Predicting the actigraphy-based acrophase using the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) in college students of North Italy

Actigraphy is the reference objective method to measure circadian rhythmicity. One simpler subjective approach to assess the circadian typology is the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) by Horne and Ostberg. In this study, we compared the MEQ score against the actigraphy-based circadian parameters MESOR, amplitude and acrophase in a sample of 54 students of the University of Milan in Northern Italy. MEQ and the acrophase resulted strongly and inversely associated (r = ?0.84, p < 0.0001), and their relationship exhibited a clear-cut linear trend. We thus used linear regression to develop an equation enabling us to predict the value of the acrophase from the MEQ score. The parameters of the regression model were precisely estimated, with the slope of the regression line being significantly different from 0 (p < 0.0001). The best-fit linear equation was: acrophase (min) = 1238.7–5.49·MEQ, indicating that each additional point in the MEQ score corresponded to a shortening of the acrophase of approximately 5 min. The coefficient of determination, R², was 0.70. The residuals were evenly distributed and did not show any systematic pattern, thus indicating that the linear model yielded a good, balanced prediction of the acrophase throughout the range of the MEQ score. In particular, the model was able to accurately predict the mean values of the acrophase in the three chronotypes (Morning-, Neither-, and Evening-types) in which the study subjects were categorized. Both the confidence and prediction limits associated to the regression line were calculated, thus providing an assessment of the uncertainty associated with the prediction of the model. In particular, the size of the two-sided prediction limits for the acrophase was about ±100 min in the midrange of the MEQ score. Finally, k-fold cross-validation showed that both the model’s predictive ability on new data and the model’s stability to changes in the data set used for parameter estimation were good. In conclusion, the actigraphy-based acrophase can be predicted using the MEQ score in a population of college students of North Italy.     

Siliciclastic‐carbonate ramp,a hostile world for carbonate shelf fauna? The example of the Givetian Ardenne Platform

The Givetian platform of the Ardennes Massif records several alternations between a siliciclastic‐carbonate ramp and a carbonate shelf. Usually these depositional contexts are considered as a major disruption implying a perturbation of many ecological parameters. We established the impact of these variations on the biodiversity structure through the study of the trophic organisation. Thanks to a previous microfacies analysis, 550 levels of the Mont d'Haurs section in Givet and ten associated environments were precisely defined. Seven palaeotrophic levels are recognized from micropalaeontological data, including benthic, planktonic, heterotroph and autotroph organisms. The spatial and temporal distributions of these levels have been analysed through means of multivariate analyses. The statistic results show that the distribution of the palaeotrophic levels during periods characterized by a mixed ramp is not significantly different than during carbonate shelf influences. These environmental modifications do not affect the community‐type. These results support recent studies performed on different benthic communities occurring in the Givetian of the Ardennes Massif. Indeed, trilobite and ostracod faunas of this period appear more affected by global environmental changes as the Ka?ák (uppermost Eifelian) and Taghanic (late middle Givetian) events. Moreover, along the proximal‐distal transect on the platform, the reef constitutes the most singular environment. However, contrary with the Frasnian reefs of the Ardennes Massif, which consist of carbonate mud mounds laying on a deep mixed ramp, there is no trilobite community that appears restricted to Givetian reefs. Thus global bioevents during the Middle Devonian have a more important control on the biodiversity than the platform morphology. These results support the view that at wide scales (spatial and temporal), the biodiversity responds more positively to ecological disturbances.     

血浆D-二聚体、纤维蛋白原水平与骨创伤患者创伤程度的相关性

目的:分析骨创伤患者的血浆D-二聚体、纤维蛋白原水平及其与创伤程度的相关性。方法:收集2015年1月至2016年1月我院收治的骨创伤患者180例作为观察组,选择同期接受体检的健康者100例作为对照组。动态监测两组受检者入院后第1、3、6、10 d的血浆D-二聚(DD)和纤维蛋白原(FIB)的水平,并分析DD和FIB水平与骨创伤程度的相关性。结果:入院后第1、3、6、10 d,观察组的FIB和DD水平均出现下降趋势,但均显著高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。重度创伤组和中度创伤组患者的FIB水平显著高于轻度创伤组,且重度创伤组FIB水平显著高于中度创伤组,组间比较差异均具有统计学差异(P0.05)。从入院第1 d至10 d,3组患者的FIB水平均出现显著降低(P0.05)。轻度创伤组患者的DD水平最低,其次是中度创伤组,重度创伤组最高,组间比较差异均具有统计学差异(P0.05)。从入院第1 d至10 d,3组患者的DD水平均出现显著降低(P0.05)。此骨创伤患者创伤严重程度与FIB和DD的水平均呈现出显著正相关关系(r=0.64,P=0.003;r=0.71,P=0.002)。结论:骨创伤患者的血浆FIB和DD水平显著高于健康人,与创伤程度呈显著正相关,可能作为骨创伤患者病情程度和预后评估的生物指标。     

高血压患者血压控制水平、血脂水平及颈动脉斑块与冠脉病变的关系

目的:探讨血压控制水平、血脂水平和颈动脉斑块与高血压患者冠脉病变程度和病变支数的关系。方法:回顾性分析2014年01月至2016年05月收住于南京中医药大学附属江苏省中西医结合医院心血管科的原发性高血压患者273例,按血压控制水平分为达标组和未达标组。按颈动脉超声结果判断有无斑块,冠状动脉造影结果使用Gensini评分和病变支数表示,并检测血脂指标。结果:血压控制达标者130人(47.61%),颈动脉有斑块者193例(70.70%)。与血压控制达标患者相比,血压控制不达标者冠脉病变支数及冠脉狭窄程度得分均明显增加(P0.05)。血压不达标合并斑块患者冠脉病变支数和狭窄程度与血压达标无斑块、血压达标合并斑块及血压不达标无斑块患者相比均明显增加(P0.001)。患者HDL-C水平与冠状动脉狭窄程度呈负相关(r=-0.139,P=0.022),AI与冠状动脉狭窄程度呈正相关(r=0.136,P=0.025),LDL/HDL-C和AI与冠脉病变支数均呈正相关,分别为(r=0.128,P=0.035)和(r=0.137,P=0.023)。结论:血压控制不佳,高血脂和颈动脉斑块形成可增加高血压患者冠脉病变的严重程度。     

The fine structure and photosynthetic cost of structural leaf variegation

The leaves of some plants display an optical patchiness on their upper side, displaying light- and dark-green areas with high and low reflectance, respectively. In this investigation, we studied the fine structure of the corresponding sectors and we asked whether the lost reflected light entails a photosynthetic cost to these leaves. Four species, i.e. Arum italicum, Ranunculus ficaria, Cyclamen hederifolium and Cyclamen persicum were investigated. Scanning electron microscope examination revealed that epidermal cells of light-green sectors of all species are more bulgy than corresponding cells of neighboring dark-green leaf sectors. The comparative anatomical study revealed that (i) epidermis thickness of the light-green areas and the number of mesophyll cell layers does not differ from those of the adjacent dark-green leaf sectors and (ii) palisade cells of light-green sectors are slightly larger and more loosely arranged, allowing a much higher percentage of intercellular air spaces. The latter histological feature seems to provide the structural basis for the different optical properties between the two leaf sectors. Contrary to expectations, net photosynthetic rates (expressed on a leaf area basis) were similar in the light-green and the dark-green areas of the two cyclamen species. Yet, in C. persicum net photosynthesis was higher in the light-green areas, if expressed on a dry mass basis. The small size of the light-green spots in the rest of the test plants precluded CO₂ assimilation measurements, yet maximum linear photosynthetic electron transport rates displayed no differences between the two sectors in all plants. Thus, the assumption of a photosynthetic cost in the light-green areas was not confirmed. On the contrary, a higher construction cost was evident in the dark-green areas of three species, displaying a significantly higher specific leaf mass, without any photosynthetic benefit. The results on net photosynthesis were compatible with leaf optical properties and pigment levels. Thus, in spite of the considerably higher reflectance of the light-green areas and their lower (yet normal for a green leaf) chlorophyll levels, corresponding differences in absorptance were slight. In addition, dry mass-based pigment contents in dark-green areas were higher, while chlorophyll a/b (in two species) and carotenoid/chlorophyll ratios (in three species) were lower, pointing to a shade adaptation in these sectors. We conclude that in variegated leaves of this kind, dark-green areas are more costly to build and probably less photosynthetically active. We argue that the high pigment contents of dark-green areas establish steep light gradients in the corresponding mesophyll, rendering deeper chloroplast layers more shade adapted.     

Comparison of Two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Species Sensitivity Distribution Methods for Calculating Ecological Risk Criteria

Two major methods used by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to calculate ecological risk criteria using “species sensitivity distributions” (SSD) are compared using identical datasets. One method is the current USEPA Office of Water method for deriving acute numeric water quality criteria (EPA-FAV method). The 95% protection level generated by this method is the Final Acute Value (FAV). The other method is the USEPA Office of Pesticide Programs log normal distribution regression method that uses all available toxicological data in performing ecological risk assessments (OPP-Ecorisk method). Of the 50 comparisons made, 38% of the 95% protection levels calculated by the OPP-Ecorisk method are within a factor of 1.5 of the EPA FAV, 68% are within a factor of 2.0, 86% are within a factor of 2.5 and 92% are within a factor of 3.5. For pollutants where the difference between the OPP-Ecorisk 95% protection level and the EPA FAV are greatest, the OPP-Ecorisk 95% protection level is more protective than the EPA FAV. Where there are major differences, an analysis of the toxicity data indicates that the majority of the differences can be attributed to outliers, especially on the least sensitive ends of the toxicity distribution. In the one example dataset presented with one very sensitive genus, the OPP-Ecorisk method gave a protection level that was much closer to the lowest GMAV than the EPA-FAV method.     

On the approaches applied in formulation of a kinetic model of photosystem II: Different approaches lead to different simulations of the chlorophyll a fluorescence transients

Chlorophyll a fluorescence rise (O-J-I-P transient) was in literature simulated using models describing reactions occurring solely in photosystem II (PSII) and plastoquinone (PQ) pool as well as using complex models which described, in addition to the above, also subsequent electron transport occurring beyond the PQ pool. However, there is no consistency in general approach how to formulate a kinetic model and how to describe particular reactions occurring even in PSII only. In this work, simple kinetic PSII models are considered always with the same electron carriers and same type of reactions but some reactions are approached in different ways: oxygen evolving complex is considered bound to PSII or “virtually” separated from PSII; exchange of doubly reduced secondary quinone PSII electron acceptor, Q_B, with PQ molecule from the PQ pool is described by one second order reaction or by two subsequent reactions; and all possible reactions or only those which follow in logical order are considered. By combining all these approaches, eight PSII models are formulated which are used for simulations of the chlorophyll a fluorescence transients. It is shown that the different approaches can lead to qualitatively different results. The approaches are compared with other models found elsewhere in the literature and therefore this work can help the readers to better understand the other models and their results.     

Uptake Kinetics,Species Differences,and the Determination of Equivalent Combinations of Air Concentration and Exposure Duration for Assessment of Acute Inhalation Toxicity

For acute inhalation toxicity assessment, I develop a conceptual framework for expressing combinations of intensity (air concentration) and duration that produce equivalent toxicity by examining how the shape of the body-burden uptake curve during a bout of inhalation interacts with various pharmacodynamic measures of the critical body burden needed to produce toxicity. If toxicity depends on attaining a critical tissue concentration, three existing empirical approaches—Haber's Law, the ten Berge equation, and pure air-concentration-dependence—are but local approximations to different parts of an overarching mathematical relationship. The compound-specific half-life of elimination determines the range of durations for which each applies: durations of one half-life or shorter follow Haber's Law, exposures of 4 or more half-lives follow pure air-concentration-dependence, and intermediate durations can be approximated by the ten Berge equation. Better animal-to-human extrapolation is achieved if exposure durations are expressed as number of species-specific half-lives. I consider several alternative pharmacodynamic criteria, such as the dependence of toxicity on time spent above a critical tissue concentration, or on the area under the tissue concentration curve, on the tissue concentration of a toxic metabolite, or on the imbalance of damage and repair processes.