High arsenic levels in water resources Resulting from geogenic resources: A case study from Muratlar Region, NW Turkey

39th IAH Congress, 16 -21 September 2012, Niagara Falls, CanadaA large number of the studies on arsenic (As) in groundwater have been carried out over the last decades and a high concentration of this element has been identified in different parts of world. Muratlar Region in the northwest of Turkey is one such area having complex geology of widespread volcanic succession with active tectonics and geothermal fluids. This natural setting serves as a suitable environment for the presence of high levels of arsenic in groundwater in Muratlar Region. Arsenic was determined to be presented in water samples taken from wate resources in the Muratlar Region during 2009-2010. High concentrations of arsenic were seen in the east of Muratlar Region, where densely settled argillic alteration outcrops were present. The maximum As concentration was 150 ppb. Chemical analyses revealed that arsenic was exceeding the maximum allowable limits depicted in the national and international standards for drinking water quality. The main reason for obtaining high arsenic concentrations is related to longer retention times of water resources in altered (argillic, silicification) volcanic rocks. Water-rock interaction is an important mechanism in determining the overall quality pattern of groundwater resources in this region

Rare coding variants in PLCG2, ABI3, and TREM2 implicate microglial-mediated innate immunity in Alzheimer's disease

We identified rare coding variants associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in a 3-stage case-control study of 85,133 subjects. In stage 1, 34,174 samples were genotyped using a whole-exome microarray. In stage 2, we tested associated variants (P<1×10-4) in 35,962 independent samples using de novo genotyping and imputed genotypes. In stage 3, an additional 14,997 samples were used to test the most significant stage 2 associations (P<5×10-8) using imputed genotypes. We observed 3 novel genome-wide significant (GWS) AD associated non-synonymous variants; a protective variant in PLCG2 (rs72824905/p.P522R, P=5.38×10-10, OR=0.68, MAFcases=0.0059, MAFcontrols=0.0093), a risk variant in ABI3 (rs616338/p.S209F, P=4.56×10-10, OR=1.43, MAFcases=0.011, MAFcontrols=0.008), and a novel GWS variant in TREM2 (rs143332484/p.R62H, P=1.55×10-14, OR=1.67, MAFcases=0.0143, MAFcontrols=0.0089), a known AD susceptibility gene. These protein-coding changes are in genes highly expressed in microglia and highlight an immune-related protein-protein interaction network enriched for previously identified AD risk genes. These genetic findings provide additional evidence that the microglia-mediated innate immune response contributes directly to AD development

A novel Alzheimer disease locus located near the gene encoding tau protein

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this recordAPOE ε4, the most significant genetic risk factor for Alzheimer disease (AD), may mask effects of other loci. We re-analyzed genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP) Consortium in APOE ε4+ (10 352 cases and 9207 controls) and APOE ε4- (7184 cases and 26 968 controls) subgroups as well as in the total sample testing for interaction between a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and APOE ε4 status. Suggestive associations (P<1 × 10-4) in stage 1 were evaluated in an independent sample (stage 2) containing 4203 subjects (APOE ε4+: 1250 cases and 536 controls; APOE ε4-: 718 cases and 1699 controls). Among APOE ε4- subjects, novel genome-wide significant (GWS) association was observed with 17 SNPs (all between KANSL1 and LRRC37A on chromosome 17 near MAPT) in a meta-analysis of the stage 1 and stage 2 data sets (best SNP, rs2732703, P=5·8 × 10-9). Conditional analysis revealed that rs2732703 accounted for association signals in the entire 100-kilobase region that includes MAPT. Except for previously identified AD loci showing stronger association in APOE ε4+ subjects (CR1 and CLU) or APOE ε4- subjects (MS4A6A/MS4A4A/MS4A6E), no other SNPs were significantly associated with AD in a specific APOE genotype subgroup. In addition, the finding in the stage 1 sample that AD risk is significantly influenced by the interaction of APOE with rs1595014 in TMEM106B (P=1·6 × 10-7) is noteworthy, because TMEM106B variants have previously been associated with risk of frontotemporal dementia. Expression quantitative trait locus analysis revealed that rs113986870, one of the GWS SNPs near rs2732703, is significantly associated with four KANSL1 probes that target transcription of the first translated exon and an untranslated exon in hippocampus (P≤1.3 × 10-8), frontal cortex (P≤1.3 × 10-9) and temporal cortex (P≤1.2 × 10-11). Rs113986870 is also strongly associated with a MAPT probe that targets transcription of alternatively spliced exon 3 in frontal cortex (P=9.2 × 10-6) and temporal cortex (P=2.6 × 10-6). Our APOE-stratified GWAS is the first to show GWS association for AD with SNPs in the chromosome 17q21.31 region. Replication of this finding in independent samples is needed to verify that SNPs in this region have significantly stronger effects on AD risk in persons lacking APOE ε4 compared with persons carrying this allele, and if this is found to hold, further examination of this region and studies aimed at deciphering the mechanism(s) are warranted

Word-of-mouth communication in marketing: An exploratory study of motivations behind opinion leadership and opinion seeking

With a qualitative approach, this research aims to gain a deeper understanding of the motivations behind both opinion leadership and opinion seeking, in a non-western context. Findings show that no one is exclusively an opinion leader or a seeker and that both opinion leaders and seekers are motivated by deeper psychological needs, which may have a critical role in theory and practice. In addition to previously identified motivations and characteristics of opinion leaders and opinion seekers, new dimensions have been revealed. The diversity of motivations identified in this study suggests that managers must consider a broad range of reasons and deeper psychological needs that lead consumers to engage in word-of-mouth communication. Future research guidelines are provided which we hope will inspire additional empirical work.Publisher's Versio

Quantification of airborne concentrations of micro-scale and submicron phosphors in the manufacturing environment by spectrofluorometric method

In this work, micro-scale and submicron luminescent particles dispersed in the air were filtered and quantified by fluorescence spectroscopy. A well-known phosphor; lutetium aluminum garnet (LuAG: Ce3+) was chosen as the model particle due to its strong, measurable, and repeatable signal. Polymethylmethacrylate-based filters were fabricated by the electrospinning technique. Samples were collected through a vacuum pump from the laboratory environment during the grinding, weighing, transferring, washing, drying, and packaging of the phosphorus particles, at different time intervals. The intense emission peak of the LuAG: Ce3+ centered at 512 nm has been followed as the analytical signal to perform the quantification. The presented method was validated by the parameters of the calibration graph, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification, and stability. The LOD and working range of the method were found to be 0.7 mg/kg polymer and between 1.4 and 4.7 mg/kg polymer, respectively. ICP-MS approach was used as a cross-check tool for the calibration graphs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to measure the airborne concentrations of the luminescent phosphor particles and can easily be adapted for the quantification of other types of nanoscale-emitting particles in the relevant workplaces. Additionally, the offered design allows miniaturization since it is possible to excite the particles with cost-effective light-emitting diodes, integrate the system with fiber optics, and detection of the received optical response by photodiodes

High arsenic levels in water resources Resulting from geogenic resources: A case study from Muratlar Region, NW Turkey

39th IAH Congress, 16 -21 September 2012, Niagara Falls, CanadaA large number of the studies on arsenic (As) in groundwater have been carried out over the last decades and a high concentration of this element has been identified in different parts of world. Muratlar Region in the northwest of Turkey is one such area having complex geology of widespread volcanic succession with active tectonics and geothermal fluids. This natural setting serves as a suitable environment for the presence of high levels of arsenic in groundwater in Muratlar Region. Arsenic was determined to be presented in water samples taken from wate resources in the Muratlar Region during 2009-2010. High concentrations of arsenic were seen in the east of Muratlar Region, where densely settled argillic alteration outcrops were present. The maximum As concentration was 150 ppb. Chemical analyses revealed that arsenic was exceeding the maximum allowable limits depicted in the national and international standards for drinking water quality. The main reason for obtaining high arsenic concentrations is related to longer retention times of water resources in altered (argillic, silicification) volcanic rocks. Water-rock interaction is an important mechanism in determining the overall quality pattern of groundwater resources in this region

Investigation of Color and Bioactive Compounds of Different Colors from Pansy (<i>Viola × wittrockiana</i> Gams.) Dried in Hot Air Dryer

The popularity of edible flowers is increasing day by day and new solutions are sought due to their short shelf life. For this purpose, in this study, four different colors of Viola × wittrockiana Gams.; white (Fino Clear White), orange (Delta Pure Orange), bordeaux/mauve rose (Mammoth Rocky Rose), and yellow (Delta Premium Pure Lemon) flowers were dried at drying air temperature of 60, 70, and 80 °C with a convective hot air dryer. Color (L*, a*, b*, C*, h°, ∆E, and BI), drying time and bioactive compounds (Total Phenolic Content (TPC), anthocyanin content (AC), and antioxidant activity (AO) values were measured). The orange flowers showed the fastest drying (78 min at 80 °C). The lowest total color change (∆E) (4.58 at 70 °C) and browning index (BI) (9.58 at 60 °C) values were observed in all drying processes of white flowers. The highest AC was determined in bordeaux flowers in both fresh (2.4 mg malvidin glucoside/g) and dried (25.57 mg malvidin glucoside/g at 60 °C) samples. The AO decreased in all samples depending on the temperature increase, it was found that the most beneficial result in terms of bioactive compounds was the bordeaux flowers dried at drying air temperature of 60 °C

Investigation of Color and Bioactive Compounds of Different Colors from Pansy (Viola &times; wittrockiana Gams.) Dried in Hot Air Dryer

The popularity of edible flowers is increasing day by day and new solutions are sought due to their short shelf life. For this purpose, in this study, four different colors of Viola &times; wittrockiana Gams.; white (Fino Clear White), orange (Delta Pure Orange), bordeaux/mauve rose (Mammoth Rocky Rose), and yellow (Delta Premium Pure Lemon) flowers were dried at drying air temperature of 60, 70, and 80 &deg;C with a convective hot air dryer. Color (L*, a*, b*, C*, h&deg;, &#8710;E, and BI), drying time and bioactive compounds (Total Phenolic Content (TPC), anthocyanin content (AC), and antioxidant activity (AO) values were measured). The orange flowers showed the fastest drying (78 min at 80 &deg;C). The lowest total color change (&#8710;E) (4.58 at 70 &deg;C) and browning index (BI) (9.58 at 60 &deg;C) values were observed in all drying processes of white flowers. The highest AC was determined in bordeaux flowers in both fresh (2.4 mg malvidin glucoside/g) and dried (25.57 mg malvidin glucoside/g at 60 &deg;C) samples. The AO decreased in all samples depending on the temperature increase, it was found that the most beneficial result in terms of bioactive compounds was the bordeaux flowers dried at drying air temperature of 60 &deg;C