Microwave-/UV-assisted Enhancement of the Wettability of Photoactive TiO Substrates Coated on an Inactive Ti/i-TiO Base.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) has been proven to be an excellent system for wettability patterning purposes because of its super hydrophilic ability and its oxidative/reductive degradation of substances when exposed to UV radiation. TiO substrates upon which was deposited a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane (ODS) shifts the surface to become super hydrophobic, which when subjected to UV irradiation causes the ODS compound to be degraded with the substrate turning back to be super hydrophilic. Such events allow wettability patterns to be easily created.

Design, Synthesis, DNA/HSA Binding, and Cytotoxic Activity of Half-Sandwich Ru(II)-Arene Complexes Containing Triarylamine-Thiosemicarbazone Hybrids.

Organoruthenium complexes are potent alternatives for platinum-based complexes because of their superior anticancer activity. In this investigation, a series of new Ru(II)-arene complexes with triarylamine-thiosemicarbazone hybrid ligands with higher anticancer activity than cisplatin are reported. The molecular structure of the ligands and complexes was confirmed spectroscopically and supported by single-crystal X-ray crystallography.

Inactivation of beta1 integrin induces proteasomal degradation of Myc oncoproteins.

The family oncogenes (, , and ) contribute to the genesis of many human cancers. Among them, amplification of the gene and over-expression of N-Myc protein are the most reliable risk factors in neuroblastoma patients. On the other hand, we previously found that a peptide derived from fibronectin, termed FNIII14, is capable of inducing functional inactivation in β1-integrins.

[Academic Detailing from the Viewpoint of Chemical Structural Formulas].

In order to implement academic detailing, it is extremely important to understand the pharmacological activity of drugs based on their chemical structures. To construct a database for academic detailing, a viewpoint for clinically utilizing the fundamental pharmacological features of a drug is required. These fundamental pharmacological features include chemical characteristics such as chemical structures, physical characteristics such as pharmaceutical formulations for efficient drug delivery to target organs, and a pharmacological viewpoint, which is a mechanism by which a drug is determined to be effective.

National NO exposure models for measuring its impact on vulnerable people in the US metropolitan areas.

Epidemiological research requires accurate prediction of the concentrations of air pollutants. In this study, satellite-based estimates (OMI NO), distance-weighted models (DWMs), and universal kriging (UK) are applied to land use regression (LUR) to predict annually and monthly averaged NO concentrations in the continental United States. In addition, to assess environmental risk, the relationship between NO concentrations and people potentially exposed to NO within urban areas is explored in 377 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs).

Carboplatin Enhances the Activity of Human Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 through the Cyclic AMP-Protein Kinase A-A-Kinase Anchoring Protein (AKAP) Pathways.

Carboplatin, an anticancer drug, often causes chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (PN). Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), a non-selective cation channel, is a polymodal nociceptor expressed in sensory neurons. TRPA1 is not only involved in pain transmission, but also in allodynia or hyperalgesia development.

Characterization of the human E2F4 promoter region and its response to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate.

The E2F transcription factors (TFs), which control the progression of the cell cycle in response to DNA-damage and various stresses, are known to interact with a tumour suppressor, Retinoblastoma 1 (RB1). We previously showed that the response of the human RB1 promoter to a 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in HL-60 cells is mediated by a duplicated GGAA motif, which is also present in the 5'-upstream of the E2F family genes. The motifs are especially rich in the 5'-upstream of the E2F4 gene.

Nature's contributions to people in mountains: A review.

Mountains play a key role in the provision of nature's contributions to people (NCP) worldwide that support societies' quality of life. Simultaneously, mountains are threatened by multiple drivers of change. Due to the complex interlinkages between biodiversity, quality of life and drivers of change, research on NCP in mountains requires interdisciplinary approaches.

Impacts of urban form on air quality: Emissions on the road and concentrations in the US metropolitan areas.

In the United States (US), one of the effects of urban sprawl is more vehicular travel. The increase in emissions from road traffic renders air quality management unsuccessful, in spite of the efforts of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), operating under the Clean Air Act, which does not regulate land use. As an alternative to urban sprawl, the US-EPA has initiated smart growth strategies based on compact development.

Development and psychometric evaluation of a safety climate scale for vineyards.

Background: This study aimed to develop a questionnaire-based tool measuring the safety climate in vineyards and to assess its psychometric properties.

Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify the dimensions and items that constitute the safety culture construct in various occupational sectors and to draft a conceptual framework. Content validity appraisal was performed by 16 farm managers or pesticide operators.

Comparative Study of Physicochemical and Antibacterial Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles Prepared by Laser Ablation of Zn Target in Water and Air.

Here, we report on ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) generated by nanosecond pulsed laser (Nd:YAG, 1064 nm) through ablation of metallic Zn target in water and air and their comparative analysis as potential nanomaterials for biomedical applications. The prepared nanomaterials were carefully characterized in terms of their structure, composition, morphology and defects. It was found that in addition to the main wurtzite ZnO phase, which is conventionally prepared and reported by others, the sample laser generated in air also contained some amount of monoclinic zinc hydroxynitrate.

How maintenance and restoration measures mediate the response of riparian plant functional composition to environmental gradients on channel margins: Insights from a highly degraded large river.

Riparian habitats are transitional zones where strong environmental gradients shape community. To prevent flood risks and channel migration on managed rivers, civil engineering techniques have been widely used. Recently, ecological restoration of rivers has become a major issue.

Impact of aging and caloric restriction on fibroblast growth factor 21 signaling in rat white adipose tissue.

Caloric restriction (CR) suppresses age-related pathophysiology and extends lifespan. We recently reported that metabolic remodeling of white adipose tissue (WAT) plays an important role in the beneficial actions of CR; however, the detailed molecular mechanisms of this remodeling remain to be established. In the present study, we aimed to identify CR-induced alterations in the expression of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a regulator of lipid and glucose metabolism, and of its downstream signaling mediators in liver and WAT, across the lifespan of rats.

Systems Thinking in Practice: Participatory Modeling as a Foundation for Integrated Approaches to Health.

One Health (OH), EcoHealth (EH), and Planetary Health (PH) share an interest in transdisciplinary efforts that bring together scientists, citizens, government and private sectors to implement contextualized actions that promote adaptive health management across human, animal and ecosystem interfaces. A key operational element underlying these Integrated Approaches to Health (IAH) is use of Systems Thinking as a set of tools for integration. In this paper we discuss the origins and epistemology of systems thinking and argue that participatory modeling, informed by both systems theory and expertise in facilitating engagement and social learning, can help ground IAH theoretically and support its development.

Microplastic pollution in rice-fish co-culture system: A report of three farmland stations in Shanghai, China.

Microplastics are emerging contaminants of increasing concern. Despite the occurrence of microplastics in farmland soils, the knowledge on microplastics in rice-fish co-culture ecosystems is limited. In this study, we investigated the distribution of microplastics in three rice-fish culture stations in Shanghai.

Differential Metabolic Responses to Adipose Atrophy Associated with Cancer Cachexia and Caloric Restriction in Rats and the Effect of Rikkunshito in Cancer Cachexia.

Despite the similar phenotypes, including weight loss, reduction of food intake, and lower adiposity, associated with caloric restriction (CR) and cancer cachexia (CC), CC is a progressive wasting syndrome, while mild CR improves whole body metabolism. In the present study, we compared adipose metabolic changes in a novel rat model of CC, mild CR (70% of the food intake of control rats, which is similar to the food consumption of CC rats), and severe CR (30% of the food intake of controls). We show that CC and severe CR are associated with much smaller adipocytes with significantly lower mitochondrial DNA content; but, that mild CR is not.

Identification of WWP1 as an obesity-associated E3 ubiquitin ligase with a protective role against oxidative stress in adipocytes.

White adipose tissue (WAT) is not only the main tissue for energy storage but also an endocrine organ that secretes adipokines. Obesity is the most common metabolic disorder and is related to alterations in WAT characteristics, such as chronic inflammation and increasing oxidative stress. WW domain containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (WWP1) is a HECT-type ubiquitin E3 ligase that has been implicated in various pathologies.

Methodology to Evaluate Dripper Sensitivity to Clogging due to Solid Particles: An Assessment.

Emitter clogging is a major problem in microirrigation systems, which may result from the isolated or combined effects of physical, chemical, and biological agents. Clogging caused by suspended solid particles is the most common plugging form of emitters. Water quality and emitter geometry are key aspects in clogging processes.

SREBP-1c-Dependent Metabolic Remodeling of White Adipose Tissue by Caloric Restriction.

Caloric restriction (CR) delays the onset of many age-related pathophysiological changes and extends lifespan. White adipose tissue (WAT) is not only a major tissue for energy storage, but also an endocrine tissue that secretes various adipokines. Recent reports have demonstrated that alterations in the characteristics of WAT can impact whole-body metabolism and lifespan.

Laser-Prepared CuZn Alloy Catalyst for Selective Electrochemical Reduction of CO to Ethylene.

Laser ablation in liquid was used to prepare homogeneous copper-zinc alloy catalysts that exhibited excellent selectivity for CH in CO electroreduction, with faradaic efficiency values as high as 33.3% at a potential of -1.1 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode).

Practical advice for selecting or determining trophic magnification factors for application under the European Union Water Framework Directive.

European Union Directive 2013/39/EU, which amended and updated the Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60/EC) and its daughter directive (2008/105/EC), sets Environmental Quality Standards for biota (EQS ) for a number of bioaccumulative chemicals. These chemicals pose a threat to both aquatic wildlife and human health via the consumption of contaminated prey or the intake of contaminated food originating from the aquatic environment. EU member states will need to establish programs to monitor the concentration of 11 priority substances in biota and assess compliance against these new standards for the classification of surface water bodies.

Improvement of Wettability of Photocatalytic TiO-Coated Wafers by Microwave/UV Pre-treatment.

The wettability efficiency of TiO-coated Ti substrate wafers was improved using a microwave/UV pre-treatment method. With the assistance of microwave heating, TiO substrates coating with P25 completely achieved super hydrophilic state within 5 min, which is twice as fast compared with only UV irradiation condition. Moreover, when the microwave power was increased, improvement in the wettability activity was observed.

Web monitoring of emerging animal infectious diseases integrated in the French Animal Health Epidemic Intelligence System.

Since 2013, the French Animal Health Epidemic Intelligence System (in French: Veille Sanitaire Internationale, VSI) has been monitoring signals of the emergence of new and exotic animal infectious diseases worldwide. Once detected, the VSI team verifies the signals and issues early warning reports to French animal health authorities when potential threats to France are detected. To improve detection of signals from online news sources, we designed the Platform for Automated extraction of Disease Information from the web (PADI-web).

Laser-Ablated ZnO Nanoparticles and Their Photocatalytic Activity toward Organic Pollutants.

This work aimed to prepare nanostructures of ZnO with various lasers, testing them as photocatalysts, and comparing their morphology and activity in the degradation of organic pollutants in aqueous media. ZnO nanospheres (ns-ZnO) and ZnO nanorods (ms-ZnO) were prepared via the laser ablation of a Zn metal plate in water using nanosecond- and millisecond-pulsed lasers, respectively. The obtained materials were characterized using a set of optical, structural, and surface-science techniques, such as UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Physiological Strain in French Vineyard Workers Wearing Protective Equipment to Conduct Re-Entry Tasks in Humid Conditions.

The proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) plays an important role in reducing exposure to pesticides in vineyard farming activities, including re-entry tasks. However, discomfort from clothing systems may increase the physiological burden on workers. We compared the physiological burdens of vineyard workers wearing three different types of PPE during canopy management in field humid conditions while accounting for occupational, climatic, and geographical environments.