Modelling and simulation of dispersions of powder emissions from multiple sources with the mathematical model Pol 15sm

Over the last decades, air pollution has become one of the greatest challenges negatively affecting human health and the entire environment, including air, water, soil, vegetation, and urban areas. Lately, special attention has been given to mathematical modelling for diffusion of pollutants in the atmosphere as a particularly effective and efficient method that can be used to study, control and reduce air pollution. The diversity of models developed by different research groups imposed a rigorous understanding of model types in order to apply them correctly according to local or regional problems of air pollution phenomenon. Tus the authors have developed and improved two mathematical models for dispersion of air pollutants. Tis paper presents a case study of dispersion of powders in suspension originating from 14 point sources that correspond to 5 economic agents in the agroindustrial area of Vaslui city using a computer simulation based on the mathematical model Pol 15sm, for multiple point sources of pollution, designed by the authors

Risk for affective disorders is associated with greater prefrontal gray matter volumes: A prospective longitudinal study

Background: Major depression and bipolar disorders aggregates in families and are linked with a wide range of neurobiological abnormalities including cortical gray matter (GM) alterations. Prospective studies of individuals at familial risk may expose the neural mechanisms underlying risk transmission. Methods: We used voxel based morphometry to investigate changes in regional GM brain volume, over a seven-year period, in 37 initially healthy individuals having a mono- or di-zygotic twin diagnosed with major depression or bipolar disorder (high-risk group; mean age 41.6yrs.) as compared to 36 individuals with no history of affective disorders in the index twin and first-degree relatives (low-risk group; mean age 38.5yrs.). Results: Groups did not differ in regional GM volume changes over time. However, independent of time, high-risk twins had significantly greater GM volumes in bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate, inferior frontal gyrus and temporoparietal regions as compared to low-risk twins. Further, individuals who developed an affective disorder at follow-up (n=12), had relatively the largest GM volumes, both at baseline and follow-up, in the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and right inferior frontal cortex compared to high- and low-risk twins who remained well at follow-up. Conclusion: This pattern of apparently stable grater regional GM volume may constitute a neural marker of an increased risk for developing an affective disorder in individuals at familial risk. Keywords: Affective disorders, Structural MRI, Anterior cingulate cortex, VB

Studies towards the determination of the contamination level with heavy metals of a situ located in Iaşi

The paper presents studies in order to determine the degree of contamination of a situ located in Iasi whose surface is about. 4 ha. There are presented the pedological characteristics of the soil and outcome of the tests carried out towards Cd and Zn content in soil from depths of 5 cm, respectively, 30 cm. The analysis of the soil samples in terms of Cd and Zn content was done using atomic absorption spectrometry method. Taking as a basis for the classification of pollution (contamination) Order 756/1997, it was possible to identify the level of contamination of each sole that the area have been divided in. Measurements revealed that for both contaminants Cd and also Zn at depth of 5 cm, the largest area is occupied by a significantly polluted land and at a depth of 30 cm, a significant potential polluted land predominates. The results also highlight the need for undertaking of some the depollution measures in the investigated site because as follows from the work, it is often exceeded the intervention level on land whose use is less sensitive

Possibility of using algae biomass for removing Pb (II) ions from aqueous solutions

In this study, the possibility of using algae biomass for removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions was studied. This material was chosen as adsorbent in this study due to being of its natural, renewable and low-cost. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out as a function of initial solution pH, adsorbent dose, initial Pb(II) concentration and contact time at 22 °C. About 0.2 g of algae biomass was found to be enough to remove 93 % of 175.6 mg/L Pb(II) from 25 mL of aqueous solution in 30 min. The optimum initial pH value was found to be 5.0. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were used to describe the equilibrium data and the isotherm constants were determined. The experimental adsorption data were fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity was 105.26 mg/g, at studied temperature. The biomass of the marine algae Ulva lactuca sp. demonstrated a good capacity for Pb (II) ions adsorption, and can be considered a potential adsorbent for effluents treatment process

A habituation account of change detection in same/different judgments

We investigated the basis of change detection in a short-term priming task. In two experiments, participants were asked to indicate whether or not a target word was the same as a previously presented cue. Data from an experiment measuring magnetoencephalography failed to find different patterns for “same” and “different” responses, consistent with the claim that both arise from a common neural source, with response magnitude defining the difference between immediate novelty versus familiarity. In a behavioral experiment, we tested and confirmed the predictions of a habituation account of these judgments by comparing conditions in which the target, the cue, or neither was primed by its presentation in the previous trial. As predicted, cue-primed trials had faster response times, and target-primed trials had slower response times relative to the neither-primed baseline. These results were obtained irrespective of response repetition and stimulus–response contingencies. The behavioral and brain activity data support the view that detection of change drives performance in these tasks and that the underlying mechanism is neuronal habituation

The Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi) database

AbstractWe here describe a multimodality neuroimaging containing data from healthy volunteers and patients, acquired within the Lundbeck Foundation Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi) in Copenhagen, Denmark. The data is of particular relevance for neurobiological research questions related to the serotonergic transmitter system with its normative data on the serotonergic subtype receptors 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT4 and the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT), but can easily serve other purposes.The Cimbi database and Cimbi biobank were formally established in 2008 with the purpose to store the wealth of Cimbi-acquired data in a highly structured and standardized manner in accordance with the regulations issued by the Danish Data Protection Agency as well as to provide a quality-controlled resource for future hypothesis-generating and hypothesis-driven studies.The Cimbi database currently comprises a total of 1100 PET and 1000 structural and functional MRI scans and it holds a multitude of additional data, such as genetic and biochemical data, and scores from 17 self-reported questionnaires and from 11 neuropsychological paper/computer tests. The database associated Cimbi biobank currently contains blood and in some instances saliva samples from about 500 healthy volunteers and 300 patients with e.g., major depression, dementia, substance abuse, obesity, and impulsive aggression. Data continue to be added to the Cimbi database and biobank

Childhood Adversity Moderates the Effects of HTR2A Epigenetic Regulatory Polymorphisms on Rumination

The serotonin system has been suggested to moderate the association between childhood maltreatment and rumination, with the latter in its turn reported to be a mediator in the depressogenic effect of childhood maltreatment. Therefore, we investigated whether the associations of two epigenetic regulatory polymorphisms in the HTR2A serotonin receptor gene with Ruminative Responses Scale rumination and its two subtypes, brooding and reflection, are moderated by childhood adversity (derived from the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) among 1,501 European white adults. We tested post hoc whether the significant associations are due to depression. We also tested the replicability of the significant results within the two subsamples of Budapest and Manchester. We revealed two significant models: both the association of methylation site rs6311 with rumination and that of miRNA binding site rs3125 (supposed to bind miR-1270, miR-1304, miR-202, miR-539 and miR-620) with brooding were a function of childhood adversity, and both interaction findings were significantly present both in the never-depressed and in the ever-depressed group. Moreover, the association of rs3125 with brooding could be replicated across the separate subsamples, and remained significant even when controlling for lifetime depression and the Brief Symptom Inventory depression score. These findings indicate the crucial importance of involving stress factors when considering endophenotypes and suggest that brooding is a more promising endophenotype than a broader measure of rumination. Transdiagnostic relevance of the brooding endophenotype and the potential of targeting epigenetic regulatory polymorphisms of HTR2A in primary and secondary prevention of depression and possibly of other disorders are also discussed