Molecular signature of organic nitrogen in septic-impacted groundwater

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2014. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Royal Society of Chemistry for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts 16 (2014):2400-2407, doi:10.1039/C4EM00289J.Dissolved inorganic and organic nitrogen levels are elevated in aquatic systems due to anthropogenic activities. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) arises from various sources, and its impact could be more clearly constrained if specific sources were identified and if the molecular level composition of DON were better understood. In this work, the pharmaceutical carbamazepine was used to identify septic-impacted groundwater in a coastal watershed. Using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry data, the nitrogen-containing features of the dissolved organic matter in septic-impacted and non-impacted samples were compared. The septic impacted groundwater samples have a larger abundance of nitrogen-containing formulas. Impacted samples have additional DON features in the regions ascribed as ‘protein-like’ and ‘lipid-like’ in van Krevelen space and have more intense nitrogen-containing features in a specific region of a carbon versus mass plot. These features are potential indicators of dissolved organic nitrogen arising from septic effluents, and this work suggests that ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry is a valuable tool to identify and characterize sources of DON.The Deep Ocean Exploration and Coastal Ocean Institutes at WHOI and the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment are thanked for financial support.2015-02-0

Levoamphetamine and Dextroamphetamine: Differential Effect on Aggression and Hyperkinesis in Children and Dogs

In laboratory experiments with hyperkinetic, untrainable dogs and in a comparison of levoamphetamine, dextroamphetamine, and placebo in children, levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine were found to be approximately equal in calming an aggressive, hostile dog and in benefiting "unsocialized-aggressive" children; dextroamphetamine was more effective than levoamphetamine in calming "nervousness" and hyperactivity in dogs and in overanxious-hyperkinetic children. These data suggest that in the hyperkinetic syndrome, aggression and hostility may be benefited equally by levoamphetamine or dextroamphetamine via a dopaminergic mechanism, while anxiety and overactivity may be benefited significantly only by the dextro isomer via a norepinephrinergic mechanism

Interkingdom Gene Transfer of a Hybrid NPS/PKS from Bacteria to Filamentous Ascomycota

Nonribosomal peptides (NRPs) and polyketides (PKs) are ecologically important secondary metabolites produced by bacteria and fungi using multidomain enzymes called nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) and polyketide synthases (PKSs), respectively. Previous phylogenetic analyses of fungal NRPSs and PKSs have suggested that a few of these genes were acquired by fungi via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from bacteria, including a hybrid NPS/PKS found in Cochliobolus heterostrophus (Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota). Here, we identify this hybrid gene in fungi representing two additional classes of Ascomycota (Aspergillus spp., Microsporum canis, Arthroderma spp., and Trichophyton spp., Eurotiomycetes; Chaetomium spp. and Metarhizium spp., Sordariomycetes) and use phylogenetic analyses of the most highly conserved domains from NRPSs (adenylation (A) domain) and PKSs (ketoacyl synthase (KS) domain) to examine the hypothesis that the hybrid NPS7/PKS24 was acquired by fungi from bacteria via HGT relatively early in the evolution of the Pezizomycotina. Our results reveal a unique ancestry of the A domain and KS domain in the hybrid gene relative to known fungal NRPSs and PKSs, provide strong evidence for HGT of the hybrid gene from a putative bacterial donor in the Burkholderiales, and suggest the HGT event occurred early in the evolution of the filamentous Ascomycota

Strengths-Based Case Management: Implementation With High-Risk Youth

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://alliance1.metapress.com/home/main.mpx.Few effective methods of intervention exist for youth at risk for negative life outcomes. One method used successfully with both adults with chronic mental illness and adults with substance abuse problems is strengths-based case management (SBCM). Based on the principles of strengths theory, SBCM aims to assist individuals in identifying and achieving personal goals, with an emphasis on the case manager-client relationship and client self-determination. In the current study, the authors report findings from a feasibility study that implemented SBCM with adolescent runaways. Challenges to implementation, such as financial status, the role of families, abuse and neglect, developmental issues, education, peer relationships, and transportation, are examined. The current findings suggest that it is feasible to successfully implement SBCM with adolescents, but the challenges to application are different with this group compared with adults, given the developmental differences between adolescents and adults

Grade 1 spondylolisthesis and interspinous device placement: removal in six patients and analysis of current data

This is the published version. Information that is created by or for the US government on this site is within the public domain. Public domain information on the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Web pages may be freely distributed and copied. However, it is requested that in any subsequent use of this work, NLM be given appropriate acknowledgment.In the treatment of patients with Grade 1 spondylolisthesis, the use of interspinous devices has been controversial for nearly a decade. Several authors have suggested that Grade 1 spondylolisthesis be considered a contraindication for interspinous device placement. Methods: We removed interspinous devices in six symptomatic Grade 1 spondylolisthesis patients and analyzed pertinent literature. Results: All six patients reported an improvement in symptoms following device removal and subsequent instrumented fusion. One patient who had not been able to walk due to pain regained the ability to walk. Several articles were identified related to spondylolisthesis and interspinous devices. Conclusions: Regarding patients receiving interspinous devices for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis, several high-quality studies have failed to demonstrate a statistical difference in outcomes between patients with or without Grade 1 spondylolisthesis. Nevertheless, surgeons should have a high degree of suspicion when considering use of interspinous devices in this patient population

Incidence and public health burden of sunburn among beachgoers in the United States.

The beach environment creates many barriers to effective sun protection, putting beachgoers at risk for sunburn, a well-established risk factor for skin cancer. Our objective was to estimate incidence of sunburn among beachgoers and evaluate the relationship between sunburn incidence and sun-protective behaviors. A secondary analysis, of prospective cohorts at 12 locations within the U.S. from 2003 to 2009 (n = 75,614), were pooled to evaluate sunburn incidence 10-12 days after the beach visit. Behavioral and environmental conditions were cross-tabulated with sunburn incidence. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between new sunburn and sun-protective behaviors. Overall, 13.1% of beachgoers reported sunburn. Those aged 13-18 years (16.5%), whites (16.0%), and those at beach locations along the Eastern Seaboard (16.1%), had the highest incidence of sunburn. For those spending ≥5 h in the sun, the use of multiple types of sun protection reduced odds of sunburn by 55% relative to those who used no sun protection (Odds Ratio = 0.45 (95% Confidence Interval:0.27-0.77)) after adjusting for skin type, age, and race. Acute health effects of sunburn tend to be mild and self-limiting, but potential long-term health consequences are more serious and costly. Efforts to encourage and support proper sun-protective behaviors, and increase access to shade, protective clothing, and sunscreen, can help prevent sunburn and reduce skin cancer risk among beachgoers

Development and Validation of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory

Background: Anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent among elderly people, although infrequently the subject of systematic research in this age group. One important limitation is the lack of a widely accepted instrument to measure dimensional anxiety in both normal old people and old people with mental health problems seen in various settings. Accordingly, we developed and tested of a short scale to measure anxiety in older people. Methods:We generated a large number of potential items de novo and by reference to existing anxiety scales, and then reduced the number of items to 60 through consultation with a reference group consisting of psychologists, psychiatrists and normal elderly people. We then tested the psychometric properties of these 60 items in 452 normal old people and 46 patients attending a psychogeriatric service. We were able to reduce the number of items to 20. We chose a 1-week perspective and a dichotomous response scale. Results: Cronbach's alpha for the 20-item Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) was 0.91 among normal elderly people and 0.93 in the psychogeriatric sample. Concurrent validity with a variety of other measures was demonstrated in both the normal sample and the psychogeriatric sample. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability were found to be excellent. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated a cut-point of 10/11 for the detection of DSM-IV Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in the psychogeriatric sample, with 83% of patients correctly classified with a specificity of 84% and a sensitivity of 75%. Conclusions: The GAI is a new 20-item self-report or nurse-administered scale that measures dimensional anxiety in elderly people. It has sound psychometric properties. Initial clinical testing indicates that it is able to discriminate between those with and without any anxiety disorder and between those with and without DSM-IV GAD

Complete Genome Sequence of Luteibacter pinisoli MAH-14

Diverse strains of Luteibacter (Gammaproteobacteria) have been isolated from a variety of environments, most frequently in association with both plants and fungi. Motivated by the lack of genomic information for strains throughout the genus Luteibacter, we report here a complete genome sequence for Luteibacter pinisoli strain MAH-14.Indigo AgricultureOpen access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Isolating Triggered Star Formation

Galaxy pairs provide a potentially powerful means of studying triggered star formation from galaxy interactions. We use a large cosmological N-body simulation coupled with a well-tested semi-analytic substructure model to demonstrate that the majority of galaxies in close pairs reside within cluster or group-size halos and therefore represent a biased population, poorly suited for direct comparison to ``field'' galaxies. Thus, the frequent observation that some types of galaxies in pairs have redder colors than ``field'' galaxies is primarily a selection effect. We select galaxy pairs that are isolated in their dark matter halos with respect to other massive subhalos (N=2 halos) and a control sample of isolated galaxies (N=1 halos) for comparison. We then apply these selection criteria to a volume-limited subset of the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey with M_Bj <= -19 and obtain the first clean measure of the typical fraction of galaxies affected by triggered star formation and the average elevation in the star formation rate. We find that 24% (30.5%) of these L^\star and sub-L^{\star} galaxies in isolated 50 (30) kpc/h pairs exhibit star formation that is boosted by a factor of >~ 5 above their average past value, while only 10% of isolated galaxies in the control sample show this level of enhancement. Thus, 14% (20 %) of the galaxies in these close pairs show clear triggered star formation. The isolation criteria we develop provide a means to constrain star formation and feedback prescriptions in hydrodynamic simulations and a very general method of understanding the importance of triggered star formation in a cosmological context. (Abridged.)Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, emulateapj format, accepted by Ap

The Relationship Between Crystal Structure and Methyl and \u3ci\u3et\u3c/i\u3e-Butyl Group Dynamics in van der Waals Organic Solids

We report x-ray diffractometry in a single crystal of 2-t-butyl-4-methylphenol (TMP) and low-frequency solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) proton relaxometry in a polycrystalline sample of TMP. The x-ray data show TMP to have a monoclinic, P2(1)/c, structure with eight molecules per unit cell and two crystallographically inequivalent t-butyl group (C(CH3)(3)) sites. The proton spin-lattice relaxation rates were measured between 90 and 310 K at NMR frequencies of 8.50, 22.5, and 53.0 MHz. The relaxometry data is fitted with two models characterizing the dynamics of the t-butyl groups and their constituent methyl groups, both of which are consistent with the determined x-ray structure. In addition to presenting results for TMP, we review previously reported x-ray diffractometry and low-frequency NMR relaxometry in two other van der Waals solids which have a simpler structure. In both cases, a unique model for the reorientational dynamics was found. Finally, we review a similar previously reported analysis in a van der Waals solid with a very complex structure in which case fitting the NMR relaxometry requires very many parameters and serves mainly as a flag for a careful x-ray diffraction study