Insights on the environmental management system of the European port sector.

This research focusses on assessing the environmental performance of European Ports based on a wide representation of EcoPorts members. The data is extracted from the Self-Diagnosis Method (SDM), a concise checklist against which port managers can self-assess the environmental management of their port in relation to the performance of the EcoPorts membership. A total number of 97 ports from 18 different European Maritime States contributed to this evaluation.

Cholinergic modulation of disorder-relevant human defensive behaviour in generalised anxiety disorder.

Drugs that are clinically effective against anxiety disorders modulate the innate defensive behaviour of rodents, suggesting these illnesses reflect altered functioning in brain systems that process threat. This hypothesis is supported in humans by the discovery that the intensity of threat-avoidance behaviour is altered by the benzodiazepine anxiolytic lorazepam. However, these studies used healthy human participants, raising questions as to their validity in anxiety disorder patients, as well as their generalisability beyond GABAergic benzodiazepine drugs.

Performance trends of environmental management in European ports.

This paper presents the current status and trends over time in the environmental situation of European ports, based on the results of a wide representation of EcoPorts members (90 ports). All the information presented in this research comes from the Self-Diagnosis Method (SDM), a concise checklist managed by European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), against which ports can self-assess their environmental management. The results provide data on a total number of 54 indicators, being the existence of an inventory of environmental legislation the indicator with the highest implementation (96,7%), followed by the existence of an environmental policy (95,7%).

Review of Initiatives and Methodologies to Reduce CO Emissions and Climate Change Effects in Ports.

Ports are important infrastructures for economic growth and development. Among the most significant environmental aspects of ports that contribute to the issue of climate change are those due to carbon dioxide emissions generated by port activities. Given the importance of this topic, this paper gathers initiatives and methodologies that have been undertaken to calculate and reduce CO emissions and climate change effects in ports.

Cholinergic Modulation of Disorder-Relevant Neural Circuits in Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder is associated with hyperactivity in the amygdala-prefrontal networks, and normalization of this aberrant function is thought to be critical for successful treatment. Preclinical evidence implicates cholinergic neurotransmission in the function of these systems and suggests that cholinergic modulation may have anxiolytic effects. However, the effects of cholinergic modulators on the function of anxiety-related networks in humans have not been investigated.

The EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP): clinical characterisation.

Background: The EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP) is to date the largest multi-centre, multi-disciplinary observational study on biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current paper describes the clinical characteristics of the LEAP cohort and examines age, sex and IQ differences in ASD core symptoms and common co-occurring psychiatric symptoms. A companion paper describes the overall design and experimental protocol and outlines the strategy to identify stratification biomarkers.

The EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP): design and methodologies to identify and validate stratification biomarkers for autism spectrum disorders.

Background: The tremendous clinical and aetiological diversity among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been a major obstacle to the development of new treatments, as many may only be effective in particular subgroups. Precision medicine approaches aim to overcome this challenge by combining pathophysiologically based treatments with stratification biomarkers that predict which treatment may be most beneficial for particular individuals. However, so far, we have no single validated stratification biomarker for ASD.

Benchmark dynamics in the environmental performance of ports.

This paper analyses the 2016 environmental benchmark performance of the port sector, based on a wide representation of EcoPorts members. This is the fifth time that this study has been conducted as an initiative of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO). The data and results are derived from the Self-Diagnosis Method (SDM), a concise checklist against which port managers can self-assess the environmental management of their port in relation to the performance of the EcoPorts membership.

Visual imagery in autobiographical memory: The role of repeated retrieval in shifting perspective.

Recent memories are generally recalled from a first-person perspective whereas older memories are often recalled from a third-person perspective. We investigated how repeated retrieval affects the availability of visual information, and whether it could explain the observed shift in perspective with time. In Experiment 1, participants performed mini-events and nominated memories of recent autobiographical events in response to cue words.

Visual perspective in remembering and episodic future thought.

According to the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis, remembering and episodic future thinking are supported by a common set of constructive processes. In the present study, we directly addressed this assertion in the context of third-person perspectives that arise during remembering and episodic future thought. Specifically, we examined the frequency with which participants remembered past events or imagined future events from third-person perspectives.

Cerebral analgesic response to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen.

Nonopioid agents, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), are the most commonly used class of analgesics. Increasing evidence suggests that cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition at both peripheral and central sites can contribute to the antihyperalgesic effects of NSAIDs, with the predominant clinical effect being mediated centrally. In this study, we examined the cerebral response to ibuprofen in presurgical and postsurgical states and looked at the analgesic interaction between surgical state and treatment.

Identification and selection of Environmental Performance Indicators for sustainable port development.

In this paper an identification and selection of Environmental Performance Indicators (EPIs) in port areas has been conducted. A comprehensive inventory of existing EPIs in use in the seaport sector has been identified for monitoring performance of operational (e.g.

The value of physical examination in conjunction with a survey for identifying youth pitchers with arm pain.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a screening survey in identifying injuries in youth baseball pitchers. It is hypothesized that a standalone survey is unlikely to give a complete picture and that an additional physical examination is necessary to identify all injuries.

Methods: Seventy-seven youth baseball players who pitched in the last 12 months completed the survey.

A procedure for identifying significant environmental aspects in sea ports.

A new methodology has been designed to identify and rank the significant environmental aspects in sea ports. The main objective of the Strategic Overview of Significant Environmental Aspects (SOSEA) is to help port managers to identify significant environmental aspects and to reinforce the awareness about them in order to prioritise work in environmental management. Developed in close collaboration with port environmental managers and tested in a set of ports, it is a user-friendly tool that can be applied in approximately half a working day.

The Self Diagnosis Method. A new methodology to assess environmental management in sea ports.

A methodology has been designed to assess the performance of the environmental management in sea ports. The Self Diagnosis Method, developed by two research teams and about sixty sea ports, allows the comparison of the current environmental situation with that corresponding to previous years and the assessment of the opportunities for improvement. The main objective is to review the management activities and procedures that affect the environment and the way the port authority handles significant environmental aspects.

The influence of diet upon liver function tests and serum lipids in healthy male volunteers resident in a Phase I unit.

Aim: To investigate the effect of diet upon liver function tests and serum lipids within the restricted environment of a Phase I unit.

Methods: An open randomized three-way crossover study was designed with subjects consuming three types of diet. The diets comprised, a balanced normal calorie diet, a high-carbohydrate high-calorie diet and a high-fat high-calorie diet.

Carboxyl residues in the active site of human phenol sulfotransferase (SULT1A1).

The carboxyl-specific amino acid modification reagent, Woodward's reagent K (WK), was utilized to characterize carboxyl residues (Asp and Glu) in the active site of human phenol sulfotransferase (SULT1A1). SULT1A1 was purified using the pMAL-c2 expression system in E. coli.

Topical and systemic absorption of sodium pyrithione following topical application to the nails of the rhesus monkey.

A study was performed to investigate the local penetration into the nail, the systemic absorption into the rest of the body, and the routes of excretion of sodium pyrithione following topical application to the nail. Approximately 20 microliters of a film-forming 3% sodium 14C-pyrithione solution was applied once daily to 5 fingernails and 5 toenails of 4 rhesus monkeys for 6 or 7 days. Following dose removal on study day 7, 2 animals were sacrificed, and the treated nails were analyzed for radioactivity.

Interspecies comparison of the pharmacokinetics of aldose reductase inhibitors.

The pharmacokinetics of three aldose reductase inhibitors (ARIs) were evaluated in various species, including rat, dog, cynomolgus monkey, rhesus monkey, chimpanzee, and man. The three ARIs (AL01567, AL01576, and AL01750) were administered intravenously as a single dose to all species except rat, which was dosed orally with AL01750, and man, who was dosed orally with AL01567 and AL01576. Plasma drug concentrations were measured by HPLC or liquid scintillation spectrometry and various pharmacokinetic parameters (clearance, CL; Vd, volume of distribution; and t1/2) were calculated from the data.

Pharmacokinetics of the aldose reductase inhibitor imirestat following topical ocular administration.

The pharmacokinetics of imirestat following topical ocular administration were evaluated in a series of studies in rabbits and dogs. Following single topical doses to both albino and pigmented rabbits, imirestat was subject to rapid uptake into the cornea followed by an initial rapid decline and then very slow elimination, with a t1/2 of approximately 130 hr. Drug was rapidly absorbed into aqueous humor, with concentrations declining to nondetectable levels by 12 hr.

Disposition of the aldose reductase inhibitor AL01576 in rats.

The disposition of the aldose reductase inhibitor AL01576 was studied in rats following intravenous and oral dosing. Single 4-mg/kg intravenous bolus and oral doses of [14C] AL01576 were administered and levels of radioactivity in blood, excreta, and various tissues were determined over a 168-h period. The decline of radioactivity in blood was quite similar for the two routes of administration, with an apparent half-life of approximately 30 h.

Naloxone enhances myocardial responses to isoproterenol in dog isolated heart-lung.

Intracoronary injection of naloxone produces rapid local increases in myocardial performance. The role of beta-adrenergic activation in this response was investigated. Naloxone was injected into the left anterior descending artery (LAD) of anesthetized dogs with the adjacent circumflex territory serving as control.

The interaction of endogenous opiates with autonomic circulatory control in the dog.

The intravenous injection of either methionine or leucine enkephalin sharply reduces blood pressure, peak left ventricular pressure, and peak LV dP/dt in anesthetized dogs. The magnitude of the hypotensive response increases in proportion to the severity of the preceding surgical stress. The peptides are relatively ineffective after only simple surgical procedures but become highly effective when the autonomic balance is shifted toward sympathetic dependence after more complicated procedures or following bilateral carotid occlusion.

The role of the renal lymphatics in fluoride handling.

The role of the renal lymphatics in the handling of fluoride ion by the canine kidney was studied during IV sodium fluoride infusion. It was found that renal lymph and renal venous plasma have similar fluoride concentrations and that there was less fluoride in lymph than in arterial plasma. Fluoride did not alter renal lymphatic flow rate over a wide range of plasma fluoride concentrations.