127 research outputs found
Diel and tidal influence on planktonic microbial communities in a coastal brackish lake (Lake Ganzirri, Italy).
No full textAerobic methanotrophy within the pelagic redox-zone of the Gotland Deep (central Baltic Sea)
No full textWater column samples taken in summer 2008 from the stratified Gotland Deep (central Baltic Sea) showed a strong gradient in dissolved methane concentrations from high values in the saline deep water (max. 504 nM) to low concentrations in the less dense, brackish surface water (about 4 nM). The steep methane-gradient (between 115 and 135 m water depth) within the redox-zone, which separates the anoxic deep part from the oxygenated surface water (oxygen concentration 0–0.8 mL L<sup>−1</sup>), implies a methane consumption rate of 0.28 nM d<sup>−1</sup>. The process of microbial methane oxidation within this zone was evident by a shift of the stable carbon isotope ratio of methane between the bottom water (&delta;<sup>13</sup>C CH<sub>4</sub> = −82.4&permil; and the redox-zone (&delta;<sup>13</sup>C CH<sub>4</sub> = −38.7&permil;. Water column samples between 80 and 119 m were studied to identify the microorganisms responsible for the methane turnover in that depth interval. Notably, methane monooxygenase gene expression analyses for water depths covering the whole redox-zone demonstrated that accordant methanotrophic activity was probably due to only one phylotype of the aerobic type I methanotrophic bacteria. An imprint of these organisms on the particular organic matter was revealed by distinctive lipid biomarkers showing bacteriohopanepolyols and lipid fatty acids characteristic for aerobic type I methanotrophs (e.g., 35-aminobacteriohopane-30,31,32,33,34-pentol), corroborating their role in aerobic methane oxidation in the redox-zone of the central Baltic Sea
Quantitative Distributions of Epsilonproteobacteria and a Sulfurimonas Subgroup in Pelagic Redoxclines of the Central Baltic Sea†
No full textMembers of the class Epsilonproteobacteria are known to be of major importance in biogeochemical processes at oxic-anoxic interfaces. In pelagic redoxclines of the central Baltic Sea, an uncultured epsilonproteobacte-rium related to Sulfurimonas denitrificans was proposed to play a key role in chemolithotrophic denitrification (I. Brettar, M. Labrenz, S. Flavier, J. Bötel, H. Kuosa, R. Christen, and M. G. Höfle, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:1364–1372, 2006). In order to determine the abundance, activity, and vertical distribution of this bacterium in high-resolution profiles, 16S rRNA cloning and catalyzed reporter deposition and fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) and quantitative PCR measurements were carried out. The results showed that 21 % of the derived clone sequences, which in the present study were grouped together under the name GD17, had>99 % similarity to the uncultured epsilonproteobacterium. A specific gene probe against GD17 (S-*-Sul-0090-a-A-18) was developed and used for enumeration by CARD-FISH. In different pelagic redoxclines sam-pled during August 2003, May 2005, and February 2006, GD17 cells were always detected from the lower oxic area to the sulfidic area. Maximal abundance was detected around the chemocline, where sulfide and nitrate concentrations were close to the detection limit. The highest GD17 numbers (2 105 cells ml1), representin
Altered temporal variance and functional connectivity of BOLD signal is associated with state anxiety during acute systemic inflammation
No full textSystemic inflammation is accompanied by complex behavioral changes and disturbed emotion regulation that have been related to the pathophysiology of mood disorders including depression and anxiety. However, the causal role of systemic inflammation on mood disorders is still unclear. We herein investigated neural resting state patterns of temporal variance of the amygdala and functional connectivity within the salience network underlying changes in state anxiety during experimentally-induced systemic inflammation. In this randomized, double-blind study, N = 43 healthy men received an intravenous injection of either low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 0.4 ng/kg body weight) or saline. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging was assessed before and 3.5 h after injection. State anxiety, assessed with a standardized questionnaire, and plasma cytokine concentrations were repeatedly measured. LPS administration induced a transient systemic inflammatory response reflected in increases in plasma Interleukin (IL)-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α concentration. Compared to placebo, state anxiety and temporal variance in the amygdala significantly increased while functional connectivity in the salience network decreased during LPS-induced systemic inflammation. Together, these data indicate that acute systemic inflammation alters temporal variance of the BOLD signal as well as functional connectivity in brain regions and networks implicated in emotion processing and regulation. These results are of translational importance to encourage further research on the role of inflammatory pathways in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric conditions including anxiety disorders
Correction: Lenz, R. and Labrenz, M. Small Microplastic Sampling in Water: Development of an Encapsulated Filtration Device. Water 2018, 10, 1055
No full textIn the published article [1], the authors realized some errors concerning the spelling of a product and company name in the Section 2 [...
High abundance and dark CO2 fixation of chemolithoautotrophic prokaryotes in anoxic waters of the Baltic Sea
No full textWe determined the abundance and distribution of chemolithoautotrophic prokaryotes in the redoxcline in two basins (Gotland Deep, Landsort Deep) of the central Baltic Sea by combining dark CO2 fixation measurements with flow cytometric cell sorting. Maximum CO2 fixation rates were recorded in sulfidic waters about 20 m below the chemocline. Flow cytometric analyses of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)–stained bacterioplankton revealed the existence of at least five different prokaryotic clusters in water samples collected below the chemocline. Dark CO2 fixation in these clusters was determined by flow cytometric sorting after anoxic incubations with NaH14CO3 tracer. Two clusters, representing about 30% of total prokaryotes, were responsible for 65% to 100% of the total dark fixation. Calculated cell-specific CO2 fixation rates in the two basins ranged from 3.5 to 24.7 fg C cell-1 d-1 and suggested that these clusters are dominated by chemolithoautotrophic prokaryotes. Mean cell-specific fixation rates reached more than 10 fg C cell-1 d-1 in most cases, indicating relatively high growth rates (doubling times 1–2 d) of chemolithoautotrophic prokaryotes. Our results provide the first evidence of such high cell-specific CO2 uptake and abundance of chemolithoautotrophic prokaryotes in a pelagic marine environment. However, the identity of the organisms as well as the mechanisms fueling CO2 dark fixation in the anoxic zone remain unknown. <br/
Characterization of the secondary neutron field produced during treatment of an anthropomorphic phantom with x-rays, protons and carbon ions
No full textShort- and long-term side effects following the treatment of cancer with radiation are strongly related to the amount of dose deposited to the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor. The characterization of the radiation field outside the planned target volume is the first step for estimating health risks, such as developing a secondary radioinduced malignancy. In ion and high-energy photon treatments, the major contribution to the dose deposited in the far-out-of-field region is given by neutrons, which are produced by nuclear interaction of the primary radiation with the beam line components and the patient's body. Measurements of the secondary neutron field and its contribution to the absorbed dose and equivalent dose for different radiotherapy technologies are presented in this work. An anthropomorphic RANDO phantom was irradiated with a treatment plan designed for a simulated 5 × 2 × 5 cm3 cancer volume located in the center of the head. The experiment was repeated with 25 MV IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy) photons and charged particles (protons and carbon ions) delivered with both passive modulation and spot scanning in different facilities. The measurements were performed with active (silicon-scintillation) and passive (bubble, thermoluminescence 6LiF:Mg, Ti (TLD-600) and 7LiF:Mg, Ti (TLD-700)) detectors to investigate the production of neutral particles both inside and outside the phantom. These techniques provided the whole energy spectrum (E 20 MeV) and corresponding absorbed dose and dose equivalent of photo neutrons produced by x-rays, the fluence of thermal neutrons for all irradiation types and the absorbed dose deposited by neutrons with 0.8 < E < 10 MeV during the treatment with scanned carbon ions. The highest yield of thermal neutrons is observed for photons and, among ions, for passively modulated beams. For the treatment with high-energy x-rays, the contribution of secondary neutrons to the dose equivalent is of the same order of magnitude as the primary radiation. In carbon therapy delivered with raster scanning, the absorbed dose deposited by neutrons in the energy region between 0.8 and 10 MeV is almost two orders of magnitude lower than charged fragments. We conclude that, within the energy range explored in this experimental work, the out-of-field dose from secondary neutrons is lowest for ions delivered by scanning, followed by passive modulation, and finally by high-energy IMRT photons. © 2014 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine
Diagnostic Accuracy of a Bayesian Latent Group Analysis for the Detection of Malingering-Related Poor Effort
No full textOrtega A, Labrenz S, Markowitsch HJ, Piefke M. Diagnostic Accuracy of a Bayesian Latent Group Analysis for the Detection of Malingering-Related Poor Effort. The Clinical Neuropsychologist. 2013;27(6):1019-1042.In the last decade, different statistical techniques have been introduced to improve assessment of malingering-related poor effort. In this context, we have recently shown preliminary evidence that a Bayesian latent group model may help to optimize classification accuracy using a simulation research design. In the present study, we conducted two analyses. Firstly, we evaluated how accurately this Bayesian approach can distinguish between participants answering in an honest way (honest response group) and participants feigning cognitive impairment (experimental malingering group). Secondly, we tested the accuracy of our model in the differentiation between patients who had real cognitive deficits (cognitively impaired group) and participants who belonged to the experimental malingering group. All Bayesian analyses were conducted using the raw scores of a visual recognition forced-choice task (2AFC), the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM, Trial 2), and the Word Memory Test (WMT, primary effort subtests). The first analysis showed 100% accuracy for the Bayesian model in distinguishing participants of both groups with all effort measures. The second analysis showed outstanding overall accuracy of the Bayesian model when estimates were obtained from the 2AFC and the TOMM raw scores. Diagnostic accuracy of the Bayesian model diminished when using the WMT total raw scores. Despite, overall diagnostic accuracy can still be considered excellent. The most plausible explanation for this decrement is the low performance in verbal recognition and fluency tasks of some patients of the cognitively impaired group. Additionally, the Bayesian model provides individual estimates, p(z(i) |D), of examinees' effort levels. In conclusion, both high classification accuracy levels and Bayesian individual estimates of effort may be very useful for clinicians when assessing for effort in medico-legal settings
Recommended from our members
Geologic Map of the Western Half of the Young Quadrangle, Northern Sierra Anchas, and Geologic Map of the Marsh Creek Area, Diamond Butte and Young Quadrangles, Gila County, Arizona
No full textGeologic Map of the Western Half of the Young Quadrangle, Northern Sierra Anchas, and Geologic Map of the Marsh Creek Area, Diamond Butte and Young Quadrangles, Gila County, Arizona, 1988, scale 1:24,000 and 1:10,000, 2 sheets.Documents in the AZGS Document Repository collection are made available by the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) and the University Libraries at the University of Arizona. For more information about items in this collection, please contact [email protected]
Saccharospirillum impatiens gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel gamma-Proteobacterium isolated from hypersaline Ekho Lake (East Antarctica)
No full text- …
