Clinically mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a mild encephalopathy caused by various pathological processes, but encephalopathy due to bacteria is rare.Staphylococcus aureus was detected in her blood cultures. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an ovoid lesion in the central portion of the splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC). Although hypotension was not observed, we diagnosed probable toxic shock syndrome (TSS) based on fever (temperature: >38.9 °C), altered mental status, erythema, desquamation, thrombocytopenia, liver dysfunction, and creatine phosphokinase elevation. We administered antimicrobial therapy and her neurological symptoms improved gradually. The lesion in the SCC completely disappeared on MRI 7 days after disease onset.We report the case of a 45-year-old Japanese woman who on receiving chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer developed an altered mental status and dysarthria soon after fever from infection of a subcutaneous implantable port. S. aureus bacteremia with TSS. This is the first report of such a case, and we suggest that when a TSS patient presents with neurological symptoms, the possibility of MERS should be considered.We diagnosed this case as MERS caused by  Mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a mild encephalopathy caused by various pathological processes such as viral or bacterial infections, drugs, metabolic and electrolyte abnormalities, and trauma . It is cEscherichia coli [Legionella pneumophila [Mycoplasma pneumoniae [Staphylococcus aureus, especially, is a very rare cause of MERS, and only one such case has been reported so far [Several viruses  have beeumoniae , 3. Stapd so far . MoreoveS. aureus bacteremia with TSS and report our findings in this study.We encountered a case of MERS caused by A 45-year-old Japanese woman had undergone chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer  for 2 years. She had a subcutaneous implantable port attached to her left subclavian vein and was receiving vinorelbine 11 days before admission. A second dose of vinorelbine was administered 4 days before admission. She developed fever following pain and swelling at the site of the implantable port 2 days before admission. She was suspected to have catheter-related bloodstream infection and thus admitted to our hospital. The implantable port was removed and piperacillin/tazobactam was administered at 4.5 g every 8 h. On hospital day 2, altered mental status and dysarthria were observed.3; hemoglobin, 9.9 g/dl; platelet, 6.2 × 104/mm3; blood urea nitrogen, 15 mg/dl; creatinine, 0.69 mg/dl; aspartate aminotransferase, 48 U/l; alanine aminotransferase, 26 U/l; lactate dehydrogenase, 353 U/l; creatine phosphokinase, 1859 U/l; serum sodium, 130 mEq/l; serum potassium, 3.3 mEq/l; and C-reactive protein, 13.5 mg/dl (Table S. aureus (MSSA) was detected in blood cultures. Nafcillin and oxacillin, the first treatment of choice for MSSA-related diseases of the central nervous system, are not available in Japan. Therefore, cefepime was administered at 2 g every 8 h.At the onset of neurological symptoms, her vital signs were as follows: blood pressure, 109/63 mmHg; pulse, 96 bpm; respiratory rate, 26 bpm; and temperature, 39.5 °C. The Glasgow Coma Scale score for consciousness was 13 . No obvious paralysis was noted, although evaluation of neurological symptoms was difficult because of disorders of consciousness. Conjunctival hyperemia was noted. Except for the subclavian lesion at the site of the implantable port, no abnormalities of the skin, lung, heart, and abdomen were noted. The subclavian lesion was red and swollen. Laboratory test results were as follows: white blood cell count 400/mmThe patient's altered mental status and dysarthria improved gradually. On hospital day 9, 7 days after disease onset, the ovoid lesion had completely disappeared on MRI Fig. .Fig. 2HeConjunctival congestion and erythema developed on hospital days 2 and 3, respectively. Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and creatine phosphokinase levels were high at 137, 88, and 11,240 U/l on hospital days 8, 4, and 8, respectively. Soon erythema developed, and desquamation occurred 2 weeks after disease onset. In addition, isolated MSSA strains produced toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1). Although hypotension was not seen, probable TSS was diagnosed from fever , erythema, desquamation, creatine phosphokinase elevation, liver dysfunction, thrombocytopenia, and altered mental status .On hospital day 12, we switched from cefepime to vancomycin plus ceftriaxone because of drug eruption. On hospital day 15, we switched from vancomycin plus ceftriaxone to cefazolin at 2 g every 8 h, because due to the following reasons we concluded it was not necessary to consider cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) penetration by the antimicrobial agent: (i) CSF examination results were unremarkable and culture negative, (ii) abnormal findings on head MRI were due to MERS, and (iii) multiple organ injuries were due to TSS.Figure S. aureus bacteremia with probable TSS. MERS is caused by various viruses, such as influenza, mumps, adenovirus, varicella, and zoster virus, but rarely by bacteria [S. aureus has been reported [We describe a rare case of MERS caused by bacteria , 9. Thusreported . To the MRI is useful for diagnosing MERS , 13 as MS. aureus exotoxin [Our patient had a catheter-related bloodstream infection caused by MSSA. Probable TSS was diagnosed as the case met all the diagnostic criteria except hypotension and gastrointestinal symptoms  Table 22. TSS isexotoxin . Staphylexotoxin . Activatexotoxin . AlthougAlthough MERS coexisting with TSS is extremely rare, staphylococcal exotoxins may cause MERS. Since our patient did not have hypotension, we could perform head MRI. Typically, TSS presents with hypotension and poor general conditions, hindering MRI. Thus, one cannot ignore MERS coexisting with TSS.S. aureus bacteremia with TSS, and suggest that when a patient with TSS presents neurological symptoms, MERS should be considered.To conclude, we report the world's first case of MERS caused by All the data supporting our findings is contained within the manuscript.Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Executive Editor of this journal.Not applicable.


The ∑18PAHs concentrations ranged from 2.18 μg•g-1 to 14.20 μg•g-1 with the mean value of 6.78 μg•g-1. The highest Σ18PAHs concentration was found in dust samples from orefields, followed by city, town and village. Moreover, the mean concentration of Σ18PAHs in indoor dust was at least 10% higher than that of outdoors. The 4–6 rings PAHs, contributing more than 70% of ∑18PAHs, were the dominant species. PAHs ratios, principal component analysis with multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) were applied to evaluate the possible sources. Two major origins of PAHs in indoor dust were identified as vehicle emissions and coal combustion. The mean incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) due to human exposure to indoor dust PAHs in city, town, village and orefield of Guizhou province, China was 6.14×10 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are chiefly byproducts of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass and pyrosynthesis of organic materials , 2. PAHsPeople spend more than 80% of their time indoors, and the research on indoor environment has gained more attentions. In recent decades, environmental contaminants including asbestos, heavy metals, pesticides, phthalates, and polychlorinated biphenyls have been investigated in indoor dust , 8. PAHs2. In recently years, the local government has continuously devoted to the economic construction by greatly developing industry, but the following environment challenges would be conceivably more distinct [In China, increasing anthropogenic emissions from rapid industrialization and urbanization have contributed to the serious PAHs pollution in some densely populated cities , 11. Guidistinct –14. The distinct . The expdistinct . HoweverGuizhou is one of the least developed provinces in China, and the imbalance of urban and rural economic development is obvious. In order to explore the variances of PAHs sources from different areas characterized by different pollution situations, 88 indoor dust samples were randomly collected from 2 representative cities, 2 towns, 3 villages and one orefield in Guizhou province during autumn, 2012 . To analIndoor dust samples were all collected from the place above the floor level where dust accumulates easily, such as the surfaces of shelves, upholstery and door frames. To obtain an adequate dust sample for analysis, collection of multiple samples was necessary. For example, dust from several different rooms including bedroom, living room, hall and dining room where children are likely to stay in a residence may have been collected and composited into one sample. Outdoor dusts were collected from the surface of house balcony, outside windowsill. etc., and all of which were over 50 cm off the ground.All dust samples were collected with a polyethylene brush. To prevent cross-contamination, brushes were cleaned between samples by ultrasonic rinsing in water for 5 min, rinsed with deionized water three times, and then air dried. The dust samples were brought to the laboratory and placed in a desiccator for 48 h, sieved through 80 μm screen, and finally oven dried at 45°C.−1. N-hexane and acetonitrile were obtained from Chongqing Xinyu Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd. (China), both with an analytical grade.A composite standard solution of 18 PAHs including acenaphthene(ANA), acenaphthylene (ANY), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF), benzo(k)fluoranthene (BkF), benzoperylene (BPE), chrysene (CHR), fluoranthene (FLT), fluorene (FLU), naphthalene (NAP), phenanthrene (PHE), anthracene (ANT), benzo(a)- anthracene (BEA), benzo(j)fluoranthene (BjF), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), benzo(e)pyrene (BeP), bibenzoanthracene (BaA), indenopyrene (IPY) and pyrene (PYR) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (USA), each at a concentration of 1000 μg·mL−1 for 10 min). The supernatant was separated and rotary evaporation concentrated to 1 mL, then added to chromatography column equipped with 1 g anhydrous sodium sulfate and 2 g silica for purification, with 8 mL n-hexane for prewash, again eluted with 10 mL of n-hexane—dichloromethane (1+1) mixture solution, collected n-hexane—dichloromethane solution and concentrated to dryness using a gentle stream of nitrogen. Dissolved the residue to 1 mL with methanol, filtered through 0.45 μm Millipore membrane and an aliquot of 10 μL of the filtrate was used for High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) analysis.Dust samples were dried by a controllable temperature oven (45°C) and then crushed into powder by versatile grinder . Milled samples were kept in a constant temperature oven  to prevent deterioration. A 0.5 g aliquot of dust sample was added with 5 mL of dichloromethane and then placed into an ultrasonic cleaner . The mixture was extracted for 30 min and then the extraction solution was centrifugally separated (10000 r·minChem.-Station software (Agilent USA). ZORBAX Eclipse PAH column  from Agilent was used with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile (A) and water (B). The optimized gradient elution was performed using the following linear gradient: 0 min—3 A%, 5 min—5 A%, 10 min—10 A%, 15 min—95 A%, 50 min—95 A%. The column compartment was kept at the temperature of 35°C and detection wavelength was 220 nm.The PAH analysis was conducted on an Agilent series of 1260 HPLC, equipped with a vacuum degasser, a quaternary pump, an auto sampler and a diode array detector system. Data collection was performed using −1 and 20.60–41.93 ng·g−1 dry weights, respectively.The stock solution containing 18 markers was prepared and diluted to appropriate concentration ranges for the establishment of calibration curves. The calibration graphs were plotted after linear regression  of the p1in and one of them was injected into the apparatus every 2 h within 12 h to evaluate the stability of the solution. All the results were expressed as relative standard deviations (RSD), and lower than 3%, which indicated that this examination method had a good precision, repeatability and stability.Precision was evaluated with both mixed standards solution and sample solution under the selected optimal conditions six times in 1 day for inter-day variation and twice a day on 3 consecutive days for intra-day variation. Repeatability was confirmed with six different working solutions prepared from sample C18 column  and Waters PAH C18 column . The same sample solution was separately analyzed and contents of the 18 characteristic constituents were calculated. Mean contents of the 18 compounds were 0.29, 0.35, 1.02, 0.16, 0.58, 2.13, 0.44, 1.12, 0.89, 0.67, 1.03, 0.53, 0.76, 0.81, 1.46, 0.92, 0.62 and 0.15 μg·g−1 for ZORBAX Eclipse PAH column and 0.30, 0.34, 1.01, 0.16, 0.57, 2.14, 0.43, 1.13, 0.88, 0.66, 1.02, 0.52, 0.76, 0.82, 1.45, 0.93, 0.61 and 0.15 μg·g−1 for Waters PAH C18 column. No significant difference existed between the results from the two columns by t-test (P > 0.05), which indicated that the developed method was capable of producing results with acceptable performance.The recovery was performed by adding known amount of the 18 standard substance and the spiked samples were then extracted, processed, and quantified in accordance with the methods mentioned above. The mean recoveries ranged from 91.67% to 102.81%. Method robustness was tested on ZORBAX Eclipse PAH C−1·day−1)−1, BW is body weight (kg), AT is the average life span (year), EF is the exposure frequency (day·year−1), ED is the exposure duration (year), IRInhalation is the inhalation rate (m3·day−1), IRIngestion is the soil intake rate (mg·day−1), SA is the dermal surface exposure (cm2), AF is the dermal adherence factor (mg·cm−2·h−1), ABS is the dermal adsorption fraction, and PEF is the particle emission factor (m3·kg−1). CSFIngestion, CSFDermal and CSFInhalation of BaP were addressed as 7.3, 25, and 3.85 (mg·kg−1·day−1)−1, respectively, determined by the cancer-causing ability of BaP [−1) is the sum of converted PAHs concentrations based on toxic equivalents of BaP using the Toxic Equivalency Factor (TEF) listed in The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) was developed to quantitatively estimate the exposure risk for environmental PAHs based on the U.S. EPA standard models. The foly of BaP . Other p18PAHs in dust of Guizhou province varied from 2.18 to 14.20 μg·g−1 with an average of 6.78 μg·g−1. This result indicated that PAHs tend to accumulate in dust particles, which could be used as an indicator of environmental pollution. The highest Σ18PAHs concentration was found in dust from orefield where the high concentrations of PAHs may have resulted from the emissions of mining activities and mineral processing operations [Eighteen PAH compounds  were deterations .18PAHs decreased in the following order: City > town > village. The contributions of individual PAH in cities and towns are basically identical, and contribution rate of BbF, BPE, CHR, FLT, BEA, PHE, BjF and PYR are all over 5%. However, there is a significant difference to the contribution of individual PAH in village when comparing with city and town. BPE, FLT, BEA, BjF, PHE, PYR and IPY play the dominant role, their contribution rate are all over 5%. This finding was similar to the reports of PAHs distribution in the indoor dust of Palermo  and Sydney [PAH levels in indoor dust varied greatly in different functional areas . The mead Sydney , 26.18PAHs increased in the following order , Norway (0.0069 μg·g−1), Canada (0.0011 μg·g−1), Australia (0.0033 μg·g−1) and Greater Cairo, Egypt (0.045–2.61μg·g−1) [−1), Birmingham, UK (12.56–93.70 μg·g−1) and Ulsan, Korea (11.8–245 μg·g−1) [In addition, mean concentration of Σoutdoors . Specificininkas , and indcininkas . The mea1μg·g−1) , but low μg·g−1) , 31.The 18 PAHs were grouped according to aromatic ring number: low molecular weight PAHs  and high molecular weight PAHs . HMW PAHs dominated in all sampling sites, and the average percentage of HMW PAHs to total PAHs was 82%, with a range of 72% to 89% . HMW PAHIdentifying the possible sources of PAHs is important in understanding the fate and transport of PAHs in house environment. Several PAHs isomeric ratios have been used to identify different sources that contribute PAHs to environmental samples . For exaAs shown in Concentration ratios for PAHs could only provide qualitative information about the contribution of various sources. In order to enhance the accuracy of source identification, principal component analyses with multiple linear regression analysis (PCA-MLR) was used to conduct quantitative assessments. PCA-MLR model is a multivariate analytical tool widely used for receptor modeling in environmental source apportionment studies , 45.After varimax rotation, 2 factors  were extracted by PCA . Factor Next, the contributions of these 2 factors (sources) were estimated by PCA-MLR model. As shown in Cluster analysis or clustering is the task of grouping a set of objects in such a way that objects in the same group  are more similar (in some sense or another) to each other than to those in other groups (clusters) . In the Sites of Huaxi, Yaxi and Banshui were clustered in group 1. They were all located in the village of Guizhou province. These areas are dominated by agriculture and are sparsely populated. Cooking activity and a small amount of transportation were the main pollution sources in these regions. Sites of Nanbei, Jinsha, Guiyang and Zunyi were clustered in group 2. Guiyang and Zunyi were the most developed cities of Guizhou province, and Nanbei and Jinsha were the representative town in Guizhou. They have the common characteristics of dense population, prosperous business and well-developed transportation. Kaiyang was clustered in group 3, where had 78% high-quality phosphate rock resources of China and an accompanying boom in mining activities and other phosphate industry.−7 to 10−6 in all the dust samples, while the mean cancer risk via inhalation was 10−10 to 10−11, about 103 to 105 times lower than that through ingestion and dermal contact. This was also observed in a study of exposure to PAHs in urban surface dust of Guangzhou[The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential cancer risk of human exposure to indoor dust PAHs of Guizhou province. The ILCR was taken as an ensign to identify the age-specific potential cancer risks in the study of human exposure to environmental PAH pollution sources , 51. DepGuangzhou. Therefo−7 to 10−6) as through dermal contact, indicating that both ingestion and dermal contact greatly contributed to the cancer risk for children. However, the risk value of direct ingestion for children was significantly higher (p<0.01) than the corresponding risk of ingestion for adults. The most sensitive subpopulation is young children because of their hand-to-mouth activity, whereby contaminated dust can be readily ingested [In the case of children, the cancer risk levels via ingestion was within the same order of magnitude  due to human exposure to indoor dust PAHs in city, town, village and orefield of Guizhou province, China were 6.14×10−6, 5.00×10−6, 3.08×10−6, 6.02×10−6 for children and 5.92×10−6, 4.83×10−6, 2.97×10−6, 5.81×10−6 for adults, respectively. The results of this study would be helpful to understand the levels, distribution and sources of the PAHs in house dust, which can provide the information for improving living environment and human health in Guizhou province.A total of 136 dust samples (88 indoor and 48 outdoor) collected from Guizhou, southwest of China, were analyzed for 18 PAHs. The total PAHs concentrations ranged from 2.18 μg·g


Gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (R), and net ecosystem production (NEP) increase in summer, with their peak values in late summer and autumn, and decrease in winter and spring. Mean values of GPP, R and NEP are 1.75 ± 0.06 (Mean ± SE), 1.52 ± 0.05, and 0.23 ± 0.03 g O2 m−3·d−1, respectively. It is also found that water temperature and surface irradiance are the best predictors of GPP and R, while water temperature (wind speed) has a significantly positive (negative) relationship with NEP. The findings in this study suggest that Lake Taihu is a net autotrophic ecosystem, and water temperature and surface irradiance are the two important drivers of lake metabolism.With continuous measurements of dissolved oxygen, temperature, irradiance, and wind speed, as well as frequent measurements of pH, oxidation-reduction potential, and algal chlorophyll, temporal dynamics and drivers of ecosystem metabolism in a large nutrient-rich shallow lake (Lake Taihu) are tested in this study. The results show that the dissolved oxygen concentrations in the lake fluctuate annually. They increase in autumn and winter with a peak value of 14.19 mg·L Lake metabolic balances represent the difference between photosynthesis rates (COduction) . Quantifduction) ,4,5. NEPosystems . Previouosystems ,8. In thosystems . The conThe oxygen mass balance method has been applied in many previous studies of lake metabolism ,5,10. Mea (Chl a), and phytoplankton, etc. [Previously, autotrophy or metabolic balance has been assumed to occur in most aquatic systems . Howeveron, etc. ,19,20,21on, etc. , the majon, etc. .−2) and economically developed area in China (contributing about 13% of the nation’s gross domestic product). Since the 1980s, the lake has become eutrophic due to its multiple uses [−1, TP varied from 0.013 to 1.459 mg·L−1, DOC had an annual mean concentration of 3.76–8.97 mg·L−1, and Chl a concentration reached a peak of 327.6 μg·L−1 [Lake Taihu is a eutrophic subtropical lake, and the third largest freshwater lake in China. The watershed is located in the Yangtze River Delta and is the most densely populated , including P. maackianus, P. malaianus, M. spicatum, Elodea nuttallii, Vallisneria natans, Ceratophyllum demersum, Nymphoides peltata, and Trapa natans.Two buoy stations were moored in Gonghu Bay, northeastern Lake Taihu , which igetation . The maiThe downwelling shortwave radiation was collected at the Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research , Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, lie in Meiliang Bay, about 8.7 km linear distance from the SSC buoy station, from June to November in 2010. Meiliang Bay is one of the most eutrophic bays in Lake Taihu, where two rivers (Liangxi and Zhihugang Rivers) empty large amounts of wastewater from factories and residential areas into the bay .a were measured using a continuously recording multiparameter underwater sensor . These parameters were collected at 2-h intervals from 28 October 2008 to 10 November 2010 in SSC station and from 30 July 2010 to 10 November 2010 in JS station. Interruption of measurements occasionally occurred for the malfunction of instruments. The probes were hung from the buoy and took measurements sequentially at 0.5, 1, and 1.5 m depth. The DO probes were first calibrated in air-saturated water prior to deployment, while after that they were calibrated in air-saturated water weekly. The monitoring accuracy of water temperature, Turb, pH, DO, ORP, and Chl a are 0.15 °C, 0.3 NTU, 0.2, 0.1 mg·L−1, 20 mV, and 0.1 μg·L−1, respectively. In addition, a HOBO H21 micro meteorological station  was mounted on each of the buoys. The following meteorological data were collected at 5-min intervals and recorded as one hour averages: Air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. The monitoring accuracy of these parameters are 0.2 °C, 2.5%, 0.5 m·s−1, and 5°, respectively.Continuous measurements of some physical, chemical, and biological parameters were performed at two moored buoys (JS and SSC). Parameters including water temperature, turbidity (Turb), pH, DO, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and Chl 2/∆t is the change in DO concentration over time (mg O2·L−1·h−1), GPP is the primary production (g O2·m−3·h−1), R is the ecosystem respiration (g O2·m−3·h−1), F is the oxygen exchange with the atmosphere (g O2·m−2·h−1), it is negative (positive) for downward (upward) flux of O2. Zmix (m) is the mixed layer depth (m). Since Lake Taihu is a shallow lake and is not subject to thermal stratification, Zmix is assumed equal to the mean depth of 1.9 m. The term A includes all the other processes that change DO concentration, such as horizontal and vertical advection within the lake. For simplicity, it is omitted in this study.To estimate the lake metabolism, DO mass balance model is used here. It includes the following equations :∆O2/∆tet al. [F) is computed as:2 meas is the actual DO concentration (mg·L−1); O2sat is the oxygen saturation (mg·L−1) as a function of water temperature . The equation of Weiss [2sat has been corrected for altitude according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Water Quality Technical Memoranda 81.11 and 81.15 [k (m·h−1) is estimated using the Schmidt coefficient (Sc) and gas piston velocity corresponding to a Schmidt coefficient of 600 (k600):n is equal to 2/3 for wind speed at 10 m height (U10) < 3.7 m·s−1 and is equal to 0.5 for U10 > 3.7 m·s−1. The Schmidt coefficient is calculated from water temperature  using the equation of Wanninkhof [Following Staehr et al. , the oxyof Weiss  which isnd 81.15 . The coenninkhof :Sc = 18k600 (m·h−1) depends on wind speed at 10 m height and is calculated using the equation of Cole and Caraco [The coefficient d Caraco :k600  and latitude, and the calculation procedure can be found in Staehr et al. [Uto Smith . Other e [et al.  which arPP – Rdaywhere NEp = 0.05 level unless otherwise stated. All data analyses are performed using SPSS 13.0 .Pearson correlation analysis are used to evaluate correlations between metabolic rates and physical, chemical, and biological drivers. Significance referred to in the text is at the −1 in winter, and then decline in spring and summer, reaching a minimum value of 6.40 mg·L−1 in the summer. The median value of DO was 9.78 mg·L−1.The DO concentration changed with temperature and biological activities. Driven by seasonal temperature changes, the saturation DO had a significant seasonal pattern, with lower values in summer and higher values in winter, and with the opposite tendency with respect to temperature. The saturation DO values were higher than the observed DO concentration in winter, while the observed DO concentration was higher than the saturation DO value during summer and autumn.−1 during spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. The highest 2-h mean DO concentration was 11.79 mg·L−1 and occurred in winter, while the lowest DO concentration of 7.67 mg·L−1 was recorded in summer , 8.20 ± 0.12, 8.28 ± 0.12, and 11.73 ± 0.01 mg·Ln summer . Large dThe DO concentrations at the 50, 100, and 150 cm depths show similar diurnal changes patterns for different seasons . In summ2·m−3·d−1, respectively. GPP:R ratio is 1.15  GPP, and R rates in summer and autumn (winter) . The ave2·m−3·d−1 in the winter, respectively. The mean GPP/R values were 1.22 ± 0.29, 1.30 ± 0.56, 1.23 ± 0.25, and 1.24 ± 0.68 during the spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively.The average GPP and R rates were 0.91 ± 0.48, 0.85 ± 0.61 g OGPP and R rates were strongly stimulated by increasing water temperature and surface irradiance ; Table 1a is positively related to GPP and R rates at the JS station. NEP has a significant positive relation with temperature and a negative relation with wind speed at the SSC station.The relative importance of physical and biological drivers for GPP, R and NEP is shown in Calculations of lake metabolism from continuous daily oxygen measurements show large variations in GPP, R, and NEP across seasons. GPP and R rates display similarly high levels in summer and low values in winter in the present study, which is consistent with previous studies ,34. The night and Rlight are equal. However, some previous studies suggest that Rlight tends to be equal to or larger than Rnight as a result of involvement of several biochemical pathways in addition to the mitochondrial dark respiration [light on a routine and continuous basis, uncertainty in the estimates of GPP and R cannot be avoided in this study. Moreover, if Rlight exceeds Rnight, the magnitude of GPP and R would be increased by equal amounts, the influence on the GPP:R ratio would remain small so that NEP does not change [Estimates of daily GPP and R are based on the classical assumption that Rpiration ,35,36. BThe amount of organic matter produced and consumed within a lake determines its net metabolic balance. Aquatic systems where GPP exceeds R have positive NEP and are net autotrophic, whereas aquatic systems where more organic matter is respired than produced have negative NEP and are net heterotrophic . If autoSome previous studies suggest that aquatic ecosystems are frequently net heterotrophic, with respiration exceeding primary production, indicating that the food web of the ecosystem is supported by external inputs of energy ,18,19,38et al. found that Lake Taihu was net heterotrophic [et al. is situated in Meiliang Bay, in northern Lake Taihu  were found. Possible explanations for the differences of GPP rates at the two buoy stations include: (1) there are more abundant macrophytes (species and biomass) at the JS station, such as P. maackianus, P. malaianus, M. spicatum, Elodea nuttallii, Vallisneria natans, Ceratophyllum demersum, Nymphoides peltata, and Trapa natans. (2) Compared to the JS station, the site of the SSC station is close to the main lake, where underwater light may be limited because of the higher turbidity, resulting in an adverse effect on macrophyte photosynthesis.There are similar dynamic metabolism patterns between the two buoy stations (JS and SSC), which are net autotrophic. From August to October, the maximum GPP values of JS and SSC stations are 10.31 and 6.77 g OWith the data of dissolved oxygen, temperature, irradiance, and wind speed, the temporal dynamics and drivers of ecosystem metabolism in Lake Taihu are analyzed. It is noted that dissolved oxygen concentrations kept increasing (decreasing) during autumn and winter (spring and summer) with its maximum (minimum) value showing in winter (summer). Gross primary production, ecosystem respiration, and net ecosystem production kept increasing (decreasing) during summer and autumn (winter and spring) with a maximum value in late summer. The results also showed that Lake Taihu is a net autotrophic ecosystem, and water temperature and surface irradiance are two important drivers of the lake metabolism.


Life demands that we adapt our behaviour continuously in situations in which much of our incoming information is emotional and unrelated to our immediate behavioural goals. Such information is often processed without our consciousness. This poses an intriguing question of whether subconscious exposure to irrelevant emotional information  affects the way we learn. Here, we addressed this issue by examining whether the learning of cue-reward associations changes when an emotional facial expression is shown subconsciously or consciously prior to the presentation of a reward-predicting cue. We found that both subconscious (0.027 s and 0.033 s) and conscious (0.047 s) emotional signals increased the rate of learning, and this increase was smallest at the border of conscious duration (0.040 s). These data suggest not only that the subconscious and conscious processing of emotional signals enhances value-updating in cue–reward association learning, but also that the computational processes underlying the subconscious enhancement is at least partially dissociable from its conscious counterpart. To achieve our behavioural goals, we must continuously adapt our behaviour and learn from changing circumstances. However, the great majority of incoming signals in real-life social situations is irrelevant to our immediate goals, and may be processed unconsciously in many situations. An intriguing question is whether such irrelevant and subconsciously received information can affect behavioural adaptation.Many studies report that emotional information not necessary for achieving an immediate task goal can affect aspects of human behaviour including decision making4568Here, we performed a computational model-based analysis of behaviour to examine how learning of a probabilistic cue-reward association is affected when emotional facial expressions are shown subconsciously or consciously before presentation of the reward-predicting cue. We have previously found that learning was enhanced when the duration of face presentation was long (1.0 s)Before the main learning task, we conducted a discrimination task (n = 91) to estimate duration thresholds for conscious discrimination of facial expressions that were based on objective (correct rate) and subjective (confidence scoring) measures . We rega(90) = −17.808, p < 0.001 with Bonferroni corrections [BC]), but not for any other comparisons (0.020 s vs. 0.027 s: t(90) = −2.294, p = 0.360; 0.027 s vs. 0.033 s: t(90) = 0.982, p ≈ 1.000; 0.040 s vs. 0.047 s: t(90) = −2.470, p = 0.225 with BC) ((90) = 0.156, p ≈ 1.000; 0.033 s: t(90) = 2.250, p = 0.405 with BC), CR in 0.027 s was slightly and significantly higher than the chance level  = 3.551, p = 0.015 with BC)  at a duration of 0.040 s was higher than at 0.033 s   red.(90) = −17.033, p < 0.0001 with BC) ((90) = −2.347, p = 0.211 with BC) or between 0.040 s and 0.047 s (t(90) = −2.373, p = 0.199 with BC), they did differ significantly between 0.020 s and 0.027 s (t(90) = −19.632, p < 0.001 with BC).Consistent with the CR analysis, the subjective confidence score index (CSI) showed that participants discriminated facial expressions when they were presented for longer than 0.040 s significantly better than at shorter durations   black. W(90) = 1.577, p ≈ 1.000; 0.027 s: t(90) = 1.549, p ≈ 1.000 with BC), they did differ at longer durations  = 6.012, p < 0.0001; 0.040 s: t(90) = 8.981, p < 0.0001, 0.047 s: t(90) = 8.564, p < 0.0001 with BC)  .These results showed that participants correctly discriminated facial expressions with high confidence at presentation durations of 0.040 s and 0.047 s, which thus represents conscious presentations as we defined them. In contrast, it was impossible to discriminate facial expressions either objectively or subjectively when faces were presented for only 0.020 s. The other two durations (0.027 s and 0.033 s) represent subconscious presentation because participants showed similar confidence levels in correct and error trials with better-than-random CR at 0.027-s durations, while at 0.033-s durations they could not discriminate faces objectively even with the high CSI in the correct trials. Based on these observations, we used 0.027 s or 0.033 s for the subconscious condition and 0.040 s or 0.047 s for the conscious condition in the learning task. This definition of the subconscious and conscious conditions is similar to that in other studies using facial expressions10statistical analyses for sampling bias section).In the learning task, each participant was randomly assigned to one of these four durations. To rule out other possible factors affecting learning performance, we assessed several individual differences including age, sex, the time we conducted the experiment, and intelligence level. We did not find any factor that was biased among the groups (b), which is a value-independent bias for choosing the ¥100 option. This parameter represents the possibility that participants were biased to choose one of the two rewards depending on facial emotional expression, regardless of cue-reward associations. We estimated these parameters separately for fearful or neutral conditions . Before the detailed analysis, we quantified the appropriateness of our statistical models using Akaike information criteria (AIC) and Bayesian information criteria (BIC). As shown in εβb model, which includes learning rate, exploration parameter and ¥100 bias, was selected by AIC, and the εβ and εβb models were comparable using BIC (εβ was slightly better). Model comparisons were highly consistent with our previous reportεβb model in subsequent analyses.To examine the computational processes behind the interaction between reward learning and subconscious/conscious emotional processing , we anal(90) = 3.077, p = 0.003) ((90) = −4.687, p < 0.001 with BC), and no difference was found in the exploration parameter (t(90) = −1.552, p = 0.124) ((90) = −3.401, p = 0.002 with BC) , are shown in = 0.003) , left. Awith BC) , middle. = 13.306, p < 0.001) and no main effect of presentation duration  = 2.508, p = 0.064). Importantly, the interaction between emotion and presentation duration was significant  = 2.946, p = 0.037), suggesting that the learning enhancement provided by the fearful faces may disappear at some durations. Therefore, we looked into the effects of emotion on the learning rate of each presentation duration.Having seen that emotional face presentation modulates the learning rates and ¥100 choice bias, we then investigated how subconscious presentation of emotional faces affects learning rates and the ¥100 choice bias. To achieve this, we separately computed learning rates for each presentation duration  . A two-w(19) = 2.211, p = 0.040), 0.033 s (t(19) = 2.482, p = 0.023), and 0.047 s (t(19) = 2.194, p = 0.041) conditions, but not in the 0.040 s condition (t(30) = −0.560, p = 0.580). This targeted analysis revealed a trough in the emotional enhancement effect at around 40 ms. To interpret this result in terms of perception, we sorted the subjects by CR scores on the discrimination task  and found that the emotional face-induced increases in learning rates was strongest  when the participants' CRs were 60%–70% (t(25) = 2.628, p = 0.014) ((16) = 1.655, p = 0.117) and 80%–90% CRs  = 0.341, p = 0.736). The increase in the learning rate caused by emotional faces started to be discernible again at CRs of 90%–100%, although this was not statistically significant  = 1.203, p = 0.257).The learning rate differences (εF −εN) were larger than zero in the 0.027 s (t= 0.014) , and the = 3.287, p = 0.024), but not of emotion  = 0.973, p = 0.327), or the interaction  = 0.356, p = 0.785). Importantly, these data demonstrate that the trough was observed for the learning rates but not for the ¥100 bias.We conducted the same analysis for the ¥100 choice bias. A two-way ANOVA (2 Emotions × 4 Presentations) revealed a significant main effect of presentation duration  and consciously (0.047 s). However, this effect disappeared at 0.040 s. Furthermore, not only does the effect of emotional signals on learning rates vanish at the presentation duration of 0.040 s, but this duration also corresponds to the 70%–90% CR level, validating the discontinuity of the learning-enhancement effect. Because we did not observe this effect in the discrimination task or in the ¥100 choice bias, it is likely to be specific to the associative learning paradigm.Statistical analyses for sampling bias).The discontinuity of the learning-rate enhancement effect might have been caused by some malfunction in our experimental devices for stimulus presentation. However, if this was the case, we would expect the same problem to have occurred for the objective CRs in the discrimination task. As we did not observe any significant performance trough in One plausible explanation for the disappearance of the enhancement effect is that there are two pathways for emotional signal processing in the brain121114311141516Similar discontinuity effects observed in behavioural responses to visual stimuli have also been reported as the ‘performance-dip effect5One might wonder which enhances learning more, conscious or subconscious perception of emotional stimulus. Although the effects of subconscious stimulation tend to be weaker in general than conscious stimulation, some studies have reported that subconscious presentation of stimuli was more effective45Finally, while the ¥100 choice bias (which was independent of learning) was also affected by presentation duration, no trough in the effect was observed. Although faces were unrelated to our main learning task, the subconsciously presented faces may have induced uncertainty1919Participants in this study were undergraduate and graduate students who did not declare any history of psychiatric or neurological disorders. All experiments were conducted according to the principles in the Declaration of Helsinki and were approved by the ethics committee of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. All 130 participants gave informed consent prior to the experiments. Thirty-nine people (30.0%) were unable to learn all four of the associations. Therefore, we analysed data from the remaining 91 participants .www.psychtoolbox.org) with MATLAB. Stimuli were presented within an area subtending 4.49 × 6.16 degrees of visual angle.Stimuli were presented via a Dell precision T7500 computer with a graphics accelerator (NVIDIA Quadro 4000) and 19 inch CRT display (SONY CPD-G420) to achieve 150 Hz refresh rates. Stimulus presentation and response acquisition were controlled using Psychtoolbox-3 software  or ring (different) fingers. Additionally, they were asked to indicate how confident they were in their answers  with the right index, middle, and ring fingers, respectively. As we used two different pictures of an identical actor or actress with forward and backward masks for each trial, participants could not judge the difference of expressions based on outlines of faces or afterimages. This task included 80 trials . As the participants were trained for several practice trials with another stimulus set (happy and sad faces), they executed this task flawlessly.For the main learning task, participants learned probabilistic associations 65% or 35%) between four visual cues and two rewards (¥100 or ¥1) through trial and error . The des5% betweeFace stimuli were 20 fearful and 20 neutral faces of 10 actors and 10 actresses, including 10 Caucasoid, 7 Negroid, and 3 Mongoloid. Just before the visual cue (0.3 s), either a fearful or neutral face interleaved with four masks (0.3 s) was presented three times on a screen for an individually and randomly assigned duration in a pseudo-random order. Only one emotion was used within a given trial. Following the last face, one of the cues was presented, followed by a choice between ¥100 and ¥1. Participants then pressed a button within 1.5 s to indicate which of the two rewards they expected. The order of cue presentation and the assignment of the two buttons (left or right) with rewards were randomised across trials. After making their choice, the actual reward was shown in yellow letters for 1.0 s. Over time, participants could then learn the association between each cue and the corresponding reward. Before the experiments, we confirmed that the participants fully understood this task. They were instructed that the face and noise presentations would signal the appearance of a cue. No participants reported noticing any associations between particular facial expressions and the cues. The combinations of the four visual cues, facial expressions, and rewards were counterbalanced across participants . The totThe correct rates (CR) were calculated by dividing the sum of the hit rate and correct rejection rate by the number of trials (16)  red. We The learning task was conducted using a between-participants design for the four presentation durations to avoid fatigue, habituation, and meta-learning of task structuretQ to action ta for the cue ts at time t. Learning increases the accuracy of value representation by updating the value in proportion to the reward prediction error (RPE) tR − tQ, which is the difference between the expected and actual reward at time t (fε), reward sensitivity (fδ), value-independent bias for the choice of ¥100 (ta), (fb(ta)), and an exploration parameter (fβ). The learning rate controls the effects of the RPE, and reward sensitivity transforms the actual reward (tr) in yen into a subjective reward (tR) for each participant (θ) from their trial-by-trial learning using the maximum likelihood-estimation method, which minimises the negative log-likelihood of the participant's behaviour (D), as shown in ta (¥100 or ¥1), given a visual cue, ts, was computed based on To conduct a trial-based analysis of the learning process, we adopted a reinforcement learning model323t time t :Our learticipant :In relatl choice , the biaεβ), εβ with reward sensitivity (εβδ), εβ with ¥100 bias (εβb), and εβ with both reward sensitivity and ¥100 bias (εβδb). We calculated these information criteria for each participant and compared the mean scores (n = 91).We evaluated the significance of each parameter using Akaike information criteria (AIC) and Bayesian information criteria (BIC) by comparing four models using the learning rate and exploration parameter (N.W. and M.H. designed the experiments. N.W. performed the experiments. N.W. and M.H. analysed the data, and wrote and reviewed the manuscript.Supplementary figure


To the Editor: Yellow fever is disease caused by a flavivirus that is transmitted to humans and nonhuman primates through the bites of infected mosquitoes. In 2013, an estimated 130,000 persons in Africa experienced fever with jaundice or hemorrhage associated with yellow fever; ≈78,000 of these infections were fatal , the patient traveled to Africa for work without receiving vaccination for yellow fever.9 cells/L [reference range 3.50–9.50 × 109 cells/L]), a low absolute lymphocyte count (0.92 × 109 cells/L ), and a low platelet count (43 × 109 platelets/L [125–350 × 109 platelets/L). The patient had low levels of circulating CD3+ cells  and CD8+ cells  and normal levels of CD4+ T-cells.Physical examination revealed a temperature of 37°C. Neither rash nor jaundice were evident. Blood examination revealed a low leukocyte count (1.66 × 10C-reactive protein level was 4.31 mg/L (reference range 0–3.0 mg/L), lactate dehydrogenase was 1,086 U/L (109–245 U/L), alanine aminotransferase was 882 U/L (7–40 U/L), total bilirubin was 13.5 μmol/L (0–17 μmol/L), and direct bilirubin was 7.4 μmol/L (0–5.4 μmol/L). The patient had normal levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone, and no DNA, nuclear, or thyroglobulin antibodies were detected.Test results for HIV, malaria, and dengue virus infection were negative. Serum and urine samples were positive for yellow fever virus and negative for dengue and Zika viruses by PCR. These results were confirmed by the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Yellow fever virus RNA remained detectable 9 days after symptom onset in serum and for an additional 3 days in urine and feces. A person from China traveling to a yellow fever–endemic area would usually receive vaccination against yellow fever (The mosquito density is low in Shanghai, and the temperature typically is low in March, suggesting that the imported case we describe will probably not result in mosquito-borne transmission. However, in the upcoming summer, the risk for onward transmission of travel-associated yellow fever in China will warrant increased vigilance. To help prevent the importation and potential spread of yellow fever in China, the Chinese government now requests proof of vaccination for yellow fever from persons traveling to China from Angola.


Objective. To determine the effect of hemodialysis (HD) on choroidal thickness (CT). Methods. The right eyes of 41 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing HD were included. All patients underwent an ophthalmic examination, including CT measurement via optical coherence tomography, intraocular pressure (IOP), blood pressure, and body weight measurement immediately before and after a HD session. Results. Mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) after HD decreased significantly from 254.59 ± 84.66 µm to 229.34 ± 77.79 µm (p < 0.001). CT at the temporal and nasal regions also decreased significantly after HD (both p < 0.001). IOP changes after HD were insignificant (p = 0.958). CT difference was insignificant in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and without DM before and after HD, respectively (p = 0.285 and p = 0.707). Stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis showed that diastolic blood pressure was the best fitted factor to explain the changes in CT (r = 0.327 and p = 0.040).  Conclusion. CT was decreased in the patients with ESRD following a HD session. This study suggested that the changes in CT may be related to the changes in systemic blood pressure. Hemodialysis (HD) sustains life for more than 1 million patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide and has been doing so since 1980 . Dry weiIt has been reported that the patients undergoing HD showed choroidal perfusion defect on fundus angiography (FFA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) –6. TradiThis prospective, cross-sectional study included 41 patients with stage 5 ESRD who were undergoing HD. Because of the high correlation between all parameters in the right and left eyes, only the patients' right eyes were analyzed. Pathologic conditions that could alter choroidal structure and CT, such as macular degeneration, smoking, ocular trauma, ocular surgery, ocular inflammation, and refractive errors outside −5 to +3 D, were excluded.−1 and blood flow rate of 250–300 mL min−1. Predialytic and postdialytic body weight were measured in each patient. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure  were measured every hour during HD. Ultrafiltration volume was noted following HD. To avoid HD induced hypoglycemia, all patients received 200 cc of 5% dextrose solution at the end of HD.All patients were undergoing three 4-hour HD sessions each week. The bicarbonate used was diazole with a dialysate flow rate of 500 mL min−1. Tissue depth resolution was 5.0 μm with transverse resolution of 15 microns. The device had a 40° Widefield Enface OCT reference scan.All patients underwent detailed ophthalmologic examination, including best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP) before and after HD , and lens status. CT scanning was performed using RTVue SD-OCT system . The repeated OCT measurements were obtained by an operator (AÜ) at approximately 0700 and 1100, respectively, to avoid diurnal variations. The system utilized a wavelength of 840 ± 10 nm and was capable of 26,000 A-scans sPatients were seated at the front of the device to obtain reasonable choroidal images. The patients were informed to fixate the internal fixation light of the RTVue SD-OCT during image acquisitions. After the patients' heads were correctly positioned, a fovea-centered, 6 mm, horizontal high definition line scan (4096 A-scan/frame line) was obtained with the chorioretinal line mode. Postdialytic scans were obtained using the follow-up mode to obtain the images from the previous location. All images underwent manual segmentation by two researchers  who were blinded to the patients. RTVue manual measurement tools included calipers for delineating the boundaries of the choroid.CT was measured perpendicularly from the outer edge of the retina pigment epithelium to the inner sclera, as previously reported . CT was t-test and Pearson's coefficient test were utilized to compare pre-HD and post-HD data. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.Data were analyzed using SPSS v.17.0 for Windows . The normality of the distribution of data was determined using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. All continuous data were normally distributed. There was a high correlation between the patients' right and left eyes; therefore, only right-eye data were used for further analysis. Descriptive statistics are presented as mean ± SD. For continuous data, Student's paired The right eyes of 41 patients  with ESRD were included. Mean age of the patients was 53.2 ± 14.6 years and mean duration of HD treatment was 42.81 ± 30.38 months. Eight of the 41 patients had diabetes mellitus (DM) .p = 0.958). Mean body weight decreased significantly from 65.77 ± 10.50 kg to 63.65 ± 10.41 kg after HD (p < 0.001). SBP and DBP decreased significantly following HD; the differences were 21.63 ± 23.06 mmHg and 14.00 ± 21.87 mmHg, respectively. IOP and systemic findings are shown in IOP changes after HD were insignificant (μm to 229.34 ± 77.79 μm (p < 0.001) after HD. There was also a significant decrease in all measurement points from the fovea  decreased significantly from 254.59 ± 84.66 he fovea .μm and 257.67 ± 82.09 μm, respectively, in the patients with DM and those without DM (p = 0.285). After HD, the mean SFCT was 203.0 ± 84.96 μm and 235.73 ± 75.96 μm, respectively, in patients with DM and those without DM (p = 0.707).There was no difference in CT between the patients with and without DM before and after HD. The mean SFCT was 241.88 ± 99.57 r = 0.311, R2 = 0.097, and p = 0.047). Stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis showed that only change in DBP could explain 14% of the changes in SFCT .Associations between the difference in SFCT and the other parameters, including age, gender, DM, duration of HD, dry body weight, serum osmolarity, plasma osmotic colloid pressure, ultrafiltration volume, and the percentage of the change in IOP, SBP, DBP, and body weight, were evaluated . There wThe primary goal of HD is to maintain the kidneys' excretory functions in ESRD patients. During a HD session, ultrafiltration removes excess fluid from plasma, which leads to blood volume depletion, an increase in the plasma protein concentration (increase in plasma colloid osmotic pressure), and a decrease in serum osmolarity. Blood volume depletion is equilibrated by vascular refilling from the interstitial and intracellular space , 12. TheJung et al.  studied On the other hand, Yang et al.  observedBased on the association between the changes in CT and DBP, we hypothesized that the CT thinning may be a result of the increase in choroidal vascular and nonvascular smooth muscle contraction due to activation of the sympathetic autonomic nervous system. It is well known that retinal vascular circulation is autoregulatory and that choroidal circulation is controlled primarily by the extrinsic autonomic system . The parIn the present study, the changes observed in SFCT were positively correlated with changes in DBP. It is known that blood volume depletion causes diastolic dysfunction, whereas contractility dysfunction of the heart leads to systolic dysfunction. Barth et al.  reportedEarlier findings on CT in DM patients have been inconsistent –21. ReceThe present study has several limitations. Only predialysis serum osmolarity and plasma colloid serum osmotic pressure were measured, which limited our ability to analyze the correlation between changes in those parameters and SFCT. In a previous study, CT was shown to have a negative correlation with axial length . In addiIn conclusion, CT decreased after HD in patients with ESRD. We suggest that sympathetic activation triggered by blood volume depletion to prevent hypotension might cause choroidal vascular and nonvascular smooth muscle constriction, which leads to a decrease in CT. The decrease in DBP and SFCT following HD may be a consequence of systemic compensatory mechanisms. Additional large-scale randomized studies are needed to more fully determine the effect of HD on CT and the relationship between CT and changes in systemic parameters.


While there is growing understanding of visual selective attention in children, some aspects such as selection in the presence of distractors are not well understood. Adult studies suggest that when presented with a visual search task, an enhanced negativity is seen beginning around 200 ms (the N2pc) that reflects selection of a target item among distractors. However, it is not known if similar selective attention-related activity is seen in children during visual search. This study was designed to investigate the presence of the N2pc in children. Nineteen children (ages 9–12 years) and 21 adults (ages 18–22 years) completed a visual search task in which they were asked to attend to a fixation surrounded by both a target and a distractor stimulus. Three types of displays were analyzed at parietal electrodes P7 and P8; lateral target/lateral distractor, lateral target/midline distractor, and midline target/lateral distractor. Both adults and children showed a significant increased negativity contralateral compared to ipsilateral to the target (reflected in the N2pc) in both displays with a lateral target while no such effect was seen in displays with a midline target. This suggests that children also utilized additional resources to select a target item when distractors are present. These findings demonstrate that the N2pc can be used as a marker of attentional object selection in children. Searching through a visual scene requires a number of complex processes, such as selective attention, which must be utilized to enhance processing of the attended items while simultaneously irrelevant items must be ignored. The neurological correlates of these processes have been under study for over two decades . The N2pc is recorded over lateral occipital scalp regions when a search display appears and is thought to reflect selection of the attended item in the context of distractors. Moreover, it is thought to reflect voluntary selective attention that is guided by top-down processes  and nineteen 9- to 12-year-old children  participated in this study. Participants were recruited from the Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts. Participants were excluded from participation if they had visual impairments that could not be corrected with glasses/contacts, if they were born premature , had or were suspected of having a learning disability, had or were suspected of having a clinical mental health diagnosis, or were on psychotropic medications as indicated by either self or parent report. All participants also reported being right-handed. All adult participants gave written consent prior to participation. Child participants were given a verbal explanation of all aspects of informed consent and then gave written assent to participate. Additionally, parents provided written consent for their children to participate. All consents and research procedures were approved by the Hampshire College Institutional Review Board. All participants were compensated with $10–20 for their time.The visual search task was based on the task used in a study by Eimer, Kiss, and Nicholas . This spScalp electroencephalograms (EEGs) were recorded using tin electrodes embedded in an elastic cap . The 32 electrodes were located at standard sites of the International 10–20 system of electrode placement , and artifact-free trials were averaged to yield event-related potentials (ERPs) for the various conditions where a target was present . Only trials with a correct response were used; error trials were excluded from ERP analyses. The ERPs were baseline-corrected using the mean of the 200-ms pre-stimulus period. Artifact rejection involved the automated exclusion of trials if they contained significant ocular artifacts, muscle, or movement artifacts as reflected by amplitudes ± 50 μvolts for adults and ± 100 μvolts for children at FP1, FP2, vertical, or horizontal eye electrodes. Additionally, trials were rejected if activity was greater than ± 100 μvolts for adults and 150 μvolts for children at all other electrodes. Channels that were consistently bad across the experiment as determined by visual inspection were marked as such and not used in analyses. Participants were eliminated from analyses if they did not complete the full 768 trials, 10 % or more channels were bad  as a rise to a secondary peak following the N2pc would otherwise skew the data. Adult data was visually inspected to ensure similar skew by neighboring peaks was not an issue. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were used for both mean amplitude and latency to examine the N2pc as a function of target and distractor location as well as a function of age.p2 = .252; adults: TMDL = 82.8, SD = 5.9, TLDM = 82.8, SD = 5.8, TLDL = 82.4 SD = 4.5; children: TMDL = 74.0, SD = 10.1, TLDM = 73.5, SD = 12.0, TLDL = 73.42, SD = 10.5). Reaction time data also showed a significant main effect of age  = 7.52, p =.009, ηp2 = .169) with no other main effects or interactions. This age effect reflects improvements in reaction times with age .Reaction time and accuracy data were examined to ensure participants were completing the task similarly and accurately. A 2 (group: adult vs. child) × 3 (target/distractor location) repeated-measures ANOVA was used in analyses. Accuracy data showed no significant effects of condition or interactions, but did show a significant effect of age with mean accuracy for adults higher than for children  = 12.48, p =.001, ηp2 = .112). Additionally, there was a significant interaction between the target/distractor location and the hemisphere of processing   = 17.43, p < .001, ηp2 = .314) as well as a three-way interaction between age, target/distractor location, and hemisphere of processing  = 5.24, p = .011, ηp2 = .121). To better understand the interactions at P7/P8, post-hoc analyses were performed within each age as there are large differences in overall activity between these two groups  × 3(target/distractor location) × 2  as well as an interaction between the target/distractor location and the hemisphere of processing  = 4.19, p =.032, ηp2 = .173) similar to previous studies  as well as when only the target was in a lateral position  = 5.54, p =.029, ηp2 = .217) while there was no N2pc when the target was in the midline position .A 3(target/distractor location) × 2 repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant main effect of target/distractor location  = 3.84, p = .039, ηp2 = .411). Additional follow-up repeated-measures ANOVAs for each of the target/distractor locations suggests this interaction results from the presence of the N2pc when both the target and distractor were lateral  = 11.32, p =.003, ηp2 = .386) as well as when only the target was in a lateral position  = 10.26, p =.005, ηp2 = .363), while there was no N2pc when the target was in the midline position  similar to adults.A 3(target/distractor location) × 2 repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant interaction between the target/distractor location and the hemisphere of processing  = 12.57, p < .001, ηp2 = .792, adults = 242.5, SD = 10.6, children = 263.7, SD = 5.6). As latency data of this type is inherently noisy, results were confirmed using a jack-knife procedure  = 37.17, p < .001)  × 3(target/distractor location) × 2 repeated-measures ANOVA was performed for the electrode pair P7/P8. There was a significant main effect of age  = 144.5, p < .001, ηWhile previous research has suggested even young children utilize processes similar to adults during visual spatial attention , and a target negativity (NT). While Hickey et al. propose that the PD reflects suppressive processes, it is not clear if the (NT) reflects enhancement or suppressive activity related to the target stimulus. Future research might focus on such components to see if differences between adults and children in effect sizes are a result of differences in the underlying components of the N2pc. Additionally, while as noted above, research suggests overall amplitude and latency differences are likely a function of myelination changes across development, it is possible that additional differences are masked by these overall changes and may be uncovered with a finer-grained exploration of the N2pc in children.Additionally, while adults and children show the same overall pattern of processing during early perceptual stages of visual search, this research should only be taken as a first step in understanding the underlying processes of visual search in children. In the adult literature there is currently debate concerning the N2pc and the processes that underlie the component. While some argue the component reflects selective enhancement of the attended items Eimer, , others p2 = .193) as well as target/distractor location  = 4.72, p = .013, ηp2 = .110). This may be due to a small sensory imbalance on trials where only the target or distractor was lateral as described by Hickey, McDonald, and Theeuwes  and six other non-task-related items. It is possible that with greater numbers of unattended but salient distractors, increases in the complexity and/or salience of the attended and unattended stimuli, or other manipulations of target and distractors, differences may yet be seen between adults and children. Additionally, Donnelly et al.  showed d


Protoopalina pingi Nie, 1935 is presented in this paper to complete Nie’s description at both light and scanning electron microscope levels. These organisms were collected from the recta of the frogs Hylarana guentheri Boulenger, 1882 and Pelophylax nigromaculatus Hallowell, 1861 from Jialing River, Sichuan Province and Honghu Lake, Hubei Province, respectively, in China. This is the first record of its occurrence in H. guentheri and P. nigromaculatus. The body of P. pingi is elongated and somewhat spindle-like in shape, slightly narrowed and bluntly rounded at the anterior extremity, while the posterior end is tapering or sharply pointed. The body surface is thickly flagellated, with the caudal tip being barren. The falx, located at the margin of the anterior end, is composed of a narrow band of kinetosomes. Four round or oval-shaped nuclei, usually arranged in a straight line, are situated in the middle region of the body. Comparisons are made between P. pingi and its congeners.A redescription of  Proteromonas within the order Slopalinida based on detailed ultrastructural study and believable phylogenetic analyses [Opalinids, originally discovered by Leeuwenhoek in 1683 , are mulanalyses , 20, 22.Cepedea Metcalf, 1920 and Opalina Duskinje and Valentin, 1835, while the subfamily Protoopalininae contains the genera Protoopalina Metcalf, 1918 and Zelleriella Metcalf, 1920.The family Opalinidae can be separated into two subfamilies, Protoopalininae and Opalininae, based on the shape of the cell body and the number of nuclei. The subfamily Opalininae is comprised of the genera Protoopalina is the most common genus of opalinids inhabiting anuran amphibians [Protoopalina have been found from the anuran amphibians. Protoopalina pingi was first discovered and named by Nie in 1935 from the intestines of Rana plancyi Lataste, 1880 [P. pingi are still unknown. After simple morphological information, no further data about this opalinid have been reported. The previous morphological data, however, are incomplete, and some descriptions of important taxonomic structures also need revision. This study adds to Nie’s description and attempts to contribute to the knowledge of this genus.phibians , 21. It H. guentheri and 104 P. nigromaculatus, were captured from Jialing River in Pengan county , Sichuan Province, China, in August 2011 and Honghu Lake , Hubei Province, China, in June 2012, respectively. They were transported alive to the laboratory for further examination. We obtained the permits allowing us to capture and sacrifice these specimens. All frog samples were dissected, with the intestines and recta being opened and put into Petri dishes for examination. Then a 0.65% saline solution was added to the samples and we waited for a few minutes to allow P. pingi to swim out of the gut contents. The flagellates were collected with a Pasteur micropipette and washed twice in distilled water.Host frogs, including 256 2 solution and stained with Heidenhain’s haematoxylin and a 1% Protargol solution. All measurements are in micrometres.For light microscopy, individuals were observed, measured and photographed in vivo using both bright-field and differential interference contrast microscopy . The remaining specimens were placed directly on coverslips, fixed in a saturated HgClFor scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the washed specimens were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.2M phosphate buffered saline  on a clean glass slide (1 cm × 1 cm), previously treated with 0.1% poly-L-Lysin and dried completely in air at room temperature (RT). After being washed with PBS three times, they were post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide at 4 °C for 1 h, followed by serial dehydration in acetone and critical point drying using a HCP-2 critical point dryer . Then the glass slide was mounted on an aluminium stub using double-sided adhesive tape and sputter-coated with a thin layer of gold in an IB-3 ion coater  before observing and photographing with a Quanta 200 SEM .H. guentheri examined and 42 of the 104 P. nigromaculatus examined were found to be infected with P. pingi. Large numbers of P. pingi were found in the recta of all frog hosts that contained them.One hundred and thirty-five of the 256 Hylarana guentheri Boulenger, 1882 and Pelophylax nigromaculatus Hallowell, 1861.Host: H. guentheri and 42 (40.4%) of 104 P. nigromaculatus were infected with this opalinid, respectively.Prevalence: Total 135 (52.7%) out of 256 Habitat: Rectum.Locality: Jialing River, in Pengan county, Sichuan Province, China; Honghu Lake, in Honghu City, Hubei Province, China.Deposited specimens: Slides 2012W001-003 of Heidenhain’s haematoxylin-stained specimens, and slides 2012W004-010 of Protargol-stained specimens have been deposited in Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, China.n = 20) and the width 31.1 μm  in vivo. The ratio of length to width is about 4:1. The body surface is thickly flagellated (n = 15) and in width 8.0 μm  in Protargol specimens. Many apparent corpuscles of uneven size can be observed over the cytoplasm  and larger nuclei than P. pingi (15–23 × 15–18.8 vs. 7–15 × 5–11.5 μm). P. quadrinucleata, inhabiting Rana guentheri, is smaller than our present opalinids for body size (58–109 × 10–18 vs. 93.6–144 × 21.6–48.4 μm). P. heleophrynes reported in tadpoles of Heleophryne rosei also has relatively smaller body dimensions than P. pingi (21–54 × 5.7–12 vs. 93.6–144 × 21.6–48.4 μm) in this paper. P. pomacantha found in the rectum of Angelfishes most resembles P. pingi considering the body size (157.2 × 28.3 vs. 93.6–144 × 21.6–48.4 μm), and the phenomenon that both of their caudal tips are barren of flagella. Morphological comparison among P. pingi and other similar species of Protoopalina are presented in With respect to the body outline and nucleus shape,  michyla , P. quadnucleata , P. heleophrynes  and P. pmacantha . All theP. pingi is recorded and redescribed in detail from H. guentheri and P. nigromaculatus. Future collections will be made at different stages of the hosts’ life cycles to determine if the trophonts always have four nuclei instead of the two usually found in Protoopalina, to determine if cysts are formed, to study its possible “infection” routes and further assess the host specificity.In conclusion, based on general morphological characteristics,


In the nanosol substrate, the molecular probe of acridine red (AR) exhibited a weak surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) peak at 1506 cm−1 due to its interaction with the rGO of rGO/AgNT. Upon addition of dopamine (DA), the competitive adsorption between DA and AR with the rGO took place, and the AR molecules were adsorbed on the AgNT aggregates with a strong SERS peak at 1506 cm−1 that caused the SERS peak increase. The increased SERS intensity is linear to the DA concentration in the range of 2.5–500 μmol/L. This new analytical system was investigated by SERS, fluorescence, absorption, transmission electron microscope (TEM), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques, and a SERS quantitative analysis method for DA was established, using AR as a label-free molecular probe.The reduced graphene oxide/silver nanotriangle (rGO/AgNT) composite sol was prepared by the reduction of silver ions with sodium borohydride in the presence of H Noble metal nanoparticles have been widely employed in various fields such as catalysis, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, biomarkers, and thermal therapy due to their unique physical and chemical properties –4. Espec2-hybridized carbon atoms, has become a research hot spot in the field of physics and materials since it exhibits remarkable electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties [Graphene, with an atomically thin structure that consists of spoperties . Howeveroperties . Graphenoperties . The unioperties –20. Receoperties , 22. By operties –25. Yangoperties  had reseoperties  had desioperties  had descoperties –31. As foperties –35.−7 to 1×10−5 mol/L DA can be detected by SERS technique [Dopamine (DA) is a catecholamine neurotransmitter associated with proper functioning of the central nervous system and is also an important marker for clinical disease; dopamine levels are connected to various pathologic states such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease –38. Therechnique . To date−4 mol/L acridine red solution, 1.0 mol/L NaCl, 0.01 mol/L AgNO3, 0.06 mol/L trisodium citrate, 30 % H2O2, 0.1 mol/L NaBH4, pH 6.0 Na2HPO4-NaH2PO4 buffer solution, 0.1 % GO, and 1.0×10−2 dopamine hydrochloride were prepared. A 43.1 μg/mL silver nanotriangle (AgNT) was prepared as follows [3, 3 mL 0.06 mol/L sodium citrate, 600 μL 30 % H2O2, and 600 μL 0.1 mol/L NaBH4 were added in turn with constant stirring for 15 min and diluted to 50 mL to obtain the AgNT sol; this mixture was then heated at 40 °C for 30 min to get rid of the excess H2O2 and NaBH4. The preparation of 43.1 μg/mL rGO/AgNT was the same as that of AgNT, except 5 mL of 0.1 % GO was injected into solution after the addition of NaBH4. All reagents were of analytical grade, and the water was highly pure sub-boiling water.A 1.0×10 follows , 52: in A model of DXR smart Raman spectrometer  was used with a laser wavelength of 633 nm and a power of 2.5 mW. A model of the F-7000 fluorescence spectrophotometer , a model of the TU-1901 double beam UV–vis spectrophotometer , a model of FEI Quanta 200 FEG scanning electron microscope , and a model of SK8200LH ultrasonic reactor  were used.−4 mol/L acridine red, and 10 μL 0.05 mol/L pH 6.0 Na2HPO4-NaH2PO4 buffer solution and a certain amount of DA were added into a 5-mL calibrated tube, diluted to 1 mL and mixed well. Then, 80 μL 1.0 mol/L NaCl was added and diluted to 2 mL. The SERS intensity at 1506 cm−1 (I) was recorded by a Raman spectrometer. A blank reagent (I)0 without DA was recorded, and the value of Δ I = I − (I)0 was calculated.A 400 μL 100 μg/mL rGO/AgNT, 35 μL 1.0×10Several groups have contributed to the knowledge that acridine orange (AO) can be bound on rGO to form an AO-rGO complex through electrostatic and π-π stacking interactions, resulting in the effective fluorescence quenching of AO , 54. The−1, respectively. These peaks were ascribed to the outside surface deformation of CH, ring breathing, bending vibration of aromatic CH, stretching vibration aromatic CH, bending vibration of NH, and bending vibration of aromatic C=C, respectively. When AR was mixed with rGO/AgNT, AR adsorbed on the rGO surface due to electrostatic and π-π stacking interactions; only a small amount of AR molecules were absorbed on the AgNT aggregate surface, and the SERS signal was weak. Upon addition of DA, there were strong interactions between DA and rGO that resulted in the AR desorption from the rGO; the desorbed AR molecules adsorbed on the AgNT aggregates and showed strong SERS effect. The SERS intensity of AR-rGO/AgNT-DA system at 1506 cm−1 increased linearly as the concentration of DA increased  increased with the DA increase. In the absence of DA, the blank value (I)0 is about 388. When DA concentrations are lower than 2.5 μmol/L, the I values are very close to the blank due to the unclear adsorption difference for the low-concentration DA. When the DA concentration is higher than 500 μmol/L, the I values hold constant due to the DA-saturated adsorption on the rGO/AgNT. When DA concentration (C) is in the range of 2.5–500 μmol/L, the increased SERS intensity ΔI at 1506 cm−1 increased linearly, with a regress equation of ΔI = 1.80C + 48, R2 of 0.9905, and a detection limit of 1.2 μmol/L  of 3.9–5.3 %. A recovery of 98.3–103 % was obtained when a known DA was added to the samples (Table For a quantitative method, a linear relationship exists in a fit range that is a linear range. For this SERS quantitative analysis method, the SERS intensity at 1506 cml/L Fig. . Each me−1 increased as the concentration of DA increased. A new SERS method was developed for the determination of DA over 2.5–500 μmol/L based on the label-free probe.The rGO/AgNT composite sol was prepared for SERS substrate. When AR and DA were added into the rGO/AgNT sol, competitive adsorption occurred between DA and AR around the rGO surface; DA has stronger affinity to rGO than that of AR that resulted in desorption of AR molecules from the rGO surface and adsorption on the AgNT aggregate surface that exhibited strong SERS effects. The intensity of SERS peak at 1506 cm


Acropora formosa, Echinopora lamellosa, Favia favus, Favites halicora, Porites sp., and Anacropora forbesi. Overall, PO activity of coral was significantly lower than that of zooxanthellae except for Favia favus. Coral colonies with lower PO and POD activities are prone to disease. Maximum antioxidant defensive enzymes were observed in Favia favus followed by Echinopora lamellose. It is concluded that assay of these enzymes can be used as biomarkers for identifying the susceptibility of corals towards coral bleaching induced by pathogen.The health and existence of coral reefs are in danger by an increasing range of environmental and anthropogenic impacts. The causes of coral reef decline include worldwide climate change, shoreline development, habitat destruction, pollution, sedimentation and overexploitation. These disasters have contributed to an estimated loss of 27% of the reefs. If the current pressure continues unabated, the estimated loss of coral reef will be about 60% by the year 2030. Therefore, the present study was aimed to analyze the enzymes involved in stress induced by coral pathogen and its resistance. We focused on the enzymes involved in melanin synthesis pathway (phenoloxidase (PO) and peroxidases (POD)) and free radical scavenging enzymes (super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT)) and glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) in selected scleractinian corals such as  The coral holobiont is comprised not only of coral animal and endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) but also of microbial communities such as bacteria, archaea, and fungi as well as numerous viruses , 2. As aProphenoloxidase is an important enzyme and a key component of innate immunity system of corals . Pathoge Acropora formosa (AC), (2) Echinopora lamellosa (EL), (3) Favia favus (FF), (4) Favites halicora (FH), (5) Porites sp. (POR), and (6) Anacropora forbesi (AN). Coral fragments of about 2 cm2 were collected using a hammer, stored in an ice pack, and immediately transported to the laboratory.Six different coral specimens were collected from three different locations, that is, from villundi theertham , Pamban , and Olaikuda  of the Palk Bay, southeast coast of India. Specimens were collected during low tide in the early morning in the month of April 2012. These were identified based on the morphological features and keys observed during collection of samples. The identified corals were (1)−1 phosphate buffer (pH-7.0) and were dissolved by sonication for 30 minutes in an ice bath. Triton X-100 (0.05%) solution was added to the sonicated suspension and kept for 10 minutes at room temperature and then the suspension was centrifuged at 14,000 rpm for 30 minutes and used as the zooxanthellae extract for protein and enzyme assays. The protein was estimated using standardized protocols prescribed by Lowry et al., 1951 [The coral samples were crushed using sterile sea water and the homogenate was obtained by centrifugation at 15,000 RPM for 15 minutes to separate the supernatant and pellets. The supernatant thus obtained was considered as substrate for the analysis of protein and enzyme activities of coral host  and the l., 1951 .μL of phosphate buffer (10 mmol−1 pH 6.0), 10 μL of sample extract , 40 μL of guaiacol (25 mmol−1), and 25 μL of H2O2 (20 mmol−1). The reaction was stopped by adding 5% H2SO4∙ POD activity was expressed as U·mg−1 protein. Units were calculated using a molar absorptivity of 2.66 × 104 M−1 cm−1 for tetraguaiacol or 3,3′-dimethoxy-4,4′-biphenoquinone [Peroxidase activity was assayed spectrophotometrically (SPECRTA max M2e) at 470 nm using guaiacol as a phenolic substrate with hydrogen peroxidase . Five mioquinone . Phenolo·mg−1 protein.Quantification of SOD activity was based on the ability of SOD to inhibit the reduction of NBT by superoxide . Two hun2O2 concentration at 240 nm. Working solution of 340 μL of 100 mM phosphate buffer with pH 7.0, 10 mM H2O2, and 660 μL of sample extract were mixed in a cuvette. The change in absorbance per minute at 240 nm was calculated. Enzyme activity was expressed in units of CAT activity and was expressed as U·mg−1 protein. One unit of CAT activity was defined as the amount of enzyme needed to reduce 1 μM H2O2·min−1 [Catalase activity was estimated by the method described by Aebi, 1984 . CatalasμL of tissue homogenate, 200 μL of phosphate buffer (0.4 M pH-7), 200 μL of 0.45 mM EDTA, 100 μL of 10 mM sodium azide, and 200 μL of GSH solution followed by 0.1 mL H2O2. The contents were incubated for 10 min at 37°C. In this mixture, 0.4 mL of 10% TCA was added to stop the reaction and the mixture was centrifuged at 3200 ×g for 20 min. The pellet was discarded and 0.5 mL of DTNB was added to the supernatant. The supernatant was assayed spectrophotometrically (SPECRTA max M2e) at 340 nm. One unit of glutathione peroxidase activity was defined as the amount of enzyme that oxidizes 1 μmol of reduced glutathione and GPx activity was expressed as U·mg−1 protein.Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity was determined using a slightly modified protocol of Rotruck et al., 1973 . The reaP < 0.05.Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the Graph-Pad Prism 5 software and the least significant differences were compared at  Porites sp., A. forbesi, E. lamellosa, F. halicora, A. formosa, and F. favus was 3.6, 1.8, 7.6, 1.5, 2.0, and 5.7 U·mg−1protein, respectively. Maximum PO activity was noticed in zooxanthellae of E. lamellosa and the minimum was noticed in F. halicora zooxanthellae extract. Maximum PO activities of zooxanthellae are exhibited by E. lamellosa.Phenoloxidase activity of both zooxanthellae and coral tissues of six healthy coral samples collected from the Palk Bay was presented in  Porites sp., A. forbesi, E. lamellosa, F. halicora, A. formosa, and F. favus was 2.7, 0.5, 1.5, 0.95, 1.2, and 5.9 U·mg−1 protein, respectively. Minimum and maximum PO activities were reported in the coral tissues of A. forbesi and F. favus, respectively  activity of both zooxanthellae and coral tissues of six different coral species is presented in  forbesi . POD act Porites sp., A. forbesi, E. lamellosa, F. halicora, A. formosa, and F. favus was 3.21, 0.34, 1.73, 1.13, 0.67, and 10.7 U·mg−1 protein, respectively. Maximum POD activity of coral tissues was found in F. favus and the minimum activity was found in A. forbesi  that splits H2O2 to oxygen and water, and the third antioxidant enzyme, that is, glutathione peroxides (GPx), that converts H2O2 and organic peroxides. Increased level of ROS activates these three antioxidant enzymes.The three major antioxidant enzymes are the superoxide dismutase (SOD) which produces H Porites sp., A. forbesi, E. lamellosa, F. halicora, A. formosa, and F. favus was 19.4, 4.7, 24, 4.7, 14.1, and 51.4 U·mg−1 protein, respectively. Maximum SOD activity was noticed in the zooxanthellae extract of F. favus, while A. forbesi and F. halicora exhibited low SOD activity  activities of zooxanthellae and coral tissues of six different coral species have been presented in ectively . CAT actactivity . CAT act Porites sp., A. forbesi, E. lamellosa, F. halicora, A. formosa, and F. favus was 2.1, 0.6, 2.2, 1.1, 2.1, and 5.0 U·mg−1 protein, respectively  activities of both zooxanthellae and coral tissues of six different corals were also estimated and presented in  E. lamellosa and F. halicora exhibited maximum and minimum GPx activities, respectively , hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hydroxyl radicals [2•− to H2O2 (SOD), convert H2O2 to water and oxygen (CAT), or use H2O2 to oxidize substrates (glutathione peroxidase) [ F. favus and E. lamellosa have strong resistance towards bleaching and disease and, at the same time, Anacropora forbesi are more susceptible to bleaching and diseases [2 production during photosynthesis of its particular host.Peroxidase activity induction includes oxidation of substrates and cytotoxic molecules , 17 whicgillosis . In our radicals , therebyoxidase) . The pridiseases . The SOD2O2 concentrations in the zooxanthellae [The maximum catalase activity was observed in zooxanthellae compared to coral tissue. This may be due to the conversion of superoxide ion produced during photosynthesis into hydroxyl ion which was denoted by the increase in GPx and SOD activity, which in turn resulted in hydrogen peroxide free radical in the zooxanthellae. Hence, the increase in CAT activities was observed as a result of increased Hnthellae .2O2 as a compensatory mechanism under severe oxidative challenge where the catalase activity may be inhibited [Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) plays a vital role in cleaving Hnhibited , 34. Thenhibited . E. lamellosa, followed by F. favus and Porites sp., were exhibited maximum activities of defensive enzymes. Accordingly, it was concluded that these corals were highly resistant towards the coral pathogens. While the corals of A. formosa, F. halicora, and A. forbesi exhibited minimum activities of the defensive enzymes indicating susceptibility to coral pathogens, these susceptible corals are prone to disease and should be prioritized to prevent transmittance of disease.The present study focused on the enzymes involved in the coral resistance among the selected coral species of the Palk Bay region, southeast coast of India. The results of this study described that the corals


This study examined the structure of impulsivity within gambling disorder. A group of 51 men and 53 women with gambling disorder completed self-report and behavioral measures of impulsivity. Principal component analyses found two factors. The first was interpreted as measuring trait impulsivity. This factor correlated with problem gambling severity, presence of comorbid mental health and substance use disorders, history of brain injury, and was higher in Aboriginal participants. The second factor had high loadings on the self-reported sensation-seeking scales and the behavioural measures of response impulsivity. This factor correlated with overall gambling involvement but not with indicators of pathology. Higher scores were associated with younger age. These results are consistent with an evolving model of the etiology of disordered gambling that suggests that sensation-seeking is related to gambling involvement but that trait impulsivity and mental health struggles are associated with the development of gambling disorder. Impulsivity is a complex multidimensional construct that is associated with numerous mental disorders including personality disorders such as antisocial and borderline disorders, attention deficit, bipolar, eating, substance use and gambling disorders  were recruited through media advertisement. Inclusion criteria were age 18 or older, and a score of 8 or greater on the Problem Gambling Severity Index , version 11 , motor impulsiveness (I act on impulse), and non-planning (I do things without thinking). Internal reliability in this sample was α = .62, .68, and .72.A number of self-report scales were administered. The Eysenck Impulsivity Scale (I7) , venturesomeness  and empathy . The first two subscales are measures of aspects of impulsivity and the third subscale, which provides “buffer” items, was excluded from these analyses. Internal reliability in this sample was α = .86 for venturesomeness and .86 for impulsiveness.The Impulsive Sensation Seeking Scale of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire III  and 11 measuring sensation-seeking . Internal reliability in this sample was α = .80 for impulsivity and .77 for sensation-seeking.The Adult ADHD Rating Scales- Short Version  and parallel analysis  was conducted using SPSS, V 21. The variables included were: I7 impulsiveness, I7 venturesomeness, CPT Commissions, CPT reaction time, Isis Horn . Oblim aOf the 104 participants, 51 % were female. The mean age was 43.5 years  and the mean years of education was 14.6 . In terms of marital status, 28.8 % were single, 38.5 % married or common-law, 28.8 % divorced and 2.9 % widowed. Over half (56.7 %) worked full or part-time, 12.5 % were unemployed and 11.5 % retired. In terms of ethnicity, 72.0 % reported Caucasian, 20.2 % Aboriginal, 5.8 % Asian, and 3.0 % mixed.All participants exceeded the cut-off for problem gambling of 8 on the PGSI , and met the DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorder . Participants reported engaging in a mean of 6.5 types of gambling (SD = 3.6). About a third (35 %) reported problems with video lottery terminals, 23 % slot machines, 13 % casino games, and 6 % bingo.Unexpectedly, 53 % of participants reported a history of brain injury during the clinical interview, with 19 % reporting two or more injuries, 36 % reporting experiencing a loss of consciousness, and 31 % reporting being hospitalized as a result of the injury. Regarding cardiovascular problems, 8.7 % reported a history of stroke or heart attack, and participants also reported a range of other problems including most frequently migraines and headaches (11.5 %), mood disorders (5.8 %), angina or hypertension (5.8 %), and diabetes (4.8 %).χ2 (66) = 592.6, p < .0001, indicating good factorability of these variables. The PCA yielded three Eigenvalues greater than one, accounting for 67.5 % of the variance. Examination of the distribution of the Eigenvalues and the parallel analyses test indicated that two factors be rotated. Varimax rotation yielded a clear factor loading pattern. Table Table Table This study is the first to explore the structure of the broad construct of impulsivity in individuals diagnosed with disordered gambling. Two factors were uncovered, one measuring general trait impulsivity and the other measuring sensation-seeking and CPT performance. The general impulsivity factor was characterized by loadings on the self-report measures designed to assess the overall trait impulsiveness  as well as the three BIS Impulsivity subscales and the three Connors’ ADHD subscales, all of which loaded equally and strongly on this factor. The second factor was characterized by loadings on the two self-report scales measuring sensation-seeking and the two measures derived from the CPT. The CPT commission errors score, indicating impulsive responding to expected visual stimuli, loaded positively, and CPT Reaction Time score, with low scores indicting a lack of sustained attention and vigilance, loaded negatively. This two factor model differs somewhat from previous two factor conceptualizations in the substance abuse literature that group trait impulsivity self-report scales and motor response inhibition indices, such as the CPT measures, together . In contrast, these results suggest that any of the common self-report measures is a reasonable proxy for the impulsivity factor associated with pathology. This is particularly good news as longitudinal studies of the onset of gambling disorder most often include these relatively brief indicators of the construct. These results suggest that such measures represent an important aspect of impulsivity. Similarly, measures of sensation-seeking are proxies for the sensation-seeking/response impulsivity factor, and measuring this aspect of impulsivity has incremental validity. Future research is required to cross validate these factors, including additional measures that represent cognitive, personality and behavioral aspects in a more balanced fashion, and in larger samples.