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Current -omics methods allow the collection of a large amount of information that helps in describing the microbial diversity in nature. Here, and as a result of a culturomic approach that rendered the collection of thousands of isolates from 5 different hypersaline sites (in Spain, USA and New Zealand), we obtained 21 strains that represent two new Salinibacter species. For these species we propose the names Salinibacter pepae sp. nov. and Salinibacter grassmerensis sp. nov. (showing average nucleotide identity (ANI) values < 95.09% and 87.08% with Sal. ruber M31T, respectively). Metabolomics revealed species-specific discriminative profiles. Sal. ruber strains were distinguished by a higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids and specific N-functionalized fatty acids; and Sal. altiplanensis was distinguished by an increased number of glycosylated molecules. Based on sequence characteristics and inferred phenotype of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), we describe two new members of the genus Salinibacter. These species dominated in different sites and always coexisted with Sal. ruber and Sal. pepae. Based on the MAGs from three Argentinian lakes in the Pampa region of Argentina and the MAG of the Romanian lake Fără Fund, we describe the species Salinibacter pampae sp. nov. and Salinibacter abyssi sp. nov. respectively (showing ANI values 90.94% and 91.48% with Sal. ruber M31T, respectively). Sal. grassmerensis sp. nov. name was formed according to the rules of the International Code for Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP), and Sal. pepae, Sal. pampae sp. nov. and Sal. abyssi sp. nov. are proposed following the rules of the newly published Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes Described from Sequence Data (SeqCode). This work constitutes an example on how classification under ICNP and SeqCode can coexist, and how the official naming a cultivated organism for which the deposit in public repositories is difficult finds an intermediate solution. This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities projects PGC2018-096956-B-C41, RTC-2017-6405-1 and PID2021-126114NB-C42, which were also supported by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). RRM acknowledges the financial support of the sabbatical stay at Georgia Tech and HelmholzZentrum München by the grants PRX18/00048 and PRX21/00043 respectively also from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. This research was carried out within the framework of the activities of the Spanish Government through the “Maria de Maeztu Centre of Excellence” accreditation to IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) (CEX2021-001198). KTK’s research was supported, in part, by the U.S. National Science Foundation (Award No. 1831582 and No. 2129823). IMG. AC and HLB were financially supported by a grant of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, CNCS/CCCDI – UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-1559, within PNCDI III. HLB acknowledges Ocna Sibiului City Hall (Sibiu County, Romania) for granting the access to Fără Fund Lake and A. Baricz and D.F. Bogdan for technical support during sampling and sample preparation. MBS thanks Dominion Salt for their assistance in sample Lake Grassmere. MELL acknowledges the financial support of the Argentinian National Scientific and Technical Research Council (Grant CONICET-NSFC 2017 N° IF-2018-10102222-APN-GDCT-CONICET) and the National Geographic Society (Grant # NGS 357R-18). BPH was supported by NASA (award 80NSSC18M0027). TV acknowledges the “Margarita Salas” postdoctoral grant, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities, within the framework of Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and funded by the European Union (NextGenerationEU), with the participation of the University of Balearic Islands (UIB).

The paper aims to put in evidence the residual stresses caused by the welding process at VFT beams. Thus, the joining of the two plate of the beam was made by MAG welding, and the deflection and precambering that appear in the VFT beams were followed. Knowing the deflection caused by welding process results the necessity of precambering, deflections are counterbalanced by camber in beams. Precamber is efficient even if the fabrication costs are higher. In this paper is presented the welding procedures of the VFT beams and is described the calculus of the deflection and the necessity of precambering to eliminate residual stresses.

Long-term changes in lung cancer (LC) patients are difficult to evaluate. We report results from the French KBP-2020 real-life cohort.KBP-2020 was a prospective cohort that included all patients diagnosed with LC in 2020, in nonacademic public hospital in France. Patient and tumour characteristics were described and compared with similarly designed cohorts in 2000 and 2010.In 2020, 82 centers included 8,999 patients diagnosed with LC. The proportion of women increased: 34·6% (3114/8999) compared to, 24·3% (1711/7051) and 16·0% (904/5667) in 2010 and 2000 (To our knowledge KBP cohorts have been the largest, prospective, real-world cohort studies involving LC patients conducted in worldwide. The trend found in our study shows an increase in LC in women and still a large proportion of patients diagnosed at metastatic or disseminated stage.The study was promoted by the French College of General Hospital Pulmonologists with financial support of industrials laboratories.

Devices developed for the aeronautic or space industries must be able to operate in harsh environments. In order to protect devices such as microstrip antennae, various coatings have to be used. Herein, we present the results of obtaining YSZ/Al2O3 heterostructures by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) for the protection of planar monopole antennas without changing their performances after the deposition process. The theoretical SRIM-TRIM simulation code results on the effects of ionized radiations incident on a YSZ/Al2O3 heterostructure, as well as the physical properties of the YSZ/Al2O3 thin films obtained by the PLD technique are also presented. The SRIM studies show that at the same energy range the proton penetration depth is higher than the alpha penetration depth, giving insights about the penetration depth of proton and alpha particles in the studied targets. Our goal is to obtain a multilayer structure able to enhance the endurance of the antenna and microwave circuitry in harsh space environment without reducing the performances under nominal operation conditions.

Lysozyme, also called “muramidase”, is an antimicrobial enzyme with antibacterial activity with importance in medicine, food industry, protein studies and enzymology. Lysozyme is also a model analyte in the biosensing field. Optical biosensors have been proposed as alternative analytical tools to the standard detection of lysozyme by ELISA, chromatographic methods or capillary electrophoresis. These biosensors combine specific recognition via antibodies, aptamers, peptides, Micrococcus lysodeikticus bacteria and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with sensitive detection based on luminescence, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), colorimetry etc. To deliver shorter response time, a better sensitivity, but also a lower cost, many of the sensing schemes included nanomaterial and enzyme-enabled amplification. Several biological and food matrices were explored for the potential applications of optical biosensors. The review presents the bioreceptors used and provides illustrative details on the sensing schemes, discussed in relation to the method of detection. Challenges for real samples applications and perspectives of optical biosensors for lysozyme are also presented.

Telocytes (TCs), located ubiquitously in the internal organs of vertebrates, are a heterogeneous, recently described, cell population of the stromal space. Characterized by lengthy cytoplasmic extensions that can reach tens of microns and are called telopodes (Tps), TCs are difficult to see using conventional microscopes. It was the electron microscopy which led to their first identification and Popescu’s team the first responsible for the reconstructions indicating TCs ‘organization’ in a three-dimensional (3D) network that is believed to be accountable for the complex roles of TCs. Gradually, it became increasingly evident that TCs are difficult to characterize in terms of immunophenotype and that their phenotype is different depending on the location and needs of the tissue at one time. This review discusses the growing body of evidence accumulated since TCs were discovered and highlights how the complex interplay between TCs and stem cells might be of importance for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

The favorable optoelectronic and catalytic properties of zinc oxide, combined with the large specific surface area of graphene molded in 3D network, are able to offer a promising pathway towards the development of hybrid structures with improved electrical, optical, and catalytic properties, that are well suited as active elements for a wide range of applications, especially those related to energy storage and conversion. Using a template-assisted method we demonstrate the synthesis of 3D, porous network monoliths of hybrid ZnO-graphene thin-films in various controlled configurations. The thin-film composites are realized by thermal CVD growth of few-layers graphene on macroporous nickel foam, followed by an ALD coating process of the ZnO film. Notably, the graphene shell fully preserved its network structure after performing complete chemical etching of the nickel scaffold. The challenge of ZnO layer deposition directly on the graphene surface was solved by hydrophobicity adjustment using UV-ozone treatment prior to the atomic layer deposition process. Structural and morphological characterization revealed the formation of hexagonal crystalline zinc oxide films, conformally deposited on the few-layer graphene surface, while the electrical conduction analysis indicates excellent conductivity and interlayer electrical contact for these hybrids. Our results demonstrate that this controlled fabrication process is able to provide highly functional materials with great potential for various electrode applications.

Biomonitoring, i.e. using plant species for measuring pollution levels, has been previously explored in several locations using various protocols and organisms in the search for effective strategies and practices for monitoring and reducing the levels of pollution. Here we present a tested and functional cost-effective method of using the foliar accumulation of tree species to develop a system for the long-term monitoring of airborne heavy metal bioaccumulation at a large, national scale. A total number of 1230 leaf samples have been collected during a vegetation season in 410 sampling locations scattered across Romania. Concentration levels were determined using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Data from literature were used as reference values for the natural concentration of heavy metals in plants. Values exceeding these levels were considered as indicators of pollution, and used to define pollution thresholds. The maximum amounts measured in the collected samples were 152 mg kg−1 dry weight for lead, 25.65 mg kg−1 dry weight for cadmium, 65.51 mg kg−1 dry weight for nickel and 4.81 mg kg−1 dry weight for arsenic. For analysing and communicating the findings, the BioMonRo software has been developed as a novel tool for warning-informing and decision-making. The software, now implemented by the Ministry of Environment for monitoring environmental quality, uses concentration data to build up national heavy metal pollution maps and can generate reports, which are automatically sent to various stakeholders. Based on our findings, we consider that tree species are efficient biomonitors, and similar methods could be successfully used in extensive biomonitoring programmes (national, regional or European), and for informing authorities.

The aim of the study was to determine the students’ expectations before and after MSc and teachers’ perception of the educational process from the perspective of developing employment opportunities. Questionnaires were applied to master students and teachers from the Faculty of Biology. For master students, the results pointed out a statistically significant decrease of their expectations for the items Easiness in finding a job, Well-paid job, Need for Knowledge, Involvement in research and development, before and after MSc. The assessment of the teachers’ perception reveals that education has a small role regarding finding a job with an appropriate salary.

It was organized a non-formal course with the objectives to increase the capacity to develop research projects, understanding and critical interpretation of scientific articles, changing their ideas into research projects, in order to fulfill the need of students to be involved in research. Together with students from Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Biology, we have developed projects regarding treatment of spinal trauma, innovative treatment of diabetes, decrease the postoperative scars, motherese. The diversity of subjects covered reflects the diverse interests of students and prove a great curiosity and an increased willingness to solve a major social problem.

In this paper we investigate the tactical problem of pricing a bundle of products when the underlying valuations of the bundle components are dependent. We use copula theory to model the joint density of reservation prices and provide analytical derivations for the prices under different bundling strategies and sharp bounds for the profit function. We discover that when only the bundle is offered and the marginal costs are relatively small, the seller is better off by bundling products that have a negative association between their valuations, while the converse is true when the marginal costs are relatively high. We also show that the net benefit of offering a full product line containing both the bundle and the components decreases for mild to strong associations between the component valuations, compared to offering just the bundle. Finally, we analyze how the typical literature assumption of independence of reservation prices impacts the seller’s profitability when in fact the valuations are dependent, and find that this gap in profitability, which we call the “price of independence”, can be arbitrarily large.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) could be an adjuvant therapy in melanoma, an aggressive cancer that arises from melanocytes. Several reports showed encouraging results of the efficacy of PDT in melanoma on experimental models and in clinical trials. Therefore, we studied the efficacy of two derivatives of tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP): meso-5,10,15,20-tetrakis (4-hydroxyphenyl) porphyrin (THOPP) and meso-5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-10,15,20-tris (4-methoxyphenyl) porphyrin (THOMPP) as photosensitizers for PDT, compared to FDA approved delta aminolevulinic acid (ALA) against a lightly pigmented, melanoma cell line, WM35, in vitro. Both porphyrins were more efficient as photosensitizers, compared to ALA, without dark toxicity. The efficiency depended on the intracellular localization and the molecule structure. THOPP, the most efficient porphyrin localized mainly in mitochondria, while THOMPP accumulated in lysosomes; both showed melanosomal localization. The symmetric THOPP molecule was able to generate increased oxidative stress damage and apoptosis. THOPP also induced a low effect on the defense mechanisms like antioxidant enzyme SOD (superoxide dismutase), NF-kB (nuclear transcription factor kB) activation and MITF (microphthalmia transcription factor). The lower efficiency of the asymmetric molecule, THOMPP was probably due to a diminished photoactivation, which led to a lower ROS induced damage, combined with higher activation of the defense mechanisms.

Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 (BST) ferroelectric thick films were grown on MgO(0 0 1) and Al2O3(0 0 0 1) single-crystal substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition method. Structural, morphological, optical, and terahertz characterization of the BST films were performed by X-ray Diffraction, Atomic Force Microscopy, Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE), and Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy (THz-TDS). Single-phase samples with strong preferred (1 1 1) orientation and surface roughness lower than 1.5% of their thicknesses have been obtained for both types of substrates. SE was employed to extract the thickness and optical properties by using a 3-layer optical model (substrate/thin film/roughness). The inferred refractive index @630 nm is around 2.05, while the optical interference is visible until 3.3 eV. The THz-TDS measurements in transmission set-up were carried out one after the other on substrates before and after the BST film deposition. The standard THz-TDS analysis of double-layer samples proved difficult to complete in the cases in which a thin or thick film is deposited on a much thicker substrate of known dielectric properties. However, we have been able to extract the complex dielectric permittivity in the THz domain for BST samples with thicknesses of few microns, by developing a specific procedure of data analysis.

As airborne pollution is recognised as the single largest environmental health hazard in Europe, the necessity to develop effective systems for monitoring and reducing the level of air pollutants, becomes imperative. The paper describes a tested and implemented long-term biomonitoring system for airborne heavy metals at a national scale. Moss bags (Hylocomium splendens) were exposed in 142 monitoring stations designated in Romania, and the content of Pb, Cd, Ni and As was quantified using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results revealed that the accumulation of heavy metals exceeded the established thresholds, marking high pollution levels in 8.8% of samples for As, in 5.63% samples for Cd, in 3.17% samples for Pb, and in 0.35% samples for Ni. The maximum heavy metal concentration was 113.77 mg kg−1 dry weight for Pb, 44.93 mg kg−1 dry weight for Ni, 14.68 mg kg−1 dry weight for As, and 3.88 mg kg−1 dry weight for Cd, with several overlaps for at least two metals, thus marking pollution hotspots. In order to process, summarise and communicate the obtained data, a software named BioMonRo has been developed as the core part of a complex monitoring and warning-informative system. The software is able to generate heavy metal pollution maps and specific reports, depicting the levels and patterns of distribution, which can be automatically sent to a number of interested recipients. The results show that the developed national system is functional, cost-effective, and could be successfully used for long-term monitoring of airborne heavy metals.

Haloalkaliphiles are double extremophilic organisms thriving both at high salinity and alkaline pH. Although numerous haloalkaliphilic representatives have been identified among Archaea and Bacteria over the past 15 years, the adaptations underlying their prosperity at haloalkaline conditions are scarcely known. A multi-level adaptive strategy was proposed to occur in haloalkaliphilic organisms isolated from saline alkaline and soda environments including adjustments in the cell wall structure, plasma membrane lipid composition, membrane transport systems, bioenergetics, and osmoregulation. Isolation of chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing γ-Proteobacteria from soda lakes allowed the elucidation of the structural and physiological differences between haloalkaliphilic (prefer NaCl) and natronophilic (prefer NaHCO3/Na2CO3, i.e. soda) microbes.

ABS T RA C T Statins possess antitumor actions at doses 100- to 500-fold higher than those needed to lower cholesterol levels. Thus, the antitumor efficacy of statins could be improved greatly by using tumor-targeted delivery systems. Therefore the present work aims to investigate the antitumor activity of longcirculating liposome-encapsulated simvastatin (LCL-SIM) versus free SIM in B16.F10 murine melanomabearing mice. Our results showed that LCL-SIM inhibits strongly the B16.F10 melanoma growth (by 85%) whereas free SIM was ineffective. Moreover, the antitumor activity of LCL-SIM depends on the presence of functional tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) in tumor tissue and is mainly based on the reduction of the TAM-mediated oxidative stress as well as of the production of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α (HIF-1 α) in tumors. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the antitumor activity of LCL-SIM on B16.F10 melanoma growth is a result of the tumor-targeting property of the liposome formulation and is tightly dependent on the presence of TAM in tumor tissue. © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Resume Lors de la rehospitalisation d’une femme presentant une paraplegie traumatique et une vessie neurologique, un corps etranger inhabituel est retrouve lors du bilan echographique : l’etui d’une sonde courte (SpeedyCath Compact, Conveen) qui sera extraite secondairement par cystoscopie. Le corps etranger a ete introduit lors d’un heterosondage au domicile. Une reflexion sur la mise en place des sondages intermittents est proposee.

The flow-vacuum pyrolyses of 5-methylene-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene (11) were studied by GC/MS at 1.33 mbar and temperatures between 750 and 1050 °C. The major reaction products: anthracene, phenanthrene, 1-phenylnaptalene and 2-phenylnaphtalene were accompanied by small amounts of 9-methylanthracene, 9,10-dimethylanthracene and fluoranthene. This product distribution differs from that of related—partially hydrogenated—analogs of 11 (which are fully converted at about 850 °C). A reaction mechanism for pyrolysis of 11 is suggested, including more parallel routes and involving carbenic- and diradical transformations of the type recently observed during high-temperatures pyrolyses of related polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Ba(X1/3Ta2/3)O3 (X = Mg, Zn) thin films were grown on commercial Pt-coated Si substrates by radiofrequency plasma beam assisted pulsed laser deposition (RF-PLD) method. Single phase Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 and Ba(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3 ceramic targets having an ordered hexagonal structure (with P 3 ¯ m 1 space group) were used for deposition. Structural, morphological and surface characterizations of the Ba(X1/3Ta2/3)O3 (BXT) films were performed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. X-ray diffraction studies evidenced a cubic (disordered) perovskite structure, with unit cell typical for Pm3m space group. Scanning electron microscopy investigations showed that BXT films have a columnar microstructure, which is oriented perpendicular to the substrate. The temperature dependence of the dielectric permittivity of the films was recorded at 100 kHz. Unlike targets, the BXT films exhibit positive values of the temperature coefficient of the dielectric permittivity. BaMg1/3Ta2/3O3 and BaZn1/3Ta2/3O3 thin films with dielectric constant of about 22.5 and 25, respectively have been obtained.

To understand the way in which Ryle approaches the mind-body issue – given his views on the scope and methodology of philosophy and on the complex relations among thinking, language, and reality – and the significance he assigned to the critique of what he called “traditional doctrine”, one needs to make a brief expose of what Ryle saw as the paradigm of dualism: the Cartesian doctrine of the two substances. Ryle seeks to demonstrate that by its unilateral nature, the doctrine (and, later on, functionalism) ignored essential elements of the human being's specificity: one's mental life and one's ego.

A central design challenge facing network planners is how to select a cost-effective network configuration that can provide uninterrupted service despite edge failures. In this paper, we study the Survivable Network Design (SND) problem, a core model underlying the design of such resilient networks that incorporates complex cost and connectivity trade-offs. Given an undirected graph with specified edge costs and (integer) connectivity requirements between pairs of nodes, the SND problem seeks the minimum cost set of edges that interconnects each node pair with at least as many edge-disjoint paths as the connectivity requirement of the nodes. We develop a hierarchical approach for solving the problem that integrates ideas from decomposition, tabu search, randomization, and optimization. The approach decomposes the SND problem into two subproblems, Backbone design and Access design, and uses an iterative multi-stage method for solving the SND problem in a hierarchical fashion. Since both subproblems are NP-hard, we develop effective optimization-based tabu search strategies that balance intensification and diversification to identify near-optimal solutions. To initiate this method, we develop two heuristic procedures that can yield good starting points. We test the combined approach on large-scale SND instances, and empirically assess the quality of the solutions vis-a-vis optimal values or lower bounds. On average, our hierarchical solution approach generates solutions within 2.7% of optimality even for very large problems (that cannot be solved using exact methods), and our results demonstrate that the performance of the method is robust for a variety of problems with different size and connectivity characteristics.