Diatom Community Composition from Low Human Impact Areas in Southeast U.S.

Algal assemblages were evaluated at two Southeastern U.S. streams with reduced human impact, Upper Three Runs Creek and Tobbler Creek. The two sites were collected using standard protocols for stream samplings. The algal community was dominated by diatoms. Community attributes were found to be similar between the two sites, while indicator species varied as determined by Trophic Diatom Index values and the percentage of tolerant taxa to pollutants. Low pH tolerant Eunotia species were dominant in Upper Three Runs Creek while pH neutral, mesotrophic species were dominant in Tobbler Creek. This is the first report on primary producers from both sites and a taxonomic evaluation of the more common taxa is given for future reference

Development policy planning in Ghana: The case of health care provision

This paper examines the historical development of health policy in Ghana within the framework of financial, geographical accessibility and the availability of health care. Historically, health policy has been urban biased, and largely focused on financial accessibility. Even Nkrumah's free health care policy could not adequately address the problem of inadequate health professionals and facilities in the rural areas.The study also established that poverty is also largely a rural phenomenon.The poor benefit less from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). This situation makes the NHIS lack social equity, the very reason for its being. We recommend that government should expand health facilities in the rural areas, and introduce attractive incentive packages to attract and retain health professionals in such areas. There is an urgent need for rigorous criteria to be developed by the NHIS to identify the very poor for health insurance premium exemptions

ANALYZING AND PRICE FORECASTING FOR SELECTED GRAIN CLASSIFIED AS BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK ON THE EU MARKETS

The paper deals with the price trends of biomass feedstock used as renewable energy sources. Special attention is paid to kind of grain classified as the particular sort of biomass in Poland. The comparative prices analysis of some selected kind of grain on the markets of the EU countries is presented in this paper. Also there was demonstrated validity of two forecast models in order to forecast the prices for one month. After the forecasting, the accuracy was evaluated as well as the validation forecasts allowing for evaluation

A phylomedicine approach to understanding the evolution of auditory sensory perception and disease in mammals

Hereditary deafness affects 0.1% of individuals globally and is considered as one of the most debilitating diseases of man. Despite recent advances, the molecular basis of normal auditory function is not fully understood and little is known about the contribution of single-nucleotide variations to the disease. Using cross-species comparisons of 11 'deafness' genes (Myo15, Ush1g, Strc, Tecta, Tectb, Otog, Col11a2, Gjb2, Cldn14, Kcnq4, Pou3f4) across 69 evolutionary and ecologically divergent mammals, we elucidated whether there was evidence for: (i) adaptive evolution acting on these genes across mammals with similar hearing capabilities; and, (ii) regions of long-term evolutionary conservation within which we predict disease-associated mutations should occur. We find evidence of adaptive evolution acting on the eutherian mammals in Myo15, Otog and Tecta. Examination of selection pressures in Tecta and Pou3f4 across a taxonomic sample that included a wide representation of auditory specialists, the bats, did not uncover any evidence for a role in echolocation. We generated ‘conservation indices' based on selection estimates at nucleotide sites and found that known disease mutations fall within sites of high evolutionary conservation. We suggest that methods such as this, derived from estimates of evolutionary conservation using phylogenetically divergent taxa, will help to differentiate between deleterious and benign mutations

Design optimization of a submersible chemiluminescent sensor (DISCO) for improved quantification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in surface waters

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Grabb, K., Pardis, W., Kapit, J., Wankel, S., Hayden, E., & Hansel, C. Design optimization of a submersible chemiluminescent sensor (DISCO) for improved quantification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in surface waters. Sensors, 22(17), (2022): 6683, https://doi.org/10.3390/s22176683.Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are key drivers of biogeochemical cycling while also exhibiting both positive and negative effects on marine ecosystem health. However, quantification of the ROS superoxide (O2−) within environmental systems is hindered by its short half-life. Recently, the development of the diver-operated submersible chemiluminescent sensor (DISCO), a submersible, handheld instrument, enabled in situ superoxide measurements in real time within shallow coral reef ecosystems. Here, we present a redesigned and improved instrument, DISCO II. Similar to the previous DISCO, DISCO II is a self-contained, submersible sensor, deployable to 30 m depth and capable of measuring reactive intermediate species in real time. DISCO II is smaller, lighter, lower cost, and more robust than its predecessor. Laboratory validation of DISCO II demonstrated an average limit of detection in natural seawater of 133.1 pM and a percent variance of 0.7%, with stable photo multiplier tube (PMT) counts, internal temperature, and flow rates. DISCO II can also be optimized for diverse environmental conditions by adjustment of the PMT supply voltage and integration time. Field tests showed no drift in the data with a percent variance of 3.0%. Wand tip adaptations allow for in situ calibrations and decay rates of superoxide using a chemical source of superoxide (SOTS-1). Overall, DISCO II is a versatile, user-friendly sensor that enables measurements in diverse environments, thereby improving our understanding of the cycling of reactive intermediates, such as ROS, across various marine ecosystems.The development and verification of DISCO was funded by Schmidt Marine Technology Partners (G-2010-59878 to C.M.H., S.D.W. and J.K.). This research was further supported, in part, by grants from NSF GRFP (2016230168 to K.C.G.), WHOI Ocean Ventures Fund (2020 and 2021 to K.C.G.), and the MIT Wellington and Irene Loh Fund Fellowship (4000111995 to K.C.G.)

Gallin; an antimicrobial peptide member of a new avian defensin family, the ovodefensins, has been subject to recent gene duplication

Background: Egg white must provide nutrients and protection to the developing avian embryo. One way in which this is achieved is an arsenal of antimicrobial proteins and peptides which are essentially extensions of the innate immune system. Gallin is a recently identified member of a family of peptides that are found in egg white. The function of this peptide family has not been identified and they are potentially antimicrobial. Results: We have confirmed that there are at least 3 forms of the gallin gene in the chicken genome in 3 separate lines of chicken, all the forms are expressed in the tubular cells of the magnum region of the oviduct, consistent with its presence in egg white. mRNA expression levels are in the order 10,000 times greater in the magnum than the shell gland. The conservation between the multiple forms of gallin in the chicken genome compared with the conservation between gallin and other avian gallin like peptides, suggests that the gene duplication has occurred relatively recently in the chicken lineage. The gallin peptide family contains a six cysteine motif (C-X-5-C-X-3-C-X-11-CX3-C-C) found in all defensins, and is most closely related to avian beta-defensins, although the cysteine spacing differs. Further support for the classification comes from the presence of a glycine at position 10 in the 41 amino acid peptide. Recombinant gallin inhibited the growth of Escherischia coli (E. coli) at a concentration of 0.25 mu M confirming it as part of the antimicrobial innate immune system in avian species. Conclusions: The relatively recent evolution of multiple forms of a member of a new defensin related group of peptides that we have termed ovodefensins, may be an adaptation to increase expression or the first steps in divergent evolution of the gene in chickens. The potent antimicrobial activity of the peptide against E. coli increases our understanding of the antimicrobial strategies of the avian innate immune system particularly those of the egg white and the evolution of the defensin family. The potential of this peptide and others in the family can now be investigated in a number of novel antimicrobial role

Spatial heterogeneity in particle-associated, light-independent superoxide production within productive coastal waters

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Sutherland, K. M., Grabb, K. C., Karolewski, J. S., Plummer, S., Farfan, G. A., Wankel, S. D., Diaz, J. M., Lamborg, C. H., & Hansel, C. M. Spatial heterogeneity in particle-associated, light-independent superoxide production within productive coastal waters. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 125(10), (2020): e2020JC016747, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC016747.In the marine environment, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) superoxide is produced through a diverse array of light‐dependent and light‐independent reactions, the latter of which is thought to be primarily controlled by microorganisms. Marine superoxide production influences organic matter remineralization, metal redox cycling, and dissolved oxygen concentrations, yet the relative contributions of different sources to total superoxide production remain poorly constrained. Here we investigate the production, steady‐state concentration, and particle‐associated nature of light‐independent superoxide in productive waters off the northeast coast of North America. We find exceptionally high levels of light‐independent superoxide in the marine water column, with concentrations ranging from 10 pM to in excess of 2,000 pM. The highest superoxide concentrations were particle associated in surface seawater and in aphotic seawater collected meters off the seafloor. Filtration of seawater overlying the continental shelf lowered the light‐independent, steady‐state superoxide concentration by an average of 84%. We identify eukaryotic phytoplankton as the dominant particle‐associated source of superoxide to these coastal waters. We contrast these measurements with those collected at an off‐shelf station, where superoxide concentrations did not exceed 100 pM, and particles account for an average of 40% of the steady‐state superoxide concentration. This study demonstrates the primary role of particles in the production of superoxide in seawater overlying the continental shelf and highlights the importance of light‐independent, dissolved‐phase reactions in marine ROS production.This work was funded by grants from the Chemical Oceanography program of the National Science Foundation (OCE‐1355720 to C. M. H. and C. H. L.), NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (Grant NNX15AR62H to K. M. S.), Agouron Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship (K. M. S.), NSF GRFPs (2016230268 to K. C. G. and 2017250547 to S. P.), and a Sloan Research Fellowship (J. M. D.). The Guava flow cytometer was purchased through an NSF equipment improvement grant (1624593)

EDDS and EDTA-enhanced zinc accumulation by solanum nigrum inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi grown in contaminated soil

The effect of two different chelating agents [EDTA and EDDS S,S-ethylenediaminedissucinic acid)] on Zn tissue accumulation in Solanum nigrum L. grown in a naturally contaminated soil was assessed. Under those conditions, the response of the plant to the inoculation with two different isolates of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) – Glomus claroideum and Glomus intraradices – was also studied. Plants grown in the local contaminated soil (Zn levels of 433 mg Kgˉ¹1) accumulated up to 1191 mg Kgˉ¹ of Zn in the roots, 3747 mg Kgˉ¹ in the stems and 3409 mg Kgˉ¹ in the leaves. S. nigrum plants grown in the same soil spiked with extra Zn (Zn levels of 964 mg Kgˉ¹) accumulated up to 4735, 8267 and 7948 mg Zn Kgˉ¹ in the leaves, stems and roots, respectively. The addition of EDTA promoted an increase in the concentration of Zn accumulated by S. nigrum of up to 231% in the leaves, 93% in the stems and 81% in the roots, while EDDS application enhanced the accumulation in leaves, stems and roots up to 140, 124 and 104%, respectively. In the stems, the presence of Zn was predominantly detected in the cortex collenchyma cells, the starch sheath and the internal phloem and xylem parenchyma, and the addition of chelating agents did not seem to have an effect on the localisation of accumulation sites. The devise of a chelate-enhanced phytoextraction strategy, using chelating agents and AMF, is discussed

Određivanje aglikona flavonoida iz vrsta roda Sideritis (Lamiaceae) iz Makedonije pomoću HPLC UV DAD

Flavonoids obtained from Sideritis species (Lamiaceae), S. raeseri and S. scardica, grown in Macedonia were studied. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the flavonoid aglycones were performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a UV diode array detector. Extracts were prepared by acid hydrolysis in acetone, reextraction in ethyl acetate and evaporation to dryness; the residue dissolved in methanol was subjected to HPLC analysis. Isoscutellarein, chryseriol and apigenin were identified in the extracts. Also, a 4’-methyl ether derivative of isoscutellarein was found, together with hypolaetin and its methyl ether derivative, which were identified according to previously isolated glycosides and literature data. Quantitation was performed using calibration with apigenin. According to this screening analysis, the samples of the genus Sideritis from Macedonia are rich in polyhydroxy flavones and analogous with the previously studied Mediterranean Sideritis species from the Ibero-North African and Greek Sideritis species with respect to the presence of 8-OH flavones and their derivatives.U radu su proučavani flavonoidi dobiveni iz Sideritis vrsta (Lamiaceae), S. raeseri i S. scardica, porijeklom iz Makedonije. Kvalitativna i kvantitativna analiza aglikona flavonoida provedena je pomoću tekućinske kromatografije visoke učinkovitosti (HPLC) s UV detektorom. Ekstrakti su pripravljeni kiselom hidrolizom u acetonu, te ponovnom ekstrakcijom etil-acetatom. Ostatak nakon uparavanja je otopljen u metanolu i analiziran pomoću HPLC. Usporedbom s ranije izoliranim glikozidima i s literaturnim podacima u ekstraktima su identifirani izoskutelarein, krizeriol, apigenin, 4\u27-metil eterski derivat izoskutelareina, hipolaetin te njegov metil eter. Kvantifikacija je provedena pomoću kalibracijske krivulje za apigenin. Rezultati ukazuju da su uzorci Sideritis roda iz Makedonije bogati polihidroksiflavonima kao i ranije proučavane mediteranske Sideritis vrste iz sjeverne Afrike i Grčke Sideri