From Molecules to Behavior in Long-Term Inorganic Mercury Intoxication: Unraveling Proteomic Features in Cerebellar Neurodegeneration of Rats

Mercury is a severe environmental pollutant with neurotoxic effects, especially when exposed for long periods. Although there are several evidences regarding mercury toxicity, little is known about inorganic mercury (IHg) species and cerebellum, one of the main targets of mercury associated with the neurological symptomatology of mercurial poisoning. Besides that, the global proteomic profile assessment is a valuable tool to screen possible biomarkers and elucidate molecular targets of mercury neurotoxicity; however, the literature is still scarce. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of long-term exposure to IHg in adult rats’ cerebellum and explore the modulation of the cerebellar proteome associated with biochemical and functional outcomes, providing evidence, in a translational perspective, of new mercury toxicity targets and possible biomarkers. Fifty-four adult rats were exposed to 0.375 mg/kg of HgCl₂ or distilled water for 45 days using intragastric gavage. Then, the motor functions were evaluated by rotarod and inclined plane. The cerebellum was collected to quantify mercury levels, to assess the antioxidant activity against peroxyl radicals (ACAPs), the lipid peroxidation (LPO), the proteomic profile, the cell death nature by cytotoxicity and apoptosis, and the Purkinje cells density. The IHg exposure increased mercury levels in the cerebellum, reducing ACAP and increasing LPO. The proteomic approach revealed a total 419 proteins with different statuses of regulation, associated with different biological processes, such as synaptic signaling, energy metabolism and nervous system development, e.g., all these molecular changes are associated with increased cytotoxicity and apoptosis, with a neurodegenerative pattern on Purkinje cells layer and poor motor coordination and balance. In conclusion, all these findings feature a neurodegenerative process triggered by IHg in the cerebellum that culminated into motor functions deficits, which are associated with several molecular features and may be related to the clinical outcomes of people exposed to the toxicant.     

Preface to the Special Issue on “Heterogeneous Photocatalysts: From Fundamentals to Innovative Applications”

Topics in Catalysis -     

Displacement and curvature estimation for the design of reinforced concrete slender walls

Previous earthquakes, such as the 2010 Maule earthquake in Chile, have demonstrated the need to establish suitable predictors of compressive or tensile strains in concrete or steel in reinforced concrete shear walls, which can provide limit states or confinement requirements. Slender walls are commonly controlled by flexural deformations that can be divided into elastic and inelastic components. This study provides calibrated expressions for the elastic and inelastic components of flexural deformations using a fiber model for slender walls. These expressions are obtained for rectangular and T‐shaped walls. The elastic component is dependent on the axial load and the boundary steel reinforcement ratio. The impact of wall coupling is investigated, which requires a correction for the elastic component. The investigation of the inelastic component is based on a plastic hinge model, in which the length of the plastic hinge is a function of the lateral inelastic drift of the wall among other parameters. The traditional linear inelastic curvature distribution over the wall height is also modified for cases with steel reinforcement with a long yield plateau or low strain hardening, which results in a larger curvature at the wall base. The distribution is validated with experimental data from the literature. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal stability of polymers based on acrylamide and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid in different temperature and salinity conditions

Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (PHPA) is the most widely used polymer in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications. However, under conditions of high temperature and salinity, the PHPA molecules become hydrolyzed, causing a drastic reduction of the viscosity of the polymer solution due to the presence of negative charges, making the molecules more susceptible to interactions with cations. In this sense, in order to increase the stability of these polymers, an anionic monomer more resistant to cations such as 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) has been incorporated into the HPAM molecules. This work evaluated the thermal stability of a copolymer (acrylamide and AMPS - AN125) and a terpolymer (acrylamide, acrylate, and AMPS-FP5115) in the time course of 360 days. The tests were carried out in typical conditions of Brazilian offshore reservoirs, such as absence of oxygen, high temperature, and high salt concentration. The test method involved measurements of intrinsic viscosity in function of time and determination of the hydrolysis degree of the polymers by elemental analysis. The copolymer AN125 was more stable under the test conditions than the terpolymer FP 5115 due to the presence of a higher concentration of AMPS in the copolymer. The AMPS group was hydrolyzed to AA at a temperature of 100 °C, however, the increase in salt concentration delayed the onset of this degradation. The tests indicated that the presence of a higher AMPS content in the copolymer does not prevent the polymer from undergoing hydrolysis, but delays the polymer precipitation step in the solution.     

How much nitrogen is fixed by biological symbiosis in tropical dry forests? 1. Trees and shrubs

Despite the recognized importance of the process, estimates of the amount of nitrogen fixed by biological symbiosis in tropical dry forests are almost nonexistent. We estimated the nitrogen fixed annually by the leaves of trees and shrubs at sites regenerating for 16 and 38?years and in an old-growth dry forest using ¹⁵N abundance methodology. The total leaf biomass (1,824?C3,036?kg?ha^?1) and nitrogen contents (62?C90?kg?ha^?1) did not differ among the areas. In all of the areas, most of the leaf biomass belonged to legume plants, but the proportion of the N₂-fixing legumes decreased with increasing regeneration time. In the 16-year regenerating area, almost all of the N was in the leaves of the N-fixing Mimosa tenuiflora plants, but fixation was absent or very low as it was in the N-fixing species present in the 38-year regenerating area. In the old-growth Caatinga, all of the N-fixing species (M. tenuiflora, Piptadenia stipulacea and Anadenanthera colubrina) had large proportions (47?C62?%) of their N derived from atmospheric N₂, but the amount of fixed N (6?kg?ha^?1) was a small proportion of the total leaf N because these plant species were a small part of the vegetation. The total input of biologically fixed N to the old-growth forest was similar in magnitude to an estimate made for a humid tropical forest in Amazonia.     

A genetic approach to joint routing and link scheduling for wireless mesh networks

Wireless mesh networks are an attractive technology for providing broadband connectivity to mobile clients who are just on the edge of wired networks, and also for building self-organized networks in places where wired infrastructures are not available or not deemed to be worth deploying. This paper investigates the joint link scheduling and routing issues involved in the delivery of a given backlog from any node of a wireless mesh network towards a specific node (which acts as a gateway), within a given deadline. Scheduling and routing are assumed to be aware of the physical interference among nodes, which is modeled in the paper by means of a signal-to-interference ratio. Firstly, we present a theoretical model which allows us to formulate the task of deriving joint routing and scheduling as an integer linear programming problem. Secondly, since the problem cannot be dealt with using exact methods, we propose and use a technique based on genetic algorithms. To the best of our knowledge, these algorithms have never been used before for working out these kinds of optimization problems in a wireless mesh environment. We show that our technique is suitable for this purpose as it provides a good trade-off between fast computation and the overall goodness of the solution found. Our experience has in fact shown that genetic algorithms would seem to be quite promising for solving more complex models than the one dealt with in this paper, such as those including multiple flows and multi-radio multi-channels.     

Comparative Analysis of Ozone and Ultrasound Effect on the Elimination of Giardia spp. Cysts from Wastewater

Giardia spp. is a flagellate protozoan that presents two evolution forms, cysts and trophozoites. Cysts are resistant to chlorine, the most employed disinfectant agent in the treatment of water. For this reason, new techniques for the disinfection of waters that contain this parasite are necessary. This work evaluated the efficiency of the disinfection by ozone and ultrasound individually and simultaneously upon wastewater. The data obtained showed that after application, ozone, ultrasound, and combined techniques induced a significant elimination of Giardia spp. cysts. Furthermore, this effect was more accentuated when the two techniques were applied simultaneously.     

Towards an international tradable green certificate system—The challenging example of Belgium

In Europe, a common framework for renewable energy sources (RES) is aspired. Tradable green certificates (TGCs) are a market-based cost-efficient means to stimulate electricity production from RES. Since TGCs are the most widespread support scheme in Europe together with feed-in tariffs, chances are that a common European framework could well be based on TGCs. However, while integrating currently existing different national TGC systems, any remaining differences should be carefully considered. Just how difficult the creation of an international TGC market would be is illustrated in this paper by the case of Belgium, where no less than 4 different TGC systems exist nowadays. The example of Belgium illustrates that harmonizing different TGC systems is easier said than done and represents a serious challenge. This clearly illustrates that a single European support scheme for RES, however desirable, is still far in the future.