Paleocene orthophragminids from the Lakadong Limestone, Mawmluh Quarry section, Meghalaya (Shillong, NE India): implications for the regional geology and paleobiogeography

The late Paleocene orthophragminids, hitherto poorly known from the Himalayan foreland basins, are studied from the Lakadong Limestone in Meghalaya, northeastern India, in order to establish a systematic, biostratigraphic, and paleobiogeographical framework for them in the eastern Tethys. In the Mawmluh Quarry section (MQS) on the Shillong Plateau, to the southeast of Tibet, orthophragminids are associated with typical Paleocene orbitoidiform taxa endemic to the Indian subcontinent, i.e., Lakadongia Matsumaru & Jauhri ( =  Setia Ferràndez-Cañadell) and Orbitosiphon Rao, and various species of alveolinids, miscellaneids, and rotaliids, characterizing the Shallow Benthic Zones (SBZ) 3 and 4. The orthophragminids belong to two lineages of the genus Orbitoclypeus Silvestri: O. schopeni (Checchia-Rispoli) and O. multiplicatus (Gümbel), both well known from the peri-Mediterranean region and Europe (western Tethys). The latter species is identified here for the first time from the eastern Tethys. Previous records of the genus Discocyclina Gümbel from the Lakadong Limestone actually correspond to misidentified Orbitoclypeus; this implies that the late Paleocene orthophragminid assemblages from Meghalaya and eastern Tethys were less diverse than in the western Tethys. The lineage of Orbitoclypeus schopeni in the lower part of the Lakadong Limestone (SBZ 3) is identified as O. schopeni cf. ramaraoi based on the morphometry of a few specimens, whereas in the upper part (SBZ 4) it corresponds to a transitional development stage between O. schopeni ramaraoi and O. schopeni neumannae (with average Dmean values ranging between 192 and 199 µm). The embryon diameters of O. multiplicatus, recorded only in SBZ 4, range between 300 and 319 µm on average, corresponding to transitional development stages of O. multiplicatus haymanaensis and O. multiplicatus multiplicatus. Our data, along with a review of previous Paleocene and Eocene records from India and Pakistan, suggest that Orbitoclypeus is the only orthophragminid in the Paleocene of the eastern Tethys, whereas Discocyclina first appears in early Eocene times, being mainly represented by endemic taxa confined to the Indian subcontinent. Facies change in the MQS from a marine to continental setting within SBZ 4 corresponds to the oldest record from the Indian plate in the Paleogene, which may be linked to the flexural uplift of the passive margin of the Indian plate, marking the onset of the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates

Editorial

The 11th International Symposium on Operational Research (SOR’11) was organized by Slovenian Society INFORMATIKA – Section for Operational Research (SDI-SOR) in Dolenjske Toplice, Slovenia, during the week of 28 – 30 September 2011. At SOR’11 it was decided to publish a Special Issue of Business Systems Research Journal (SI of BSRJ) on innovative approaches to OR methodology and its applications in business, micro and macro-economics, management, finance, social sciences, energy, environment, transport and other areas. The call for papers for SI of BSRJ was open, and it was directed to the participants of SOR’11 as well as to other researchers and practitioners from the field of OR. We have received 9 submissions for this special issue, some of them being extended journal versions of short conference papers from proceedings (Zadnik Stirn et al., 2011). Each submission was first reviewed by the Guest Editors, and the papers were then blind reviewed by two experts

(Re)Conceptualizing decision-making tools in a risk governance framework for emerging technologies—the case of nanomaterials

The utility of decision-making tools for the risk governance of nanotechnology is at the core of this paper. Those working in nanotechnology risk management have been prolific in creating such tools, many derived from European FP7 and H2020-funded projects. What is less clear is how such tools might assist the overarching ambition of creating a fair system of risk governance. In this paper, we reflect upon the role that tools might and should play in any system of risk governance. With many tools designed for the risk governance of this emerging technology falling into disuse, this paper provides an overview of extant tools and addresses their potential shortcomings. We also posit the need for a data readiness tool. With the EUs NMP13 family of research consortia about to report to the Commission on ways forward in terms of risk governance of this domain, this is a timely intervention on an important element of any risk governance system

Nanotoksikologija za varno in trajnostno nanotehnologijo

Nanotechnology is the term given to those areas of science and engineering where the phenomena take place at nanoscale dimensions. Nanoparticles are particles with <100 nm in one dimension. They have different physical, chemical, electrical and optical properties than those that occur in bulk samples of the same material. Understanding these nanoscale properties and finding ways to engineer new nanomaterials will have a revolutionary impact, from more efficient energy generation and data storage to improved methods for diagnosing and treating diseases. Nanotechnology is poised to become a major factor in the world’s economy and part of our everyday lives in the near future. Hundreds of tonnes of nanoparticles already enter the environment annually, but still very little is known of their interactions with biological systems. Recent studies indicate that some nanoparticles are not completely benign to biological and environmental targets. The challenge for toxicologists is to identify key factors that can be used to predict toxicity, permit targeted screening, and allow material scientists to generate new, safer nanoparticles with this structure-toxicity information in mind. The aim of this paper is to summarize some known facts about nanomaterials and discuss future perspectives, regulatory issues and tasks of the emerging branch of toxicology, that is, nanotoxicology.Nanomateriali izboljćujejo kvaliteto naćega življenja, zato bo njihova uporaba na različnih področjih življenja dramatično narasla. Po nekaterih ocenah bo imela nanotehnologija večji vpliv na družbno kot ga je imela industrijska revolucija. Kot posledica razmaha nanotehnologije se bo povečala poklicna in javna izpostavljenost nanodelcem ter izpostavljenost okolja. Nanodelci, ki nas najbolj zanimajo, so strukture, ki imajo v eni dimenziji manj kot 100 nm, in jih je izdelal človek. Njihove lastnosti se zaradi njihove majhnosti bistveno razlikujejo od lastnosti, ki jih imajo večji delci enake kemijske sestave. Šele v zadnjem času so se začela pojavljati vpraćanja in vzpodbujati raziskave o potencialni nevarnosti nanodelcev. Trenutni rezultati toksikoloćkih ćtudij potrjujejo kvarne učinke nanodelcev in navajajo, da nanodelci najverjetneje delujejo na organizem preko oksidativnega stresa. Študije nakazujejo ćtevilne posebnosti nanodelcev pri interakcijah s celicami, tkivi in organizmi. Najverjetneje je ta trenutek pomembno pridobiti čim več ustreznega znanja za oblikovanje regulative na področju varne proizvodnje in uporabe nanodelcev. Namen prispevka je povzeti že znana dejstva o nanodelcih in predstaviti naloge nove smeri v toksikologiji, nanotoksikologije. V prispevku je povzeta najnovejća regulativa na področju ugotavljanja in zagotavljanja varnosti proizvodov nanotehnologij, navedene so nekatere koristne baze podatkov, razprave ter nacionalne in mednarodne smernice na področju nanotehnologije

Toxicity of abamectin to the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber (Isopoda, Crustacea).

To determine effects of the antiparasitic veterinary drug abamectin on the isopod Porcellio scaber, animals were exposed for 21 days to Lufa 2.2 soil spiked at concentrations of 3-300 mg/kg dry soil. After exposure, abamectin residues in the isopods were analysed using a novel analytical method. Toxicity was evaluated on different levels of biological organisation: biochemical, cellular and the individual organism. Measurements included glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity and stability of cell membranes in the digestive gland, animal mass gain or loss, food consumption, behaviour and mortality. LC50 for the effect of abamectin on survival of P. scaber was 71 mg/kg dry soil. The most obvious sublethal effects were reduced food consumption and decreased body mass (NOEC 3 mg/kg dry soil). Additionally, loss of digging activity and reduced GST activity (NOEC 30 mg/kg dry soil) and cell membrane destabilization (NOEC 10 mg/kg dry soil) were recorded. Abamectin only slightly accumulated in the isopods, with bioaccumulation factors always being <0.1. Based on these results and current information on environmental levels of abamectin, it is not likely that isopods will be affected by abamectin, but further studies with exposure through faeces are recommended. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Effectiveness of third-class biologic treatment in crohn’s disease : A multi-center retrospective cohort study

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Background: Multiple studies have described the effectiveness of ustekinumab (UST) and vedolizumab (VDZ) in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) failing anti-Tumor necrosis factors (TNFs); however, the effectiveness of VDZ or UST as a third-class biologic has not yet been described. Aims and Methods: In this retrospective multicenter cohort study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of VDZ and UST as a third-class biologic in patients with CD. Results: Two-hundred and four patients were included; 156/204 (76%) patients received VDZ as a second-and UST as a third-class therapy (group A); the remaining 48/204 (24%) patients received UST as a second-and VDZ as a third-class therapy (group B). At week 16–22, 87/156 (55.5%) patients and 27/48 (56.2%) in groups A and B, respectively, responded to treatment (p = 0.9); 41/156 (26.2%) and 15/48 (31.2%) were in clinical remission (p = 0.5). At week 52; 89/103 (86%) patients and 25/29 (86.2%) of the patients with available data had responded to third-class treatment in groups A and B, respectively (p = 0.9); 31/103 (30%) and 47/29 (24.1%) were in clinical remission (p = 0.5). Conclusion: Third-class biological therapy was effective in more than half of the patients with CD. No differences in effectiveness were detected between the use of VDZ and UST as a third-class agent.Peer reviewe

Mapping the Complex Morphology of Cell Interactions with Nanowire Substrates Using FIB-SEM

Using high resolution focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) we study the details of cell-nanostructure interactions using serial block face imaging. 3T3 Fibroblast cellular monolayers are cultured on flat glass as a control surface and on two types of nanostructured scaffold substrates made from silicon black (Nanograss) with low- and high nanowire density. After culturing for 72 hours the cells were fixed, heavy metal stained, embedded in resin, and processed with FIB-SEM block face imaging without removing the substrate. The sample preparation procedure, image acquisition and image post-processing were specifically optimised for cellular monolayers cultured on nanostructured substrates. Cells display a wide range of interactions with the nanostructures depending on the surface morphology, but also greatly varying from one cell to another on the same substrate, illustrating a wide phenotypic variability. Depending on the substrate and cell, we observe that cells could for instance: break the nanowires and engulf them, flatten the nanowires or simply reside on top of them. Given the complexity of interactions, we have categorised our observations and created an overview map. The results demonstrate that detailed nanoscale resolution images are required to begin understanding the wide variety of individual cells' interactions with a structured substrate. The map will provide a framework for light microscopy studies of such interactions indicating what modes of interactions must be considered

Maristem—Stem Cells of Marine/Aquatic Invertebrates: From Basic Research to Innovative Applications

The “stem cells” discipline represents one of the most dynamic areas in biomedicine. While adult marine/aquatic invertebrate stem cell (MISC) biology is of prime research and medical interest, studies on stem cells from organisms outside the classical vertebrate (e.g., human, mouse, and zebrafish) and invertebrate (e.g., Drosophila, Caenorhabditis) models have not been pursued vigorously. Marine/aquatic invertebrates constitute the largest biodiversity and the widest phylogenetic radiation on Earth, from morphologically simple organisms (e.g., sponges, cnidarians), to the more complex mollusks, crustaceans, echinoderms, and protochordates. These organisms contain a kaleidoscope of MISC-types that allow the production of a large number of novel bioactive-molecules, many of which are of significant potential interest for human health. MISCs further participate in aging and regeneration phenomena, including whole-body regeneration. For years, the European MISC-community has been highly fragmented and has established scarce ties with biomedical industries in an attempt to harness MISCs for human welfare. Thus, it is important to (i) consolidate the European community of researchers working on MISCs; (ii) promote and coordinate European research on MISC biology; (iii) stimulate young researchers to embark on research in MISC-biology; (iv) develop, validate, and share novel MISC tools and methodologies; (v) establish the MISC discipline as a forefront interest of biomedical disciplines, including nanobiomedicine; and (vi) establish collaborations with industries to exploit MISCs as sources of bioactive molecules. In order to fill the recognized gaps, the EC-COST Action 16203 “MARISTEM” has recently been launched. At its initial stage, the consortium unites 26 scientists from EC countries, Cooperating countries, and Near Neighbor Countries.This study is supported by the European Cooperation in Science & Technology program (EUCOST).Grant title: “Stem cells of marine/aquatic invertebrates: from basic research to innovative applications” (MARISTEM). The project idea developed as a direct outcome of a EuroMarine (European Marine Research Network) working group meeting held in Padua on 9–10 March 2016.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio