Volumetric optoacoustic neurobehavioral tracking of epileptic seizures in freely-swimming zebrafish larvae

Fast three-dimensional imaging of freely-swimming zebrafish is essential to understand the link between neuronal activity and behavioral changes during epileptic seizures. Studying the complex spatiotemporal patterns of neuronal activity at the whole-brain or -body level typically requires physical restraint, thus hindering the observation of unperturbed behavior. Here we report on real-time volumetric optoacoustic imaging of aberrant circular swimming activity and calcium transients in freely behaving zebrafish larvae, continuously covering their motion across an entire three-dimensional region. The high spatiotemporal resolution of the technique enables capturing ictal-like epileptic seizure events and quantifying their propagation speed, independently validated with simultaneous widefield fluorescence recordings. The work sets the stage for discerning functional interconnections between zebrafish behavior and neuronal activity for studying fundamental mechanisms of epilepsy and in vivo validation of treatment strategies

The biological activities and phytochemical content of Ferulago humulis Boiss.

Ferulago humulis Boiss. is an endemic species growing in Turkey. The aim of the study was to compare in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the aerial parts (HFH) and rhizomes (RFH) of F. humulis. According to the results of antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the extracts obtained from different parts of the plant, their phytochemical contents were evaluated. Petroleum ether (HFH-PE; RFH-PE), dichloromethane (HFH-DM; RFH-DM) and methanol (HFH-ME; RFH-ME) extracts from aerial parts (HFH) and rhizomes (RFH) of F. humulis were obtained for antimicrobial activity and examined by the agar hole diffusion and microdilution methods. Chromatographic and spectroscopic (1H NMR, LS-MS and UV) techniques were used for the isolation of coumarin compounds from petroleum ether (RFH-PE) and dichloromethane (RFH-DM) extracts. Furthermore, antioxidant activity were assayed by the 4 different methods in methanol extracts (HFH-ME; RFH-ME). HFH-PE (MIC=6.25 mg/mL), RFH-PE (MIC=12.5 mg/mL) and RFH-DM (MIC=11 mg/mL) extracts against Staphylococcus aureus, and RFH-PE (MIC= 3.125 mg/mL), HFH-PE (MIC=6.25 mg/mL) extracts showed antimicrobial activity against S. epidermidis. HFH-PE (MIC=1.56 mg/mL), RFH-PE (MIC= 6.25 mg/mL) extracts exhibited antifungal activity against Candida tropicalis. From the rhizomes of F. humulis isoimperatorin, bergapten, oxypeucedanin, marmesin senecioate and oxypeucedanin hydrate known as furanocoumarins derivatives were isolated

The biological activities and phytochemical content of Ferulago humulis Boiss.

728-735Ferulago humulis Boiss. is an endemic species growing in Turkey. The aim of the study was to compare in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the aerial parts (HFH) and rhizomes (RFH) of F. humulis. According to the results of antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the extracts obtained from different parts of the plant, their phytochemical contents were evaluated. Petroleum ether (HFH-PE; RFH-PE), dichloromethane (HFH-DM; RFH-DM) and methanol (HFH-ME; RFH-ME) extracts from aerial parts (HFH) and rhizomes (RFH) of F. humulis were obtained for antimicrobial activity and examined by the agar hole diffusion and microdilution methods. Chromatographic and spectroscopic (1H NMR, LS-MS and UV) techniques were used for the isolation of coumarin compounds from petroleum ether (RFH-PE) and dichloromethane (RFH-DM) extracts. Furthermore, antioxidant activity were assayed by the 4 different methods in methanol extracts (HFH-ME; RFH-ME). HFH-PE (MIC=6.25 mg/mL), RFH-PE (MIC=12.5 mg/mL) and RFH-DM (MIC=11 mg/mL) extracts against Staphylococcus aureus, and RFH-PE (MIC= 3.125 mg/mL), HFH-PE (MIC=6.25 mg/mL) extracts showed antimicrobial activity against S. epidermidis. HFH-PE (MIC=1.56 mg/mL), RFH-PE (MIC= 6.25 mg/mL) extracts exhibited antifungal activity against Candida tropicalis. From the rhizomes of F. humulis isoimperatorin, bergapten, oxypeucedanin, marmesin senecioate and oxypeucedanin hydrate known as furanocoumarins derivatives were isolated

Toksični učinci patulina na timus mužjaka štakora u razvoju

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by several Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Byssachlamys species growing on food products. In this study, we investigated the effects of patulin on the thymus of growing male rats aged fi ve to six weeks. The rats were receiving it orally at a dose of 0.1 mg kg-1 bw a day for either 60 or 90 days. At the end of the experiment, the thymus was examined for histopathology by light microscopy and for epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) by immunolocalisation. For morphometry we used the Bs200prop program to analyse images obtained with the Olympus BX51 light microscope. Cell ultrastructure was studied by electron microscopy. In rats treated with patulin, the thymus showed haemorrhage, plasma cell hyperplasia, a dilation and fi brosis in the cortex, enlarged interstitial tissue between the thymic lobules, enlarged fat tissue, thinning of the cortex, and blurring of the cortico-medullary demarcation. Electron microscopy showed signs of cell destruction, abnormalities of the nucleus and organelles, and loss of mitochondrial cristae. However, no differences were observed in thymus EGF and EGFR immunoreactivity between treated and control rats.Patulin je mikotoksin koji proizvode plijesni sojeva Penicillium, Aspergillus i Byssachlamys na različitim prehrambenim proizvodima kao podlozi. Učinke patulina istražili smo na timusu mužjaka štakora u razvoju (dobi 5 do 6 tjedana). Mikotoksin je životinjama davan per os u dnevnoj dozi 0,1 mg kg-1 tj. t. 60 odnosno 90 dana. Na kraju pokusa štakori su žrtvovani, timus je podvrgnut histološkim analizama s pomoću svjetlosne mikroskopije, a imunocitokemijskim je metodama istražena stanična lokalizacija epidermalnog faktora rasta (EGF) i njegova receptora (EGFR). Morfometrijska analiza provedena je s pomoću računalnog programa Bs200prop povezanog u sustav sa svjetlosnim mikroskopom Olympus BX51. Elektronskomikroskopski je istražena ultrastruktura stanica timusa. Utvrđeno je da patulin izaziva krvaranja u timusu, hiperplaziju plazma-stanica, dilataciju i fi brozu u kortikalnoj regiji timusa, širenje intersticijskog tkiva između režnjeva timusa, povećanje masnih stanica, smanjenje debljine kore timusa te nestanak kortiko-medularne demarkacije. Elektronskomikroskopski u tkivu timusa štakora tretiranih patulinom uočeni su znakovi raspadanja stanica, abnormalnosti jezgre i organela te gubitak mitohondrijskih krista. Unatoč navedenomu, na presjecima tkiva kontrolnih štakora i štakora tretiranih patulinom nismo utvrdili razlike u imunoreaktivnosti EGF i EGFR, što bi trebalo dodatno istražiti osjetljivijim molekularnim metodama

Squeezed tensor non-Gaussianity in non-attractor inflation

We investigate primordial tensor non-Gaussianity in single field inflation, during a phase of non-attractor evolution when the spectrum of primordial tensor modes can be enhanced to a level detectable at interferometer scales. Making use of a tensor duality we introduced in arXiv:1808.10475, we analytically compute the full bispectrum of primordial tensor fluctuations during the non-attractor era. During this epoch the shape of the tensor bispectrum is enhanced in the squeezed limit, its amplitude can be amplified with respect to slow-roll models, and tensor non-Gaussianity can exhibit a scale dependence distinctive of our set-up. We prove that our results do not depend on the frame used for the calculations. Squeezed tensor non-Gaussianity induces a characteristic quadrupolar anisotropy on the power spectrum of the stochastic background of primordial tensor perturbations. As a step to make contact with gravitational wave experiments, we discuss the response function of a ground based Michelson interferometer to a gravitational wave background with such a feature.Comment: 34 pages, 4 figure

Early anthropogenic transformation of the Danube-Black Sea system

© The Author(s), 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Scientific Reports 2 (2012): 582, doi:10.1038/srep00582.Over the last century humans have altered the export of fluvial materials leading to significant changes in morphology, chemistry, and biology of the coastal ocean. Here we present sedimentary, paleoenvironmental and paleogenetic evidence to show that the Black Sea, a nearly enclosed marine basin, was affected by land use long before the changes of the Industrial Era. Although watershed hydroclimate was spatially and temporally variable over the last ~3000 years, surface salinity dropped systematically in the Black Sea. Sediment loads delivered by Danube River, the main tributary of the Black Sea, significantly increased as land use intensified in the last two millennia, which led to a rapid expansion of its delta. Lastly, proliferation of diatoms and dinoflagellates over the last five to six centuries, when intensive deforestation occurred in Eastern Europe, points to an anthropogenic pulse of river-borne nutrients that radically transformed the food web structure in the Black Sea.This study was supported by grants OISE 0637108, EAR 0952146, OCE 0602423 and OCE 0825020 from the National Science Foundation and grants from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

(In)Complete acquisition of Turkish among Turkish German bilinguals in Germany and Turkey: an analysis of complex embeddings in narratives

Although most researchers recognise that the language repertoire of bilinguals can mvary, few studies have tried to address variation in bilingual competence in any detail. This study aims to take a first step towards further understanding the way in which bilingual competencies can vary at the level of syntax by comparing the use of syntactic embeddings among three different groups of Turkish/German bilinguals. The approach of the present paper is new in that different groups of bilinguals are compared with each other, and not only with monolingual speakers, as is common in most studies in the field. The analysis focuses on differences in the use of embeddings in Turkish, which are generally considered to be one of the more complex aspects of Turkish grammar. The study shows that young Turkish/German bilingual adults who were born and raised in Germany use fewer, and less complex embeddings than Turkish/German bilingual returnees who had lived in Turkey for eight years at the time of recording. The present study provides new insights in the nature of bilingual competence, as well as a new perspective on syntactic change in immigrant Turkish as spoken in Europe

Hydrology in the Sea of Marmara during the last 23 ka : implications for timing of Black Sea connections and sapropel deposition

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2010. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Paleoceanography 25 (2010): PA1205, doi:10.1029/2009PA001735.Sediments deposited under lacustrine and marine conditions in the Sea of Marmara hold a Late Quaternary record for water exchange between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Here we report a multiproxy data set based on oxygen and strontium isotope results obtained from carbonate shells, major and trace elements, and specific organic biomarker measurements, as well as a micropaleontological study from a 14C-dated sediment core retrieved from the Sea of Marmara. Pronounced changes occurred in δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr values at the fresh and marine water transition, providing additional information in relation to micropaleontological data. Organic biomarker concentrations documented the marine origin of the sapropelic layer while changes in n-alkane concentrations clearly indicated an enhanced contribution for organic matter of terrestrial origin before and after the event. When compared with the Black Sea record, the results suggest that the Black Sea was outflowing to the Sea of Marmara from the Last Glacial Maximum until the warmer Bølling-Allerød. The first marine incursion in the Sea of Marmara occurred at 14.7 cal ka B.P. However, salinification of the basin was gradual, indicating that Black Sea freshwaters were still contributing to the Marmara seawater budget. After the Younger Dryas (which is associated with a high input of organic matter of terrestrial origin) both basins were disconnected, resulting in a salinity increase in the Sea of Marmara. The deposition of organic-rich sapropel that followed was mainly related to enhanced primary productivity characterized by a reorganization of the phytoplankton population.We acknowledge support from INSU and the French Polar Institute IPEV

Fractional solubility of aerosol iron : synthesis of a global-scale data set

Aerosol deposition provides a major input of the essential micronutrient iron to the open ocean. A critical parameter with respect to bioavailability is the proportion of aerosol iron that enters the oceanic dissolved iron pool – the so-called fractional solubility of aerosol iron (%FeS). Here we present a global-scale compilation of total aerosol iron loading (FeT) and %FeS values for ~1100 samples collected over the open ocean, the coastal ocean, and some continental sites, including new data from the Atlantic Ocean. The global-scale compilation reveals a remarkably consistent trend in the fractional solubility of aerosol iron as a function of total aerosol iron loading, with the great bulk of the data falling along an inverse hyperbolic trend. The large dynamic range in %FeS (0-95%) varies with FeT in a manner similar to that identified for aerosols collected in the Sargasso Sea by Sedwick et al. (2007), who posit that the trend reflects near-conservative mixing between air masses that carry lithogenic mineral dust (with high FeT and low %FeS) and non-soil-dust aerosols such as anthropogenic combustion emissions (with low FeT and high %FeS), respectively. An increasing body of empirical evidence points to the importance of aerosol source and composition in determining the fractional solubility of aerosol iron, such that anthropogenic combustion emissions appear to play a critical role in determining this parameter in the bulk marine aerosol. The robust global-scale relationship between %FeS and FeT may provide a simple heuristic method for estimating aerosol iron solubility at the regional to global scale

Rise of oceanographic barriers in continuous populations of a cetacean: the genetic structure of harbour porpoises in Old World waters

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Understanding the role of seascape in shaping genetic and demographic population structure is highly challenging for marine pelagic species such as cetaceans for which there is generally little evidence of what could effectively restrict their dispersal. In the present work, we applied a combination of recent individual-based landscape genetic approaches to investigate the population genetic structure of a highly mobile extensive range cetacean, the harbour porpoise in the eastern North Atlantic, with regards to oceanographic characteristics that could constrain its dispersal.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analyses of 10 microsatellite loci for 752 individuals revealed that most of the sampled range in the eastern North Atlantic behaves as a 'continuous' population that widely extends over thousands of kilometres with significant isolation by distance (IBD). However, strong barriers to gene flow were detected in the south-eastern part of the range. These barriers coincided with profound changes in environmental characteristics and isolated, on a relatively small scale, porpoises from Iberian waters and on a larger scale porpoises from the Black Sea.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The presence of these barriers to gene flow that coincide with profound changes in oceanographic features, together with the spatial variation in IBD strength, provide for the first time strong evidence that physical processes have a major impact on the demographic and genetic structure of a cetacean. This genetic pattern further suggests habitat-related fragmentation of the porpoise range that is likely to intensify with predicted surface ocean warming.</p