Assembly of the Auditory Circuitry by a Hox Genetic Network in the Mouse Brainstem

Rhombomeres (r) contribute to brainstem auditory nuclei during development. Hox genes are determinants of rhombomere-derived fate and neuronal connectivity. Little is known about the contribution of individual rhombomeres and their associated Hox codes to auditory sensorimotor circuitry. Here, we show that r4 contributes to functionally linked sensory and motor components, including the ventral nucleus of lateral lemniscus, posterior ventral cochlear nuclei (VCN), and motor olivocochlear neurons. Assembly of the r4-derived auditory components is involved in sound perception and depends on regulatory interactions between Hoxb1 and Hoxb2. Indeed, in Hoxb1 and Hoxb2 mutant mice the transmission of low-level auditory stimuli is lost, resulting in hearing impairments. On the other hand, Hoxa2 regulates the Rig1 axon guidance receptor and controls contralateral projections from the anterior VCN to the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body, a circuit involved in sound localization. Thus, individual rhombomeres and their associated Hox codes control the assembly of distinct functionally segregated sub-circuits in the developing auditory brainstem

Field sampling of soil pore water to evaluate the mobile fraction of trace elements in the Iglesiente area (SW Sardinia, Italy)

Field soil pore water monitoring was applied in a highly heavy-metal contaminated area in SW Sardinia, Italy, as a direct, realistic measure of heavy metal mobility. The main chemistry of pore waters well reflects the local characteristics of soils, ranging from Ca-SO4 to (Ca)Mg-HCO3 to Ca(Na)-SO4(Cl), with a wide range of conductivity. The mobility of Zn and Pb is apparently controlled by equilibrium with minerals such as hydrozincite or smithsonite, and cerussite, respectively. These results allow a correct estimate of the actual environmental risk associated with the presence of heavy metals in soils, and may serve as a supporting tool for phytoremediation planning

Spermatozoa transcriptional response and alterations in pl proteins properties after exposure of mytilus galloprovincialis to mercury

Mercury (Hg) is an environmental pollutant that impacts human and ecosystem health. In our previous works, we reported alterations in the properties of Mytilus galloprovincialis protamine-like (PL) proteins after 24 h of exposure to subtoxic doses of toxic metals such as copper and cadmium. The present work aims to assess the effects of 24 h of exposure to 1, 10, and 100 pM HgCl2 on spermatozoa and PL proteins of Mytilus galloprovincialis. Inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry indicated accumulation of this metal in the gonads of exposed mussels. Further, RT-qPCR analyses showed altered expression levels of spermatozoa mt10 and hsp70 genes. In Mytilus galloprovincialis, PL proteins represent the major basic component of sperm chromatin. These proteins, following exposure of mussels to HgCl2, appeared, by SDS-PAGE, partly as aggregates and showed a decreased DNA-binding capacity that rendered them unable to prevent DNA damage, in the presence of CuCl2 and H2O2 . These results demonstrate that even these doses of HgCl2 exposure could affect the properties of PL proteins and result in adverse effects on the reproductive system of this organism. These analyses could be useful in developing rapid and efficient chromatin-based genotoxicity assays for pollution biomonitoring programs

Decomposition of carboxymethyl cellulose based on nano-knife principle

The traditional degradation of organic pollutants is based on the sacrifice of chemical or biological reagents. In this study, a purely physical technique was developed to break the chemical bonds and consequently decompose macromolecules in aqueous solution. Assisted with a high-speed mechanical blade, refined quartz sand grains with particularly sharp nano-scale edges can act as ‘nano-knives’, which are able to cut the long chain of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC, as a model molecule). High performance size exclusion chromatography measurements evidenced that the original CMC molecules (41000 Da) were decomposed into a series of smaller molecules (460, 1000, 2200, 21,000, 27,000 and 31,000 Da). Consequently, the initial viscosity of the CMC solution (2 g/L) rapidly decreased by approximately 50% after 3 min treatment by the nano-knife materials along with the mechanical blade. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated that the original functional groups were 1 still present and new functional groups were not produced after shearing. The intensity of the main functional group β-1-4-glycosidic bond (wavenumber 1062 cm-1) was observed to markedly decrease after shearing. These results indicated that the long-chain CMC was cleaved into short-chain CMC. A degradation mechanism was proposed whereby the cutting force generated by the rapid motion of the nano-knives may be responsible for the breakage of β-1-4-glycosidic bonds in the macromolecular cellulose backbone. These results provide support for a potentially more affordable and environment-friendly strategy for physical-based decomposition of recalcitrant organic pollutants from aqueous solution without the need of chemical or biological reagents

Acne radar: A new intuitive graphic visualization of quality of life in acne patients

Background: There are many instruments available in literature to evaluate the influence of acne on Qualify of Life (QoL), but many of these questionnaires rarely are performed in daily clinical practice. Many of these instruments require a long time for the compilation, and often they are not self completed. There are no simple and intuitive instrument that can be completed by patients alone, with a graphical representation of the results. Objective: To develop a new, rapid and intuitive graphic instrument to a questionnaire allowing both a quick assessment of the impact of acne on patients and, at the same time, increase patient's compliance and self-esteem. Methods: In our study 50 patients were recruited and questionnaire was administered following the main items evaluated in the validated index of QoL from previous studies for acne patients. We have applied an intuitive graph representation, the "Radar Graph", and other statistical methods like the Decisional Map and the Principal Component Analysis, to this questionnaire allowing a quick assessment of the impact of acne on patients. Results: The questionnaire evaluated have 10 items regarding 3 different area: the objective symptoms such as negative perception of their image (imperfection), sting and insomnia; the subjective symptoms such as depression, perception of illness, lack of serenity and shame; and the relational difficulties such as social relationships, working relationships, and intimate relations. The answers are given on a 10-point visual analogue scale. Conclusion: Our survey can be a new, rapid and intuitive graphic instrument to use in clinical practice

Examining ecosystem services and disservices through deliberative socio-cultural valuation

The deliberative socio-cultural valuation of ecosystem services (ES) and disservices (EDS) is an understudied area of ES and EDS research. Participatory methods have been applied to ES and EDS valuation, but little is known on how these approaches could reveal and form shared values and impact decision-making. This paper presents the deliberative socio-cultural valuation of the Jose Rizal Plaza in Calamba City, The Philippines. The study aimed to assess how stakeholders value the ES and EDS of the park and examine how these values change in different situations. Online focus groups were carried out, and in each, the participants were asked to distribute importance and concern points to the various park ES and EDS, respectively. The valuation exercise was performed six times, changing the source and constituency of the valuation, and introducing discussions. Results confirm significant differences in the values assigned to several ES and EDS across the valuation exercises. Varying the sources and constituencies proved useful in revealing the participants’ shared assigned values. The participants share a high appreciation for enjoyment and spending free time, sports and physical fitness, relaxation and mental recreation, social relationships, and local identity and cultural heritage. For EDS, they share a significant concern only for the risk of anti-social behaviour. This type of valuation could be further explored using other parks and cities to test if it will have consistent results. For the Jose Rizal Plaza, spaces for sports should be maintained and security should be improved

Socio-cultural valuation of urban parks: the case of Jose Rizal Plaza in Calamba City, The Philippines

The socio-cultural value of urban parks has rarely been studied, and this could be why they are undervalued and not given significant attention in city planning. This study presents the socio-cultural valuation (SCV) of the ecosystem services (ES) and disservices (EDS) of the Jose Rizal Plaza in Calamba City, The Philippines. Stakeholders were interviewed to assemble a list of the park's ES and EDS. An online survey was then conducted to examine how stakeholders assign values to the park ES and EDS. Finally, the configuration of conditions leading to the assigned values was analysed. The results suggest that respondents value the park's ES more than they worry about its EDS. They value cultural ES the highest, while they are most concerned with psychological EDS. The Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) revealed that visiting the park is necessary for a high valuation to ES. For EDS, these are: not knowing the previous land use in the area and visiting the park. Overall, the paper concludes that SCV is an effective way to assess the value of urban parks, and fsQCA could aid in determining the combination of conditions leading to these values

Towards a broad-based and holistic framework of sustainable intensification indicators

The concept of 'Sustainable Intensification' (SI) has been promoted as a potential solution to the many contemporary challenges facing agriculture, but has also received widespread criticism for being too narrow in scope and failing to address all aspects of sustainability. Despite this, there are few suggestions in the literature as to what a holistic, broad-based approach to SI should comprise and what issues and trade-offs are likely to arise in the adoption and operation of such a broadly-based approach. We report a suit of SI indicators suggested by UK stakeholders, evaluate the plausibility of these in terms of the commonly established principles of sustainability, and identify the critical issues that may arise in the adoption and operation of these indicators. The purpose of this paper is not to recommend a specific blueprint for SI but to raise issues and questions for dialogue amongst stakeholders. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 32 stakeholders from throughout the UK agrifood system. The data were analysed thematically and organised using a Social-Ecological Systems (SESs) framework. The interviewees suggested a total of 110 SI indicators, of which the most frequently suggested related to agricultural production and ecological considerations. There was less emphasis placed on social and cultural dimensions of agricultural systems. A number of the indicators suggested were poorly-defined and it was difficult to determine what particular aspects of sustainability they addressed. Many potential trade-offs between the indicators were also evident. The findings raise a number of questions. Is it appropriate to continue referring to SI as Sustainable Intensification when it fails to give equal consideration to all accepted aspects of sustainability? Would it be more appropriate to refer to the SI concept as 'Ecological Intensification'? Is a broad-based and all-encompassing definition of 'sustainability' always desirable, or should 'sustainability' be considered as context specific, with the weighting of the different dimensions varying according to operational circumstances? We argue that these questions need to be resolved through stakeholder dialogues in order for the concept of SI to become more widely accepted and implementable in practice

Investigating the potential of sunflower species, fermented palm wine and Pleurotus ostreatus for treatment of petroleum-contaminated soil

Phyto- and myco-remediation have been identified as sustainable options for treatment of petroleum-contaminated soils. To appraise the benefits thereof, the potentials of 3 sunflower species, 2 palm wine types and P. ostreatus to treat petroleum-contaminated soils was investigated. The study involved sampling of petroleum-contaminated soils and treatment with the phyto- and myco-remediation agents for a period of 90-days. Agents used for the remediation were 3 species of sunflowers (Helianthus annus-pacino gold, Helianthus sunsation & Helianthus annus-sunny dwarf), fermented palm wine (from 2 species of palm trees -Elaeis guineensis & Raffia africana), and oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). The study further investigated variation in remediation efficiency among the sunflower and palm wine species, as well as different substrates and conditions for optimal application of P. ostreatus. The results obtained revealed up to 340 g/kg dry weight of Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in the soils, with remediation outcomes of up to 69% by the sunflower- Helianthus annus (Pacino gold), 70% by fermented palm wine, and 85% by P. ostreatus. While the remediation efficiency of sunflower species was proportional to biomass, there was no significant difference in remediation efficiency of the palm wines. It was also found that substrates type and method of application has a significant impact on the remediation efficiency of P. ostreatus. The study further revealed available nitrate and electrical conductivity as possible useful indicators of TPHs concentration and remediation progress in soils

Is Metabolic Syndrome Useful for Identifying Youths with Obesity at Risk for NAFLD?

The definition of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in childhood is controversial. Recently, a modified version of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition was proposed using reference data from an international population for high waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP), while the fixed cutoffs for lipids and glucose were not changed. We analyzed MetS prevalence using this modified definition (MetS-IDFm) and its association with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in 1057 youths (age 6–17 years) with overweight/obesity (OW/OB). A comparison with another modified definition of MetS according to the Adult Treatment Panel III (MetS-ATPIIIm) was performed. The prevalence of MetS-IDFm was 27.8% and 28.9% by MetS-ATPIIIm. The Odds (95% Confidence Intervals) of NAFLD was 2.70 (1.30–5.60) (p = 0.008) for high WC, 1.68 (1.25–2.26)(p = 0.001) for MetS, 1.54 (1.12–2.11)(p = 0.007) for low HDL-Cholesterol, 1.49 (1.04–2.13)(p = 0.032) for high triglycerides and 1.37 (1.03–1.82)(p = 0.033) for high BP. No substantial difference was found in the prevalence of MetS-IDFm and frequency of NAFLD compared to Mets-ATPIIIm definition. Our data demonstrate that one third of youths with OW/OB have MetS, whichever was the criterion. Neither definition was superior to some of their components in identifying youths with OW/OB at risk for NAFLD