Hydrated Electron Dynamics at a Five Femtosecond Time Scale

Hydrated electrons are studied by frequency resolved pump probe with 5 fs time resolution in the spectral range from 600 nm to 1000 nm. A recurrence detected in the pumpprobe signal at —40 fs is tentatively assigned to coupling to librational motions in the electron's solvent cage

Evidence for seasonal shift in the reproduction of Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) in managed care in the Northern hemisphere compared to the natural habitat in the Southern hemisphere

Ex situ breeding constitutes an important tool for species conservation; however, many reptile species are not managed sustainably under human care due to poor fecundity in ex situ settings. In this study, we tested whether the translocation of a seasonally reproducing species to a different environment results in decoupling of extrinsic signals and intrinsic conditions. The endocrinological patterns of plasma steroid sex hormones, follicular development, and mating behaviour of two female and two male sexually mature Aldabra tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) in a zoological institution in the Northern hemisphere was aligned with enclosure climate data (mean monthly daylight duration, temperature, and precipitation) and compared with respective hormone patterns of wild individuals and climate conditions in the native habitat on the Aldabra Atoll in the Southern hemisphere. Whereas occurrence of mating behaviour was not considered a limiting factor, lack of ovulation and subsequent follicular atresia was the main reason for the lack of reproductive output. While it was impossible to elucidate the triggering factors of ovulation and the multifactorial complexity of reproduction was not fully addressed, this study indicates suboptimal temperature conditions and relative temporal shifts of interacting external triggers (temperature and photoperiod) in the zoo setting

Ecological risk assessment of PFOS contamination in surface waters from sulfluramid-treated watersheds in Brazil.

The use of sulfluramid as an insecticide in Brazil poses environmental risks as it mayconvert into the persistent and toxic perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), a chemical listed inAnnex B of the Stockholm Convention that can accumulate in the environment and threaten humanand wildlife populations. This study evaluated the ecological risk associated with the presence ofPFOS in surface waters of watersheds with intensive use of sulfluramid ant bait. To assess theexposure levels, surface water samples were sampled monthly for a year (October 2020 toSeptember 2021) from eight watersheds containing planted forests using ant baits. A stainless-steelcollector was used for the sampling, and the samples were stored in polypropylene bottles,refrigerated, and sent to the laboratory within 48 hours. Water samples were concentrated by solidphase extraction (SPE) and subsequent analysis by UPLC-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS. To assess the impactof PFOS in surface waters, the risk quotient (RQ) approach was employed. RQs were calculated bydividing the measured environmental concentrations (MECs) by the Annual AverageEnvironmental Quality Standard (AA-EQS) proposed by the European Union for PFOS (0.65 ngL−1). For samples with PFOS concentration above the limit of detection (LOD) but below the limitof quantification (LOQ), the concentration was estimated using the equation (LOQ + LOD)/2.PFOS was detected in 85.3% of surface water samples, with the highest concentration observed inOctober 2020 and the lowest concentrations found between March 2021 to July 2021. The PF1sampling point had the highest average concentration of PFOS at 8.2 ng L-1. The PF6 point hadthe lowest mean concentration at 1.5 ng L-1. In all the samples where PFOS was detected, risks tothe preservation of aquatic life were observed. The samples collected in PF6 had the same RQvalue (2.3) because the concentrations of PFOS were between LOD and LOQ. The highest RQsobtained were 77.8 (PF1), 20.5 (PF8), 19.2 (PF4), 18.9 (PF5), 18.5 (PF3), and 7.7 (PF2 and PF7).All the highest RQs were found in the samples collected in October 2020, except for sites PF6(sample not analyzed in this campaign) and PF8 (highest RQ obtained in the sample collected inFebruary 2021). All the lowest RQs found had a value of 2.3 because the concentrations of PFOSwere between the LOD and the LOQ, except for the sampling site PF1, which had the lowest RQof 3.4

Relatório de estágio profissional

Este trabalho é referente ao 2.º Ciclo de Estudos, Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico, cuja duração foi de um ano e meio. Durante este período, o estágio foi realizado no Jardim-Escola João de Deus de Alvalade, cumprindo um horário das 9h às 13h, num total de doze horas semanais, distribuídas por três dias, sendo estes segunda-feira, terça-feira e sexta-feira. Durante o período de estágio existiram dois grandes momentos. O primeiro diz respeito ao estágio no Ensino Pré-Escolar e o segundo ao estágio no 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico

Nanomolar levels of PAHs in extracts from urban air induce MAPK signaling in HepG2 cells.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common environmental pollutants that occur naturally in complex mixtures. Many of the adverse health effects of PAHs including cancer are linked to the activation of intracellular stress response signaling. This study has investigated intracellular MAPK signaling in response to PAHs in extracts from urban air collected in Stockholm, Sweden and Limeira, Brazil, in comparison to BP in HepG2 cells. Nanomolar concentrations of PAHs in the extracts induced activation of MEK4 signaling with down-stream increased gene expression of several important stress response mediators. Involvement of the MEK4/JNK pathway was confirmed using siRNA and an inhibitor of JNK signaling resulting in significantly reduced MAPK signaling transactivated by the AP-1 transcription factors ATF2 and c-Jun. ATF2 was also identified as a sensitive stress responsive protein with activation observed at extract concentrations equivalent to 0.1 nM BP. We show that exposure to low levels of environmental PAH mixtures more strongly activates these signaling pathways compared to BP alone suggesting effects due to interactions. Taken together, this is the first study showing the involvement of MEK4/JNK/AP-1 pathway in regulating the intracellular stress response after exposure to nanomolar levels of PAHs in environmentalFormasAccepte

Active Membrane Fluctuations Studied by Micropipet Aspiration

We present a detailed analysis of the micropipet experiments recently reported in J-B. Manneville et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4356--4359 (1999), including a derivation of the expected behaviour of the membrane tension as a function of the areal strain in the case of an active membrane, i.e., containing a nonequilibrium noise source. We give a general expression, which takes into account the effect of active centers both directly on the membrane, and on the embedding fluid dynamics, keeping track of the coupling between the density of active centers and the membrane curvature. The data of the micropipet experiments are well reproduced by the new expressions. In particular, we show that a natural choice of the parameters quantifying the strength of the active noise explains both the large amplitude of the observed effects and its remarkable insensitivity to the active-center density in the investigated range. [Submitted to Phys Rev E, 22 March 2001]Comment: 14 pages, 5 encapsulated Postscript figure

Caminhos percorridos no mapa da portuguesificação: A Linguateca em perspectiva

This study evaluated the ecotoxicity of five dyes to freshwater organisms before and during their photo-Fenton degradation. EC50 (48 h) of the five tested dyes ranged from of 6.9 to >1000 mg L-1 for Daphnia similis. In the chronic tests IC50 (72 h) varied from 65 to >100 mg L-1 for Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and IC50 (8 days) from 0.5 to 410 mg L-1 for Ceriodaphnia dubia. Toxicity tests revealed that although the applied treatment was effective for decolorization of the dye, the partial mineralization may be responsible for the presence of degradation products which can be either more toxic than the original dye, as is the case of Vat Green 3 and Reactive Black 5, lead to initially toxic products which may be further degraded to non toxic products (acid Orange 7 and Food Red 17), or generate non toxic products as in the case of Food Yellow 3. The results highlighted the importance of assessing both acute and chronic toxicity tests of treated sample before effluent discharge. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Sensitivity of Salmonella YG5161 for detecting PAH-associated mutagenicity in air particulate matter.

The Salmonella/microsome assay is the most used assay for the evaluation of air particulate matter (PM) mutagenicity and a positive correlation between strain TA98 responses and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) levels in PM has been found. However, it seems that the major causes of PM mutagenicity in this assay are the nitro and oxy-PAHs. Salmonella YG5161, a 30-times more responsive strain to B[a]P has been developed. To verify if YG5161 strain was sufficiently sensitive to detect mutagenicity associated with B[a]P mutagenicity, PM samples were collected in Brazil and Sweden, extracted with toluene and tested in the Salmonella/microsome microsuspension assay. PAHs and B[a]P were determined and the extracts were tested with YG5161 and its parental strain TA1538. The extracts were also tested with YG1041 and its parental strain TA98. For sensitivity comparisons, we tested B[a]P and 1-nitropyrene (1-NP) using the same conditions. The minimal effective dose of B[a]P was 155 ng/plate for TA1538 and 7 ng/plate for YG5161. Although the maximum tested dose, 10 m(3) /plate containing 9 ng of B[a]P in the case of Brazilian sample, was sufficient to elicit a response in YG5161, mutagenicity was detected at a dose as low as 1 m(3) /plate (0.9 ng). This is probably caused by nitro-compounds that have been shown to be even more potent than B[a]P for YG5161. It seems that the mutagenicity of B[a]P present in PM is not detectable even with the use of YG5161 unless more efficient separation to remove the nitro-compounds from the PAH extract is performed.FormasAccepte

Detection of benz[j]aceanthrylene in urban air and evaluation of its genotoxic potential.

Benz[j]aceanthrylene (B[j]A) is a cyclopenta-fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with strong mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. We have identified B[j]A in air particulate matter (PM) in samples collected in Stockholm, Sweden and in Limeira, Brazil using LC-GC/MS analysis. Determined concentrations ranged between 1.57 and 12.7 and 19.6-30.2 pg/m(3) in Stockholm and Limeira, respectively, which was 11-30 times less than benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) concentrations. Activation of the DNA damage response was evaluated after exposure to B[j]A in HepG2 cells in comparison to B[a]P. We found that significantly lower concentrations of B[j]A were needed for an effect on cell viability compared to B[a]P, and equimolar exposure resulted in significant more DNA damage with B[j]A. Additionally, levels of gammaH2AX, pChk1, p53, pp53, and p21 proteins were higher in response to B[j]A than B[a]P. On the basis of dose response induction of pChk1 and gammaH2AX, B[j]A potency was 12.5- and 33.3-fold higher than B[a]P, respectively. Although B[j]A levels in air were low, including B[j]A in the estimation of excess lifetime cancer risk increased the risk up to 2-fold depending on which potency factor for B[j]A was applied. Together, our results show that B[j]A could be an important contributor to the cancer risk of air PM.FormasAccepte

RNA reference materials with defined viral RNA loads of SARS-CoV-2—A useful tool towards a better PCR assay harmonization

SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, requires reliable diagnostic methods to track the circulation of this virus. Following the development of RT-qPCR methods to meet this diagnostic need in January 2020, it became clear from interlaboratory studies that the reported Ct values obtained for the different laboratories showed high variability. Despite this the Ct values were explored as a quantitative cut off to aid clinical decisions based on viral load. Consequently, there was a need to introduce standards to support estimation of SARS-CoV-2 viral load in diagnostic specimens. In a collaborative study, INSTAND established two reference materials (RMs) containing heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 with SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads of ~107 copies/mL (RM 1) and ~106 copies/mL (RM 2), respectively. Quantification was performed by RT-qPCR using synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA standards and digital PCR. Between November 2020 and February 2021, German laboratories were invited to use the two RMs to anchor their Ct values measured in routine diagnostic specimens, with the Ct values of the two RMs. A total of 305 laboratories in Germany were supplied with RM 1 and RM 2. The laboratories were requested to report their measured Ct values together with details on the PCR method they used to INSTAND. This resultant 1,109 data sets were differentiated by test system and targeted gene region. Our findings demonstrate that an indispensable prerequisite for linking Ct values to SARS-CoV-2 viral loads is that they are treated as being unique to an individual laboratory. For this reason, clinical guidance based on viral loads should not cite Ct values. The RMs described were a suitable tool to determine the specific laboratory Ct for a given viral load. Furthermore, as Ct values can also vary between runs when using the same instrument, such RMs could be used as run controls to ensure reproducibility of the quantitative measurements.Peer Reviewe