SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reduces burst activities in neurons measured by micro-electrode arrays.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a large-scale global pandemic between 2020 and 2022. Despite efforts to understand its biological and pathogenic mechanisms, the viral impact on the neurological systems remains unclear. The main goal of this study was to quantify the neurological phenotypes induced by the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in neurons, as measured by in-vitro multiwell micro-electrode arrays (MEAs). Materials and methods: The authors extracted the whole-brain neurons from the newborn P1 mice and plated them on multiwell MEAs and administered purified recombinant spike proteins (both S1 and S2 subunits) from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The signals from the MEAs were transmitted from an amplifier to a high-performance computer for recording and analysis using an in-house developed algorithm to quantify neuronal phenotypes. Results: Primary among the phenotypic features analyzed, we discovered that neuronal treatment with spike 1 protein (S1) protein from SARS-CoV-2 decreased the mean burst numbers observed on each electrode, an effect that could be rescued with an anti-S1 antibody. Conversely, this mean burst number decrease was not observed with spike 2 protein (S2) treatment. Finally, our data strongly suggest that the receptor binding domain of S1 is responsible for the reduction in neuronal burst activity. Conclusion: Overall, our results strongly indicate that spike proteins may play an important role in altering neuronal phenotypes, specifically the burst patterns, when neurons are exposed during early development.

Active shooter mitigation strategies in small rural churches.

Gun violence in places of worship (POW) has long been an issue and has been addressed repeatedly in the literature. Contextually, most of the research has been pertinent to relatively large POW, situated in an urban setting. However, rural churches have not been addressed, and they appear to have a far less defensive posture, mainly because of their remote location and the extended time required for first responders to arrive, which in turn requires a higher level of independent operation in terms of defense and medical response. Having retained an off-duty officer is a strong deterrent and provides the ability to handle any issues that may arise, including lower violence level events. If retaining an officer is not an option, having a well-trained volunteer armed team and a clear plan of action is vital to surviving such an event. Furthermore, due to the extended response and transport time, it is critical to have proper medical training, such as Stop the Bleed® and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. This article's focus is not only on response but preparedness, which reinforces the response, as well as prevention and deterrence. An exhaustive best practices review has informed the solutions offered, supplemented by experience and recommendations of a highly experienced physical security expert and a police officer member of a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.

The effectiveness of urban trees in reducing airborne particulate matter by dry deposition in Tehran, Iran.

Deposition of atmospheric pollution as particulate matter (PM) has become a serious issue in many urban areas. This study measured and estimated the amount of atmospheric PM deposition onto oriental plane (Platanus orientalis L.) trees located in Tehran Megapolis, Iran. PM deposited on the leaves of urban trees during spring and summer was estimated using leaf wash measurements. In addition to direct measurements, the dry deposition velocity and the yearly whole-tree PM deposition were estimated using both field measurements and a theoretical model of deposition flux. We estimated air quality improvement as a result of the trees at respiratory height (1.5 m), tree height (10 m), and boundary layer height (1719 m). Foliar PM deposition during spring and summer was estimated to average 0.05 g/leaf and 41.39 g/tree using direct measurements. The annual PM deposited on the leaves, trunk, and branches of an average urban tree was calculated to be 78.60 g/tree. Trees were estimated to improve air quality at 1.5 m, 10 m, and 1719 m from ground level by 25.8%, 5.8%, and 0.1%, respectively. Hence, oriental plane trees substantially reduce PM at respiratory height.

The importance of considering rainfall partitioning in afforestation initiatives in semiarid climates: A comparison of common planted tree species in Tehran, Iran.

As plantations become increasingly important sources of wood and fiber in arid/semiarid places, they have also become increasingly criticized for their hydrological impacts. An examination and comparison of gross rainfall (GR) partitioning across commonly-planted tree species (Pinus eldarica, Cupressus arizonica, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Fraxinus rotundifolia) in semiarid regions has great value for watershed and forest managers interested in managing canopy hydrological processes for societal benefit. Therefore, we performed a field study examining GR partitioning into throughfall (TF), stemflow (SF), and rainfall interception (I) for these species in the semiarid Chitgar Forest Park, Tehran, Iran. An advantage to our study is that we explore the effects of forest structural differences in plantation forests experiencing similar climatic factors and storm conditions. As such, variability in GR partitioning due to different meteorological conditions is minimized, allowing comparison of structural attributes across plantations. Our results show that commonly-selected afforestation species experiencing the same climate produced differing stand structures that differentially partition GR into TF, SF, and I. P. eldarica might be the best of the four species to plant if the primary goal of afforestation is to limit erosion and stormwater runoff as it intercepted more rainfall than other species. However, the high SF generation from F. rotundifolia, and low GR necessary to initiate SF, could maximize retention of water in the soils since SF has been shown to infiltrate along root pathways and access groundwater. A consideration of GR partitioning should be considered when selecting a species for afforestation/reforestation in water-limited ecosystems.

Phosphorylation of eIF4E serine 209 is associated with tumour progression and reduced survival in malignant melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is a disease that primarily arises in the skin but is a derivative of the neural crest. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) regulates translation of multiple malignancy-associated mRNAs and is overexpressed in many epithelial tumours. However, expression in human tumours derived from the neural crest is unknown. Here, we determined the association of eIF4E and phospho-eIF4E expression in melanocytic lesions with malignant conversion, metastatic potential and patient survival. METHODS: Archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded surgical specimens from 114 patients with melanocytic lesions were stained immunohistochemically for eIF4E and phospho-eIF4E and evaluated semiquantitatively. The relationship between cytoplasmic and nuclear eIF4E and phospho-eIF4E protein expression, melanocytic lesion subtype and tumour progression was determined. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and Cox proportional hazard regression were performed. RESULTS: Increased eIF4E and phospho-eIF4E expression was highly associated with malignancy (P<0.0001). High nuclear phospho-eIF4E was associated with synchronous or future metastasis (P=0.0059). Kaplan-Meier analyses demonstrated highly significant associations between high histoscores for cytoplasmic and nuclear phospho-eIF4E and reduced survival in all patients (P=0.0003 and 0.0009, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Increased melanoma expression of eIF4E and phospho-eIF4E is associated with metastatic potential, reduced survival and increased risk of death.

Racial athletic stereotype confirmation in college football recruiting.

The present study tested real-world racial stereotype use in the context of college athletic recruiting. Stereotype confirmation suggests that observers use stereotypes as hypotheses and interpret relevant evidence in a biased way that confirms their stereotypes. Shifting standards suggest that the evaluative standard to which we hold a target changes as a function of their group membership. We examined whether stereotype confirmation and shifting standards effects would be seen in college football coaches during recruiting. College football coaches evaluated a Black or White player on several attributes and made both zero- and non-zero-sum allocations. Results suggested that coaches used the evidence presented to develop biased subjective evaluations of the players based on race while still maintaining equivalent objective evaluations. Coaches also allocated greater overall resources to the Black recruit than the White recruit.

Vascular endothelial-cadherin stimulates syndecan-1-coupled insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor and cross-talk between αVß3 integrin and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 at the onset of endothelial cell dissemination during angiogenesis.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-stimulated angiogenesis depends on a cross-talk mechanism involving VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin and the αVß3 integrin. Because we have shown that αVß3 integrin activation is dependent on its incorporation, along with the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) kinase, into a ternary receptor complex organized by the matrix receptor syndecan-1 (Sdc1), we questioned the role of this core complex in VEGF-stimulated angiogenesis. We find that the Sdc1-coupled ternary receptor complex is required for VEGF signalling and for stimulation of vascular endothelial cell migration by vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) engagement. VE-cadherin binding to Fc/VE-cadherin extracellular domain chimera activates Sdc1-coupled IGF1R and αvß3 integrin; this depends on VEGFR2 and c-Src activated by the cadherin. Blocking homotypic VE-cadherin engagement disrupts VEGF-stimulated cell migration, which is restored by clustering the cadherin in the absence of cell-cell adhesion. This cadherin-dependent stimulation requires VEGFR2 and IGF1R and is blocked by synstatin (SSTN)(92-119), a peptide that competitively disrupts the Sdc1-coupled ternary complex and prevents the αVß3 integrin activation required for VEGFR2 activation. VEGFR2-stimulated angiogenesis in the mouse aortic ring explant assay is disrupted by SSTN, although only early in the process, suggesting that IGF1R coupling to Sdc1 and αVß3 integrin comprises a core activation mechanism activated by VE-cadherin that is necessary for VEGFR2 and integrin activation in the initial stages of endothelial cell dissemination during angiogenesis.

Application of electron backscatter diffraction techniques to quenched and partitioned steels.

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques were used to characterize "hot-rolled" quenched and partitioned microstructures produced via Gleeble thermal simulations representing a hot-strip cooling practice for steel. In particular, EBSD was utilized to positively identify the morphology and location of retained austenite, to qualitatively distinguish martensite from ferrite, and in an attempt to identify transition carbides. Large pools of retained austenite and some thin films were accurately indexed; however, there was some disparity between austenite volume fractions measured by EBSD and those measured by X-ray diffraction. Due to similarities between the crystal structures of martensite and ferrite (body centered tetragonal versus body centered cubic, respectively), martensite could not be distinguished from ferrite by indexing of diffraction patterns; however, martensite could qualitatively be distinguished from ferrite by regions of low image quality based on the very high dislocation density of martensite.