Assessment of Spatial and Vertical Variability of Water Quality: Case Study of a Polymictic Polish Lake.

UE regulations focus on methods of water quality monitoring and their use in rational management practices. This study investigated horizontal and vertical variations of electrical conductivity (EC), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) in a shallow polymictic lake. Monitoring of short-term variability of physical and chemical lake water parameters is a critical component in lake management, as it influences aquatic life.

Environmental implications of potamophases duration and concentration period in the floodplain lakes of the Bug River valley.

The Bug River, in the section between Dorohusk and Włodawa (part of the eastern UE border), is one of the last remaining natural rivers in Europe. Thus, its abundance of floodplain lakes (FPL) in that part constitutes an area which preserves biodiversity. This study presents an analysis of potamophases duration and the Potamophases Concentration Index (PCI) in 20 floodplain lakes in the multi-year period 1952-2014.

Everyday functioning in Parkinson's disease: Evidence from the Revised-Observed Tasks of Daily Living (OTDL-R).

Introduction: Performance tasks are presumed to have greater validity than rating scales in assessing day-to-day behaviors in Parkinson's disease (PD). One such task is the revised Observed Tasks of Daily Living (OTDL-R), which has been used extensively in healthy older adults, and but not yet empirically examined in PD. Thus, the aims of the current study were to examine and determine the impact of cognitive, motor, and mood symptoms on OTDL-R performance in PD.

Instability of Water Quality of a Shallow, Polymictic, Flow-Through Lake.

This paper describes catchment processes that favor the trophic instability of a shallow polymictic lake, in which a shift from eutrophy to hypertrophy occurs rapidly. In the lake, in 2007, the winter discharge maximum and an intensive precipitation (monthly sums exceeded 60 mm) in a vegetation season were observed. In 2007, the cyanobacterial blooms disappeared and the water trophy decreased.

Dopamine Receptor Genes Modulate Associative Memory in Old Age.

Previous research shows that associative memory declines more than item memory in aging. Although the underlying mechanisms of this selective impairment remain poorly understood, animal and human data suggest that dopaminergic modulation may be particularly relevant for associative binding. We investigated the influence of dopamine (DA) receptor genes on item and associative memory in a population-based sample of older adults (n = 525, aged 60 years), assessed with a face-scene item associative memory task.

Physical activity and inflammation: effects on gray-matter volume and cognitive decline in aging.

Physical activity has been positively associated with gray-matter integrity. In contrast, pro-inflammatory cytokines seem to have negative effects on the aging brain and have been related to dementia. It was investigated whether an inactive lifestyle and high levels of inflammation resulted in smaller gray-matter volumes and predicted cognitive decline across 6 years in a population-based study of older adults (n = 414).

Genetics and underlying pathology of dementia.

As the population steadily ages, dementia, in all its forms, remains a great societal challenge. Yet, our knowledge of their etiology remains rather limited. To this end, genetic studies can give us insight into the underlying mechanisms that lead to the development of dementia, potentially facilitating treatments in the future.

Hydrochemical versus biological conditions of the functioning of three shallow lakes in Łeczna-Włodawa.

Lake-catchment relationships were presented with reference to each part of the subsystem. Ionic loads reflected the potential of the catchment areas and displayed the following pattern: Lake Rotcze < Lake Sumin < Lake Syczyńskie; with respect to every ion, except nitrogen. The highest specific load of ions in Lake Syczyńskie and the strong hydrochemical influence of the lake inlets facilitated the growth of water blooms of cyanobacteria, with a dominance of toxic filamentous P agardhii.

The benefits of staying active in old age: physical activity counteracts the negative influence of PICALM, BIN1, and CLU risk alleles on episodic memory functioning.

PICALM, BIN1, CLU, and APOE are top candidate genes for Alzheimer's disease, and they influence episodic memory performance in old age. Physical activity, however, has been shown to protect against age-related decline and counteract genetic influences on cognition. The aims of this study were to assess whether (a) a genetic risk constellation of PICALM, BIN1, and CLU polymorphisms influences cognitive performance in old age; and (b) if physical activity moderates this effect.

The influence of APOE and TOMM40 polymorphisms on hippocampal volume and episodic memory in old age.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 40 (TOMM40) may be influential in this regard by influencing mitochondrial neurotoxicity. Little is known about the influence of the TOMM40 gene on hippocampal (HC) volume and episodic memory (EM), particularly in healthy older adults.

Genetic effects on old-age cognitive functioning: a population-based study.

Associations between genotypes and cognitive outcomes may provide clues as to which mechanisms cause individual differences in old-age cognitive performance. We investigated the effects of five polymorphisms on cognitive functioning in a population-based sample of 2,694 persons without dementia (60-102 years). A structural equation model (SEM) was fit to the cognitive data, yielding five specific latent factors (perceptual speed, episodic memory, semantic memory, category fluency, and letter fluency), as well as a global cognitive factor.

Toys and gadgets: construct validity of apathy in Parkinson's disease.

Apathy is one of the primary neuropsychiatric signatures in Parkinson's disease, yet little research has addressed the construct validity of two commonly used apathy measures, the Apathy Scale and the Lille Apathy Rating Scale. The authors tested the hypothesis that apathy is associated with reduced initiative/engaged behaviors on a laboratory-based measure of apathy. Support was found for the hypothesis that apathy, as indexed by the Apathy Scale and the Lille Apathy Rating Scale, is associated with reduced initiative/engagement on an experimental measure of apathy in Parkinson's disease patients.

Promising Genetic Biomarkers of Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease: The Influence of APOE and TOMM40 on Brain Integrity.

Finding biomarkers constitutes a crucial step for early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Brain imaging techniques have revealed structural alterations in the brain that may be phenotypic in preclinical AD. The most prominent polymorphism that has been associated with AD and related neural changes is the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4.