scholarly journals Effects of Low pH and Low Salinity Induced by Meltwater Inflow on the Behavior and Physical Condition of the Antarctic Limpet, Nacella concinna

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 822
Author(s):  
Eunchong Sin ◽  
In-Young Ahn ◽  
Seojeong Park ◽  
Taewon Kim

Seawater acidification and freshening in the intertidal zone of Marian Cove, Antarctica, which occurs by the freshwater inflow from snow fields and glaciers, could affect the physiology and behavior of intertidal marine organisms. In this study, we exposed Antarctic limpets, Nacella concinna, to two different pH (8.00 and 7.55) and salinity (34.0 and 27.0 psu) levels and measured their righting ability after being flipped over, mortality, condition factor, and shell dissolution. During the 35-day exposure, there was no significant difference in behavior and mortality between different treatments. However, the condition factor was negatively affected by low salinity. Both low pH and low salinity negatively influenced shell formation by decreasing the aragonite saturation state (Ωarg) and enhancing shell dissolution. Our results suggest that, though limpets can tolerate short-term low pH and salinity conditions, intrusions of meltwater accompanied by the glacial retreat may act as a serious threat to the population of N. concinna.

Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1524
Author(s):  
Taito Kobayashi ◽  
Kei Kumakura ◽  
Asaka Takahashi ◽  
Hiroki Matsuoka

This study was performed to clarify the enhancement of the 4-methylthio-3-butenyl isothiocyanate induced yellowing of salted radish root (takuan-zuke) by low pH during short-term salt-aging at low temperature and low salinity. We used two different methods to prepare the dehydrated daikon prior to salt-aging: air-drying outdoors (hoshi takuan-zuke) or salting with a stone press (shio-oshi takuan-zuke). Low salt-aging at low temperature was carried out under pH control with citrate-phosphate buffer. The yellowing of both types of takuan-zuke was accelerated below pH 5, and the color of air-dried takuan-zuke was deeper than that of salt-pressed takuan-zuke. To elucidate this phenomenon, several previously reported yellowing-related compounds were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The result showed that the production of the primary pigment, 2-[3-(2-thioxopyrrolidin-3-ylidene)methyl]-tryptophan, was low compared with that in previous reports. Therefore, we suggest that an unknown pigment was generated through a previously unreported pathway.


Author(s):  
Bárbara Ribeiro ◽  
André Padua ◽  
Adam Barno ◽  
Helena Villela ◽  
Gustavo Duarte ◽  
...  

Abstract Ocean higher temperature and acidity levels affect its carbonate chemistry, and calcifying organisms that depend on the calcium carbonate saturation state (ΩCaCO3) to build their skeleton may be vulnerable to these changes. Despite their important roles in the marine environment, little is known about the vulnerability of calcareous sponges under these stressors. We performed an acute short-term experiment (9 days) with thermal and pH stresses to explore their effects on the skeleton and microbiome of the calcareous sponge Sycettusa hastifera. We observed that sponge spicules showed no corrosion and no Mg/Ca ratio variation when exposed to stress conditions. However, the outermost spicules were smaller in low pH treatment, although these effects were often diminished when higher temperatures were also applied. In general, the sponges synthesized normally shaped spicules under stress conditions, but the proportion of deformed spicules increased significantly in elevated temperature. In addition, we observed a stable host–microbiome association in which there is microbiome flexibility under thermal and pH stresses with a significantly increase in abundance of some associated bacteria. Our results suggest that S. hastifera has low vulnerability under the future ocean conditions here designed, since it showed indications of resistance that could help them adapt and survive.


2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 148-152
Author(s):  
Kornél Vajda ◽  
László Sikorszki

Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: A laparoszkópia térhódítása a jobb oldali colon műtéteknél is nyilvánvaló. Ma legtöbb helyen a laparoszkóposan asszisztált jobb oldali hemikolektómia extrakorporális anasztomózissal a gold standard. A morbiditás randomizált vizsgálatok alapján még 30% körüli. A technikai fejlődés lehetővé tette az intrakorporális anasztomózist. Célkitűzés: Retrospektív módon elemezni rosszindulatú jobb oldali vastagbéldaganat miatt végzett laparoszkópos hemikolektómiák rövid távú eredményeit a két módszer összehasonlításával. Eredmények: 2018. 01. 01. – 2019. 12. 31. között 184 jobb oldali hemikolektómiát végeztünk, ezek közül 122 történt malignus betegség miatt. 51 esetben nyitott és 71 esetben laparoszkópos műtét történt. 37 férfi (átlagéletkor: 70,59 év) és 34 nő (átlagéletkor: 72,14 év) volt. 50 esetben extrakorporális (EA) és 21 esetben pedig intrakorporális anasztomózist (IA) végeztünk. Az EA csoportban 18, míg az IA csoportban 3 szövődmény alakult ki 30 napon belül (p = 0,067). Az EA csoportból 3, az IA csoportból 1 beteget veszítettünk el 30 napon belül (p = 0,66). Az átlagos ápolási idő az EA csoportban 9,48 (5–32) nap, míg az IA csoportban 6,52 (4–19) nap volt (p = 0,001) a szövődményes esetekkel együtt. A szövődményes esetek nélkül az EA csoportban 6,35 (5–10) nap, az IA csoportban pedig 5,55 (4–8) napnak bizonyult (p = 0,09). A műtéti idő pedig az EA csoportban 147 (90–240) perc, az IA csoportban pedig 146,47 (90–265) perc volt (p = 0,11). Konklúzió: Az irodalommal összhangban azt találtuk, hogy IA esetén kevesebb a szövődmény, ezzel is összefüggésben rövidebb az átlagos ápolási idő, és a műtéti időt tekintve nincs szignifikáns különbség. Ezeket figyelembe véve az intrakorporális anasztomózis javasolható jobb oldali laparoszkópos hemikolektómia esetén. Summary. Introduction: Laparoscopy became evident for right-sided colon surgery too. Today the laparoscopic-assisted right-hemicolectomy is the gold standard with extracorporeal anastomosis. Morbidity according to randomized trials is still approximately 30%. The development of the surgical technique resulted in the creation of intracorporeal anastomosis. Our aim was to compare the short-term results of the two methods. Aim: To analyse the short-term results of right-sided hemicolectomy that were performed due to malignant tumours with the comparison of the two methods. Results: A cohort of 184 right-sided hemicolectomy were performed from 01.01.2018 to 31.12.2019 from which 122 were operated on because of a malignant disease. 51 open and 71 laparoscopic operations were performed. The average age of 37 men and 34 women were 70.59 and 72.14 years, respectively. 50 patients underwent extracorporeal (EA) anastomosis and 21 intracorporeal (IA) anastomosis. Within 30 days the number of complications were 18 in the EA group and 3 in the IA group (p = 0.067). 3 from the EA group and 1 from IA group died within 30 days (p = 0.66). The average length of stay were 9.48 days in the EA group and 6.52 days in the IA group together with the complicated cases (p = 0.001) while 6.35 days and 5.55 days without the complicated cases (p = 0.09). The average duration of operation was 147 minutes in the EA and 146.47 minutes in the IA group (p = 0.11). Conclusion: We found concordance with the literature that there are fewer complications in case of IA which might be related to shorter length of stay. There is no significant difference between the surgical times. Bearing these facts in mind, IA might be suggested for right- sided laparoscopic hemicolectomy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (25) ◽  
pp. 760-768
Author(s):  
Nida Gencer ÖZKAN ◽  
◽  
Tülin ATAN

The aim of this study was to investigate the basketball players’, active in Turkey Women’s Basketball Super and 1st Leagues, empathy levels according to their marital status, educational status in addition to age and marital status of their coach; and to evaluate leadership characteristics and behavior of their coaches according to athlete’s perception. Another aim was to analyze the relation between empathy levels of the athletes and athletes’ perception of coaching behavior. 264 (age; 24.61±5.53 year) female athletes playing in Turkey Women’s Basketball Super and 1st Leagues participated in this study. Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS)-version of Athletes’ Perception of Coaching Behavior that developed by Chelladurai and Saleh, and adapted by Tiryaki and Toros in 2006 was used as data collection tool. Athletes’ perceptions of leadership style and behavior of their coach were evaluated in five different factors. A five-factor solution with 40 items describing the most salient dimensions of coaching behavior was selected as the most meaningful. Empathy levels of the athletes were determined by using Emphatic Tendency Scale which was developed by Dökmen (1988) and composed of 20 items. Empathy levels of the athletes showed no statistically significant difference in terms of any variable (p>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in athletes’ perceptions of coaching behaviors in terms of marital status of the athlete and age of their coach (p>0.05). In terms of educational status of athletes and marital status of their coach, there were statistically significant differences in athletes’ perceptions of coaching behaviors (p<0.05 and p<0.01). Positive and meaningful correlation was found between empathy scores of the athletes and training and instruction behavior (r=.172**) and autocratic behavior (r=.154*) of the coach (p<0.05 and p<0.01). Educational status of the athletes and marital status of their coach are influental in athletes’ evaluation of their perceptions of coaching behavior. Empathy levels of the athletes are related to their perceptions of coaching behavior.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tayyaba Gul Malik ◽  
Hina Nadeem ◽  
Eiman Ayesha ◽  
Rabail Alam

Objective: To study the effect of short-term use of oral contraceptive pills on intra-ocular pressures of women of childbearing age.   Methods: It was a comparative observational study, conducted at Arif memorial teaching hospital and Allied hospital Faisalabad for a period of six months. Hundred female subjects were divided into two groups of 50 each. Group A, included females, who had been taking oral contraceptive pills (OCP) for more than 6 months and less than 36 months. Group B, included 50 age-matched controls, who had never used OCP. Ophthalmic and systemic history was taken. Careful Slit lamp examination was performed and intraocular pressures (IOP) were measured using Goldman Applanation tonometer. Fundus examination was done to rule out any posterior segment disease. After collection of data, we analyzed and compared the intra ocular pressures between the two groups by using ANOVA in SPSS version 21.   Results: Average duration of using OCP was 14.9 months. There was no significant difference of Cup to Disc ratios between the two groups (p= 0.109). However, significant difference was noted between the IOP of OCP group and controls. (p=0.000). Conclusion: OCP significantly increase IOP even when used for short time period.


Author(s):  
Zeineb Tbini ◽  
Mokhtar Mars ◽  
Mouna Bouaziz

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate T1 relaxation time of the human Achilles tendon, to test its short-term repeatability as well as the minimal detectable change, and to assess the extent that correlate with clinical symptoms. Methods: Twenty asymptomatic volunteers and eighteen patients with clinically and sonographically confirmed tendinopathy were scanned for ankle using a 3 Tesla (T) MR scanner. T1 maps were calculated from a variable flip angle gradient echo Ultra-short echo time sequence (VFA-GE UTE) and inversion recovery spin echo sequence (IR-SE) using a self-developed matlab algorithm in three regions of interest of Achilles Tendon (AT). Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) between the two sequences was evaluated. INTRA-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Coefficient of Variation (CV) and the Least Significant Change (LSC) were calculated, to test short-term repeatability of T1. Subjects were assessed by the VISA-A clinical score. P values less than 0.005 were considered statistically significant. Results: Mean T1 values were 427.09 ± 53.37 ms and 528.70 ± 103.50 ms using IR-SE sequence and 575.43 ± 110.60 ms and 875.81 ± 425.77 ms with VFA-GE UTE sequence in the whole AT for volunteers and patients, respectively. : T1 values showed a significant difference between volunteers and patients (P=0.001). Regional variation of T1 in healthy and tendinopathic AT were greater for VFA-GE UTE sequence than for IR-SE sequence. VFA-GE UTE sequence showed clearly higher SNR compared to IR-SE sequence. Short-term repeatability of T1 values for volunteers showed an LSC of 22% and 14% for IR-SE sequence and VFA-GE UTE sequence, respectively. For patients, LSC was 14% and 5% for IR-SE sequence and VFA-GE UTE sequence, respectively. There was no correlation between T1 and VISA-A clinical score (p>0.005). Conclusion: VFA-GE UTE sequence used for T1 mapping calculation demonstrated short acquisition time and clearly high SNR. Results revealed that T1 relaxation time can be used as a biomarker to differentiate between healthy and pathologic Achilles tendon. However, T1 showed no correlation with the VISA-A clinical score.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Tobias ◽  
Assaf B Spanier

BACKGROUND Gingivitis is a non-painful, inflammatory condition that can be treated with home remedies. Left untreated gingivitis can lead to tooth loss. Periodic dental examinations are important for early diagnosis and treatment of gum diseases. In order to contain the spread of the corona virus, governments, including in Israel, have restricted movements of their citizens which has caused routine dental checkups to be postponed. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine the ability of an mHealth app- iGAM to reduce gingivitis. METHODS A prospective observational cohort study was performed, 160 unpaid participants were divided into 2 equal groups and downloaded the iGAM app. Group 1 photographed their gums weekly for eight weeks. Group 2 photographed their gums at the time of recruitment and 8 weeks later. After photo submission, the participants received the message "It is recommended to read the information contained within the app regarding maintaining oral hygiene habits". A single blinded researcher examined the images and scored them according to the Modified Gingival Index (MGI). RESULTS The average age of group 1 was 26.77 (S.D. ± 7.43), and 28.53 (S.D. ± 10.44) for group 2. The majority were male (74.7% in group 1 vs. 66.7% in group 2), most participants described themselves as "secular", most were "single", non-smokers (74.7% vs. 78.4%) and did not take medications (85.3% vs. 78.4%). 126 subjects completed the study. A statistically significant difference (P <.001) was found in the dependent variable (MGI) in a linearly negative manner. As time passed, the gum condition improved, there were significantly lower gingivitis scores in group 1 (M = 1.16, S.D. ± 1.18) compared to group 2 (M = 2.16, S.D. ± 1.49), after eight weeks. Those with more recent dental visits had a lower MGI (p = .037). No association was found between knowledge and behavior, most participants were familiar with the recommendations for maintaining oral health, yet they only performed some. CONCLUSIONS A dental selfie taken once a week using an mHealth app (iGAM) reduced the signs of gingivitis and promoted oral health. During the current pandemic where social distancing recommendations may be causing people to avoid dental clinics, this app can remotely promote gum health. CLINICALTRIAL The protocol was approved by Hadassah research ethics committee (IRB, 0212-18-HMO)


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Abrams ◽  
Fanny Lalot ◽  
Michael A. Hogg

COVID-19 is a challenge faced by individuals (personal vulnerability and behavior), requiring coordinated policy from national government. However, another critical layer—intergroup relations—frames many decisions about how resources and support should be allocated. Based on theories of self and social identity uncertainty, subjective group dynamics, leadership, and social cohesion, we argue that this intergroup layer has important implications for people’s perceptions of their own and others’ situation, political management of the pandemic, how people are influenced, and how they resolve identity uncertainty. In the face of the pandemic, initial national or global unity is prone to intergroup fractures and competition through which leaders can exploit uncertainties to gain short-term credibility, power, or influence for their own groups, feeding polarization and extremism. Thus, the social and psychological challenge is how to sustain the superordinate objective of surviving and recovering from the pandemic through mutual cross-group effort.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document