Search

Metastable phase formation of Ln2O3 phases was explained and successfully predicted using calculated metastable phase diagrams. Irradiation experiments of Lu2O3 show formation of 3 phases, confirming the prediction, showing a unique behavior.

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurogenetic disorder characterized by intellectual disability and atypical behaviors. AS results from loss of expression of the E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase UBE3A from the maternal allele in neurons. Individuals with AS display impaired coordination, poor balance, and gait ataxia. PIEZO2 is a mechanosensitive ion channel essential for coordination and balance. Here, we report that PIEZO2 activity is reduced in Ube3a deficient male and female mouse sensory neurons, a human Merkel cell carcinoma cell line and female human iPSC-derived sensory neurons with UBE3A knock-down, and de-identified stem cell-derived neurons from individuals with AS. We find that loss of UBE3A decreases actin filaments and reduces PIEZO2 expression and function. A linoleic acid (LA)-enriched diet increases PIEZO2 activity, mechano-excitability, and improves gait in male AS mice. Finally, LA supplementation increases PIEZO2 function in stem cell-derived neurons from individuals with AS. We propose a mechanism whereby loss of UBE3A expression reduces PIEZO2 function and identified a fatty acid that enhances channel activity and ameliorates AS-associated mechano-sensory deficits. This work was supported by the Neuroscience Institute at UTHSC (Research Associate Matching Salary Support to J.L.), the Federico Baur endowed chair in Nanotechnology (to F.J.S.-V., 0020206BA1), a pilot research award from the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (to L.T.R.), the Neuroscience Institute Research Supports Grant 2020 program (to V.V., and J.F.C.-M.), and the National Institutes of Health (R01GM133845 to V.V. and R01GM125629 to J.F.C.-M.).

The results obtained in our previous paper are now extended to the case of stationary axially symmetric dyonic black boles within the theory of two electromagnetic potentials. We slightly enlarge the classical Ernst formalism by introducing, with the aid of the $t$- and $\varphi$-components of the dual potential $B_\mu$, the magnetic potential $\Phi_m$ which, similar to the known electric potential $\Phi_e$, also takes constant value on the black hole horizon. We analyze in detail the case of the dyonic Kerr-Newman black hole and show how the Komar mass must be evaluated correctly in this stationary dyonic model. In particular, we rigorously prove the validity of the standard Tomimatsu mass formula and point out that attempts to "improve" it made in recent years are explained by misunderstanding of the auxiliary role that singular potentials play in the description of magnetic charges. Our approach is symmetrical with respect to electric and magnetic charges and, like in the static case considered earlier, Dirac strings of all kind are excluded from the physical picture of the stationary black hole dyonic spacetimes., Comment: 14 pages, no figures

In the present paper we argue that the dyonic black hole spacetimes must be studied within the theory of two electromagnetic potentials, and we use the dyonic Reissner-Nordstr\"om solution to demonstrate that the field of the monopole magnetic charge is correctly described by the $t$-component of the dual electromagnetic potential. As a result, the Dirac string associated with the $\varphi$-component of the usual electromagnetic 4-potential becomes just a mathematical object, without any physical content, that arises in some calculations when one employs unsymmetrical representations of the electromagnetic field. We use three different, though equivalent, forms of the electromagnetic energy-momentum tensor to calculate the Komar mass of the Reissner-Nordstr\"om black hole, and in one case the Dirac string is linked to the magnetic charge, in another to the electric charge, while the third, symmetrical case, is string-free., Comment: 11 pages, no figures

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is responsible for nearly 6 million deaths worldwide in the past 2 years. Machine learning (ML) models could help physicians in identifying high-risk individuals.To study the use of ML models for COVID-19 prediction outcomes using clinical data and a combination of clinical and metabolic data, measured in a metabolomics facility from a public university.A total of 154 patients were included in the study. "Basic profile" was considered with clinical and demographic variables (33 variables), whereas in the "extended profile," metabolomic and immunological variables were also considered (156 characteristics). A selection of features was carried out for each of the profiles with a genetic algorithm (GA) and random forest models were trained and tested to predict each of the stages of COVID-19.The model based on extended profile was more useful in early stages of the disease. Models based on clinical data were preferred for predicting severe and critical illness and death. ML detected trimethylamine N-oxide, lipid mediators, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio as important variables.ML and GAs provided adequate models to predict COVID-19 outcomes in patients with different severity grades.

Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) represent a spectrum of clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorders. Our study describes an IRD patient carryingABCA4andUSH2Apathogenic biallelic mutations as a result of paternal uniparental disomy (UPD) in chromosome 1. The proband is a 9-year-old girl born from non-consanguineous parents. Both parents were asymptomatic and denied family history of ocular disease. Clinical history and ophthalmologic examination of the proband were consistent with Stargardt disease. Whispered voice testing disclosed moderate hearing loss. Next-generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing identified pathogenic variants inABCA4(c.4926C>G and c.5044_5058del) andUSH2A(c.2276G>T). All variants were present homozygously in DNA from the proband and heterozygously in DNA from the father. No variants were found in maternal DNA. Further analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms confirmed paternal UPD of chromosome 1. This is the first known patient with confirmed UPD for two recessively mutated IRD genes. Our study expands on the genetic heterogeneity of IRDs and highlights the importance of UPD as a mechanism of autosomal recessive disease in non-consanguineous parents. Moreover, a long-term follow-up is essential for the identification of retinal features that may develop as a result ofUSH2A-related conditions.

The increased rates of nicotine exposure by electronic nicotine delivery systems (vaping), ingestion, or patches during pregnancy as an alternative to the smoking of tobacco arise concerns about the neurodevelopmental, cognitive, and behavioral long-term consequences in the juvenile offspring. Nowadays, the use of electronic cigarettes as supposed a safer smoking alternative has been increased mainly in young females at reproductive age, due to the "safety" misconception. However, previous studies suggest that exposure to nicotine during pregnancy and prenatal development may lead to detrimental effects in the postnatal lifespan. Nicotine, as an alkaloid, alters the reward system acting as acetylcholine (ACh) agonist on nicotinic cholinergic receptors (nAChRs). In early brain development, the cholinergic system is also involved in neurite outgrowth, cell survival, proliferation, differentiation, neurogenesis, and many other critical processes being considered as a developmental signal marker. The nicotine noxious effect at those early stages may impact the system programming and plasticity in the long-term postnatal life. In this study, we analyze the circadian locomotor activity and learning efficiency rhythms in the juvenile male offspring of mice exposed to nicotine through pregnancy and lactation. Attenuated rhythm amplitude and relative power of the circadian component were found in the nicotine exposed offspring (pN). The acrophase (the best performance during a 24-h cycle) of learning efficiency was delayed and the long-term memory consolidation task failed after 8 days of learning experience. The aforementioned results suggest nicotine exposure in uterus modifies the circadian modulation related to the memory consolidation and locomotor systems as well as its environmental temporal synchronization.

In this paper, a water based All Dielectric Frequency Selective Surface (ADFSS) is presented made of renewable materials. This surface is based on a modified dielectric resonator incorporating air ...

The presence of colonial and solitary ciliated peritrichous protozoa was determined in a Sequencing Batch Reactor system filled with tezontle, a volcanic rock, economic, and abundant material that can be found in some parts of the world, like Mexico. The presence of these protozoa was related to the removal efficiencies of organic matter. Also, two novel staining techniques are proposed for staining both colonial and solitary peritrichous protozoa. The results show that tezontle promotes the growth of solitary and colonial ciliated peritrichous protozoa, which, once identified, could be used as indicators of the efficiency of the wastewater treatment process. Additionally, the staining techniques established in the current study allowed the precise observation of protozoan nuclei. They can represent a useful complementary methodology for identifying protozoan species present in water treatment processes, along with the already existing identification techniques. The number and variety of protozoa found in the system may be considered potential bioindicators of water quality during biological treatments.

La diversidad de plantas vasculares está relacionada con la productividad y resiliencia de los bosques, por lo tanto, el desarrollo de indicadorespara su caracterización es fundamental. La riqueza de especies vasculares (S) ha mostrado ser un buen indicador de la diversidadde otros grupos biológicos. Asimismo, se ha propuesto que la riqueza de tipos funcionales de plantas (Sg), se correlaciona significativamentecon la riqueza de especies y, por lo tanto, puede ser usada como un indicador sustituto. En este trabajo se analiza la relaciónriqueza-área de muestreo (A), con bases teóricas y datos empíricos para proponer un marco teórico generalizado de las relaciones entrelos parámetros de las curvas: S-A, Sg-A y S-Sg. Se evalúa el modelo potencial y el logarítmico de las curvas de acumulación riqueza-áreade especies de plantas vasculares y tipos funcionales, estos últimos caracterizados mediante una clasificación basada en 36 atributosfuncionales en 15 sitios de muestreo de 1000 m2 en bosques de oyamel del Monte Tláloc, Estado de México. Los resultados muestranestimaciones de riqueza equiparables con las mediciones directas usando solamente un tipo de riqueza para estimar el otro. Esto puedesimplificar considerablemente la obtención de indicadores de diversidad en inventarios de plantas vasculares.

Cholecystectomy is one of the most performed abdominal surgical procedures, with approximately 1.5 million procedures performed annually in the United States of america. Most of the biliary duct injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy are due to a wrong perception of the anatomy. Two thirds of postsurgical stenosis develop within two and three years after repairing and the other third in the following ten years.To show the adequacy for postoperative endoscopic access in Roux-in-Y biliodigestive diversions.The best technique to repair biliary duct injuries is the Roux-in-Y hepaticojejunostomy or choledochojejunostomy, from this procedure we propose a surgical technique that consists to perform a perpendicular anastomosis between the defunctionalized jejunum loop and the duodenum for later endoscopic access of the Roux-en-Y biliodigestive diversion.The duodenal-jejunal perpendicular anastomosis procedure was performed in four patients with Roux-Y biliodigestive diversion.With the technique that is proposed, we have that advantage of keeping the anastomosis permanently open due to its rhomboidal design and because of the pylorus is kept intact alkaline reflux would not be a problem.La colecistectomía es una de las cirugías más frecuentes, con aproximadamente 1.2 millones de procedimientos realizados anualmente solo en los Estados Unidos de América. La mayoría de las disrupciones biliares durante la colecistectomía laparoscópica se deben a una percepción errónea de la anatomía. Dos tercios de las estenosis posquirúrgicas se desarrollan 2-3 años después de la reparación y el otro tercio en los 10 años siguientes.Mostrar la adecuación para un acceso endoscópico posoperatorio en las derivaciones biliodigestivas en Y de Roux.La mejor técnica quirúrgica reportada para la reparación de las disrupciones biliares es la anastomosis hepático-yeyuno o anastomosis colédoco-yeyuno en Y de Roux. Partiendo de este procedimiento, la variante quirúrgica que proponemos consiste en realizar una anastomosis perpendicular entre el asa desfuncionalizada de yeyuno y el duodeno para el posterior acceso endoscópico de la derivación biliodigestiva en Y de Roux.Se realizó el procedimiento en cuatro pacientes con derivación biliodigestiva en Y de Roux.El procedimiento que proponemos tiene la ventaja de mantener abierta la anastomosis debido a su diseño romboidal, y como el píloro se encuentra indemne, el reflujo gástrico alcalino no sería ningún problema.

In the present paper, we compute the Euclidean action of a generic system consisting of $N$ arbitrary Kerr-Newman black holes located on the symmetry axis and separated from each other by massless struts. This allows us to introduce the {\it Hawking average temperature} (HAT) $\hat T$ of the multi-black hole system via the condition of vanishing the entire set of terms involving the singular horizons due to periodic time, and the resulting formula for this temperature contains solely the surface gravities $\kappa_i$ and horizon areas $A^H_i$ of the black hole constituents. We also show that the corresponding expression for the {\it free energy} of the system defined by $\hat T$ is consistent with the first law of thermodynamics and Smarr mass relations., Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure

In the present work, the effect of an aerobic pretreatment on the hydrolysis and acidogenesis of the organic solid wastes (OSW) was evaluated. The aerobic pretreatment was carried out under three incubation conditions: the first condition was at 30°C for 24 hours (isothermal), the second condition was at 30°C for 12 hours followed by 12 hours at 35°C, and the third condition was at 35°C for 12 hours followed by 12 hours at 40°C. During the aerobic pretreatment, the enzymatic activity was analyzed and the product obtained from the pretreatment was subsequently fermented in anaerobic hydrolytic leach bed (AHLB) reactors to obtain volatile fatty acids (VFA). The best hydrolysis results were achieved with the aerobic pretreatment at 30°C for 24 hours, obtaining activities of xylanases and pectinases of 115 and 73 U g-1 dry matter (DM) respectively after 18 hours and 100 U g-1 DM of proteases at the beginning of the process; values that are 2.7, 2 and 4 times higher than previously report. Also, a hydrolysis constant (k) of 0.081 d-1 was obtained, with the productivity of VFA of 0.82gLr-1d-1, with predominance in acetate, the main precursor of methanogenesis in the final stage of anaerobic digestion.

Three methodologies for the calculation of the methane production rate (MPR) were evaluated using an acidogenic effluent of a two-stage process for methane production. A simple method to evaluate the MPR was presented. The MPR was evaluated under different initial substrate concentrations (5, 10, and 15 g L−1), temperatures (35 and 55 °C), and adaptation periods of the thermophilic inoculum. Different patterns of methane were observed for the MPR. The mesophilic sludge degraded the substrate with high initial rates, whereas a thermophilic sludge, acclimated for 226 days, produced the maximal rate after 70 h. This behavior agrees with the different microbial communities observed for each inoculum. The proposed methodology, measuring the instantaneous rates from cumulative methane production, was accurate and straightforward to calculate the MPR independently of the different patterns generated due to the inocula tested.

The application of a two-stage process to effectively treat winery effluents containing a high concentration of organic matter, measured as chemical oxygen demand (COD), was studied in laboratory scale reactors. The effect of the organic loading rate on either the acidogenic or the methanogenic reactors performance was evaluated. The first stage reached an organic load of 220 kg COD/m3/d with 12% of organics removed and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production rate of 27 ± 1.5 kg COD/m3/d, where acetate was the main VFA. The importance of this investigation results in an efficient conversion of the organic matter to VFA obtained in the acidogenic phase avoiding the acidification in the methanogenic stage. Hydrolysis of the particulate material was conducted regardless of the high rate of VFA production. During the methanogenic stage, organic loading rates up to 26 kg COD/m3/d were efficiently treated, and methane production rates were up to 5.5 m3CH4/m3/d. Maximal methane yields reached 326 mL CH4/g COD. It was demonstrated that it was feasible to treat winery effluents containing high initial organic matter (up to 220 g COD/L) by using a two-stage (acidogenic followed by methanogenic) process. Such configuration reduced the initial organic matter by up to 97% and generated methane with yields close to the theoretical value.

Previously, we reported that immunomodulatory lactobacilli, nasally administered, benefi-cially regulated the lung antiviral innate immune response induced by Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) activation and improved protection against the respiratory pathogens, influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus in mice. Here, we assessed the immunomodulatory effects of viable and non-viable Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains in human respiratory epithelial cells (Calu-3 cells) and the capacity of these immunobiotic lactobacilli to reduce their susceptibility to the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Immunobiotic L. plantarum MPL16 and CRL1506 differentially modulated IFN-β, IL-6, CXCL8, CCL5 and CXCL10 production and IFNAR2, DDX58, Mx1 and OAS1 expression in Calu-3 cells stimulated with the TLR3 agonist poly(I:C). Furthermore, the MPL16 and CRL1506 strains increased the resistance of Calu-3 cells to the challenge with SARS-CoV-2. L. plantarum MPL16 induced these beneficial effects more efficiently than the CRL1506 strain. Of note, neither non-viable MPL16 and CRL1506 strains nor the non-immunomodulatory strains L. plantarum CRL1905 and MPL18 could modify the resistance of Calu-3 cells to SARS-CoV-2 infection or the immune response to poly(I:C) challenge. To date, the potential beneficial effects of immunomodulatory probiotics on SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 outcome have been extrapolated from studies carried out in the context of other viral pathogens. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the ability of immunomodulatory lactobacilli to positively influence the replication of the new coronavirus. Further mechanistic studies and in vivo experiments in animal models of SARS-CoV-2 infection are necessary to identify specific strains of beneficial immunobiotic lactobacilli like L. plantarum MPL16 or CRL1506 for the prevention or treatment of the COVID-19. Fil: Islam, Md Aminul. Tohoku University; Japón Fil: Albarracín, Leonardo Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentina Fil: Tomokiyo, Mikado. Tohoku University; Japón Fil: Valdéz, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; Argentina Fil: Sacur, Jacinto Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; Argentina Fil: Vizoso Pinto, María Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; Argentina Fil: Andrade, Bruno G. N.. No especifíca; Fil: Cuadrat, Rafael R. C.. No especifíca; Fil: Kitazawa, Haruki. Tohoku University; Japón Fil: Villena, Julio Cesar. Tohoku University; Japón. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentina