Correlation Between Photosensitivity and Downwelling Irradiance in Mesopelagic Crustaceans

The current study determined behavioral and electrophysiological photosensitivities for three species of mesopelagic crustaceans: Pasiphaea multidentata Esmark, 1866 (Decapoda: Pasiphaeidae), Sergestes arcticus Kröyer, 1855 (Decapoda: Sergestidae), and Meganyctiphanes norvegica M. Sars, 1857 (Euphausiacea: Euphausiidae). In addition, in situ quantifications of the species’ vertical distributions in relation to downwelling irradiances were also determined in two locations in the northwest Atlantic Ocean, Wilkinson Basin (WB) and Oceanographer Canyon (OC). Data are from six 2-week cruises between June and September from 1995 to 2001. P. multidentata and M. norvegica were the most abundant large crustaceans in WB, and S. arcticus and M. norvegica were the most abundant large crustaceans in OC. The behavioral light sensitivity thresholds of P. multidentata and M. norvegica from WB were both 107 photons cm−2 s−1 and those of S. arcticus and M. norvegica from OC were both 108 photons cm−2 s−1. Electrophysiologically, P. multidentata was significantly more sensitive than M. norvegica from either location, S. arcticus was significantly more sensitive than M. norvegica from OC, and M. norvegica from WB was significantly more sensitive than M. norvegica from OC. A correlation was found between electrophysiologically measured photosensitivity and downwelling irradiance, with the most sensitive species, P. multidentata and S. arcticus, associated with the lowest irradiance at daytime depths. The photosensitivities of M. norvegicacollected from the clearer waters of OC were significantly lower than those of individuals collected from the more turbid WB waters. These results indicate that downwelling irradiance has a significant impact on interspecies and intraspecies vertical distribution patterns in the mesopelagic realm

Can ion mobility mass spectrometry and density functional theory help elucidate protonation sites in 'small' molecules?

Ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) offers an opportunity to combine measurements and/or calculations of the collision cross-sections and subsequent mass spectra with computational modelling in order to derive the three-dimensional structure of ions. IMS-MS has previously been reported to separate two components for the compound norfloxacin, explained by protonation on two different sites, enabling the separation of protonated isomers (protomers) using ion mobility with distinguishable tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) data. This study reveals further insights into the specific example of norfloxacin and wider implications for ion mobility mass spectrometry

Double impact of cigarette smoke and mechanical ventilation on the alveolar epithelial type II cell

INTRODUCTION: Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) impacts clinical outcomes in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is characterized by neutrophil-mediated inflammation and loss of alveolar barrier function. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that smoking may be a risk factor for the development of ARDS. Because alveolar type II cells are central to maintaining the alveolar epithelial barrier during oxidative stress, mediated in part by neutrophilic inflammation and mechanical ventilation, we hypothesized that exposure to cigarette smoke and mechanical strain have interactive effects leading to the activation of and damage to alveolar type II cells. METHODS: To determine if cigarette smoke increases susceptibility to VILI in vivo, a clinically relevant rat model was established. Rats were exposed to three research cigarettes per day for two weeks. After this period, some rats were mechanically ventilated for 4 hours. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and differential cell count was done and alveolar type II cells were isolated. Proteomic analysis was performed on the isolated alveolar type II cells to discover alterations in cellular pathways at the protein level that might contribute to injury. Effects on levels of proteins in pathways associated with innate immunity, oxidative stress and apoptosis were evaluated in alveolar type II cell lysates by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical comparisons were performed by t-tests, and the results were corrected for multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate. RESULTS: Tobacco smoke exposure increased airspace neutrophil influx in response to mechanical ventilation. The combined exposure to cigarette smoke and mechanical ventilation significantly increased BAL neutrophil count and protein content. Neutrophils were significantly higher after smoke exposure and ventilation than after ventilation alone. DNA fragments were significantly elevated in alveolar type II cells. Smoke exposure did not significantly alter other protein-level markers of cell activation, including Toll-like receptor 4; caspases 3, 8 and 9; and heat shock protein 70. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette smoke exposure may impact ventilator-associated alveolar epithelial injury by augmenting neutrophil influx. We found that cigarette smoke had less effect on other pathways previously associated with VILI, including innate immunity, oxidative stress and apoptosis

Countering Terrorism on Tomorrow’s Battlefield: Critical Infrastructure Security and Resiliency (NATO COE-DAT Handbook 2)

Every day, malicious actors target emerging technologies and medical resilience or seek to wreak havoc in the wake of disasters brought on by climate change, energy insecurity, and supply-chain disruptions. Countering Terrorism on Tomorrow’s Battlefield is a handbook on how to strengthen critical infrastructure resilience in an era of emerging threats. The counterterrorism research produced for this volume is in alignment with NATO’s Warfighting Capstone Concept, which details how NATO Allies can transform and maintain their advantage despite new threats for the next two decades. The topics are rooted in NATO’s Seven Baseline requirements, which set the standard for enhancing resilience in every aspect of critical infrastructure and civil society. As terrorists hone their skills to operate lethal drones, use biometric data to target innocents, and take advantage of the chaos left by pandemics and natural disasters for nefarious purposes, NATO forces must be prepared to respond and prevent terrorist events before they happen. Big-data analytics provides potential for NATO states to receive early warning to prevent pandemics, cyberattacks, and kinetic attacks. NATO is perfecting drone operations through interoperability exercises, and space is being exploited by adversaries. Hypersonic weapons are actively being used on the battlefield, and satellites have been targeted to take down wind farms and control navigation. This handbook is a guide for the future, providing actionable information and recommendations to keep our democracies safe today and in the years to come.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1953/thumbnail.jp

Are we missing the target? Are we aiming too low? What are the aerobic exercise prescriptions and their effects on markers of cardiovascular health and systemic inflammation in patients with knee osteoarthritis? A systematic review and meta-analysis

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. Objectives We systemically reviewed published studies that evaluated aerobic exercise interventions in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) to: (1) report the frequency, intensity, type and time (FITT) of exercise prescriptions and (2) quantify the changes in markers of cardiovascular health and systemic inflammation. Data sources PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus; inception to January 2019. Eligibility criteria Randomised clinical trials (RCT), cohort studies, case series. Design We summarised exercise prescriptions for all studies and calculated effect sizes with 95% CIs for between-group (RCTs that compared exercise and control groups) and within-group (pre-post exercise) differences in aerobic capacity (VO 2), heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and inflammatory markers (interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-alpha). We pooled results where possible using random effects models. Results Interventions from 49 studies were summarised; 8% (4/49) met all FITT guidelines; 16% (8/49) met all or most FITT guidelines. Fourteen studies (10 RCTs) reported at least one marker of cardiovascular health or systemic inflammation. Mean differences (95% CI) indicated a small to moderate increase in VO 2 (0.84 mL/min/kg; 95% CI 0.37 to 1.31), decrease in HR (-3.56 beats per minute; 95% CI -5.60 to -1.52) and DBP (-4.10 mm Hg; 95% CI -4.82 to -3.38) and no change in SBP (-0.36 mm Hg; 95% CI -3.88 to 3.16) and IL-6 (0.37 pg/mL; 95% CI -0.11 to 0.85). Within-group differences were also small to moderate. Conclusions In studies of aerobic exercise in patients with knee OA, very few interventions met guideline-recommended dose; there were small to moderate changes in markers of cardiovascular health and no decrease in markers of systemic inflammation. These findings question whether aerobic exercise is being used to its full potential in patients with knee OA. PROSPERO registration number CRD42018087859

Challenges and opportunities in transdisciplinary science: The experience of next generation scientists in an agriculture and climate research collaboration

Agriculture in the twenty-first century faces unprecedented challenges from increasing climate variability to growing demands on natural resources to globalizing economic markets. These emerging agricultural issues, spanning both human and natural dimensions, are uniquely formulated, exceedingly complex, and difficult to address within existing disciplinary domains (Eigenbrode et al. 2007; Reganold et al. 2011; Foley et al. 2005; Hansen et al. 2013). Therefore, the next generation of scientists working on these issues must not only be highly trained within a disciplinary context but must also have the capacity to collaborate with others to solve systems-level problems

Signaling in Secret: Pay-for-Performance and the Incentive and Sorting Effects of Pay Secrecy

Key Findings: Pay secrecy adversely impacts individual task performance because it weakens the perception that an increase in performance will be accompanied by increase in pay; Pay secrecy is associated with a decrease in employee performance and retention in pay-for-performance systems, which measure performance using relative (i.e., peer-ranked) criteria rather than an absolute scale (see Figure 2 on page 5); High performing employees tend to be most sensitive to negative pay-for- performance perceptions; There are many signals embedded within HR policies and practices, which can influence employees’ perception of workplace uncertainty/inequity and impact their performance and turnover intentions; and When pay transparency is impractical, organizations may benefit from introducing partial pay openness to mitigate these effects on employee performance and retention

Association between HLA Class I and Class II Alleles and the Outcome of West Nile Virus Infection: An Exploratory Study

BACKGROUND: West Nile virus (WNV) infection is asymptomatic in most individuals, with a minority developing symptoms ranging from WNV fever to serious neuroinvasive disease. This study investigated the impact of host HLA on the outcome of WNV disease. METHODS: A cohort of 210 non-Hispanic mostly white WNV(+) subjects from Canada and the U.S. were typed for HLA-A, B, C, DP, DQ, and DR. The study subjects were divided into three WNV infection outcome groups: asymptomatic (AS), symptomatic (S), and neuroinvasive disease (ND). Allele frequency distribution was compared pair-wise between the AS, S, and ND groups using χ2 and Fisher's exact tests and P values were corrected for multiple comparisons (Pc). Allele frequencies were compared between the groups and the North American population (NA) used as a control group. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the potential synergistic effect of age and HLA allele phenotype on disease outcome. RESULTS: The alleles HLA-A*68, C*08 and DQB*05 were more frequently associated with severe outcomes (ND vs. AS, P(A*68) = 0.013/Pc = 0.26, P(C*08) = 0.0075/Pc = 0.064, and P(DQB1*05) = 0.029/Pc = 0.68), However the apparent DQB1*05 association was driven by age. The alleles HLA-B*40 and C*03 were more frequently associated with asymptomatic outcome (AS vs. S, P(B*40) = 0.021/Pc = 0.58 and AS vs. ND P(C*03) = 0.039/Pc = 0.64) and their frequencies were lower within WNV(+) subjects with neuroinvasive disease than within the North American population (NA vs. S, P(B*40) = 0.029 and NA vs. ND, P(C*03) = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Host HLA may be associated with the outcome of WNV disease; HLA-A*68 and C*08 might function as "susceptible" alleles, whereas HLA-B*40 and C*03 might function as "protective" alleles