Blowin' in the Wind: Mapping the Dispersion of Metal(loid)s From Atacama Mining.

The Atacama Desert's naturally elevated metal(loid)s pose a unique challenge for assessing the environmental impact of mining, particularly for indigenous communities residing in these areas. This study investigates how copper mining influences the dispersion of these elements in the wind-transportable fraction (<75 μm) of surface sediments across an 80 km radius. We employed a multi-pronged approach, utilizing spatial modeling to map element distributions, exponential decay analysis to quantify concentration decline with distance, regime shift modeling to identify dispersion pattern variations, and pollution assessment to evaluate impact.

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Biomass for Electrochemical Energy Storage: Parameters, Mechanisms, Electrochemical Performance, and the Incorporation of Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanoparticles.

Given the pressing climate and sustainability challenges, shifting industrial processes towards environmentally friendly practices is imperative. Among various strategies, the generation of green, flexible materials combined with efficient reutilization of biomass stands out. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process as a sustainable approach for developing carbonaceous materials from biomass.

Exploring protein-protein interactions and oligomerization state of pulmonary surfactant protein C (SP-C) through FRET and fluorescence self-quenching.

Pulmonary surfactant (PS) is a lipid-protein complex that forms films reducing surface tension at the alveolar air-liquid interface. Surfactant protein C (SP-C) plays a key role in rearranging the lipids at the PS surface layers during breathing. The N-terminal segment of SP-C, a lipopeptide of 35 amino acids, contains two palmitoylated cysteines, which affect the stability and structure of the molecule.

Cell lipid droplet heterogeneity and altered biophysical properties induced by cell stress and metabolic imbalance.

Lipid droplets (LD) are important regulators of lipid metabolism and are implicated in several diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying the roles of LD in cell pathophysiology remain elusive. Hence, new approaches that enable better characterization of LD are essential.

Effect of Cisplatin and Its Cationic Analogues in the Phase Behavior and Permeability of Model Lipid Bilayers.

Increasing evidence suggests a critical role of lipids in both the mechanisms of toxicity and resistance of cells to platinum(II) complexes. In particular, cisplatin and other analogues were reported to interact with lipids and transiently promote lipid phase changes both in the bulk membranes and in specific membrane domains. However, these processes are complex and not fully understood.

Efficient adsorption of bulky reactive dyes from water using sustainably-derived mesoporous carbons.

Hazardous reactive dyes can cause serious environmental problems, as they are difficult to remove from water using conventional adsorbents due to their large molecular sizes and bulky structures. Sustainable mesoporous carbons derived from alginic acid demonstrated promising adsorbent capacity for several representative industrial bulky reactive dye molecules that account for almost 30% of the global textile dye market: Procion Yellow H-XEL (PY), Remazol Black (RB), Procion Crimson H-XEL (PC) and Procion Navy H-XEL (PN). These new adsorbents showed high mesoporosity (>90%) and large pore diameters (>20 nm) facilitating more straightforward and efficient adsorption and desorption processes when compared with predominately microporous activated carbon (AC), Norit, of similar surface chemistry, or with Silica gel (Sgel) that shows good mesoporosity but is hydrophilic.

Social anxiety and academic performance during COVID-19 in schoolchildren.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the perception of schoolchildren whether their academic performance improved or worsened during the pandemic, analyzing their social anxiety, gender, use of masks in the classroom, and school year. The total sample was 107 primary school students (25 in the fourth, 40 in the fifth and 42 in the sixth grade), with a mean age of 10.51 years old (SD = 1).

Xeno-Free Integrated Platform for Robust Production of Cardiomyocyte Sheets from hiPSCs.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be efficiently differentiated into cardiomyocytes (CMs), which can be used for cardiac disease modeling, for drug screening, and to regenerate damaged myocardium. Implementation of xeno-free culture systems is essential to fully explore the potential of these cells. However, differentiation using xeno-free adhesion matrices often results in low CM yields and lack of functional CM sheets, capable of enduring additional maturation stages.

Frühzeitiges Absetzen des paramedianen Stirn-Interpolationslappens unter Verwendung von kutanem Ultraschall.

Hintergrund Und Ziele: Der paramediane Stirnlappen ist ein Interpolationslappen, bei dem Gewebe von der Stirn in die Nasenregion transplantiert wird. Die Blutversorgung erfolgt über die Arteria supratrochlearis. Üblicherweise wird der vaskuläre Stiel zwischen dem 14.

[Prevalence of burnout in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated factors. A cross-sectional study].

The COVID-19 pandemic generated an overload of the health system and mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion of workers. Previous studies have reported elevated levels of burnout syndrome in healthcare workers. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence and associated factors of burnout syndrome in healthcare workers.

Impact of Ca-Induced PI(4,5)P Clusters on PH-YFP Organization and Protein-Protein Interactions.

Despite its low abundance, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P) is a key modulator of membrane-associated signaling events in eukaryotic cells. Temporal and spatial regulation of PI(4,5)P concentration can achieve localized increases in the levels of this lipid, which are crucial for the activation or recruitment of peripheral proteins to the plasma membrane. The recent observation of the dramatic impact of physiological divalent cation concentrations on PI(4,5)P clustering, suggests that protein anchoring to the plasma membrane through PI(4,5)P is likely not defined solely by a simple (monomeric PI(4,5)P)/(protein bound PI(4,5)P) equilibrium, but instead depends on complex protein interactions with PI(4,5)P clusters.

Data on accumulative allocation of water rights in the Atacama Desert (Antofagasta Region, northern Chile), 1905-2018.

This article presents a dataset on the accumulated water flow (L/s) granted in the Antofagasta Region for each year between 1905 and 2018. We produced the dataset starting from the official public records on water rights ( RPDAA), which are free to access and available at the National Water Agency's website (, DGA). The initial data described 1047 individual water rights granted in the Antofagasta Region according to 65 criteria.

On 'Fluorescence and the structure of proteins. I. Effects of substituents on the fluorescence of indole and phenol compounds' by Robert W. Cowgill.

This note on the work of Robert W. Cowgill in 1963 (Archives Biochemistry and Biophysics 100, 36-44), addressing the effect of substituents in indole and phenol compounds as models for tryptophan and tyrosine, intends to frame it within the foundations of protein fluorescence and its applications, considering its relevance and impact.

Laurdan in live cell imaging: Effect of acquisition settings, cell culture conditions and data analysis on generalized polarization measurements.

Cell function is highly dependent on membrane structure, organization, and fluidity. Therefore, methods to probe the biophysical properties of biological membranes are required. Determination of generalized polarization (GP) values using Laurdan in fluorescence microscopy studies is one of the most widely-used methods to investigate changes in membrane fluidity in vitro and in vivo.

Probing the Structural Dynamics of the Activation Gate of KcsA Using Homo-FRET Measurements.

The allosteric coupling between activation and inactivation processes is a common feature observed in K channels. Particularly, in the prokaryotic KcsA channel the K conduction process is controlled by the inner gate, which is activated by acidic pH, and by the selectivity filter (SF) or outer gate, which can adopt non-conductive or conductive states. In a previous study, a single tryptophan mutant channel (W67 KcsA) enabled us to investigate the SF dynamics using time-resolved homo-Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (homo-FRET) measurements.

Quantitative FRET Microscopy Reveals a Crucial Role of Cytoskeleton in Promoting PI(4,5)P Confinement.

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P) is an essential plasma membrane component involved in several cellular functions, including membrane trafficking and cytoskeleton organization. This function multiplicity is partially achieved through a dynamic spatiotemporal organization of PI(4,5)P within the membrane. Here, we use a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) approach to quantitatively assess the extent of PI(4,5)P confinement within the plasma membrane.

Lipid Hydroperoxide Compromises the Membrane Structure Organization and Softens Bending Rigidity.

Lipid hydroperoxides are key mediators of diseases and cell death. In this work, the structural and dynamic perturbations induced by the hydroperoxidized POPC lipid (POPC-OOH) in fluid POPC membranes, at both 23 and 37 °C, were addressed using advanced small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and fluorescence methodologies. Notably, SAXS reveals that the hydroperoxide group decreases the lipid bilayer bending rigidity.

The long chain base unsaturation has a stronger impact on 1-deoxy(methyl)-sphingolipids biophysical properties than the structure of its C1 functional group.

1-deoxy-sphingolipids, also known as atypical sphingolipids, are directly implicated in the development and progression of hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 1 and diabetes type 2. The mechanisms underlying their patho-physiological actions are yet to be elucidated. Accumulating evidence suggests that the biological actions of canonical sphingolipids are triggered by changes promoted on membrane organization and biophysical properties.

Interface-Mediated Mechanism of Action-The Root of the Cytoprotective Effect of Immediate-Release Omeprazole.

Omeprazole is usually administered under an enteric coating. However, there is a Food and Drug Administration-approved strategy that enables its release in the stomach. When locally absorbed, omeprazole shows a higher efficacy and a cytoprotective effect, whose mechanism was still unknown.