Hepatitis A Outbreaks and Environmental Circulation of Genotype IA Strains in the São Paulo City, 2017–2018

Food and Environmental Virology - Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is the major cause of enterically transmitted infectious hepatitis. Between 2016 and 2017, the number of confirmed cases of hepatitis A...     

cfDNA screening and diagnosis of monogenic disorders – where are we heading?

Cell-free fetal DNA analysis for non-invasive prenatal screening of fetal chromosomal aneuploidy has been widely adopted for clinical use. Fetal monogenic diseases have also been shown to be amenable to non-invasive detection by maternal plasma DNA analysis. A number of recent technological developments in this area has increased the level of clinical interest, particularly as one approach does not require customized reagents per mutation. The mutational status of the fetus can be assessed by determining which parental haplotype that fetus has inherited based on the detection of haplotype-associated SNP alleles in maternal plasma. Such relative haplotype dosage analysis requires the input of the parental haplotype information for interpretation of the fetal inheritance pattern from the maternal plasma DNA data. The parental haplotype information can be obtained by direct means, reducing the need to infer haplotypes using DNA from other family members. The technique also allows the assessment of complex mutations and has multiplexing capabilities where a number of genes and mutations can be assessed at the same time. These advantages allow non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of fetal monogenic diseases to be much more scalable. These applications may drive the next wave of clinical adoption of cell-free fetal DNA testing. © 2018 The Authors Prenatal Diagnosis Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Effects of lead exposure on salivary glands of rats: insights into the oxidative biochemistry and glandular morphology

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study aimed to investigate the effects of lead (Pb) exposure on parotid and submandibular glands through morphological aspects as well as the...     

Diurnal vertical migration of Cochlodinium polykrikoides during the red tide in Korean coastal sea waters

The diurnal vertical migration of Cochlodinium polykrikoides (C. polykrikoides), which caused a red tide in the Korean coastal waters of the East Sea/Sea of Japan in September 2003, was examined by determining the time-dependent changes in the density of living cells in relation to the depth of the water column. The ascent of this species into the surface layer (depth of water 2 m) occurred during 1400-1500. The descent started at 1600 and a high distribution rate (86%) at 15-20 m was observed at 0300. During the ascent, the cells were widely distributed at each depth level from 0600 hr and at 0800-1100, the cells were primarily distributed in the middle layer (0-6 m). The concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen was generally < or = 2.86 micromol l(-1), but at 1400-1500, the concentration in the surface layer reduced to < or = 0.14 micromol l(-1). Moreover, the concentration gradually increased as the depth increased to > or = 5 m. These results showed that the nutrient-consumption rate associated with the proliferation of C. polykrikoides during a red tide is more influenced by the inorganic-nitrogen resources ratherthan the inorganic-phosphorus compounds.     

Linking empowering leadership to safety participation in nuclear power plants: A structural equation model

IntroductionSafety participation is of paramount importance in guaranteeing the safe running of nuclear power plants.MethodThe present study examined the effects of empowering leadership on safety participation.ResultsBased on a sample of 495 employees from two Spanish nuclear power plants, structural equation modeling showed that empowering leadership has a significant relationship with safety participation, which is mediated by collaborative team learning. In addition, the results revealed that the relationship between empowering leadership and collaborative learning is partially mediated by the promotion of dialogue and open communication.ConclusionsThe implications of these findings for safety research and their practical applications are outlined.Impact on IndustryAn empowering leadership style enhances workers' safety performance, particularly safety participation behaviors. Safety participation is recommended to detect possible rule inconsistencies or misunderstood procedures and make workers aware of critical safety information and issues.     

Characterization of turbulence statistics on the non-aerated skimming flow over stepped spillways: a numerical study

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - In this work we address the mean flow and turbulence statistics in the non-aerated region of a stepped spillway by using two different numerical strategies in two...     

Growth and production of new recruits and adult individuals of Ascophyllum nodosum in a non-harvested population at its southern limit (Galicia,NW Spain)

Populations near the geographic distribution limits of the species are considered to live under suboptimal conditions, and hence, slight environmental changes can be critical for their survival. The potential sensitivity to disturbances of the long-living macroalga Ascophyllum nodosum was analyzed by the determination of growth, recruitment, mortality, and production of biomass of a population near its southern distribution limit. Recruitment, survival and growth rates of <2 years old individuals were determined in a new population growing in experimentally denudated squares. Demographic data for >2 years old individuals were obtained from individuals in the original population after estimating their age from the number of gas bladders in the thallus. Growth and survival were described as continuous nonlinear functions of age applied to the population and were further used to make demography-based production estimates. Recruitment of A. nodosum in denudated substrates seemed to require a previous cover of other macroalgae (as Fucus vesiculosus) as the only cohort detected during the 26-month period of the study was observed after F. vesiculosus individuals started to increase. The low production estimates (2,033 g m^?2 for a 10 year period) and poor recruitment may indicate a slow recuperation of this population to denudation. However, the large variability observed in the estimated growth curves of different populations along this southern distribution area suggests a large influence of local conditions that may help to overcome environmental changes at regional scales.     

Assessing sustainable development in urban areas using cognitive mapping and MCDA

As interest in sustainability-related issues has increased over recent years, so too has urban sustainability risen to the fore, in academic, practitioner, and policymaking circles alike. Urban sustainability requires a balance between environmental concerns, the economy, and social development in urban areas. However, over the years, there has been an exponential increase in urban density, accompanied by increased economic activity and high levels of consumption, which have hindered urban planning and made the sustainable management of urban areas more difficult. It has therefore become increasingly necessary to combine the interests of the various stakeholders involved in – or affected by – urban planning measures, in order to achieve a balance between their needs, those of the environment and future generations, and the need for economic development. Sustainability evaluation models can in this sense be considered a baseline condition for sustainable development. However, most existing evaluation systems present limitations in terms of criteria identification and the calculation of the respective trade-offs. To address these issues, the current study aims to combine cognitive mapping and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritize the determinants of sustainable development in urban areas. The advantages and limitations of our proposal are also analyzed.     

The Effect of Interaction Between White-rot Fungi and Indigenous Microorganisms on Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil

White-rot fungi applied for soil bioremediation have to compete with indigenous soil microorganisms. The effect of competition on both indigenous soil microflora and white-rot fungi was evaluated with regard to degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with different persistence in soil. Sterile and non-sterile soil was artificially contaminated with ¹⁴C-labeled PAH consisting of three (anthracene), four (pyrene, benz[a]anthracene) and five fused aromatic rings (benzo[a]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene). The two fungi tested,Dichomitus squalens and Pleurotus ostreatus, produced similar amounts of ligninolytic enzymes in soil, but PAH mineralization by P. ostreatus was significantly higher. Compared to the indigenous soil microflora, P.ostreatus mineralized 5-ring PAH to a larger extent, while the indigenous microflora was superior in mineralizing 3-ring and 4-ring PAH. In coculture the special capabilities of both soil microflora and P. ostreatus were partly restricted due to antagonistic interactions, but essentially preserved. Thus, soil inoculation with P. ostreatus significantly increased the mineralization of high-molecular-weight PAH, and at the same time reduced the mineralization of anthracene and pyrene. Regarding the mineralization of low-molecular-weight PAH, the stimulation of indigenous soil microorganisms by straw amendment was more efficient than application of white-rot fungi.     

Application of stimulating agents on the immobilized bioluminescence strain Pseudomonas putida mt-2 KG1206, preserved by deep-freezing, for the convenient biomonitoring

This study was conducted to develop methods for the application of an immobilized bioluminescence strain(KG1206),preserved by deep-freezing(DF),for the monitoring of contaminated environments.The immobilized cells,preserved by DF,required approximately 2 hr for reconstitution of their activity.A large reduction in bioluminescence was observed due to the DF process;0.07-0.58 times that of the non deep-frozen(NDF) immobilized strain.The decreased bioluminescence activity induced by the DF process was enhanced by the stimulants,sodium lactate(SL) and KNO 3.However,regardless of the inducer chemical tested,the immobilized strain modified with KNO 3 consistently produced greater bioluminescence than that treated with SL,in the range of 3.0-10.7(avg.6.7 ± 3.69) and 1.2-4.2(avg.2.4 ± 1.47) times that of control,respectively.All KNO 3 treatments of contaminated groundwater samples also resulted in an increase in bioluminescence activity,but the rate of stimulation varied for each sample.Also,no strong linear correlation was observed between the bioluminescence and the total concentration of an inducer,which may related to the complex characteristics of the environmental samples.Overall,the results demonstrated the ability of immobilized genetically engineered bacteria,preserved by DF,to measure a specific group of environmental contaminants using a stimulating agent(KNO 3),suggesting the potential for its preliminary application in a field-ready bioassay.