Incorporating bioavailability into toxicity assessment of Cu-Ni, Cu-Cd, and Ni-Cd mixtures with the extended biotic ligand model and the WHAM-Ftox approach

There are only a limited number of studies that have developed appropriate models which incorporate bioavailability to estimate mixture toxicity. Here, we explored the applicability of the extended biotic ligand model (BLM) and the WHAM-F approach for predicting and interpreting mixture toxicity, with the assumption that interactions between metal ions obey the BLM theory. Seedlings of lettuce Lactuca sativa were exposed to metal mixtures (Cu-Ni, Cu-Cd, and Ni-Cd) contained in hydroponic solutions for 4\ua0days. Inhibition to root elongation was the endpoint used to quantify the toxic response. Assuming that metal ions compete with each other for binding at a single biotic ligand, the extended BLM succeeded in predicting toxicity of three mixtures to lettuce, with more than 82\ua0% of toxicity variation explained. There were no significant differences in the values of f (i.e., the overall amounts of metal ions bound to the biotic ligand inducing 50\ua0% effect) for the three mixture combinations, showing the possibility of extrapolating these values to other binary metal combinations. The WHAM-F approach showed a similar level of precision in estimating mixture toxicity while requiring fewer parameters than the BLM-f model. External validation of the WHAM-F approach using literature data showed its applicability for other species and other mixtures. The WHAM-F model is suitable for delineating mixture effects where the extended BLM also applies. Therefore, in case of lower data availability, we recommend the lower parameterized WHAM-F as an effective approach to incorporate bioavailability in quantifying mixture toxicity

Gramsci and Foucault: A reassessment

Mapping the resonances, dissonances, and linkages between the thought of Gramsci and Foucault to uncover new tools for socio-political and critical analysis for the twenty-first century, this book reassesses the widely-held view that their work is incompatible. With discussions of Latin American revolutionary politics, indigenous knowledges, technologies of government and the teaching of paediatrics in post-invasion Iraq, complexity theory, medical anthropology and biomedicine, and the role of Islam in the transition to modern society in the Arab world, this interdisciplinary volume presents the latest theoretical research on different facets of these two thinkers’ work, as well as analyses of the specific linkages that exist between them in concrete settings.A rigorous, comparative exploration of the work of two towering figures of the twenty-first century, Gramsci and Foucault: A Reassessment will appeal to scholars and students of social and political theory, political sociology, communication and media studies, and contemporary philosophy

In-vitro maturation of human oocytes: before or after vitrification?

PURPOSE: This study aims to determine if in-vitro maturation (IVM) of human immature oocytes should be performed before or after vitrification. METHODS: A total of 184 immature oocytes were randomly divided into two different groups: 100 were vitrified at metaphase II (MII) stage 24 h-48 h after IVM (group 1) and 84 were immediately vitrified at germinal vesicle (GV) or metaphase I (MI) stages and in vitro matured after warming (group 2). RESULTS: Survival rate after warming was similar in both groups (86.9% versus 84.5%). However, oocyte maturation rate per collected oocyte was significantly higher for oocytes matured before vitrification (group 1, 46%) than for oocytes vitrified before IVM (group 2, 23.8%) (p < 0.01). Consequently, the number of MII oocytes inseminated per oocyte collected was significantly higher for group 1 (40%) than for group 2 (23.8%) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: IVM procedure is more efficient when it is performed before oocyte vitrification.JOURNAL ARTICLESCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe