14,439 research outputs found
Impacts of in vivo and in vitro exposures to tamoxifen: comparative effects on human cells and marine organisms
Tamoxifen (TAM) is a first generation-SERM administered for hormone receptor-positive (HER+) breast cancer in both pre- and post-menopausal patients and may undergo metabolic activation in organisms that share similar receptors and thus face comparable mechanisms of response. The present study aimed to assess whether environmental trace concentrations of TAM are bioavailable to the filter feeder M. galloprovincialis (100 ng L-1) and to the deposit feeder N. diversicolor (0.5, 10, 25 and 100 ng L-1) after 14 days of exposure. Behavioural impairment (burrowing kinetic), neurotoxicity (AChE activity), endocrine disruption by alkali-labile phosphate (ALP) content, oxidative stress (SOD, CAT, GPXs activities), biotransformation (GST activity), oxidative damage (LPO) and genotoxicity (DNA damage) were assessed. Moreover, this study also pertained to compare TAM cytotoxicity effects to mussels and targeted human (i.e. immortalized retinal pigment epithelium - RPE; and human transformed endothelial cells - HeLa) cell lines, in a range of concentrations from 0.5 ng L-1 to 50 μg L-1. In polychaetes N. diversicolor, TAM exerted remarkable oxidative stress and damage at the lowest concentration (0.5 ng L-1), whereas significant genotoxicity was reported at the highest exposure level (100 ng L-1). In mussels M. galloprovincialis, 100 ng L-1 TAM caused endocrine disruption in males, neurotoxicity, and an induction in GST activity and LPO byproducts in gills, corroborating in genotoxicity over the exposure days. Although cytotoxicity assays conducted with mussel haemocytes following in vivo exposure was not effective, in vitro exposure showed to be a feasible alternative, with comparable sensitivity to human cell line (HeLa).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Slow down of a globally neutral relativistic beam shearing the vacuum
The microphysics of relativistic collisionless sheared flows is investigated
in a configuration consisting of a globally neutral, relativistic beam
streaming through a hollow plasma/dielectric channel. We show through
multidimensional PIC simulations that this scenario excites the Mushroom
instability (MI), a transverse shear instability on the electron-scale, when
there is no overlap (no contact) between the beam and the walls of the
hollow plasma channel. The onset of the MI leads to the conversion of the
beam's kinetic energy into magnetic (and electric) field energy, effectively
slowing down a globally neutral body in the absence of contact. The
collisionless shear physics explored in this configuration may operate in
astrophysical environments, particularly in highly relativistic and supersonic
settings where macroscopic shear processes are stable
PIH5 Systematic Review Comparing the Efficacy of the 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors (5-Aris) Dutasteride and Finasteride in the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
Efficient and realistic device modeling from atomic detail to the nanoscale
As semiconductor devices scale to new dimensions, the materials and designs
become more dependent on atomic details. NEMO5 is a nanoelectronics modeling
package designed for comprehending the critical multi-scale, multi-physics
phenomena through efficient computational approaches and quantitatively
modeling new generations of nanoelectronic devices as well as predicting novel
device architectures and phenomena. This article seeks to provide updates on
the current status of the tool and new functionality, including advances in
quantum transport simulations and with materials such as metals, topological
insulators, and piezoelectrics.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figure
Amplification and generation of ultra-intense twisted laser pulses via stimulated Raman scattering
Twisted Laguerre-Gaussian lasers, with orbital angular momentum and
characterised by doughnut shaped intensity profiles, provide a transformative
set of tools and research directions in a growing range of fields and
applications, from super-resolution microcopy and ultra-fast optical
communications to quantum computing and astrophysics. The impact of twisted
light is widening as recent numerical calculations provided solutions to
long-standing challenges in plasma-based acceleration by allowing for high
gradient positron acceleration. The production of ultrahigh intensity twisted
laser pulses could then also have a broad influence on relativistic
laser-matter interactions. Here we show theoretically and with ab-initio
three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, that stimulated Raman
backscattering can generate and amplify twisted lasers to Petawatt intensities
in plasmas. This work may open new research directions in non-linear optics and
high energy density science, compact plasma based accelerators and light
sources.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
Aspectos biológicos de Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) alimentados de Brachiaria ruziziensis.
Resumo
Soil organic carbon stocks under forest and pasture in the atlantic forest biome of Southeast Brazil.
Faster algorithms for 1-mappability of a sequence
In the k-mappability problem, we are given a string x of length n and
integers m and k, and we are asked to count, for each length-m factor y of x,
the number of other factors of length m of x that are at Hamming distance at
most k from y. We focus here on the version of the problem where k = 1. The
fastest known algorithm for k = 1 requires time O(mn log n/ log log n) and
space O(n). We present two algorithms that require worst-case time O(mn) and
O(n log^2 n), respectively, and space O(n), thus greatly improving the state of
the art. Moreover, we present an algorithm that requires average-case time and
space O(n) for integer alphabets if m = {\Omega}(log n/ log {\sigma}), where
{\sigma} is the alphabet size
Disentangling taxonomy within the <i>Rhabditis (Pellioditis) marina</i> (Nematoda, Rhadbitidae) species complex using molecular and morphological tools
Correct taxonomy is a prerequisite for biological research, but currently it is undergoing a serious crisis, resulting in the neglect of many highly diverse groups of organisms. In nematodes, species delimitation remains problematic due to their high morphological variability. Evolutionary approaches using DNA sequences can potentially overcome the problems caused by morphology, but they are also affected by flaws. A holistic approach with a combination of morphological and molecular methods can therefore produce a straightforward delimitation of species. The present study investigates the taxonomic status of some highly divergent mitochondrial haplotypes in the Rhabditis (Pellioditis) marina species complex by using a combination of molecular and morphological tools. We used concordance among phylogenetic trees of three molecular markers (COI, ITS, D2D3) to infer molecular lineages. Subsequently, morphometric data from nearly all lineages were analysed with multivariate techniques. The results showed that highly divergent genotypic clusters were accompanied by morphological differences, and we created a graphical polytomous key for future identifications. This study indisputably demonstrates that R. (P.) marina and R. (P.) mediterranea belong to a huge species complex and that biodiversity in free-living marine nematodes may seriously be underestimated
How will Mahanarva spectabilis (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) respond to global warming?
The aim of this study was to determine the favorable constant temperature range for Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) development as well as to generate geographic distribution maps of this insect pest for future climate scenarios. M. spectabilis eggs were reared on two host plants (Brachiaria ruziziensis (Germain and Edvard) and Pennisetum purpureum (Schumach)), with individual plants kept at temperatures of 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32C. Nymphal stage duration, nymphal survival, adult longevity, and egg production were recorded for each temperature*host plant combination. Using the favorable temperature ranges for M. spectabilis development, it was possible to generate geographic distribution. Nymphal survival was highest at 24.4C, with estimates of 44 and 8% on Pennisetum and Brachiaria, respectively. Nymphal stage duration was greater on Brachiaria than on Pennisetum at 20 and 24C but equal at 28C. Egg production was higher on Pennisetum at 24 and 28C than at 20C, and adult longevity on Pennisetum was higher at 28C than at 20C, whereas adult longevity at 24C did not differ from that at 20 and 28C. With these results, it was possible to predict a reduction in M. spectabilis densities in most regions of Brazil in future climate scenarios
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