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Internationally adopted adolescents who are adopted as young children from conditions of poverty and deprivation have poorer physical and mental health outcomes than do adolescents conceived, born, and raised in the United States by families similar to those who adopt internationally. Using a sample of Russian and Eastern European adoptees to control for Caucasian race and US birth, and nonadopted offspring of well-educated and well-resourced parents to control for postadoption conditions, we hypothesized that the important differences in environments, conception to adoption, might be reflected in epigenetic patterns between groups, specifically in DNA methylation. Thus, we conducted an epigenome-wide association study to compare DNA methylation profiles at approximately 416,000 individual CpG loci from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 50 adopted youth and 33 nonadopted youth. Adopted youth averaged 22 months at adoption, and both groups averaged 15 years at testing; thus, roughly 80% of their lives were lived in similar circumstances. Although concurrent physical health did not differ, cell-type composition predicted using the DNA methylation data revealed a striking difference in the white blood cell-type composition of the adopted and nonadopted youth. After correcting for cell type and removing invariant probes, 30 CpG sites in 19 genes were more methylated in the adopted group. We also used an exploratory functional analysis that revealed that 223 gene ontology terms, clustered in neural and developmental categories, were significantly enriched between groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT The relations between early deprivation and the development of the neuroendocrine and central components of the mammalian stress response have been examined frequently. However, little is known about the impact of early deprivation on the developmental trajectories of autonomic function. Children adopted between 15-36 months from institutional care were examined during their first 16 months post-adoption ( N = 60). Comparison groups included same-aged peers reared in their birth families ( N = 50) and children adopted internationally from overseas foster care ( N = 46). The present study examined trajectories of baseline autonomic nervous system function longitudinally following entry into adopted families. Post-institutionalized children had higher sympathetic tone, measured by pre-ejection period (PEP). Individual differences in PEP soon after adoption served as a mediator between early deprivation and parent-reported behavioral problems 2 years post-adoption. There were no group differences in parasympathetic function, indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia. All three groups showed similar trajectories of ANS function across the 16 month period. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 58: 328-340, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of single cell proteins ( Kluyveromyces marxianus) as fishmeal substitutes for Oreochromis niloticus during long-term feeding under natural climatic conditions. Juveniles (150) were divided into two groups: the control group, fed with conventional fish diet (T1); and the experimental group, fed with the alternative diet (T2). T1 animals had a higher final weight and per cent weight gain than T2 animals, which we mainly observed in winter and autumn. The lipid content ranged from 1.9% to 3.8% in liver and from 0.2% to 1% in white muscle for both groups. T2 animals had a higher protein concentration in the fillet and the lipid content in this tissue was not altered by diet. Liver and plasma protein content in both groups and the muscle content in T1 decreased during growth. Specific fatty acids ( FAs) were selectively retained in fillet phospholipids ( PLs), primarily as C22:6n3, which was found at high levels in the PLs of both groups during all seasons. Despite the differences observed, the percentage of polyunsaturated FAs in the fillet was similar throughout the experiment for both diets, reaching approximately 50% of the total FA in the PLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plate-agar technique for fungal screening was applied to evaluate the xylanolytic activities of 18 Penicillium janthinellum and 10 Aspergillus sydowi species from the Amazon region. In order to compare these genera with those of other regions, one Aspergillus sp., one P. janthinellum, and 12 unknown genera from the southern region of Chile were studied. From these fungi strain, A. sydowi (56 strain) (25.2 IU/mL), P. janthinellum (671 strain) (47.3 IU/mL) from Amazonia, P. janthinellum (X4Z2 strain) (9.5 IU/mL), and an Aspergillus sp. (X2M1 strain) (33.3 IU/mL) from the southern region of Chile were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lignin biodegradation process has an important role in the carbon cycle of the biosphere. The study of this natural process has developed mainly with the use of basidiomycetes in laboratory investigations. This has been a logical approach since most of the microorganisms involved in lignocellulosic degradation belong to this class of fungi. However, other microorganisms such as ascomycetes and also some bacteria, are involved in the lignin decaying process. This work focuses on lignin biodegradation by a microorganism belonging to the ascomycete class, Chrysonilia sitophila. Lignin peroxidase production and characterization, mechanisms of lignin degradation (lignin model compounds and lignin in wood matrix) and biosynthesis of veratryl alcohol are outstanding. Applications of C. sitophila for effluent treatment, wood biodegradation and single-cell protein production are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect on the gas transport properties of Matrimid®5218 of blending with the polymer of intrinsic microporosity PIM-EA(H2)-TB was studied by pure and mixed gas permeation measurements. Membranes of the two neat polymers and their 50/50 wt % blend were prepared by solution casting from a dilute solution in dichloromethane. The pure gas permeability and diffusion coefficients of H2, He, O2, N2, CO2 and CH4 were determined by the time lag method in a traditional fixed volume gas permeation setup. Mixed gas permeability measurements with a 35/65 vol % CO2/CH4 mixture and a 15/85 vol % CO2/N2 mixture were performed on a novel variable volume setup with on-line mass spectrometric analysis of the permeate composition, with the unique feature that it is also able to determine the mixed gas diffusion coefficients. It was found that the permeability of Matrimid increased approximately 20-fold with the addition of 50 wt % PIM-EA(H2)-TB. Mixed gas permeation measurements showed a slightly stronger pressure dependence for selectivity of separation of the CO2/CH4 mixture as compared to the CO2/N2 mixture, particularly for both the blended membrane and the pure PIM. The mixed gas selectivity was slightly higher than for pure gases, and although N2 and CH4 diffusion coefficients strongly increase in the presence of CO2, their solubility is dramatically reduced as a result of competitive sorption. A full analysis is provided of the difference between the pure and mixed gas transport parameters of PIM-EA(H2)-TB, Matrimid®5218 and their 50:50 wt % blend, including unique mixed gas diffusion coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper presents Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as a powerful alternative to the more commonly used tensile tests for the analysis of the mechanical properties of polymeric membranes. The Young's modulus measurements by the traditional tensile tests were compared with AFM operated in Force Spectroscopy mode. AFM measurements were carried out with nanometric and micrometric tips on dense membranes of neat Pebax®1657 and on mixed matrix membranes of Pebax®1657 with different concentrations of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [BMIM][BF 4 ]. The use of a nanometric AFM tip enables the determination of the local Young's modulus of the individual domains of the microphase-separated block-copolymer, while a larger tip gives average values of the bulk polymer. We found excellent correlation between the data obtained with common tensile tests and those obtained in compression by AFM with the micrometric tip, with important additional information on morphological features, when using the nanometric tip. This offers good perspectives for the analysis of samples where traditional tensile tests cannot be used, for instance composite membranes or particularly small samples. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • Self-standing [BMIM][BF 4 ]/Pebax®1657 membranes were successfully prepared. • AFM force spectroscopy determines mechanical properties of membranes. • Good quantitative agreement between tensile tests and force spectroscopy. • Nano-scale and bulk properties can be analysed, depending on the tip size. • A silicon environment reduces capillary forces and improves data quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although internationally adopted children experience elevated sleep problems and psychosocial difficulties, little research has evaluated predictors and correlates of sleep issues in this population. The current study aims to address gaps in current research by examining associations between pre-adoptive risk, sleep disturbance, emotion lability/negativity, and internalizing and externalizing behavior in a sample of internationally adopted children. Parents completed questionnaires about the children’s (N = 109; M age = 7.9, SD = 1.5; 39.6% male, 60.4% female) history, behavior, and functioning. Results reveal that sleep difficulties and emotion lability/negativity later in childhood mediated the relation between pre-adoptive conditions and internalizing and externalizing behavior in a sample of internationally adopted children. Future studies of internationally adopted children are needed to continue exploring trajectories of sleep problems and other self-regulatory difficulties in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]