The impacts of urbanization on emissions and air quality: comparison of four visions of Austin, Texas

The impacts of alternative regional development patterns on emissions, dry deposition, and air quality were examined using four visions of future land use in Austin, Texas associated with a doubling of the population in 20-40 years from 2001. Emissions and their spatial allocation were determined based on the development pattern and used to predict hourly ozone concentrations. Differences in hourly ozone concentrations due to changes in anthropogenic emissions between the future case scenarios and a 2007 base case ranged from -14 to 22 ppb and were primarily associated with the implementation of federal mobile source standards; differences due to biogenic emissions and dry deposition due to urbanization ranged from only -1.4 to 0.7 ppb. These differences in the magnitude of emissions produced greater changes in air quality than differences in regional development patterns between the four scenarios. Differences in hourly ozone concentrations between the future development scenarios and a 2007 base case ranged from -14 to 22 ppb, in contrast to differences of -3 to 5 ppb between the future scenarios. The results imply that although the effects of urbanization patterns are non-negligible, the pattern of urban development is not as significant as reductions in emissions per capita.     

Evaluation of the Dacos 3.0 analyser

The selective multitest Coulter Dacos 3.0 analyser was evaluated according to the guidelines of the Comisión de Instrumentación de la Sociedad Española de Química Clínica and of the European Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards.The evaluation was performed in four steps: examination of the analytical units; evaluation of routine working; study of interferences; and assessment of practicability.The evaluation included a photometric study. The inaccuracy is acceptable for 340 nm and 420 nm, and the imprecision at absorbances from 0.05 to 2.00 ranged from 0.06 to 0.28% at 340 nm and from 0.06 to 0.08% at 420 nm. The linearity showed some dispersion at low absorbance for PNP at 420 nm and the drift was negligible.The imprecision of the pipette delivery system, the temperature control system and the washing system were satisfactory.In routine work conditions, seven analytical methods were studied: glucose, creatinine, iron, total protein, AST, ALP and calcium. Within-run imprecision ranged, at low concentrations, from 0.9% (CV) for glucose, to 7.6% (CV) for iron; at medium concentrations, from 0.7% (CV) for total protein to 5.2% (CV) to creatinine; and at high concentrations, it ranged from 0.6% (CV) for glucose to 3.9% (CV) for ALP.Between-run imprecision at low concentrations ranged from 1.4% (CV) for glucose to 15.1% (CV) for iron; at medium concentrations it ranged from 1.2% (CV) for protein to 6.7% (CV) for iron; and at high concentrations the range is from l.2for AST to 5.7% (CV) for iron.No contamination was found in the sample carry-over study. Some contamination was found in the reagent carry-over study (total protein due to iron and calcium reagents). Relative inaccuracy is good for all the constituents assayed. Only LDH (high and low levels) and urate (low level) showed weak and negative interference caused by turbidity, and γ-GT (high level) and amylase, bilirubin and ALP (two levels) showed a negative interference caused by haemolysis.     

Structural modifications in chronic microwire electrodes for cortical neuroprosthetics: a case study.

Long-term viability of chronic invasive neural probes is a necessary condition for extracting robust control signals directly from neural tissue. Although immune/tissue response is a leading factor in the degradation of single neuron recording, we investigate a second component of signal degradation connected to the structural changes associated with microwire electrodes chronically exposed to extracelluar environments in vivo. Scanning electron microscopy is used to assess the surface modifications to the electrodes after an implantation duration of four weeks in rats. The electrode developed a smooth fracture surface, a reduction of the metal diameter, and pitting in the insulation of the electrode structure. Over the duration of implantation, recording properties of the electrode were marked by a reduction in the peak-to-peak amplitude in neuronal firing.     

4-O-Substituted Glucuronic Cyclophellitols are Selective Mechanism-Based Heparanase Inhibitors

Degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) supports tissue integrity and homeostasis, but is also a key factor in cancer metastasis. Heparanase (HPSE) is a mammalian ECM-remodeling enzyme with β-D-endo-glucuronidase activity overexpressed in several malignancies, and is thought to facilitate tumor growth and metastasis. By this virtue, HPSE is considered an attractive target for the development of cancer therapies, yet to date no HPSE inhibitors have progressed to the clinic. Here we report on the discovery of glucurono-configured cyclitol derivatives featuring simple substituents at the 4-O-position as irreversible HPSE inhibitors. We show that these compounds, unlike glucurono-cyclophellitol, are selective for HPSE over β-D-exo-glucuronidase (GUSB), also in platelet lysate. The observed selectivity is induced by steric and electrostatic interactions of the substituents at the 4-O-position. Crystallographic analysis supports this rationale for HPSE selectivity, and computer simulations provide insights in the conformational preferences and binding poses of the inhibitors, which we believe are good starting points for the future development of HPSE-targeting antimetastatic cancer drugs.     

Differential Expression of Sphingolipid Metabolizing Enzymes in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats: A Possible Substrate for Susceptibility to Brain and Kidney Damage

Alterations in the metabolism of sphingolipids, a class of biologically active molecules in cell membranes with direct effect on vascular homeostasis, are increasingly recognized as important determinant in different vascular disorders. However, it is not clear whether sphingolipids are implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension-related cerebrovascular and renal damage. In this study, we evaluated the existence of possible abnormalities related to the sphingolipid metabolism in the brain and kidneys of two well validated spontaneously hypertensive rat strains, the stroke-prone (SHRSP) and the stroke-resistant (SHRSR) models, as compared to the normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat strain. Our results showed a global alteration in the metabolism of sphingolipids in both cerebral and renal tissues of both hypertensive strains as compared to the normotensive rat. However, few defects, such as reduced expression of enzymes involved in the metabolism/catabolism of sphingosine-1-phosphate and in the de novo biosynthetic pathways, were exclusively detected in the SHRSP. Although further studies are necessary to fully understand the significance of these findings, they suggest that defects in specific lipid molecules and/or their related metabolic pathways may likely contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertensive target organ damage and may eventually serve as future therapeutic targets to reduce the vascular consequences of hypertension.     

Self-Assemblies of Fe3O4 Nanocrystals: Toward Nanoscale Precision of Photothermal Effects in the Tumor Microenvironment

Fe₃O₄ nanocrystals are self-assembled into two different conformations: colloidosome and supraball that confer them with distinct properties determining their photo-induced heating capacities. These self-assemblies are assessed for photothermal therapy, an adjuvant strategy for tumor therapy. The tumor microenvironment is a heterogeneous ecosystem including immune cells and the extracellular matrix. The interactions between photothermal therapy agents and the different components of the tumor microenvironment determine the outcome of this therapy. In this study, the fate of both colloidosomes and supraballs within the tumor microenvironment in comparison to their Fe₃O₄ nanocrystal building blocks is revealed. This study highlights how these two hybrid self-assemblies target different compartments of the tumor microenvironment and trigger local photothermal damages that are inaccessible for isolated nanocrystals and not predicted by global temperature measurements.     

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments of Marine Coastal Lagoons in Messina,Italy: Extraction and GC/MS Analysis,Distribution and Sources

The content of 21 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in 16 samples of sediments collected from Ganzirri and Faro marine coastal lagoons in Messina, Italy. Analysis was performed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ΣPAHs) ranged from 74 to 5755 μg/kg of dry matrix. The resulting distributions and molecular ratios of specific compounds are discussed in terms of sampling location and origin of organic matter. The results obtained show that levels of contamination are not homogeneous throughout the stations, while the relative distributions of PAHs are homogeneous in most of the sampling stations. The organic matter content and PAH concentration were found to be correlated (r = 0.90). It is also shown that the pyrolytic origin is the main source of these compounds in Ganzirri and Faro Lakes sediments.     

New Partners Identified by Mass Spectrometry Assay Reveal Functions of NCAM2 in Neural Cytoskeleton Organization

Neuronal cell adhesion molecule 2 (NCAM2) is a membrane protein with an important role in the morphological development of neurons. In the cortex and the hippocampus, NCAM2 is essential for proper neuronal differentiation, dendritic and axonal outgrowth and synapse formation. However, little is known about NCAM2 functional mechanisms and its interactive partners during brain development. Here we used mass spectrometry to study the molecular interactome of NCAM2 in the second postnatal week of the mouse cerebral cortex. We found that NCAM2 interacts with >100 proteins involved in numerous processes, including neuronal morphogenesis and synaptogenesis. We validated the most relevant interactors, including Neurofilaments (NEFs), Microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), Calcium/calmodulin kinase II alpha (CaMKIIα), Actin and Nogo. An in silico analysis of the cytosolic tail of the NCAM2.1 isoform revealed specific phosphorylation site motifs with a putative affinity for some of these interactors. Our results expand the knowledge of NCAM2 interactome and confirm the key role of NCAM2 in cytoskeleton organization, neuronal morphogenesis and synaptogenesis. These findings are of interest in explaining the phenotypes observed in different pathologies with alterations in the NCAM2 gene.