Effects of salinity on survival, growth, reproductive and life span characteristics of <i>Artemia</i> populations from Urmia Lake and neighboring lagoons

This study deals with effects of different salinities on the survival, growth, reproductive and lifespan characteristics of three Artemia populations from Urmia Lake and small lagoons at the vicinity of the lake under laboratory conditions. Experimental salinities ranged from 75 to 175 g L-1. Salinity was proved to have significant impact on the majority of the characters studied in this survey. Growth and survival in bisexual A. urmiana and parthenogenetic Artemia from Lake Urmia were significantly higher with respect to the parthenogenetic Artemia from lagoons at most of the salinities tested. Reproductive characteristics such as total number of broods, total offspring number of offspring in each brood and number of offspring at each day of reproductive period reduced with increasing salinity. Moreover higher salinity prolonged the pre-reproductive period but shortened the total reproductive period. Higher salinities also affected the percentage of encystment and post-reproductive period, showing significantly higher values in parthenogenetic populations in comparison to bisexual A. urmiana

Am J Prev Med

CC999999/Intramural CDC HHS/United States2017-02-19T00:00:00Z26456878PMC531651

Recent developemts in multiple criteria decision making

Problems involving more than one criterion abound. To help in the solution of such problems, a field of management science and operations research known as multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) has emerged to help solve such problems. In this paper we discuss some recent developments in this important field

Cement and clean aggregates from CDW: the C2CA Project

The recycling of end-of-life concrete into new concrete is one of the most interesting options for reducing worldwide natural resources use and emissions associated with the building materials sector. The production of the cement used in concrete, for example, is responsible for at least 5% of worldwide CO2 emissions. Onsite reuse of clean silica aggregate from old concrete saves natural resources and reduces transport and dust, while the re-use of the calcium-rich cement paste has the potential to cut carbon dioxide emissions in the production of new cement by a factor of two. In order to achieve this goal, a new system approach is studied in which quality control assesses and maintains high standards of concrete demolition waste from the earliest stage of recycling, and novel breaker/sorting technology concentrates silica and calcium effectively into separate fractions at low cost. Finally, the smaller calcium-rich fraction, which is typically also rich in fine organic residues, is converted into new binding agents by thermal processing, and mixed with the aggregate into new mortar. The project aims to develop three innovative technologies for recycling end-of-life concrete, integrate them with state-of-the-art demolition and building processes and procedures, and test the new system approach on two Dutch concrete towers involving 40,000 tons of concrete. The results of the project will be used to determine which kinds of strategies and policies are most effective to facilitate an efficient transition towards optimal value recovery from Construction and Demolition Waste and sustainable building

A REMARKABLE AURORAL EVENT ON JUPITER OBSERVED IN THE ULTRAVIOLET WITH THE HUBBLE-SPACE-TELESCOPE

Two sets of ultraviolet images of the Jovian north aurora were obtained with the Faint Object Camera on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The first series shows an intense discrete are in near corotation with the planet. The maximum apparent molecular hydrogen emission rate corresponds to an electron precipitation of similar to 1 watt per square meter, which is about 30,000 times larger than the solar heating by extreme ultraviolet radiation. Such a particle heating rate of the auroral upper atmosphere of Jupiter should cause a large transient temperature increase and generate strong thermospheric winds. Twenty hours after initial observation, the discrete are had decreased in brightness by more than one order of magnitude. The time scale and magnitude of the change in the ultraviolet aurora leads us to suggest that the discrete Jovian auroral precipitation is related to large-scale variations in the current system, as is the case for Earth's discrete aurorae

Cancer patients treated with intravenous chemotherapy for the first time. What are their needs? What do they lack? A qualitative&ndash;quantitative mixed approach

Max-Adrien Garcia,1 Julie Kalecinski,1 Mathieu Oriol,1,2 Armand Bonne,1 Mohamed Lofti,1 Sophie Espenel,3 Fabien Tinquaut,1 Pierre Fournel,4 Olivier Collard,4 C&eacute;cile Vassal,4 Romain Rivoirard,4 V&eacute;ronique Regnier,1,5 Franck Chauvin,1,2,5 Aur&eacute;lie Bourmaud1,5 1Hygee Center, Lucien Neuwirth Cancer Institut, INSERM &ndash; CIC-EC, CIC 1408, Saint Priest en Jarez, France; 2Jean Monnet University, Saint Etienne, France; 3Radiotherapy Department, Lucien Neuwirth Cancer Institut, Saint Priest en Jarez, France; 4Medical Oncology Department, Lucien Neuwirth Cancer Institut, Saint Priest en Jarez, France; 5Quality Safety Performance in Health (HESPER) EA7425, Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France Introduction: The announcement of cancer coupled with initiation of its treatment impacts patients&rsquo; psychological and physical states as well as their lifestyles. The objective of this study was to identify and confirm the needs of patients starting off on anticancer chemotherapy treatment. Methods: This study was based on a qualitative&ndash;quantitative mixed method. In 2009, a qualitative study was conducted at the Lucien Neuwirth Cancer Institut for cancer patients undergoing intravenous chemotherapy for the first time. Exploratory and semi-directed interviews were carried out by a sociologist. In 2014, a questionnaire was hetero-administered to 100 patients starting off on chemotherapy. Results: Forty patients were interviewed in 2009. Ninety-seven patients answered the questionnaire in 2014. Food was a theme that was identified by a majority of patients in 2009 (13/40) and confirmed in 2014: 63% needed help in identifying favorable food and 67% in identifying those that had to be avoided. The other needs identified were those linked to better understanding of the treatment, of how it may affect the couple, its side effects, hygiene and beauty, and knowledge about other treatments. These needs were confirmed in 2014. New needs were elicited in 2014: activities and leisure (33%), psychological needs (32.6%), and family relations (29.9%). Conclusion: This study enabled us to identify, confirm, and enrich our knowledge of the needs of cancer patients starting off on intravenous chemotherapy. These results led to the modification of an existing patient education program for these patients, in order to fulfill their needs in an updated and tailored manner. Keywords: assessment of needs, patients&rsquo; needs, cancer, patient education, mixed qualitative&ndash;quantitative method, psychosocial need

Fenfluramine-induced gene dysregulation in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle and endothelial cells

Fenfluramine is prescribed either alone or in combination with phentermine as part of Fen-Phen, an anti-obesity medication. Fenfluramine was withdrawn from the US market in 1997 due to reports of heart valvular disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and cardiac fibrosis. Particularly, idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), previously referred to as primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), was found to be associated with the use of Fen-Phen, fenfluramine, and fenfluramine derivatives. The underlying mechanism of fenfluramine-associated pulmonary hypertension is still largely unknown. We reasoned that investigating drug-induced gene dysregulation would enhance our understanding of the fenfluramine-associated pathogenic mechanism of IPAH. Whole-genome gene expression profiles in fenfluramine-treated human pulmonary artery smooth muscle (PASMC) and endothelial (PAEC) cells (isolated from normal subjects) were compared with baseline expression in untreated cells. Fenfluramine treatment caused dysregulation in a substantial number of genes involved in a variety of pathways and biological processes. In addition to several common pathways and biological processes such as “MAPK signaling pathway,” “inflammation response,” and “calcium signaling pathway” shared between both cell types, pathways and biological processes such as “blood circulation,” “muscle system process,” and “immune response” were enriched among the dysregulated genes in PASMC. Pathways and biological processes such as those related to cell cycle, however, were enriched among the dysregulated genes in PAEC, indicating that fenfluramine could affect unique pathways (or differentially) in different types of pulmonary artery cells. While awaiting validation in a larger cohort, these results strongly suggested that fenfluramine could induce significant dysregulation of genes in multiple biological processes and pathways critical for normal pulmonary vascular functions and structure. The transcriptional and posttranscriptional changes in these genes may, therefore, contribute to the pathogenesis of fenfluramine-associated IPAH