Impact of the application of humic acid and sodium nitroprusside on nickel toxicity: Analysis of relative gene expression

Nickel (Ni) is an essential micronutrient for plants but in high concentrations may turn toxic. This paper discusses the potential role of humic acid (HA) and sodium  nitroprusside in modulating or preventing oxidative stress in rice plants. Three genes [superoxide dismutase (SOD) glutathione reductase (GR) and ascorbate  peroxidase (APx) were selected for an expression study using a real time PCR technique. Three different treatments (T1 = nickel [nickel chloride (NiCl2·6H2O)] 300 mg L-1, T2 = nickel-humic acid, T3 = nickel-sodium nitroprusside) were used to determine the effect of humic acid and sodium nitroprusside on nickel toxicity in  rice plants. Rice plants grown in T2 appeared green and well developed. In leaves and roots, the expression of superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase was higher in T3 (nickel-sodium nitroprusside); glutathione reductase expression in roots was lower in T1 (sand with Ni solution) compared to T2 (nickel 300 mg L-1 and HA) where the expression was higher; significant differences were found between both treatments. In leaves, the behavior of this gene was similar in all   treatments. This research suggests that nickel toxicity cannot be diminished when HA or SNP are used, and they induce oxidative stress in rice plants.Key words: Nickel toxicity, heavy metals, gene expression, oxidative stress

Comparison of HF Radar Fields of Directional Wave Spectra Against In Situ Measurements at Multiple Locations

The coastal zone hosts a great number of activities that require knowledge of the spatial characteristics of the wave field, which in coastal seas can be highly heterogeneous. Information of this type can be obtained from HF radars, which offer attractive performance characteristics in terms of temporal and spatial resolution. This paper presents the validation of radar-derived fields of directional wave spectra. These were retrieved from measurements collected with an HF radar system specifically deployed for wave measurement, using an established inversion algorithm. Overall, the algorithm reported accurate estimates of directional spectra, whose main distinctive characteristic was that the spectral energy was typically spread over a slightly broader range of frequencies and directions than in their in situ-measured counterparts. Two errors commonly reported in previous studies, namely the overestimation of wave heights and noise related to short measurement periods, were not observed in our results. The maximum wave height recorded by two in situ devices differed by 30 cm on average from the radar-measured values, and with the exception of the wave spreading, the standard deviations of the radar wave parameters were between 3% and 20% of those obtained with the in situ datasets, indicating the two were similarly grouped around their means. At present, the main drawback of the method is the high quality signal required to perform the inversion. This is in part responsible for a reduced data return, which did not exceed 55% at any grid cell over the eight-month period studied here.</jats:p

Differential impact of simultaneous migration on coevolving hosts and parasites

BACKGROUND: The dynamics of antagonistic host-parasite coevolution are believed to be crucially dependent on the rate of migration between populations. We addressed how the rate of simultaneous migration of host and parasite affected resistance and infectivity evolution of coevolving meta-populations of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens and a viral parasite (bacteriophage). The increase in genetic variation resulting from small amounts of migration is expected to increase rates of adaptation of both host and parasite. However, previous studies suggest phages should benefit more from migration than bacteria; because in the absence of migration, phages are more genetically limited and have a lower evolutionary potential compared to the bacteria. RESULTS: The results supported the hypothesis: migration increased the resistance of bacteria to their local (sympatric) hosts. Moreover, migration benefited phages more than hosts with respect to 'global' (measured with respect to the whole range of migration regimes) patterns of resistance and infectivity, because of the differential evolutionary responses of bacteria and phage to different migration regimes. Specifically, we found bacterial global resistance peaked at intermediate rates of migration, whereas phage global infectivity plateaued when migration rates were greater than zero. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that simultaneous migration of hosts and parasites can dramatically affect the interaction of host and parasite. More specifically, the organism with the lower evolutionary potential may gain the greater evolutionary advantage from migration

A152T tau allele causes neurodegeneration that can be ameliorated in a zebrafish model by autophagy induction

Mutations in the gene encoding tau (MAPT) cause frontotemporal dementia spectrum disorders. A rare tau variant p.A152T was reported as a risk factor for frontotemporal dementia spectrum and Alzheimer’s disease in an initial case-control study. Such findings need replication in an independent cohort. We analysed an independent multinational cohort comprising 3100 patients with neurodegenerative disease and 4351 healthy control subjects and found p.A152T associated with significantly higher risk for clinically defined frontotemporal dementia and progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome. To assess the functional and biochemical consequences of this variant, we generated transgenic zebrafish models expressing wild-type or A152T-tau, where A152T caused neurodegeneration and proteasome compromise. Impaired proteasome activity may also enhance accumulation of other proteins associated with this variant. We increased A152T clearance kinetics by both pharmacological and genetic upregulation of autophagy and ameliorated the disease pathology observed in A152T-tau fish. Thus, autophagy-upregulating therapies may be a strategy for the treatment for tauopathies.We thank the Tau consortium (SEL, ALB, GC, BLM, DCR), P50 AG02350, P01 AG019724, R01AG038791, U54NS092089, F31 NS084556, Alzheimer’s Research UK (DCR) Wellcome Trust (Principal Research Fellowship to 095317/Z/11/Z), a Wellcome Trust Strategic Grant to Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (100140/Z/12/Z), NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Dementia at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation for funding. L.S. is funded by a DFG fellowship, N.V.O. is funded by BBSRC project grant BB/L000830/1. Samples from the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease (NCRAD), which receives government support under a cooperative agreement grant (U24 AG21886) awarded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), were used in this study

Reproductive Biology of Common Small Pelagic Fishes in Manila Bay, Philippines

Reproductive biology of the three dominant species (Sardinella gibbosa, Sardinella fimbriata, and Rastrelliger kanagurta) were studied in Manila Bay from January 2014 to December 2015. The data were collected from landed catch (coming from gillnet, lift net, purse seine, ringnet, and trawl) and during the actual trawl fishing survey. A total of 2,383 Sardinella gibbosa, 2,334 Sardinella fimbriata, and 549 Rastrelliger kanagurta were analyzed by pooling the two years data. The overall female to male ratio conformed to the expected 1:1 sex ratio. These species spawn throughout the year with major peak in March and April and minor peak in October to December for Sardinella gibbosa; with major peak in February to May and minor peak in October to December for Sardinella fimbriata; and for Rastrelliger kanagurta, with major peak in October to December and minor peak in May and June. The GSI values correlate with the maturation of the gonads of these species. The length at maturity (Lm50) was calculated at 12.75 cm in males and 13.25 cm in females for S. gibbosa; 12.25 cm in males and 12.75 cm in females for S. fimbriata; and 25.5 cm in males and 24.5 cm in females for R. kanagurta

Murine model for Fusarium oxysporum invasive fusariosis reveals organ-specific structures for dissemination and long-term persistence

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Factors associated with dental attendance among adolescents in Santiago, Chile

BACKGROUND: Dental treatment needs are commonly unmet among adolescents. It is therefore important to clarify the determinants of poor utilization of dental services among adolescents. METHODS: A total of 9,203 Chilean students aged 12–21 years provided information on dental visits, oral health related behavior, perceived oral health status, and socio-demographic determinants. School headmasters provided information on monthly tuition and annual fees. Based on the answers provided, three outcome variables were generated to reflect whether the respondent had visited the dentist during the past year or not; whether the last dental visit was due to symptoms; and whether the responded had ever been to a dentist. Aged adjusted multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the influence of the covariates gender; oral health related behaviors (self-reported tooth brushing frequency & smoking habits); and measures of social position (annual education expenses; paternal income; and achieved parental education) on each outcome. RESULTS: Analyses showed that students who had not attended a dentist within the past year were more likely to be male (OR = 1.3); to report infrequent tooth brushing (OR = 1.3); to have a father without income (OR = 1.8); a mother with only primary school education (OR = 1.5); and were also more likely to report a poor oral health status (OR = 2.0), just as they were more likely to attend schools with lower tuition and fees (OR = 1.4). Students who consulted a dentist because of symptoms were more likely to have a father without income (OR = 1.4); to attend schools with low economic entry barriers (OR = 1.4); and they were more likely to report a poor oral health status (OR = 2.9). Students who had never visited a dentist were more likely to report infrequent tooth brushing (OR = 1.9) and to have lower socioeconomic positions independently of the indicator used. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that socioeconomic and behavioral factors are independently associated with the frequency of and reasons for dental visits in this adolescent population and that self-perceived poor oral health status is strongly associated with infrequent dental visits and symptoms

Phase I trial of vorinostat and doxorubicin in solid tumours: histone deacetylase 2 expression as a predictive marker

BackgroundHistone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) can sensitise cancer cells to topoisomerase inhibitors by increasing their access and binding to DNA.MethodsThis phase I trial was designed to determine the toxicity profile, tolerability, and recommended phase II dose of escalating doses of the HDACi vorinostat, with weekly doxorubicin.ResultsIn total, 32 patients were treated; vorinostat was dosed at 400, 600, 800, or 1000 mg day(-1) on days 1-3, followed by doxorubicin (20 mg m(-2)) on day 3 for 3 of 4 weeks. Maximal tolerated dose was determined to be 800 mg day(-1) of vorinostat. Dose-limiting toxicities were grade 3 nausea/vomiting (two out of six) and fatigue (one out of six) at 1000 mg day(-1). Non-dose-limiting grade 3/4 toxicities included haematological toxicity and venous thromboembolism. Antitumor activity in 24 evaluable patients included two partial responses (breast and prostate cancer). Two patients with melanoma had stable disease for &gt; or =8 months. Histone hyperacetylation changes in peripheral blood mononuclear and tumour cells were comparable. Histone hyperacetylation seemed to correlate with pre-treatment HDAC2 expression.ConclusionThese findings suggest that vorinostat can be combined with weekly doxorubicin in this schedule at a dose of 800 mg day(-1). The HDAC2 expression may be a marker predictive of HDAC inhibition. Antitumor activity of this regimen in breast cancer, prostate cancer, and melanoma seems interesting

ADC Nonlinearity Correction for the Majorana Demonstrator

Imperfections in analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) cannot be ignored when signal digitization requirements demand both wide dynamic range and high resolution, as is the case for the Majorana Demonstrator 76Ge neutrinoless double-beta decay search. Enabling the experiment's high-resolution spectral analysis and efficient pulse shape discrimination required careful measurement and correction of ADC nonlinearities. A simple measurement protocol was developed that did not require sophisticated equipment or lengthy data-taking campaigns. A slope-dependent hysteresis was observed and characterized. A correction applied to digitized waveforms prior to signal processing reduced the differential and integral nonlinearities by an order of magnitude, eliminating these as dominant contributions to the systematic energy uncertainty at the double-beta decay Q value

Measurement, modeling and simulation of photovoltaic degradation rates

Photovoltaic degradation rates play a vital role in visualizing and analyzing the performance of the PV modules over the long run. A site survey is conducted to calculate PV degradation rates. The results have shown that for the first three years since the initial installation, the degradation rates have remained in line with the manufacturer values (i.e., less than 0.6%), while the next two years the degradation rates have almost increased by 40%. This is due to discoloration of the encapsulant causing the reduction of the short circuit current (Isc). Mathematically, modeling such visual loss factors has not considered so far. The visual loss factor equation is developed and incorporated in the output current equation of the PV module. Further, the I-V curves are simulated and compared with the measured I-V curves. The results have shown an acceptable error percentage of around 0.3%