Elevated nitrogen (N) deposition changes the retention, transformation, and fluxes of N in ombrotrophic peatlands. To evaluate such effects we applied a15N tracer (NH4 15NO3) at a rate of 2.3 g N m-2 ...yr-1 to mesocosms of five European peatlands with differing long-term N deposition rates for a period of 76 days of dry and 90 days of wet conditions. We determined background N content and moss length growth, and recovered the 15N tracer from the mosses, graminoids, shrubs, the peat, and dissolved N. Background N contents in Sphagnum mosses increased from 5.5 (Degerö Stormyr, deposition <0.2 g N m-2 yr-1) up to 12.2 mg g-1 (Frölichshaier Sattelmoor, 4.7–6.0 g N m-2 yr-1). In peat from Degerö, nitrate and ammonium concentrations were below 3 mg L-1, whereas up to 30 (nitrate) and 11 mg L-1 (ammonium) was found in peat from Frölichshaier Sattelmoor. Sphagnum mosses (down to 5 cm below surface) generally intercepted large amounts of 15N (0.2–0.35 mg g-1) and retained the tracer most effectively relative to their biomass. Similar quantities of the 15N were recovered from the peat, followed by shrubs, graminoids, and the dissolved pool. At the most polluted sites we recovered more 15N from shrubs (up to 12.4 %) and from nitrate and ammonium (up to 0.7 %). However, no impact of N deposition on15N retention by Sphagnum could be identified and their length growth was highest under high N background deposition. Our experiment suggests that the decline in N retention at levels above ca. 1.5 g m-2 yr-1, as expressed by elevated near-surface peat N content and increased dissolved N concentrations, is likely more modest than previously thought. This conclusion is related to the finding thatSphagnum species can apparently thrive at elevated long-term N deposition rates in European peatlands.
Determining the age of juvenile blow flies is one of the key tasks of forensic entomology when providing evidence for the minimum post mortem interval. While the age determination of blow fly larvae ...is well established using morphological parameters, the current study focuses on molecular methods for estimating the age of blow flies during the metamorphosis in the pupal stage, which lasts about half the total juvenile development. It has already been demonstrated in several studies that the intraspecific variance in expression of so far used genes in blow flies is often too high to assign a certain expression level to a distinct age, leading to an inaccurate prediction. To overcome this problem, we previously identified new markers, which show a very sharp age dependent expression course during pupal development of the forensically-important blow fly
Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 (Diptera: Calliphoridae) by analyzing massive parallel sequencing (MPS) generated transcriptome data. We initially designed and validated two quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays for each of 15 defined pupal ages representing a daily progress during the total pupal development if grown at 17 °C. We also investigated whether the performance of these assays is affected by the ambient temperature, when rearing pupae of
at three different constant temperatures-namely 17 °C, 20 °C and 25 °C. A temperature dependency of the performance could not be observed, except for one marker. Hence, for each of the defined development landmarks, we can present gene expression profiles of one to two markers defining the mentioned progress in development.
Differences in thermal regimes are of paramount importance in insect development. However, experiments that examine trait development under constant temperature conditions may yield less ...evolutionarily relevant results than those that take naturally occurring temperature fluctuations into account. We investigated the effect of different temperature regimes (constant 30 °C, constant 35 °C, fluctuating with a daily mean of 30 °C, or fluctuating with a daily mean of 35 °C) on sex-specific development time and body mass in
Tribolium castaneum
. Using a half-sib breeding design, we also examined whether there is any evidence for genotype-by-environment interactions (GEI) for the studied traits. In response to fluctuating temperature regimes, beetles demonstrated reaction norm patterns in which thermal fluctuations influenced traits negatively above the species’ thermal optimum but had little to no effect close to the thermal optimum. Estimated heritabilities of development time were in general low and non-significant. In case of body mass of pupae and adults, despite significant genetic variance, we did not find any GEI due to crossing of reaction norms, both between temperatures and between variability treatments. We have observed a weak tendency towards higher heritabilities of adult and pupa body mass in optimal fluctuating thermal conditions. Thus, we have not found any biasing effect of stable thermal conditions as compared to fluctuating temperatures on the breeding values of heritable body-size traits. Contrary to this we have observed a strong population-wide effect of thermal fluctuations, indicated by the significant temperature-fluctuations interaction in both adult and pupa mass.
The ability to screen for agents that can promote the development and/or maintenance of neuronal networks creates opportunities for the discovery of novel agents for the treatment of central nervous ...system (CNS) disorders. Over the past 10 years, advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning have paved the way for the improved implementation of live-cell imaging systems for drug discovery. These instruments have revolutionized our ability to quickly and accurately acquire large standardized datasets when studying complex cellular phenomena in real-time. This is particularly useful in the field of neuroscience because real-time analysis can allow efficient monitoring of the development, maturation, and conservation of neuronal networks by measuring neurite length. Unfortunately, due to the relative infancy of this type of analysis, standard practices for data acquisition and processing are lacking, and there is no standardized format for reporting the vast quantities of data generated by live-cell imaging systems. This paper reviews the current state of live-cell imaging instruments, with a focus on the most commonly used equipment (IncuCyte systems). We provide an in-depth analysis of the experimental conditions reported in publications utilizing these systems, particularly with regard to studying neurite outgrowth. This analysis sheds light on trends and patterns that will enhance the use of live-cell imaging instruments in CNS drug discovery.
Insectivorous birds are particularly vulnerable to nematodes with heteroxenous life cycles. Although there are many studies on bird filarioids, they mainly focus on economically important or pet bird ...species, and as a result, the species diversity of these parasites is insufficiently studied. Research on the genus Diplotriaena and their hosts is neglected, although they are globally occurring and dangerous parasites with low specificity to the final host. Here we report the prevalence, invasive intensity and species affiliation of the filarial nematodes of the genus Diplotriaena in a common passerine - Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla, L.). In total, 24 first-year individuals of S. atricapilla were caught in Toruń (central Poland) at their breeding grounds in July and August 2019, and after 7 months in captivity, they were killed and dissected. Over 20% of dissected birds were infected with Diplotriaena, and their air sacs were inhabited by 1 to 18 adult worms. Molecular identification of nematode worms was done using the 18S small subunit rRNA gene, and they were identified as D. obtusa. Our study is the first to show the molecular confirmation of the presence of D. obtusa in S. atricapilla.
Background
Choosing the most effective chemotherapeutic agent with safest side effect profile is a common challenge in cancer treatment. Although there are standardized chemotherapy protocols in ...place, protocol changes made after extensive clinical trials demonstrate significant improvement in the efficacy and tolerability of certain drugs. The pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and tolerance of anti‐cancer medications are all highly individualized. A driving force behind these differences lies within a person's genetic makeup.
Recent findings
Pharmacogenomics, the study of how an individual's genes impact the processing and action of a drug, can optimize drug responsiveness and reduce toxicities by creating a customized medication regimen. However, these differences are rarely considered in the initial determination of standardized chemotherapeutic protocols and treatment algorithms. Because pharmacoethnicity is influenced by both genetic and nongenetic variables, clinical data highlighting disparities in the frequency of polymorphisms between different ethnicities is steadily growing. Recent data suggests that ethnic variations in the expression of allelic variants may result in different pharmacokinetic properties of the anti‐cancer medication. In this article, the clinical outcomes of various chemotherapy classes in patients of different ethnicities were reviewed.
Conclusion
Genetic and nongenetic variables contribute to the interindividual variability in response to chemotherapeutic drugs. Considering pharmacoethnicity in the initial determination of standard chemotherapeutic protocols and treatment algorithms can lead to better clinical outcomes of patients of different ethnicities.
A comparison of SAPS 2 and SAPS 3 Zając, K.; Andres, J.; Zajac, M.
Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica,
October 2009, Letnik:
53, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Objective: The present study examined potential treatment outcome predictors of a multicomponent cognitive behavioral intervention for intermittent explosive disorder (IED). Method: The sample (n = ...64; 22 female) consisted of individuals with a current diagnosis of IED that completed treatment across three study trials. Treatment outcome predictors assessed included demographic variables, psychiatric comorbidity, symptom severity, and treatment motivation/engagement. Treatment outcomes were (a) change in number of past-week aggressive acts from pretreatment to posttreatment and (b) presence of IED diagnosis at posttreatment. Results: Results indicated those who endorsed lower trait anger were more likely to remit from IED diagnosis at posttreatment. No other variables were found to significantly predict treatment outcome. Conclusions: These findings support the notion that cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective for a wide range of individuals with IED, with little variation in efficaciousness based on presence of demographic characteristics, comorbid disorders, or treatment motivation/engagement. This seems to be particularly the case for individuals with lower levels of trait anger.
What is the public health significance of this article?
Findings from this study suggest that cognitive behavioral therapy can be an effective treatment for a wide range of individuals diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder. Treatment efficacy appears to be unaffected by the presence of varying demographic characteristics, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and treatment motivation, though individuals with higher trait anger may require additional support to maximize treatment benefit.
Molluscs are the most diverse group in respect of sexual systems and strategies. They can be dioecious with separate sexes or hermaphroditic. Within hermaphroditism, it is possible to distinguish a ...number of modifications of this type of reproduction, such as protandry, protogyny, sex reversal, or protandry with some overlap. It is thought that dioecy was ancestral because it occurs in most classes of molluscs. Hermaphroditism evolved independently several times, and sequential and simultaneous hermaphroditism are more closely related to each other than to dioecy. This publication presents a general review of sexual systems and strategies in terrestrial gastropods with special emphasis on mating, fertilization, presence of love darts, reproductive strategies (semelparity vs. iteroparity) and modes (oviparity, ovoviviparity, viviparity), production of eggs and egg cannibalism.
Introduction:
Racial microaggressions are offensive and intimidating actions toward people of color and occur everywhere, including academia. Select studies report 40% to 98% of students of color ...report experiences with microaggressions on campuses. The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of microaggressions for diverse graduate nursing students in the online educational environment and to identify faculty strategies to create an inclusive learning milieu.
Method:
This descriptive qualitative study employed 12 diverse graduate nursing students who participated in individual interviews about racial microaggressions. Two researchers used thematic analysis to evaluate the qualitative data.
Results:
Five relevant themes were (a) online classroom is a barrier for microaggressions, (b) requirement of profile pictures is a risk factor for microaggressions, (c) experiences of past microaggressions carries over to the present, (d) diverse online students are resourceful, and (e) the reality of microaggressions online.
Discussion:
Participants’ suggestions, literature evidence, and research findings informed decision/action modes to assist the nurse educator with culturally competent methods to improve online learning spaces and decrease microaggressions for diverse students.
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