Opening Fukushima floodgates: Modelling 137Cs impact in marine biota.

Nº Artículo 112645A numerical model was applied to simulate the transport of 137Cs released with the waters which were used to cool Fukushima reactors. These stored waters will be released to the Pacific Ocean according to Japanese gov ernment plans. The radionuclide transport model is Lagrangian and includes radionuclide interactions with sediments and an integrated dynamic foodweb model for biota uptake. Calculations made from a conservative approach indicate that expected concentrations in sediments and marine fish would be orders of magnitude below those detected after Fukushima accident and also lower than those resulting from global fallout background

Bioprocess development for biolubricant production using microbial oil derived via fermentation from confectionery industry waste

Microbial oil produced from confectionery and wheat milling side streams has been evaluated as novel feedstock for biolubricant production. Nutrient-rich fermentation media were produced by a two-step bioprocess involving crude enzyme production by solid state fermentation followed by enzymatic hydrolysis of confectionery industry waste. Among 5 yeast strains and 2 fungal strains cultivated on the crude hydrolysate, Rhodosporidium toruloides and Cryptococcus curvatus were selected for further evaluation for biolubricant production based on fermentation efficiency and fatty acid composition. The extracted microbial oils were enzymatically hydrolysed and the free fatty acids were esterified by Lipomod 34-MDP in a solvent-free system with trimethylolpropane (TMP) and neopentyl glycol (NPG). The highest conversion yields were 88% and 82.7% for NPG esters of R. toruloides and C. curvatus, respectively. This study also demonstrates that NPG esters produced from microbial oil have promising physicochemical properties for bio-based lubricant formulations that could substitute for conventional lubricants

The Parent Company Puzzle: When is the Whole Worth Less Than One of its Parts?" forthcoming, Journal of Corporate Finance

This paper examines seven instances in which the market value of a parent company was less than the market value of its holdings of a publicly traded subsidiary. Efforts are made to explain this “parent company puzzle” in terms of taxes, agency costs, liquidity effects and noise trader risk. None of them work. The only explanation consistent with the evidence is a mispricing of the subsidiary shares associated with a downward sloping demand curve. As further evidence in support of this view, five corporate control transactions, all designed to exploit the apparent mispricing, were initiated while this research was in progress

The Parent Company Puzzle: When is the Whole Worth Less Than One of its Parts?" forthcoming, Journal of Corporate Finance

This paper examines seven instances in which the market value of a parent company was less than the market value of its holdings of a publicly traded subsidiary. Efforts are made to explain this “parent company puzzle” in terms of taxes, agency costs, liquidity effects and noise trader risk. None of them work. The only explanation consistent with the evidence is a mispricing of the subsidiary shares associated with a downward sloping demand curve. As further evidence in support of this view, five corporate control transactions, all designed to exploit the apparent mispricing, were initiated while this research was in progress

Improving Medication Safety in Elderly Care Homes: Utilizing Tablet Identification Tool in Dispensing Medicines - A Quality Improvement Proposal

Purpose and Aims: This quality improvement project aims to improve medication safety in Kustaankartano Seniorikeskus by utilizing a medication tool that can help nurses and practical nurses in accurately identifying the medicines dispensed through an Automated Dose Dispensing Service or Multi Dose Drug Dispensing System. Methods: This project will use an evaluation questionnaire that will be distributed after the initial period to check its effectiveness and the perception of the staff about the portfolio. A pareto analysis chart will be used to monitor the results in a six-month period. Results: The result of the study will be analyzed in January 2024 after the implementation or initial period (June 2023 – December 2023) through proper evaluation of medication errors record in HAIPRO System. The result will then be compared from the baseline period (December 2022- May 2023). Conclusion: Utilization of the portfolio and proper training of its use by the staff can improve the medication safety in Kustaankartano Seniorkeskus. A beneficial quality improvement project that can not only save patient’s lives but indeed can enhance the standard of care of the nurses and practical nurses by guiding them in accurately identifying the medication prior to dispensing from an automated dispensing system or multi-dose drug dispensing preparation

Myosin-II Negatively Regulates minor process extension and the temporal development of neuronal polarity

The earliest stage in the development of neuronal polarity is characterized by extension of undifferentiated “minor processes” (MPs), which subsequently differentiate into the axon and dendrites. We investigated the role of the myosin II motor protein in MP extension using forebrain and hippocampal neuron cultures. Chronic treatment of neurons with the myosin II ATPase inhibitor blebbistatin increased MP length, which was also seen in myosin IIB knockouts. Through live-cell imaging, we demonstrate that myosin II inhibition triggers rapid minor process extension to a maximum length range. Myosin II activity is determined by phosphorylation of its regulatory light chains (rMLC) and mediated by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) or RhoA-kinase (ROCK). Pharmacological inhibition of MLCK or ROCK increased MP length moderately, with combined inhibition of these kinases resulting in an additive increase in MP length similar to the effect of direct inhibition of myosin II. Selective inhibition of RhoA signaling upstream of ROCK, with cell-permeable C3 transferase, increased both the length and number of MPs. To determine whether myosin II affected development of neuronal polarity, MP differentiation was examined in cultures treated with direct or indirect myosin II inhibitors. Significantly, inhibition of myosin II, MLCK, or ROCK accelerated the development of neuronal polarity. Increased myosin II activity, through constitutively active MLCK or RhoA, decreased both the length and number of MPs and, consequently, delayed or abolished the development of neuronal polarity. Together, these data indicate that myosin II negatively regulates MP extension, and the developmental time course for axonogenesi