramolecular arrangement was validated by site-directed mutagenesis. Our data thus suggest that, during lytic cell death, the extracellular α-helices of NINJ1 insert into the plasma membrane to polymerize NINJ1 monomers into amphipathic filaments that rupture the plasma membrane. The membrane protein NINJ1 is therefore an interactive component of the eukaryotic cell membrane that functions as an in-built breaking point in response to activation of cell death

Herbarium Areqvipense (HUSA): computerization and representativeness of its collection

Las colecciones científicas y entre ellas los herbarios representan importantes fuentes de información y enseñanza para los investigadores y profesionales en ciencias biológicas. El Herbarium Areqvipense (HUSA), registrado en el Index Herbariorum desde el año 2004, alberga una de las colecciones más importantes del Perú. En este trabajo brindamos información de la colección y damos a conocer su representatividad para la flora peruana. El HUSA cuenta con más de 11000 especímenes registrados, distribuidos en más de 2300 especies, correspondientes en su mayor parte a Magnoliophyta y Pteridophyta (ca. 98%), y en menor proporción por Basidiomycetes y Ascomycetes (Hongos y Líquenes) y Bryophyta (Musgos). Los especímenes provienen de 23 departamentos del Perú, donde Arequipa presenta el mayor número de individuos colectados (3375), equivalente al 31% de la colección. Las familias Asteraceae y de Solanaceae son las mejor representadas con 1571 y 964 especímenes, respectivamente. La mayor cantidad de especímenes georeferenciados corresponden a la zona de vida Bosque muy húmedo bajo tropical con el 15%, seguido por el Bosque muy húmedo premontano tropical con el 8%. Se dan además a conocer los tipos presentes en la colección, así como una reseña del desarrollo del HUSA desde su creación.Scientific collections and herbaria are essential sources of information and education for researchers and practitioners in biological sciences. The Herbarium Areqvipense (HUSA), registered at Index Herbariorum since 2004, holds one of the most important collections in Peru. In this paper we provide information about the collection, and its representativeness for the Peruvian flora. HUSA has more than 11000 specimens recorded to date, with more than 2300 determined species, consisting mostly of Magnoliophyta and Pteridophyta (ca. 98%), and a smaller proportion of Basidiomycetes, Ascomycetes (fungi and lichens) and Bryophyta (mosses). The collection includes specimens from 23 departments of Peru, where the samples belonging to Arequipa have the largest number of individuals collected (3375) accounting for 31% of the collection. Asteraceae and Solanaceae are the most collected with 1571 and 964 specimens, respectively. The majority of geo-referenced specimens came from the tropical wet forest with 15%, followed by the tropical pre-montane wet forest with 8%. We also provide a list of the nomenclatural types and a brief summary of the history and development of HUSA since its creation

Comparison of uniportal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery pulmonary anatomic resections with multiport robotic-assisted thoracic surgery: a multicenter study of the European experience

Background: Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) has seen increasing interest in the last few years, with most procedures primarily being performed in the conventional multiport manner. Our team has developed a new approach that has the potential to convert surgeons from uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) or open surgery to robotic-assisted surgery, uniportal-RATS (U-RATS). We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of one single incision, uniportal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (U-RATS) against standard multiport RATS (M-RATS) with regards to safety, feasibility, surgical technique, immediate oncological result, postoperative recovery, and 30-day follow-up morbidity and mortality. Methods: We performed a large retrospective multi-institutional review of our prospectively curated database, including 101 consecutive U-RATS procedures performed from September 2021 to October 2022, in the European centers that our main surgeon operates in. We compared these cases to 101 consecutive M-RATS cases done by our colleagues in Barcelona between 2019 to 2022. Results: Both patient groups were similar with respect to demographics, smoking status and tumor size, but were significantly younger in the U-RATS group [M-RATS =69 (range, 39-81) years; U-RATS =63 years (range, 19-82) years; P<0.0001]. Most patients in both operative groups underwent resection of a primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) [M-RATS 96/101 (95%); U-RATS =60/101 (59%); P<0.0001]. The main type of anatomic resection was lobectomy for the multiport group, and segmentectomy for the U-RATS group. In the M-RATS group, only one anatomical segmentectomy was performed, while the U-RATS group had twenty-four (24%) segmentectomies (P=0.0006). All M-RATS and U-RATS surgical specimens had negative resection margins (R0) and contained an equivalent median number of lymph nodes available for pathologic analysis [M-RATS =11 (range, 5-54); U-RATS =15 (range, 0-41); P=0.87]. Conversion rate to thoracotomy was zero in the U-RATS group and low in M-RATS [M-RATS =2/101 (2%); U-RATS =0/101; P=0.19]. Median operative time was also statistically different [M-RATS =150 (range, 60-300) minutes; U-RATS =136 (range, 30-308) minutes; P=0.0001]. Median length of stay was significantly lower in U-RATS group at four days [M-RATS =5 (range, 2-31) days; U-RATS =4 (range, 1-18) days; P<0.0001]. Rate of complications and 30-day mortality was low in both groups. Conclusions: U-RATS is feasible and safe for anatomic lung resections and comparable to the multiport conventional approach regarding surgical outcomes. Given the similarity of the technique to uniportal VATS, it presents the potential to convert minimally invasive thoracic surgeons to a robotic-assisted approach