scholarly journals HPLC-MS/MS Method for the Detection of Selected Toxic Metabolites Produced by Penicillium spp. in Nuts

Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 307
Author(s):  
Davide Spadaro ◽  
Giovanna Roberta Meloni ◽  
Ilenia Siciliano ◽  
Simona Prencipe ◽  
Maria Lodovica Gullino
Keyword(s):  
Matrix Effect ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Extraction Methods ◽  
The Other ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Strong Signal ◽  
Toxic Metabolites ◽  
Signal Suppression ◽  
Matrix Correlation ◽  
Penicillium Spp

Penicillium spp. are emerging as producers of mycotoxins and other toxic metabolites in nuts. A HPLC-MS/MS method was developed to detect 19 metabolites produced by Penicillium spp. on chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds. Two extraction methods were developed, one for chestnuts and one for the other three nuts. The recovery, LOD, LOQ and matrix effect were determined for each analyte and matrix. Correlation coefficients were always >99.99%. In walnuts, a strong signal suppression was observed for most analytes and patulin could not be detected. Six strains: Penicillium bialowiezense, P. brevicompactum, P. crustosum, P. expansum, P. glabrum and P. solitum, isolated from chestnuts, were inoculated on four nuts. Chestnuts favored the production of the largest number of Penicillium toxic metabolites. The method was used for the analysis of 41 commercial samples: 71% showed to be contaminated by Penicillium-toxins. Cyclopenin and cyclopenol were the most frequently detected metabolites, with an incidence of 32% and 68%, respectively. Due to the risk of contamination of nuts with Penicillium-toxins, future studies and legislation should consider a larger number of mycotoxins.

Personality, self‐esteem, and self‐construal as correlates of forgivingness

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Félix Neto ◽  
Etienne Mullet
Keyword(s):  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
The Other ◽  
Personality Factor ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Relative Independence ◽  
Self Construal ◽  
Willingness To Forgive ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between forgivingness (enduring resentment, sensitivity to circumstances, and overall propensity to forgive) and a number of personality dimensions relevant to forgivingness was examined. These dimensions were self‐esteem, shyness and embarrassment, on one hand, and self‐construal and perceived loneliness, on the other hand. The main relationships between forgivingness and personality concerned the interpersonal dimensions of personality: shyness, embarrassment, independence from others, and interdependence with others. However, the intra‐personal, strictly self‐referential concomitants of these dimensions (self‐esteem and loneliness) were not much linked to forgivingness. Furthermore, each personality factor had a distinct link with forgivingness: independence made the resentment still more enduring, shyness and social embarrassment exacerbated the sensitivity to circumstances, and interdependence increased the willingness to forgive. These findings throw light on the double aspect of forgiveness as intra‐ and inter‐individual and on the relative independence of these aspects. The observed pattern of relationships varied notably (and significantly) as a function of the participants' genders. It could be therefore important, in future studies, to compute systematically correlation coefficients or assess main effects separately for women and men. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dreams of Truck Drivers: A Test of the Continuity Hypothesis of Dreaming

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schredl ◽  
Arthur Funkhouser ◽  
Nicole Arn
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Truck Drivers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Continuity Hypothesis ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Daytime Activity ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
The One ◽  
Dream Emotions ◽  
The Relationship

Empirical studies largely support the continuity hypothesis of dreaming. The present study investigated the frequency and emotional tone of dreams of truck drivers. On the one hand, the findings of the present study partly support the continuity regarding the time spent with driving/being in the truck and driving dreams and, on the other hand, a close relationship was found between daytime mood (feelings of stress, job satisfaction) and dream emotions, i.e., different dream characteristics were affected by different aspects of daytime activity. The results, thus, indicate that it is necessary to define very clearly how this continuity is to be conceptualized. The approach of formulating a mathematical model (cf. [1]) should be adopted in future studies in order to specify the factors and their magnitude in the relationship between waking and dreaming.

SERUM GONADOTROPHINS, TESTOSTERONE AND SPERMATOGENESIS IN SUBFERTILE MEN

1977 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 651-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Aafjes ◽  
J. C. M. van der Vijver ◽  
R. Docter ◽  
P. E. Schenck
Keyword(s):  
Partial Correlation ◽  
Sperm Count ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sperm Production ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Natural Logarithm ◽  
Biopsy Score

ABSTRACT In 210 subfertile men there existed a significant positive correlation between serum FSH and LH (0.41). No correlation was observed between the gonadotrophin levels and testosterone. In contrast to this FSH as well as LH were negatively correlated with the natural logarithm (In) of the sperm count/ml ejaculate (−0.44 and −0.18, respectively). When the positive correlation which existed between FSH and LH was used to calculate partial correlation coefficients, the coefficient between FSH and ln sperm count did hardly change (−0.41) the coefficient between LH and ln sperm count on the other hand became insignificant (−0.05). This suggests that spermatogenesis influences FSH serum levels in subfertile men by a decreased suppression when sperm production is diminished. Testicular biopsies taken from 97 of these patients were used to determine biopsy scores. These scores showed a significant negative correlation with FSH (−0.34) and a positive one with ln sperm count/ml ejaculate (0.45). Interestingly the biopsy score of 16 patients who fertilized their wives, was found to be higher compared with the score of the other patients who did not fertilize. The number of sperm/ml ejaculate and the FSH values of these 2 groups of biopsied patients were, however, not significantly different. This leads to the conclusion that the biopsy score is a better parameter for the evaluation of oligospermic men than either sperm count or FSH serum values.

Automatic Detection of Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep (PLMS), And Analysis of Their Relationship to Heart Rate Signals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharadha Kolappan
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Limb Movement ◽  
The Other ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Periodic Limb Movements ◽  
Periodic Limb Movement ◽  
Related Disorder ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Core Features

Periodic Limb Movement in Sleep (PLMS) are a sleep-related disorder of the limbs that increasingly more research has begun to associate with severe Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD). With that said, Polysomnography (PSG), followed by manual scoring, is the conventional approach being used to monitor the disorder. However, patient inconvenience, and the high costs associated with PSG, has probed the need for alternative screening tools to be developed. Moreover, due to the cumbersome and time-consuming nature of manually scoring for PLMS, more studies have begun to look into automated means of detecting PLMS. Hence, while one of the goals of the current thesis was to use the latest clinical specifications to develop an automated Periodic Limb Movement (PLM) detector, the other goal was to look into alternative signals to monitor PLMS. With that said, in the current thesis, an automated PLM detector was developed and tested on two datasets. In fact, the results were promising in that, correlation coefficients of 0.78 and 0.8, and absolute differences not greater than 9 and 6 (not including the extreme outliers) respectively, were found when comparing the clinical PLM scores with that of the automated algorithm’s PLM scores. Moreover, not only did the automated PLM detector compute PLM scores, it also provided us with PLM segmentation information, i.e., localization of PLM with respect to time. On the other hand, with regards to finding alternative signals to monitor PLMS, the etiology of PLMS was used in order to validate the use of relatively easily acquirable signals, such as Heart Rate (HR) signals, to monitor the condition. Moreover, core features were extracted from the HR signals and the PLM segmentation information from the developed PLM detector was used in order to perform individuaized classification between PLM and non-PLM segments (per subject). Although the results were promising in that, the percent of correctly identifying a given segment as PLM or non-PLM, using the HR features, across most of the subjects, i.e., especially those with PLM Index ≥ 15, were around and well above the 70% range, due to the possibility of other factors interfering with HR during sleep, a more immediate application of the observed PLMS vs HR distinction was, to be able to monitor the autonomic health of an individual, given their PLM information. Specifically, the latter was anticipated to be useful for studies looking into the relationship between PLMS and HR, and thus CVD, or more significantly, those looking into preventing CVD by treating PLM.

Psychophysical interactions with a double-slit interference pattern: Exploratory evidence of a causal influence

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-88
Author(s):  
Dean Radin ◽  
Helané Wahbeh ◽  
Leena Michel ◽  
Arnaud Delorme
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Interference Pattern ◽  
Type I Error ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
The Other ◽  
Type I ◽  
Fringe Visibility ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Double Slit

An experiment we conducted from 2012 to 2013, which had not been previously reported, was designed to explore possible psychophysical effects resulting from the interaction of a human mind with a quantum system. Participants focused their attention toward or away from the slits in a double-slit optical system to see if the interference pattern would be affected. Data were collected from 25 people in individual half-hour sessions; each person repeated the test ten times for a total of 250 planned sessions. “Sham” sessions designed to mimic the experimental sessions without observers present were run immediately before and after as controls. Based on the planned analysis, no evidence for a psychophysical effect was found. Because this experiment differed in two essential ways from similar, previously reported double-slit experiments, two exploratory analyses were developed, one based on a simple spectral analysis of the interference pattern and the other based on fringe visibility. For the experimental data, the outcome supported a pattern of results predicted by a causal psychophysical effect, with the spectral metric resulting in a 3.4 sigma effect (p = 0.0003), and the fringe visibility metric resulting in 7 of 22 fringes tested above 2.3 sigma after adjustment for type I error inflation, with one of those fringes at 4.3 sigma above chance (p = 0.00001). The same analyses applied to the sham data showed uniformly null outcomes. Other analyses exploring the potential that these results were due to mundane artifacts, such as fluctuations in temperature or vibration, showed no evidence of such influences. Future studies using the same protocols and analytical methods will be required to determine if these exploratory results are idiosyncratic or reflect a genuine psychophysical influence.

scholarly journals How is Intelligence Test Performance Associated with Creative Achievement? A Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maciej Karwowski ◽  
Marta Czerwonka ◽  
Ewa Wiśniewska ◽  
Boris Forthmann
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Intelligence Test ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Creative Achievement ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Everyday Creativity ◽  
Intelligence Test Scores ◽  
Intelligence Scores

This paper presents a meta-analysis of the links between intelligence test scores and creative achievement. A three-level meta-analysis of 117 correlation coefficients from 30 studies has found a correlation of r = .16 (95% CI: .12, .19), closely mirroring previous meta-analytic findings. The estimated effects were stronger for overall creative achievement and achievement in scientific domains than for correlations between intelligence scores and creative achievement in the arts and everyday creativity. No signs of publication bias were found. We discuss theoretical implications and provide recommendations for future studies.

scholarly journals Examining Teachers’ Roles in Online Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Qiang Huang
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
The Other ◽  
Teacher Roles ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Managerial Role ◽  
Learning Contexts ◽  
Diverse Learning ◽  
Enhanced Learning

<p>Online learning has been used in the literature to cover diverse learning contexts ranging from blended learning, distance learning, virtual learning and web-enhanced learning. Many aspects of online learning have become the focuses of research and teacher roles are one of them. The present study, therefore, intends to examine how 153 university students perceived the roles of their teachers in online learning of a blended English course by using a 27-item and 5-Likert-scale questionnaire (the STRI). Results of statistical analyses showed that the Cronbach’s Alpha value of the entire questionnaire was .955 and those of the three sub-roles were all above .891, indicating that both the questionnaire and the three factors of sub-roles were reliable and valid. Further analyses revealed that the three sub-roles of teachers, i.e., the cognitive role, the affective role and the managerial role, were significantly different from each other. Among them, the means of the managerial role was significantly higher than that of the cognitive role while the means of the affective role was the lowest. Results of descriptive statistics also revealed that keeping a record of students’ learning in the managerial role was quite notable for students. The findings suggest that the roles of teachers in online learning as a whole were reduced. However, the managerial role was more notable than the other two roles and the affective role was the least impactful in the online learning context in this study. The researcher believes that these findings may offer some insights to classroom implications and provide the basis for future studies of comparing teacher roles across different educational contexts.</p>

scholarly journals The iron-responsive genome of the chiton Acanthopleura granulata

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca M. Varney ◽  
Daniel I. Speiser ◽  
Carmel McDougall ◽  
Bernard M. Degnan ◽  
Kevin M. Kocot
Keyword(s):  
Iron Transport ◽  
West Indian ◽  
The Other ◽  
The West ◽  
Major Clade ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Molluscan Evolution ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACTMolluscs biomineralize structures that vary in composition, form, and function, prompting questions about the genetic mechanisms responsible for their production and the evolution of these mechanisms. Chitons (Mollusca, Polyplacophora) are a promising system for studies of biomineralization because they build a range of calcified structures including shell plates and spine- or scale-like sclerites. Chitons also harden the calcified teeth of their rasp-like radula with a coat of iron (as magnetite). Here we present the genome of the West Indian fuzzy chiton Acanthopleura granulata, the first from any aculiferan mollusc. The A. granulata genome contains homologs of many biomineralization genes identified previously in conchiferan molluscs. We expected chitons to lack genes previously identified from pathways conchiferans use to make biominerals like calcite and nacre because chitons do not use these materials in their shells. Surprisingly, the A. granulata genome has homologs of many of these genes, suggesting that the ancestral mollusc had a more diverse biomineralization toolkit than expected. The A. granulata genome has features that may be specialized for iron biomineralization, including a higher proportion of genes regulated directly by iron than other molluscs. A. granulata also produces two isoforms of soma-like ferritin: one is regulated by iron and similar in sequence to the soma-like ferritins of other molluscs, and the other is constitutively translated and is not found in other molluscs. The A. granulata genome is a resource for future studies of molluscan evolution and biomineralization.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTChitons are molluscs that make shell plates, spine- or scale-like sclerites, and iron-coated teeth. Currently, all molluscs with sequenced genomes lie within one major clade (Conchifera). Sequencing the genome of a representative from the other major clade (Aculifera) helps us learn about the origins and evolution of molluscan traits. The genome of the West Indian Fuzzy Chiton, Acanthopleura granulata, reveals chitons have homologs of many genes other molluscs use to make shells, suggesting all molluscs share some shell-making pathways. The genome of A. granulata has more genes that may be regulated directly by iron than other molluscs, and chitons produce a unique isoform of a major iron-transport protein (ferritin), suggesting that chitons have genomic specializations that contribute to their production of iron-coated teeth.

The Effects of Solvents and Extraction Methods on the Antioxidant Activity of P. niruri

2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hafizah Mohd Hadzri ◽  
Mohd Azizi Che Yunus ◽  
Salman Zhari ◽  
Fahim Rithwan
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Activity ◽  
Extraction Method ◽  
Radical Scavenging Activity ◽  
Radical Scavenging ◽  
Soxhlet Extraction ◽  
Solvent Polarity ◽  
Extraction Methods ◽  
The Other ◽  
Natural Antioxidant ◽  
Total Phenolic

The effects of different types of solvents and extraction method were investigated to determine the presence of antioxidant contents and activity from the P. niruri plant. The aim of this study is to determine which extraction method will give higher natural antioxidant contents and antioxidant activity. The content of natural antioxidant and antioxidant activity were analysed by total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity assay. The results showed that extracts from a supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) method without the addition of modifier showed the highest content of total phenolic (187.66 mg GAE/ g) and flavonoid (1100.93 mg QE/g) in P. niruri compared to the other methods of extraction with different type of solvents. The extract of P. niruri from different extraction methods showed antioxidant activity on DPPH radical scavenging assay. The soxhlet extraction method by methanol showed the lowest IC50 compared to the other methods of extraction. The results revealed that P. niruri extracts had different content of antioxidant and antioxidant activity. The solvent polarity and different methods of extraction play significant roles in determining the most suitable method for production of antioxidant contents and antioxidant activity from P. niruri extracts.

Discontinuation of Somatic Medication During Psychiatric Hospitalization

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 1415-1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heshu Abdullah-Koolmees ◽  
Helga Gardarsdottir ◽  
Lennart J. Stoker ◽  
Judith Vuyk ◽  
Toine C. G. Egberts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crossover Study ◽  
Confidence Intervals ◽  
Index Date ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitalization ◽  
The Other ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Relative Risks ◽  
Health Objective

Background: Psychiatric hospitalization can increase the risk of discontinuation of pharmacotherapy, which may negatively influence patients’ health. Objective: To investigate the association between psychiatric hospitalization and discontinuation of somatic medication. Methods: A retrospective crossover study was performed in patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital (index date), who had got somatic medication dispensed during the 3 months prior to hospitalization. Discontinuation of somatic medication was investigated at the following time points: index date and 3, 6, and 9 months before the index date. Relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of discontinuing somatic medication at the index date versus the time points before the index date were estimated using Cox regression. Results: In all, 471 hospitalized patients were included in the study; 38.9% of the patients were discontinuers on the index date. RR for discontinuation of ≥1 somatic medication was 1.88 (95% CI = 1.55-2.27) at the index date compared with the other time points and highest for patients <45 years (RR = 2.83; 95% CI = 1.92-4.18). Conclusions: Psychiatric hospitalization was associated with an almost doubled risk of discontinuation of somatic medication. Future studies should address the influence of discontinuation of care on patients’ health.

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