Contextual Influence on Pattern Separation During Encoding.

Pattern separation is considered a crucial process that allows us to distinguish among the highly similar and overlapping experiences that constitute our episodic memory. Not only do different episodes share common features, but it is often the case that they share the context in which they occurred. While there have been a great number of studies investigating pattern separation and its behavioral counterpart, a process known as mnemonic discrimination, surprisingly, research exploring the influence of context on pattern separation or mnemonic discrimination has been less common.

Pattern separation during encoding and Subsequent Memory Effect.

Memory retrieval has been extensively studied in relation to the encoding processes that precede access to stored information. Event related potentials (ERP) research has compared brain potentials elicited during the study phase of successful and unsuccessful retrieval, finding greater activation for the subsequent retrieval information. In this work we were interested in exploring the neural markers associated to subsequent recognition when similar memories are subsequently encoded.

How bioaugmentation for pesticide removal influences the microbial community in biologically active sand filters.

Removing pesticides from biological drinking water filters is challenging due to the difficulty in activating pesticide-degrading bacteria within the filters. Bioaugmented bacteria can alter the filter's microbiome, affecting its performance either positively or negatively, depending on the bacteria used and their interaction with native microbes. We demonstrate that adding specific bacteria strains can effectively remove recalcitrant pesticides, like metaldehyde, yielding compliance to regulatory standards for an extended period.

Constructed wetlands as nature-based solutions in managing per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Evidence, mechanisms, and modelling.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as newly regulated micropollutants, characterised by extreme recalcitrance and environmental toxicity. Constructed wetlands (CWs), as a nature-based solution, have gained widespread application in sustainable water and wastewater treatment and offer multiple environmental and societal benefits. Despite CWs potential, knowledge gaps persist in their PFAS removal capacities, associated mechanisms, and modelling of PFAS fate.

Perception of near-threshold visual stimuli is influenced by prestimulus alpha-band amplitude but not by alpha phase.

Ongoing brain activity preceding visual stimulation has been suggested to shape conscious perception. According to the pulsed inhibition framework, bouts of functional inhibition arise in each alpha cycle (every ~100 ms), allowing information to be processed in a pulsatile manner. Consequently, it has been hypothesized that perceptual outcome can be influenced by the specific phase of alpha oscillations prior to the stimulus onset, although empirical findings are controversial.

Influence of solids and hydraulic retention times on microbial diversity and removal of estrogens and nonylphenols in a pilot-scale activated sludge plant.

The removal of EDCs in activated sludge processes can be enhanced by increasing solid and hydraulic retention times (SRT and HRT); it has been suggested that the improvement in removal is due to changes in microbial community structure (MCS). Though the influence of SRT and HRT on chemical removal and MCS has been studied in isolation, their synergistic impact on MCS and the removal of estrogens and nonylphenols in activated sludge remains unknown. Hence, we investigated how both parameters influence MCS in activated sludge processes and their ulterior effect on EDC removal.

Challenges and opportunities for low-carbon remediation in the Niger Delta: Towards sustainable environmental management.

There is increasing demand for low-carbon remediation strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable development in the management of environmental contamination. This trend is within the broader context of sustainable remediation strategies that balance environmental, economic, and social aspects. This article critically reviewed existing literature to evaluate and compare various low-carbon remediation methods, such as bioremediation, phytoremediation, in situ chemical oxidation, soil vapour extraction, and electrokinetic remediation, to identify suitable techniques for the remediation of oil-contaminated sites in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

The role of coagulation on the fate of PFAS, brominated flame retardants and other trace contaminants in tertiary wastewater treatment for phosphorus control.

Coagulant dosing to achieve low phosphorus concentrations in wastewater effluents may favour the removal of trace organics such as pharmaceuticals, plasticisers and flame retardants. Nevertheless, the behaviour of trace organics in coagulation processes is currently poorly understood because of the complex interactions between these compounds, the coagulants and dissolved organic matter (DOM). This study assessed the coagulation removal from synthetic secondary effluent of twenty-four compounds including ten PFAS and four brominated flame retardants.

Morphometric and microstructural characteristics of hippocampal subfields in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and their correlates with mnemonic discrimination.

Introduction: Pattern separation (PS) is a fundamental aspect of memory creation that defines the ability to transform similar memory representations into distinct ones, so they do not overlap when storing and retrieving them. Experimental evidence in animal models and the study of other human pathologies have demonstrated the role of the hippocampus in PS, in particular of the dentate gyrus (DG) and CA3. Patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HE) commonly report mnemonic deficits that have been associated with failures in PS.

Selection within working memory impairs perceptual detection.

There is broad consensus supporting the reciprocal influence of working memory (WM) and attention. Top-down mechanisms operate to cope with either environmental or internal demands. In that sense, it is possible to select an item within the contents of WM to endow it with prioritized access.

A novel CuBiO/polyaniline composite as an efficient photocatalyst for ammonia degradation.

A novel polyaniline (PANI) coupled CuBiO photocatalyst was successfully synthesized via in situ polymerization of aniline with pre-synthesized CuBiO composites. The structure and morphology of the synthesized CuBiO/PANI composite photocatalyst were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the photocatalytic performance were evaluated through degradation process of ammonia in water under visible light irradiation. The resultant CuBiO/PANI composite showed exceptional stability as its structure and morphology persisted even after being immersed in water for 2 days.

Forgetting Details in Visual Long-Term Memory: Decay or Interference?

Two main explanations for memory loss have been proposed. On the one hand, decay theories consider that over time memory fades away. On the other hand, interference theories sustain that when similar memories are encoded, they become more prone to confusion.

Expectance of low contrast retro-cues does not modulate anticipatory alpha power.

It has been proposed that alpha oscillations reflect the endogenous modulation of visual cortex excitability. In particular, alpha power increases during the maintenance period in Working Memory (WM) tasks have been interpreted as a mechanism to avoid potential interference of incoming stimuli. In this study we tested whether alpha power was modulated during the maintenance of WM to enhance the processing of relevant incoming perceptual stimuli.

The natural frequencies of the resting human brain: An MEG-based atlas.

Brain oscillations are considered to play a pivotal role in neural communication. However, detailed information regarding the typical oscillatory patterns of individual brain regions is surprisingly scarce. In this study we applied a multivariate data-driven approach to create an atlas of the natural frequencies of the resting human brain on a voxel-by-voxel basis.

Visible light-conducting polymer nanocomposites as efficient photocatalysts for the treatment of organic pollutants in wastewater.

This review compiles recent advances and challenges on photocatalytic treatment of wastewater using nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and polymer nanocomposites as photocatalyst. The review provides an overview of the fundamental principles of photocatalytic treatment along the recent advances on photocatalytic treatment, especially on the modification strategies and operational conditions to enhance treatment efficiency and removal of recalcitrant organic contaminants. The different types of photocatalysts along the key factors influencing their performance are also critically discussed and recommendations for future research are provided.

Effects of Dispersants and Biosurfactants on Crude-Oil Biodegradation and Bacterial Community Succession.

This study evaluated the effects of three commercial dispersants (Finasol OSR 52, Slickgone NS, Superdispersant 25) and three biosurfactants (rhamnolipid, trehalolipid, sophorolipid) in crude-oil seawater microcosms. We analysed the crucial early bacterial response (1 and 3 days). In contrast, most analyses miss this key period and instead focus on later time points after oil and dispersant addition.

Activation and conversion of alkanes in the confined space of zeolite-type materials.

Microporous zeolite-type materials, with crystalline porous structures formed by well-defined channels and cages of molecular dimensions, have been widely employed as heterogeneous catalysts since the early 1960s, due to their wide variety of framework topologies, compositional flexibility and hydrothermal stability. The possible selection of the microporous structure and of the elements located in framework and extraframework positions enables the design of highly selective catalysts with well-defined active sites of acidic, basic or redox character, opening the path to their application in a wide range of catalytic processes. This versatility and high catalytic efficiency is the key factor enabling their use in the activation and conversion of different alkanes, ranging from methane to long chain n-paraffins.

Contributions of left and right anterior temporal lobes to semantic cognition: Evidence from patients with small temporopolar lesions.

Decades of research have increased the understanding of the contribution of the anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) to semantic cognition. Nonetheless, whether semantic processing of different types of information show a selective relationship with left and right ATLs, or whether semantic processing in the ATLs is independent of the modality of the input is currently unknown. There exists evidence supporting each of these alternatives.

Epilepsy Associated with Temporal Pole Encephaloceles : An Unrecognized Manifestation of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension?

Purpose: We hypothesized that epilepsy associated with temporal pole encephaloceles (ETPE) could be the consequence and an unrecognized manifestation of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). To test this hypothesis in patients with ETPEs we evaluated: 1) the frequency of two radiological signs of IIH and 2) whether these patients develop over time clinical manifestations suggestive of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP).

Methods: Case-control study comparing two cardinal radiological signs of IIH pituitary gland height (PGH) and the diameter of the two optic nerve sheaths (ONS) between 29 patients with ETPEs (TPE group) and 29 patients with focal epilepsy of other etiologies (control group), adjusted by age, sex, body mass index (BMI), age at epilepsy onset and epilepsy duration.

Bacterial Community Legacy Effects Following the Agia Zoni II Oil-Spill, Greece.

In September 2017 the Agia Zoni II sank in the Saronic Gulf, Greece, releasing approximately 500 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, contaminating the Salamina and Athens coastlines. Effects of the spill, and remediation efforts, on sediment microbial communities were quantified over the following 7 months. Five days post-spill, the concentration of measured hydrocarbons within surface sediments of contaminated beaches was 1,093-3,773 μg g dry sediment (91% alkanes and 9% polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), but measured hydrocarbons decreased rapidly after extensive clean-up operations.

Recovery of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their oxygenated derivatives in contaminated soils using aminopropyl silica solid phase extraction.

The formation, fate, and toxicology of oxy-, hydroxy-, and carboxy- substituted PAH (OPAH, OHPAH, COOHPAH, respectively) alongside PAH in contaminated soils have received increasing attention over the past two decades; however, there are still to date no standardized methods available for their identification and quantitation in soil. Here we investigated and developed the first method using aminopropylsilica solid phase extraction (SPE) for these compounds. We further investigated the efficacy of the developed method for three soils representing a range of contamination levels and soil textural characteristics and evaluated the impact of different sample preparation steps on the recovery of targeted compounds.

Mnemonic discrimination in patients with unilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy relates to similarity and number of events stored in memory.

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is a neurological disorder associated with histopathological changes in different subfields of the hippocampus. These alterations have been associated with memory difficulties. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that these difficulties stem on mnemonic discrimination impairment due to a reduced ability to make similar representations more distinct, leading to an increased susceptibility to interference.

A method for the characterisation of microplastics in sludge.

Microplastics (MP) have become a concern owing to their increasing detection in the environment and potential impact on ecosystems. One of the main MP reservoirs is sludge generated during wastewater treatment. Estimates suggest that, through sludge settling, treatment processes remove between 80 and 90 % of MP present in wastewater.