Retinoic acid temporally orchestrates colonization of the gut by vagal neural crest cells

The enteric nervous system arises from neural crest cells that migrate as chains into and along the primitive gut, subsequently differentiating into enteric neurons and glia. Little is known about the mechanisms governing neural crest migration en route to and along the gut in vivo. Here, we report that Retinoic Acid (RA) temporally controls zebrafish enteric neural crest cell chain migration. In vivo imaging reveals that RA loss severely compromises the integrity and migration of the chain of neural crest cells during the window of time window when they are moving along the foregut. After loss of RA, enteric progenitors accumulate in the foregut and differentiate into enteric neurons, but subsequently undergo apoptosis resulting in a striking neuronal deficit. Moreover, ectopic expression of the transcription factor meis3 and/or the receptor ret, partially rescues enteric neuron colonization after RA attenuation. Collectively, our findings suggest that retinoic acid plays a critical temporal role in promoting enteric neural crest chain migration and neuronal survival upstream of Meis3 and RET in vivo

Electron Beam Irradiation Dose Dependently Damages the Bacillus Spore Coat and Spore Membrane

Effective control of spore-forming bacilli begs suitable physical or chemical methods. While many spore inactivation techniques have been proven effective, electron beam (EB) irradiation has been frequently chosen to eradicate Bacillus spores. Despite its widespread use, there are limited data evaluating the effects of EB irradiation on Bacillus spores. To study this, B. atrophaeus spores were purified, suspended in sterile, distilled water, and irradiated with EB (up to 20 kGy). Irradiated spores were found (1) to contain structural damage as observed by electron microscopy, (2) to have spilled cytoplasmic contents as measured by spectroscopy, (3) to have reduced membrane integrity as determined by fluorescence cytometry, and (4) to have fragmented genomic DNA as measured by gel electrophoresis, all in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, cytometry data reveal decreased spore size, increased surface alterations, and increased uptake of propidium iodide, with increasing EB dose, suggesting spore coat alterations with membrane damage, prior to loss of spore viability. The present study suggests that EB irradiation of spores in water results in substantial structural damage of the spore coat and inner membrane, and that, along with DNA fragmentation, results in dose-dependent spore inactivation

Boundedness of Pseudodifferential Operators on Banach Function Spaces

We show that if the Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator is bounded on a separable Banach function space $X(\mathbb{R}^n)$ and on its associate space $X'(\mathbb{R}^n)$, then a pseudodifferential operator $\operatorname{Op}(a)$ is bounded on $X(\mathbb{R}^n)$ whenever the symbol $a$ belongs to the H\"ormander class $S_{\rho,\delta}^{n(\rho-1)}$ with $0<\rho\le 1$, $0\le\delta<1$ or to the the Miyachi class $S_{\rho,\delta}^{n(\rho-1)}(\varkappa,n)$ with $0\le\delta\le\rho\le 1$, $0\le\delta0$. This result is applied to the case of variable Lebesgue spaces $L^{p(\cdot)}(\mathbb{R}^n)$.Comment: To appear in a special volume of Operator Theory: Advances and Applications dedicated to Ant\'onio Ferreira dos Santo

A multi-scalar photogrammetric recording approach in Termez (Uzbekistan)

This paper presents the preliminary results obtained during the 3D recording campaign carried out in 2018 by the Spanish-Uzbek IPAEB mission in the archaeological site of Termez (southern border of Uzbekistan). Ancient Termez is an important historical city within the Silk Road located in the ancient Bactria region. The archaeological work performed at the site since the beginning of the 20th century allowed a large fortified urban complex to be identified that includes other walled enclosures inside it, i.e., a Hellenistic- Seleucid fortress founded after the campaigns of Alexander the Great in the late 4th century BC, several Buddhist monastic complexes dated to the Kushan period (1st to mid-3rd centuries), and a large urban settlement dated to the Islamic period which includes the city proper or shahristan and the suburbs or rabad. After the destruction by Genghis Khan in 1220, Termez was rebuilt following a different plan. Major changes involved the movement of the pottery workshops from the rabad to the previous shahristan. The research focuses on: a) the identification, study and archaeological contextualization of ceramic production centres located in different areas of the ancient Termez from the Kushan to the Islamic period (1st to 14th centuries AD); b) the integration of the pottery workshops into the general topography of the site and c) the study of their evolution in relation to the transformation of the urban design. Since the site is currently located in a military area – close to the border area between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan –, the archaeological work is restricted to specific zones and the use of aerial devices such as drones is forbidden. However, this research requires both micro and macro spatial approaches to accurately record all the archaeological structures and to evaluate the integration and evolution of the pottery workshops into the general topography of the city. In order to fill this gap, declassified images of the CORONA satellite program were analyzed and compared to historical and archaeological data. In addition, we propose a geometrical and graphical recording and distribution system of the kilns – located in the rabad and the shahristan – and the ceramics produced and used in Termez during the period studied by means of photogrammetric techniques. The results are aimed at management through open-source 3D formats and web mapping GIS libraries combined with historical satellite information that defines the different archaeological areas

Gonyaulax taylorii, a new yessotoxins-producer dinoflagellate species from Chilean waters

In summer 2009, during a survey in Bahía Mejillones, a dense bloom of a dinoflagellate from the genus Gonyaulax was detected, as well as the presence of yessotoxin. Phytoplankton samples were analyzed in detail by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealing the presence of Gonyaulax taylorii. Morphological examination showed that the cells in the bloom fit in Gonyaulax jollifei Murray et Whitting sensu Dodge, subsequently classified as Gonyaulax taylorii by Carbonell-Moore. In this context, some inconsistencies have been found in regard to the holotype; the plate 1”’ appears as two plates, 1000 and 2000, showing a suture that does not exist in Dodge’s figure of G. jollifei, from where the holotype was drawn, nor within the samples collected. Therefore, this plate has been originally described erroneously as two plates named 1”’ and 2”’ instead of only one named 1000. After this correction, this species has five instead of six postcingular plates. For this reason, the description of this species must be emended. Phytoplankton net samples were found to containyessotoxin and homoyessotoxin, with concentrations below 1 pg cell!1. The present study identifies, therefore, the dinoflagellate G. taylorii as a new source of yessotoxins.Versión del editor3,083

Archaeological prospection with corona and wv-3 satellite imagery of the archaeological site of zar tepe (uzbekistan)

Abstract. The use of different data from satellite platforms for archaeological prospecting and remote sensing has been applied since the end of the 20th century. Although the current use of drones with different visible and multispectral sensors for small areas has partially replaced in some cases the use of this type of satellite information due to its higher spatial resolution. The historical importance of satellite imagery is essential to find out about and compare the transformations of the archaeological landscape of the last 60 years since the CORONA satellite program started in 1960. In this paper we propose the evaluation of a proposal for the automation of processes of two photographic reconnaissance correlative satellite programs CORONA (1960-1972), HEXAGON (1971-1986) declassified since 1995 and 2011 respectively, and the commercial satellite WorldView-3 (WV3) (2014) for use in the detection of buried archaeological structures at the archaeological site of Zar Tepe in the southeast of Uzbekistan. This is a site located in the Surkhan Darya region very little known between the first century BC and the fourth century AD. This methodology is part of the IPAEB project (International Pluridisciplinary Archaeological Expedition to Bactria) led by the University of Barcelona, the University of Salamanca and recently in 2019 the University of Zaragoza. IPAEB was started in 2006 in the South of Uzbekistan and is currently trying to explore the urban planning of the Zar Tepe archaeological site and the elements that make up its natural physical environment: evidence of communication routes, smallholdings, irrigation channels, fences and sources of raw materials

Personality traits in patients with cluster headache: a comparison with migraine patients

Background: Cluster headache (CH) has been associated with certain personality traits and lifestyle features, but there are few studies assessing personality profiles in CH. We aimed to analyze personality traits in patients with CH, and to compare them with those found in migraine. Methods: We included all consecutive patients with CH attending 5 outpatient offices between January and December 2013. Personality traits were evaluated using the Salamanca screening test, a validated inventory assessing 11 personality traits grouped in 3 clusters. We analyzed the test results in this population, and compared them with those of a migraine population previously assessed with the same test. Results: Eighty patients with CH (75 men, 5 women; mean age, 43.2 ± 9.9 years) were recruited. The reference population consisted of 164 migraine patients (30 men, 134 women; mean age 36.4 ± 12.7 years). In CH patients, the most frequent personality traits were anancastic (52.5 %), anxious (47.5 %), histrionic (45 %), schizoid (42.5 %), impulsive (32.5 %) and paranoid (30 %). When compared to migraine patients, paranoid (p < 0.001; x2 test), and schizoid traits (p = 0.007; x2 test) were significantly more prevalent in CH patients. In logistic regression analysis the paranoid trait was significantly associated with CH (p = 0.001; OR: 3.27, 95 % CI 1.66–6.43]). Conclusion: According to the Salamanca screening test, personality traits included in cluster A (odd or eccentric disorders) are more prevalent in CH patients than in a population of migraineurs. Larger studies are needed to determine whether certain personality traits are related to CH

Two-phase densification of cohesive granular aggregates

When poured into a container, cohesive granular materials form low-density, open granular aggregates. If pressed upon with a ram, these aggregates densify by particle rearrangement. Here we introduce experimental evidence to the effect that particle rearrangement is a spatially heterogeneous phenomenon, which occurs in the form of a phase transformation between two configurational phases of the granular aggregate. We then show that the energy landscape associated with particle rearrangement is consistent with our interpretation of the experimental results. Besides affording insight into the physics of the granular state, our conclusions are relevant to many engineering processes and natural phenomena.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

A Century of Change towards Prevention and Minimal Intervention in Cariology

Publisher Copyright: © International & American Associations for Dental Research 2019. Copyright: Copyright 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Better understanding of dental caries and other oral conditions has guided new strategies to prevent disease and manage its consequences at individual and public health levels. This article discusses advances in prevention and minimal intervention dentistry over the last century by focusing on some milestones within scientific, clinical, and public health arenas, mainly in cariology but also beyond, highlighting current understanding and evidence with future prospects. Dentistry was initially established as a surgical specialty. Dental caries (similar to periodontitis) was considered to be an infectious disease 100 years ago. Its ubiquitous presence and rampant nature—coupled with limited diagnostic tools and therapeutic treatment options—meant that these dental diseases were managed mainly by excising affected tissue. The understanding of the diseases and a change in their prevalence, extent, and severity, with evolutions in operative techniques, technologies, and materials, have enabled a shift from surgical to preventive and minimal intervention dentistry approaches. Future challenges to embrace include continuing the dental profession’s move toward a more patient-centered, evidence-based, less invasive management of these diseases, focused on promoting and maintaining oral health in partnership with patients. In parallel, public health needs to continue to, for example, tackle social inequalities in dental health, develop better preventive and management options for existing disease risk groups (e.g., the growing aging population), and the development of reimbursement and health outcome models that facilitate implementation of these evolving strategies. A century ago, almost every treatment involved injections, a drill or scalpel, or a pair of forceps. Today, dentists have more options than ever before available to them. These are supported by evidence, have a minimal intervention focus, and result in better outcomes for patients. The profession’s greatest challenge is moving this evidence into practice.preprintPeer reviewe