Enhancement of microbial fuel cell performance by introducing a nano-composite cathode catalyst.

Iron aminoantipyrine (Fe-AAPyr), graphene nanosheets (GNSs) derived catalysts and their physical mixture Fe-AAPyr-GNS were synthesized and investigated as cathode catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with the activated carbon (AC) as a baseline. Fe-AAPyr catalyst was prepared by Sacrificial Support Method (SSM) with silica as a template and aminoantipyrine (AAPyr) as the organic precursor. 3D-GNS was prepared using modified Hummers method technique.

Interannual variations in needle and sapwood traits of branches under an experimental drought.

In the southwestern USA, recent large-scale die-offs of conifers raise the question of their resilience and mortality under droughts. To date, little is known about the interannual structural response to droughts. We hypothesized that piñon pines () respond to drought by reducing the drop of leaf water potential in branches from year to year through needle morphological adjustments.

"I'm still dad": The Impact of Scleroderma on being a Father.

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of fathers with scleroderma. Ten fathers with scleroderma were interviewed by telephone. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim.

The effect of preprocessing in dynamic functional network connectivity used to classify mild traumatic brain injury.

Introduction: Dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC), derived from magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), is an important technique in the search for biomarkers of brain diseases such as mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). At the individual level, mTBI can affect cognitive functions and change personality traits. Previous research aimed at detecting significant changes in the dFNC of mTBI subjects.

The effect of nitrogen availability and water conditions on competition between a facultative CAM plant and an invasive grass.

Plants with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) are increasing their abundance in drylands worldwide. The drivers and mechanisms underlying the increased dominance of CAM plants and CAM expression (i.e.

Phylogeography of a widespread small carnivore, the western spotted skunk () reveals temporally variable signatures of isolation across western North America.

We analyzed phylogeographic patterns in the western spotted skunk, Merriam, 1890 (Carnivora: Mephitidae) in relation to historical events associated with Pre-Pleistocene Divergence (PPD) and Quaternary climate change (QCC) using mitochondrial DNA from 97 individuals distributed across Western North America. Divergence times were generated using BEAST to estimate when isolation in putative refugia occurred. Patterns and timing of demographic expansion was performed using Bayesian skyline plot.

The evolution of different maternal investment strategies in two closely related desert vertebrates.

We compared egg size phenotypes and tested several predictions from the optimal egg size (OES) and bet-hedging theories in two North American desert-dwelling sister tortoise taxa, and , that inhabit different climate spaces: relatively unpredictable and more predictable climate spaces, respectively. Observed patterns in both species differed from the predictions of OES in several ways. Mean egg size increased with maternal body size in both species.

Aggressive lymphoma presenting as dysphagia: A rare cause of dysphagia.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) can involve the esophagus from local spread, distant metastasis and very rarely can also be the primary site. Once DLBCL is diagnosed, caution should be exercised in further evaluation for local treatments of sites like adnexal masses as was seen in this case; sometimes it is DLBCL at atypical sites.

Molecular phylogeny of the aquatic beetle family Noteridae (Coleoptera: Adephaga) with an emphasis on data partitioning strategies.

The first molecular phylogenetic hypothesis for the aquatic beetle family Noteridae is inferred using DNA sequence data from five gene fragments (mitochondrial and nuclear): COI, H3, 16S, 18S, and 28S. Our analysis is the most comprehensive phylogenetic reconstruction of Noteridae to date, and includes 53 species representing all subfamilies, tribes and 16 of the 17 genera within the family. We examine the impact of data partitioning on phylogenetic inference by comparing two different algorithm-based partitioning strategies: one using predefined subsets of the dataset, and another recently introduced method, which uses the k-means algorithm to iteratively divide the dataset into clusters of sites evolving at similar rates across sampled loci.

Turmoil at Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica): Degassing and eruptive processes inferred from high-frequency gas monitoring.

Eruptive activity at Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica) has escalated significantly since 2014, causing airport and school closures in the capital city of San José. Whether or not new magma is involved in the current unrest seems probable but remains a matter of debate as ash deposits are dominated by hydrothermal material. Here we use high-frequency gas monitoring to track the behavior of the volcano between 2014 and 2015 and to decipher magmatic versus hydrothermal contributions to the eruptions.

Building an EEG-fMRI Multi-Modal Brain Graph: A Concurrent EEG-fMRI Study.

The topological architecture of brain connectivity has been well-characterized by graph theory based analysis. However, previous studies have primarily built brain graphs based on a single modality of brain imaging data. Here we develop a framework to construct multi-modal brain graphs using concurrent EEG-fMRI data which are simultaneously collected during eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) resting states.

Pathway Markers for Pro-resolving Lipid Mediators in Maternal and Umbilical Cord Blood: A Secondary Analysis of the Mothers, Omega-3, and Mental Health Study.

The omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are precursors to immune regulatory and specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPM) of inflammation termed resolvins, maresins, and protectins. Evidence for lipid mediator formation in vivo can be gained through evaluation of their 5-lipoxygenase (LOX) and 15-LOX metabolic pathway precursors and downstream metabolites. We performed a secondary blood sample analysis from 60 participants in the Mothers, Omega-3, and Mental Health study to determine whether SPM and SPM precursors are augmented by dietary EPA- and DHA-rich fish oil supplementation compared to soy oil placebo.

Development of 11-Plex MOL-PCR Assay for the Rapid Screening of Samples for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli.

Strains of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are a serious threat to the health, with approximately half of the STEC related food-borne illnesses attributable to contaminated beef. We developed an assay that was able to screen samples for several important STEC associated serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O104, O111, O121, O145, O157) and three major virulence factors (eae, stx 1 , stx 2) in a rapid and multiplexed format using the Multiplex oligonucleotide ligation-PCR (MOL-PCR) assay chemistry. This assay detected unique STEC DNA signatures and is meant to be used on samples from various sources related to beef production, providing a multiplex and high-throughput complement to the multiplex PCR assays currently in use.

Brain potentials predict substance abuse treatment completion in a prison sample.

Introduction: National estimates suggest that up to 80% of prison inmates meet diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder. Because more substance abuse treatment while incarcerated is associated with better post-release outcomes, including a reduced risk of accidental overdose death, the stakes are high in developing novel predictors of substance abuse treatment completion in inmate populations.

Methods: Using electroencephalography (EEG), this study investigated stimulus-locked ERP components elicited by distractor stimuli in three tasks (VO-Distinct, VO-Repeated, Go/NoGo) as a predictor of treatment discontinuation in a sample of male and female prison inmates.

Microbial Community Responses to Increased Water and Organic Matter in the Arid Soils of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.

The soils of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica are an extreme polar desert, inhabited exclusively by microscopic taxa. This region is on the threshold of anticipated climate change, with glacial melt, permafrost thaw, and the melting of massive buried ice increasing liquid water availability and mobilizing soil nutrients. Experimental water and organic matter (OM) amendments were applied to investigate how these climate change effects may impact the soil communities.

Prevalence of left atrial abnormalities in atrial fibrillation versus normal sinus patients.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) may be the cause or sequela of left atrial abnormalities and variants.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of left atrial (LA) abnormalities in AF patients compared to normal sinus rhythm (NSR) patients.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 281 cardiac CT examinations from 2010 to 2012, excluding patients with prior pulmonary vein ablation, known coronary artery disease, prior coronary stent placement, or coronary artery bypass grafts.

Cryptic diversity in Black rats of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.

Human activity has facilitated the introduction of a number of alien mammal species to the Galápagos Archipelago. Understanding the phylogeographic history and population genetics of invasive species on the Archipelago is an important step in predicting future spread and designing effective management strategies. In this study, we describe the invasion pathway of across the Galápagos using microsatellite data, coupled with historical knowledge.

Amygdala Regulation Following fMRI-Neurofeedback without Instructed Strategies.

Within the field of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback, most studies provide subjects with instructions or suggest strategies to regulate a particular brain area, while other neuro-/biofeedback approaches often do not. This study is the first to investigate the hypothesis that subjects are able to utilize fMRI neurofeedback to learn to differentially modulate the fMRI signal from the bilateral amygdala congruent with the prescribed regulation direction without an instructed or suggested strategy and apply what they learned even when feedback is no longer available. Thirty-two subjects were included in the analysis.

A New Measure of Imagination Ability: Anatomical Brain Imaging Correlates.

Imagination involves episodic memory retrieval, visualization, mental simulation, spatial navigation, and future thinking, making it a complex cognitive construct. Prior studies of imagination have attempted to study various elements of imagination (e.g.

Beyond Dizziness: Virtual Navigation, Spatial Anxiety and Hippocampal Volume in Bilateral Vestibulopathy.

Bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP) is defined as the impairment or loss of function of either the labyrinths or the eighth nerves. Patients with total BVP due to bilateral vestibular nerve section exhibit difficulties in spatial memory and navigation and show a loss of hippocampal volume. In clinical practice, most patients do not have a complete loss of function but rather an asymmetrical residual functioning of the vestibular system.