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Copper (Cu) products, including copper oxide nanoparticles (nCuO), are critically important agricultural fungicides and algaecides. Foliar application onto crops and subsequent aerosol drift of these Cu products, especially nCuO, on to soil may alter nutrient cycling and microbial communities in both managed and unmanaged environments. We measured the influence of land use on soil microbial biomass and respiration in response to the addition of nCuO to an alluvial soil. Different land uses included grassland, forest and both organic and conventional managed row crops. Soil samples were amended with 1000 mg Cu per kg soil as CuCl2, 16 nm CuO (16nCuO), 42 nm CuO (42nCuO), and larger than nanoparticle sized bulk CuO (bCuO). Copper availability immediately increased in all soils following Cu addition in the order of CuCl2 > 16nCuO > 42nCuO > bCuO. After 70 days Cu availability was diminished across land uses and lowest in soils treated with bCuO. Using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, we determined that the relatively high availability of Cu after treatment with nanoparticle sized CuO was due to the dissolution of CuO particles and subsequent adsorption by soil materials. Respiration, an indicator of microbial activity, was suppressed by Cu additions, especially CuCl2. Copper effects on soil microbial biomass were sensitive to land use. In agricultural soils, microbial biomass was unaltered by Cu form, regardless of concentration, whereas in unmanaged soils, it decreased following exposure to CuCl2 and 42nCuO. Our results suggest that land use history has little impact on Cu chemical fate in soils, but strongly modulates microbial response to Cu exposure. These results are especially important for organic agricultural systems where copper fungicides are widely used but may suppress microbial mineralization of nutrients from soil organic matter.

N-Methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) is the solvent of choice in the lyocell process because of the interesting biodegradable, non-toxic and non-ecotoxic features that the full recovery of NMMO provides to the process. NMMO is used in its monohydrate form (1NMMO:1H2O) and cellulose dissolution occurs via hydrogen bond (HBs) formation between the oxygen at the oxide group (as the HB acceptor, HBA) and the hydroxyl groups of the cellulosic units (as the HB donor, HBD). Interestingly, HO is a serious competitor for NMMO to form HBs with cellulose so the number of HO-cellulose-HBs should be kept under control. Addition of co-solvents has become a common practice and the challenge is studying the capability of this additional co-solvent to balance the NMMO-cellulose-HBs versus HO-cellulose-HBs and thus modify the solvent capabilities of the resulting ternary mixture. Herein, we prepared ternary mixtures by addition of the respective equivalents of HO and DMSO (e.g., 1:0.5, 1:1 and 0.5:1) to anhydrous NMMO to obtain 1NMMO:1HO:0.5DMSO, 1NMMO:1HO:1DMSO and 1NMMO:0.5HO:1DMSO. We correlated the solvent capability with the HB formed among the components in the different three ternary mixtures. 1NMMO:0.5HO:1DMSO controlled the number of HO-cellulose-HBs better than the other two mixtures and this helped to maintain the resulting cellulose solution in the liquid form at room temperature., This work was supported by MINECO/FEDER (Project Number RTI2018-097728-B-I00). H. Zhang acknowledges the China Schol- arship Council for a PhD research fellowship (CSC No. 201706460015). L. González-Aguilera acknowledges MICIN for a PhD research contract (FPI Contract No. PRE2019-090008). The Servicio Interdepartamental de Investigación (SIdI) of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid is acknowledged for helpful assistance with NMR and DSC studies.

La participación política de las mujeres de la frontera norte, vinculadas al Partido Acción Nacional, fue muy destacada durante la década de los ochenta y primeros años noventa del siglo XX. Durante ese periodo tuvo lugar la larga transición mexicana a la democracia que inició en 1977 y concluiría hacia 1997, en su etapa germinal. Entender en qué consistió el proceso de politización femenina y el papel que las mujeres desempeñaron en este proceso de apertura política guió el desarrollo de esta tesis. Su aporte consiste en hacer comprensible por qué, cómo, y con qué consecuencias las mujeres, especialmente de los sectores populares de estas ciudades, se insertaron en la militancia de un partido conservador, de clases medias y vinculado a la Iglesia católica y grupos empresariales. El enfoque analítico se basa en la perspectiva de género (gender lens) desarrollada, entre otras autoras, por Davids y Van Driel, operativizada con la aportación de Bourdieu sobre las nociones de campos y habitus. La primera parte aborda la dimensión colectiva de la participación, a nivel nacional y en la región fronteriza. La segunda enfoca la militancia femenina desde la dimensión personal/subjetiva, a través de los campos de la familia, de la sociopolítica y de lo político, con el partido político como eje. La historia oral y regional forman parte central de la investigación, mismas que convergen con los estudios de género.

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The non-equilibrium self-consistent generalized Langevin equation theory of irreversible processes in liquids is extended to describe the positional and orientational thermal fluctuations of the instantaneous local concentration profile $n(\mathbf{r},\Omega,t)$ of a suddenly-quenched colloidal liquid of particles interacting through non spherically-symmetric pairwise interactions, whose mean value $\overline{n}(\mathbf{r},\Omega,t)$ is constrained to remain uniform and isotropic, $\overline{n}(\mathbf{r},\Omega,t)=\overline{n}(t)$. Such self-consistent theory is cast in terms of the time-evolution equation of the covariance $\sigma(t)=\overline{\delta n_{lm}(\mathbf{k};t) \delta n^{\dagger}_{lm}(\mathbf{k};t)}$ of the fluctuations $\delta n_{lm}(\mathbf{k};t)=n_{lm}(\mathbf{k};t) -\overline{n_{lm}}(\mathbf{k};t)$ of the spherical harmonics projections $n_{lm}(\mathbf{k};t)$ of the Fourier transform of $n(\mathbf{r},\Omega,t)$. The resulting theory describes the non-equilibrium evolution after a sudden temperature quench of both, the static structure factor projections $S_{lm}(k,t)$ and the two-time correlation function $F_{lm}(k,\tau;t)\equiv\overline{\delta n_{lm}(\mathbf{k},t)\delta n_{lm}(\mathbf{k},t+\tau)}$, where $\tau$ is the correlation \emph{delay} time and $t$ is the \emph{evolution} or \emph{waiting} time after the quench. As a concrete and illustrative application we use the resulting self-consistent equations to describe the irreversible processes of equilibration or aging of the orientational degrees of freedom of a system of strongly interacting classical dipoles with quenched positional disorder., Comment: 5 figures

We have studied the SEY behaviour of a particulate coating composed of a mixture of a metal (aluminum) in solid state contact with a particulate dielectric material (polyimide thermosetting resin). Surface charging, roughness, and volume fraction are utilized as the main parameters to characterize the electron emission behaviour. Apart from the important role played by surface composition in the SEY, the influence of the dielectric volume fraction has demonstrated to be critical to achieve a significant reduction of SEY. it was found that E1 of the particulate sample increased with increasing dielectric volume fraction. An extremely high first crossover energy, E1>1000eV, was obtained after the gold metallization of the metal/dielectric coatings of 0.75 dielectric volume fraction. It is also remarkable that SEY was ~0.2 for EeV, the true secondaries appear to be reabsorbed.

Research on low secondary electron emission coatings is essential for the design and manufacture of space high-power RF devices without multipactor discharge. This paper discusses some of the factors that reduce secondary electron emission for metal-dielectric surfaces. We have studied the total electron yield (TEY) behavior of a particulate coating composed of a mixture of a metal (aluminum) nanoparticulates in solid state contact with a particulate dielectric material (polyimide thermosetting resin). Surface charging, roughness, and volume fraction are utilized as the main parameters to characterize the electron emission behavior, which can effectively be determined by continuous (total dose 42.5 nC/mm2) and pulsed (1,1 fC/mm2/pulse) electron irradiation methods. Apart from the important role played by surface composition in the TEY, the influence of the dielectric volume fraction has demonstrated to be critical to achieve a significant reduction of TEY. Analytical surface techniques such as field emission scanning microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used, because they are very effective in providing insight into the effect of charging on the surface. Typical TEY parameters of the aluminum foil exposed to the air are: the first crossover energy, E1=20 eV, TEY maximum, σmax = 2.9, and Emax = XXX eV; these contrast with the dielectric values: E1= 30 eV, σmax = 2.5, and Emax = XXX eV. However, it was found that E1 of the particulate sample increased with increasing dielectric volume fraction. An extremely high first crossover energy, E1>1000eV, was obtained after the gold metallization of the metal/dielectric coatings of 0.75 volume fraction. It is also remarkable that TEY was 0.2 for EeV, the low energy emitted electrons appear to be reabsorbed. Another remarkable fact is that TEY curves measured by using either the continuous or the pulsed methods overlap in the whole primary energy range, dissipate the much larger electron dose of the continuous method as compared to the very low dose of the pulsed method; this result is usually understood as an indication of minimal influence of charging on TEY.

The influence of microbiota in human health is well-known. Imbalances in microbiome structure have been linked to several diseases. Modulation of microbiota composition through probiotic therapy is an attempt to harness the beneficial effects of commensal microbiota. Although, there is wide knowledge of the responses induced by gut microbiota, the microbial factors that mediate these effects are not well-known. Gram-negative bacteria release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) as a secretion mechanism of microbial factors, which have an important role in intercellular communication. Here, we investigated whether OMVs from the probiotic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 (EcN) or the commensal E. coli strain ECOR12 trigger immune responses in various cellular models: (i) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as a model of intestinal barrier disruption, (ii) apical stimulation of Caco-2/PMBCs co-culture as a model of intact intestinal mucosa, and (iii) colonic mucosa explants as an ex vivo model. Stimulations with bacterial lysates were also performed. Whereas, both OMVs and lysates activated expression and secretion of several cytokines and chemokines in PBMCs, only OMVs induced basolateral secretion and mRNA upregulation of these mediators in the co-culture model. We provide evidence that OMVs are internalized in polarized Caco-2 cells. The activated epithelial cells elicit a response in the underlying immunocompetent cells. The OMVs effects were corroborated in the ex vivo model. This experimental study shows that OMVs are an effective strategy used by beneficial gut bacteria to communicate with and modulate host responses, activating signaling events through the intestinal epithelial barrier.

Membrane vesicles (MVs) produced by Gram-negative bacteria are being explored for novel clinical applications due to their ability to deliver active molecules to distant host cells, where they can exert immunomodulatory properties. MVs released by the probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) are good candidates for testing such applications. However, a drawback for such studies is the low level of MV isolation from in vitro culture supernatants, which may be overcome by the use of mutants in cell envelope proteins that yield a hypervesiculation phenotype. Here, we confirm that a tolR mutation in EcN increases MV production, as determined by protein, LPS and fluorescent lipid measurements. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of negatively stained MVs did not reveal significant differences with wild type EcN MVs. Conversely, TEM observation after high-pressure freezing followed by freeze substitution of bacterial samples, together with cryo-TEM observation of plunge-frozen hydrated isolated MVs showed considerable structural heterogeneity in the EcN tolR samples. In addition to common one-bilayer vesicles (OMVs) and the recently described double-bilayer vesicles (O-IMVs), other types of MVs were observed. Time-course experiments of MV uptake in Caco-2 cells using rhodamine- and DiO-labelled MVs evidenced that EcN tolR MVs displayed reduced internalization levels compared to the wild-type MVs. The low number of intracellular MVs was due to a lower cell binding capacity of the tolR-derived MVs, rather than a different entry pathway or mechanism. These findings indicate that heterogeneity of MVs from tolR mutants may have a major impact on vesicle functionality, and point to the need for conducting a detailed structural analysis when MVs from hypervesiculating mutants are to be used for biotechnological applications.

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BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is a probiotic used in the treatment of intestinal diseases. Although it is considered safe, EcN is closely related to the uropathogenic E. coli strain CFT073 and contains many of its predicted virulence elements. Thus, it is relevant to assess whether virulence-associated genes are functional in EcN. One of these genes encodes the secreted autotransporter toxin (Sat), a member of the serine protease autotransporters of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATEs) that are secreted following the type V autotransporter pathway. Sat is highly prevalent in certain E. coli pathogenic groups responsible for urinary and intestinal infections. In these pathogens Sat promotes cytotoxic effects in several lines of undifferentiated epithelial cells, but not in differentiated Caco-2 cells. RESULTS: Here we provide evidence that sat is expressed by EcN during the colonization of mouse intestine. The EcN protein is secreted as an active serine protease, with its 107 kDa-passenger domain released into the medium as a soluble protein. Expression of recombinant EcN Sat protein in strain HB101 increases paracellular permeability to mannitol in polarized Caco-2 monolayers. This effect, also reported for the Sat protein of diffusely adherent E. coli, is not observed when this protein is expressed in the EcN background. In addition, we show that EcN supernatants confer protection against Sat-mediated effects on paracellular permeability, thus indicating that other secreted EcN factors are able to prevent barrier disruption caused by pathogen-related factors. Sat is not required for intestinal colonization, but the EcNsat::cat mutant outcompetes wild-type EcN in the streptomycin-treated mouse model. Analysis of the presence of sat in 29 strains of the ECOR collection isolated from stools of healthy humans shows 34.8 % positives, with high prevalence of strains of the phylogenetic groups D and B2, related with extra-intestinal infections. CONCLUSIONS: Sat does not act as a virulence factor in EcN. The role of Sat in intestinal pathogenesis relies on other genetic determinants responsible for the bacterial pathotype.

Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is a probiotic used in the treatment of intestinal diseases. Although it is considered safe, EcN is closely related to the uropathogenic E. coli strain CFT073 and contains many of its predicted virulence elements. Thus, it is relevant to assess whether virulence-associated genes are functional in EcN. One of these genes encodes the secreted autotransporter toxin (Sat), a member of the serine protease autotransporters of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATEs) that are secreted following the type V autotransporter pathway. Sat is highly prevalent in certain E. coli pathogenic groups responsible for urinary and intestinal infections. In these pathogens Sat promotes cytotoxic effects in several lines of undifferentiated epithelial cells, but not in differentiated Caco-2 cells.

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a multifunctional protein with diverse biological functions in human cells. In bacteria, moonlighting GAPDH functions have only been described for the secreted protein in pathogens or probiotics. At the intracellular level, we previously reported the interaction of Escherichia coli GAPDH with phosphoglycolate phosphatase, a protein involved in the metabolism of the DNA repair product 2-phosphoglycolate, thus suggesting a putative role of GAPDH in DNA repair processes. Here, we provide evidence that GAPDH is required for the efficient repair of DNA lesions in E. coli. We show that GAPDH-deficient cells are more sensitive to bleomycin or methyl methanesulfonate. In cells challenged with these genotoxic agents, GAPDH deficiency results in reduced cell viability and filamentous growth. In addition, the gapA knockout mutant accumulates a higher number of spontaneous abasic sites and displays higher spontaneous mutation frequencies than the parental strain. Pull-down experiments in different genetic backgrounds show interaction between GAPDH and enzymes of the base excision repair pathway, namely the AP-endonuclease Endo IV and uracil DNA glycosylase. This finding suggests that GAPDH is a component of a protein complex dedicated to the maintenance of genomic DNA integrity. Our results also show interaction of GAPDH with the single-stranded DNA binding protein. This interaction may recruit GAPDH to the repair sites and implicates GAPDH in DNA repair pathways activated by profuse DNA damage, such as homologous recombination or the SOS response.

Secondary electron emission processes under electron bombardment are central to many effects at surfaces and interfaces, and to many in vacuum high power RF electronic devices where multipactor can be very intense [1,2]. Ferrite materials are usually used in microwave components used in space telecommunication systems, as circulators, phase-shifters, switches, and isolators. The physics of the multipactor phenomenon existing in microwave devices based on ferrite materials is an important issue and it is urgent to be researched [3]. One difficulty in the analysis of the multipactor effect in RF components containing ferrite lies on the fact that this material is an anysotropic magnetic medium controlled by an applied permanent magnetic field, which is used to magnetize the ferrite material. SEY and other properties (structure, magnetic behaviour,...) of soft-magnetic materials were studied in this work. MnZn soft ferrites magnets are suitable in the situation of frequency < 3MHz, low loss and high μi. Compared with MnZn soft ferrite, NiZn soft ferrite are used at higher frequencies

Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is a probiotic used for the treatment of intestinal disorders. EcN improves gastrointestinal homeostasis and microbiota balance; however, little is known about how this probiotic delivers effector molecules to the host. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are constitutively produced by Gram-negative bacteria and have a relevant role in bacteria-host interactions. Using 1D SDS-PAGE and highly sensitive LC-MS/MS analysis we identified in this study 192 EcN vesicular proteins with high confidence in three independent biological replicates. Of these proteins, 18 were encoded by strain-linked genes and 57 were common to pathogen-derived OMVs. These proteins may contribute to the ability of this probiotic to colonize the human gut as they fulfil functions related to adhesion, immune modulation or bacterial survival in host niches. This study describes the first global OMV proteome of a probiotic strain and provides evidence that probiotic-derived OMVs contain proteins that can target these vesicles to the host and mediate their beneficial effects on intestinal function. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD000367 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD000367).

High secondary electron yield of metallic surfaces used in accelerator and also in space applications is of general concern. In addition to several well-known coating preparation techniques and microscopic or macroscopic mechanical roughness (grooves) which may significantly increase microwave losses the concept of magnetic surface roughness has been proposed recently to lower the effective secondary electron yield (SEY). In this concept a smooth and very good conducting surface with low microwave losses is maintained, but underneath this surface a large number of tiny permanent magnets are located to build a rough magnetic equipotential structure. In this paper we present and discuss measurement of the SEY and the improvement in terms of SEY for different parameter ranges.

In high power RF devices for space, secondary electron emission appears as the main parameter governing the multipactor effect and as well as the e-cloud in large accelerators. Critical experimental activities included development of coatings with low secondary electron emission yield (SEY) for steel (large accelerators) and aluminium (space applications). Coatings with surface roughness of high aspect ratio producing the so-call secondary emission suppression effect appear as the selected strategy. In this work a detailed study of the SEY of these technological coatings and also the experimental deposition methods (PVD and electrochemical) are presented. The coating-design approach selected for new low SEY coatings include rough metals (Ag, Au, Al), rough alloys (NEG), particulated and magnetized surfaces, and also graphene like coatings. It was found that surface roughness also mitigate the SEY deterioration due to aging processes., Comment: 4 pages, contribution to the Joint INFN-CERN-EuCARD-AccNet Workshop on Electron-Cloud Effects: ECLOUD'12; 5-9 Jun 2012, La Biodola, Isola d'Elba, Italy; CERN Yellow Report CERN-2013-002, pp.153-156

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is considered a multifunctional protein with defined functions in numerous mammalian cellular processes. GAPDH functional diversity depends on various factors such as covalent modifications, subcellular localization, oligomeric state and intracellular concentration of substrates or ligands, as well as protein-protein interactions. In bacteria, alternative GAPDH functions have been associated with its extracellular location in pathogens or probiotics. In this study, new intracellular functions of Escherichia coli GAPDH were investigated following a proteomic approach aimed at identifying interacting partners using in vivo formaldehyde cross-linking followed by mass spectrometry. The identified proteins were involved in metabolic processes, protein synthesis and folding or DNA repair. Some interacting proteins were also identified in immunopurification experiments in the absence of cross-linking. Pull-down experiments and overlay immunoblotting were performed to further characterize the interaction with phosphoglycolate phosphatase (Gph). This enzyme is involved in the metabolism of 2-phosphoglycolate formed in the DNA repair of 3'-phosphoglycolate ends generated by bleomycin damage. We show that interaction between Gph and GAPDH increases in cells challenged with bleomycin, suggesting involvement of GAPDH in cellular processes linked to DNA repair mechanisms.

Bacteria, fungi, and plants have metabolic pathways for the utilization of nitrogen present in purine bases. In Klebsiella pneumoniae, the genes responsible for the assimilation of purine ring nitrogen are distributed in three separated clusters. We characterized the gene cluster involved in the metabolism of allantoate (genes KPN_01761 to KPN_01771). The functional assignments of HpxK, as an allantoate amidohydrolase, and of HpxU, as a regulator involved in the control of allantoate metabolism, were assessed experimentally. Gene hpxU encodes a repressor of the RpiR family that mediates the regulation of this system by allantoate. In this study, the binding of HpxU to the hpxF promoter and to the hpxU-hpxW intergenic region containing the divergent promoter for these genes was evidenced by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Allantoate released the HpxU repressor from its target operators whereas other purine intermediate metabolites, such as allantoin and oxamate, failed to induce complex dissociation. Sequence alignment of the four HpxU identified operators identified TGAA-N8-TTCA as the consensus motif recognized by the HpxU repressor.

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a multifunctional housekeeping protein secreted by pathogens and involved in adhesion and/or virulence. Previously we reported that enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) and enteropathogenic (EPEC) Escherichia coli secrete GAPDH into the culture medium. This bacterial protein binds human plasminogen and fibrinogen and remains associated with Caco-2 cells upon infection. In these pathogens, GAPDH secretion is not linked to outer membrane vesicles and depends on growth conditions, although the secretion mechanism is still unknown. EPEC is an attaching and effacing pathogen able to secrete and translocate multiple effector proteins into infected cells through a type III secretion system (T3SS). The secretion process is often dependent on a bacterial chaperone. The chaperone CesT displays broad substrate specificity and plays a central role in the recruitment of multiple type III effectors to the T3SS apparatus. Here we provide genetic evidences on GAPDH secretion through T3SS by EPEC grown in DMEM. Secretion of GAPDH is increased in sepD mutants and abolished in mutants defective in the type III ATPase EscN. Complementation with escN gene restores GAPDH secretion. In addition, we prove by means of pull down experiments, overlay immunoblotting and biolayer interferometry a novel interaction between GAPDH and the chaperone CesT. This interaction, which is strong and slow dissociating, may stabilize a population of GAPDH molecules in a secretion competent-state and target them to the type III secretion apparatus. This is the first description of CesT interaction with a housekeeping protein and its export through T3SS.

Comunicaciones a congresos

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a multifunctional housekeeping protein reported to be a target of several covalent modifications in many organisms. In a previous study, enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) and enteropathogenic (EPEC) Escherichia coli strains were shown to secrete GAPDH and the protein to bind human plasminogen and fibrinogen. Here we report that GAPDH of these pathogens is ADP-ribosylated either in the cytoplasm or in the extracellular medium. GAPDH catalyzes its own modification, which involves Cys-149 at the active site. ADP-ribosylation of extracellular GAPDH may play an important role in the host-pathogen interaction, as also proposed in other pathogens.

El Spinning es una actividad que se realiza sobre una bicicleta estática al ritmo de la música. Si bien, este tipo de actividades no está relacionada con el rendimiento deportivo, y debido a la naturaleza de las bicicletas empleadas, se desconoce aspectos como la potencia, velocidad o distancia recorrida en una clase o raids de mayor duración. Por otra parte, la hidratación durante la actividad física es un elemento importante sobre todo cuando se desarrollan actividades de más de una hora de duración. Fue el propósito de esta investigación el cuantificar el rendimiento a través de la distancia recorrida en un raid de spinning de dos horas de duración y determinar el efecto de la hidratación con diferentes bebidas sobre el rendimiento. 10 sujetos (5 hombres y 5 mujeres) fueron sometidos a 4 raid de dos horas de spinning espaciados por 7 días cada uno. Bebieron ad libitum; agua, bebida con carbohidratos (6%), agua con saborizante y nuevamente agua. La distancia recorrida promedio de los 4 raids fue de 42,05±1,68 km. La distancia recorrida para el primer raid fue de 40,62±4,37 km, para el segundo raid fue de 44,31±4,02 km, para el tercer raid fue de 42,34±4,66 km, para el cuarto raid fue de 40,93±3,97 km. Hubo diferencia significativa entre el 1er y 2° raid (p

The lldPRD operon of Escherichia coli, involved in L-lactate metabolism, is induced by growth in this compound. We experimentally identified that this system is transcribed from a single promoter with an initiation site located 110 nucleotides upstream of the ATG start codon. On the basis of computational data, it had been proposed that LldR and its homologue PdhR act as regulators of the lldPRD operon. Nevertheless, no experimental data on the function of these regulators have been reported so far. Here we show that induction of an lldP-lacZ fusion by L-lactate is lost in an Delta lldR mutant, indicating the role of LldR in this induction. Expression analysis of this construct in a pdhR mutant ruled out the participation of PdhR in the control of lldPRD. Gel shift experiments showed that LldR binds to two operator sites, O1 (positions -105 to -89) and O2 (positions +22 to +38), with O1 being filled at a lower concentration of LldR. L-Lactate induced a conformational change in LldR that did not modify its DNA binding activity. Mutations in O1 and O2 enhanced the basal transcriptional level. However, only mutations in O1 abolished induction by L-lactate. Mutants with a change in helical phasing between O1 and O2 behaved like O2 mutants. These results were consistent with the hypothesis that LldR has a dual role, acting as a repressor or an activator of lldPRD. We propose that in the absence of L-lactate, LldR binds to both O1 and O2, probably leading to DNA looping and the repression of transcription. Binding of L-lactate to LldR promotes a conformational change that may disrupt the DNA loop, allowing the formation of the transcription open complex.

A study was made of wood fiber directions and the resulting surface roughness of radiata pine during a planing process employing acoustic emission control. There have been some studies of the planing process for radiata pine in situations where surface quality problems arise when machining conditions are not well controlled. It is known from previous studies that acoustic emission signals (RMS) are a good monitoring element of the surface roughness under different cutting conditions. The variations in acoustic signals are related to the roughness and to chip formation. The purpose of this study was to establish the most suitable machining conditions for planing radiata pine to achieve the required surface roughness and to determine its relationship to the acoustic emission signals so that surface quality can be easily controlled., Se estudia la rugosidad superficial resultante del proceso de cepillado de Pinus radiata D. Don. con diferentes ángulos de fibra y su monitoreo con emisión acústica. Algunos estudios se han realizado sobre el proceso de cepillado en pino radiata, donde los problemas de calidad superficial durante el corte no han sido bien controlados. Es conocido que las señales de emisión acústica (RMS) son una buena herramienta en el monitoreo de la rugosidad superficial con diferentes condiciones de corte. Estudios previos permiten afirmar que cambios en las condiciones de corte afectan las señales de emisión acústica, estas variaciones están relacionadas con la rugosidad superficial y la formación de viruta. El propósito de este estudio es investigar cuáles son las condiciones de cepillado de madera de pino radiata que permitan lograr una rugosidad superficial correcta y al mismo tiempo determinar su relación con la emisión acústica (EA) en términos que la calidad de la superficie pueda ser fácilmente controlada.

Se estudia la rugosidad superficial resultante del proceso de cepillado de Pinus radiata D. Don. con diferentes angulos de fibra y su monitoreo con emision acustica. Algunos estudios se han realizado sobre el proceso de cepillado en pino radiata, donde los problemas de calidad superficial durante el corte no han sido bien controlados. Es conocido que las senales de emision acustica (RMS) son una buena herramienta en el monitoreo de la rugosidad superficial con diferentes condiciones de corte. Estudios previos permiten afirmar que cambios en las condiciones de corte afectan las senales de emision acustica, estas variaciones estan relacionadas con la rugosidad superficial y la formacion de viruta. El proposito de este estudio es investigar cuales son las condiciones de cepillado de madera de pino radiata que permitan lograr una rugosidad superficial correcta y al mismo tiempo determinar su relacion con la emision acustica (EA) en terminos que la calidad de la superficie pueda ser facilmente controlada.

Background: In anesthesia with propofol, variability persists besides sophisticated effect targeting. Drug formulation may be another factor. We have analyzed, retrospectively, the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) in monitored surgery patients anesthetized with one each of five formulations of propofol. Methods: Propofol 1% ('form' 1: Diprivan® (Zeneca Limited, Macclesfield, UK), 2: Recofol® (Schering Espana, Madrid, Spain), 3: Ivofol® (Juste, Madrid, Spain), 4: Propofol Abbott® (Abbott Laboratories, Madrid, Spain), 5: Fresenius® (Fresenius Kabi España, Barcelona, Spain)) was administered to 77 ASA I-II patients of age [mean (range) 44 (18-65) years]. Induction of anesthesia was with varying propofol doses up to endpoints of either 60 on the Bispectral Index™ system (BIS) in group I (n = 48, model development) or standard clinical signs in group II (n = 29, validation). Maintenance was with three 10-min infusions of 10, 8 and 6 mg kg-1 h-1. Three blood samples were obtained from each subject, immediately after induction, and at 15 and 30 min on maintenance, with BIS and hemodynamic variables recorded at these times also. Total and free blood concentrations (Cb) of propofol were determined with HPLC. Pharmacokinetic and PD models with link equilibration rate ke0, were studied with a mixed-effects procedure (NONMEM). Results: The induction dose (group I) showed large interindividual variability [mean (range) 163 (90-290 mg)] that correlated significantly with age, basal systolic blood pressure and formulation. The PK of propofol (basic model) was described by a one-compartment model with (typical value [interindividual coefficient of variation percent (CV%)]) CL=2.301 min-1 (27%) and V=8.401 (80%). Weight (WT) and formulation, within NONMEM, were found to be significant covariates for CL and V, reducing their CV% to 25% and 74%, respectively. The final PK/PD model, which includes formulation, showed a 50% reduction in the CV% for both the ke0 and the residual error. This PK/PD model was validated in group II with 33% precision and no bias. Conclusion: The PK and PD are not equal for all formulations, which contributes to an increase in variability of the observed effect.

Selección de 35 cuentos, 15 poesías y 26 dibujos escritos por niños de los niveles de enseñanza primaria y secundaria los cuales han participado en las Jornadas Científicas Infantiles que realiza anualmente el Acuario Nacional de Cuba. La selección de cuentos, poesías y dibujos todos se recrean en el mar y las especies marinas que allí habitan. Save the Children Published

Background: Telithromycin is a new ketolide antimicrobial, that can be useful for the treatment of respiratory infections. Aim: To compare in vitro activity of telithromycin against respiratory pathogens, isolated in outpatient clinics. Material and methods: Two hundred eighty strains isolated from patients with respiratory infections, were studied. The strains studied were S pneumoniae, penicillin sensitive (SPNS:57); intermediate (SPNI:35), resistant (SPNR:25); S pyogenes (SP:57); H influenzae (HIN 51); M catarrhalis (MC:25) and S aureus meticillin sensitive (SAUS:30). Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) by broth microdilution was studied for telitrhomycin and levofloxacin in all strains. Other antimicrobials studied, but not in all strains were erythromycin, clindamycin, trimetoprim sulphamethoxazole, oxacillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and cefuroxime. Results: All strains were sensible to telithromycin at a concentration 4 µg/ml. MIC 90 and its range for SPNS was 0.03 µg/ml (0.004-0.12), for SPNI was 0.03 µg/ml (0.004-025), for SPNR was 0.06 µg/ml (0.004-0.25), for HIN was 2 µg/ml (0.12-4), for SP was 0.5 µg/ml (0.004-2), for MC was 0.5 µg/ml (0.06-2) and for SAU was 0.25 µg/ml (0.06-0.25). Conclusions: All studied pathogens were sensible to telithromycin in vitro. This antimicrobial is an alternative for the treatment of community acquired respiratory infections

Simple Summary Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is associated with Lynch syndrome (LS). This is the first study to evaluate the identification of LS patients based on mismatch repair deficiency (MMRd) tumor among SBA. The authors found a 21.3% prevalence of MMRd tumors and a 10.1% prevalence of LS. A germline mutation was identified in 60% of patients with a MMRd tumor. This data suggests that universal tumor MMR testing among SBA patients should be implemented for the identification of LS. Abstract Background: Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare disease which can be associated with Lynch syndrome (LS). LS tumors are characterized by the presence of microsatellite instability (MSI) and/or the loss of mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression. In SBA, the frequency of MMR deficient (MMRd) tumors varies from 5% to 35%. This study aims to describe the prevalence of LS carriers among patients with MMRd small bowel adenocarcinomas. Methods: A multicenter retrospective study with identification and MMR testing of all consecutive SBA between 2004 and 2020 in a multicenter Spanish study. Demographical data, tumor characteristics, follow-up and survival information were collected. Germline testing was driven by identification of MMRd tumors. Results: A total of 94 individuals diagnosed with SBA were recruited. We observed 20 (21.3%) MMRd tumors. In 9/15 (60%) patients with MMRd tumors, a pathogenic variant was identified (three MLH1, four MSH2, one MSH6 and one PMS2). Accordingly, the prevalence of LS among all SBA cases was 10.1%. Conclusions: More than one-fifth of SBA display MMRd and in more than a half is due to LS. Our data supports the implementation of universal MMR tumor testing among SBA for the identification of LS families.

Temporal analyses and multi-temporal 3D reconstruction are fundamental for the preservation and maintenance of all forms of Cultural Heritage (CH) and are the basis for decisions related to interventions and promotion. Introducing the fourth dimension of time into three-dimensional geometric modelling of real data allows the creation of a multi-temporal representation of a site. In this way, scholars from various disciplines (surveyors, geologists, archaeologists, architects, philologists, etc.) are provided with a new set of tools and working methods to support the study of the evolution of heritage sites, both to develop hypotheses about the past and to model likely future developments. The capacity to “see” the dynamic evolution of CH assets across different spatial scales (e.g. building, site, city or territory) compressed in diachronic model, affords the possibility to better understand the present status of CH according to its history. However, there are numerous challenges in order to carry out 4D modelling and the requisite multi-data source integration. It is necessary to identify the specifications, needs and requirements of the CH community to understand the required levels of 4D model information. In this way, it is possible to determine the optimum material and technologies to be utilised at different CH scales, as well as the data management and visualization requirements. This manuscript aims to provide a comprehensive approach for CH time-varying representations, analysis and visualization across different working scales and environments: rural landscape, urban landscape and architectural scales. Within this aim, the different available metric data sources are systemized and evaluated in terms of their suitability.