Comprehensive model for predicting toxic equivalents (TEQ) reduction due to dechlorination of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F congeners).

Remediation-focused predictive tools for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) rely on transformation models to evaluate the reduction in total contaminant load and toxic equivalency (TEQ). In this study, a comprehensive model predicting the profiles of PCDD/F congeners and the associated TEQs was developed. The model employs first-order kinetics to describe the transformation of 256 reactions for 75 PCDD congeners and 421 reactions for 135 PCDF congeners.

Reaction of decabromodiphenyl ether with organo-modified clay-templated zero-valent iron in water-tetrahydrofuran solution: Nano- to micrometric scale effects.

Smectite clay-templated nanoscale zero-valent iron (CZVI) was modified with tetramethylammonium (TMA), trimethylphenylammonium (TMPA) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) to achieve organoclay-templated ZVI (OCZVI). The reactivity of various OCZVIs was evaluated on the basis of degradation of decabromodiphenyl ether (DBDE) in tetrahydrofuran (THF)-water binary solution. Characterization of OCZVI interlayer at nanometric scale indicated that the clay particles had the domains with three basal spacings in the THF/water solution.

Bacterial community assembly and antibiotic resistance genes in soils exposed to antibiotics at environmentally relevant concentrations.

Understanding how bacterial community assembly and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) respond to antibiotic exposure is essential to deciphering the ecological risk of anthropogenic antibiotic pollution in soils. In this study, three loam soils with different land management (unmanured golf course, dairy-manured pasture, and swine-manured cornfield) were spiked with a mixture of 11 antibiotics at the initial concentration of 100 and 1000 μg kg for each antibiotic and incubated over 132 days, mimicking a scenario of pulse disturbance and recovery in soils, with unspiked soil samples as the control treatment. The Infer Community Assembly Mechanisms by Phylogenetic-bin-based null model (iCAMP) analysis demonstrated that drift and dispersal limitation contributed to 57%-65% and 16%-25%, and homogeneous selection 12%-16% of soil bacterial community assembly.

Alcohol-induced changes in mesostriatal resting-state functional connectivity are linked to sensation seeking in young adults.

Background: Studies in animals and humans suggest that greater levels of sensation seeking and alcohol use are related to individual differences in drug-induced dopamine release. However, it remains unclear whether drug-induced alterations in the functional synchrony between mesostriatal regions are related to sensation seeking and alcohol use.

Methods: In this within-subject masked-design study, 21-year-old participants (n = 34) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure ventral tegmental area (VTA) resting-state functional connectivity to the striatum after receiving alcohol (target blood alcohol concentration 0.

Differences in rates of impairment in adults who use methamphetamine using two sets of demographically corrected norms.

Neuropsychologists can expect to meet with increasing rates of patients who use methamphetamine (MA), as MA use is on the rise, often comorbid with other substance use disorders, and frequently accompanied by changes in cognitive functioning. To detect impairment, neuropsychologists must apply the appropriate normative data according to important demographic factors such as age, sex, and education. This study involved 241 adults with and without MA dependence who were administered the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery.

Tetracycline accumulation in biofilms enhances the selection pressure on Escherichia coli for expression of antibiotic resistance.

Microorganisms are present as either biofilm or planktonic species in natural and engineered environments. Little is known about the selection pressure emanating from exposure to sub-minimal inhibitory concentration of antibiotics on planktonic vs. biofilm bacteria.

Characterization of Plant Accumulation of Pharmaceuticals from Soils with Their Concentration in Soil Pore Water.

Predicting plant uptake of pharmaceuticals from soils is very challenging because many pharmaceuticals are ionizable compounds, which experience highly variable sorption/desorption and transformation processes in soils. This study aimed to elucidate how the equilibrium between sorbed and dissolved phases influences radish uptake of 15 pharmaceuticals from three soils with different properties. After 30 days of uptake, the accumulation of acetaminophen, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, carbadox, trimethoprim, and triclosan in radish ranked as Riddles > Capac > Spinks soil.

Cognition during active methamphetamine use versus remission.

Objective: To evaluate whether cognitive performance in adults with active methamphetamine use (MA-ACT) differs from cognitive performance in adults in remission from MA use disorder (MA-REM) and adults without a history of substance use disorder (CTLs).

Method: MA-ACT (n = 36), MA-REM (n = 48), and CTLs (n = 62) completed the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB).

Results: The MA-ACT group did not perform significantly worse than CTLs on any NAB Index.

Convex restrictions in physical design.

In a physical design problem, the designer chooses values of some physical parameters, within limits, to optimize the resulting field. We focus on the specific case in which each physical design parameter is the ratio of two field variables. This form occurs for photonic design with real scalar fields, diffusion-type systems, and others.

CATMoS: Collaborative Acute Toxicity Modeling Suite.

Background: Humans are exposed to tens of thousands of chemical substances that need to be assessed for their potential toxicity. Acute systemic toxicity testing serves as the basis for regulatory hazard classification, labeling, and risk management. However, it is cost- and time-prohibitive to evaluate all new and existing chemicals using traditional rodent acute toxicity tests.

Heuristic methods and performance bounds for photonic design.

In the photonic design problem, a scientist or engineer chooses the physical parameters of a device to best match some desired device behavior. Many instances of the photonic design problem can be naturally stated as a mathematical optimization problem that is computationally difficult to solve globally. Because of this, several heuristic methods have been developed to approximately solve such problems.

Pareto Optimal Projection Search (POPS): Automated Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning by Direct Search of the Pareto Surface.

Objective: Radiation therapy treatment planning is a time-consuming, iterative process with potentially high inter-planner variability. Fully automated treatment planning processes could reduce a planner's active treatment planning time and remove inter-planner variability, with the potential to tremendously improve patient turnover and quality of care. In developing fully automated algorithms for treatment planning, we have two main objectives: to produce plans that are 1) Pareto optimal and 2) clinically acceptable.

Synthesis and evaluation of FeO-impregnated activated carbon for dioxin removal.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -furans (PCDD/PCDFs) are highly toxic organic pollutants in soils and sediments which persist over timescales that extend from decades to centuries. There is a growing need to develop effective technologies for remediating PCDD/Fs-contaminated soils and sediments to protect human and ecosystem health. The use of sorbent amendments to sequester PCDD/Fs has emerged as one promising technology.

Uptake of cephalexin by lettuce, celery, and radish from water.

The introduction of pharmaceuticals into agricultural lands from the application of biosolids and animal manure, and irrigation with treated wastewater has led to concern for animal and human health after the ingestion of pharmaceutical-tainted agricultural products. In this study, the uptake and accumulation of cephalexin, a commonly prescribed antibiotic, was compared in three common vegetables (lettuce, celery, and radish) grown in nutrient solution for 144 h. During the uptake experiments, cephalexin concentration in the nutrient solution decreased in the order of radish > celery > lettuce, while the accumulation of cephalexin in vegetable roots followed the rank of lettuce > celery > radish.

Natural organic matter does not diminish the mammalian bioavailability of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a toxic and persistent organic pollutant found in soils and sediments. It has been linked to several adverse health outcomes in humans and wildlife, including suppression of the immune system. TCDD is strongly sorbed to soils/sediments due to its extremely low water solubility.

A coupled UV photolysis-biodegradation process for the treatment of decabrominated diphenyl ethers in an aerobic novel bioslurry reactor.

The commercial flame retardant is an emerging contaminant (EC) commonly found in soils and sediments. A coupled UV-photolysis-biodegradation process was used to decompose decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in clay slurries. A novel bioslurry bioreactor (NBB) was employed in which BDE-209 degradation was maximized by the simultaneous application of LED UVA irradiation and biodegradation by a mixed bacterial culture.

Impact of biochar amendment on the uptake, fate and bioavailability of pharmaceuticals in soil-radish systems.

Crops grown in soils receiving wastewaters, biosolids, or manures can accumulate pharmaceuticals in edible parts, raising concerns over potential human exposure to multiple pharmaceuticals. Nonetheless, viable mitigation options for minimizing plant uptake of pharmaceuticals are limited. This study evaluated how biochar amendment could influence the uptake of 15 pharmaceuticals by radish (Raphanus sativus) grown in a sandy loam at two amendment rates (0.

Towards a post-conflict tourism recovery framework.

While there is an increasingly extant literature on tourism crises and disasters, a lacunae exists regarding robust conceptual and theoretical frameworks for reviving tourism in a post-conflict context. Holistic frameworks that build tourism resilience in post-conflict destinations is still considered an emerging area in crisis management research. This paper aims to address this gap.

Characterization of a Sequential UV Photolysis-Biodegradation Process for Treatment of Decabrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Sorbent/Water Systems.

Decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209) is a primary component of the brominated flame retardants used in a variety of industrial and domestic applications. BDE-209 bioaccumulates in aquatic organisms and has been identified as an emerging contaminant that threatens human and ecosystem health. Sequential photolysis-microbial biodegradation processes were utilized here to treat BDE-209 in clay- or soil-water slurries.

SWIFTCORE: a tool for the context-specific reconstruction of genome-scale metabolic networks.

Background: High-throughput omics technologies have enabled the comprehensive reconstructions of genome-scale metabolic networks for many organisms. However, only a subset of reactions is active in each cell which differs from tissue to tissue or from patient to patient. Reconstructing a subnetwork of the generic metabolic network from a provided set of context-specific active reactions is a demanding computational task.

Bioavailability of clay-adsorbed dioxin to Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 and its associated genome-wide shifts in gene expression.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans are a group of chemically-related pollutants categorically known as dioxins. Some of their chlorinated congeners are among the most hazardous pollutants that persist in the environment. This persistence is due in part to the limited number of bacteria capable of metabolizing these compounds, but also to their limited bioavailability in soil.

Sex Differences in the Effect of Nucleus Accumbens Volume on Adolescent Drinking: The Mediating Role of Sensation Seeking in the NCANDA Sample.

Objective: In adolescence, sensation seeking is associated with earlier onset of alcohol use, which is a risk factor for a variety of negative consequences later in life. Individual differences in sensation seeking are related to brain function in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a brain region that undergoes considerable structural development during adolescence. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine whether NAcc volume in alcohol-naive adolescents was associated with future sensation seeking and alcohol use and whether these associations differed by sex.