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Abstract The imaging of individual Ba2+ ions in high pressure xenon gas is one possible way to attain background-free sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta decay and hence establish the Majorana nature of the neutrino. In this paper we demonstrate selective single Ba2+ ion imaging inside a high-pressure xenon gas environment. Ba2+ ions chelated with molecular chemosensors are resolved at the gas-solid interface using a diffraction-limited imaging system with scan area of 1 × 1 cm2 located inside 10 bar of xenon gas. This form of microscopy represents key ingredient in the development of barium tagging for neutrinoless double beta decay searches in 136Xe. This also provides a new tool for studying the photophysics of fluorescent molecules and chemosensors at the solid-gas interface to enable bottom-up design of catalysts and sensors.

Abstract Background Lanthanide-based nanomaterials offer a promising alternative for cancer therapy because of their selectivity and effectiveness, which can be modified and predicted by leveraging the improved accuracy and enhanced decision-making of machine learning (ML) modeling. Methods In this study, erbium (Er3+) and ytterbium (Yb3+) were used to dope zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs). Various characterization techniques and biological assays were employed to investigate the physicochemical and optical properties of the (Er, Yb)-doped ZnO NPs, revealing the influence of the lanthanide elements. Results The (Er, Yb)-doped ZnO NPs exhibited laminar-type morphologies, negative surface charges, and optical bandgaps that vary with the presence of Er3+ and Yb3+. The incorporation of lanthanide ions reduced the cytotoxicity activity of ZnO against HEPG-2, CACO-2, and U87 cell lines. Conversely, doping with Er3+ and Yb3+ enhanced the antioxidant activity of the ZnO against DPPH, ABTS, and H2O2 radicals. The extra tree (ET) and random forest (RF) models predicted the relevance of the characterization results vis-à-vis the cytotoxic properties of the synthesized NPs. Conclusion This study demonstrates, for the first time, the synthesis of ZnO NPs doped with Er and Yb via a solution polymerization route. According to characterization results, it was unveiled that the effect of optical bandgap variations influenced the cytotoxic performance of the developed lanthanide-doped ZnO NPs, being the undoped ZnO NPs the most cytotoxic ones. The presence alone or in combination of Er and Yb enhanced their scavenging capacity. ML models such as ET and RF efficiently demonstrated that the concentration and cell line type are key parameters that influence the cytotoxicity of (Er, Yb)-doped ZnO NPs achieving high accuracy rates of 98.96% and 98.67%, respectively. This study expands the knowledge of lanthanides as dopants of nanomaterials for biological and medical applications and supports their potential in cancer therapy by integrating robust ML approaches. Graphical abstract

Abstract The NEXT-White detector, a high-pressure gaseous xenon time projection chamber, demonstrated the excellence of this technology for future neutrinoless double beta decay searches using photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) to measure energy and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) to extract topology information. This analysis uses 83m Kr data from the NEXT-White detector to measure and understand the energy resolution that can be obtained with the SiPMs, rather than with PMTs. The energy resolution obtained of (10.9 ± 0.6)%, full-width half-maximum, is slightly larger than predicted based on the photon statistics resulting from very low light detection coverage of the SiPM plane in the NEXT-White detector. The difference in the predicted and measured resolution is attributed to poor corrections, which are expected to be improved with larger statistics. Furthermore, the noise of the SiPMs is shown to not be a dominant factor in the energy resolution and may be negligible when noise subtraction is applied appropriately, for high-energy events or larger SiPM coverage detectors. These results, which are extrapolated to estimate the response of large coverage SiPM planes, are promising for the development of future, SiPM-only, readout planes that can offer imaging and achieve similar energy resolution to that previously demonstrated with PMTs.

Introduction: Preclinical and clinical evidence has elucidated that cannabis based medical formulations (CBMFs) may display anxiolytic, anti-depressive, and neuro-protective properties. CBMFs are often considered as novel therapeutic anxiolytic agents that can be prescribed as pharmacotherapy for symptomatic domains in anxiety disorders. Our aim was to explore effectiveness and tolerability of enriched cannabidiol (CBD) oil extract formulations in adults with anxiety symptoms in an outpatient mental health program in Colombia during the COIVD – 19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted an observational, retrospective, real world evidence (RWE) case-series at Zerenia Clinic in Bogotá, Colombia between June 2021 and December 2022. Our convenience sample consisted of people searching for CBMFs for the treatment of anxiety symptoms. A cohort of 24 adults was prescribed with enriched CBD in the form of non-sterile oral liquids suspended in sesame seed oil extracts unspecified anxiety disorder (UAD) and followed throughout the first year of treatment. Primary outcome measures established were the anxiety subscale in the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS – A), and the clinical global impression scale with regards to severity (CGI – S) at baseline, 6-month, and 12-month during follow-up. Secondary outcome measures established were HADS depression subscale (HADS – D) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) respectively. Results: After 6 months of treatment with sublingually administered enriched CBD oil extracts in a median dosage of 100mg, more than half (54.17%) of the sample continued to report significant anxiety symptoms. After 12 months, only 37.50% persisted with significant anxiety symptoms with a median dose of 120mgs of enriched CBD oil extracts. Similar subjective improvements were reported with regards to sleep disturbances (SDs) as a secondary outcome. At baseline, less than half (46,83%) of the sample reported significant daytime sleepiness. After 6-months of enriched CBD oil extract treatment, less than one third(29,17%) continued to report SDs. At end point, a high proportion of the sample (87.50%) were considered to have normal daytime sleepiness. No significant adverse–drug reactions or deaths were reported during the 12-month follow-up. Conclusions: Further research should determine the long-term efficacy, safety and appropriate dosages of enriched CBD oil extracts in treating specific anxiety disorders rather than broad and unspecified anxiety symptoms. The state of the art of MCBFs for anxiety disorders should be warranted and solidified through randomized controlled trials. The next stage for cannabis research should be focused in performing head-to-head trials comparing enriched CBD extracts or capsules versus first-line treatments proven to be effective in anxiety disorders.

Introduction: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) may be disruptive and problematic for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and for their caregivers. Cannabidiol (CBD) may be a safer alternative. The objective was to evaluate whether CBD-rich oil was effective, and safe in adults with NPS secondary to AD. Methods: An open-label, prospective cohort, single-center study in patients with AD onset after the age of 65 with untreated NPS. A CBD-rich oil was administrated 0.1 mL sublingually every 8–12 h, up-titrated weekly. The primary outcome was to establish a reduction in the NPI-Q severity score of >30% at 12 weeks compared with the baseline. A p value of 30% was 94.9%, while a reduction of >50% was achieved by 54.2%. The improvement was maintained for up to 24 months. Conclusion: This study shows that CBD-rich oil is an effective and safe therapy for treating NPS in AD patients, while also reducing the caregivers’ distress.

Background Understanding the diversity and distribution of fungal communities at a regional scale is important since fungi play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning. Our study used environmental metagenomics to determine fungal communities in mountainous forest soils in the central highlands of Mexico. Methods We used four different bioinformatic workflows to profile fungal assemblages, i.e., Geneious+UNITE, single- and paired-end microbial community profiling (MiCoP), and Kraken2. Results The workflows yielded different results; one detected a higher abundance of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) and saprophytic fungi, while the other identified more saprophytic and pathogenic fungi. Environmental, vegetation, and geographical factors determined the spatial distribution of soil fungi at a regional scale. Potential hydrogen (pH), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and silt content were detected as common drivers of fungal communities across different datasets enriched towards a functional guild. Vegetation traits were found to be more influential in shaping symbiotrophic fungi composition than saprotrophic and pathogenic fungi. This highlights the importance of considering vegetation traits when studying fungal community diversity and distribution. Clustering patterns of sampling points near the volcanoes indicated shared environmental and vegetation characteristics. A weak but significant distance decay in taxonomic similarity revealed that dispersal limitation contributed to fungal community composition, although it was not the primary factor in this study. Overall, this study provides important insights into the challenges and opportunities of studying fungal communities at a regional scale using metagenomic data.

Multilayer sequential neural networks, a powerful machine learning model, demonstrate the ability to learn intricate relationships between input features and desired outputs. This study focuses on employing such models to design photovoltaic cells. Specifically, neodymium (Nd)-doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were utilized as a photoanode for fabricating dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A natural dye extracted from Spinacia oleracea was employed, while two types of electrolytes, liquid and gel (polyethylene glycol-based), were used for comparative analysis. Extensive material characterization of the photoanode highlights the impact of Nd content on the physicochemical properties of ZnO. Notably, when the doped photoanode and gel electrolyte were combined, a substantial 110% improvement in power conversion efficiency (PCE) was achieved. Building on these findings, the machine learning model in this research accurately predicts the current-voltage (I-V) curve values for such photoanodes, with an impressive accuracy of 98%. Additionally, the model illuminates the significance of variables like crystal distortion, texture coefficient, and doping concentration, underscoring their importance in the context of photovoltaic cell design.

IntroductionOrganic wastes are composted to increase their plant nutritional value, but little is known about how this might alter the bacterial and archaeal community structure and their genes.MethodsCow manure was collected from three local small-scale farmers and composted under controlled conditions, while the bacterial and archaeal communities were determined using shotgun metagenomics at the onset and after 74 days of composting.ResultsThe bacterial, archaeal, methanogen, methanotrophs, methylotroph, and nitrifying community structures and their genes were affected by composting for 74 days, but the original composition of these communities determined the changes. Most of these archaeal and bacterial groups showed considerable variation after composting and between the cow manures. However, the differences in the relative abundance of their genes were much smaller compared to those of the archaeal or bacterial groups.DiscussionIt was found that composting of different cow manures did not result in similar bacterial or archaeal communities, and the changes that were found after 74 days were defined by the original populations. However, more research is necessary to determine if other composting conditions will give the same results.

Abstract Noble element time projection chambers are a leading technology for rare event detection in physics, such as for dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay searches. Time projection chambers typically assign event position in the drift direction using the relative timing of prompt scintillation and delayed charge collection signals, allowing for reconstruction of an absolute position in the drift direction. In this paper, alternate methods for assigning event drift distance via quantification of electron diffusion in a pure high pressure xenon gas time projection chamber are explored. Data from the NEXT-White detector demonstrate the ability to achieve good position assignment accuracy for both high- and low-energy events. Using point-like energy deposits from $$^{83\textrm{m}}$$ 83 m Kr calibration electron captures ( $$E\sim 45$$ E ∼ 45 keV), the position of origin of low-energy events is determined to 2 cm precision with bias $$< 1~$$ < 1 mm. A convolutional neural network approach is then used to quantify diffusion for longer tracks ( $$E\ge ~1.5$$ E ≥ 1.5 MeV), from radiogenic electrons, yielding a precision of 3 cm on the event barycenter. The precision achieved with these methods indicates the feasibility energy calibrations of better than 1% FWHM at Q $$_{\beta \beta }$$ β β in pure xenon, as well as the potential for event fiducialization in large future detectors using an alternate method that does not rely on primary scintillation.

In this work, extracts from the pulp, peel, and seed of Manilkara zapota were obtained via lyophilization and oven drying. Bromatological analyses were performed to investigate variabilities in the nutritional content of fruits after nine post-harvest days. The phytochemical content of fruits was assessed by gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC-FID), and their biological performance was studied using in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant assays (DPPH and ABTS) and in vivo toxicity models. Molecular docking was implemented to evaluate the interaction between polar compounds from chicozapote fruits with receptors involved in the pathogenesis of bacterial strains. Results revealed that water or soluble solids content did not vary after post-harvest. It was demonstrated that lyophilization or oven-drying approaches influenced the insoluble, total dietary fiber and digestible carbohydrates among samples. According to GC-FID analysis, it was observed that lyophilization and oven-drying methods also altered the content of myristic and pentadecanoic acids among the obtained extracts. It was noted that the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of extracts were weak due to their MIC (>1000 μg/mL) and IC50 (>2000 μg/mL) values. Still, the toxicity of extracts was poor against Artemia salina nauplii. In silico evaluation unveiled that polar compounds in M. zapota fruits possess a high binding affinity towards the DNA gyrase B of the cultured strains. This study expands the scientific evidence regarding the influence of distinct extraction methods on the nutritional and nutraceutical content of native fruits and the importance of considering additional approaches to enhance their bioactivities.

Antioxidants undergo molecular association with dietary fibers in plant foods, and the actual nutritional functions depend on the conditions of association. As an approach to quantitative interpretation of the association effects, the present study proposes a method to evaluate association capacity, based on fluorometric titration of ferulic and p-coumaric acids with pectin and algin. The titration curve is formulated on the model that active sites on a fiber chain consist of segments each capable of binding to a single antioxidant molecule. The average segment sizes NS determined from observed curves range from 5 to 12 monomer units, and the mean association constant KA from 5 × 104 to 18 × 104 M−1 per segment, depending on fiber–antioxidant combinations. These parameters suggest that, although individual monomer units have weak binding forces, each segment involves multiple binding sites so that accumulating forces lead to the high thermodynamic stability of the molecular associates; the association capacity is presented by the half association concentration of antioxidant CG1/2 = 2Cm/NS – 2/KA at a monomer-based fiber concentration Cm. The extended application of the method to selected fiber–nutrient combinations would help to describe the association at molecular levels and to design better nutritional agents.

In this work, the leaves of K. tomentosa were macerated with hexane, chloroform, and methanol, respectively. The phytochemical profiles of hexane and chloroform extracts were unveiled using GC/MS, whereas the chemical composition of the methanol extract was analyzed using UPLC/MS/MS. The antibacterial activity of extracts was determined against gram-positive and gram-negative strains through the minimal inhibitory concentration assay, and in silico studies were implemented to analyze the interaction of phytoconstituents with bacterial peptides. The antioxidant property of extracts was assessed by evaluating their capacity to scavenge DPPH, ABTS, and H2O2 radicals. The toxicity of the extracts was recorded against Artemia salina nauplii and Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes. Results demonstrate that the hexane and chloroform extracts contain phytosterols, triterpenes, and fatty acids, whereas the methanol extract possesses glycosidic derivatives of quercetin and kaempferol together with sesquiterpene lactones. The antibacterial performance of extracts against the cultured strains was appraised as weak due to their MIC90 values (>500 μg/mL). As antioxidants, treatment with extracts executed high and moderate antioxidant activities within the range of 50–300 μg/mL. Extracts did not decrease the viability of A. salina, but they exerted a high toxic effect against C. elegans during exposure to treatment. Through in silico modeling, it was recorded that the flavonoids contained in the methanol extract can hamper the interaction of the NAM/NAG peptide, which is of great interest since it determines the formation of the peptide wall of gram-positive bacteria. This study reports for the first time the biological activities and phytochemical content of extracts from K. tomentosa and proposes a possible antibacterial mechanism of glycosidic derivatives of flavonoids against gram-positive bacteria.

In this work, the hexane, chloroform, and methanol extracts from Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi were utilized to green-synthesize silver nanoparticles (Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs). The Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs were characterized by spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. The antibacterial activity of AgNPs was studied against bacteria strains, utilizing the microdilution assay. The DPPH and H2O2 assays were considered to assess the antioxidant activity of AgNPs. The results revealed that Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs exhibit an average diameter of 39.9, 111, and 42 nm, respectively. The calculated ζ-potential of Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs were −20.5, −10.6, and −7.9 mV, respectively. The UV-vis analysis of the three samples demonstrated characteristic absorption bands within the range of 350–450 nm, which confirmed the formation of AgNPs. The FTIR analysis of AgNPs exhibited a series of bands from 3500 to 750 cm−1, related to the presence of extracts on their surfaces. SEM observations unveiled that Kf1- and Kf2-AgNPs adopted structural arrangements related to nano-popcorns and nanoflowers, whereas Kf3-AgNPs were spherical in shape. It was determined that treatment with Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs was demonstrated to inhibit the growth of E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa in a dose-dependent manner (50–300 μg/mL). Within the same range, treatment with Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs decreased the generation of DPPH (IC50 57.02–2.09 μg/mL) and H2O2 (IC50 3.15–3.45 μg/mL) radicals. This study highlights the importance of using inorganic nanomaterials to improve the biological performance of plant extracts as an efficient nanotechnological approach.

ABSTRACT The maternal transmission of microbiota during embryonic development of vertebrates is still poorly understood. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA bacterial genes to determine the bacterial communities in the gastrointestinal tract and amniotic environment, i.e., the amniotic fluid, amniotic membrane and extraembryonic yolk, of embryos at the last stage of development of the viviparous lizard Sceloporus grammicus Wiegmann, 1828. We compared these communities to those found in the maternal intestine, mouth, cloaca, and the aseptic ventral skin as a control of the aseptic technique. Our results showed that bacterial 16S rRNA genes were present in the embryos of S. grammicus. Their diversity was lower and more similar in composition between individuals than those found in the maternal tissues. This suggests that a strong control exists on the transmission of bacteria from the mother to the embryos. We found 78% of the embryonic amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) in the maternal bacterial microbiota, suggesting that the transmission of bacteria from the mother to the embryos is a continuous process and some bacteria may have been transferred during early embryonic stages. The embryonic bacteria were found to overlap mostly with those found in the mouth and aseptic ventral skin of the mother, although it is difficult to conclude that the shared ASVs originated from these maternal tissues. Our study provides evidence of microbiota vertical transfer during embryonic development in the animal kingdom. It also highlights that this maternal transmission could be included in the maternal effects that impact the offspring. IMPORTANCE We investigated the presence and diversity of bacteria in the embryos of the viviparous lizard Sceloporus grammicus and their amniotic environment. We compared this diversity to that found in the maternal intestine, mouth, and cloaca. We detected bacterial DNA in the embryos, albeit with a lower bacterial species diversity than found in maternal tissues. Most of the bacterial species detected in the embryos were also found in the mother, although not all of them. Interestingly, we detected a high similarity in the composition of bacterial species among embryos from different mothers. These findings suggest that there may be a mechanism controlling the transmission of bacteria from the mother to the embryo. Our results highlight the possibility that the interaction between maternal bacteria and the embryo may affect the development of the lizards.

Stress granules (SGs) are sites for mRNA storage, protection, and translation repression. TIA1 and TIAR1 are two RNA-binding proteins that are key players in SGs formation in mammals. TIA1/TIAR have a prion-like domain (PrD) in their C-terminal that promotes liquid-phase separation. Lack of any TIA1/TIAR has severe consequences in mice. However, it is not clear whether the failure to form proper SGs is the cause of any of these problems. We disrupted two predicted α-helices within the prion-like domain of the Caenohabditis elegans TIA1/TIAR homolog, TIAR-1, to test whether its association with SGs is important for the nematode. We found that tiar-1 PrD mutant animals continued to form TIAR-1 condensates under stress in the C. elegans gonad. Nonetheless, TIAR-1 condensates appeared fragile and disassembled quickly after stress. Apparently, the SGs continued to associate regularly as observed with CGH-1, an SG marker. Like tiar-1-knockout nematodes, tiar-1 PrD mutant animals exhibited fertility problems and a shorter lifespan. Notwithstanding this, tiar-1 PrD mutant nematodes were no sensitive to stress. Our data demonstrate that the predicted prion-like domain of TIAR-1 is important for its association with stress granules. Moreover, this domain may also play a significant role in various TIAR-1 functions unrelated to stress, such as fertility, embryogenesis and lifespan.

Abstract After decades of searching, astronomers have recently identified specific Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in space. Remarkably, the observed abundance of cyanonaphthalene (CNN, C10H7CN) in the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC-1) is six orders of magnitude higher than expected from astrophysical modeling. Here, we report unimolecular dissociation and radiative cooling rate coefficients of the 1-CNN isomer in its cationic form. These results are based on measurements of the time-dependent neutral product emission rate and kinetic energy release distributions produced from an ensemble of internally excited 1-CNN+ studied in an environment similar to that in interstellar clouds. We find that Recurrent Fluorescence – radiative relaxation via thermally populated electronic excited states – efficiently stabilizes 1-CNN+, owing to a large enhancement of the electronic transition probability by vibronic coupling. Our results help explain the anomalous abundance of CNN in TMC-1 and challenge the widely accepted picture of rapid destruction of small PAHs in space.

Heavy metals are necessary at low concentration for biological activity, but they are often toxic for microorganisms at high concentrations. Amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA was used to investigate changes in the bacterial and microeukaryotic communities in an activated sludge bioreactor incrementally contaminated with nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) with an IC50 value ranging from 0% to 100%, as previously determined, while an uncontaminated bioreactor served as a control. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) was on average 90% in the uncontaminated bioreactor but dropped to 49% when the heavy metal concentration was 100% IC50. The bacterial community in the uncontaminated bioreactor was dominated by Alphaproteobacteria (mostly Agrobacterium and Brevundimonas) when the heavy metal concentrations were low and Bacteroidetes (mostly Sphingobacterium) when the highest amounts of heavy metal concentrations were applied. The members of Ciliophora, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota alternatively dominated in the uncontaminated bioreactor, while Ascomycota (mostly Fusarium) dominated in the contaminated bioreactor. The results revealed that increased concentrations of Ni, Cu, and Zn altered the bacterial and microeukaryotic communities and some putative metabolic functions.

Immobilization of enzymes is one of the protein engineering methods used to improve their thermal and long-term stabilities. Immobilized pectinase has become an essential biocatalyst for optimization in the food processing industry. Herein, nanostructured magnetic nanoparticles were prepared in situ for use as supports to immobilize pectinase. The structural, morphological, optical and magnetic features and the chemical compositions of the nanoparticles were characterized. Nanoparticle agglomeration and low porosity were observed due to the synthetic conditions. These nanoparticles exhibited superparamagnetic behavior, which is desirable for biotechnological applications. The maximum retention rate for the enzyme was observed at pH 4.5 with a value of 1179.3 U/mgNP (units per milligram of nanoparticle), which was equivalent to a 65.6% efficiency. The free and immobilized pectinase were affected by the pH and temperature. The long-term instability caused 40% and 32% decreases in the specific activities of the free and immobilized pectinase, respectively. The effects of immobilization were analyzed with kinetic and thermodynamic studies. These results indicated a significant affinity for the substrate, a decreased reaction rate, and improved thermal stability of the immobilized pectinase. The reusability of the immobilized pectinase was preserved effectively during cycling, with only a 21.2% decrease in activity observed from the first to the last use. Therefore, alternative magnetic nanoparticles are presented for immobilizing and maintaining the thermostability of pectinase.

En sistemas con lluvias estacionales, el rendimiento hídrico (caudal de salida del curso de agua relativo al área de la cuenca) en la estación seca depende de las lluvias previas y de la infiltración y la evapotranspiración, procesos que, a su vez, están afectados por las características del paisaje. Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar el efecto de distintas variables de paisaje sobre el rendimiento hídrico y la tasa de recesión (tasa a la que disminuye el caudal) durante la estación seca, en cuencas de alta montaña del centro de la Argentina. Seleccionamos 33 cuencas de 9-61 ha, y durante el final de la estación seca de 2017 medimos semanalmente el caudal en sus puntos de cierre durante siete semanas consecutivas. Para cada cuenca calculamos el rendimiento hídrico (mm/mes) promedio y un índice de recesión (adimensional) como la diferencia normalizada del rendimiento entre las últimas y las primeras fechas. Los paisajes extensamente ocupados por un mosaico de pajonal y roca, con pendiente y rugosidad intermedias, tuvieron los rendimientos hídricos máximos (>5 mm/mes). Por lo contrario, el rendimiento hídrico fue más bajo tanto en los paisajes suaves y cubiertos por vegetación, como en los muy ásperos (muy rugosos, escarpados y rocosos). Por su parte, la recesión fue lenta en los paisajes más ásperos y muy abrupta en los paisajes más suaves. Posiblemente, en los paisajes suaves y vegetados se pierde mucha agua por evapotranspiración, mientras que en los paisajes muy ásperos se pierde mucha agua por escorrentía después de las lluvias. Los paisajes con aspereza intermedia y un mosaico de vegetación y roca serían los que optimizan el almacenamiento, minimizando las pérdidas por evapotranspiración. Por lo tanto, para sostener el rendimiento hídrico es prioritario conservar este tipo de paisajes, evitando la erosión del suelo que genera un aumento de áreas rocosas.

This study used a sonochemical synthesis method to prepare (La, Sm)-doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The effect of incorporating these lanthanide elements on the structural, optical, and morphological properties of ZnO-NPs was analyzed. The cytotoxicity and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation capacity of ZnO-NPs were evaluated against breast (MCF7) and colon (HT29) cancer cell lines. Their antioxidant activity was analyzed using a DPPH assay, and their toxicity towards Artemia salina nauplii was also evaluated. The results revealed that treatment with NPs resulted in the death of 10.559–42.546% and 18.230–38.643% of MCF7 and HT29 cells, respectively. This effect was attributed to the ability of NPs to downregulate ROS formation within the two cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. In the DPPH assay, treatment with (La, Sm)-doped ZnO-NPs inhibited the generation of free radicals at IC50 values ranging from 3.898 to 126.948 μg/mL. Against A. salina nauplii, the synthesized NPs did not cause death nor induce morphological changes at the tested concentrations. A series of machine learning (ML) models were used to predict the biological performance of (La, Sm)-doped ZnO-NPs. Among the designed ML models, the gradient boosting model resulted in the greatest mean absolute error (MAE) (MAE 9.027, R2 = 0.86). The data generated in this work provide innovative insights into the influence of La and Sm on the structural arrangement and chemical features of ZnO-NPs, together with their cytotoxicity, antioxidant activity, and in vivo toxicity.

The rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a global health challenge. Due to their unique properties, metal oxide nanoparticles show promise in addressing this issue. However, optimizing these properties requires a deep understanding of complex interactions. This study incorporated data-driven machine learning to predict bacterial survival against lanthanum-doped ZnO nanoparticles. The effect of incorporation of lanthanum ions on ZnO was analyzed. Even with high lanthanum concentration, no significant variations in structural, morphological, and optical properties were observed. The antibacterial activity of La-doped ZnO nanoparticles against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated. Nanoparticles induce 60%, 95%, and 55% bacterial death against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Algorithms such as Multilayer Perceptron, K-Nearest Neighbors, Gradient Boosting, and Extremely Random Trees were used to predict the bacterial survival percentage. Extremely Random Trees performed the best among these models with 95.08% accuracy. A feature relevance analysis extracted the most significant attributes to predict the bacterial survival percentage. Lanthanum content and particle size were irrelevant, despite what can be assumed. This approach offers a promising avenue for developing effective and tailored strategies to reduce the time and cost of developing antimicrobial nanoparticles.

High-precision measurements are useful to find isotopic shifts and electron correlation. Here the authors measure electron affinity and hyperfine splitting of atomic oxygen with higher precision than previous studies.

The use of nanoparticles, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2-NPs), has increased substantially over the years. Some of them will end up in the soil, where their effect on plants and the soil bacterial community needs to be studied to determine their possible environmental risks. In this paper, beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were cultivated in soil with 0, 150, or 300 mg TiO2-NPs kg−1. Plant development, nodule formation, chlorophyl content, and the bacterial community were monitored in uncultivated, non-rhizosphere, and rhizosphere soils. TiO2-NPs did not affect the beans’ growth and their chlorophyl content, but they did increase bacterial diversity and had a significant effect on the bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere, but not in the bulk and non-rhizosphere soil. Although the relative abundance of most bacterial groups varied with the TiO2-NP application rate, the cultivation of the bean plants, or the exposure time, that of Acidobacteria decreased, while that of Planctomycetes increased in the TiO2-NP-amended soil. Many bacterial groups were affected by the cultivation of the bean plants, i.e., the relative abundance of Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Deltaproteobacteria, and Firmicutes mostly decreased in the rhizosphere independent of the application of TiO2-NPs or the time of exposure, while most groups belonging to Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Rhizobiaceae, Phyllobacteriaceae, and Sphingomonadaceae were enriched.

Abstract Crop residue management and tillage are known to affect the soil bacterial community, but when and which bacterial groups are enriched by application of ammonium in soil under different agricultural practices from a semi-arid ecosystem is still poorly understood. Soil was sampled from a long-term agronomic experiment with conventional tilled beds and crop residue retention (CT treatment), permanent beds with crop residue burned (PBB treatment) or retained (PBC) left unfertilized or fertilized with 300 kg urea-N ha−1 and cultivated with wheat (Triticum durum L.)/maize (Zea mays L.) rotation. Soil samples, fertilized or unfertilized, were amended or not (control) with a solution of (NH4)2SO4 (300 kg N ha−1) and were incubated aerobically at 25 ± 2 °C for 56 days, while CO2 emission, mineral N and the bacterial community were monitored. Application of NH4 + significantly increased the C mineralization independent of tillage-residue management or N fertilizer. Oxidation of NH4 + and NO2 − was faster in the fertilized soil than in the unfertilized soil. The relative abundance of Nitrosovibrio, the sole ammonium oxidizer detected, was higher in the fertilized than in the unfertilized soil; and similarly, that of Nitrospira, the sole nitrite oxidizer. Application of NH4 + enriched Pseudomonas, Flavisolibacter, Enterobacter and Pseudoxanthomonas in the first week and Rheinheimera, Acinetobacter and Achromobacter between day 7 and 28. The application of ammonium to a soil cultivated with wheat and maize enriched a sequence of bacterial genera characterized as rhizospheric and/or endophytic independent of the application of urea, retention or burning of the crop residue, or tillage.

En este trabajo se analizan algunas de las principales ideas sobre lógica, racionalidad y normatividad, defendidas por José Juan Moreso en la segunda sección de su libro Lo normativo: variedades y variaciones. Para Moreso, la conexión entre existencia de normas y actos de promulgación es insuficiente para comprender el impacto motivacional de las normas, i.e., el modo en que ellas guían la conducta humana. Para este objetivo es necesario tomar en cuenta el principio kantiano ‹‹debe implica puede››, pero este principio lleva a descartar la existencia de normas incoherentes (ad impossibilia nemo tenetur). Cuatro posibles respuestas a este desafío de Moreso se analizan en este artículo: (i) una concepción abstracta de normas, independiente de la noción de prescripción, (ii) la introducción de un orden jerárquico en los sistemas aplicables, (iii)el rechazo del principio kantiano y (iv) la conexión entre coherencia y naturaleza jerárquica delos sistemas jurídicos.

ABSTRACT Plant-associated microorganisms that affect plant development, their composition, and their functionality are determined by the host, soil conditions, and agricultural practices. How agricultural practices affect the rhizosphere microbiome has been well studied, but less is known about how they might affect plant endophytes. In this study, the metagenomic DNA from the rhizosphere and endophyte communities of root and stem of maize plants was extracted and sequenced with the “diversity arrays technology sequencing,” while the bacterial community and functionality (organized by subsystems from general to specific functions) were investigated in crops cultivated with or without tillage and with or without N fertilizer application. Tillage had a small significant effect on the bacterial community in the rhizosphere, but N fertilizer had a highly significant effect on the roots, but not on the rhizosphere or stem. The relative abundance of many bacterial species was significantly different in the roots and stem of fertilized maize plants, but not in the unfertilized ones. The abundance of N cycle genes was affected by N fertilization application, most accentuated in the roots. How these changes in bacterial composition and N genes composition might affect plant development or crop yields has still to be unraveled. IMPORTANCE We investigated the bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere, root, and stem of maize plants cultivated under different agricultural techniques, i.e., with or without N fertilization, and with or without tillage. We found that the bacterial community was defined mostly by the plant compartment and less by agricultural techniques. In the roots, N fertilizer application affected the bacterial community structure, the microbiome functionality, and the abundance of genes involved in the N cycle, but the effect in the rhizosphere and stem was much smaller. Contrary, tillage did not affect the maize microbiome. This study enriches our knowledge about the plant-microbiome system and how N fertilization application affected it.

The amount of nanoparticles that enters the environment has increased substantially in the last years. How they might affect plant characteristics and the bacterial community structure when they enter the soil, however, is still debated, as there is a continuous interaction between them. In this study, we determined the effect of silver (Ag-NPs) and hematite (α-Fe2O3-NPs) nanoparticles (0.15 g kg−1) on the characteristics of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and the rhizosphere, non-rhizosphere and uncultivated soil bacterial community. The application of Ag-NPs or α-Fe2O3-NPs did not affect plant growth, but changed the amount of some heavy metals in the roots and aerial parts. The application of nanoparticles had a limited effect on the diversity, structure and functional profile of the soil and rhizosphere bacterial communities, but they were altered by cultivation of the bean plants and changed over time. It was found that application of Ag-NPs or α-Fe2O3-NPs had no effect on bean plant growth and only a small effect on the bacterial community structure and its putative metabolic functions. These findings show that in a complex system, such as a soil, different factors might affect the bacterial community structure and alter the possible effect of nanoparticles on it.

Plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) benefit plant health by enhancing plant nutrient-use efficiency and protecting plants against biotic and abiotic stresses. This study aimed to isolate and characterize autochthonous PGPM from important agri-food crops and nonagricultural plants to formulate biofertilizers. Native microorganisms were isolated and evaluated for PGP traits (K, P, and Zn solubilization, N2-fixation, NH3-, IAA and siderophore production, and antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum). Isolates were tested on radish and broccoli seedlings, evaluating 19 individual isolates and 12 microbial consortia. Potential bacteria were identified through DNA sequencing. In total, 798 bacteria and 209 fungi were isolated. Isolates showed higher mineral solubilization activity than other mechanisms; 399 bacteria and 156 fungi presented mineral solubilization. Bacteria were relevant for nitrogen fixation, siderophore, IAA (29–176 mg/L), and ammonia production, while fungi for Fusarium growth inhibition (40–69%). Twenty-four bacteria and eighteen fungi were selected for their PGP traits. Bacteria had significantly (ANOVA, p < 0.05) better effects on plants than fungi; treatments improved plant height (23.06–51.32%), leaf diameter (25.43–82.91%), and fresh weight (54.18–85.45%) in both crops. Most potential species belonged to Pseudomonas, Pantoea, Serratia, and Rahnella genera. This work validated a high-throughput approach to screening hundreds of rhizospheric microorganisms with PGP potential isolated from rhizospheric samples.

In this work, bulb extracts of Tigridia vanhouttei were obtained by maceration with solvents of increasing polarity. The extracts were evaluated against a panel of pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains using the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay. The cytotoxicity of the extracts was tested against two cell lines (THP-1 and A549) using the MTT assay. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts was evaluated in THP-1 cells by measuring the secretion of pro-inflammatory (IL-6 and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines by ELISA. The chemical composition of the extracts was recorded by FTIR spectroscopy, and their chemical profiles were evaluated using GC-MS. The results revealed that only hexane extract inhibited the growth of the clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 200 μg/mL. Against THP-1 cells, hexane and chloroform extracts were moderately cytotoxic, as they exhibited LC50 values of 90.16, and 46.42 μg/mL, respectively. Treatment with methanol extract was weakly cytotoxic at LC50 443.12 μg/mL against the same cell line. Against the A549 cell line, hexane, chloroform, and methanol extracts were weakly cytotoxic because of their LC50 values: 294.77, 1472.37, and 843.12 μg/mL. The FTIR analysis suggested the presence of natural products were confirmed by carboxylic acids, ketones, hydroxyl groups, or esters. The GC-MS profile of extracts revealed the presence of phytosterols, tetracyclic triterpenes, multiple fatty acids, and sugars. This report confirms the antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and anti-inflammatory activities of T. vanhouttei.

In this paper we present a design concept, architecture and implementation of a microservice to process and integrate rain information into a car navigation system in the form of rain map features. Two different input data sources are considered: QuadTile JSON format and GeoTIFF images. Our system converts this input data into an ouput GeoJSON format with only the most relevant information for the map overlay system in the navigation system of the car. We discuss different options for the cloud appearance, like color, shape and transparency. We present our microservices architecture together with data pipelines and implementation. Our approach allows for low latency and spare computing resources, which are especially needed in embedded systems. Finally, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of our approach as well as further work.

Objetivo. El objetivo de esta revisión consiste en analizar la evidencia más reciente sobre la utilidad de los glucocorticoides en pacientes con Inflamación relacionada a Angiopatía Amiloide Cerebral (IrAAC). Métodos. Revisión sistemática. Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda bibliográfica en los motores de búsqueda y bases de datos bases de datos PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, EBSCO y MEDLINE, incluyendo cualquier artículo relacionado con la evaluación de la utilidad, eficacia o seguridad de los glucocorticoides sobre la inflamación de angiopatía amiloide cerebral, sería incluido, dando prioridad a los estudios originales y a las revisiones sistemáticas y meta-análisis. Resultados. Se encontró que, la evidencia actual sobre su uso es limitada, derivando principalmente de casos reporte, series de casos y estudios retrospectivos. No obstante, parece ser que estos agentes ocasionan una respuesta favorable con solución parcial de las manifestaciones neurológicas de manera inmediata y/o progresiva a mediano y largo plazo, así como de los cambios anormales imagenológicos, dados por edema vasogénico y microsangrados corticales y subcorticales, aunque la mejoría de este último, no es muy marcado. Conclusión. La evidencia actual sobre el uso de glucocorticoides y su impacto sobre desenlaces clínicos y neuroimagenológicos es limitada.

Abstract Microorganisms are often applied as biofertilizer to crops to stimulate plant growth, increase yields and reduce inorganic N application. The survival and proliferation of these allochthonous microorganisms in soil is a necessary requisite for them to promote plant growth. We applied a sterilized or unsterilized not commercialized bacterial consortium mixed with cow manure leachate used by a farmer as biofertilizer to maize (Zea mays L.) in a greenhouse experiment, while maize development and the bacterial community structure was determined just before the biofertilizer was applied a first time (day 44), after three applications (day 89) and after six application at the end of the experiment (day 130). Application of sterilized or unsterilized biofertilizer with pH 4.3 and 864 mg NH4 +-N kg−1 had no significant effect on maize growth. The application of the biofertilizer dominated by Lactobacillus (relative abundance 11.90%) or the sterilized biofertilizer changed the relative abundance of a limited number of bacterial groups, i.e. Delftia, Halomonas, Lactobacillus and Stenotrophomonas, without altering significantly the bacterial community structure. Cultivation of maize, however, affected significantly the bacterial community structure, which showed large significant variations over time in the cultivated and uncultivated soil. It was concluded that the bacteria applied as a biofertilizer had only a limited effect on the relative abundance of these groups in uncultivated or soil cultivated with maize.

The present research shows a robust isotopic ratio characterization of Carbon-13 (δ13CVPDB) in congeneric compounds such as methanol, n-propanol, isoamyl alcohol, ethyl lactate, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and acetaldehyde in representative samples (n = 69) of Tequila 100% agave silver class (TSC), employing gas chromatography/combustion/isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS). From the information obtained, the construction of a radial plot attributable to the isotopic fingerprint of TSC was achieved. With this information, a diagnostic test was designed to determine the authenticity of TSC, comparing alcoholic beverages from other agave species as non-authentic samples. The sensitivity of the test was 94.2%; the specificity was 83.3%. Additionally, non-authentic samples were analyzed that meet all the criteria established in the regulations. The results obtained show that the GC/C/IRMS analytical technique and designed diagnostic test are useful as auxiliary parameters to determine the authenticity of the beverage, thus managing to determine the adulteration or falsification of the product.

In this study, the leaves of Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi were consecutively macerated with hexane, chloroform, and methanol. These extracts were used to assess the bioactivities of the plant. The antimicrobial activity was tested against a panel of Gram-positive and -negative pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains using the microdilution method. The cytotoxicity of K. fedtschenkoi extracts was investigated using human-derived macrophage THP-1 cells through the MTT assay. Finally, the anti-inflammatory activity of extracts was studied using the same cell line by measuring the secretion of IL-10 and IL-6. The phytoconstituents of hexane and chloroform extracts were evaluated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In addition, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to study the phytochemical content of methanol extract. The total flavonoid content (TFC) of methanol extract is also reported. The chemical composition of K. fedtschenkoi extracts was evaluated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results revealed that the chloroform extract inhibited the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 150 μg/mL. At the same concentration, methanol extract inhibited the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Regarding their cytotoxicity, the three extracts were highly cytotoxic against the tested cell line at IC50 < 3 μg/mL. In addition, the chloroform extract significantly stimulated the secretion of IL-10 at 50 μg/mL (p < 0.01). GC/MS analyses revealed that hexane and chloroform extracts contain fatty acids, sterols, vitamin E, and triterpenes. The HPLC analysis demonstrated that methanol extract was constituted by quercetin and kaempferol derivatives. This is the first report in which the bioactivities and chemical profiles of K. fedtschenkoi are assessed for non-polar and polar extracts.