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River stage (surface water level H), discharge (volumetric water flow rate Q), and seasonal ice cover (freeze-up timing F, and break-up timing B) are crucial observables for hydrology and water cycle science. In-situ river gauging measurements of H, Q, F, and B are laborious and costly to install and maintain at a limited number of locations. It will be a breakthrough to use satellite data for global river measurements on a nearly-daily basis with multi-decadal data records. Passive microwave radiometer (PMR) data have been collected from space globally since the 1980s. Nevertheless, the typical satellite PMR resolution is coarse (10s km), which is much larger than general river widths. The key question is how PMR can possibly measure the river parameters. The answer is physically founded on the first principle of Maxwell equations to derive vector wave equations for all polarization combinations in heterogeneous multi-layered geophysical media. The wave equations are solved with dyadic Green’s functions subject to boundary conditions. The renormalization method is applied to determine the effective permittivity in each layer while all multiple wave-boundary interactions are included. To circumvent the limitation of the isothermal condition in the Kirchhoff approach, the fluctuation-dissipation theorem is used to calculate the brightness temperatureTb(h) for the horizontal polarization (the first modified Stoke parameter), Tb(v) for the vertical polarization (the second parameter), the polarization cross-correlation amplitude U (the third parameter), and the phase V (the fourth parameter).Based on this physical foundation, a protocol to derive the river observables (H, Q, F, and B) is developed due to the high sensitivity of microwave emissivity of water versus ice and soil conveyed in the brightness temperatures. This overcomes and renders the high spatial resolution requirement unnecessary for river remote sensing by wide-swath PMR for global river observations on a daily or near-daily basis. The PMR method relies on the total areal change of river water within the footprint rather than depending on the river width per se. As such, PMR can measure a narrow river when its meandering makes a sufficient total surface area in the PMR footprint. The PMR method is also robust against short-term river channel migration and in-stream sand bars that can be changed by river sedimentation and dynamic processes.To demonstrate the PMR capability for river monitoring, examples of satellite results for river measurements are compared and validated with in-situ river gauging time-series data records for various rivers from the tropics to cold land regions using PMR data at Ka-band such as AMSR-E, AMSR2, TRMM, and GPM and at L-band such as SMOS and SMAP. The capability to measure global rivers allows PMR satellite missions to address hydrology and water cycle science as a key contribution, including the future Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) to be launched in the 2025+ time frame, further extending the existing long-term data records for river measurements. Moreover, a significant advance of water cycle science is expected with the synergy of PMR together with SWOT successfully launched by NASA in December 2023.

Cryoconite is a mixture of mineral and organic material covering glacial ice, playing important roles in biogeochemical cycles and lowering the albedo of a glacier's surface. Understanding the differences in structure of cryoconite across the globe can be important in recognizing past and future changes in supraglacial environments and ice-organisms-dust interactions. Despite the worldwide distribution and over a century of studies, the basic characteristics of cryoconite, including its forms and geochemistry, remain poorly studied. The major purpose of our study is the presentation and description of morphological diversity, chemical and photoautotrophs composition, and organic matter content of cryoconite sampled from 33 polar and mountain glaciers around the globe. Observations revealed that cryoconite included various morphologies including loose and granular forms. Granular cryoconite includes smooth, rounded, or irregularly shaped forms; with some having their surfaces covered by cyanobacteria filaments. The occurrence of granules increased with the organic matter content in cryoconite. Moreover, a major driver of cryoconite colouring was the concentration of organic matter and its interplay with minerals. The structure of cyanobacteria and algae communities in cryoconite differs between glaciers, but representatives of cyanobacteria families Pseudanabaenaceae and Phormidiaceae, and algae families Mesotaeniaceae and Ulotrichaceae were the most common. The most of detected cyanobacterial taxa are known to produce polymeric substances (EPS) that may cementing matter and form granules. Organic matter content in cryoconite varied between glaciers, ranging from 1% to >40%. The geochemistry of all the investigated samples reflected local sediment sources, except of highly concentrated Pb and Hg in cryoconite collected from European glaciers near industrialized regions, corroborating cryoconite as element-specific collectors and potential environmental indicator of anthropogenic activity. Our work supports a notion that cryoconite may be more than just simple sediment and instead exhibits complex structure with relevance for biodiversity and the functioning of glacial ecosystems.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of hydrophilic microcrystalline cellulose, hydrophobic talc and mixtures of cellulose and talc when used as fillers in powdered bath cosmetics. A number of model formulations were developed that contained fillers in different compositions. Prototypical formulations were prepared and evaluated for their functional properties and skin-drying effect. An increase in the concentration of talc was found to reduce the ability of the formulations to emulsify fatty soils and, consequently, decrease the skin-drying effect after washing. Another result of the study is that a high content of talc does not significantly impair the foaming ability, and the presence of talc improves the stability of generated foam.

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) was used to classify rabbits that were induced to have liver disease by placing them on a fatty diet for a defined duration and/or periodically injecting them with CCl(4). The ground truth of the liver state was based on lipid liver percents estimated via the Folch assay and hydroxyproline concentration to quantify fibrosis. Rabbits were scanned ultrasonically in vivo using a SonixOne scanner and an L9–4/38 linear array. Liver fat percentage was classified based on the ultrasonic backscattered radio-frequency (RF) signals from the livers using either QUS or a 1D convolutional neural network (CNN). Use of QUS parameters with linear regression and canonical correlation analysis (CCA) demonstrated that the QUS parameters could differentiate between livers with lipid levels above or below 5%. However, the QUS parameters were not sensitive to fibrosis. The CNN was implemented by analyzing raw RF ultrasound signals without using separate reference data. The CNN output the classification of liver as either above or below a threshold of 5% fat level in the liver. The CNN outperformed the classification utilizing the QUS parameters combine with a support vector machine (SVM) in differentiating between low and high lipid liver levels, i.e., accuracies of 74% versus 59% on the testing data. Therefore, while the CNN did not provide a physical interpretation of the tissue properties, e.g., attenuation of the medium or scatterer properties, the CNN had much higher accuracy in predicting fatty liver state and did not require an external reference scan.

Purpose The aim of the study was first to examine the heterogeneity of body image and resources, as described by the conservation of resources theory (COR), in a sample of psoriatic patients and explore whether heterogeneity within these variables explains the possible differences in levels of life satisfaction among the participants. Second, we aimed to investigate if life satisfaction level among the observed profiles of psoriatic patients, extracted on the basis of their body image and resources, differed from that of the healthy comparison group. Methods The sample consisted of 735 participants, including 355 adults with a medical diagnosis of psoriasis and 380 healthy adults recruited from a non-clinical general population. Participants filled the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire and the COR evaluation questionnaire. Results Latent profile analysis revealed four classes of psoriatic patients with different levels of resources and body image. The group with the highest level of resources and the most positive body image did not differ from the healthy comparison group regarding satisfaction with life. The group with the lowest level of resources and the most negative body image was characterized by the lowest satisfaction with life. Conclusions The results of our study may change the simplifying trend that highlights the traditionally very poor well-being of psoriatic patients. Moreover, the discovery of specific profiles of these patients, which differ with regard to psychological variables, can lead to rethinking contemporary forms of psychological counselling in psoriatic patients.

The chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model of depression in mice is a model commonly used to investigate stress-induced depressive-like behaviours. The duration of the stress-inducing procedure is variable, thus making it difficult to compare results and draw general conclusions from different protocols. Here, we decided to investigate how the duration of the CUMS procedure affects behavioural changes, body weight as well as the level of plasma corticosterone in stressed and nonstressed C57BL/6J mice subjected to CUMS for 18 or 36 days. We found that 18 days of CUMS induced a robust decrease in grooming time in the splash test and a significant increase in the immobility time in the tail suspension test (TST) and the forced swim test (FST). All of these stress-induced depression-related behavioural effects diminished or even disappeared after 36 days of CUMS. Plasma corticosterone levels were increased in the CUMS mice compared to those in the nonstressed mice. However, this effect was more pronounced in mice stressed for 18 days. On the other hand, a gradual decline in weight loss in the stressed animals was observed as the duration of the CUMS procedure increased. Altogether, the results indicate that 18 days of CUMS did not affect body weight but caused significant behavioural effects as well as a robust increase in corticosterone levels, while 36 days of CUMS induced significant reduction in weight gain but only slight or even non-significant behavioural effects. These results may indicate the presence of adaptive changes to the long-term CUMS procedure in C57BL/6J mice.

Artificial boxes are commonly used in studies of cavity-dwelling animals of various taxa. One advantage of nest boxes is that cameras can be used to monitor animals inside the cavity, however, most cameras used today have to be built de novo or modified or are expensive.Here, we describe a method for monitoring nest boxes using off-the-shelf models of trail cameras that can record photographs and videos in daylight and darkness (TCM; Trail Camera Method). The cameras can record sequentially within a given time lapse or an infra-red motion sensor can be triggered by activity in the nest box.Using TCM in a Great Tit (

Scopolamine, a muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist, exerts fast and prolonged antidepressant effects in the clinic. In contrast, the current treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) require long-term drug administration. On the other hand, the sole use of scopolamine might be related to the high risk of adverse effects. Therefore, it may be preferable to reduce its therapeutic dose. A new approach might include the co-administration of low-dose scopolamine with selected ligands of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors, which are known to possess antidepressant-like activity in several rodent tests and models of depression. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential antidepressant activity of low-dose scopolamine combined with an allosteric agonist of mGlu7 receptors, AMN082 in C57BL/6 mice. It was found that the combination of scopolamine (0.1 mg/kg) and AMN082 (1 mg/kg) exerted significant antidepressant-like effects in the tail suspension test (TST), but these effects were not observed in the mGlu7−/− mice. Furthermore, low-dose AMN082 co-administered with low-doses scopolamine (0.03 and 0.1 mg/kg) induced antidepressant-like activity in the forced swim test (FST) in mice. The tested compounds did not affect locomotor activity and did not impair spatial memory in the Morris water maze (MWM) test or motor coordination in the rotarod test. The results strongly indicated that there is an enhanced antidepressant-like action of scopolamine by AMN082. Co-administration of scopolamine with AMN082 might be a new strategy with better efficacy and a lower risk of adverse effects compared with the sole use of scopolamine or AMN082.

In ultrasonic imaging, reduction of lateral sidelobes can result in an improved image with less distortion and fewer artifacts. In general, apodization is used to lower sidelobes in exchange for increasing the width of the main lobe, and thus decreasing lateral resolution. Null subtraction imaging (NSI) is a nonlinear image processing technique that uses different receive apodizations on copies of the same RF data to maintain low sidelobe levels while simultaneously improving lateral resolution. The images created with three different apodization functions are combined to form an image with low sidelobe levels and apparent improvements in lateral resolution compared to conventional rectangular apodization. To evaluate the performance of this technique for different imaging tasks, experiments were performed on an ATS539 phantom containing wire targets to assess lateral resolution and cylindrical anechoic and hyperechoic targets to assess contrast. NSI images were compared against rectangular apodized images and minimum variance beamformed images. In experiments, the apparent lateral resolution was observed to improve by a factor of more than $35\times $ when compared to rectangular apodization. Image quality was assessed by the estimation of lateral resolution (−6-dB receive beamwidth), main-lobe-to-sidelobe ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Imaging with NSI using a focal number of 2 (f/2), the −6-dB beamwidth on receive as measured from a small wire target in the ATS phantom was $0.03\lambda $ compared to $2.79\lambda $ for rectangular apodization. Sidelobes were observed to decrease by 32.9 dB with NSI compared to rectangular apodization. However, the ability to observe the contrast of anechoic and hyperechoic targets reduced when utilizing the NSI scheme, i.e., the CNR decreased from −3.05 to −1.01 for anechoic targets and 1.65 to 0.45 for the hyperechoic targets.

As in other human tissues, determination of the content of elements in dentition may be of significance in disease diagnostics. Zinc and magnesium are bioelements that play an important role in humans. The tissue and serum concentrations of these elements may be linked to numerous diseases; thus, they may be useful biomarkers in the early detection of diseases. The objective of this study was to compare the content of zinc and magnesium in teeth extracted for clinical reasons from patients of both genders in different age groups, who were diagnosed with the following medical conditions: cardiovascular diseases, digestive diseases, infectious disorders, other chronic diseases, and hereditary diseases. Furthermore, the study attempted to determine the effect of the drugs used by the patients on the content of zinc and magnesium in their teeth. After cleaning and fragmenting, the extracted teeth were mineralized, and subsequently the content of the investigated elements was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. In patients with chronic diseases, who continuously received drugs, a statistically significantly higher level of zinc (p0.001) and magnesium (p0.001) was observed as compared with the patients who did not take those medicines. People without chronic diseases but having cardiovascular diseases also exhibited a higher level of zinc. The highest zinc level in teeth was determined in people aged above 50 (p = 0.11). Furthermore, the levels of zinc and magnesium in the teeth of the study group were related and an increase in zinc concentration was observed with an increase in the concentration of magnesium (p0.001). Moreover, a statistically significant correlation was observed between the age of the examined people and the level of zinc (p0.04). The older patient had the higher the level of zinc in teeth. The level of magnesium was statistically significantly higher in the teeth of persons with other chronic diseases (p = 0.01) and those who were on medication (p0.001). The accumulation of zinc and magnesium in the teeth of patients is partially a result of the physiological and pathological processes occurring in aged humans. For this reason, determination of the content of these elements in teeth, which are intended for disposal according to standards, could offer diagnostic information and enable restricting the effect of pathological environmental factors on the patient's health status.

Despite the relevance of chemical communication in vertebrates, comparative examinations of macroevolutionary trends in chemical signaling systems are scarce. Many turtle and tortoise species are reliant on chemical signals to communicate in aquatic and terrestrial macrohabitats, and many of these species possess specialized integumentary organs, termed mental glands (MGs), involved in the production of chemosignals. We inferred the evolutionary history of MGs and tested the impact of macrohabitat on their evolution. Inference of ancestral states along a time-calibrated phylogeny revealed a single origin in the ancestor of the subclade Testudinoidea. Thus, MGs represent homologous structures in all descending lineages. We also inferred multiple independent losses of MGs in both terrestrial and aquatic clades. Although MGs first appeared in an aquatic turtle (the testudinoid ancestor), macrohabitat seems to have had little effect on MG presence or absence in descendants. Instead, we find clade-specific evolutionary trends, with some clades showing increased gland size and morphological complexity, whereas others exhibiting reduction or MG loss. In sister clades inhabiting similar ecological niches, contrasting patterns (loss vs. maintenance) may occur. We conclude that the multiple losses of MGs in turtle clades have not been influenced by macrohabitat and that other factors have affected MG evolution.

There are about 3000 species of mushrooms, which have a high amount of substances that are beneficial to human health, such as antioxidants. It is well known that oxidative stress plays an important role in the etiopathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and diseases of the central nervous system. One way to prevent homeostasis disorders that occur as a result of excessive production of pro-oxidative substances is to include the ingredients having antioxidant properties in the diet. Several compounds, such as those with phenolic and indole derivatives as well as carotenoids and some vitamins, exhibit antioxidant activity. These substances are present in many foods, including mushrooms. In addition, they have certain unique compounds that are not found in other sources (e.g., norbadione A). The present work discusses selected ingredients exhibiting antioxidant activity, which are found in various species of mushrooms as wells as describes the content of these compounds in the extracts obtained from mushrooms using artificial digestive juice.

Targeting PRMT5 in MTAP-deleted tumors in a synthetic lethal approach represents a promising antitumor strategy across many tumor types. Metabolic gene MTAP is localized at the 9p21 chromosome in the close proximity to CDKN2A tumor-suppressor locus. Co-deletion of MTAP may be observed in 80-90% of all tumors harboring homozygous deletion of CDKN2A, which represents 10-15% of all human tumors. MTAP deletion results in a massive accumulation of methylotioadenosine (MTA) in cells. MTA in high concentrations is a selective inhibitor of PRMT5 type II methyltransferase. PRMT5 conjugated with WD-repeat containing protein (WDR77) builds methylosome, which regulates essential cellular functions via symmetric demethylation (SDMA) of target proteins involved in regulation of gene expression, RNA splicing, signal transduction, metabolism and other functions. Accumulation of MTA in cells with MTAP deletion causes a partial inhibition of the methylation activity of PRMT5, which in turn reduces the level of symmetric arginine dimethylation of the whole proteome, and thus an increased sensitivity of cells to modulation of the methylosome activity. Therapeutic targeting of PRMT5 in homozygous MTAP-deleted cancers constitute a promising strategy of selective killing of genetically defined cancer cells. Currently available clinical stage PRMT5 small molecule inhibitors are not MTA-cooperative and therefore are not selective in tumors harboring MTAP deletion. Here we present MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitors, which selectively inhibit the growth of MTAP deleted cancer cells. Ryvu has identified a series of MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitors which have good drug-like physicochemical properties and block methyltransferase activity with nanomolar IC50 values. Ryvu compounds selectively inhibit growth of MTAP deleted cancer cells in prolonged 3D culture, which strongly correlates with inhibition of PRMT5-dependent protein symmetric demethylation (SDMA) in those cells. Selectivity between effects observed in MTAP deleted and WT cells exceeds 100-fold both for SDMA and growth inhibition. The DMPK profile of these compounds allows for oral administration, which enables testing dose-dependent antitumor activity in MTAP null tumor xenograft-bearing mice. Overall, these studies provide rationale for further optimization of chemical series towards clinical candidate. Citation Format: Oleksandr Levenets, Anna Bartosik, Marta Sowińska, Karol Zuchowicz, Sujit Sasmal, Klara Korta-Piątek, Adam Radzimierski, Paulina Niedziejko, Oleksandr Popika, Mateusz Świrski, Agata Stachowicz, Maciej Mikulski, Magdalena Sieprawska-Lupa, Katarzyna Banaszak, Kinga Michalik, Kamil Kuś, Monika Madej, Adrian Podkowa, Karolina Gluza, Grzegorz Satała, Ewelina Cieluch, Dobrosława Krzemień, Andrzej Gondela, Grzegorz Ćwiertnia, Marek Wronowski, Nicolas Boutard, Aleksandra Więckowska, Joanna Zezula, Justyna Jabłońska, Mirosława Gładysz, Igor Tomczyk, Jacek Faber, Marcin Serocki, Eliza Drwal, Kamila Kozłowska-Tomczyk, Marta Skoda, Martin Swarbrick, Krzysztof Brzózka, Mateusz Nowak. Discovery of novel MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitors as a targeted therapeutics for MTAP deleted cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1806.

Despite evidence from anatomy, behavior and genomics indicating that the sense of smell in turtles is important, our understanding of chemical communication in this group is still rudimentary. Our aim was to describe the microanatomy of mental glands (MGs) in a freshwater turtle,Mauremys leprosa(Geoemydidae), and to assess the chemical composition of their secretions with respect to variation among individuals and between sexes. MGs are paired sac-like organs on the gular region of the neck and are dimorphic in this species with males having fully functional holocrine glands while those of females appear non-secretory and vestigial. In adult males, the glandular epithelium of the inner portion of the gland provides exocytotic products as well as cellular debris into the lumen of the gland. The contents of the lumen can be secreted through the narrow duct portion of the gland ending in an orifice on the surface of the skin. Females have invaginated structures similar in general outline to male glands, but lack a glandular epithelium. Using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, we identified a total of 61 compounds in mental gland secretions, the most numerous being carboxylic acids, carbohydrates, alkanes, steroids and alcohols. The number of compounds per individual varied widely (mean (median) ± SD = 14.54 (13) ± 8.44; min = 3; max = 40), but only cholesterol was found in all samples. We found that the relative abundances of only six chemicals were different between the sexes, although males tended to have larger amounts of particular compounds. Although the lipid fraction of mental gland secretions is rich in chemical compounds, most occur in both sexes suggesting that they are metabolic byproducts with no role in chemical signaling. However, the relative amounts of some compounds tended to be higher in males, with significantly larger amounts of two carboxylic acids and one steroid, suggesting their putative involvement in chemical communication.