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Many of the intrinsic facets of forest planning are surrounded by uncertainty. Decision-makers strive to improve their understanding of the sources of uncertainty and their impact on the decision-making process. However, uncertainty is rarely integrated into real-world forestry applications or into decision support tools used in forest planning problems. To identify the needs, interests, and challenges of managing uncertainty in forest planning, we interviewed forestry professionals. All the interviewees indicated the positive potential of a tool that could address some facets of uncertainty. Additionally, we conducted a review of the most recent literature on this topic to understand current hot topics and future trends that could help address real-world challenges. This study highlights the next steps to incorporate uncertainty into the decision support systems for forest planning. However, to strengthen the bond between the practical needs of forestry professionals and the theoretical approaches proposed by recent literature, more effort should be placed on defining terminology and formulating a theoretical framework for uncertainty analysis. This will provide the forestry community with a common language and typology, help increase its general understanding, and improve communication between forestry researchers, forestry professionals, and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data acquisition for sustainable forest management has focused on obtaining high quality information to estimate biomass. Improving the quality of non-timber sustainability indicators, like deadwood volume, has been a minor interest. To explore how inventory approaches could be improved, we applied a Global Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis (GUSA) to evaluate which factors propagate more errors in deadwood modelling and how better data collection can minimize them. The impact of uncertainty on deadwood characteristics (diameter, collapse ratio, decay class, tree species, and position) was explored under stakeholders´ preferences, management actions, and climate change scenarios. GUSA showed that removing the prediction error in deadwood tree species and diameter would alter the most the total uncertainty in deadwood volume. We found that assessment of high deadwood volume was less uncertain for the scenarios where small deadwood items were left decaying on the forest floor (BAU) and for high-end climate change scenario (RCP8.5) which resulted in lower deadwood accumulation in forest stands and therefore also in lower likelihood of erroneous estimates. Reduced uncertainty in tree species and diameter class will elevate the certainty of deadwood volume to a similar level achieved in living biomass estimation. Our uncertainty and sensitivity analysis was successful in ranking factors propagating errors in estimate of deadwood and identified a strategy to minimize uncertainty in predicting deadwood characteristics. The estimation of uncertainty in deadwood levels under the scenarios developed in our study can help decision makers to evaluate risk of decreasing deadwood value for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing prevalence of forest-cover change and conflicts, most studies have been unable to unravel the complex relations between the two processes. We attribute this failure to methodological limitations. We put forward an alternative approach that combines different datasets (remote sensing, GIS, local narratives, official censuses, newspaper articles), methods (spatial and relational analyses), and scales (subregions, economic sectors, land-based activities) to create a robust explanation of the relations between different intensities of forest-cover change and conflict in the Meseta Purépecha region, central Mexico. This is an important forest region, inhabited by indigenous and mestizo peasants; it has a worldwide reputation for community forestry and is also the epicenter of international avocado production. Forest-cover change is intense and there are recurrent episodes of conflict. We clustered communities in three subregions according to their patterns of forest-cover change. We analyzed the spatial patterns of forest-cover change and conflicts and we characterized the structure and function of the different economic sectors to unravel the nonlinear, interdependent (and sometimes contradictory) relations among these processes. We found that avocado production has differentially shaped the composition and working of society within each subregion, leading to three diverging patterns. Avocado production has provoked conflicts over landownership and over illegal logging in nearby areas. In some areas, a low incidence of conflicts over forest clearance might be explained by high profits, coercion, and violence. We suggest that, by combining spatial and relational analyses, we can integrate and check the congruence of nonequivalent representations from quantitative sources and observant participation at different scales and explain the heterogeneity that processes display across space. Our methodological approach can thus improve our understanding of similar and other complex and uncertain environmental problems elsewhere, especially when accurate or appropriate data are missing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) may play a key role in forest conservation. However, empirical studies assessing to what extent TEK is associated with forest conservation compared with other variables are rare. Furthermore, to our knowledge, the spatial overlap of TEK and forest conservation has not been evaluated at fine scales. In this paper, we address both issues through a case study with Tsimane’ Amerindians in the Bolivian Amazon. We sampled 624 households across 59 villages to estimate TEK and used remote sensing data to assess forest conservation. We ran statistical and spatial analyses to evaluate whether TEK was associated and spatially overlapped with forest conservation at the village level. We find that Tsimane’ TEK is significantly and positively associated with forest conservation although acculturation variables bear stronger and negative associations with forest conservation. We also find a very significant spatial overlap between levels of Tsimane’ TEK and forest conservation. We discuss the potential reasons underpinning our results, which provide insights that may be useful for informing policies in the realms of development, conservation, and climate. We posit that the protection of indigenous cultural systems is vital and urgent to create more effective policies in such realms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously demonstrated that the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent meloxicam has neuroprotective effects in an oxygen and glucose deprivation model (OGD) of rat organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. We wondered if GABAergic transmission changed the neuroprotective effects of meloxicam and if meloxicam was able to modulate endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) in this model. Mortality was measured using propidium iodide. Western blot assays were performed to measure levels of cleaved and non-cleaved caspase-3 to quantify apoptosis, while levels of GRP78, GRP94 and phosphorylated eIF2α were used to detect unfolded protein response (UPR). Transcript levels of GRP78, GRP94 and GABAergic receptor α, β, and γ subunits were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). In the present study, we show that the presence of meloxicam in a 30 min OGD assay, followed by 24 h of normoxic conditions, presented an antiapoptotic effect. The simultaneous presence of the GABA A receptor antagonist, bicuculline, in combination with meloxicam blocked the neuroprotective effect provided by the latter. However, in light of its effects on caspase 3 and PARP, bicuculline did not seem to promote the apoptotic pathway. Our results also showed that meloxicam modified the unfolded protein response (UPR), as well as the transcriptional response of different genes, including the GABA A receptor, alpha1, beta3 and gamma2 subunits. We concluded that meloxicam has a neuroprotective anti-apoptotic action, is able to enhance the UPR independently of the systemic anti-inflammatory response and its neuroprotective effect can be inhibited by blocking GABA A receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the previous studies showed that anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) can induce osteoclasts differentiation and activation, even before arthritis onset, the aim of our study was to determine whether ACPA-positivity is associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) at baseline visit of a register of early arthritis (EA) patients. The study population comprised 578 patients (80% females) from our EA clinic with a median disease duration, 5.1 months (p25-p75: 6-8); median age, 53.6 years (41.9-66.1), 38% ACPA-positive, and 55% fulfilling 2010 criteria for rheumatoid arthritis. BMD was measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry at lumbar spine, hip, and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints of the non-dominant hand to evaluate both systemic and juxta-articular bone mass. ACPA titers were determined through enzyme immunoassay. The effect of ACPA on BMD was analyzed using multivariable analysis based on generalized linear models adjusted for various confounders. ACPA-positive patients showed lower bone mass at lumbar spine and hip, but no differences were observed at MCP joints compared to ACPA-negative patients. However, ACPA-positive patients displayed higher disease activity and disability than ACPA-negative patients. After adjustment for gender, age, body mass index, and other bone-related variables, the presence of ACPA remained significantly associated with lower BMD at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and hip but not at MCP joints. Disease activity was not associated with baseline bone mass. Our data reinforce the previous preclinical findings suggesting that the systemic bone loss detected at the initial phases of early ACPA-positive arthritis is independent of inflammatory status and, therefore, could be mediated by ACPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials such as wood, textiles, or plastics that are part of the exhibition system in museums are known to emit pollutants such as organic acids. Scientific and technical objects that include these materials in their composition can themselves be a potential source of emissions, which, together with inappropriate humidity and temperature conditions, can lead to corrosion of the metallic parts. In this work, we have studied the corrosivity of different locations in two venues of the Spanish National Museum of Science and Technology (MUNCYT). Coupons of the most representative metals from the collection were placed in different showcases and rooms for 9 months. The corrosion of the coupons has been evaluated in terms of the rate of mass gain, colour changes and characterisation of the corrosion products. The results were correlated to the relative humidity and concentration of gaseous pollutants to determine which metals are most susceptible to corrosion. The results show that metal artefacts exposed in showcases have a higher risk of corrosion than those exposed directly in the room, and that some pollutants are emitted by the artefacts. The corrosivity of the museum environment is low for copper, brass, and aluminium in most locations; however, some placements present a higher aggressivity for steel and lead, due to the high humidity and the presence of organic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unfolded protein response (UPR) in the hippocampal regions Cornu Ammonis 1 hippocampal region, Cornu Ammonis 3 hippocampal region, and dentate gyrus, as well as in the cerebral cortex of 3-month-old and 18-month-old rats were studied in a model of 15 min of global cerebral ischemia followed by 48 h of reperfusion. UPR was measured by quantifying the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP), GRP78 and GRP94 transcripts using qPCR and the amounts of PDI and GRP78 by western blot. The study shows how the mRNA levels of these genes were similar in 3-month-old and 18-month-old sham-operated animals, but the ischemic insult elicited a noticeable increase in the expression of these genes in young animals that was scarcely appreciable in older animals. The striking increase in the mRNA levels of these genes in 3-month-old animals was abolished or even reverted by treatment with meloxicam, an anti-inflammatory agent. Western blot assays showed that the UPR was still detectable 48 h after ischemia in some of the studied areas, and provided evidence that the UPR is different between young and older animals. Western blot assays carried out in young animals also showed that meloxicam elicited different effects on the levels of PDI and GRP78 in the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus. We conclude that the UPR response to ischemic/reperfusion insult is age- and probably inflammation-dependent and could play an important role in ischemic vulnerability. The UPR appears to be strongly decreased in aged animals, suggesting a reduced ability for cell survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Assays on “ex vivo” sections of rat hippocampus and rat cerebral cortex, subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) and a three-hour reperfusion-like (RL) recovery, were performed in the presence of either GABA or the GABAA receptor binding site antagonist, bicuculline. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and propidium iodide were used to quantify cell mortality. We also measured, using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), the early transcriptional response of a number of genes of the glutamatergic and GABAergic systems. Specifically, glial pre- and post-synaptic glutamatergic transporters (namely GLAST1a, EAAC-1, GLT-1 and VGLUT1), three GABAA receptor subunits (α1, β2 and γ2), and the GABAergic presynaptic marker, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), were studied. Mortality assays revealed that GABAA receptor chloride channels play an important role in the neuroprotective effect of GABA in the cerebral cortex, but have a much smaller effect in the hippocampus. We also found that GABA reverses the OGD-dependent decrease in GABAA receptor transcript levels, as well as mRNA levels of the membrane and vesicular glutamate transporter genes. Based on the markers used, we conclude that OGD results in differential responses in the GABAergic presynaptic and postsynaptic systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aims: This study analyzes how age and inflammation modify the response of the vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs), VGLUT1–3 to global brain ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in brain areas with different I/R vulnerabilities. Results: Global ischemia was induced in 3- and 18-month-old male Sprague–Dawley rats and CA1 and CA3 hippocampal areas, dentate gyrus and cerebral cortex of sham-operated and I/R animals were removed 48h after insult. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that I/R challenge resulted in a significant decrease of the VGLUT mRNA levels in young animals. Western blot assays showed a lessened age-dependent response to the ischemic damage in VGLUT1 and VGLUT3, while VGLUT2 presented an age and structure-dependent response to challenge. The use of the anti-inflammatory agent meloxicam following challenge showed that COX2 inhibition promotes the expression of VGLUTs in both sham and injured animals, which results in a lessened response to I/R injury. Conclusions: VGLUT1 and VGLUT3 presented an age-dependent response to ischemic damage, while this VGLUT response was age both and structure-dependent. In addition, COX-2 inhibition resulted in an increase of VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 protein amounts both in sham and injured animals together with a lessening of the transporters’ response to ischemia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The work is an attempt to learn more about the role of several experimental variables in the corrosion of magnesium alloys in immersion tests carried out in 0.6M NaCl. The effect of as-received and polished surface conditions, geometrical characteristics of the exposed area and different aluminium contents in the magnesium based alloys is considered. Results indicated that polished surfaces and AZ61 surfaces tend to develop corrosion slower than the respective as-received and AZ31 surfaces; these tendencies can change by prolonging exposure time. Filiform and localised corrosion are influenced by the presence of cut surfaces and small exposed areas, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Even though the electroosmotic flux through hardened cementitious materials during laboratory realkalisation trials had been previously noticed, it has never been in-situ monitored, analysing at the same time the establishment of the electroosmotic flux and the microstructure changes in the surroundings of the rebar. In this paper, two series of cement pastes, cast with CEM I and CEM I substituted in a 35% by fly ash, previously carbonated at 100% CO2, were submitted to realkalisation treatments followed on line by simultaneous acquisition of neutron diffraction data. As a result, it has been possible to confirm the electroosmosis as the driving force of carbonates towards the rebar and to determine the range of pH in the anolyte in which most of the relevant electroosmotic phenomena takes place. On the other hand, the behaviour of the main crystalline phases involved in the process has been monitored during the treatment, with the precipitation of portlandite as main result. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study aims to better understand the relationship between the microstructure and magnetic properties of copper ferrite, which is an inverse spinel that present a body-centered tetragonal structure associated with a remarkable Jahn–Teller (JT) effect. For this goal, a sample has been synthesized by the ceramic route from a stoichiometric mixture of high-purity CuO and Fe 2 O 3 powders activated mechanically in a high-energy planetary ball mill. This sample was calcined in air furnace at 1000 ºC for 6 h. As synthetized sample with a cubic structure was divided into two parts and one of them was annealed at 650 ºC for 3 h and slowly cooled to room temperature to obtain a pure tetragonal spinel sample. Furthermore, these two samples were subjected to the same processes of severe plastic deformation by milling for up to 70 h and subsequent annealing at temperatures ranging between 300 and 600 ºC to obtain samples with a mixture of phases in different proportions. For the cubic one, there is no change in its structure due to milling, always remaining 100 % cubic, and the evolution in the saturation magnetization was related to the changes in the density of defects present. On the other hand, copper cations are always found in the octahedral sites of spinel with a tetragonal structure. The small decrease in the degree of inversion to 0.95 induced by milling in this sample is capable of breaking the JT distortion, giving rise to the appearance of a cubic phase. This work demonstrates how the structure, microstructure, defects like stacking faults and deformation twins, and degree of inversion of the different phases are related to changes in magnetic properties. • Tetragonal and cubic copper ferrites have been obtained by solid state synthesis for different calcination temperature. • Milling process on cubic ferrite maintain always its structure while tetragonal is converted to a complete cubic phase. • Break of Jahn-Teller effect is produced when a very small of copper cation move to tetrahedral sites of spinel. • Plastic deformation and recrystallization in the milling process affecting to magnetic and structure properties. • Heat treatments up to 600 ºC on cubic ferrite turn it into a mixed cubic and tetragonal structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White matter stroke is a distinct stroke subtype, accounting for up to 25% of stroke and constituting the second leading cause of dementia. The biology of possible tissue repair after white matter stroke has not been determined. In a mouse stroke model, white matter ischemia causes focal damage and adjacent areas of axonal myelin disruption and gliosis. In these areas of only partial damage, local white matter progenitors respond to injury, as oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPCs) proliferate. However, OPCs fail to mature into oligodendrocytes (OLs) even in regions of demyelination with intact axons and instead divert into an astrocytic fate. Local axonal sprouting occurs, producing an increase in unmyelinated fibers in the corpus callosum. The OPC maturation block after white matter stroke is in part mediated via Nogo receptor 1 (NgR1) signaling. In both aged and young adult mice, stroke induces NgR1 ligands and down-regulates NgR1 inhibitors during the peak OPC maturation block. Nogo ligands are also induced adjacent to human white matter stroke in humans. A Nogo signaling blockade with an NgR1 antagonist administered after stroke reduces the OPC astrocytic transformation and improves poststroke oligodendrogenesis in mice. Notably, increased white matter repair in aged mice is translated into significant poststroke motor recovery, even when NgR1 blockade is provided during the chronic time points of injury. These data provide a perspective on the role of NgR1 ligand function in OPC fate in the context of a specific and common type of stroke and show that it is amenable to systemic intervention to promote recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cell therapies have shown promise in promoting recovery in stroke but have been limited by poor cell survival and differentiation. We have developed a hyaluronic acid (HA)-based self-polymerizing hydrogel that serves as a platform for adhesion of structural motifs and a depot release for growth factors to promote transplant stem cell survival and differentiation. We took an iterative approach in optimizing the complex combination of mechanical, biochemical and biological properties of an HA cell scaffold. First, we optimized stiffness for a minimal reaction of adjacent brain to the transplant. Next hydrogel crosslinkers sensitive to matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) were incorporated as they promoted vascularization. Finally, candidate adhesion motifs and growth factors were systemically changed in vitro using a design of experiment approach to optimize stem cell survival or proliferation. The optimized HA hydrogel, tested in vivo , promoted survival of encapsulated human neural progenitor cells (iPS-NPCs) after transplantation into the stroke core and differentially tuned transplanted cell fate through the promotion of glial, neuronal or immature/progenitor states. This HA hydrogel can be tracked in vivo with MRI. A hydrogel can serve as a therapeutic adjunct in a stem cell therapy through selective control of stem cell survival and differentiation in vivo . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different studies carried out in the last three decades on the magnetic susceptibility of the spinel ZnFe2O4 ferrite have revealed the positive character of its Curie–Weiss temperature, contradicting its observed antiferromagnetic behavior which is characterized by a well-defined susceptibility peak centered around the Neel temperature (10 K). Some approaches based on ab initio calculations and mixture of interactions have been attempted to explain this anomaly. This work shows how for very low values of the inversion parameter, the small percentage of Fe atoms located in tetrahedral sites gives rise to the appearance of ferrimagnetic clusters around them. Superparamagnetism of these clusters is the main cause of the anomalous Curie–Weiss behavior. This finding is supported experimentally from the thermal dependence of the inverse susceptibility and its evolution with the degree of inversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To evaluate the neuroprotective role of autophagy in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus using an ex vivo animal model of stroke in brain slices. Methods Brain slices were maintained for 30 min in oxygen and glucose deprivation ( OGD) followed by 3 h in normoxic conditions to simulate the reperfusion that follows ischaemia in vivo ( RL, reperfusion-like). Phagophore formation ( Beclin 1 and LC3B) as well as autophagy flux (p62/ SQSTM1, Atg5, Atg7 and polyubiquitin) markers were quantified by Western blot and/or qPCR. The release of lactate dehydrogenase ( LDH) and glutamate in the medium was used as a measure of the mortality in the absence and in the presence of the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. Results Striking differences in the autophagy markers were observed between the hippocampus and cerebral cortex in normoxic conditions. OGD/ RL induced increases both in the phagophore formation and in the autophagy flux in the first three hours in the cerebral cortex that were not observed in the hippocampus. The blocking of autophagy increased the OGD/ RL-induced mortality, increased the glutamate release in both the cerebral cortex and hippocampus and abolished the OGD-induced decrease in the polyubiquitinated proteins in the cerebral cortex. Conclusions We conclude that OGD induces a rapid autophagic response in the cerebral cortex that plays a neuroprotective role. Polyubiquitination levels and control of the glutamate release appear to be involved in the neuroprotective role of autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and permanent disability in the elderly. However, most of the experimental studies on stroke are based on young animals, and we hypothesised that age can substantially affect the stroke response. The two-vessel occlusion model of global ischemia by occluding the common carotid arteries for 15 min at 40 mmHg of blood pressure was carried out in 3- and 18-month-old male Sprague–Dawley rats. The adhesion molecules E- and P-selectin, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), both intercellular (ICAM-1) and vascular (VCAM-1), as well as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and cleaved caspase-3 were measured at 48 h after ischemia in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus using Western blot, qPCR and immunofluorescence techniques. Diametric expression of GFAP and a different morphological pattern of caspase-3 labelling, although no changes in the cell number, were observed in the neurons of young and old animals. Expression of E-selectin and CAMs was also modified in an age- and ischemia/reperfusion-dependent manner. The hippocampus and cerebral cortex had similar response patterns for most of the markers studied. Our data suggest that old and young animals present different time-courses of neuroinflammation and apoptosis after ischemic damage. On the other hand, these results suggest that neuroinflammation is dependent on age rather than on the different vulnerability described for the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. These differences should be taken into account in searching for therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samples with inversion parameter values (δ) ranging from 0.27 to 0.14 while maintaining the crystallite size value have been successfully fabricated from commercially available powders by mechanical grinding and thermal annealing treatments at temperatures ranging between 400 and 600 °C. Detailed characterization studies of these samples using X-ray, neutron diffraction and magnetic measurements have confirmed for the first time the simultaneous coexistence at 2 K of short range antiferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic ordering for a wide range of the inversion parameter. The magnetic phase diagram obtained is different from the one previously reported, which shows at 2 K the coexistence of long range antiferromagnetic order and short range order for values of inversion parameters less than 0.1 and the presence of a ferrimagnetic order only for values of δ > 0.2. At room temperature, the Rietveld analysis of NPD patterns and the magnetization curves showed a paramagnetic behavior in the samples with δ ≤ 0.1. For the samples with higher cationic inversion, typical hysteresis curves of ferrimagnetic materials were observed and the saturation magnetization values obtained agree quite well with the net magnetic moment obtained from the Rietveld refinement of the neutron diffraction patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Baricitinib is an oral Janus kinase (JAK)1/JAK2 inhibitor approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study aimed to investigate patients' characteristics, prescription patterns, effectiveness, and treatment persistence in patients receiving baricitinib in real-world practice in Spain. Methods: This retrospective longitudinal cohort study conducted in five rheumatology units included adults with RA initiating baricitinib (Sep-2017–May-19) with at least a 6-month-follow-up. Demographic/clinical characteristics, prescription patterns, and changes in disease activity and pain level were collected until treatment discontinuation/end of follow-up. Treatment persistence was estimated by Kaplan–Meier methods. Results: Data from 182 patients were included (mean (SD)): 83.5% women, 62.2 (12.3) years, body mass index 26.8 (5.1), disease duration 13.2 (10.8) years and Charlson Comorbidity Index score 2.4 (2.0). All patients had received at least one conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARD) before starting baricitinib and 78.0% at least one biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARD). Furthermore, 90.1% started with baricitinib 4 mg/day; 43.4% in monotherapy. One hundred and twelve (61.5%) of patients continued baricitinib at data collection time; mean persistence was 14.1 (0.5) months. Overall treatment persistence was 79.7/64.8/59.1% at 6/12/18 months. Seventy (38.5%) patients discontinued baricitinib during follow-up due to loss of efficacy (68.6%) or adverse events (18.6%). In those patients with available scores at the different observed cut-off points, remission or low disease activity was reported in 71.6 and 76.3% of patients at 6/12 months at any index: Disease Activity Score 28 joints using erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) (73.1 and 73.5%), Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) (62.4 and 75.0%), and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) (66.7 and 78.1%). Good or moderate European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)-response was noted in 80.0 and 78.2% of patients, respectively. Improvement from baseline in pain (Visual Analog Scale) was 2.5 cm and 3.0 cm at 6/12 months, respectively. Conclusions: This Spanish cohort of patients treated with baricitinib had a long-standing and refractory disease. Nevertheless, high persistence and improvements in disease activity and pain were found at 6 and 12 months after treatment initiation, independently of the composite disease activity measure used, reinforcing the effectiveness of baricitinib in routine clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has overloaded national health services worldwide. Thus, early identification of patients at risk of poor outcomes is critical. Our objective was to analyse SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in serum as a severity biomarker in COVID-19. Retrospective observational study including 193 patients admitted for COVID-19. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in serum (viremia) was performed with samples collected at 48–72 h of admission by two techniques from Roche and Thermo Fischer Scientific (TFS). Main outcome variables were mortality and need for ICU admission during hospitalization for COVID-19. Viremia was detected in 50–60% of patients depending on technique. The correlation of Ct in serum between both techniques was good (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.612; p < 0.001). Patients with viremia were older (p = 0.006), had poorer baseline oxygenation (PaO2/FiO2; p < 0.001), more severe lymphopenia (p < 0.001) and higher LDH (p < 0.001), IL-6 (p = 0.021), C-reactive protein (CRP; p = 0.022) and procalcitonin (p = 0.002) serum levels. We defined "relevant viremia" when detection Ct was < 34 with Roche and < 31 for TFS. These thresholds had 95% sensitivity and 35% specificity. Relevant viremia predicted death during hospitalization (OR 9.2 [3.8–22.6] for Roche, OR 10.3 [3.6–29.3] for TFS; p < 0.001). Cox regression models, adjusted by age, sex and Charlson index, identified increased LDH serum levels and relevant viremia (HR = 9.87 [4.13–23.57] for TFS viremia and HR = 7.09 [3.3–14.82] for Roche viremia) as the best markers to predict mortality. Viremia assessment at admission is the most useful biomarker for predicting mortality in COVID-19 patients. Viremia is highly reproducible with two different techniques (TFS and Roche), has a good consistency with other severity biomarkers for COVID-19 and better predictive accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sustainable route to obtain graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with highly competitive properties through the utilization of graphite recycled from spent vehicle's lithium-ion batteries is described. As compared with previous works, our precursor material is representative of a larger-scale recycling procedure, involves the processing of both cathodic and anodic materials, and concerns a larger number of batteries operated in diverse conditions. The morphology, chemical features, structure, and conductivity of the samples have been thoroughly investigated. Results obtained from complementary characterization techniques reveal the correct formation of GO and rGO samples from the recycled graphites. Electrical measurements show that the conductivity of our GO and rGO samples are very similar or even larger than those reported for samples obtained from high-purity natural graphite. These results indicate that our strategy is able to produce good-quality GOs and rGOs with potential applications in different fields, contributing to the circular economy and the recyclability of discarded wastes. • GO and rGO samples were prepared from waste precursor material. • Highly competitive GO and rGO samples were obtained. • A deep characterization of all obtained GO and rGO samples was carried out. • Electrical characterization shows a high conductivity of the final samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two step water-splitting cycles by using metal ferrites are considered as a clean and sustainable hydrogen production method, when concentrated solar energy is used to drive the thermochemical reactions. This process involves the reduction at very high temperature of the ferrite, followed by the water reoxidation to the original phase at moderate temperature, with the release of hydrogen. In order to decrease the temperature required to decompose the oxide, mixed ferrites of the type MFe 2 O 4 with spinel crystal structure have been examined. In this sense, ferrites with the partial substitution of Co and Ni for Fe appear as successful materials in terms of hydrogen production and cyclability. In this work, commercial Ni and synthetic Co ferrites have been subjected to two water splitting cycles. The solid products obtained after thermal reduction and water decomposition reactions have been chemically and structurally characterized by WDXRF, XRD, XPS and SEM techniques, in order to get a deeper understanding of the mechanisms controlling the water splitting process. This knowledge contributes to improve the process involved in thermochemical cycles and to understand the lower efficiencies (H 2 /O 2) for Co ferrite thermochemical cycles in comparison with those corresponding to Ni ferrite. • Commercial Ni and Co ferrites produce O 2 and H 2 through 2-step thermochemical cycles. • The mechanism controlling water splitting process in thermochemical cycles is elucidated. • Hydrogen and oxygen production over two thermochemical cycles is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atmospheric corrosion of zinc in pure marine coastal atmospheres has not been extensively studied. This paper presents the results obtained in six pure marine atmospheres located at different distances from the seashore in the same coastal area with annual chloride deposition rates of between 47 and 1142 mg · m−2 · day−1. Zinc specimens were exposed for 3, 6, 9, and 12 months in two annual exposure sequences starting 6 months apart. Tests were performed to determine the corrosion rate and its evolution with exposure time. Quantitative (Rietveld) grazing X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (C 1s) were applied to analyze the corrosion products formed. Scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry were employed to study the morphology of the corrosion layers. The most relevant findings of this study are: (a) the presence of hydrozincite [Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6]; (b) the aqueous precipitation can be a major controlling factor of the atmospheric corrosion of zinc in atmospheres with low chloride deposition rates (30–50 mg · m−2 · day−1); and (c) the formation of zinc hydroxysulfates also takes place due to the presence of sulfate ions in the marine aerosol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated pathogenic yeast that can change the size of the cells during infection. In particular, this process can occur by enlarging the size of the capsule without modifying the size of the cell body, or by increasing the diameter of the cell body, which is normally accompanied by an increase of the capsule too. This last process leads to the formation of cells of an abnormal enlarged size denominated titan cells. Previous works characterized titan cell formation during pulmonary infection but research on this topic has been hampered due to the difficulty to obtain them in vitro. In this work, we describe in vitro conditions (low nutrient, serum supplemented medium at neutral pH) that promote the transition from regular to titan-like cells. Moreover, addition of azide and static incubation of the cultures in a CO2 enriched atmosphere favored cellular enlargement. This transition occurred at low cell densities, suggesting that the process was regulated by quorum sensing molecules and it was independent of the cryptococcal serotype/species. Transition to titan-like cell was impaired by pharmacological inhibition of PKC signaling pathway. Analysis of the gene expression profile during the transition to titan-like cells showed overexpression of enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, as well as proteins from the coatomer complex, and related to iron metabolism. Indeed, we observed that iron limitation also induced the formation of titan cells. Our gene expression analysis also revealed other elements involved in titan cell formation, such as calnexin, whose absence resulted in appearance of abnormal large cells even in regular rich media. In summary, our work provides a new alternative method to investigate titan cell formation devoid the bioethical problems that involve animal experimentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze clinical characteristics, survival and causes of death of patients diagnosed with autoimmune inflammatory myositis in the REMICAM registry from the Society of Rheumatology in the Community of Madrid (SORCOM). Methods: Multicenter cohort of patients diagnosed with autoimmune inflammatory myopathy with follow-up between January 1980 and December 2014. A total of 313 variables concerning demographic, clinical and morbidity data were collected, and a comparison was performed between clinical subgroups. Results: A total of 479 patients were recruited from 12 centers, with 14% of patients lost to follow-up. Seventy-four percent of cases were women, age at diagnosis of 44 ± 23 years and a mean follow-up period of 10 ± 8 years. The most frequent clinical subgroups were primary myositis (PM 29%, DM 22%), followed by overlap myositis (20.5%), juvenile myositis (18%), myositis associated with cancer (8%), immunemediated necrotizing myositis (1%) and inclusion body myositis (1%). During the follow-up period, a total of 114 deaths (28%) were registered, the main causes being cancer (24%), infections (23%) and cardiovascular events (21%). Conclusions: A total of 479 patients were recruited in the REMICAM registry of inflammatory myopathies. Including sociodemographic, clinical and prognostic information, it represents the largest Spanish multicenter registry to date in rheumatology, and constitutes an important source for conducting further substudies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correction to: Rheumatology and Therapy (2022) 9:589-608 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40744-021-0... In the original publication of the article, the authors noticed some of the values in Table 1 and Table 2 of this article, the data in the column 2 and row 67 headed "Baseline patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics" and the data in the column 3 and row 12 headed "Number of RA treatments received prior to baricitinib treatment" were incorrectly published. The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s40744-021-00423-8. [Extracted from the article]

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. Systemic delivery of candidate neural repair therapies is limited by the blood–brain barrier and off-target effects. We tested a bioengineering approach for local depot release of BDNF from the infarct cavity for neural repair in chronic periods after stroke. The brain release levels of a hyaluronic acid hydrogel + BDNF were tested in several stroke models in mouse (strains C57Bl/6, DBA) and non-human primate (Macaca fascicularis) and tracked with MRI. The behavioral recovery effects of hydrogel + BDNF and the effects on tissue repair outcomes were determined. Hydrogel-delivered BDNF diffuses from the stroke cavity into peri-infarct tissue over 3 weeks in two mouse stroke models, compared with 1 week for direct BDNF injection. Hydrogel delivery of BDNF promotes recovery of motor function. Mapping of motor system connections indicates that hydrogel-BDNF induces axonal sprouting within existing cortical and cortico-striatal systems. Pharmacogenetic studies show that hydrogel-BDNF induces the initial migration of immature neurons into the peri-infarct cortex and their long-term survival. In chronic stroke in the non-human primate, hydrogel-released BDNF can be detected up to 2 cm from the infarct, a distance relevant to human functional recovery in stroke. The hydrogel can be tracked by MRI in mouse and primate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenomenon of gas triboemission has been used for characterisation of hydrogen content in construction steel under real-life conditions. The effect of surface layers on steel resulting from exposure to concrete pore solution, sea water, etc. on kinetics and behaviour of gas emission were investigated. The contribution to the gas emission from loose oxide layer was insignificant, but it enhanced the rate of gas emission because of more severe abrasion. For the samples with a dense layer both the layer and the base material contributed to gas emission. The results were qualitatively interpreted in the frameworks of a phenomenological model that describes triboemission as convolution of characteristic function of MSGE and the rate of new material involvement in deformation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroscopic growths at geographically separated acid mine drainages (AMDs) exhibit distinct populations. Yet, local heterogeneities are poorly understood. To gain novel mechanistic insights into this, we used OMICs tools to profile microbial populations coexisting in a single pyrite gallery AMD (pH ∼2) in three distinct compartments: two from a stratified streamer (uppermost oxic and lowermost anoxic sediment-attached strata) and one from a submerged anoxic non-stratified mat biofilm. The communities colonising pyrite and those in the mature formations appear to be populated by the greatest diversity of bacteria and archaea (including 'ARMAN' (archaeal Richmond Mine acidophilic nano-organisms)-related), as compared with the known AMD, with ∼44.9% unclassified sequences. We propose that the thick polymeric matrix may provide a safety shield against the prevailing extreme condition and also a massive carbon source, enabling non-typical acidophiles to develop more easily. Only 1 of 39 species were shared, suggesting a high metabolic heterogeneity in local microenvironments, defined by the O2 concentration, spatial location and biofilm architecture. The suboxic mats, compositionally most similar to each other, are more diverse and active for S, CO2, CH4, fatty acid and lipopolysaccharide metabolism. The oxic stratum of the streamer, displaying a higher diversity of the so-called 'ARMAN'-related Euryarchaeota, shows a higher expression level of proteins involved in signal transduction, cell growth and N, H2, Fe, aromatic amino acids, sphingolipid and peptidoglycan metabolism. Our study is the first to highlight profound taxonomic and functional shifts in single AMD formations, as well as new microbial species and the importance of H2 in acidic suboxic macroscopic growths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Possible relations between the native oxide film formed spontaneously on the AZ31 and AZ61 magnesium alloy substrates with different surface finish, the chemistry of the outer surface of the conversion coatings that grows after their subsequent immersion on saturated aqueous NaHCO3 solution treatment and the enhancement of corrosion resistance have been studied. The significant increase in the amount of aluminum and carbonate compounds on the surface of the conversion coating formed on the AZ61 substrate in polished condition seems to improve the corrosion resistance in low chloride ion concentration solutions. In contrast, the conversion coatings formed on the AZ31 substrates in polished condition has little effect on their protective properties compared to the respective as-received surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Surface chemistry of heat treated magnesium alloys. [•] Relation between heat treatment and aluminium subsurface enrichment. [•] Relation between surface composition and corrosion behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Surface chemistry of magnesium alloys after short low temperature heat treatments. [•] Relation between heat treatment time and aluminium enrichment. [•] Relation between surface composition and material degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition of the normal ZnFe2O4 has been intensively investigated with results showing a lack of long-range order, spin frustrations, and a "hidden" entropy in the calorimetric properties for inversion degrees δ ≈ 0 or δ = 0. As δ drastically impacts the magnetic properties, it is logical to question how a δ value slightly different from zero can affect the magnetic properties. In this work, (Zn1-δFeδ)[ZnδFe2-δ]O4 with δ = 0.05 and δ = 0.27 have been investigated with calorimetry at different applied fields. It is shown that a δ value as small as 0.05 may affect 40% of the unit cells, which become locally ferrimagnetic (FiM) and coexists with AFM and spin disordered regions. The spin disorder disappears under an applied field of 1 T. Mossbauer spectroscopy confirms the presence of a volume fraction with a low hyperfine field that can be ascribed to these spin disordered regions. The volume fractions of the three magnetic phases estimated from entropy and hyperfine measurements are roughly coincident and correspond to approximately 1/3 for each of them. The "hidden" entropy is the zero point entropy different from 0. Consequently, the so-called "hidden" entropy can be ascribed to the frustrations of the spins at the interphase between the AFM-FiM phases due to having δ ≈ 0 instead of ideal δ = 0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper studies the chemical composition and structure of the conversion coatings formed during immersion on saturated aqueous NaHCO3 solution treatment on the surface of as-received commercial AZ31 and AZ61 magnesium alloys with a view to a better understanding of their protective properties. The great uniformity and the significant increase in the amount of aluminium oxides and hydroxides observed on the surface of the conversion coating of the AZ61 alloy after 10 or 60min of treatment (about 30% higher Al atomic contents) seems to improve the corrosion resistance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study reports the mRNA levels of some excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) in response to ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) in rat hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The study was performed in 3-month-old and 18-month-old animals to analyze the possible role of age in the I/R response of these transporters. The I/R resulted in a reduced transcription of both the neuronal EAAC1 (excitatory amino acid carrier-1) and the neuronal and glial GLT-1 (glial glutamate transporter 1), while the glial GLAST1a (l-glutamate/l-aspartate transporter 1a) transcription increased following I/R. The changes observed were more striking in 3-month-old animals than in 18-month-old animals. We hypothesize that increases in the GLAST1a mRNA levels following I/R insult can be explained by increases in glial cells, while the GLT-1 response to I/R mirrors neuronal changes. GLAST1a transcription increases in 3-month-old animals support the hypothesis that this transporter would be the main mechanism for extracellular glutamate clearance after I/R. Decreases in EAAC1 and GLT-1 mRNA levels would represent either neuronal changes due to the delayed neuronal death or a putative protective down-regulation of these transporters to decrease the amount of glutamate inside the neurons, which would decrease their glutamate release. This study also reports how the treatment with the anti-inflammatory agent meloxicam attenuates the transcriptional response to I/R in 3-month-old rats and decreases the survival of the I/R-injured animals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes the physicochemical study of the adsorption of dysprosium (Dy3+) in aqueous solution onto two types of activated carbons synthesized from spent coffee ground. Potassium hydroxide (KOH)-activated carbon is a microporous material with a specific Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 2330 m2·g−1 and pores with a diameter of 3.2 nm. Carbon activated with water vapor and N2 is a solid mesoporous, with pores of 5.7 nm in diameter and a specific surface of 982 m2·g−1. A significant dependence of the adsorption capacity on the solution pH was found, but it does not significantly depend on the dysprosium concentration nor on the temperature. A maximum adsorption capacity of 31.26 mg·g−1 and 33.52 mg·g−1 for the chemically and physically activated carbons, respectively, were found. In both cases, the results obtained from adsorption isotherms and kinetic study were better a fit to the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetics. In addition, thermodynamic results indicate that dysprosium adsorption onto both activated carbons is an exothermic, spontaneous, and favorable process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]