scholarly journals Chemometrics as a Tool in the Study of Lead Toxicity in Rats

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Amador-Hernández

<p>In this work, chemometric tools were applied to establish correlations between biomarkers and to identify the most significant ones in relation to acute exposure of Wistar rats to Pb. The metal content in biological matrices (serum, urine, liver, brain, and kidney), biochemical parameters (protein content, activity of the Glutathione S–Transferase enzymes, and urinalysis), apart from morphological measurements of organisms, were estimated in both the exposed and the control groups and submitted to Significance tests, Principal Component Analysis, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, and Generalized Procrustean Analysis. It could be observed that Pb in serum, but not in erythrocytes, was the biomarker associated with the Pb content in kidney and other parameters related to this organ. In the same way, Pearson correlation coefficients emphasized the relation between Pb in serum and these variables, with the exception of kidney weight. Additionally, Pb in serum was found to be the biomarker with the greatest difference between the control and the exposed groups, which converts it into the most sensitive biomarker in the present study.   </p>

Assessment ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Blais ◽  
Kenneth B. Benedict ◽  
Dennis K. Norman

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory—II (MCMI-II), a frequently used self-report measure of psychopathology, contains nine scales designed to assess Axis I psychopathology (the clinical syndrome and severe syndrome scales). This study explored the relationships among these nine MCMI-II clinical syndrome scales and the clinical scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 (MMPI-2). A sample of 108 psychiatric inpatients was administered both the MCMI-II and the MMPI-2 within 7 days of admission. Pearson correlation coefficients and principal component factors were obtained for the MCMI-II and MMPI-2 scales. The results provided support for the convergent validity of all the MCMI-II Axis I scales. However, the majority of the MCMI-II scales failed to demonstrate adequate discriminant validity in relation to the MMPI-2 scales. The principal component analysis revealed that method variance was the principal influence in determining factor loadings for the majority of test scales. This finding suggests that these two popular self-report tests differ substantially in how they measure psychopathology.


1991 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 974-985 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Nishijo ◽  
R. Norgren

1. A total of 51 single neurons was recorded from the pontine parabrachial nuclei of three rats being given sapid stimuli either via intraoral infusions or during spontaneous licking behavior. In 46 neurons, sapid stimuli elicited significant taste responses; of these, 28 responded best to NaCl, 15 to sucrose, 2 to citric acid, and 1 to quinine HCl. The remaining five neurons responded significantly only to water. The mean spontaneous rate of taste neurons during the intraoral infusion and licking sessions was 11.1 +/- 1.1 and 10.8 +/- 1.2 (SE) spikes/s, respectively. 2. Of the 39 neurons tested during both licking and intraoral infusions, four responded significantly only to water via either route. The remaining 35 neurons responded significantly to at least some sapid stimuli. The best-stimulus categories remained the same regardless of the route of fluid delivery (24 NaCl best, 10 sucrose best, 1 citric acid best). When the rats were licking the stimuli, nine taste neurons responded significantly to only one sapid chemical [6 Na specific (Ns) and 3 sucrose specific (Ss)] but were more broadly tuned during intraoral infusions. Conversely, three taste neurons that responded specifically during intraoral infusions (3 Na specific) were not as specific when the animal licked the same fluids. 3. Thirty-five taste neurons were tested via both stimulus routes. These data were compared in three ways. First, for each neuron, the responses elicited during licking and intraoral infusions were compared for each of the four standard sapid stimuli. The Pearson correlation coefficients for the 35 taste neurons ranged from 0.9997 to 0.6785, with a mean at 0.953 +/- 0.012 (SE). The second comparison was between stimulus routes across chemicals. With the use of raw responses, the correlation coefficients for NaCl, sucrose, citric acid, and QHCl ranged from 0.925 to 0.778 (t test, P less than 0.0001). With the activity elicited by water subtracted (corrected responses), the correlation coefficients for NaCl, sucrose, citric acid, and QHCl were 0.900, 0.795, 0.369, and 0.211, respectively. The coefficient for QHCl was not significant (t test, P greater than 0.05). Finally, the mean responses to NaCl, sucrose, and citric acid delivered by both routes were compared and found not to differ (paired t test, P greater than 0.05). 4. In separate hierarchical cluster analyses for the licking and infusion data, the largest cluster in each contained all of the Na-best neurons and the next largest, all of the sucrose-best cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Fathi Ben Amar ◽  
Sihem Ben Maachia ◽  
Mohamed Ayadi

SummaryA total of seventeen olive ecotypes were identified in the oasis region of Degache (Tozeur, Tunisia). The following physicochemical parameters of their oils were studied: acidity, refraction index, polyphenol, chlorophyll and carotene contents, oleic, palmitic and linoleic acid levels and the UV absorbance (K232 and K270). The acidity, K232 and K270 parameter values were used to classify most of the olive oils considered as ‘extra virgin’. The highest carotene, chlorophyll and polyphenol contents of the olive oils examined were found to be 13.60 ppm, 9.10 ppm and 796 ppm, respectively. The oleic acid level of the olive oils considered ranged between 47% and 73%, whereas the palimtic acid level ranged between 11.8% and 23%, and the linoleic acid level ranged between 8.8% and 22.5%. Therefore, the fatty acid composition of the most olive oils considered was in keeping with the IOC norms. The Pearson correlation coefficients obtained were found to be negatively significant for the oleic, palmitic and linoleic acid levels recorded. The cluster and principal component analyses performed revealed the importance of fatty acids and polyphenol contents in the clustering of olive ecotypes. The selection of olive ecotypes according to oil quality is possible, requiring further studies focusing especially on their agronomic characters.


2017 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Ewa M. Pawlaczyk ◽  
Alina Bączkiewicz ◽  
Piotr Wawrzyniak ◽  
Magdalena Czołpińska ◽  
Patrycja Gonera ◽  
...  

Abstract The main aim of this study was to describe the variation between the populations of the dwarf mountain pine Pinus mugo Turra based on the morphological and anatomical traits of their needles, and to investigate the relationship between the observed variation and environmental conditions (altitude and substrate). Two-year-old needles were collected from 180 individuals of six populations of P. mugo growing in the Tatra Mts. Two populations were classified as dense, located at 1360–1450 m altitude, and the remaining four formed loose clusters and were situated at 1500–1650 m altitude. Four of the populations are growing on granite and two on a limestone substrate. The natural variation of 10 morpho-anatomical and 3 synthetic needle traits was measured. In addition to descriptive statistics, the analyses of variance (ANOVA) with a Tukey test and principal component analysis were computed. We also estimated Pearson correlation coefficients for the examined needle traits and altitude as well as substrate. Our results indicate that the P. mugo populations differ significantly with regard to the investigated traits for which the Trzydniowiański Wierch population was the most distinct. The observed pattern of variability is largely caused by differences in stomatal traits and these features are positive correlated with altitude. Additionally, populations growing on granite have larger values for most of the examined traits compared to populations growing on limestone.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. geochem2020-048
Author(s):  
Irene M. Kadel-Harder ◽  
Paul G. Spry ◽  
Audrey L. McCombs ◽  
Haozhe Zhang

The Cripple Creek alkaline igneous rock-related, low-sulfidation epithermal gold telluride deposit, Colorado, is hosted in the 10 km wide Oligocene alkaline volcanic Cripple Creek diatreme in Proterozoic rocks. Gold occurs as native gold, Au-tellurides, and in the structure of arsenian pyrite, in potassically altered high-grade veins, and as disseminations in the host rocks.Correlation coefficients, principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and random forests were used to analyse major and trace element compositions of 995 rock samples primarily from low-grade gold mineralization in drill core from three currently operating pits (Wild Horse Extension, Globe Hill and Schist Island) in the northwestern part of the Cripple Creek diatreme. These methods suggest that Ag, As, Bi, Te and W are the best pathfinders to gold mineralization in low-grade disseminated ore. Although Mo correlates with gold in other studies and is spatially related to gold veins, molybdenite post-dated the formation of gold and is likely related to a late-stage porphyry overprint. These elements, in conjunction with mineralogical studies, indicate that tellurides, fluorite, quartz, carbonates, roscoelite, tennantite-tetrahedrite, pyrite, sphalerite, muscovite, monazite, bastnäsite and hübnerite serve as exploration guides to ore.


2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 468
Author(s):  
Muhammad Riaz Khan ◽  
Muhammad Azam Khan ◽  
Umer Habib ◽  
Mehdi Maqbool ◽  
Rashid Mehmood Rana ◽  
...  

Wild Himalayan figs (Ficus palmata Forsk.), native to East Asia and the Himalayan region, are closely related to the well-known cultivated fig (Ficus carica L.), which is grown mainly in the Mediterranean region. The Pakistani state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has a rich variety of figs. However, no comprehensive study has been carried out to utilise the diversity of these wild figs for possible use in sustainable fruit production. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess the variability of 35 wild fig accessions using quantitative and qualitative traits. Descriptive statistics were used to measure quantitative characteristics, while the coefficient of variance (CV %) was analysed using SAS® version 9.1. A principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate analysis were performed using R Studio (v1.1.4). Pearson correlation coefficients between characteristics were obtained using SPSS software. The studied accessions showed high variability and the coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 4.46–14.81%. Days to maturity varied from 71 to 86, leaf area from 38.55 to 90.06 cm2. The fruit length, fruit diameter and fruit weight ranged from 11.25 to 29.85 mm, 11.85 to 27.49 mm and 2.65 to 9.66 g, respectively. The photosynthetic activity and total chlorophyll content also varied from 7.94 to 10.22 μmol CO2 m−2s−1 and 37.11 to 46.48 μgml−1. In most of the fig accessions studied, apical dominance was found to be ‘absent’ while fruit shape was observed to be ‘globular’. A strong correlation was observed between all the studied characteristics. In the PCA analysis, all 35 fig accessions were distributed in four quadrants and showed a great diversity. This could be a valuable gene pool for future breeding studies and provide improved quality varieties. Wild Himalayan figs from the wild are well adapted to local pedoclimatic conditions and, combined with easy propagation and production can contribute to the local economy and have a significant impact on the socio-economic and ecological balance. The results of this study show high variability in some of the studied traits of 35 accessions from different parts of Northeast Pakistan, indicating their good potential for further enhancement and utilisation in sustainable agricultural production.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
motahareh esfandiari ◽  
Mohammad Ali Hakimzadeh

Abstract There is a lack of information about urban transport activity in adding heavy elements to the environment. This research assesses concentration some of heavy elements in the deposited atmospheric dust in Yazd bus terminals. Dust samples were collected from the green space in the bus terminals of urban transportation. Following the digestion by nitric acid, determination of the total metal concentration of cadmium(Cd), cobalt(Co), copper(Cu), nickel(Ni), lead(Pb), zinc(Zn), chromium (Cr), and manganese(Mn) in the dust were performed via Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. The map representing the spatial distribution of metals was plotted and their source was identified using Pearson correlation coefficients, Principal Component Analysis(PCA), and Cluster Analysis(CA). The findings indicated that the mean concentration of heavy metals in the deposited dust on the leaves of the trees was in the following order; Cd < Co < Ni < Pb < Cu < Zn < Cr < Mn. The map representing the spatial distribution of heavy metal concentrations indicated that the abundance of metals in different stations varies according to their location. Two important sources for the concentration of heavy metals in the deposited dust on the leaves were identified. The sources of Co, Cd, Mn, and Ni were anthropogenic and lithogenic, and the sources of Pb, Zn, Cr and Cu were the traffic and industrial activities. The amounts of EF, CF, IPI and, RI Indicators in residential, commercial, green space and environmental uses were estimated at low to extremely high levels of pollution. The findings showed that the growth of industrialization and human activities had caused contamination of the environment by heavy metals emitted into the atmosphere of Yazd.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (24) ◽  
pp. 6027
Author(s):  
Heting Qi ◽  
Shenghua Ding ◽  
Zhaoping Pan ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
Fuhua Fu

Citrus tea is an emerging tea drink produced from tea and the pericarp of citrus, which consumers have increasingly favored due to its potential health effects and unique flavor. This study aimed to simultaneously combine the characteristic volatile fingerprints with the odor activity values (OAVs) of different citrus teas for the first time by headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) and headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). Results showed that the establishment of a citrus tea flavor fingerprint based on HS-GC-IMS data can provide an effective means for the rapid identification and traceability of different citrus varieties. Moreover, 68 volatile compounds (OAV > 1) were identified by HS-SPME-GC-MS, which reflected the contribution of aroma compounds to the characteristic flavor of samples. Amongst them, the contribution of linalool with sweet flower fragrance was the highest. Odorants such as decanal, β-lonone, β-ionone, β-myrcene and D-limonene also contributed significantly to all samples. According to principal component analysis, the samples from different citrus teas were significantly separated. Visualization analysis based on Pearson correlation coefficients suggested that the correlation between key compounds was clarified. A comprehensive evaluation of the aroma of citrus tea will guide citrus tea flavor quality control and mass production.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. NEJAT ◽  
H. SADEGHI

ABSTRACT Taking into consideration that modeling and indicating relationship among traits and variables are among the most useful numerical techniques in the biological and botanical researches, and also undeniable impact of drought and salinity stresses, this research was implemented with the aim to consider change in relationship among the traits under separately drought and salinity stresses related to scarcely distributed medicinal plant called Christ thorn (Ziziphus spina-christi). A glass house experiment was implemented in controlled conditions at the College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. Five different water stress levels (irrigation at four, six, eight and 10 days intervals, compared to the unstressed control plants with every even days irrigation) and five salinity stress levels (0, 3.2, 6.4, 9.6 and 12.3 dS m-1) were separately induced on plants. Results of this study indicated that salinity and water stresses in addition to their destructive impact on cell and tissue compartment, can adverse and change the relationship among morphological and biochemical parameters in different ways. Cluster analysis could clearly separate traits into two groups under water stress while three groups under salinity stress. Principal component showed that this technique can accounted for a high variation among data under both water and salinity stresses so that it is possible to consider relationship among the traits using principal component in place of classic methods such as correlation coefficients. As result of principal component, it revealed that change in relationship among traits under different stresses is plausible.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail S. Golubkov ◽  
Larisa F. Litvinchuk ◽  
Sergey M. Golubkov

Biological invasions are a global trend due to globalization of the world. An important goal of invasion biology is to identify environmental characteristics that may make a region receptive to invasions. We tested the hypothesis that environmental variables have stronger effect on the biomass of the alien Cercopagis pengoi in the Neva Estuary than biotic interactions with other zooplankton species. Hierarchical cluster, principal component and Pearson correlation analyzes were used to elucidate changes within the zooplankton community along environmental gradients. The data analysis showed that the biomass of C. pengoi was higher in waters with higher salinity, low temperature, high transparency, lower chlorophyll a concentration and lower proportion of chlorophyll in particulate suspended matter. The biomass of C. pengoi showed significant positive correlations with biomasses of its potential preys. However, we did not find direct significant negative correlations between C. pengoi and larger zooplankton predators Leptodora kindtii and Bythotrephes spp. This research generally supports the hypothesis that if environmental variables are appropriate for an exotic species, then that species is likely to invade successfully, regardless of the native species already present.


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