Increased energy demand has led to plans for building many new dams in the western Amazon, mostly in the Andean region. Historical data and mechanistic scenarios are used to examine potential impacts ...above and below six of the largest dams planned for the region, including reductions in downstream sediment and nutrient supplies, changes in downstream flood pulse, changes in upstream and downstream fish yields, reservoir siltation, greenhouse gas emissions and mercury contamination. Together, these six dams are predicted to reduce the supply of sediments, phosphorus and nitrogen from the Andean region by 69, 67 and 57% and to the entire Amazon basin by 64, 51 and 23%, respectively. These large reductions in sediment and nutrient supplies will have major impacts on channel geomorphology, floodplain fertility and aquatic productivity. These effects will be greatest near the dams and extend to the lowland floodplains. Attenuation of the downstream flood pulse is expected to alter the survival, phenology and growth of floodplain vegetation and reduce fish yields below the dams. Reservoir filling times due to siltation are predicted to vary from 106-6240 years, affecting the storage performance of some dams. Total CO2 equivalent carbon emission from 4 Andean dams was expected to average 10 Tg y-1 during the first 30 years of operation, resulting in a MegaWatt weighted Carbon Emission Factor of 0.139 tons C MWhr-1. Mercury contamination in fish and local human populations is expected to increase both above and below the dams creating significant health risks. Reservoir fish yields will compensate some downstream losses, but increased mercury contamination could offset these benefits.
The depth of cure using blue-light photocuring units (BL) is limited by tooth structure and qualities of the restorative material through which the activating wavelength must pass. Recent ...developments incorporate an infrared (IR) activated upconversion (UC) fluorescence of a lining agent filled with nanocrystals of NaYF4 and doped with YB+3 and Tm+3 that emit both blue and violet light locally at the interface of the liner and restorative resin. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the BL and 975 nm infrared (IR) light power transmission through dental tissues and restorative materials.
Power transmissions of the IR laser (975 nm) and a monowave blue-only light-curing unit (Bluephase 16i) through dental tissues (enamel, dentin, and enamel/dentin junction, or DEJ), eight (8) various dental resin composites, and eight (8) dental ceramics, each at four thicknesses (1, 2, 3 and 4 mm) were evaluated (n=5) using a thermopile sensor (PM10, Coherent Inc) connected to a laser power meter (Fieldmate, Coherent Inc). Power transmission values of each light source and restorative material were subjected to analysis of variance and Tukey test at a pre-set alpha of 0.05.
A linear correlation (r=0.9884) between the supplied current and emitted IR power of the laser diode was found, showing no statistical power reduction with increased distances (collimated beam). For tooth tissues, the highest power transmissions for both light sources were observed using 1.0 mm enamel while the lowest values were found for 2.0 mm dentin and an association of 2.0 mm DEJ and 1.0 mm dentin. The only group where IR demonstrated significantly higher transmission when compared to BL was 1.0 mm enamel. For all resin composites and dental ceramics, increased thickness resulted in a reduction of IR power transmission (except for EverX Posterior fiber-reinforced composite and e.max HT ceramic). IR resulted in higher transmission through all resin composites, except for Tetric EvoCeram White. The highest BL transmission was observed for SDR Flow, at all thicknesses. Higher IR/BL ratios were observed for EverX Posterior, Herculite Ultra, and Lava Ultimate, while the lowest ratio was observed for Tetric EvoCeram White. Reduced translucency shades within the same material resulted in lower power ratio values, especially for BL transmission. Higher IR/BL ratios were observed for e.Max LT, VitaVM7 Base Dentin, and e.max CAD HT, while the lowest values were found for VitaVM7 Enamel and Paradigm C.
IR power transmission through enamel was higher when compared to blue light, while no difference was observed for dentin. The power transmission of IR was higher than BL for resin composites, except for a high value and low chroma shade. Fiber-reinforced resin composite demonstrated the highest IR/BL power transmission ratio. A greater IR/BL ratio was observed for lower translucency ceramics when compared to high translucency.
Brain function is fundamentally related in the most general sense to the richness of thalamocortical interconnectivity, and in particular to the rhythmic oscillatory properties of thalamocortical ...loops. Such rhythmicity is involved in the genesis of cognition, in the sleep–wake cycle, and in several neurological and psychiatric disorders. The role of GABA-mediated transmission in regulating these functional states is addressed here. At the cortical level, inhibition determines the spread of cortical activation by sculpting the precise activity patterns that underlie the details of cognition and motor control. At the thalamic level, GABA-mediated inhibition modulates and resets distribution of the ongoing thalamocortical rhythmic oscillations that bind multisensory inputs into a single cognitive experience and regulate arousal levels.
This study examined the design and daylight performance of a new louvre screen for office buildings. The screen was evaluated for three different material finishes: specular aluminium as a ...traditional material commonly used in louvres, and two types of ceramic finishes, with the intention to reduce the systems’ environmental impact. The new system was assessed taking an unshaded window, a window with a rod screen and a window with venetian blinds as references. Annual performance simulations for a full-scale room, using the lighting software Daysim, were conducted to assess the effect of the three material systems on indoor daylighting levels and distributions using both the traditional Daylight Factor and climate-based daylighting metrics (Daylight Autonomy DA and Useful Daylight Illuminance UDI). The results show that the proposed louvre system can provide satisfactory daylight levels and visual comfort within the room, while ceramics appear as a promising alternative material to be used in the production of advanced daylighting technologies.
•New louvre profile outperforms current standard profile for daylighting in buildings.•Ceramics shows a very positive performance as a material for daylighting technology.•Ceramic new louvre offers improved ecological impact and daylighting performance.
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is a rare, acquired disease associated with hemolytic anemia, bone marrow failure, thrombosis, and, frequently, poor quality of life. The International PNH ...Registry is a worldwide, observational, non-interventional study collecting safety, effectiveness, and quality-of-life data from patients with a confirmed paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria diagnosis or detectable paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria clone, irrespective of treatment. In addition to evaluating the long-term safety and effectiveness of eculizumab in a global population, the registry aims to improve diagnosis, optimize patient management and outcomes, and enhance the understanding of the natural history of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. Here we report the characteristics of the first 1610 patients enrolled. Median disease duration was 4.6 years. Median granulocyte paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria clone size was 68.1% (range 0.01-100%). Overall, 16% of patients had a history of thrombotic events and 14% a history of impaired renal function. Therapies included anticoagulation (31%), immunosuppression (19%), and eculizumab (25%). Frequently reported symptoms included fatigue (80%), dyspnea (64%), hemoglobinuria (62%), abdominal pain (44%), and chest pain (33%). Patients suffered from poor quality of life; 23% of patients had been hospitalized due to paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria-related complications and 17% stated that paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria was the reason they were not working or were working less. This international registry will provide an ongoing, valuable resource to further the clinical understanding of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.
Since the first report by Perry et al. (1955), most studies affirmed the hypertensive effects of cadmium (Cd) in humans. Nonetheless, conclusions between studies remain inconsistent.
The aim of this ...study was to reevaluate the evidence for a potential relationship between Cd exposure and altered blood pressure and/or hypertension, focusing on studies published between January 2010 and March 2020.
We reviewed all observational studies from database searches (PubMed and SCOPUS) on Cd exposure and blood pressure or hypertension. We extracted information from studies that provided sufficient data on population characteristics, smoking status, exposure, outcomes, and design.
Thirty-eight studies met our inclusion criteria; of those, twenty-nine were cross sectional, three case control, five cohort and one interventional study. Blood or urinary Cd levels were the most commonly used biomarkers.
A positive association between blood Cd levels and blood pressure and/or hypertension was identified in numerous studies at different settings. Limited number of representative population-based studies of never-smokers was observed, which may have confounded our conclusions. The association between urinary Cd and blood pressure and/or hypertension remains uncertain due to conflicting results, including inverse relationships with lack of strong mechanistic support. We point to the urgent need for additional longitudinal studies to confirm our findings.
•We performed a systematic review on the effects of human Cd exposure and altered blood pressure and/or hypertension.•Observational studies were reviewed from database searches published between January 2010 and March 2020.•A positive association between blood Cd levels and blood pressure and/or hypertension was identified.•The association between urinary Cd and blood pressure and/or hypertension remains uncertain.•Future population-wide longitudinal studies, as well as studies in non-smoking populations are needed.
Abstract We present the first results from the Web Epoch of Reionization Ly α Survey (WERLS), a spectroscopic survey of Ly α emission using Keck I/MOSFIRE and LRIS. WERLS targets bright ( J < 26) ...galaxy candidates with photometric redshifts of 5.5 ≲ z ≲ 8 selected from pre-JWST imaging embedded in the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) within three JWST deep fields: CEERS, PRIMER, and COSMOS-Web. Here, we report 11 z ∼ 7–8 Ly α emitters (LAEs; three secure and eight tentative candidates) detected in the first five nights of WERLS MOSFIRE data. We estimate our observed LAE yield is ∼13%, which is broadly consistent with expectations assuming some loss from redshift uncertainty, contamination from sky OH lines, and that the Universe is approximately half-ionized at this epoch, whereby observable Ly α emission is unlikely for galaxies embedded in a neutral intergalactic medium. Our targets are selected to be UV-bright, and span a range of absolute UV magnitudes with −23.1 < M UV < −19.8. With two LAEs detected at z = 7.68, we also consider the possibility of an ionized bubble at this redshift. Future synergistic Keck+JWST efforts will provide a powerful tool for pinpointing beacons of reionization and mapping the large-scale distribution of mass relative to the ionization state of the Universe.
Voltage-sensitive dye imaging of mouse thalamocortical slices demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the centrolateral intralaminar thalamic nucleus (CL) resulted in the specific activation of ...thalamic reticular nucleus, striatum/putamen, and cortical layers 5, 6, and 1. By contrast, ventrobasal (VB) thalamic stimulation, while activating the reticular and basal ganglia nuclei, also activated directly layers 4 and deep 5 of the cortex. Conjoined stimulation of the VB and CL nuclei resulted in supralinear summation of the two inputs at cortical output layer 5, demonstrating coincidence detection along the apical dendrites. This supralinear summation was also noticed at gamma band stimulus frequency (≈40 Hz). Direct stimulation of cortical layer 1, after a radial section of the cortex that spared only that layer, was shown to sum supralinearly with the cortical activation triggered by VB stimulation, providing a second demonstration for coincidence detection. Coincidence detection by coactivation of the specific (VB) and nonspecific (CL) thalamic nuclei has been proposed as the basis for the temporal conjunction that supports cognitive binding in the brain.
Bottom-up gamma maintenance in various disorders Garcia-Rill, E.; Mahaffey, S.; Hyde, James R. ...
Neurobiology of disease,
August 2019, 2019-08-00, 20190801, 2019-08-01, Letnik:
128
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Maintained gamma band activity is a key element of higher brain function, participating in perception, executive function, and memory. The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN), as part of the reticular ...activating system (RAS), is a major source of the “bottom-up” flow of gamma activity to higher regions. However, interruption of gamma band activity is associated with a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders. This review will focus on the role of the PPN in activating higher regions to induce arousal and descending pathways to modulate posture and locomotion. As such, PPN deep brain stimulation (DBS) can not only help regulate arousal and stepping, but continuous application may help maintain necessary levels of gamma band activity for a host of other brain processes. We will explore the potential future applications of PPN DBS for a number of disorders that are characterized by disturbances in gamma band maintenance.
•The salutary use of PPN DBS in Parkinson's disease suggests improvement in a number of symptoms other than motor.•The PPN, as a major source of gamma band activity, can be considered a target for regulating the maintenance of gamma band activity using DBS.•Disturbances in gamma band activity are present in a number of disorders that may be amenable to such therapy in intractable cases.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are a novel class of anti-cancer therapy in which autologous or allogeneic T cells are engineered to express a CAR targeting a membrane antigen. In Europe, ...tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah™) is approved for the treatment of refractory/relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and young adults as well as relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, while axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta™) is approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory high-grade B-cell lymphoma and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. Both agents are genetically engineered autologous T cells targeting CD19. These practical recommendations, prepared under the auspices of the European Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, relate to patient care and supply chain management under the following headings: patient eligibility, screening laboratory tests and imaging and work-up prior to leukapheresis, how to perform leukapheresis, bridging therapy, lymphodepleting conditioning, product receipt and thawing, infusion of CAR T cells, short-term complications including cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, antibiotic prophylaxis, medium-term complications including cytopenias and B-cell aplasia, nursing and psychological support for patients, long-term follow-up, post-authorization safety surveillance, and regulatory issues. These recommendations are not prescriptive and are intended as guidance in the use of this novel therapeutic class.
PDF
