A Case of a Young Asymptomatic Woman with Optic Disc Drusen and Vasculitis

Purpose: We present the case of a young woman with optic disc drusen and peripheral vasculitis. Methods: Diagnosis was based on fundoscopic, optical coherence tomography as well as fluorescein angiography (FA) findings. Results: An asymptomatic 34-year-old female patient with no systemic pathology was referred to our hospital from her optician for retinal findings. Fundoscopy revealed mild disc swelling that could be attributed to the presence of optic disc drusen in both eyes. There was fundoscopic evidence of periphlebitis in the periphery confirmed by FA findings. Conclusions: In our case, the unique feature was the presence of optic disc drusen and retinal periphlebitis. The patient’s disc configuration may have contributed to a predisposition for vasculitis in addition to vessel tortuosity

Tailoring Ca-Based Nanoparticles by Polyol Process for Use as Nematicidals and pH Adjusters in Agriculture

The remarkable progress in nanotechnology has extended the application of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) in the agriculture sector, as both economically sustainable and environmentally sound alternatives. Root knot nematodes are undoubtedly a foremost problem of agriculture, and research strives to develop effective materials to tackle this issue. Herein, the microwave-assisted selective polyol synthesis of different compositions of Ca-based NPs, Ca(OH)2, Ca(OH)2/CaCO3, and CaCO3 is reported and the products were evaluated as nematicides and pH adjusters. Two precursors (CaCl2 and Ca(NO3)2) and three polyols (1,2-propylene glycol (PG), tetraethylene glycol (TEG), polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000)) that differ in their redox potential have been utilized to provide selectivity over composition. On the basis of the utilized polyols, NPs are produced as inorganic/organic hybrid formulations with a biocompatible organic coating that provides increased colloidal stability and controlled release of active components. Characterization of NPs has been carried out by XRD, TGA, FTIR, TEM, and pH-metry. Each composition exhibited different pH changing ability, an essential feature for agrochemical applications. The in vitro nematicidal activity of Ca(OH)2, Ca(OH)2/CaCO3, and CaCO3NPs was evaluated on second stage juveniles (J2) of two Meloidogyne species (Meloidogyne incognita and Meloidogyne javanica) based on nematode paralysis experiments. Results unveiled nematicidal activity for all evaluated Ca-based NPs, while Ca(OH)2 and CaCO3 NPs appeared to be the most and the least effective ones, respectively. The nematicidal effect appears to be boosted by the release of [OH]- anions, as indicated by pH-metric measurements, displaying the crucial role of [OH]- anions in their nematicidal activity

Impact of Coated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Photosystem II of Tomato Plants

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have emerged as a prominent tool in agriculture. Since photosynthetic function is a significant measurement of phytotoxicity and an assessment tool prior to large-scale agricultural applications, the impact of engineered irregular-shaped ZnO NPs coated with oleylamine (ZnO@OAm NPs) were tested. The ZnO@OAm NPs (crystalline size 19 nm) were solvothermally prepared in the sole presence of oleylamine (OAm) and evaluated on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry. Foliar-sprayed 15 mg L−1 ZnO@OAm NPs on tomato leaflets increased chlorophyll content that initiated a higher amount of light energy capture, which resulted in about a 20% increased electron transport rate (ETR) and a quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII) at the growth light (GL, 600 μmol photons m−2 s−1). However, the ZnO@OAm NPs caused a malfunction in the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of PSII, which resulted in photoinhibition and increased ROS accumulation. The ROS accumulation was due to the decreased photoprotective mechanism of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and to the donor-side photoinhibition. Despite ROS accumulation, ZnO@OAm NPs decreased the excess excitation energy of the PSII, indicating improved PSII efficiency. Therefore, synthesized ZnO@OAm NPs can potentially be used as photosynthetic biostimulants for enhancing crop yields after being tested on other plant species

A genome-wide scan for common alleles affecting risk for autism

Although autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have a substantial genetic basis, most of the known genetic risk has been traced to rare variants, principally copy number variants (CNVs). To identify common risk variation, the Autism Genome Project (AGP) Consortium genotyped 1558 rigorously defined ASD families for 1 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and analyzed these SNP genotypes for association with ASD. In one of four primary association analyses, the association signal for marker rs4141463, located within MACROD2, crossed the genome-wide association significance threshold of P < 5 × 10−8. When a smaller replication sample was analyzed, the risk allele at rs4141463 was again over-transmitted; yet, consistent with the winner's curse, its effect size in the replication sample was much smaller; and, for the combined samples, the association signal barely fell below the P < 5 × 10−8 threshold. Exploratory analyses of phenotypic subtypes yielded no significant associations after correction for multiple testing. They did, however, yield strong signals within several genes, KIAA0564, PLD5, POU6F2, ST8SIA2 and TAF1C

EUNIS Habitat Classification: Expert system, characteristic species combinations and distribution maps of European habitats

Aim: The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal identification. Our goal was to develop a tool for assigning vegetation‐plot records to the habitats of the EUNIS system, use it to classify a European vegetation‐plot database, and compile statistically‐derived characteristic species combinations and distribution maps for these habitats. Location: Europe. Methods: We developed the classification expert system EUNIS‐ESy, which contains definitions of individual EUNIS habitats based on their species composition and geographic location. Each habitat was formally defined as a formula in a computer language combining algebraic and set‐theoretic concepts with formal logical operators. We applied this expert system to classify 1,261,373 vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and other databases. Then we determined diagnostic, constant and dominant species for each habitat by calculating species‐to‐habitat fidelity and constancy (occurrence frequency) in the classified data set. Finally, we mapped the plot locations for each habitat. Results: Formal definitions were developed for 199 habitats at Level 3 of the EUNIS hierarchy, including 25 coastal, 18 wetland, 55 grassland, 43 shrubland, 46 forest and 12 man‐made habitats. The expert system classified 1,125,121 vegetation plots to these habitat groups and 73,188 to other habitats, while 63,064 plots remained unclassified or were classified to more than one habitat. Data on each habitat were summarized in factsheets containing habitat description, distribution map, corresponding syntaxa and characteristic species combination. Conclusions: EUNIS habitats were characterized for the first time in terms of their species composition and distribution, based on a classification of a European database of vegetation plots using the newly developed electronic expert system EUNIS‐ESy. The data provided and the expert system have considerable potential for future use in European nature conservation planning, monitoring and assessment

Definition and Counting of Configurational Microstates in Steady-State Two-Phase Flows in Pore Networks

Steady-state two-phase flow in porous media is a process whereby a wetting phase displaces a non-wetting phase within a pore network. It is an off-equilibrium stationary process—in the sense that it is maintained in dynamic equilibrium at the expense of energy supplied to the system. The efficiency of the process depends on its spontaneity, measurable by the rate of global entropy production. The latter has been proposed to comprise two components: the rate of mechanical energy dissipation at constant temperature (a thermal entropy component, Q/T, in the continuum mechanics scale) and the configurational entropy (a Boltzmann–Gibbs entropy component, klnW), due to the existence of a canonical ensemble of flow configurations, physically admissible to the externally imposed macrostate conditions. Here, we propose an analytical model to account the number of microstates, lnW, in two-phase flows in pore networks. Combinatorial analysis is implemented to evaluate the number of identified microstates per physically admissible internal flow arrangement, compatible with the imposed steady-state flow conditions. Then, Stirling’s approximation is applied to downscale the large factorial numbers. Finally, the number of microstates is estimated by contriving an appropriate mixing scheme over the canonical ensemble of the physically admissible flow configurations. Indicative computations are furnished

Landscape Notions among Greek Engineering Students: Exploring Landscape Perceptions, Knowledge and Participation

The objective of this paper is to explore and critically analyze the basic notions of landscape and their change through time, among Greek engineering students, from all academically formative years of their undergraduate studies, at the Technical University of Crete. Specifically, it probes into their perspectives vis-&#224;-vis the landscape at large and their everyday-life landscapes in particular, regarding their landscape perceptions, behavior, and education. This study takes place in two stages (2012 and 2017) and is placed in the context of continued scientific investigation into the interrelationships of various &#8220;publics&#8221; with various types of landscapes and landscape development ideas, perceptions, and preferences&#8212;and specifically those professionals-in-the-making who are bound to become key future agents in Greek landscape stewardship. Our aims serve the European Landscape Convention&#8217;s purposes of landscape research, education, and awareness-raising; they also cater to the need for geographically targeted place-specific application of the European Landscape Convention (ELC). Our findings reaffirm widely and long-held landscape notions, emphasizing the natural, the visual, and the aesthetic in landscape perception and conceptualization, but also point to landscape education deficiencies in the Greek educational system. These constitute significant findings in the context of the country&#8217;s efforts to lay out the blueprints for its future landscapes, by contributing to Greek lay landscape awareness and conscience building, but especially by informing future landscape-related professionals

Impaired Cardiovascular Response to Exercise in Patients with Severe Asthma: A Case-Control Study

Background: Although asthmatics may present reduced exercise capacity, data on their cardiovascular responses during exercise testing have been scarcely investigated. The aim of this pilot case-control study is to test: a) whether double product (DP), an index of cardiovascular reserve, differs among patients with severe and mild-moderate asthma, and b) whether DP is associated with asthma control level, physical activity (PA) and exercise capacity, in asthmatics population. Materials and Methods: A group of patients with severe asthma (group S) and a matched group of patients with mild-moderate asthma (group M) was studied. All participants completed asthma control and physical activity (IPAC) questionnaires, lung function measurements and six-minute walk test. The exercise capacity (as 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) and corresponding work), the Borg Dyspnea, the rating of perceived excursion and the average PA METS were recorded. Results: A total of 18 patients were studied. DP at exercise end was significantly lower in group S, compared to group M (16412.2±4732.1 vs. 18594.8±3984.4 mmHgXbpm; p=0.041) and was moderately associated with % predicted 6MWD (r=0.592; p=0.001). Group S patients were also presented with lower moderate intensity PA, compared to group M, while exercise capacity was similar between the groups. Asthma control level had no impact on exercise capacity nor PA parameters. Conclusion: Patients with severe asthma may have impaired cardiovascular reserve as established by DP, even when exercise capacity is indifferent from patients with milder disease. As an easy-to-assess parameter, DP may offer further information in the functional evaluation of these patients. © 2022 Georgopoulou et al

MCR Scaffolds Get Hotter with ¹⁸F-Labeling

Imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET), represent great progress in the clinical development of drugs and diagnostics. However, the efficient and timely synthesis of appropriately labeled compounds is a largely unsolved problem. Numerous small drug-like molecules with high structural diversity can be synthesized via convergent multicomponent reactions (MCRs). The combination of PET labeling with MCR synthesis of biologically active compounds can greatly simplify radioanalytical and imaging-based analysis. In a proof-of-concept study, we optimized robust on-site radiolabeling conditions that were subsequently applied to several structurally different drug-like MCR scaffolds (e.g., arenes, &#946;-lactam, tetrazole, and oxazole). These labeled scaffolds were synthesized via pinacol-derived aryl boronic esters (arylBPin) by copper-mediated oxidative 18F-fluorination with radiochemical conversions (RCCs) from 15% to 76%