Intramolecular excimer formation and sensing behavior of new fluorimetric probes and their interactions with metal cations and barbituric acids

A new family of compounds able to promote host-guest interactions with specific molecules (e.g., cyanuric and parabanic acids) and to coordinate metal ions, namely Zn(II) and Cu(II), has been synthesized and fully characterized. The new probes derive from the attachment of two methylaminopyrene units to the carbonyl precursor 2,6-bis(2-formylphenoxymethyl)pyridine.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6THH-4HF5KD3-1/1/ef66847d1e019d05e2068bef93cfbd9

Validation of the spiritual and religious attitudes in dealing with illness (SpREUK) in Portuguese Alzheimer‘s patients

Literature shows that spirituality is a helpful resource for patients to cope with illness, having a positive impact on their quality of life. This study aimed to analyze the psychometric qualities of the Spiritual and Religious Attitudes in Dealing with Illness (SpREUK) using a sample of 128 Portuguese Alzheimer‘s patients. Results showed that the instrument kept its original factorial structure, with a good adjustment and reliability in all subscales, and associations with quality of life and mindfulness. Therefore, the Portuguese version of the SpREUK has appropriate psychometric properties and is an important resource to assess spirituality in Alzheimer’s patients

Urban agriculture as a keystone contribution towards securing sustainable and healthy development for cities in the future

esearch and practice during the last 20 years has shown that urban agriculture can contribute to minimising the effects of climate change by, at the same time, improving quality of life in urban areas. In order to do so most effectively, land use and spatial planning are crucial so as to obtain and maintain a supportive green infrastructure and to secure citizens' healthy living conditions. As people today trend more towards living in green and sustainable city centres that can offer fresh and locally produced food, cities become again places for growing food. The scope of urban agriculture thereby is to establish food production sites within the city's sphere; for example, through building-integrated agriculture including concepts such as aquaponics, indoor agriculture, vertical farming, rooftop production, edible walls, as well as through urban farms, edible landscapes, school gardens and community gardens. Embedded in changing urban food systems, the contribution of urban agriculture to creating sustainable and climate-friendly cities is pivotal as it has the capacity to integrate other resource streams such as water, waste and energy. This article describes some of the current aspects of the circular city debate where urban agriculture is pushing forward the development of material and resource cycling in cities.European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST): CA17133; EU Horizon 2020 Programmeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The design and evaluation of travelling gun irrigation systems: enrolador software

Technical Paperinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Unprecedented light induced aggregation of cationic 1,4,5,8-naphthalenediimide amphiphiles

Bola amphiphiles from naphthalenediimide (NDI-bas) with quaternary ammonium groups (DC4, DaP, and DaO) display association in solution, as well as, surprisingly, visible light promoted photochromism in concentrated solutions of water, acetonitrile and THF. The photochromism is correlated with an aggregation process that leads to a significant modification of the electronic transitions, resulting in an unusual absorption band distribution that points out to a type of H-aggregation in transverse. This assembly can be reversibly broken up by heating at 70 °C and adding bulk salt (NaBF4). By 1H-NMR spectroscopic analysis of the irradiation/heating cycle the assembly/disassembly process can be followed by the changes in peak width and intensity. These photoinduced aggregates can sensitize dissolved O2 to give singlet oxygen, a surprising observation when it comes to sensitization efficiency for dyes where aggregation usually decreases the sensitization yield. Laser-induced luminescence measurements corroborate the existence of triplet states as phosphorescence was detected, being particularly intense in concentrated THF solutions

Poly-Thymidine Oligonucleotides Mediate Activation of Murine Glial Cells Primarily Through TLR7, Not TLR8

The functional role of murine TLR8 in the inflammatory response of the central nervous system (CNS) remains unclear. Murine TLR8 does not appear to respond to human TLR7/8 agonists, due to a five amino acid deletion in the ectodomain. However, recent studies have suggested that murine TLR8 may be stimulated by alternate ligands, which include vaccinia virus DNA, phosphothioate oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) or the combination of phosphothioate poly-thymidine oligonucleotides (pT-ODNs) with TLR7/8 agonists. In the current study, we analyzed the ability of pT-ODNs to induce activation of murine glial cells in the presence or absence of TLR7/8 agonists. We found that TLR7/8 agonists induced the expression of glial cell activation markers and induced the production of multiple proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in mixed glial cultures. In contrast, pT-ODNs alone induced only low level expression of two cytokines, CCL2 and CXCL10. The combination of pT-ODNs along with TLR7/8 agonists induced a synergistic response with substantially higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines compared to CL075. This enhancement was not due to cellular uptake of the agonist, indicating that the pT-ODN enhancement of cytokine responses was due to effects on an intracellular process. Interestingly, this response was also not due to synergistic stimulation of both TLR7 and TLR8, as the loss of TLR7 abolished the activation of glial cells and cytokine production. Thus, pT-ODNs act in synergy with TLR7/8 agonists to induce strong TLR7-dependent cytokine production in glial cells, suggesting that the combination of pT-ODNs with TLR7 agonists may be a useful mechanism to induce pronounced glial activation in the CNS

Comparative Study of rK39 Leishmania Antigen for Serodiagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected tropical disease for which serodiagnostic tests are available, but not yet widely implemented in rural areas. The rK39 recombinant protein is derived from a kinesin-like protein of parasites belonging to the Leishmania donovani complex, and has been used in the last two decades for the serodiagnosis of VL. We present here a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating serologic assays (rK39 strip-test, rK39 ELISA, Direct Agglutination Test [DAT], Indirect Immunofluorescence test [IFAT] and ELISA with a promastigote antigen preparation [p-ELISA]) to diagnose VL to determine the accuracy of rK39 antigen in comparison to the use of other antigen preparations. Fourteen papers fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion selection criteria. The summarized sensitivity for the rK39-ELISA was 92% followed by IFAT 88% and p-ELISA 87%. The summarized specificity for the three diagnostic tests was 81%, 90%, and 77%. Studies comparing the rK39 strip test with DAT found a similar sensitivity (94%) and specificity (89%). However, the rK39 strip test was more specific than the IFAT and p-ELISA. In conclusion, we found the rK39 protein used either in a strip test or in an ELISA is a good choice for the serodiagnosis of VL

Evidence for a Common Toolbox Based on Necrotrophy in a Fungal Lineage Spanning Necrotrophs, Biotrophs, Endophytes, Host Generalists and Specialists

The Sclerotiniaceae (Ascomycotina, Leotiomycetes) is a relatively recently evolved lineage of necrotrophic host generalists, and necrotrophic or biotrophic host specialists, some latent or symptomless. We hypothesized that they inherited a basic toolbox of genes for plant symbiosis from their common ancestor. Maintenance and evolutionary diversification of symbiosis could require selection on toolbox genes or on timing and magnitude of gene expression. The genes studied were chosen because their products have been previously investigated as pathogenicity factors in the Sclerotiniaceae. They encode proteins associated with cell wall degradation: acid protease 1 (acp1), aspartyl protease (asps), and polygalacturonases (pg1, pg3, pg5, pg6), and the oxalic acid (OA) pathway: a zinc finger transcription factor (pac1), and oxaloacetate acetylhydrolase (oah), catalyst in OA production, essential for full symptom production in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Site-specific likelihood analyses provided evidence for purifying selection in all 8 pathogenicity-related genes. Consistent with an evolutionary arms race model, positive selection was detected in 5 of 8 genes. Only generalists produced large, proliferating disease lesions on excised Arabidopsis thaliana leaves and oxalic acid by 72 hours in vitro. In planta expression of oah was 10–300 times greater among the necrotrophic host generalists than necrotrophic and biotrophic host specialists; pac1 was not differentially expressed. Ability to amplify 6/8 pathogenicity related genes and produce oxalic acid in all genera are consistent with the common toolbox hypothesis for this gene sample. That our data did not distinguish biotrophs from necrotrophs is consistent with 1) a common toolbox based on necrotrophy and 2) the most conservative interpretation of the 3-locus housekeeping gene phylogeny – a baseline of necrotrophy from which forms of biotrophy emerged at least twice. Early oah overexpression likely expands the host range of necrotrophic generalists in the Sclerotiniaceae, while specialists and biotrophs deploy oah, or other as-yet-unknown toolbox genes, differently