Rural-urban migration in d-dimensional lattices

The rural-urban migration phenomenon is analyzed by using an agent-based computational model. Agents are placed on lattices which dimensions varying from d=2 up to d=7. The localization of the agents in the lattice define their social neighborhood (rural or urban) not being related to their spatial distribution. The effect of the dimension of lattice is studied by analyzing the variation of the main parameters that characterizes the migratory process. The dynamics displays strong effects even for around one million of sites, in higher dimensions (d=6, 7).Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, to be published in International Journal of Modern Physics C 1

Metazoans of redoxcline sediments in Mediterranean deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basins

Background: The deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basins (DHABs) of the Mediterranean (water depth similar to 3500 m) are some of the most extreme oceanic habitats known. Brines of DHABs are nearly saturated with salt, leading many to suspect they are uninhabitable for eukaryotes. While diverse bacterial and protistan communities are reported from some DHAB haloclines and brines, loriciferans are the only metazoan reported to inhabit the anoxic DHAB brines. Our goal was to further investigate metazoan communities in DHAB haloclines and brines. Results: We report observations from sediments of three DHAB (Urania, Discovery, L'Atalante) haloclines, comparing these to observations from sediments underlying normoxic waters of typical Mediterranean salinity. Due to technical difficulties, sampling of the brines was not possible. Morphotype analysis indicates nematodes are the most abundant taxon; crustaceans, loriciferans and bryozoans were also noted. Among nematodes, Daptonema was the most abundant genus; three morphotypes were noted with a degree of endemicity. The majority of rRNA sequences were from planktonic taxa, suggesting that at least some individual metazoans were preserved and inactive. Nematode abundance data, in some cases determined from direct counts of sediments incubated in situ with CellTracker (TM) Green, was patchy but generally indicates the highest abundances in either normoxic control samples or in upper halocline samples; nematodes were absent or very rare in lower halocline samples. Ultrastructural analysis indicates the nematodes in L'Atalante normoxic control sediments were fit, while specimens from L'Atalante upper halocline were healthy or had only recently died and those from the lower halocline had no identifiable organelles. Loriciferans, which were only rarely encountered, were found in both normoxic control samples as well as in Discovery and L'Atalante haloclines. It is not clear how a metazoan taxon could remain viable under this wide range of conditions. Conclusions: We document a community of living nematodes in normoxic, normal saline deep-sea Mediterranean sediments and in the upper halocline portions of the DHABs. Occurrences of nematodes in mid-halocline and lower halocline samples did not provide compelling evidence of a living community in those zones. The possibility of a viable metazoan community in brines of DHABs is not supported by our data at this time

Water as a solvent of election for obtaining oleuropein-rich extracts from olive (Olea europaea) leaves

Leaves from Olea europaea represent one of the main by-products of the olive oil industry, containing a plethora of bioactive compounds with several promising activities for human health. An organic solvent-free extraction method was developed for the recovery of olive leaf phenols, which obtained an extract containing oleuropein in high amounts. A comparison of various extraction media is reported, together with the total phenolic content, DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) content, ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), and polyphenol oxidase activity of the corresponding extracts. The polyphenol profiles and content of the most representative extracts have also been studied. Extraction solvent and temperature significantly influenced the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the extracts, with hot water representing the solvent of election for the extraction of bioactive compounds from this matrix. All the extracts obtained showed reasonably high total phenol content (TPC) and good DPPH radical scavenging activity; among them, the water extract is characterized by desirable traits and could be used for many industrial applications and human consumption

Ablation loading of barium ions into a surface electrode trap

Trapped-ion quantum information processing may benefit from qubits encoded in isotopes that are practically available in only small quantities, e.g. due to low natural abundance or radioactivity. Laser ablation provides a method of controllably liberating neutral atoms or ions from low-volume targets, but energetic ablation products can be difficult to confine in the small ion-electrode distance, micron-scale, microfabricated traps amenable to high-speed, high-fidelity manipulation of ion arrays. Here we investigate ablation-based ion loading into surface-electrode traps of different sizes to test a model describing ion loading probability as a function of effective trap volume and other trap parameters. We demonstrate loading of ablated and photoionized barium in two cryogenic surface-electrode traps with 730 $\mu$m and 50 $\mu$m ion-electrode distances. Our loading success probability agrees with a predictive analytical model, providing insight for the confinement of limited-quantity species of interest for quantum computing, simulation, and sensing

Role of 1q21 in multiple myeloma: From pathogenesis to possible therapeutic targets

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by an accumulation of malignant plasma cells (PCs) in the bone marrow (BM). The amplification of 1q21 is one of the most common cytogenetic abnormalities occurring in around 40% of de novo patients and 70% of relapsed/refractory MM. Patients with this unfavorable cytogenetic abnormality are considered to be high risk with a poor response to standard therapies. The gene(s) driving amplification of the 1q21 amplicon has not been fully studied. A number of clear candidates are under investigation, and some of them (IL6R, ILF2, MCL-1, CKS1B and BCL9) have been recently proposed to be potential drivers of this region. However, much remains to be learned about the biology of the genes driving the disease progression in MM patients with 1q21 amp. Understanding the mechanisms of these genes is important for the development of effective targeted therapeutic approaches to treat these patients for whom effective therapies are currently lacking. In this paper, we review the current knowledge about the pathological features, the mechanism of 1q21 amplification, and the signal pathway of the most relevant candidate genes that have been suggested as possible therapeutic targets for the 1q21 amplicon

Gastrotricha: A Marine Sister for a Freshwater Puzzle

Background: Within an evolutionary framework of Gastrotricha Marinellina flagellata and Redudasys fornerise bear special interest, as they are the only Macrodasyida that inhabit freshwater ecosystems. Notwithstanding, these rare animals are poorly known; found only once (Austria and Brazil), they are currently systematised as incertae sedis. Here we report on the rediscovery of Redudasys fornerise, provide an account on morphological novelties and present a hypothesis on its phylogenetic relationship based on molecular data. Methodology/Principal Findings: Specimens were surveyed using DIC microscopy and SEM, and used to obtain the 18 S rRNA gene sequence; molecular data was analyzed cladistically in conjunction with data from 42 additional species belonging to the near complete Macrodasyida taxonomic spectrum. Morphological analysis, while providing new information on taxonomically relevant traits (adhesive tubes, protonephridia and sensorial bristles), failed to detect elements of the male system, thus stressing the parthenogenetic nature of the Brazilian species. Phylogenetic analysis, carried out with ML, MP and Bayesian approaches, yielded topologies with strong nodal support and highly congruent with each other. Among the supported groups is the previously undocumented clade showing the alliance between Redudasys fornerise and Dactylopodola agadasys; other strongly sustained clades include the densely sampled families Thaumastodermatidae and Turbanellidae and most genera. Conclusions/Significance: A reconsideration of the morphological traits of Dactylopodola agadasys in light of the new information on Redudasys fornerise makes the alliance between these two taxa very likely. As a result, we create Anandrodasys gen. nov. to contain members of the previously described D. agadasys and erect Redudasyidae fam. nov. to reflect this novel relationship between Anandrodasys and Redudasys. From an ecological perspective, the derived position of Redudasys, which is deeply nested within the Macrodasyida clade, unequivocally demonstrates that invasion of freshwater by gastrotrichs has taken place at least twice, in contrast with the single event hypothesis recently put forward