Comparison of copper concentrations in liver and muscle of Squalius cephalus and Capoeta capoeta gracilis (Pisces: Teleostei) in Tajan River, Iran

The aim of this study was to determine and compare the concentration of copper (Cu) in liver and muscle of two fish species Squalius cephalus and Capoeta capoeta gracilis. The fish were caught in four sampling sites along Tajan River, Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. The concentration of Cu was determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. There were significant differences (P<0.05) between the sampling sites with regard to Cu concentration in both muscle and liver of fish species.Significant differences were also found (P<0.05) between S. cephalus and C. c. gracilis regarding Cu content in liver and muscle tissues. The content of Cu in the liver was greater (P<0.05) than that in the muscle in both species. Also, Cu content of liver in both species was higher than the standard limits declared by WHO. This study reports high loads of Cu in Tajan River and a high content of Cu in the muscle and liver of S. cephalus and C. c. gracilis

Cinnamon Essential Oil Encapsulated into a Fish Gelatin-Bacterial Cellulose Nanocrystals Complex and Active Films Thereof

In this study, cinnamon essential oil (CEO) nanocapsules were stabilized by means of bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNCs) and encapsulated using fish gelatin as the main polymer phase. Emulsions were prepared at pH 5 using different CEO concentrations (0.03, 0.06, 0.12, 0.24, 0.36, and 0.48% v/w) and a fixed amount of fish gelatin (3% w/w) and BCNCs (0.06% w/w). The controlled release of the essential oil was assessed by release studies, which revealed that the higher the CEO concentration, the lower the release rate of CEO. In addition, modelling of experimental data using five different equations showed that the best fitting was obtained for the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, according to which the CEO release obeyed a non-Fickian behavior. Films obtained from the same formulations were characterized in terms of optical properties (light transmittance and haze), surface wettability, barrier (oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor transmission rates) and mechanical properties. It was observed that an increased amount of CEO in the films did not significantly affect both transparency and haze, while it yielded an increase in surface hydrophobicity (~ 120% increase in water contact angle over the control) and elongation. Finally, the barrier performances of films against O2, CO2, and water vapor suggest a potential application of CEO/GelA-BCNC matrices as antimicrobial layers (in the form of coatings deposited on plastic films or directly on food) in living foods that have a respiratory metabolism, such as modified atmosphere-packaged crustaceans and mollusks as well as fruits and vegetables. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Including cognitive aspects in multiple criteria decision analysis

"First Online: 21 December 2016"Many Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods have been proposed over the last decades. Some of the most known methods share some similarities in the way they are used and configured. However, we live in a time of change and nowadays the decision-making process (especially when done in group) is even more demanding and dynamic. In this work, we propose a Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis method that includes cognitive aspects (Cognitive Analytic Process). By taking advantage of aspects such as expertise level, credibility and behaviour style of the decision-makers, we propose a method that relates these aspects with problem configurations (alternatives and criteria preferences) done by each decision-maker. In this work, we evaluated the Cognitive Analytic Process (CAP) in terms of configuration costs and the capability to enhance the quality of the decision. We have used the satisfaction level as a metric to compare our method with other known MCDA methods in literature (Utility function, AHP and TOPSIS). Our method proved to be capable to achieve higher satisfaction levels compared to other MCDA methods, especially when the decision suggested by CAP is different from the one proposed by those methods.This work was supported by COMPETE Programme (operational programme for competitiveness) within project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043, by National Funds through the FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within the Projects UID/CEC/00319/2013, UID/EEA/00760/2013, and the João Carneiro PhD grant with the reference SFRH/BD/89697/2012.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Topographical analysis of the subependymal zone neurogenic niche

The emerging model for the adult subependymal zone (SEZ) cell population indicates that neuronal diversity is not generated from a uniform pool of stem cells but rather from diverse and spatially confined stem cell populations. Hence, when analysing SEZ proliferation, the topography along the anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes must be taken into account. However, to date, no studies have assessed SEZ proliferation according to topographical specificities and, additionally, SEZ studies in animal models of neurological/psychiatric disorders often fail to clearly specify the SEZ coordinates. This may render difficult the comparison between studies and yield contradictory results. More so, by focusing in a single spatial dimension of the SEZ, relevant findings might pass unnoticed. In this study we characterized the neural stem cell/progenitor population and its proliferation rates throughout the rat SEZ anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes. We found that SEZ proliferation decreases along the anterior-posterior axis and that proliferative rates vary considerably according to the position in the dorsal-ventral axis. These were associated with relevant gradients in the neuroblasts and in the neural stem cell populations throughout the dorsal-ventral axis. In addition, we observed spatially dependent differences in BrdU/Ki67 ratios that suggest a high variability in the proliferation rate and cell cycle length throughout the SEZ; in accordance, estimation of the cell cycle length of the neuroblasts revealed shorter cell cycles at the dorsolateral SEZ. These findings highlight the need to establish standardized procedures of SEZ analysis. Herein we propose an anatomical division of the SEZ that should be considered in future studies addressing proliferation in this neural stem cell niche.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Exploration of REE Using Radioactivity; Case Study: Baghak Mine, Sangan

In current study, sampling from Baghak mine in Sangan mines has been carried out based on radioactivity and radiation measurement method. In most projects that have been carried out in Iran for the uranium prospecting, especially in the central part of Iran, enrichment of rare earth elements (REEs) are known in keeping with uranium as a common feature. The association of these elements with U has caused to investigate their connections with other types of mineralizations. In fact the goal of this study is to survey the presence or absence of such a connection in a skarn mine which is a different case study from the central part of Iran. In case of their presence, this will lead to a new exploration method and sampling pattern for REEs. The results show that in addition to existence of this connection in some mineralizations of the Central Iran, an acceptable correlation is also observed between the REEs and radioactive elements in another iron skarn deposit. Finally, it can be explained that according to existence of such a connection between rare earth and radioactive elements in several different types of mineralizations, and based on the geochemical similarities, the need for more accurate studies is completely felt in order to introduce radiation measurement methods as effective approaches to explore REEs. The idea and the introduced method for the exploration of REEs in this study can provide a new viewpoint for the decision makers in this industry upon using further studies in this respect

Automatic analysis of EEGs using big data and hybrid deep learning architectures

© 2019 Golmohammadi, Harati Nejad Torbati, Lopez de Diego, Obeid and Picone. Brain monitoring combined with automatic analysis of EEGs provides a clinical decision support tool that can reduce time to diagnosis and assist clinicians in real-time monitoring applications (e.g., neurological intensive care units). Clinicians have indicated that a sensitivity of 95% with specificity below 5% was the minimum requirement for clinical acceptance. In this study, a high-performance automated EEG analysis system based on principles of machine learning and big data is proposed. This hybrid architecture integrates hidden Markov models (HMMs) for sequential decoding of EEG events with deep learning-based post-processing that incorporates temporal and spatial context. These algorithms are trained and evaluated using the Temple University Hospital EEG, which is the largest publicly available corpus of clinical EEG recordings in the world. This system automatically processes EEG records and classifies three patterns of clinical interest in brain activity that might be useful in diagnosing brain disorders: (1) spike and/or sharp waves, (2) generalized periodic epileptiform discharges, (3) periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges. It also classifies three patterns used to model the background EEG activity: (1) eye movement, (2) artifacts, and (3) background. Our approach delivers a sensitivity above 90% while maintaining a specificity below 5%. We also demonstrate that this system delivers a low false alarm rate, which is critical for any spike detection application

Manifesto for Digital Social Touch in Crisis

This qualitative exploratory research paper presents a Manifesto for Digital Social Touch in Crisis - a provocative call to action to designers, developers and researchers to rethink and reimagine social touch through a deeper engagement with the social and sensory aspects of touch. This call is motivated by concerns that social touch is in a crisis signaled by a decline in social touch over the past 2 decades, the problematics of inappropriate social touch, and the well documented impact of a lack of social touch on communication, relationships, and well-being and health. These concerns shape how social touch enters the digital realm and raise questions for how and when the complex space of social touch is mediated by technologies, as well the societal implications. The paper situates the manifesto in the key challenges facing haptic designers and developers identified through a series of interdisciplinary collaborative workshops with participants from computer science, design, engineering, HCI and social science from both within industry and academia, and the research literature on haptics. The features and purpose of the manifesto form are described, along with our rationale for its use, and the method of the manifesto development. The starting points, opportunities and challenges, dominant themes and tensions that shaped the manifesto statements are then elaborated on. The paper shows the potential of the manifesto form to bridge between HCI, computer science and engineers, and social scientists on the topic of social touch

Efficacy of Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens SH2 and Pseudomonas fluorescens RH43 isolates against root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) in kiwifruit

The Root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., are parasites of many crops and orchards, including kiwifruit trees. The Islamic Republic of Iran is among the leading kiwifruit producers in the world and M. in- cognita has been found as the dominant species responsible for severe loss of this crop. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of antagonistic bacteria on larval mortality, number of galls per plant and egg masses of nematode reduction, fifty local bacterial strains were isolated from root surrounding soils of kiwifruit plants in the northern production areas in Iran. Bacterial antagonists were characterized by morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular methods. Two representative strains, showing the best nematicidal activity, were identifed as Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens (isolate Sh2) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (isolate Rh43). They increased the percentage of larval mortality to 56.38% and 54.28% respectively in assays in vitro and showed excellent performance also in vivo with consistent reduction of number of galls (67.31% and 55.63%, respectively) and egg mass (86.46% and 84.29%, respectively) in plants. This study indicates that Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens isolate Sh2 and Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate Rh43 are good potential biocontrol agents for containing root-knot nematodes in kiwifruit trees

Lethal and sublethal effects of endosulfan, imidacloprid and indoxacarb on first instar larvae of Chrysoperla carnea (Neu.: Chrysopidae) under laboratory conditions

The common green lacewing is an important natural enemy used for pest control in greenhouses. It is also very common in many agricultural systems. Hence, studying lethal and sublethal effects of insecticides on this predator would be useful. Toxicity of endosulfan, imidacloprid and indoxacarb was assessed on 1st instar larvae of Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) in laboratory. Residual bioassays were carried out in glass Petri dishes. The LC50 values, for endosulfan, imidacloprid and indoxacarb were estimated 251, 24.6 and 133 mg ai/l, respectively. Imidacloprid was the most toxic among insecticides tested. To assess the sublethal effects, the 1st instars were treated with LC25 of each insecticide. Thereafter, these effects were studied using fertility life table experiments. The analysis of variance revealed significant difference between treatments and control with respect to developmental time of the 1st instar larvae. However, no significant difference was observed among endosulfan, imidacloprid and indoxacarb treatments considering the larval developmental time. Differences between treatments and control were not significant for the developmental time of the 2nd and 3rd instars, pupae, sex ratio, adult longevity, and adult fertility. The results showed that only net reproduction rate (R0) was significantly affected by treatments. The gross reproductive rate (GRR), intrinsic rate of increase (rm), doubling time (DT), mean generation time (T) and finite rate of increase (λ) were not affected. The highest and the lowest amounts of rm were 0.178 and 0.169 in control and indoxacarb, respectively. Imidacloprid was the most toxic of the insecticides tested on the 1st instar followed by indoxacarb and endosulfan. If results similar to laboratory findings are obtained in field conditions, these insecticides might be appropriate candidates for IPM programs

Effects of imidacloprid, indoxacarb and endosulfan on egg, third-instar larva and pupa of green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea (Neu.: Chrysopidae)

The common green lacewing is a known biocontrol agent because of its wide geographical distribution, high compatibility with different agricultural systems, high searching ability and ease of rearing. Adults and larvae were reared on artificial diet and eggs of Anagasta kuehniella (Zell.) respectively. The toxicity of insecticides was assessed on eggs (dipping method), third-instar larvae (contact method), and pupae (topical application) of Chrysoperla carnea Stephens. In order to study the sublethal effects, the third-instar larvae were treated with recommended field rate of each insecticide. The effects of the insecticides were assessed using demographic toxicology methods. Rearing conditions were 26 ± 2ºC, 60 ± 10% relative humidity and a photoperiod of 16: 8 h (L: D). The results revealed that the insecticides did not affect eggs even at doses higher than recommended field rates. The LD50 values, of endosulfan, imidacloprid and indoxacarb for pupal stage were estimated to be 144, 33, and 21 µg ai/insect respectively. Since the insecticides did not affect the third-instar larvae at the recommended field rate, the LC50 was not estimated for this stage. The results showed that, only net reproduction rate (R0) was significantly affected by treatments. The highest and lowest amounts of rm were 0.176 and 0.152 for control and indoxacarb treatmnets respectively. Based on both acute toxicity and demographic toxicology methods, the rate of toxicity of the tested insecticides was as follows: indoxacarb > endosulfan > imidacloprid