Review of the Terminology, Approaches, and Formulations Used in the Guidelines on Quantitative Risk Assessment of Chemical Hazards in Food.

This paper reviews the published terminology, mathematical models, and the possible approaches used to characterise the risk of foodborne chemical hazards, particularly pesticides, metals, mycotoxins, acrylamide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results confirmed the wide variability of the nomenclature used, e.g.

CPR Quality Officer role to improve CPR quality: A multi-centred international simulation randomised control trial.

Background: An out-of-hospital cardiac arrest requires early recognition, prompt and quality clinical interventions, and coordination between different clinicians to improve outcomes. Clinical team leaders and clinical teams have high levels of cognitive burden. We aimed to investigate the effect of a dedicated Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Quality Officer role on team performance.

Nucleotide-selective amplification and array-based detection for identifying multiple somatic mutations.

In the context of personalized and cost-effective treatment, knowledge of the mutational status of specific genes is advantageous to predict which patients are responsive to therapies. As an alternative to one-by-one detection or massive sequencing, the presented genotyping tool determines multiple polymorphic sequences that vary a single nucleotide. The biosensing method includes an effective enrichment of mutant variants and selective recognition by colorimetric DNA arrays.

Risk assessment of Cryptosporidium intake in drinking water treatment plant by a combination of predictive models and event-tree and fault-tree techniques.

Risk-informed decision making permits a more effective water safety management. In this framework, this article introduces the rationale and proposes a new approach to carry out a quantitative risk assessment along the water chain, from river source to tap water, by integrating predictive modelling combined with event-tree and fault-tree techniques. The model developed by this approach could not only account for normal but also for abnormal process conditions in the water treatment plant, as well as assess the real impact of the applied safety controls, such as turbidity control.

A genosensor for detecting single-point mutations in dendron chips after blocked recombinase polymerase amplification.

A biosensing system was developed to accurately detect a single nucleotide change in the target organism genome, integrating a selective isothermal amplification and a sensitive dendron-mediated DNA hybridization assay in the array format. The novelty arises from the coupling reactions of the dendron and its use as a crosslinker. The allele-specific probes were oligonucleotide-dendron conjugates prepared by fast and clean click-chemistry (thiol-yne reaction) and coupled onto the photo-activated surface of polycarbonate substrates (carbodiimide reaction).

Leaf water potential measurements using the pressure chamber: Synthetic testing of assumptions towards best practices for precision and accuracy.

Leaf water potential (ψ ), typically measured using the pressure chamber, is the most important metric of plant water status, providing high theoretical value and information content for multiple applications in quantifying critical physiological processes including drought responses. Pressure chamber measurements of ψ (ψ ) are most typical, yet, the practical complexity of the technique and of the underlying theory has led to ambiguous understanding of the conditions to optimize measurements. Consequently, specific techniques and precautions diversified across the global research community, raising questions of reliability and repeatability.

Oral vaccination of dogs with a monovalent live-avirulent vaccine confers 1 year of immunity against Bordetella bronchiseptica challenge.

This experimental challenge study assessed immune protection 1 year after a single dose of live-attenuated oral Bordetella bronchiseptica (Bb) vaccine in dogs. Forty Bb-seronegative 7-9-week-old puppies were randomly assigned at Day 0 to receive a single oral dose of either Bb vaccine (n = 20; vaccinated group) or sterile water (n = 20; control group). Groups were housed separately until comingling 1 day pre-challenge (Day 365).

Frequency of Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of (PCV-3) in Healthy Primiparous and Multiparous Sows and Their Mummified Fetuses and Stillborn.

Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV-3) has been suggested as a putative causal agent of swine reproductive disease. A number of different studies have pointed out this association, but there is still a lack of information regarding the normal rates of PCV-3 infection in farms with normal reproductive parameters. The objective of the present study was to assess the frequency of PCV-3 detection in primiparous and multiparous sows and in tissues from their respective fetuses from farms with average reproductive parameters.

Efficacy of Simparica Trio™, a novel chewable tablet containing sarolaner, moxidectin and pyrantel, against induced hookworm infections in dogs.

Background: Ancylostomatids ('hookworms') are among the most important zoonotic nematode parasites infecting dogs worldwide. Ancylostoma caninum and Uncinaria stenocephala are two of the most common hookworm species that infect dogs. Both immature and adult stages of hookworms are voracious blood feeders and can cause death in young dogs before infection can be detected by routine fecal examination.

Magnetic concentration of allele-specific products from recombinase polymerase amplification.

The studied challenge is the specific detection of low-abundant genomic variants that differ by a single nucleotide from the wild type. The combination of blocked recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and selective capture by probes immobilised on magnetic-core particles integrated into a flow system is presented. The sensing principle was demonstrated as the effective concentration-detection of the specific generated products was achieved.

Inconsistent MHC class II association in Beagles experimentally infected with Leishmania infantum.

The clinical outcome of Leishmania infantum infection in dogs varies from subclinical infection to severe disease. Researchers attribute this variability in clinical manifestations to the ability of the immune response to limit pathogen multiplication and dissemination, which is, in part, likely determined by the immune response genes. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that MHC class II genes are associated with disease outcome of experimental L.

Analysis of the evolution of gross alpha and gross beta activities in airborne samples in Valencia (Spain).

Gross alpha (A) and gross beta activities (A) were measured weekly in the airborne of the Universitat Politècnica de Valencia campus (in the east of Spain) during the period 2009-2015 (7 years). The geometric mean values of weekly A and A were 0.53·10 Bq m and 5.

Blocked recombinase polymerase amplification for mutation analysis of PIK3CA gene.

A blocked recombinase polymerase amplification (blocked-RPA) approach has been developed for the enrichment of mutated templates in heterogeneous specimens as tumor tissues. This isothermal amplification technique opens alternative solutions for meeting the technological demand of physician office laboratories. Herein, the detection of mutations in PIK3CA gene, such as p.

Integrative field scale phenotyping for investigating metabolic components of water stress within a vineyard.

Background: There is currently a high requirement for field phenotyping methodologies/technologies to determine quantitative traits related to crop yield and plant stress responses under field conditions.

Methods: We employed an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a thermal camera as a high-throughput phenotyping platform to obtain canopy level data of the vines under three irrigation treatments. High-resolution imagery (< 2.

Human platelet-rich plasma improves the nesting and differentiation of human chondrocytes cultured in stabilized porous chitosan scaffolds.

The clinical management of large-size cartilage lesions is difficult due to the limited regenerative ability of the cartilage. Different biomaterials have been used to develop tissue engineering substitutes for cartilage repair, including chitosan alone or in combination with growth factors to improve its chondrogenic properties. The main objective of this investigation was to evaluate the benefits of combining activated platelet-rich plasma with a stabilized porous chitosan scaffold for cartilage regeneration.

Vitamin D Receptor Activation Reduces Angiotensin-II-Induced Dissecting Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Apolipoprotein E-Knockout Mice.

Objective: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a vascular disorder characterized by chronic inflammation of the aortic wall. Low concentrations of vitamin D3 are associated with AAA development; however, the potential direct effect of vitamin D3 on AAA remains unknown. This study evaluates the effect of oral treatment with the vitamin D3 receptor (VDR) ligand, calcitriol, on dissecting AAA induced by angiotensin-II (Ang-II) infusion in apoE(-/-) mice.

Most stomatal closure in woody species under moderate drought can be explained by stomatal responses to leaf turgor.

Reduced stomatal conductance (gs ) during soil drought in angiosperms may result from effects of leaf turgor on stomata and/or factors that do not directly depend on leaf turgor, including root-derived abscisic acid (ABA) signals. To quantify the roles of leaf turgor-mediated and leaf turgor-independent mechanisms in gs decline during drought, we measured drought responses of gs and water relations in three woody species (almond, grapevine and olive) under a range of conditions designed to generate independent variation in leaf and root turgor, including diurnal variation in evaporative demand and changes in plant hydraulic conductance and leaf osmotic pressure. We then applied these data to a process-based gs model and used a novel method to partition observed declines in gs during drought into contributions from each parameter in the model.

Compartmentalized Immune Response in Leishmaniasis: Changing Patterns throughout the Disease.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is characterized by loss of T-cell responsiveness and absence of Leishmania-specific IFN-γ production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. However, the expressions of IFN-γ and TNF-α are up-regulated in the tissues and plasma of VL patients. There is a paucity of information regarding the cytokine profile expressed by different target tissues in the same individual and the changes it undergoes throughout the course of infection.

Calculation of Coincidence Summing Correction Factors for an HPGe detector using GEANT4.

The aim of this paper was to calculate the True Coincidence Summing Correction Factors (TSCFs) for an HPGe coaxial detector in order to correct the summing effect as a result of the presence of (88)Y and (60)Co in a multigamma source used to obtain a calibration efficiency curve. Results were obtained for three volumetric sources using the Monte Carlo toolkit, GEANT4. The first part of this paper deals with modeling the detector in order to obtain a simulated full energy peak efficiency curve.

Air radon concentration decrease in a waste water treatment plant.

(222)Rn is a naturally occurring gas created from the decay of (226)Ra. The long-term health risk of breathing radon is lung cancer. One particular place where indoor radon concentrations can exceed national guidelines is in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) where treatment processes may contribute to ambient airborne concentrations.

Plasticity of vulnerability to leaf hydraulic dysfunction during acclimation to drought in grapevines: an osmotic-mediated process.

Previous studies have reported correlation of leaf hydraulic vulnerability with pressure-volume parameters related to cell turgor. This link has been explained on the basis of the effects of turgor on connectivity among cells and tissue structural integrity, which affect leaf water transport. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that osmotic adjustment to water stress would shift the leaf vulnerability curve toward more negative water potential (Ψ leaf ) by increasing turgor at low Ψ leaf .

Stomatal and mesophyll conductances to CO₂ in different plant groups: underrated factors for predicting leaf photosynthesis responses to climate change?

The climate change conditions predicted for the end of the current century are expected to have an impact on the performance of plants under natural conditions. The variables which are foreseen to have a larger effect are increased CO2 concentration and temperature. Although it is generally considered CO2 assimilation rate could be increased by the increasing levels of CO2, it has been reported in previous studies that acclimation to high CO2 results in reductions of physiological parameters involved in photosynthesis, like the maximum carboxylation rate (Vc,max), stomatal conductance (gs) and mesophyll conductance to CO2 (gm).

Is stomatal conductance optimized over both time and space in plant crowns? A field test in grapevine (Vitis vinifera).

Crown carbon gain is maximized for a given total water loss if stomatal conductance (gs ) varies such that the marginal carbon product of water (∂A/∂E) remains invariant both over time and among leaves in a plant crown, provided the curvature of assimilation rate (A) versus transpiration rate (E) is negative. We tested this prediction across distinct crown positions in situ for the first time by parameterizing a biophysical model across 14 positions in four grapevine crowns (Vitis vinifera), computing optimal patterns of gs and E over a day and comparing these to the observed patterns. Observed water use was higher than optimal for leaves in the crown interior, but lower than optimal in most other positions.

Rapid hydraulic recovery in Eucalyptus pauciflora after drought: linkages between stem hydraulics and leaf gas exchange.

In woody plants, photosynthetic capacity is closely linked to rates at which the plant hydraulic system can supply water to the leaf surface. Drought-induced embolism can cause sharp declines in xylem hydraulic conductivity that coincide with stomatal closure and reduced photosynthesis. Recovery of photosynthetic capacity after drought is dependent on restored xylem function, although few data exist to elucidate this coordination.