A submersible battery-powered flow injection (FI) sensor for the determination of nitrate in estuarine and coastal waters

The design, construction and performance of a remotely deployed submersible flow injection-based nutrient (total oxidized nitrogen) sensor are described. The sensor featured a custom-built microcomputer and a solid-state, flow-through spectrophotometric detector, and the derivatization chemistry was based on in-line coppercadmium reduction of nitrate to nitrite, and diazotization with N1NED and sulphanilamide. The limit of detection was 0.0014 mg l-1 NO3-N and the linear range was 0.0014- 0.77 mg l-1 with a 260 μl sample volume and a 20 mm path length flow cell. Results from submersed deployments in the Tamar estuary and North Sea are also reported

Does personality affect dietary intake?

The purpose of this review is to evaluate the evidence for an association between the Big Five dimensions of personality, dietary intake, and compliance to dietary recommendations. Poor diet is a known risk factor for overweight and obesity and associated chronic lifestyle diseases and it has been proposed that personality may be linked to dietary choices. Findings from cross-sectional surveys from different countries and cultures show a positive association between Openness and consumption of fruits and vegetables and between Conscientiousness and healthy eating. Although no evidence has been found that personality dimensions are associated with adherence to dietary recommendations over time, Conscientiousness is associated with a number of prosocial and health-promoting behaviors that include avoiding alcohol-related harm, binge-drinking, and smoking, and adherence to medication regimens. With emerging evidence of an association between higher Conscientiousness and lower obesity risk, the hypothesis that higher Conscientiousness may predict adoption of healthy dietary and other lifestyle recommendations appears to be supported

An Analysis of COVID-19 and Poverty in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has left no corner of the United States untouched. In order to be better prepared for the reminder of the pandemic (as well as for any future pandemics) and ensure that healthcare resources are equitably allocated, epidemiologists and public health officials must work to further their understanding of who viral pandemics hit the hardest. Here, we report on descriptive and exploratory research on the impact of poverty rates and population densities of Illinois counties and counties nationwide on those counties’ COVID-19 cases and deaths per capita or per 1,000 residents (depending on the kind of analysis used). The study found the strongest correlations between poverty rates and 1) COVID-19 deaths per capita in rural counties nationwide, 2) COVID-19 deaths per capita in all counties nationwide, and 3) COVID-19 cases in non-rural counties nationwide. Overall, little to no correlation was found between poverty rates and COVID-19 cases or deaths in Illinois, though individual counties in the southeastern and central parts of the state displayed isolated correlations. By extrapolating the data to a national level, one can see that the heaviest correlations between poverty rates and COVID-19 cases and deaths occur in the American South and West, while the weakest correlations occur in the Midwest and Northeast. With Illinois serving as the focal point of our analysis, we have identified the areas of the state that would benefit most from more healthcare resources, and how the state’s COVID-19 response compares to that of other states — something both business professionals and policymakers alike can reflect on as they make decisions moving forward

A Geology Sampling System for Small Bodies

Human exploration of microgravity bodies is being investigated as a precursor to a Mars surface mission. Asteroids, comets, dwarf planets, and the moons of Mars all fall into this microgravity category and some are being discussed as potential mission targets. Obtaining geological samples for return to Earth will be a major objective for any mission to a small body. Currently, the knowledge base for geology sampling in microgravity is in its infancy. Humans interacting with non-engineered surfaces in microgravity environment pose unique challenges. In preparation for such missions a team at the NASA Johnson Space Center has been working to gain experience on how to safely obtain numerous sample types in such an environment. This paper describes the type of samples the science community is interested in, highlights notable prototype work, and discusses an integrated geology sampling solution

Cretaceous fore-arc basalts from the Tonga arc: Geochemistry and implications for the tectonic history of the SW Pacific

Highlights: • The geochemistry of a Cretaceous Tongan fore-arc basalt (FAB) suite is reported. • The Tonga FAB suite is very similar to the Poya Terrane basalts of New Caledonia. • Similar geochemistry to IBM FAB but not associated with subduction initiation • Possibly a remnant of the hypothesized back-arc East New Caledonia Basin Abstract: The Tonga fore-arc preserves a complex history of subduction initiation, back-arc basin formation and arc volcanism which has extended from the Cretaceous to the present. In this paper, we discuss the geochemistry of a Cretaceous basalt/dolerite/gabbro suite recovered in two dredges from the Tonga fore-arc at ~ 19°S. The geochemistry of the Tonga fore-arc suite is unlike that of the uniformly depleted MORB basalts of the subducting Pacific Plate and therefore is unlikely to be accreted from Pacific Cretaceous crust. The ~ 102 Ma age obtained for one Tongan fore-arc dolerite is contemporaneous with a major phase of Cretaceous subduction-related volcanism, recorded both in detrital zircon age populations and associated volcanics from New Caledonia and New Zealand. We believe that the Tonga fore-arc basalts are a remnant of a hypothesized, once extensive Cretaceous back-arc basin, called the East New Caledonia Basin, which we propose to have existed from ~ 102 to 50 Ma. The allochthonous Poya Terrane of New Caledonia is geochemically very similar to the Tonga fore-arc basalts and represents a younger (~ 84–55 Ma) remnant of the same basin. Subduction-related Cretaceous volcanics from the SW Pacific, representing both arc and back-arc settings, all appear to have similar Zr/Nb values, suggesting a common mantle component in their petrogenesis. The Tonga fore-arc basalts are also similar to fore-arc basalts recovered from the Izu-Bonin-Mariana fore-arc, but unlike these basalts they are not associated with subduction initiation

A randomized trial of aspirin on the risk of embolic events in patients with infective endocarditis

AbstractObjectivesThis study examined the effect of aspirin on the risk of embolic events in infective endocarditis (IE).BackgroundEmbolism is a major complication of IE, and studies in animal models have shown that platelet inhibition with aspirin can lead to more rapid vegetation resolution and a lower rate of embolic events.MethodsWe conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of aspirin treatment (325 mg/day) for four weeks in patients with IE to test the hypothesis that the addition of aspirin would reduce the incidence of clinical systemic embolic events. Patients with perivalvular abscess were excluded. Serial cerebral computed tomograms and transesophageal echocardiograms were obtained in a subset of patients.ResultsDuring the four-year study period, 115 patients were enrolled: 60 assigned to aspirin and 55 assigned to placebo. Embolic events occurred in 17 patients (28.3%) on aspirin and 11 patients (20.0%) on placebo, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.62 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68 to 3.86, p = 0.29). There was a trend toward a higher incidence of bleeding in the patients taking aspirin versus placebo (OR 1.92, 95% CI 0.76 to 4.86, p = 0.075). Development of new intracranial lesions was similar in both groups. Aspirin had no effect on vegetation resolution and valvular dysfunction.ConclusionsIn endocarditis patients already receiving antibiotic treatment, the addition of aspirin does not appear to reduce the risk of embolic events and is likely associated with an increased risk of bleeding. Aspirin is not indicated in the early management of patients with IE

Protein secretion and outer membrane assembly in Alphaproteobacteria

The assembly of β-barrel proteins into membranes is a fundamental process that is essential in Gram-negative bacteria, mitochondria and plastids. Our understanding of the mechanism of β-barrel assembly is progressing from studies carried out in Escherichia coli and Neisseria meningitidis. Comparative sequence analysis suggests that while many components mediating β-barrel protein assembly are conserved in all groups of bacteria with outer membranes, some components are notably absent. The Alphaproteobacteria in particular seem prone to gene loss and show the presence or absence of specific components mediating the assembly of β-barrels: some components of the pathway appear to be missing from whole groups of bacteria (e.g. Skp, YfgL and NlpB), other proteins are conserved but are missing characteristic domains (e.g. SurA). This comparative analysis is also revealing important structural signatures that are vague unless multiple members from a protein family are considered as a group (e.g. tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) motifs in YfiO, β-propeller signatures in YfgL). Given that the process of the β-barrel assembly is conserved, analysis of outer membrane biogenesis in Alphaproteobacteria, the bacterial group that gave rise to mitochondria, also promises insight into the assembly of β-barrel proteins in eukaryotes