Artinian Gorenstein algebras with linear resolutions

Fix a pair of positive integers d and n. We create a ring R and a complex G of R-modules with the following universal property. Let P be a polynomial ring in d variables over a field and let I be a grade d Gorenstein ideal in P which is generated by homogeneous forms of degree n. If the resolution of P/I by free P-modules is linear, then there exists a ring homomorphism from R to P such that P tensor G is a minimal homogeneous resolution of P/I by free P-modules. Our construction is coordinate free

The effect of entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi against four xylophagous pests

The effects of entomopathogenic nematodes EPN (Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae) and fungi EPF (Beauveria bassiana) strains were evaluated in laboratory assays against larvae of four xylophagous pests: the Asparagus moth Parahypopta caestrum, the European goat moth Cossus cossus, the pine longhorn Arhopalus syriacus and the black Buprestid Capnodis tenebrionis. Due to their biology and ethology, these insects may be included in the category of pests residing in cryptic habitats. The control of these species is considered difficult, due to the inability of chemical pesticides to penetrate the cryptic habitats and reach the targets. The pathogenicity of the entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi was tested in vitro against the pests. Two experimental models were considered and aimed to imitate the natural environment of the pests, in Petri dishes filled with plant material and inside wood galleries respectively. Main results showed that the majority of the tested strains of nematodes and fungi affected the insects’ survival rate. Steinernema feltiae and B. bassiana caused the highest percentage of larval mortality (80–100%). Considering the lack of effective chemical control means, the microbial control of the xylophagous pests by EPN and EPF reveals promising perspectives. Nematodes and fungi are able to penetrate the cryptic habitats because they are living organisms and may be horizontally transmitted by infected hosts. The distribution of EPF as preventive control method and the injection of EPN suspensions to reach and infect the larvae inside the wood galleries can be a combined sustainable control system

Roles of Microglial and Monocyte Chemokines and Their Receptors in Regulating Alzheimer's Disease-Associated Amyloid-β and Tau Pathologies

Chemokines and their receptors have been shown to affect amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau pathologies in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by regulating microglia and monocyte-associated neuroinflammation, microglial movement and monocyte recruitment into the brain. These cells in turn can promote and mediate Aβ phagocytosis and degradation and tau phosphorylation. In this review we discuss published work in this field in mouse models of AD and review what is known about the contributions of microglial and monocyte chemokines and their receptors to amyloid and tau pathologies. We focus on the roles of the chemokine/chemokine receptor pairs CCL2/CCR2, CX3CL1/CX3CR1, CCL5/CCR5, CXCL10/CXCR3 and CXCL1/CXCR2, highlighting important knowledge gaps in this field. A full understanding of the functions of chemokines and their receptors in AD may guide the development of novel immunotherapies for this devastating disease

Printable ink lenses, diffusers, and 2D gratings

Advances in holography have led to applications including data storage, displays, security labels, and colorimetric sensors. However, existing top-down approaches for the fabrication of holographic devices are complex, expensive, and expertise dependent, limiting their use in practical applications. Here, ink-based holographic devices have been created for a wide range of applications in diffraction optics. A single pulse of a 3.5 ns Nd:YAG laser allowed selective ablation of ink to nanofabricate planar optical devices. The practicality of this method is demonstrated by fabricating ink-based diffraction gratings, 2D holographic patterns, optical diffusers, and Fresnel zone plate (FZP) lenses by using the ink. The fabrication processes were rationally designed using predictive computational modeling and the devices were fabricated within a few minutes demonstrating amenability for large scale printable optics through industrial manufacturing. It is anticipated that ink will be a promising diffraction optical material for the rapid printing of low-cost planar nanophotonic devices

Valorization of wine‐making by‐products’ extracts in cosmetics

The increased demand for conscious, sustainable and beneficial products by the consumers has pushed researchers from both industries and universities worldwide to search for smart strategies capable of reducing the environmental footprint, especially the ones connected with industrial wastes. Among various by-products, generally considered as waste, those obtained by winemaking industries have attracted the attention of a wide variety of companies, other than the vineries. In particular, grape pomaces are considered of interest due to their high content in bioactive molecules, especially phenolic compounds. The latter can be recovered from grape pomace and used as active ingredients in easily marketable cosmetic products. Indeed, phenolic compounds are well known for their remarkable beneficial properties at the skin level, such as antioxidant, antiaging, anti-hyperpigmentation and photoprotective effects. The exploitation of the bioactives contained in grape pomaces to obtain high value cosmetics may support the growing of innovative start-ups and expand the value chain of grapes. This review aims to describe the strategies for recovery of polyphenols from grape pomace, to highlight the beneficial potential of these extracts, both in vitro and in vivo, and their potential utilization as active ingredients in cosmetic products

Fibrin regulates neutrophil migration in response to interleukin 8, leukotriene B4, tumor necrosis factor, and formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine

We have examined the capacity of four different chemoattractants/cytokines to promote directed migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) through three-dimensional gels composed of extracellular matrix proteins. About 20% of PMN migrated through fibrin gels and plasma clots in response to a gradient of interleukin 8 (IL-8) or leukotriene B4 (LTB4). In contrast, < 0.3% of PMN migrated through fibrin gels in response to a gradient of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) or formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP). All four chemoattractants stimulated PMN to migrate through gels composed of collagen IV or of basement membrane proteins (Matrigel), or through filters to which fibronectin or fibrinogen had been adsorbed. PMN stimulated with TNF or FMLP adhered and formed zones of close apposition to fibrin, as measured by the exclusion of a 10-kD rhodamine-polyethylene glycol probe from the contact zones between PMN and the underlying fibrin gel. By this measure, IL-8- or LTB4-treated PMN adhered loosely to fibrin, since 10 kD rhodamine-polyethylene glycol permeated into the contact zones between these cells and the underlying fibrin gel. PMN stimulated with FMLP and IL-8, or FMLP and LTB4, exhibited very little migration through fibrin gels, and three times as many of these cells excluded 10 kD rhodamine-polyethylene glycol from their zones of contact with fibrin as PMN stimulated with IL-8 or LTB4 alone. These results show that PMN chemotaxis is regulated by both the nature of the chemoattractant and the composition of the extracellular matrix; they suggest that certain combinations of chemoattractants and matrix proteins may limit leukocyte movements and promote their localization in specific tissues in vivo