Fenton's reagent was used to isolate microplastics from organic-rich wastewater. The catalytic reaction did not affect microplastic chemistry or size, enabling its use as a pre-treatment method for ...focal plane array-based micro-FT-IR imaging. Compared with previously described microplastic treatment methods, Fenton's reagent offers a considerable reduction in sample preparation times.
Viruses are believed to be a significant cause of recreationally associated water-borne disease. However, they have been difficult to document because of the wide variety of illnesses that they cause ...and the limitations in previous detection methods. Noroviruses are believed to be the single largest cause of outbreaks, which have been documented in the published literature 45% (n = 25), followed by adenovirus (24%), echovirus (18%), hepatitis A virus (7%) and coxsackieviruses (5%). Just under half of the outbreaks occurred in swimming pools (49%), while the second largest outbreak occurred in lakes or ponds (40%). The number of reported outbreaks associated with noroviruses has increased significantly in recent years probably because of better methods for virus detection. Inadequate disinfection was related to 69% (n = 18) of swimming pool outbreaks. A lack of required reporting and nonuniform water quality and chlorination/disinfection standards continues to contribute to water-borne recreational disease outbreaks.
Transit through the carbon liquid phase has significant consequences for the subsequent formation of solid nanocarbon detonation products. We report dynamic measurements of liquid carbon condensation ...and solidification into nano-onions over ∽200 ns by analysis of time-resolved, small-angle X-ray scattering data acquired during detonation of a hydrogen-free explosive, DNTF (3,4-bis(3-nitrofurazan-4-yl)furoxan). Further, thermochemical modeling predicts a direct liquid to solid graphite phase transition for DNTF products ~200 ns post-detonation. Solid detonation products were collected and characterized by high-resolution electron microscopy to confirm the abundance of carbon nano-onions with an average diameter of ∽10 nm, matching the dynamic measurements. We analyze other carbon-rich explosives by similar methods to systematically explore different regions of the carbon phase diagram traversed during detonation. Our results suggest a potential pathway to the efficient production of carbon nano-onions, while offering insight into the phase transformation kinetics of liquid carbon under extreme pressures and temperatures.
Conservation of normal cognitive functions relies on the proper performance of the nervous system at the cellular and molecular level. The mammalian nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide-dependent ...deacetylase SIRT1 impacts different processes potentially involved in the maintenance of brain integrity, such as chromatin remodeling, DNA repair, cell survival, and neurogenesis. Here we show that SIRT1 is expressed in neurons of the hippocampus, a key structure in learning and memory. Using a combination of behavioral and electrophysiological paradigms, we analyzed the effects of SIRT1 deficiency and overexpression on mouse learning and memory as well as on synaptic plasticity. We demonstrated that the absence of SIRT1 impaired cognitive abilities, including immediate memory, classical conditioning, and spatial learning. In addition, we found that the cognitive deficits in SIRT1 knock-out (KO) mice were associated with defects in synaptic plasticity without alterations in basal synaptic transmission or NMDA receptor function. Brains of SIRT1-KO mice exhibited normal morphology and dendritic spine structure but displayed a decrease in dendritic branching, branch length, and complexity of neuronal dendritic arbors. Also, a decrease in extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation and altered expression of hippocampal genes involved in synaptic function, lipid metabolism, and myelination were detected in SIRT1-KO mice. In contrast, mice with high levels of SIRT1 expression in brain exhibited regular synaptic plasticity and memory. We conclude that SIRT1 is indispensable for normal learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity in mice.
Exercise changes behaviour Sinclair, Elektra L. E; Souza, Carolina R. Noronha; Ward, Ashley J. W ...
Functional ecology,
June 2014, Letnik:
28, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Exercise, which may be defined as bodily movement produced by the contraction of skeletal muscle and which increases energy expenditure above basal levels, is essential for fitness‐related activities ...such as foraging, migration and dispersal. The frequency with which individuals engage in exercise depends on a range of intrinsic and environmental factors. Exercise itself can modify behaviour by inducing endocrine changes and by a training effect that increases physiological capacities. Here, we test the hypothesis that exercise changes behaviour and that there is positive feedback so that performing exercise increases the likelihood of performing exercise‐related behaviours. We show that there was a training effect that improved sustained swimming performance of mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) exposed to chronic exercise in flowing water for 4 weeks compared to sedentary controls. Exercised fish also became bolder and were quicker to leave a refuge, showed an increasing tendency to explore unfamiliar environments, and were more aggressive than sedentary fish. These physiological and behavioural changes reverted back to control levels when exercised fish assumed a sedentary lifestyle again. We used the calcium channel blocker nifedipine to decrease swimming performance of exercised fish to control levels, which allowed us to determine whether increased locomotor capacity per se influences behaviour. We show that reducing the swimming performance of exercised fish also reduced exploration and aggression, but it did not affect the latency to leave a refuge (boldness). Our data show that behavioural phenotypes are not fixed. Exercise changes behaviour and may thereby alter interactions between individuals and dispersal. Environmental changes that demand increased levels of exercise induce behavioural responses that are likely to increase the success of individuals under these changed conditions.
Reactivation of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in transplant recipients can cause life-threatening disease. Consequently, for transplant recipients, killing latently infected cells could have ...far-reaching clinical benefits. In vivo, myeloid cells and their progenitors are an important site of HCMV latency, and one viral gene expressed by latently infected myeloid cells is US28. This viral gene encodes a cell surface G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that binds chemokines, triggering its endocytosis. We show that the expression of US28 on the surface of latently infected cells allows monocytes and their progenitor CD34+ cells to be targeted and killed by F49A-FTP, a highly specific fusion toxin protein that binds this viral GPCR. As expected, this specific targeting of latently infected cells by F49A-FTP also robustly reduces virus reactivation in vitro. Consequently, such specific fusion toxin proteins could form the basis of a therapeutic strategy for eliminating latently infected cells before haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
An advanced spatial-unfolding technique capable of reconstructing the activity distribution within an exclusion zone from Compton gamma imager measurements taken outside of it is introduced. Although ...the method is generally applicable to extended sources, we demonstrate it here on a calibrated Cs-137 point source through Monte Carlo simulation studies as well as with measurements made using a Silicon Compton Telescope for Safety and Security (SCoTSS) gamma imager. For synthetic data the method accurately reconstructs the total activity contained within the mapped zone of interest, even when the size of the basis elements used to reconstruct the activity distribution is larger than the source itself. For experimental data, the method reliably located the source but underestimated its activity by up to 17%. This is accurate enough for real-world security applications. The underestimation is likely due to effects not yet included in the simulated response of the detector. The method has widespread applicability in the radiological/nuclear safety and security field, particularly for scenarios in which a threat material or contaminated area lies within a no-entry or no-fly zone.
•A spatial-unfolding technique applicable to Compton gamma imaging is introduced.•Method is validated with Monte Carlo and experimental Cs-137 point source data.•Source is reliably localized but the experimental activity is underestimated by 17%.•Method is applicable to sources extending over large areas at great distance.•Method has applicability in the radiological/nuclear safety and security field.
•Cashing out is a popular gambling feature that has been linked to problem gambling.•In our sample, 51.8% of participants reported using the cash out feature.•Using the cash out feature was ...associated with motivations to gamble to make money.•The cash out feature was associated with increased psychological vulnerabilities.•Motives for cashing out were to cut losses, gain money, and related to risk level.
Cashing out is a popular feature of modern ‘in-play’ sports betting that allows sports bettors to withdraw a bet before the sporting event on which the bet was placed is finalized. Previous studies have shown that use of the cash out feature is positively related to problem gambling symptomatology. However, little is known about demographic and psychological characteristics of in-play sports bettors who use the cash out feature, or their motivations for use. To fill this knowledge gap, we recruited 224 adults (18 + years) from Ontario who engaged in in-play sports betting in the past three months. Participants completed self-report measures of psychological and gambling-related variables. Participants also provided qualitative responses for their motivations for using the cash out feature. Approximately half (51.8 %) of the participants reported using the cash out feature. No statistically significant demographic differences were found between participants who used and did not use the cash out feature. Participants who used the feature (compared to those who did not) reported higher problematic alcohol and cannabis use, feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress, and were motivated to gamble to make money. The primary reasons for cashing out were to access money immediately, to cut losses, and because cashing out felt like a less risky option. The current findings shed light on underlying psychological vulnerabilities associated with individuals who use the cash out feature, which can inform initiatives to reduce the harms associated with this popular feature of sports betting.
We are designing an all-scintillator Compton gamma imager for use in security investigations and remediation actions involving radioactive threat material. To satisfy requirements for a rugged and ...portable instrument, we have chosen solid scintillator for the active volumes of both the scatter and absorber detectors. Using the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc Monte Carlo simulation package, we have constructed models using four different materials for the scatter detector: LaBr 3 , NaI, CaF 2 , and PVT. We have compared the detector performances using angular resolution, efficiency, and image resolution. We find that while PVT provides worse performance than that of the detectors based entirely on inorganic scintillators, all of the materials investigated for the scatter detector have the potential to provide performance adequate for our purposes.
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