Polarization-Tuned Fano Resonances in All-Dielectric Short-Wave Infrared Metasurface.

The short-wave infrared (SWIR) is an underexploited portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in metasurface-based nanophotonics despite its strategic importance in sensing and imaging applications. This is mainly attributed to the lack of material systems to tailor light-matter interactions in this range. Herein, this limitation is addressed and an all-dielectric silicon-integrated metasurface enabling polarization-induced Fano resonance control at SWIR frequencies is demonstrated.

Incorporating fire-smartness into agricultural policies reduces suppression costs and ecosystem services damages from wildfires.

In southern Europe, land abandonment and an unbalanced investment toward fire suppression instead of prevention has gradually increased wildfire risk, which calls for a paradigm change in fire management policies. Here we combined scenario analysis, fire landscape modelling, and economic tools to identify which land-use policies would reduce the expected wildfire-related losses in the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve 'Gerês-Xurés' (Spain-Portugal). To do so, we applied the least-cost-plus-net-value-change approach and estimated net changes in wildfire damages based on their implications for the 2010-2050 period and five ecosystem services: agriculture, pasture, timber, recreation and climate regulation.

Visual Characteristics of Adults with Long-Standing History of Dietary Exposure to Mercury in Grassy Narrows First Nation, Canada.

Since the 1960s, Grassy Narrows First Nation (Ontario, Canada) has been exposed to methyl mercury (Hg) through fish consumption, resulting from industrial pollution of their territorial waters. This cross-sectional study describes the visual characteristics of adults with documented Hg exposure between 1970 and 1997. Oculo-visual examinations of 80 community members included visual acuity, automated visual fields, optical coherence tomography [OCT], color vision and contrast sensitivity.

Reduction in water consumption in premise plumbing systems: Impacts on lead concentration under different water qualities.

Water conservation measures are increasing in response to regulatory requirements addressing the need for lower environmental footprint and in response to water shortages. In households with lead service lines (LSLs), lowering consumption can adversely impact lead release as it will increase stagnation. Using a lead dissolution model and data from extensive pilot studies on excavated LSLs, the impact of adaptation to different water conservation strategies on dissolved lead contamination at the kitchen tap is assessed under three water qualities and three LSL lengths (3, 14 and 30 m) using hydraulic and water quality modelling.

The experience of pregnant women in contexts of vulnerability of prenatal primary nursing care: a descriptive interpretative qualitative study.

Background: Prenatal primary nursing care contributes to improving the health outcomes of mothers and unborn babies. Some pregnant women in contexts of vulnerability experience prenatal nursing care in a positive way, while some do not. A better understanding of factors influencing this experience could help improve prenatal nursing care.

Insightful Improvement in the Design of Potent Uropathogenic FimH Antagonists.

Selective antiadhesion antagonists of Uropathogenic (UPEC) type-1 Fimbrial adhesin (FimH) are attractive alternatives for antibiotic therapies and prophylaxes against acute or recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by UPECs. A rational small library of FimH antagonists based on previously described -linked allyl α-D-mannopyranoside was synthesized using Heck cross-coupling reaction using a series of iodoaryl derivatives. This work reports two new members of FimH antagonist amongst the above family with sub nanomolar affinity.

Selectively Modified Lactose and -Acetyllactosamine Analogs at Three Key Positions to Afford Effective Galectin-3 Ligands.

Galectins constitute a family of galactose-binding lectins overly expressed in the tumor microenvironment as well as in innate and adaptive immune cells, in inflammatory diseases. Lactose ((β-D-galactopyranosyl)-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranose, Lac) and -Acetyllactosamine (2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4--β-D-galactopyranosyl-D-glucopyranose, LacNAc) have been widely exploited as ligands for a wide range of galectins, sometimes with modest selectivity. Even though several chemical modifications at single positions of the sugar rings have been applied to these ligands, very few examples combined the simultaneous modifications at key positions known to increase both affinity and selectivity.

Biogenic Selenium Nanoparticles in Biomedical Sciences: Properties, Current Trends, Novel Opportunities and Emerging Challenges in Theranostic Nanomedicine.

Selenium is an important dietary supplement and an essential trace element incorporated into selenoproteins with growth-modulating properties and cytotoxic mechanisms of action. However, different compounds of selenium usually possess a narrow nutritional or therapeutic window with a low degree of absorption and delicate safety margins, depending on the dose and the chemical form in which they are provided to the organism. Hence, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are emerging as a novel therapeutic and diagnostic platform with decreased toxicity and the capacity to enhance the biological properties of Se-based compounds.

Label-Free SERS for Rapid Differentiation of SARS-CoV-2-Induced Serum Metabolic Profiles in Non-Hospitalized Adults.

COVID-19 represents a multi-system infectious disease with broad-spectrum manifestations, including changes in host metabolic processes connected to the disease pathogenesis. Understanding biochemical dysregulation patterns as a consequence of COVID-19 illness promises to be crucial for tracking disease course and clinical outcomes. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has attracted considerable interest in biomedical diagnostics for the sensitive detection of intrinsic profiles of unique fingerprints of serum biomolecules indicative of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a label-free format.

Biosourced quinones for high-performance environmentally benign electrochemical capacitors via interface engineering.

Biosourced and biodegradable organic electrode materials respond to the need for sustainable storage of renewable energy. Here, we report on electrochemical capacitors based on electrodes made up of quinones, such as Sepia melanin and catechin/tannic acid (Ctn/TA), solution-deposited on carbon paper engineered to create high-performance interfaces. Sepia melanin and Ctn/TA on TCP electrodes exhibit a capacitance as high as 1355 mF cm (452 F g) and 898 mF cm (300 F g), respectively.

From Recharge, to Groundwater, to Discharge Areas in Aquifer Systems in Quebec (Canada): Shaping of Microbial Diversity and Community Structure by Environmental Factors.

Groundwater recharge and discharge rates and zones are important hydrogeological characteristics of aquifer systems, yet their impact on the formation of both subterranean and surface microbiomes remains largely unknown. In this study, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize and compare the microbial community of seven different aquifers, including the recharge and discharge areas of each system. The connectivity between subsurface and surface microbiomes was evaluated at each site, and the temporal succession of groundwater microbial communities was further assessed at one of the sites.

Cognitive reserve as a moderating factor between EDSS and cognition in multiple sclerosis.

Objectives: It is now well recognized that brain damage and/or atrophy apparent on MRI is only moderately correlated to cognitive functioning. The cognitive reserve (CR) hypothesis has been proposed to explain this functional heterogeneity, but it has only been addressed recently in the MS literature and has not yet been thoroughly investigated. The objective of this study is to examine the protective role of CR in cognition using a standardized CR tool in a population with a wide age range.

Exploiting the DNA Damaging Activity of Liposomal Low Dose Cytarabine for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Perhaps the greatest limitation for the continually advancing developments in cancer immunotherapy remains the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) axis is an emerging immunotherapy target, with the resulting type I interferons and transcription factors acting at several levels in both tumor and immune cells for the generation of adaptive T cell responses. The cGAS-STING axis activation by therapeutic agents that induce DNA damage, such as certain chemotherapies, continues to be reported, highlighting the importance of the interplay of this signaling pathway and the DNA damage response in cancer immunity/immunotherapy.

Identification of riverbank filtration sites at watershed scale: A geochemical and isotopic framework.

Identifying groundwater wells performing riverbank filtration (RBF) is crucial to ensure safe drinking water through vulnerability assessment plans adapted to these hybrid water sources. Nonetheless, RBF is often unintentional or insufficiently documented and official inventories are scarce. We developed a user-friendly geochemical and isotopic framework for the in-situ identification of RBF facilities.

Identifying transcript-level differential expression in primary human immune cells.

Background: Multipotential hematopoietic stem cells differentiate into a wide variety of immune cells with a diversity of functions, including the ability to respond to a variety of stimuli. Importantly, numerous studies have demonstrated the importance of gene transcription in defining cell identity and functions. While these studies have primarily been performed at the level of the gene, it is known that key immune genes such as CD44 and CD45 generate multiple different transcripts that are differentially expressed across different immune cells, and that encode proteins with different sequences and functions.

An empirical analysis of the effect of pedestrian signal countdown timer on driver behavior at signalized intersections.

A pedestrian countdown signal (PCS) is designed to provide additional information to pedestrians at crossings and help their crossing decisions. However, the PCS information can also affect drivers' behaviors when it is visible to drivers. With the countdown information visible to drivers, they can know the timing of the onset of the upcoming yellow and red traffic lights.

Using developmental regression to reorganize the clinical importance of autistic atypicalities.

Early regression (ER) is often reported in autistic children with a prototypical phenotype and has been proposed as a possible pathognomonic sign present in most autistic children. Despite the uncertainties attached to its definition and report, using ER to anchor the autism phenotype could help identify the signs that best contribute to an autism diagnosis. We extracted retrospective data from 1547 autistic children between the ages of 6 and 18 years from the Simons Simplex collection.

Pesticide responses of Arctic and temperate microalgae differ in relation to ecophysiological characteristics.

Polar ecosystems play an important role in global primary production. Microalgae have adaptations that enable them to live under low temperature environments where irradiance and day length change drastically. Their adaptations, leading to different ecophysiological characteristics relative to temperate species, could also alter their sensitivity to pollutants such as pesticides.

Validation of Selective Capture of Fimbriated Uropathogenic by a Label-free Engineering Detection System Using Mannosylated Surfaces.

Label-free detection of pathogens is of major concern to the microbiologist community. Most procedures require several steps and amplification techniques. Carbohydrates are well-established receptors for host-pathogen interactions, which can be amplified using glycodendritic architectures on the basis of multivalent binding interactions.

Uncoupling cell division and cytokinesis during germline development in metazoans.

The canonical eukaryotic cell cycle ends with cytokinesis, which physically divides the mother cell in two and allows the cycle to resume in the newly individualized daughter cells. However, during germline development in nearly all metazoans, dividing germ cells undergo incomplete cytokinesis and germ cells stay connected by intercellular bridges which allow the exchange of cytoplasm and organelles between cells. The near ubiquity of incomplete cytokinesis in animal germ lines suggests that this is an ancient feature that is fundamental for the development and function of this tissue.

The relationship between zooplankton vertical distribution and the concentration of aqueous Hg in boreal lakes: A comparative field study.

The production of the highly toxic monomethylmercury (MeHg) is heterogenous throughout the water column. Multiple factors have been identified to significantly affect this process, such as an extended anoxic water layer and a deep-water phytoplankton maximum. However, the role of water column heterogeneity on mercury (Hg) cycling is still poorly known, especially concerning the role of zooplankton grazers.

Synthesis & Evaluation of Novel Mannosylated Neoglycolipids for Liposomal Delivery System Applications.

Glycosylated NPs, including liposomes, are known to target various receptors involved in cellular carbohydrate transport, of which the mannoside binding receptors are attracting particular attention for their expression on various immune cells, cancers, and cells involved in maintaining central nervous system (CNS) integrity. As part of our interest in NP drug delivery, mannosylated glycoliposomal delivery systems formed from the self-assembly of amphiphilic neoglycolipids were developed, with a C-alkyl mannopyranoside (ML-C) being identified as a lead compoundcapable of entrapping, protecting, and improving the delivery of structurally diverse payloads. However, ML-C was not without limitations in both the synthesis of the glycolipids, and the physicochemical properties of the resulting glycoliposomes.

Anthocyanins Formulated with Carboxymethyl Starch for Gastric and Intestinal Delivery.

Anthocyanins obtained from jambolan have been used as active agents in different carboxymethyl starch-based tablet formulations and their release profiles evaluated in simulated gastric fluids (SGF) and simulated intestinal (SIF) fluids. Structural analysis highlighted a strong interaction between anthocyanins and carboxymethyl starch, evidenced by scanning electron microscopy and infrared analysis. Tablet dissolution behavior varied according to the pH of the media, being controlled by the swelling and/or erosion of the polymeric matrix.