Pressure effects in PrT2B2C (T = Co, Ni, Pt): Applied and chemical pressure

High-pressure electrical resistivity, r(T), measurements on intermetallic Pr(Co, Ni, Pt)2B2C compounds were performed down to 2K. At room pressure the r(T) in a-b direction curves for the non superconducting Pr(Co, Ni)2B2C compounds exhibit magnetic correlations at about 10 and 4 K, respectively. At low temperatures, PrCo2B2C shows a large spin-dependent electron scattering in comparison to PrNi2B2C. Under applied pressure the magnetic scattering tends to be suppressed more effectively in PrCo2B2C than in PrNi2 B2C. The low temperature behavior of r(T,P) for PrNi2B2C and PrCo2B2C suggests a spin fluctuations mechanism. In the other hand PrPt2B2C compound shows superconductivity at about 6 K and under pressure its superconducting transition temperature tends to be degraded at a rate dTc/dP = -0.34 K/GPa, as expected in compounds with transition metals. The experimental results in Co, Ni and Pt based compounds are analyzed from the point of view of the external and chemical internal pressure effects

Towards Efficient Full Pose Omnidirectionality with Overactuated MAVs

Omnidirectional MAVs are a growing field, with demonstrated advantages for aerial interaction and uninhibited observation. While systems with complete pose omnidirectionality and high hover efficiency have been developed independently, a robust system that combines the two has not been demonstrated to date. This paper presents VoliroX: a novel omnidirectional vehicle that can exert a wrench in any orientation while maintaining efficient flight configurations. The system design is presented, and a 6 DOF geometric control that is robust to singularities. Flight experiments further demonstrate and verify its capabilities.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, ISER 2018 conference submissio

Reunion overseas: introduced wild boars and cultivated orange trees interact in the Brazilian Atlantic forest

Little is known concerning novel interactions between species that typically interact in their native range but, as a consequence of human activity, are also interacting out of their original distribution under new ecological conditions. Objective: We investigate the interaction between the orange tree and wild boar, both of which share Asian origins and have been introduced to the Americas (i.e. the overseas). Methods: Specifically, we assessed whether i) wild boars consume orange (Citrus sinensis) fruits and seeds in orchards adjacent to a remnant of the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, ii) the orange seeds are viable after passing through boar’s digestive tract and iii) whether the orange tree may naturalise in the forest remnant assisted by wild boars. Results: Our camera surveys indicated that wild boar was by far the most frequent consumer of orange fruits (40.5 % of camera trap-days). A considerable proportion of sown orange seeds extracted from fresh boar feces emerged seedlings (27.8 %, N = 386) under controlled greenhouse conditions. Further, 37.6 % of sown seeds (N = 500) in the forest remnant emerged seedlings in July 2015; however, after ~4 years (March 2019) only 9 seedlings survived (i.e. 4.8 %, N = 188). Finally, 52 sweet orange seedlings were found during surveys within the forest remnant which is intensively used by wild boars. This study indicates a high potential of boars to act as effective seed dispersers of the sweet orange. However, harsh competition with native vegetation and the incidence of lethal diseases, which quickly kill sweet orange trees under non-agricultural conditions, could seriously limit orange tree establishment in the forest. Conclusions: Our results have important implications not only because the wild boar could be a vector of potential invasive species, but also because they disperse seeds of some native species (e.g. the queen palm, Syagrus romanzofiana) in defaunated forests, where large native seed dispersers are missing; thus, wild boars could exert critical ecological functions lost due to human activityinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Edge-Weighted Consensus Based Formation Control Strategy With Collision Avoidance

In this paper, a consensus-based control strategy is presented to gather formation for a group of differential-wheeled robots. The for- mation shape and the avoidance of collisions between robots are ob- tained by exploiting the properties of weighted graphs. Since mobile robots are supposed to move in unknown environments, the presented approach to multi-robot coordination has been extended in order to include obstacle avoidance. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy has been demonstrated by means of analytical proofs. More- over, results of simulations and experiments on real robots are provided for validation purposes

Role of IGF1 and IGF1/VEGF on Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Bone Healing: Two Sources and Two Fates.

In the repair of skeletal defects one of the major obstacles still remains an efficient vascularization of engineered scaffolds. We have examined the ability of insulin growth factor-1, alone or in association with vascular endothelial growth factor, to modulate the osteoblastic or endothelial commitment of periosteum-derived progenitor cells (PDPCs) and skin-derived multipotent stromal cells (S-MSCs). A selected gene panel for endothelial and osteoblastic differentiation as well as genes that can affect MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways were investigated. Moreover, gene expression profile of Sox2, Oct4, and Nanog transcription factors was assessed. Our results showed that under growth factor stimulation PDPCs are induced toward an osteoblastic differentiation, while S-MSCs seem to move along an endothelial phenotype. This different commitment seems to be linked to a diverse MAPK or PI3K/AKT signaling pathway activation. The analysis of genes for stemness evidenced that at least in PDPCs multipotency and differentiation could coexist. These results open interesting perspective for the development of innovative bone tissue engineering approaches based on a good network of angiogenesis and osteogenesis processes

Investigating Nabisco\u27s claim that double stuf Oreos contain double the stuff

The objective of this study was to test Nabisco\u27s claim that Double Stuf Oreos contain double the \stuf\ when compared to original Oreos. Six packages of each type of cookie were purchased from 3 local grocery stores. For each package 10 cookies were randomly selected using a random number generator. Sixty of each cookie type was used in this study. Total cookie weight of each cookie side and cream weight were measured in grams for each cookie. Results from a t-test indicate no evidence that consumers are getting less than double the stuff and a 95% confidence interval constructed for the ratio of means also supports this

Haspin regulates Ras localization to promote Cdc24-driven mitotic depolarization

Cell polarization is of paramount importance for proliferation, differentiation, development, and it is altered during carcinogenesis. Polarization is a reversible process controlled by positive and negative feedback loops. How polarized factors are redistributed is not fully understood and is the focus of this work. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mutants defective in haspin kinase exhibit stably polarized landmarks and are sensitive to mitotic delays. Here, we report a new critical role for haspin in polarisome dispersion; failure to redistribute polarity factors, in turn, leads to nuclear segregation defects and cell lethality. We identified a mitotic role for GTP-Ras in regulating the local activation of the Cdc42 GTPase, resulting in its dispersal from the bud tip to a homogeneous distribution over the plasma membrane. GTP-Ras2 physically interacts with Cdc24 regulateing its mitotic distribution. Haspin is shown to promote a mitotic shift from a bud tip-favored to a homogenous PM fusion of Ras-containing vesicles. In absence of haspin, active Ras is not redistributed from the bud tip; Cdc24 remains hyperpolarized promoting the activity of Cdc42 at the bud tip, and the polarisome fails to disperse leading to erroneously positioned mitotic spindle, defective nuclear segregation, and cell death after mitotic delays. These findings describe new functions for key factors that modulate cell polarization and mitotic events, critical processes involved in development and tumorigenesis

Design of a novel LOX-1 receptor antagonist mimicking the natural substrate

The lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1), the major receptor for oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in endothelial cells, is overexpressed in atherosclerotic lesions. LOX-1 specific inhibitors, urgently necessary to reduce the rate of atherosclerotic and inflammation processes, are not yet available. We have designed and synthesized a new modified oxidized phospholipid, named PLAzPC, which plays to small scale the ligand-receptor recognition scheme. Molecular docking simulations confirm that PLAzPC disables the hydrophobic component of the ox-LDL recognition domain and allows the interaction of the l-lysine backbone charged groups with the solvent and with the charged/polar residues located around the edges of the LOX-1 hydrophobic tunnel. Binding assays, in a cell model system expressing human LOX-1 receptors, confirm that PLAzPC markedly inhibits ox-LDL binding to LOX-1 with higher efficacy compared to previously identified inhibitors