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Macrophages in the tumor microenvironment are causally linked with prostate cancer development and progression, yet little is known about their composition in neoplastic human tissue. By performing single cell transcriptomic analysis of human prostate cancer resident macrophages, three distinct populations were identified in the diseased prostate. Unexpectedly, no differences were observed between macrophages isolated from the tumorous and nontumorous portions of the prostatectomy specimens. Markers associated with canonical M1 and M2 macrophage phenotypes were identifiable, however these were not the main factors defining unique subtypes. The genes selectively associated with each macrophage cluster were used to develop a gene signature which was highly associated with both recurrence-free and metastasis-free survival. These results highlight the relevance of tissue-specific macrophage subtypes in the tumor microenvironment for prostate cancer progression and demonstrates the utility of profiling single-cell transcriptomics in human tumor samples as a strategy to design gene classifiers for patient prognostication. Implications: The specific macrophage subtypes present in a diseased human prostate have prognostic value, suggesting that the relative proportions of these populations are related to patient outcome. Understanding the relative contributions of these subtypes will not only inform patient prognostication, but will enable personalized immunotherapeutic strategies to increase beneficial populations or reduce detrimental populations.

La parroquia de Quimiag es parte del cantón Riobamba (Chimborazo, Ecuador). Este territorio no presenta hasta el momento restos materiales de la cultura puruhá en los estudios publicados. Al conectar una serie de tuberías para riego en un área agropecuaria, los trabajadores localizaron un conjunto de vasijas completas. Se realizó una inspección sobre este contexto, observando numerosos fragmentos de cerámicas puruhaes pertenecientes a enterramientos que se podrían adscribir al Periodo de Integración (500-1490 AD). El presente avance aporta un análisis de algunos de los materiales que aparecen en superficie de cara a delimitar y proteger el sitio. ENGLISH: Evidence of a New Puruha Necropolis in the Puculpala Community (Quimiag, Riobamba, Ecuador). The parish of Quimiag is part of the Riobamba canton (Chimborazo, Ecuador). This territory has had so far no material remains of the Puruha culture in published studies. While connecting a series of irrigation pipes in an agricultural area, workers located a set of complete vessels. An inspection of this context was carried out, observing numerous fragments of Puruha pottery belonging to burials that could be ascribed to the Integration Period (AD 500–1490). The present report provides an analysis of some of the materials that appear on the surface in order to delimit and protect the site.

En el año 2016, el Grupo de Investigación Puruhá de la Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo, avisado por varias comunidades indígenas de la zona, procedió a visitar el cerro Tzuztzuk (también conocido como «Churo de Licán»), situado en la parroquia de Licán (Riobamba, Ecuador). La abundancia de restos arqueológicos en superficie hizo que se realizara un informe para el Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural donde se solicitaba la protección del lugar. No obstante, entre finales de 2019 e inicios de 2020, se detectó la afectación de una parte del sitio ante el movimiento de tierras propiciado por la construcción de una urbanización, que fue detenida inmediatamente e impulsó el inicio de estudios del Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Municipal de Riobamba de cara a la protección patrimonial y cultural del lugar. En el presente estudio se hace un análisis patrimonial del sitio y de su relación con el resto de sitios arqueológicos documentados en Riobamba por el mencionado grupo de investigación. ENGLISH: In 2016, the Puruha Research Group of the National University of Chimborazo, advised by several indigenous communities in the area, visited Tzuztzuk Hill (also known as Churo de Lican), located in the parish of Lican (Riobamba, Ecuador). They observed an abundance of archaeological remains which prompted the team to submit a report to the National Institute of Cultural Heritage requesting the protection of the area. However, between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, a part of the site was affected by a nearby construction project. Upon realizing the potential for destruction of the site, the construction project was immediately stopped and the Municipal Decentralized Autonomous Government of Riobamba began work to protect Tzuztuk Hill. In this study, a heritage analysis of the site and its relationship with the rest of the archaeological sites documented in Riobamba by the aforementioned research group is made.

In late 2021, the highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged, raising concerns about its potential extensive immune evasion, increased transmissibility and pathogenicity. Here, we used organoids of the human airways and alveoli to investigate Omicron’s fitness and replicative potential in comparison with earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants. We report that Omicron replicates more rapidly in the airways and has an increased fitness compared to the early 614G variant and Delta. In contrast, Omicron did not replicate productively in human alveolar type 2 cells. Mechanistically, we show that Omicron does not efficiently use TMPRSS2 for entry or spread through cell-cell fusion. Altogether, our data show that Omicron has an altered tropism and protease usage, potentially explaining its higher transmissibility and decreased pathogenicity.

Rapidly evolving requirements for on-die interconnects resulting from scaling and performance needs of current and future products is bringing about an exciting acceleration of the rate of innovations. In this paper, we will link evolutionary technology node needs and disruptive trends to interconnect requirements and to the key technologies needed to address future challenges, which include the introduction of new materials, as well as new geometries and structures.

International audience; Self-absorption of spectral lines is known to lower the performance of analytical measurements via calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. However, the error growth due to this effect is not clearly assessed.Here we propose a method to quantify the measurement error due to self-absorption based on the calculation of the spectral radiance of a plasma in local thermodynamic equilibrium. Validated through spectroscopic measurements for a binary alloy thin film of compositional gradient, the method evidences that measurement performance lowering due to self-absorption depends on the spectral shape of the analytical transition and on the intensity measurement method. Thus, line-integrated intensity measurements of Stark broadened lines enable accurate analysis, even at large optical thickness, if line width and plasma size are precisely known. The error growth due to self-absorption is significantly larger for line shapes dominated by Doppler broadening and for line-center intensity measurements. The findings present a significant advance in compositional measurements via calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, as they enable straightforward selection of most appropriate analytical lines.

The oxidation behaviour of Incoloy 909 superalloy subjected to diffusion boronizing treatments was studied at 750 and 850°C in atmospheres of dry air and a mixture of dry air + water vapour for tim...

A new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has started as several SARS-CoV-2 variants are rapidly emerging globally, raising concerns for increased transmissibility. As animal models and traditional in vitro systems may fail to model key aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 replication cycle, representative in vitro systems to assess variants phenotypically are urgently needed. We found that the British variant (clade B.1.1.7), compared to an ancestral SARS-CoV-2 clade B virus, produced higher levels of infectious virus late in infection and had a higher replicative fitness in human airway, alveolar and intestinal organoid models. Our findings unveil human organoids as powerful tools to phenotype viral variants and suggest extended shedding as a correlate of fitness for SARS-CoV-2.One-Sentence SummaryBritish SARS-CoV-2 variant (clade B.1.1.7) infects organoids for extended time and has a higher fitness in vitro.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), which may result in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiorgan failure, and death. The alveolar epithelium is a major target of the virus, but representative models to study virus host interactions in more detail are currently lacking. Here, we describe a human 2D air–liquid interface culture system which was characterized by confocal and electron microscopy and single‐cell mRNA expression analysis. In this model, alveolar cells, but also basal cells and rare neuroendocrine cells, are grown from 3D self‐renewing fetal lung bud tip organoids. These cultures were readily infected by SARS‐CoV‐2 with mainly surfactant protein C‐positive alveolar type II‐like cells being targeted. Consequently, significant viral titers were detected and mRNA expression analysis revealed induction of type I/III interferon response program. Treatment of these cultures with a low dose of interferon lambda 1 reduced viral replication. Hence, these cultures represent an experimental model for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and can be applied for drug screens., A human airway in vitro culture permissive to COVID‐19 demonstrates a drug‐sensitive IFN response.

In this paper, we describe both evolutionary and disruptive Back End Of Line innovations needed to enable scaling and performance improvements, and their reliability impact.

In Writing the New World, Mauro Caraccioli examines the natural history writings of early Spanish missionaries, using these texts to argue that colonial Latin America was fundamental in the development of modern political thought. Revealing their narrative context, religious ideals, and political implications, Caraccioli shows how these sixteenth-century works promoted a distinct genre of philosophical wonder in service of an emerging colonial social order. Caraccioli discusses narrative techniques employed by well-known figures such as Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo and Bartolomé de Las Casas as well as less-studied authors including Bernardino de Sahagún, Francisco Hernández, and José de Acosta. More than mere catalogues of the natural wonders of the New World, these writings advocate mining and molding untapped landscapes, detailing the possibilities for extracting not just resources from the land but also new moral values from indigenous communities. Analyzing the intersections between politics, science, and faith that surface in these accounts, Caraccioli shows how the portrayal of nature served the ends of imperial domination.Integrating the fields of political theory, environmental history, Latin American literature, and religious studies, this book showcases Spain’s role in the intellectual formation of modernity and Latin America’s place as the crucible for the Scientific Revolution. Its insights are also relevant to debates about the interplay between politics and environmental studies in the Global South today.