Alginate foam-based three-dimensional culture to investigate drug sensitivity in primary leukaemia cells

The development of assays for evaluating the sensitivity of leukaemia cells to anti-cancer agents is becoming an important aspect of personalized medicine. Conventional cell cultures lack the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the bone marrow (BM), the extracellular matrix and stromal components which are crucial for the growth and survival of leukaemia stem cells. To accurately predict the sensitivity of the leukaemia cells in an in vitro assay a culturing system containing the essential components of BM is required. In this study, we developed a porous calcium alginate foam-based scaffold to be used for 3D culture. The new 3D culture was shown to be cell compatible as it supported the proliferation of both normal haematopoietic and leukaemia cells. Our cell differential assay for myeloid markers showed that the porous foam-based 3D culture enhanced myeloid differentiation in both leukaemia and normal haematopoietic cells compared to two-dimensional culture. The foam-based scaffold reduced the sensitivity of the leukaemia cells to the tested antileukaemia agents in K562 and HL60 leukaemia cell line model and also primary myeloid leukaemia cells. This observation supports the application of calcium alginate foams as scaffold components of the 3D cultures for investigation of sensitivity to antileukaemia agents in primary myeloid cells

Redesign of Lighting Fixtures for the Texas Department of Corrections

Implementation of these recommendations will result in reduced construction cost of $91,418 and annual operating savings of$88,910 if recommendations 1-5 and 6a are implemented at Amarillo and Gatesville. Use of recommendations 1-5 and 6b will increase first cost by $22,592, but annual operating savings also increase to$98,928 while 6c would provide first cost savings of $67,606 and operating savings of$73,882 annually. Additional maintenance savings will be realized in each case since the fixtures recommended above use tubes with 20,000 - 24,000 hour operating lifetimes instead of the 12,000 hours of the base case tubes.Over 100 tests of potential design modifications for the cell light fixtures used by the Texas Department of Corrections have been conducted. As a result of these tests, the following recommendations are made: 1. Turn diffuser material so prisms face cell. 2. Enlarge diffuser opening to 16 by 46 inches. 3. Replace 1/2-inch hardware cloth by #3 stainless cane weave with 2-inch mesh, painted white. 4. Replace ballasts with Advance R-2S40-TP Mark III or equivalent. 5. Replace blankets with light colored blankets. 6a. Use fixture with four 34 watt tubes if no allowance for fixture degradation is deemed acceptable; 6b. Use fixture with three 40 watt high efficiency tubes and reflector if 10%-15% margin above 20 fc is needed; 6c. Use fixture with four high efficiency tubes if 20% margin above 20 fc is considered necessary

Estimation of essential vegetation variables in a dehesa ecosystem using reflectance factors simulated at different phenological stages

[ES] Los pastos arbolados y arbustivos son vitales para la producción ganadera extensiva y sostenible, la conservación de la biodiversidad y la provisión de servicios ecosistémicos y se localizan en áreas que serán previsiblemente más afectadas por el cambio climático. Sin embargo, las características estructurales, fenológicas, y las propiedades ópticas de la vegetación en estos ecosistemas mixtos, como los ecosistemas adehesados en la Península Ibérica que combinan un estrato herbáceo y/o arbustivo con un dosel arbóreo disperso, constituyen un serio desafío para su estudio mediante teledetección. Este trabajo combina métodos físicos y empíricos para la estimación de variables de la vegetación esenciales para la modelización de su funcionamiento: índice de área foliar (LAI, m2 /m2 ), contenido en clorofila a nivel de hoja (Cab,leaf, μg/cm2 ) y dosel (Cab,canopy, g/m2 ) y contenido en materia seca a nivel de hoja (Cm,leaf, g/cm2 ) y dosel (Cm,canopy, g/m2), en un ecosistema de dehesa. Para este propósito se construyó una base de datos espectral simulada considerando las cuatro principales etapas fenológicas del estrato herbáceo, el más dinámico del ecosistema, (rebrote otoñal, máximo verdor, inicio de la senescencia y senescencia estival) mediante la combinación de los modelos de transferencia radiativa PROSAIL y FLIGHT. Esta base de datos se empleó para ajustar diferentes modelos predictivos basados en índices de vegetación (IV) propuestos en la literatura y en Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR). PLSR permitió obtener los modelos con mayor poder de predicción (R2  ≥ 0,93, RRMSE ≤ 10,77 %), tanto para las variables a nivel de hoja como a nivel de dosel. Los resultados sugieren que los efectos direccionales y geométricos controlan las relaciones entre los factores de reflectividad (R) simulados y los parámetros foliares. Se observa una alta variabilidad estacional en la relación entre variables biofísicas e IVs, especialmente para LAI y Cab que se confirma en el análisis PLSR. Los modelos desarrollados deben ser aún validados con datos espectrales medidos con sensores próximos o remotos.[EN] Mixed vegetation systems such as wood pastures and shrubby pastures are vital for extensive and sustainable livestock production as well as for the conservation of biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services, and are mostly located in areas that are expected to be more strongly affected by climate change. However, the structural characteristics, phenology, and the optical properties of the vegetation in these mixed -ecosystems such as savanna-like ecosystems in the Iberian Peninsula which combines herbaceous and/or shrubby understory with a low density tree cover, constitute a serious challenge for the remote sensing studies. This work combines physical and empirical methods to improve the estimation of essential vegetation variables: leaf area index (LAI, m2 / m2 ), leaf (Cab,leaf, μg / cm2 ) and canopy(Cab,canopy, g / m2 ) chlorophyll content, and leaf (Cm, leaf, g / cm2 ) and canopy (Cm,canopy, g / m2 ) dry matter content in a dehesa ecosystem. For this purpose, a spectral simulated database for the four main phenological stages of the highly dynamic herbaceous layer (summer senescence, autumn regrowth, greenness peak and beginning of senescence), was built by coupling PROSAIL and FLIGHT radiative transfer models. This database was used to calibrate different predictive models based on vegetation indices (VI) proposed in the literature which combine different spectral bands; as well as Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) using all bands in the simulated spectral range (400-2500 nm). PLSR models offered greater predictive power (R2 ≥ 0.93, RRMSE ≤ 10.77 %) both for the leaf and canopy- level variables. The results suggest that directional and geometric effects control the relationships between simulated reflectance factors and the foliar parameters. High seasonal variability is observed in the relationship between biophysical variables and IVs, especially for LAI and Cab, which is confirmed in the PLSR analysis. The models developed need to be validated with spectral data obtained either with proximal or remote sensors.ste estudio se ha llevado a cabo en el contexto de los proyectos FLUXPEC (CGL2012-34383) y SynerTGE (CGL2015-69095-R, MINECO/FEDER,UE) financiados por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Agradecemos el apoyo de los proyectos IB16185 de la Junta de Extremadura, MoReDEHESHyReS (No. 50EE1621, Agencia Espacial Alemana (DLR) y Ministerio Alemán de Asuntos Económicos y Energía) y el premio de la fundación Alexander von Humboldt vía Premio Max-Planck a Markus ReichsteinMartín, MP.; Pacheco-Labrador, J.; González-Cascón, R.; Moreno, G.; Migliavacca, M.; García, M.; Yebra, M.... (2020). Estimación de variables esenciales de la vegetación en un ecosistema de dehesa utilizando factores de reflectividad simulados estacionalmente. Revista de Teledetección. 0(55):31-48. https://doi.org/10.4995/raet.2020.13394OJS3148055Alonso, M., Rozados, M.J., Vega, J.A., Pérez- Gorostiaga, P., Cuiñas, P., Fontúrbel, M.T., Fernández, C. 2002. Biochemical Responses of Pinus pinaster Trees to Fire-Induced Trunk Girdling and Crown Scorch: Secondary Metabolites and Pigments as Needle Chemical Indicators. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 28(4), 687-700. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015276423880Armah, F., Odoi, J., Yengoh, G., Obiri, S., Yawson, D., Afrifa, E. 2011. Food security and climate change in drought-sensitive savanna zones of Ghana. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 16, 291-306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-010-9263-9Baret, F., Weiss, M., Lacaze, R., Camacho, F., Makhmara, H., Pacholcyzk, P., Smets, B. 2013. GEOV1: LAI and FAPAR essential climate variables and FCOVER global time series capitalizing over existing products. Part1: Principles of development and production. Remote Sensing of Environment, 137, 299-309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2012.12.027Béland, M., Widlowski, J.L., Fournier, R.A. 2014. A model for deriving voxel-level tree leaf area density estimates from ground-based LiDAR. Environmental Modelling & Software, 51(0), 184- 189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2013.09.034Chadwick, K.D., Asner, G.P. 2016. Organismic- Scale Remote Sensing of Canopy Foliar Traits in Lowland Tropical Forests. Remote Sensing, 8(2), 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8020087Cleugh, H.A., Leuning, R., Mu, Q., Running, S.W. 2007. Regional evaporation estimates from flux tower and MODIS satellite data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 106(3), 285-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2006.07.007Croft, H., Chen, J.M. 2017. Remote Sensing of Leaf Pigments. En S. Liang (Ed.), Comprehensive Remote Sensing (pp. 117-142). Oxford: Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.10547-0Croft, H., Chen, J.M., Froelich, N.J., Chen, B., Staebler, R.M. 2015. Seasonal controls of canopy chlorophyll content on forest carbon uptake: Implications for GPP modeling. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 120(8), 1576-1586. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JG002980Croft, H., Chen, J.M., Luo, X., Bartlett, P., Chen, B., Staebler, R.M. 2017. Leaf chlorophyll content as a proxy for leaf photosynthetic capacity. Global Change Biology, 23(9), 3513-3524. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13599Croft, H., Chen, J.M., Wang, R., Mo, G., Luo, S., Luo, X., He, L., Gonsamo, A., Arabian, J., Zhang, Y., Simic-Milas, A., Noland, T.L., He, Y., Homolová, L., Malenovský, Z., Yi, Q., Beringer, J., Amiri, R., Hutley, L., Arellano, P., Stahl, C., Bonal, D. 2020. The global distribution of leaf chlorophyll content. Remote Sensing of Environment, 236, 111479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2019.111479Dash, J., Curran, P.J. 2007. Evaluation of the MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI). Advances in Space Research, 39(1), 100-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2006.02.034Dorigo, W.A., Zurita-Milla, R., de Wit, A.J.W., Brazile, J., Singh, R., Schaepman, M.E. 2007. A review on reflective remote sensing and data assimilation techniques for enhanced agroecosystem modeling. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 9(2), 165-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2006.05.003Doughty, C.E., Goulden, M.L. 2008. Seasonal patterns of tropical forest leaf area index and CO2 exchange. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 113(G1). https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JG000590Fan, L., Gao, Y., Brück, H., Bernhofer, C. 2009. Investigating the relationship between NDVI and LAI in semi-arid grassland in Inner Mongolia using in-situ measurements. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 95(1), 151-156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-007-0369-2Fava, F., Colombo, R., Bocchi, S., Meroni, M., Sitzia, M., Fois, N., Zucca, C. 2009. Identification of hyperspectral vegetation indices for Mediterranean pasture characterization. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 11(4), 233-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2009.02.003Feret, J.-B., François, C., Asner, G.P., Gitelson, A.A., Martin, R.E., Bidel, L.P.R., Ustin, S.L., le Maire, G., Jacquemoud, S. 2008. PROSPECT-4 and 5: Advances in the leaf optical properties model separating photosynthetic pigments. Remote Sensing of Environment, 112(6), 3030-3043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2008.02.012Fortunel, C., Garnier, E., Joffre, R., Kazakou, E., Quested, H., Grigulis, K., Lavorel, S., Ansquer, P., Castro, H., Cruz, P., DoleŽal, J., Eriksson, O., Freitas, H., Golodets, C., Jouany, C., Kigel, J., Kleyer, M., Lehsten, V., Lepš, J., Meier, T., Pakeman, R., Papadimitriou, M., Papanastasis, V.P., Quétier, F., Robson, M., Sternberg, M., Theau, J.P., Thébault, A., Zarovali, M. 2009. Leaf traits capture the effects of land use changes and climate on litter decomposability of grasslands across Europe. Ecology, 90(3), 598- 611. https://doi.org/10.1890/08-0418.1Fourty, T., Baret, F. 1997. Vegetation water and dry matter contents estimated from top-of-the-atmosphere reflectance data: A simulation study. Remote Sensing of Environment, 61(1), 34-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(96)00238-6Galvão, L.S., Formaggio, A.R., Tisot, D.A. 2005. Discrimination of sugarcane varieties in Southeastern Brazil with EO-1 Hyperion data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 94(4), 523-534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2004.11.012García, M., Popescu, S., Riaño, D., Zhao, K., Neuenschwander, A., Agca, M., Chuvieco, E. 2012. Characterization of canopy fuels using ICESat/ GLAS data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 123(0), 81-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2012.03.018Gitelson, A.A., Buschmann, C., Lichtenthaler, H.K. 1999. The Chlorophyll Fluorescence Ratio F735/F700 as an Accurate Measure of the Chlorophyll Content in Plants. Remote Sensing of Environment, 69(3), 296-302. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(99)00023-1Gitelson, A.A., Peng, Y., Viña, A., Arkebauer, T., Schepers, J.S. 2016. Efficiency of chlorophyll in gross primary productivity: A proof of concept and application in crops. Journal of Plant Physiology, 201, 101-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2016.05.019Gitelson, A.A., Viña, A., Arkebauer, T.J., Rundquist, D.C., Keydan, G., Leavitt, B. 2003. Remote estimation of leaf area index and green leaf biomass in maize canopies. Geophysical Research Letters, 30(5). https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GL016450González-Cascón, R., Martín, M.P. 2018. Protocol for pigment content quantification in herbaceous covers: sampling and analysis. https://doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.qs6dwheGuillen-Climent, M., Zarco-Tejada, P., Berni, J.A.J., North, P.R.J., Villalobos, F. 2012. Mapping radiation interception in row-structured orchards using 3D simulation and high-resolution airborne imagery acquired from a UAV. Precision Agriculture, 13, 473-500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-012-9263-8Haboudane, D., Miller, J.R., Tremblay, N., Zarco-Tejada, P.J., Dextraze, L. 2002. Integrated narrow-band vegetation indices for prediction of crop chlorophyll content for application to precision agriculture. Remote Sensing of Environment, 81(2), 416-426. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(02)00018-4Haldimann, P., Gallé, A., Feller, U. 2008. Impact of an exceptionally hot dry summer on photosynthetic traits in oak (Quercus pubescens) leaves. Tree Physiology, 28(5), 785-795. https://doi.org/10.1093/ treephys/28.5.785Hernández-Clemente, R., Navarro-Cerrillo, R.M., Suárez, L., Morales, F., Zarco-Tejada, P.J. 2011. Assessing structural effects on PRI for stress detection in conifer forests. Remote Sensing of Environment, 115(9), 2360-2375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2011.04.036Hernández-Clemente, R., North, P.R.J., Hornero, A., Zarco-Tejada, P.J. 2017. Assessing the effects of forest health on sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence using the FluorFLIGHT 3-D radiative transfer model to account for forest structure. Remote Sensing of Environment, 193, 165-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.02.012Hill, M.J., Hanan, N.P., Hoffmann, W., Scholes, R., Prince, S., Ferwerda, J., Lucas, R.M., Baker, I., Arneth, A., Higgins, S.I., Barrett, D.J., Disney, M., Hutley, L. 2011. Remote sensing and modeling of savannas: The state of the dis-union.Inoue, Y., Guérif, M., Baret, F., Skidmore, A., Gitelson, A., Schlerf, M., Darvishzadeh, R., Olioso, A. 2016. Simple and robust methods for remote sensing of canopy chlorophyll content: a comparative analysis of hyperspectral data for different types of vegetation. Plant, Cell & Environment, 39(12), 2609-2623. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.12815Inoue, Y., Peñuelas, J., Miyata, A., Mano, M. 2008. Normalized difference spectral indices for estimating photosynthetic efficiency and capacity at a canopy scale derived from hyperspectral and CO2 flux measurements in rice. Remote Sensing of Environment, 112(1), 156-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2007.04.011Jacquemoud, S., Baret, F. 1990. PROSPECT: A model of leaf optical properties spectra. Remote Sensing of Environment, 34(2), 75-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-4257(90)90100-ZJacquemoud, S., Verhoef, W., Baret, F., Bacour, C., Zarco-Tejada, P.J., Asner, G.P., François, C., Ustin, S.L. 2009. PROSPECT+SAIL models: A review of use for vegetation characterization. Remote Sensing of Environment, 113, S56-S66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2008.01.026Jin, J., Wang, Q. 2019. Evaluation of Informative Bands Used in Different PLS Regressions for Estimating Leaf Biochemical Contents from Hyperspectral Reflectance. Remote Sensing, 11(2), 197. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11020197Korhonen, L., Korpela, I., Heiskanen, J., Maltamo, M. 2011. Airborne discrete-return LIDAR data in the estimation of vertical canopy cover, angular canopy closure and leaf area index. Remote Sensing of Environment, 115(4), 1065-1080. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2010.12.011le Maire, G., François, C., Dufrêne, E. 2004. Towards universal broad leaf chlorophyll indices using PROSPECT simulated database and hyperspectral reflectance measurements. Remote Sensing of Environment, 89(1), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2003.09.004le Maire, G., François, C., Soudani, K., Berveiller, D., Pontailler, J.-Y., Bréda, N., Genet, H., Davi, H., Dufrêne, E. 2008. Calibration and validation of hyperspectral indices for the estimation of broadleaved forest leaf chlorophyll content, leaf mass per area, leaf area index and leaf canopy biomass. Remote Sensing of Environment, 112(10), 3846- 3864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2008.06.005Leonenko, G., Los, S.O., North, P.R.J. 2013. Retrieval of leaf area index from MODIS surface reflectance by model inversion using different minimization criteria. Remote Sensing of Environment, 139, 257-270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2013.07.012Li, Q., Lu, X., Wang, Y., Huang, X., Cox, P.M., Luo, Y. 2018. Leaf area index identified as a major source of variability in modeled CO2 fertilization. Biogeosciences, 15(22), 6909-6925. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6909-2018LI-COR. 2019. LAI 2200-C Plant Canopy Analyzer instruction manual. Último acceso 5 de Junio, 2020, de https://licor.app.boxenterprise.net/s/ fqjn5mlu8c1a7zir5qelLichtenthaler, H.K., Buschmann, C. 2001. Chlorophylls and Carotenoids: Measurement and Characterization by UV-VIS Spectroscopy. Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry, 1(1), F4.3.1-F4.3.8. https://doi.org/10.1002/0471142913.faf0403s01Luo, T., Pan, Y., Ouyang, H., Shi, P., Ji, L., Yu, Z., Lu, Q. 2004. Leaf area index and net primary productivity along subtropical to alpine gradients in the Tibetan Plateau. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 13, 345-358. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-822X.2004.00094.xMaccioni, A., Agati, G., Mazzinghi, P. 2001. New vegetation indices for remote measurement of chlorophylls based on leaf directional reflectance spectra. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 61(1), 52-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1011-1344(01)00145-2Melendo-Vega, J.R., Martín, M.P., Pacheco- Labrador, J., González-Cascón, R., Moreno, G., Pérez, F., Migliavacca, M., García, M., North, P., Riaño, D. 2018. Improving the Performance of 3-D Radiative Transfer Model FLIGHT to Simulate Optical Properties of a Tree-Grass Ecosystem. Remote Sensing, 10(12), 2061. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10122061Metternicht, G. 2003. Vegetation indices derived from high-resolution airborne videography for precision crop management. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 24(14), 2855-2877. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160210163074Miraglio, T., Adeline, K., Huesca, M., Ustin, S., Briottet, X. 2020. Monitoring LAI, Chlorophylls, and Carotenoids Content of a Woodland Savanna Using Hyperspectral Imagery and 3D Radiative Transfer Modeling. Remote Sensing, 12(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12010028Moreno, G., Rolo, V. 2019. Agroforestry practices: silvopastorism. En M.R. Mosquera-Losada & R. Prabhu (Eds.), Agroforestry for sustainable agriculture (pp. 119-164): Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited.Myneni, R.B., Hoffman, S., Knyazikhin, Y., Privette, J.L., Glassy, J., Tian, Y., Wang, Y., Song, X., Zhang, Y., Smith, G.R., Lotsch, A., Friedl, M., Morisette, J.T., Votava, P., Nemani, R.R., Running, S.W. 2002. Global products of vegetation leaf area and fraction absorbed PAR from year one of MODIS data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 83(1), 214-231. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(02)00074-3North, P.R.J. 1996. Three-dimensional forest light interaction model using a Monte Carlo method. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 34(4), 946-956. https://doi.org/10.1109/36.508411Novara, A., Rühl, J., La Mantia, T., Gristina, L., La Bella, S., Tuttolomondo, T. 2015. Litter contribution to soil organic carbon in the processes of agriculture abandon. Solid Earth, 6, 425-432. https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-425-2015Pacheco-Labrador, J., El-Madany, T.S., van der Tol, C., Martín, M.P., Gonzalez-Cascon, R., Perez-Priego, O., Guan, J., Moreno, G., Carrara, A., Reichstein, M., Migliavacca, M. 2020. senSCOPE: Modeling radiative transfer and biochemical processes in mixed canopies combining green and senescent leaves with SCOPE. bioRxiv, 2020.2002.2005.935064. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.05.935064Pacheco-Labrador, J., González-Cascón, R., Martín, M.P., Melendo-Vega, J.R., Hernández-Clemente, R., Zarco-Tejada, P. 2017. Impact of trichomes in the application of radiative transfer models in leaves of Quercus ilex. En: VII Congreso forestal español, Plasencia, España. 26-30 Junio 2017.Pacheco-Labrador, J., Martín, M., Riaño, D., Hilker, T., Carrara, A. 2016. New approaches in multi-angular proximal sensing of vegetation: Accounting for spatial heterogeneity and diffuse radiation in directional reflectance distribution models. Remote Sensing of Environment, 187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2016.10.051Pacheco-Labrador, J., Perez-Priego, O., El-Madany, T.S., Julitta, T., Rossini, M., Guan, J., Moreno, G., Carvalhais, N., Martín, M.P., Gonzalez-Cascon, R., Kolle, O., Reischtein, M., van der Tol, C., Carrara, A., Martini, D., Hammer, T.W., Moossen, H., Migliavacca, M. 2019. Multiple-constraint inversion of SCOPE. Evaluating the potential of GPP and SIF for the retrieval of plant functional traits. Remote Sensing of Environment, 234, 111362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2019.111362Polley, H.W., Yang, C., Wilsey, B.J., Fay, P.A. 2019. Spectrally derived values of community leaf dry matter content link shifts in grassland composition with change in biomass production. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.145Pulido, F., Picardo, A., Campos, P., Carranza, J., Coleto, J., Díaz, M., Diéguez, E., Escudero, A., Ezquerra, F., Fernández, P., Solla, A. 2010. Libro Verde de la Dehesa. Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta Castilla La Mancha.Qiao, K., Zhu, W., Zhiying, X., Li, P. 2019. Estimating the Seasonal Dynamics of the Leaf Area Index Using Piecewise LAI-VI Relationships Based on Phenophases. Remote Sensing, 11(6), 689. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11060689Reichstein, M., Bahn, M., Mahecha, M.D., Kattge, J., Baldocchi, D.D. 2014. Linking plant and ecosystem functional biogeography. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(38), 13697- 13702. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1216065111Riaño, D., Valladares, F., Condes, S., Chuvieco, E. 2004. Estimation of leaf area index and covered ground from airborne laser scanner (LiDAR) in two contrasting forests. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 124(3-4), 269-275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2004.02.005Riaño, D., Vaughan, P., Chuvieco, E., Zarco-Tejada, P., Ustin, S.L. 2005. Estimation of fuel moisture content by inversion of radiative transfer models to simulate equivalent water thickness and dry matter content: analysis at leaf and canopy level. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 43(4), 819-8

Elaboración de aplicaciones interactivas para la docencia en el grado Grado de Telecomunicación

En este trabajo se muestran los avances realizados en el desarrollo de aplicaciones basadas en laboratorios virtuales para el estudio de la Acústica en el Grado de Telecomunicación. En particular se muestra la extensión de la aplicación VSLM accesible vía on-line y de carácter libre. Esta aplicación está implementada en lenguaje MATLAB y se basa en una interfaz gráfica sencilla que permite simular el funcionamiento de un sonómetro offline. El módulo incorporado a la aplicación permite calcular el tiempo de reverberación y una serie de parámetros relacionados con el mismo para poder caracterizar acústicamente salas y recintos. De forma paralela se muestran los avances realizados en la mejora de la aplicación implementada con anterioridad por los autores dedicada al estudio de las ondas mecánicas en barras con diferentes condiciones de contorno. La aplicación estaba implementada inicialmente en MATLAB para la parte gráfica y el interfaz, mientras que la parte de cálculo se realizó en C++. En este trabajo se muestran los resultados iniciales y la toma de contacto para la unificación de la interfaz y el código que implementa el método numérico en C++ mediante la librería Qt.En este trabajo se muestran los avances realizados en el desarrollo de aplicaciones basadas en laboratorios virtuales para el estudio de la Acústica en el Grado de Telecomunicación. En particular se muestra la extensión de la aplicación VSLM accesible vía on-line y de carácter libre. Esta aplicación está implementada en lenguaje MATLAB y se basa en una interfaz gráfica sencilla que permite simular el funcionamiento de un sonómetro offline. El módulo incorporado a la aplicación permite calcular el tiempo de reverberación y una serie de parámetros relacionados con el mismo para poder caracterizar acústicamente salas y recintos. De forma paralela se muestran los avances realizados en la mejora de la aplicación implementada con anterioridad por los autores dedicada al estudio de las ondas mecánicas en barras con diferentes condiciones de contorno. La aplicación estaba implementada inicialmente en MATLAB para la parte gráfica y el interfaz, mientras que la parte de cálculo se realizó en C++. En este trabajo se muestran los resultados iniciales y la toma de contacto para la unificación de la interfaz y el código que implementa el método numérico en C++ mediante la librería Qt.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Waste heat recovery solution based on a heat pipe heat exchanger for the aluminium die casting industry

Data availability: Data will be made available on request.Copyright © 2022 The Authors. An analysis of the end use of energy in the EU reveals that industry is one of the three dominant categories, which accounts for 26.1% of the final end use of energy. In the case of the aluminium industry, approximately 70% of energy consumption is due to heat and thermal processes, highlighting a vast potential for waste heat recovery technologies. Within the aluminium die casting industry, liquid aluminium is cast, formed, cooled, and further processed within a thermal heat process, which includes three sub-processes: solubilising, quenching, and ageing. In the case presented, a thermal heat process is the second most energy intensive process within the factory, and the ageing heat treatment furnace accounts for 15% of the thermal heat process. The thermal heat treatment generates a significant amount of waste heat. The recovery of that waste heat, with minimal risk of cross contamination between streams and reduced chance of equipment failure, has been achieved via the use of a heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHE). The HPHE has been designed, manufactured, and installed in the solution furnace exhaust stack. The HPHE was designed to recover up to 88.6 kW in steady state operating conditions at 400 °C. The return on investment has been evaluated at 35 months with an expected CO2 emissions reduction of 86 tCO2/year when best engineering practices are applied. Furthermore, a theoretical modelling tool to predict the thermal performance of the HPHE was developed and validated within a ±20% deviation from the experimental results. This paper further presents the development of the theoretical model to allow a characterisation of HPHE technology and will act as a guideline for the design of HPHEs within the aluminium industry.European Commission and the partners of the European H2020 project “Heat pipe technology for thermal energy recovery in industrial applications” (https://www.etekina.eu/, H2020-EE-2017-PPP- 768772). Additional information is available in the project Web page www.etekina.eu or www.etekina.com

The SDF-1α/CXCR4 Axis is Required for Proliferation and Maturation of Human Fetal Pancreatic Endocrine Progenitor Cells

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 and ligand SDF-1α are expressed in fetal and adult mouse islets. Neutralization of CXCR4 has previously been shown to diminish ductal cell proliferation and increase apoptosis in the IFNγ transgenic mouse model in which the adult mouse pancreas displays islet regeneration. Here, we demonstrate that CXCR4 and SDF-1α are expressed in the human fetal pancreas and that during early gestation, CXCR4 colocalizes with neurogenin 3 (ngn3), a key transcription factor for endocrine specification in the pancreas. Treatment of islet like clusters (ICCs) derived from human fetal pancreas with SDF-1α resulted in increased proliferation of epithelial cells in ICCs without a concomitant increase in total insulin expression. Exposure of ICCs in vitro to AMD3100, a pharmacological inhibitor of CXCR4, did not alter expression of endocrine hormones insulin and glucagon, or the pancreatic endocrine transcription factors PDX1, Nkx6.1, Ngn3 and PAX4. However, a strong inhibition of β cell genesis was observed when in vitro AMD3100 treatment of ICCs was followed by two weeks of in vivo treatment with AMD3100 after ICC transplantation into mice. Analysis of the grafts for human C-peptide found that inhibition of CXCR4 activity profoundly inhibits islet development. Subsequently, a model pancreatic epithelial cell system (CFPAC-1) was employed to study the signals that regulate proliferation and apoptosis by the SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis. From a selected panel of inhibitors tested, both the PI 3-kinase and MAPK pathways were identified as critical regulators of CFPAC-1 proliferation. SDF-1α stimulated Akt phosphorylation, but failed to increase phosphorylation of Erk above the high basal levels observed. Taken together, these results indicate that SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis plays a critical regulatory role in the genesis of human islets

The Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations (PUEO): A White Paper

The Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations (PUEO) long-duration balloon experiment is designed to have world-leading sensitivity to ultrahigh-energy neutrinos at energies above 1 EeV. Probing this energy region is essential for understanding the extreme-energy universe at all distance scales. PUEO leverages experience from and supersedes the successful Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) program, with an improved design that drastically improves sensitivity by more than an order of magnitude at energies below 30 EeV. PUEO will either make the first significant detection of or set the best limits on ultrahigh-energy neutrino fluxes.Comment: 37 pages, 17 figures. Minor updates, version submitted to JINS

Counteranion and Solvent Assistance in Ruthenium-Mediated Alkyne to Vinylidene Isomerizations

The complex [Cp*RuCl(iPr2PNHPy)] (1) reacts with 1-alkynes HC≡CR (R = COOMe, C6H4CF3) in dichloromethane furnishing the corresponding vinylidene complexes [Cp*Ru≡C≡CHR(iPr2PNHPy)]Cl (R = COOMe (2a- Cl), C6H4CF3 (2b-Cl)), whereas reaction of 1 with NaBPh4 in MeOH followed by addition of HC≡CR (R = COOMe, C6H4CF3) yields the metastable π-alkyne complexes [Cp*Ru(η2-HC≡CR)(iPr2PNHPy)][BPh4] (R = COOMe (3a-BPh4), C6H4CF3 (3b-BPh4)). The transformation of 3a-BPh4/3b-BPh4 into their respective vinylidene isomers in dichloromethane is very slow and requires hours to its completion. However, this process is accelerated by addition of LiCl in methanol solution. Reaction of 1 with HC≡CR (R = COOMe, C6H4CF3) in MeOH goes through the intermediacy of the π-alkyne complexes [Cp*Ru(η2-HC≡CR)(iPr2PNHPy)]Cl (R = COOMe (3a-Cl), C6H4CF3 (3b-Cl)), which rearrange to vinylidenes in minutes, i.e., much faster than their counterparts containing the [BPh4]− anion. The kinetics of these isomerizations has been studied in solution by NMR. With the help of DFT studies, these observations have been interpreted in terms of chloride- and methanolassisted hydrogen migrations. Calculations suggest participation of a hydrido−alkynyl intermediate in the process, in which the hydrogen atom can be transferred from the metal to the β-carbon by means of species with weak basic character acting as proton shuttles

Chromatin Organization in Sperm May Be the Major Functional Consequence of Base Composition Variation in the Human Genome

Chromatin in sperm is different from that in other cells, with most of the genome packaged by protamines not nucleosomes. Nucleosomes are, however, retained at some genomic sites, where they have the potential to transmit paternal epigenetic information. It is not understood how this retention is specified. Here we show that base composition is the major determinant of nucleosome retention in human sperm, predicting retention very well in both genic and non-genic regions of the genome. The retention of nucleosomes at GC-rich sequences with high intrinsic nucleosome affinity accounts for the previously reported retention at transcription start sites and at genes that regulate development. It also means that nucleosomes are retained at the start sites of most housekeeping genes. We also report a striking link between the retention of nucleosomes in sperm and the establishment of DNA methylation-free regions in the early embryo. Taken together, this suggests that paternal nucleosome transmission may facilitate robust gene regulation in the early embryo. We propose that chromatin organization in the male germline, rather than in somatic cells, is the major functional consequence of fine-scale base composition variation in the human genome. The selective pressure driving base composition evolution in mammals could, therefore, be the need to transmit paternal epigenetic information to the zygote