Molecular Responses to Thermal and Osmotic Stress in Arctic Intertidal Mussels (Mytilus edulis): The Limits of Resilience

Increases in Arctic temperatures have accelerated melting of the Greenland icesheet, exposing intertidal organisms, such as the blue mussel Mytilus edulis, to high air temperatures and low salinities in summer. However, the interaction of these combined stressors is poorly described at the transcriptional level. Comparing expression profiles of M. edulis from experimentally warmed (30 °C and 33 °C) animals kept at control (23‰) and low salinities (15‰) revealed a significant lack of enrichment for Gene Ontology terms (GO), indicating that similar processes were active under all conditions. However, there was a progressive increase in the abundance of upregulated genes as each stressor was applied, with synergistic increases at 33 °C and 15‰, suggesting combined stressors push the animal towards their tolerance thresholds. Further analyses comparing the effects of salinity alone (23‰, 15‰ and 5‰) showed high expression of stress and osmoregulatory marker genes at the lowest salinity, implying that the cell is carrying out intracellular osmoregulation to maintain the cytosol as hyperosmotic. Identification of aquaporins and vacuolar-type ATPase transcripts suggested the cell may use fluid-filled cavities to excrete excess intracellular water, as previously identified in embryonic freshwater mussels. These results indicate that M. edulis has considerable resilience to heat stress and highly efficient mechanisms to acclimatise to lowered salinity in a changing world.

An experience with Foot Macrodactyly: A case report and review of literature

Macrodactyly is a rare congenital malformation with clinical manifestations such as enlargement of soft tissue and osseous elements. It causes various health issues such as pain, difficulty in wearing shoes, impairment in ambulatory ability and gait development, aesthetic problem, and psychological issues. The aetiology of macrodactyly is ambiguous; however, its association with PIK3CA /AKT1 genes has been reported recently. In the present study, a rare congenital macrodactyly of second and third toe of right foot along with deformed leg in 16-year-old girl has been reported. A progressive increase in the size of the second and third toe of the right foot and deformed reddish swollen area on the same lower leg below knee was seen in the patient. The malformation was present at the time of birth and at the age of one year the patient was operated for macrodactyly, but again the toe progressively increased to the previous size. She was presented with multiple health problems. There was no positive family history and/or other congenital malformation. Thus, it was suggested that due to variable phenotypic manifestations, appropriate treatment should be chosen for the patient individually.

Emergence of Heartbeat Frailty in Advanced Age: Perspectives from Life-Long EKG Recordings in Mice

SAN failure, aka sick-sinus syndrome, which features sinus bradycardia, SAN impulse pauses, and irregularity of RR interval rhythms are manifestations of SAN cell dysfunction that increases exponentially with advanced age, i.e., SAN frailty. Abnormalities in intrinsic RR interval variability may be the earliest signatures of SAN cell dysfunction leading to SAN frailty in late life. We measured RR interval variability within EKG time-series prior to and during double autonomic blockade in long-lived C57/BL6 mice at 3 month intervals from 6 months of age until the end of life. Long-lived mice (those that achieved the median cohort lifespan of 24 months and beyond) displayed relatively minor changes in intrinsic RR interval variability prior to 21 months of age. Between 21 and 30 months of age, marked changes in intrinsic RR interval variability signatures in time, frequency, non-linear, and fragmentation domains result in a marked increase in the mean intrinsic RR interval. The effects of autonomic input partially compensated for the prolongation of the mean RR interval by impacting the age-associated deterioration in the RR interval variability signatures toward a youthful pattern. Cross-sectional analyses of other subsets of mice at ages at or beyond the median life span of our longitudinal cohort demonstrated increased non-cardiac, constitutional, whole body frailty, a decrease in energetic efficiency, and an increase in respiratory exchange ratio. In this context, we interpret the progressive increase in intrinsic RR interval variability beyond 21 months of age to be an indication of heartbeat frailty.

Effect of the Progressive Increase of Organic Loading Rate in an Anaerobic Sequencing Batch Reactor for Biodiesel Wastewater Treatment

The wastewater from the biodiesel industry is an environmental problem, and from a sanitation resources perspective, the anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) is an interesting alternative for wastewater treatment. A better understanding of ASBR operation behavior under the progressive increase of the organic loading rate (OLR) is crucial for upscaling. The objective of this study was to monitor an ASBR operating with an OLR ranging from 1.3 to 9.3 kgCOD m−3 d−1. The average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies of the ASBR were 52, 41, 47, and 11% for phases 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The apparent kinetic coefficient, i.e., the rate of degradation of organic matter, was between 0.10 and 1.80 h−1, considering the kinetic model that considers the residual substrate concentration, which was the one that best fit the obtained data. The progressive increase in applied OLR modified the microbial biomass diversity, which in turn influenced the degradation kinetics of the organic matter. In addition, the values of the applied OLR of 5.1 kgCOD m−3 d−1 and a food to microorganism ratio (F/M) of 0.6 kgCOD kgVSS−1 d−1 were shown to be limiting values that promoted the overload of ASBR.

Assessing the impact of human mobility to predict regional excess death in Ecuador

COVID-19 outbreaks have had high mortality in low- and middle-income countries such as Ecuador. Human mobility is an important factor influencing the spread of diseases possibly leading to a high burden of disease at the country level. Drastic control measures, such as complete lockdown, are effective epidemic controls, yet in practice one hopes that a partial shutdown would suffice. It is an open problem to determine how much mobility can be allowed while controlling an outbreak. In this paper, we use statistical models to relate human mobility to the excess death in Ecuador while controlling for demographic factors. The mobility index provided by GRANDATA, based on mobile phone users, represents the change of number of out-of-home events with respect to a benchmark date (March 2nd, 2020). The study confirms the global trend that more men are dying than expected compared to women, and that people under 30 show less deaths than expected, particularly individuals younger than 20 with a death rate reduction between 22 and 27%. The weekly median mobility time series shows a sharp decrease in human mobility immediately after a national lockdown was declared on March 17, 2020 and a progressive increase towards the pre-lockdown level within two months. Relating median mobility to excess deaths shows a lag in its effect: first, a decrease in mobility in the previous two to three weeks decreases excess death and, more novel, we found an increase of mobility variability four weeks prior increases the number of excess deaths.

The Estimation of Critical Angle in Climbing as a Measure of Maximal Metabolic Steady State

Purpose: Sport climbing is a technical, self-paced sport, and the workload is highly variable and mainly localized to the forearm flexors. It has not proved effective to control intensity using measures typical of other sports, such as gas exchange thresholds, heart rate, or blood lactate. Therefore, the purposes of the study were to (1) determine the possibility of applying the mathematical model of critical power to the estimation of a critical angle (CA) as a measure of maximal metabolic steady state in climbing and (2) to compare this intensity with the muscle oxygenation breakpoint (MOB) determined during an exhaustive climbing task.Materials and Methods: Twenty-seven sport climbers undertook three to five exhaustive ascents on a motorized treadwall at differing angles to estimate CA, and one exhaustive climbing test with a progressive increase in angle to determine MOB, assessed using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).Results: Model fit for estimated CA was very high (R2 = 0.99; SEE = 1.1°). The mean peak angle during incremental test was −17 ± 5°, and CA from exhaustive trials was found at −2.5 ± 3.8°. Nine climbers performing the ascent 2° under CA were able to sustain the task for 20 min with perceived exertion at 12.1 ± 1.9 (RPE). However, climbing 2° above CA led to task failure after 15.9 ± 3.0 min with RPE = 16.4 ± 1.9. When MOB was plotted against estimated CA, good agreement was stated (ICC = 0.80, SEM = 1.5°).Conclusion: Climbers, coaches, and researchers may use a predefined route with three to five different wall angles to estimate CA as an analog of critical power to determine a maximal metabolic steady state in climbing. Moreover, a climbing test with progressive increases in wall angle using MOB also appears to provide a valid estimate of CA.

PORT-A-CATH catheter rupture: case report

Introduction: The modern management of cancer treatment requires access to the venous system repeatedly for the passage of drugs, fluids and blood components. Peripheral veins are rapidly damaged by repeated punctures and by fluids that pass through them. To solve this problem, long-term vascular accesses avoid repeated punctures. One type of long-term venous access is the Port-A-Cath, which is an implantable device usually in the chest with a central venous catheter. Case report: Next, the case of a 34-year-old female with a diagnosis of breast cancer in the right breast is presented. It is treated with a radical mastectomy, and after the procedure a port-a-cath is placed in the left subclavian route for future treatments. The first cycle of chemotherapy is performed, later the patient reports pain at the catheter placement site with increased volume and progressive increase in pain. The patient goes to her health center for an evaluation, they decide to take a chest X-ray showing the migration of the catheter. The management used was through the seldinger technique at the femoral puncture site with a 6 Fr Amplatz GooseNeck Snare Guide, with which it was possible to extract the foreign body at the level of the left brachiocephalic vein. Conclusion: The implantation of a Port-A-Cath catheter is associated with some risks in the process. Catheter and patient care should be maintained to decrease the incidence of complications.

Discounted costs and obsolescence with the Joint replenishment problem

Real life inventory lot sizing problems are frequently challenged with the need to order different types of items within the same batch. The Joint Replenishment Problem (JRP) addresses this setting of coordinated ordering by minimizing the total cost, composed of ordering (or setup) costs and holding costs, while satisfying the demand. The complexity of this problem increases when some or all item types are prone to obsolescence. In fact, the items may experience an abrupt decline in demand because they are no longer needed, due to rapid advancements in technology, going out of fashion, or ceasing to be economically viable. This article proposes an extension of the Joint Replenishment Problem (JRP) where the items may suddenly become obsolete at some time in the future. The model assumes constant demand and the items’ lifetimes follow independent negative exponential distributions. The optimization process considers the time value of money by using the expected discounted total cost as the minimization criterion. The proposed model was applied to some test cases, and sensitivity analyses were performed, in order to assess the impact of obsolescence on the ordering policy. The increase in the obsolescence risk, through the progressive increase of the obsolescence rates of the item types, determines smaller lot sizes on the ordering policy. The increase in the discount rate causes smaller quantities to be ordered as well.

Hypoventilation and progressive encephalopathy in a neonate with MTHFR deficiency

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive inherited inborn error of metabolism, which presents with various severity depending on the level of residual enzyme activity. In neonates, it can present with recurrent hypoventilation episodes, persistent encephalopathy with or without microcephaly. MTHFR deficiency also results in hyperhomocysteinemia, homocystinuria and hypomethionemia. We report a male neonate with severe MTHFR deficiency presenting to us on third week of life with progressive encephalopathy, microcephaly, seizures, central hypoventilation. There was similar history in the previous sibling. The patient’s blood lactate, ammonia, tandem mass spectrometry for amino acids and acyl carnitine were normal. He remained encephalopathic with progressive increase in need of respiratory support in spite of supportive treatment and metabolic cocktail consisting of riboflavin, pyridoxine, coenzyme Q and carnitine. This neonate had novel homozygous mutation, which results in MTHFR deficiency. In newborn with hypoventilation or recurrent apnoea with encephalopathy and microcephaly, MTHFR deficiency should be considered as a differential diagnosis. Mutation study helps in confirming diagnosis; however, extended newborn metabolic screening with homocysteine level could help in early diagnosis of these cases.

Development and Performance Evaluation of a Soil Moisture Sensor

This study was aimed at developing a soil moisture sensor to effectively monitor moisture level for optimum crop growth. The sensor was made using a programmed Arduino microcontroller. It is attached to a sensing panel with two probes made of nickel that measures the volumetric content of water in soil. The probes were non-corrosive and robust material suitable for use in wet surfaces. The developed sensor was tested and evaluated. The two legged Lead (probes) goes into the soil where water content was to be measured by passing current through the soil, and then reads the resistance to get the moisture level. Nine different soil classification samples (Sandy Clay, Fine Sandy Loam, Sandy Loam, Salty Loam, Loamy Sand, Coarse Sand, Fine Sand, Sandy Clay Loam and clay soils) at different depths (3, 6, 9, 12 and 14.3 cm) were used to analyse the moisture meter at three different portion of each soil sample. Results obtained indicates that there was a progressive increase in moisture levels the more the sensor was being dipped into the soil. Results obtained also shows that all the nine soil samples but one (Silt Loam Soil Sample) analysed were within acceptable range of accuracy (0.1 - 5.0 %). The moisture sensor whose cost was approximately #22,300:00 was found to be effective, high precision at less efforts and a suitable guide for farmer for determining soil moisture levels.Keywords- Moisture, Probe, Sensor, Soil Classification