Observing the earth from space: Does a virtual reality overview effect experience increase pro-environmental behaviour?

Astronauts (and recently businessmen) often express a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment, after observing the overwhelming beauty of Earth from space. Despite recent attention for this "overview effect", it is unclear whether experiencing the effect directly impacts pro-environmental behaviour. Using a virtual reality experience, the current research tests in two experimental studies the direct impact of an immersive overview effect experience on both short-term and longer term subsequent pro-environmental behaviours (donating to an environmental NGO, consuming less diary and meat).

A Comprehensive Review of the Covalent Immobilization of Biomolecules onto Electrospun Nanofibers.

Biomolecule immobilization has attracted the attention of various fields such as fine chemistry and biomedicine for their use in several applications such as wastewater, immunosensors, biofuels, et cetera. The performance of immobilized biomolecules depends on the substrate and the immobilization method utilized. Electrospun nanofibers act as an excellent substrate for immobilization due to their large surface area to volume ratio and interconnectivity.

Changes of NOx in urban air detected with monitoring VIS-NIR field spectrometer during the coronavirus pandemic: A case study in Germany.

The global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has led to a significant reduction of traffic and traffic-related urban air pollution. One important pollutant in this context is NO2. Sudden change in NO2 emissions related to reduction of urban traffic due to infection protection measures can be detected in Düsseldorf, Germany with continuous measurements of down-welling light with a RoX automated field-spectrometer.

Anti- Functionalized Silver-Doped Carbon Nanofibers for Capture of in Microfluidic Systems.

Silver-doped carbon nanofibers (SDCNF) are used as the base material for the selective capture of in microfluidic systems. Fibers were spun in a glovebox with dry atmosphere maintained by forced dry air pumped through the closed environment. This affected the evaporation rate of the solvent during the electrospinning process and the distribution of silver particles within the fiber.

Spatiotemporal Control of CRISPR/Cas9 Function in Cells and Zebrafish using Light-Activated Guide RNA.

We developed a new method for the conditional regulation of CRISPR/Cas9 activity in mammalian cells and zebrafish embryos using photochemically activated, caged guide RNAs (gRNAs). Caged gRNAs are generated by substituting four nucleobases evenly distributed throughout the 5'-protospacer region with caged nucleobases during synthesis. Caging confers complete suppression of gRNA:dsDNA-target hybridization and rapid restoration of CRISPR/Cas9 function upon optical activation.

Successful simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation for renal failure associated with hereditary complement C3 deficiency.

Hereditary complement C3 deficiency is associated with recurrent bacterial infections and proliferative glomerulonephritis. We describe a case of an adult with complete deficiency of complement C3 due to homozygous mutations in C3 gene: c.1811delT (Val604Glyfs*2), recurrent bacterial infections, crescentic glomerulonephritis, and end-stage renal failure.

Risk of relapse of multiple myeloma following kidney transplantation.

Background: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and novel therapies have improved the prognosis for patients with multiple myeloma (MM). For those who undergo ASCT while on dialysis, a similar survival compared with the overall MM population has been reported. Therefore, for patients achieving remission following ASCT, kidney transplantation is an attractive option, offering an improved quality of life and significant economic advantage.

Symmetric dimethylarginine is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than asymmetric dimethylarginine among older people with kidney disease.

Background: Circulating asymmetric dimethylarginine and symmetric dimethylarginine are increased in patients with kidney disease. Symmetric dimethylarginine is considered a good marker of glomerular filtration rate, while asymmetric dimethylarginine is a marker of cardiovascular risk. However, a link between symmetric dimethylarginine and all-cause mortality has been reported.

Distinct functions of diaphanous-related formins regulate HIV-1 uncoating and transport.

Diaphanous (Dia)-related formins (DRFs) coordinate cytoskeletal remodeling by controlling actin nucleation and microtubule (MT) stabilization to facilitate processes such as cell polarization and migration; yet the full extent of their activities remains unknown. Here, we uncover two discrete roles and functions of DRFs during early human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. Independent of their actin regulatory activities, Dia1 and Dia2 facilitated HIV-1-induced MT stabilization and the intracellular motility of virus particles.

Base pairing and structural insights into the 5-formylcytosine in RNA duplex.

5-Formylcytidine (f(5)C), a previously discovered natural nucleotide in the mitochondrial tRNA of many species including human, has been recently detected as the oxidative product of 5-methylcytidine (m(5)C) through 5-hydroxymethylcytidine (hm(5)C) in total RNA of mammalian cells. The discovery indicated that these cytosine derivatives in RNA might also play important epigenetic roles similar as in DNA, which has been intensively investigated in the past few years. In this paper, we studied the base pairing specificity of f(5)C in different RNA duplex contexts.

Clinical Features and HLA Association of 5-Aminosalicylate (5-ASA)-induced Nephrotoxicity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background And Aims: Nephrotoxicity is a rare idiosyncratic reaction to 5-aminosalicylate (5-ASA) therapies. The aims of this study were to describe the clinical features of this complication and identify clinically useful genetic markers so that these drugs can be avoided or so that monitoring can be intensified in high-risk patients.

Methods: Inflammatory bowel disease patients were recruited from 89 sites around the world.

Total Cyanide Field Spikes for Industrial Wastewater Samples Verify Successful Sample Integrity, Preservation, Pre-Treatment and Testing.

Obtaining accurate and precise results for total cyanide concentrations in wastewater samples is fraught with positive and negative interferences. Even the United States Environmental Protection Agency has acknowledged that it may be difficult or impossible to adequately mitigate all interferences. We demonstrated that a field spike of complex cyanide can be successfully used to demonstrate when sampling, preservation, pre-treatment, and analysis techniques are working adequately to retain any cyanide present in the sample without causing false positives or false negatives.

Serum Cystatin C Does Not Predict Mortality or Treatment Failure in Peritoneal Dialysis: A Prospective Study.

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Background: Small solute clearance, especially that derived from residual renal function (RRF), is an independent risk factor for death in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Assessment of solute clearance is time-consuming and prone to multiple errors. Cystatin C is a small protein which has been used as a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) marker.

Agonist-induced platelet procoagulant activity requires shear and a Rac1-dependent signaling mechanism.

Activated platelets facilitate blood coagulation by exposing phosphatidylserine (PS) and releasing microvesicles (MVs). However, the potent physiological agonists thrombin and collagen poorly induce PS exposure when a single agonist is used. To obtain a greater procoagulant response, thrombin is commonly used in combination with glycoprotein VI agonists.

Urinary ATP and visualization of intracellular bacteria: a superior diagnostic marker for recurrent UTI in renal transplant recipients?

Renal transplant recipients (RTR) are highly susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTIs) with over 50% of patients having at least one UTI within the first year. Yet it is generally acknowledged that there is considerable insensitivity and inaccuracy in routine urinalysis when screening for UTIs. Thus a large number of transplant patients with genuine urine infections may go undiagnosed and develop chronic recalcitrant infections, which can be associated with graft loss and morbidity.

Accuracy of the MDRD (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease) study and CKD-EPI (CKD Epidemiology Collaboration) equations for estimation of GFR in the elderly.

Background: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a measure of kidney function, commonly estimated using equations that adjust serum creatinine concentration for age, race, and sex. The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study equation is widely used, but underestimates GFR at higher levels. The serum creatinine-based Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI(cr)) equation generally provides more accurate estimation at GFR >60 mL/min/1.

Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase concentrations are less variable than those of parathyroid hormone in stable hemodialysis patients.

Abnormalities of bone mineral metabolism and vascular calcification are prevalent in patients with kidney failure. Clinical management is based on biochemical targets, in particular parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations, but this has many limitations including high biological variation. A possible alternative is bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP); therefore, we evaluated the biological variation of this marker in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

The human mitochondrial tRNAMet: structure/function relationship of a unique modification in the decoding of unconventional codons.

Human mitochondrial mRNAs utilize the universal AUG and the unconventional isoleucine AUA codons for methionine. In contrast to translation in the cytoplasm, human mitochondria use one tRNA, hmtRNA(Met)(CAU), to read AUG and AUA codons at both the peptidyl- (P-), and aminoacyl- (A-) sites of the ribosome. The hmtRNA(Met)(CAU) has a unique post-transcriptional modification, 5-formylcytidine, at the wobble position 34 (f(5)C(34)), and a cytidine substituting for the invariant uridine at position 33 of the canonical U-turn in tRNAs.

Do differences in dialysis prescription impact on KDOQI bone mineral targets? The Pan Thames Renal Audit.

Background And Objectives: Patients achieving the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) bone mineral clinical practice guidelines have been reported to have improved survival. Many factors affecting calcium and phosphate control are not modifiable; however, we wished to determine whether differences in dialysis treatment could affect achievement of KDOQI clinical guideline targets.

Methods: We audited pre-mid-week session calcium and phosphate levels in 5,324 adult patients receiving thrice weekly dialysis in the 14 Pan Thames centres: 60% male, mean age 62 ± 16 years, median dialysis vintage 29 months (14-58), 84% treated by haemodialysis, 16% by online haemodiafiltration, median session time 4.

Variability of parathyroid hormone and other markers of bone mineral metabolism in patients receiving hemodialysis.

Background And Objectives: Clinical management of mineral bone disorder in patients with kidney failure is guided by biochemical targets, in particular parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentration. The biologic variation of PTH and other bone mineral markers was measured in hemodialysis patients to better define their role in management.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: Intact PTH, biointact (whole-molecule) PTH, calcium, albumin-adjusted calcium, phosphate, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured in nonfasting samples obtained twice a week (both short-dialysis interval) over a 6-week period in 22 stable hemodialysis patients.

The effect of dialysis modality on phosphate control : haemodialysis compared to haemodiafiltration. The Pan Thames Renal Audit.

Background And Objectives: Hyperphosphataemia is a primary risk factor for patients with end-stage kidney failure. Phosphate clearance by traditional thrice-weekly standard haemodialysis is inadequate for patients achieving recommended dietary protein goals. We investigated whether phosphate control was improved by adding convective clearance with haemodiafiltration.

Synthesis and investigation of the 5-formylcytidine modified, anticodon stem and loop of the human mitochondrial tRNAMet.

Human mitochondrial methionine transfer RNA (hmtRNA(Met)(CAU)) has a unique post-transcriptional modification, 5-formylcytidine, at the wobble position-34 (f(5)C(34)). The role of this modification in (hmtRNA(Met)(CAU)) for the decoding of AUA, as well as AUG, in both the peptidyl- and aminoacyl-sites of the ribosome in either chain initiation or chain elongation is still unknown. We report the first synthesis and analyses of the tRNA's anticodon stem and loop domain containing the 5-formylcytidine modification.