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et al., Human brain structure changes throughout the lifespan. Altered brain growth or rates of decline are implicated in a vast range of psychiatric, developmental and neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we identified common genetic variants that affect rates of brain growth or atrophy in what is, to our knowledge, the first genome-wide association meta-analysis of changes in brain morphology across the lifespan. Longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging data from 15,640 individuals were used to compute rates of change for 15 brain structures. The most robustly identified genes GPR139, DACH1 and APOE are associated with metabolic processes. We demonstrate global genetic overlap with depression, schizophrenia, cognitive functioning, insomnia, height, body mass index and smoking. Gene set findings implicate both early brain development and neurodegenerative processes in the rates of brain changes. Identifying variants involved in structural brain changes may help to determine biological pathways underlying optimal and dysfunctional brain development and aging., The ENIGMA-Plasticity Working Group is part of the ENIGMA World Aging Center, funded by NIA grants R56 AG058854 and R01 AG058854. The ENIGMA Consortium core funding was supported by NIH Consortium Grant U54 EB020403, supported by a cross-NIH alliance that funds Big Data to Knowledge Centers of Excellence. 1000BRAINS: 1000BRAINS is a population-based cohort based on the Heinz-Nixdorf Recall Study and is supported, in part, by the German National Cohort. We thank the Heinz Nixdorf Foundation (Germany) for their generous support in terms of the Heinz Nixdorf Study. The authors are supported by the Initiative and Networking Fund of the Helmholtz Association (Svenja Caspers) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreements 785907 (Human Brain Project SGA2; Svenja Caspers, Sven Cichon and Katrin Amunts). This work was further supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the Integrated Network IntegraMent (Integrated Understanding of Causes and Mechanisms in Mental Disorders) under the auspices of the e:Med Program (grant 01ZX1314A; Sven Cichon) and by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, grant 156791; Sven Cichon). The authors acknowledge grants supporting their work from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (H2020/2014–2020) under grant agreements 667302 (CoCA), 728018 (Eat2beNICE), 785907 (HBP SGA2) and 772376 (EScORIAL) and the Netherlands ALS Foundation.Additional support is received from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007—2013) under grant agreements n° 602805 (Aggressotype), n° 603016 (MATRICS), n° 602450 (IMAGEMEND) and n° 278948 (TACTICS) and from the European Community’s Horizon 2020 Programme (H2020/2014—2020) under grant agreements n° 643051 (MiND) and n° 667302 (CoCA). FP7 Ideas: the European Research Council (ERC-230374 to D.B.). This work was supported by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (SAM16PE07CP1, PI16/02012 and PI19/024), co-financed by ERDF Funds from the European Commission, ‘A way of making Europe’, CIBERSAM; Madrid Regional Government (B2017/BMD-3740 AGES-CM-2), European Union Structural Funds; European Union Seventh Framework Program under grant agreements FP7- HEALTH-2013-2.2.1-2-603196 (Project PSYSCAN) and European Union H2020 Program under the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (grant agreement 115916, Project PRISM and grant agreement 777394, Project AIMS-2-TRIALS), Fundación Familia Alonso, Fundación Alicia Koplowitz and Fundación Mutua Madrileña. The Horizon 2020 funded ERC Advanced Grant ‘STRATIFY’ (Brain network based stratification of reinforcement-related disorders) (695313). The FP7 project MATRICS (603016). The research leading to these results also received support from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement 278948 (TACTICS), 602805 (Aggressotype), 603016 (MATRICS) and 602450 (Imagemend) and the Innovation Medicine Initiative grants 115300 (EU-AIMS) and 777394 (AIMS-2-TRIALS).PAFIP: PAFIP was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI14/00639, PI14/00918 and PI17/01056) and Fundación Instituto de Investigación Marqués de Valdecilla (NCT0235832 and NCT025KG Jebsen Stiftelsen and H2020 CoMorMent (847776).34363). European Union Marie Curie Research Training Network (MRTN-CT-2006-035987).

Contains fulltext : 248376.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) For many traits, males show greater variability than females, with possible implications for understanding sex differences in health and disease. Here, the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis) Consortium presents the largest-ever mega-analysis of sex differences in variability of brain structure, based on international data spanning nine decades of life. Subcortical volumes, cortical surface area and cortical thickness were assessed in MRI data of 16,683 healthy individuals 1-90 years old (47% females). We observed significant patterns of greater male than female between-subject variance for all subcortical volumetric measures, all cortical surface area measures, and 60% of cortical thickness measures. This pattern was stable across the lifespan for 50% of the subcortical structures, 70% of the regional area measures, and nearly all regions for thickness. Our findings that these sex differences are present in childhood implicate early life genetic or gene-environment interaction mechanisms. The findings highlight the importance of individual differences within the sexes, that may underpin sex-specific vulnerability to disorders.

Mycotoxins such as aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) are secondary fungal metabolites present in food commodities and part of one’s daily exposure, especially in certain regions, e.g., sub-Saharan Africa. AFB1 is mostly metabolised by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, namely, CYP1A2 and CYP3A4. As a consequence of chronic exposure, it is interesting to check for interactions with drugs taken concomitantly. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed based on the literature and in-house-generated in vitro data to characterise the pharmacokinetics (PK) of AFB1. The substrate file was used in different populations (Chinese, North European Caucasian and Black South African), provided by SimCYP® software (v21), to evaluate the impact of populations on AFB1 PK. The model’s performance was verified against published human in vivo PK parameters, with AUC ratios and Cmax ratios being within the 0.5–2.0-fold range. Effects on AFB1 PK were observed with commonly prescribed drugs in South Africa, leading to clearance ratios of 0.54 to 4.13. The simulations revealed that CYP3A4/CYP1A2 inducer/inhibitor drugs might have an impact on AFB1 metabolism, altering exposure to carcinogenic metabolites. AFB1 did not have effects on the PK of drugs at representative exposure concentrations. Therefore, chronic AFB1 exposure is unlikely to impact the PK of drugs taken concomitantly.

Background Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF) with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >40%, but whether this is due to a regional or global effect of EAT remains unclear.Hypothesis Regional EAT is associated with alterations in local cardiac structure and function.Methods Patients with HF and LVEF >40% were studied. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance imaging was used to localize EAT surrounding the right ventricle (RV) and LV separately, using anterior- and posterior interventricular grooves as boundaries. Atrial- and ventricular EAT were differentiated using the mitral-valve position. All EAT depots were related to the adjacent myocardial structure.Results 102 consecutive HF patients were enrolled. The majority of EAT was present around the RV (42% of total EAT, p < .001). RV-EAT showed a strong association with increased RV mass (beta = 0.60, p < .001) and remained associated with RV mass after adjusting for total EAT, sex, N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), renal function and blood glucose. LV-EAT showed a similar association with LV mass in univariable analysis, albeit less pronounced (beta = 0.24, p = .02). Atrial EAT was increased in patients with atrial fibrillation compared to those without atrial fibrillation (30 vs. 26 ml/m(2), p = .04), whereas ventricular EAT was similar (74 vs. 75 ml/m(2), p = .9).Conclusions Regional EAT is strongly associated with local cardiac structure and function in HF patients with LVEF >40%. These data support the hypothesis that regional EAT is involved in the pathophysiology of HF with LVEF >40%.

Seasonal snow cover is the largest single component of the cryosphere in areal extent, covering an average of 46 × 106 km2 of Earth's surface (31 % of the land area) each year, and is thus an important expression and driver of the Earth's climate. In recent years, Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover has been declining at about the same rate (∼ −13 % per decade) as Arctic summer sea ice. More than one-sixth of the world's population relies on seasonal snowpack and glaciers for a water supply that is likely to decrease this century. Snow is also a critical component of Earth's cold regions' ecosystems, in which wildlife, vegetation, and snow are strongly interconnected. Snow water equivalent (SWE) describes the quantity of water stored as snow on the land surface and is of fundamental importance to water, energy, and geochemical cycles. Quality global SWE estimates are lacking. Given the vast seasonal extent combined with the spatially variable nature of snow distribution at regional and local scales, surface observations are not able to provide sufficient SWE information. Satellite observations presently cannot provide SWE information at the spatial and temporal resolutions required to address science and high-socio-economic-value applications such as water resource management and streamflow forecasting. In this paper, we review the potential contribution of X- and Ku-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for global monitoring of SWE. SAR can image the surface during both day and night regardless of cloud cover, allowing high-frequency revisit at high spatial resolution as demonstrated by missions such as Sentinel-1. The physical basis for estimating SWE from X- and Ku-band radar measurements at local scales is volume scattering by millimeter-scale snow grains. Inference of global snow properties from SAR requires an interdisciplinary approach based on field observations of snow microstructure, physical snow modeling, electromagnetic theory, and retrieval strategies over a range of scales. New field measurement capabilities have enabled significant advances in understanding snow microstructure such as grain size, density, and layering. We describe radar interactions with snow-covered landscapes, the small but rapidly growing number of field datasets used to evaluate retrieval algorithms, the characterization of snowpack properties using radar measurements, and the refinement of retrieval algorithms via synergy with other microwave remote sensing approaches. This review serves to inform the broader snow research, monitoring, and application communities on progress made in recent decades and sets the stage for a new era in SWE remote sensing from SAR measurements.

ENIGMA-CNV Working Group: van der Meer, Dennis; Sonderby, Ida E; Kaufmann, Tobias; Walters, G Bragi; Abdellaoui, Abdel; Ames, David; Amunts, Katrin; Andersson, Micael; Armstrong, Nicola J; Bernard, Manon; Blackburn, Nicholas B; Blangero, John; Boomsma, Dorret I; Brodaty, Henry; Brouwer, Rachel M; Bulow, Robin; Cahn, Wiepke; Calhoun, Vince D; Caspers, Svenja; Cavalleri, Gianpiero L; Ching, Christopher R K; Cichon, Sven; Ciufolini, Simone; Corvin, Aiden; Crespo-Facorro, Benedicto; Curran, Joanne E; Dalvie, Shareefa; Dazzan, Paola; de Geus, Eco J C; de Zubicaray, Greig I; de Zwarte, Sonja M C; Delanty, Norman; den Braber, Anouk; Desrivieres, Sylvane; Di Forti, Marta; Doherty, Joanne L; Donohoe, Gary; Ehrlich, Stefan; Eising, Else; Espeseth, Thomas; Fisher, Simon E; Fladby, Tormod; Frei, Oleksandr; Frouin, Vincent; Fukunaga, Masaki; Gareau, Thomas; Glahn, David C; Grabe, Hans J; Groenewold, Nynke A; Gustafsson, Omar; Haavik, Jan; Haberg, Asta K; Hashimoto, Ryota; Hehir-Kwa, Jayne Y; Hibar, Derrek P; Hillegers, Manon H J; Hoffmann, Per; Holleran, Laurena; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Hulshoff Pol, Hilleke E; Ikeda, Masashi; Jacquemont, Sebastien; Jahanshad, Neda; Jockwitz, Christiane; Johansson, Stefan; Jonsson, Erik G; Kikuchi, Masataka; Knowles, Emma E M; Kwok, John B; Le Hellard, Stephanie; Linden, David E J; Liu, Jingyu; Lundervold, Arvid; Lundervold, Astri J; Martin, Nicholas G; Mather, Karen A; Mathias, Samuel R; McMahon, Katie L; McRae, Allan F; Medland, Sarah E; Moberget, Torgeir; Moreau, Clara; Morris, Derek W; Muhleisen, Thomas W; Murray, Robin M; Nordvik, Jan E; Nyberg, Lars; Olde Loohuis, Loes M; Ophoff, Roel A; Owen, Michael J; Paus, Tomas; Pausova, Zdenka; Peralta, Juan M; Pike, Bruce; Prieto, Carlos; Quinlan, Erin Burke; Reinbold, Celine S; Reis Marques, Tiago; Rucker, James J H; Sachdev, Perminder S; Sando, Sigrid B; Schofield, Peter R; Schork, Andrew J; Schumann, Gunter; Shin, Jean; Shumskaya, Elena; Silva, Ana I; Sisodiya, Sanjay M; Steen, Vidar M; Stein, Dan J; Strike, Lachlan T; Tamnes, Christian K; Teumer, Alexander; Thalamuthu, Anbupalam; Tordesillas-Gutierrez, Diana; Uhlmann, Anne; Ulfarsson, Magnus O; van 't Ent, Dennis; van den Bree, Marianne B M; Vassos, Evangelos; Wen, Wei; Wittfeld, Katharina; Wright, Margaret J; Zayats, Tetyana; Dale, Anders M; Djurovic, Srdjan; Agartz, Ingrid; Westlye, Lars T; Stefansson, Hreinn; Stefansson, Kari; Thompson, Paul M; Andreassen, Ole A., [Importance] Recurrent microdeletions and duplications in the genomic region 15q11.2 between breakpoints 1 (BP1) and 2 (BP2) are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. These structural variants are present in 0.5% to 1.0% of the population, making 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 the site of the most prevalent known pathogenic copy number variation (CNV). It is unknown to what extent this CNV influences brain structure and affects cognitive abilities., [Objective] To determine the association of the 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 deletion and duplication CNVs with cortical and subcortical brain morphology and cognitive task performance., [Design, Setting, and Participants] In this genetic association study, T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging were combined with genetic data from the ENIGMA-CNV consortium and the UK Biobank, with a replication cohort from Iceland. In total, 203 deletion carriers, 45 247 noncarriers, and 306 duplication carriers were included. Data were collected from August 2015 to April 2019, and data were analyzed from September 2018 to September 2019., [Main Outcomes and Measures] The associations of the CNV with global and regional measures of surface area and cortical thickness as well as subcortical volumes were investigated, correcting for age, age2, sex, scanner, and intracranial volume. Additionally, measures of cognitive ability were analyzed in the full UK Biobank cohort., [Results] Of 45 756 included individuals, the mean (SD) age was 55.8 (18.3) years, and 23 754 (51.9%) were female. Compared with noncarriers, deletion carriers had a lower surface area (Cohen d = −0.41; SE, 0.08; P = 4.9 × 10−8), thicker cortex (Cohen d = 0.36; SE, 0.07; P = 1.3 × 10−7), and a smaller nucleus accumbens (Cohen d = −0.27; SE, 0.07; P = 7.3 × 10−5). There was also a significant negative dose response on cortical thickness (β = −0.24; SE, 0.05; P = 6.8 × 10−7). Regional cortical analyses showed a localization of the effects to the frontal, cingulate, and parietal lobes. Further, cognitive ability was lower for deletion carriers compared with noncarriers on 5 of 7 tasks., [Conclusions and Relevance] These findings, from the largest CNV neuroimaging study to date, provide evidence that 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 structural variation is associated with brain morphology and cognition, with deletion carriers being particularly affected. The pattern of results fits with known molecular functions of genes in the 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 region and suggests involvement of these genes in neuronal plasticity. These neurobiological effects likely contribute to the association of this CNV with neurodevelopmental disorders., This study is supported in part by grants U54 EB20403, R01MH116147, and R56AG058854 from the National Institutes of Health, grant 609020 from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme, and grants 223273 and 276082 from the Research Council Norway. Part of this work was performed using the Service for Sensitive Data (TSD), which is developed and operated by the TSD Service Groupand owned by the University of Oslo.

Background: Substantial evidence acknowledges the complex gene-environment interplay impacting brain development and learning. Intergenerational neuroimaging allows the assessment of familial transfer effects on brain structure, function and behavior by investigating neural similarity in caregiver-child dyads. Methods: Neural similarity in the human reading network was assessed through well-used measures of brain structure (i.e., surface area (SA), gyrification (lG), sulcal morphology, gray matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness (CT)) in 69 mother-child dyads (children's age~11 y). Regions of interest for the reading network included left-hemispheric inferior frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobe and fusiform gyrus. Mother-child similarity was quantified by correlation coefficients and familial specificity was tested by comparison to random adult-child dyads. Sulcal morphology analyses focused on occipitotemporal sulcus interruptions and similarity was assessed by chi-square goodness of fit. Results: Significant structural brain similarity was observed for mother-child dyads in the reading network for lG, SA and GMV (r = 0.349/0.534/0.542, respectively), but not CT. Sulcal morphology associations were non-significant. Structural brain similarity in lG, SA and GMV were specific to mother-child pairs. Furthermore, structural brain similarity for SA and GMV was higher compared to CT. Conclusion: Intergenerational neuroimaging techniques promise to enhance our knowledge of familial transfer effects on brain development and disorders., Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 53, ISSN:1878-9293, ISSN:1878-9307

Carbon black nanoparticles (CBNPs) have a large surface area/volume ratio and are known to generate oxidative stress and inflammation that may result in genotoxicity and cancer. Here, we evaluated the primary and inflammatory response-driven (i.e. secondary) genotoxicity of two CBNPs, Flammruss101 (FL101) and PrintexXE2B (XE2B) that differ in size and specific surface area (SSA), and cause different amounts of reactive oxygen species. Three doses (low, medium and high) of FL101 and XE2B were assessed in vitro in the lung epithelial (A549) and activated THP-1 (THP-1a) monocytic cells exposed in submerged conditions for 6 and 24 h, and in C57BL/6 mice at day 1, 28 and 90 following intratracheal instillation. In vitro, we assessed pro-inflammatory response as IL-8 and IL-1β gene expression, and in vivo, inflammation was determined as inflammatory cell infiltrates in bronchial lavage (BAL) fluid and as histological changes in lung tissue. DNA damage was quantified in vitro and in vivo as DNA strand breaks levels by the alkaline comet assay. Inflammatory responses in vitro and in vivo correlated with dosed CBNPs SSA. Both materials induced DNA damage in THP-1a (correlated with dosed mass), and only XE2B in A549 cells. Non-statistically significant increase in DNA damage in vivo was observed in BAL cells. In conclusion, this study shows dosed SSA predicted inflammation both in vivo and in vitro, whereas dosed mass predicted genotoxicity in vitro in THP-1a cells. The observed lack of correlation between CBNP surface area and genotoxicity provides little evidence of inflammation-driven genotoxicity in vivo and in vitro.

Abstract The reaction of the liquid-phase hydrogenation of benzaldehyde is studied in two modes: at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, and at a temperature of 70°С and a pressure of 0.5 MPa on Pt/CeO2–ZrО2 catalysts with metal contents of 1 to 0.025 wt %. A 96% conversion of benzaldehyde is obtained on 1% Pt/CeO2–ZrО2 catalysts at room temperature, while a 97% conversion is obtained on 0.1% Pt/CeO2–ZrО2 catalysts at elevated temperatures. The selectivity of the formation of benzyl alcohol is in all cases 100%.

In this research prepared activated carbon by H3PO4 from hazelnut shells were coated with silver ions for the preparation of nanoparticles which were mixed in two ratios (1:0.5 and 1:1) by using of chemical reduction method. The adsorption capacity of activated carbons has been proven by BET and iodine number. Then the antimicrobial effect of nanoparticles on the Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were investigated in addition to that the characterization of hazelnut shell and silver-coated activated carbons were determined by Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) methods. The Optimum condition of activated carbon from hazelnut shells indicated that 66.01% carbon content within 36.22% efficiency, while BET surface area achieved as 1208 m2/ g and its contained 0.6104 cm3 g-1 total pore volume. The microbial effect indicated that 105 CFU/mL of E. coli was completely inhibited in 30 min. Silver-coated activated carbon showed excellent bacteriostatic activity against E. coli and S. aureus. The results show that the composite has good prospects for applications in drinking water. E. coli of 104 CFU/mL in drinking water were destroyed within 25 min of contact with the filter made with AgAC.

Brain morphology has been shown to be highly heritable, yet only a small portion of the heritability is explained by the genetic variants discovered so far. Here we extended the Multivariate Omnibus Statistical Test (MOSTest) and applied it to genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of vertex-wise structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cortical measures from N = 35,657 participants in the UK Biobank. We identified 695 loci for cortical surface area and 539 for cortical thickness, in total 780 unique genetic loci associated with cortical morphology robustly replicated in 8,060 children of mixed ethnicity from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (R). This reflects more than 8-fold increase in genetic discovery at no cost to generalizability compared to the commonly used univariate GWAS methods applied to region of interest (ROI) data. Functional follow up including gene-based analyses implicated 10% of all protein-coding genes and pointed towards pathways involved in neurogenesis and cell differentiation. Power analysis indicated that applying the MOSTest to vertex-wise structural MRI data triples the effective sample size compared to conventional univariate GWAS approaches. The large boost in power obtained with the vertex-wise MOSTest together with pronounced replication rates and highlighted biologically meaningful pathways underscores the advantage of multivariate approaches in the context of highly distributed polygenic architecture of the human brain.

New types of materials were produced by gradual heating of a conducting polymer, polypyrrole, to elevated temperatures. Three polymers differing in morphology - globules, nanofibers, and nanotubes - were exposed to temperatures from 100 to 700 degrees C in an argon atmosphere. The yields always exceeded 50 wt%, and the morphological features of the polymer were preserved. The transformation of polypyrrole salts to the corresponding bases followed by the carbonization was monitored by FTIR spectroscopy. The elemental analysis confirmed the subsequent conversion of polypyrrole to nitrogen-containing carbon. The specific surface areas were of the order of tens of m(2) g(-1); they increased from globules to nanotubes and nanofibers but were virtually independent of the exposition temperature. The conductivity of the powders was compared with that of the pellets when their preparation was possible. As the temperature was increased up to 400 degrees C, the conductivity decreased for all samples by ca. 5 orders of magnitude, e.g., for nanofibers from 10 to 10(-4) S cm(-1) but recovered to 10(-1) S cm(-1) after the subsequent carbonization up to 700 degrees C. Polypyrroles exposed to various temperatures were then tested for the adsorption of organic dye, Reactive Black 5, from water. The dye adsorption on original polypyrroles strongly depended on the polymer morphology. Polypyrrole nanofibers were able to remove the dye completely with a capacity of 100 mg g(-1), while the adsorption on polypyrrole globules was poor. The adsorption efficiency thus increased from globules to nanotubes and nanofibers. The adsorption performance was reduced after the carbonization, but the general trends were preserved. Postupným zahříváním vodivého polymeru polypyrrolu na zvýšené teploty byly vyráběny nové typy materiálů. Tři polymery lišící se morfologií - globule, nanovlákna a nanotrubice - byly vystaveny teplotám od 100 do 700 °C v argonové atmosféře. Výtěžky vždy přesáhly 50 % hm. a morfologické vlastnosti polymeru byly zachovány. Transformace polypyrrolových solí na odpovídající báze s následnou karbonizací byla sledována pomocí FTIR spektroskopie. Elementární analýza potvrdila následnou konverzi polypyrrolu na uhlík obsahující dusík. Specifické povrchy byly řádově desítky m(2) g(-1); zvýšily se z globulí na nanotrubice a nanovlákna, ale byly prakticky nezávislé na teplotě expozice. Vodivost prášků byla srovnávána s vodivostí pelet, pokud byla možná jejich příprava. Když se teplota zvýšila až na 400 °C, vodivost se u všech vzorků snížila o cca. 5 řádů, např. pro nanovlákna od 10 do 10(-4) S cm(-1), ale obnovena na 10(-1) S cm(-1) po následné karbonizaci až do 700 °C. Polypyrroly vystavené různým teplotám následně byly testovány na adsorpci organického barviva, Reactive Black 5, z vody. Adsorpce barviva na původních polypyrrolech silně závisela na morfologii polymeru. Polypyrrolová nanovlákna dokázala barvivo úplně odstranit s kapacitou 100 mg g(-1), zatímco adsorpce na polypyrrolové globule byla špatná. Adsorpční účinnost se tak zvýšila z globulí na nanotrubice a nanovlákna. Adsorpční výkon byl po karbonizaci snížen, ale obecné trendy byly zachovány.

Adolescence is a period of major brain reorganization shaped by biologically timed and by environmental factors. We sought to discover linked patterns of covariation between brain structural development and a wide array of these factors by leveraging data from the IMAGEN study, a longitudinal population-based cohort of adolescents. Brain structural measures and a comprehensive array of non-imaging features (relating to demographic, anthropometric, and psychosocial characteristics) were available on 1476 IMAGEN participants aged 14 years and from a subsample reassessed at age 19 years (n = 714). We applied sparse canonical correlation analyses (sCCA) to the cross-sectional and longitudinal data to extract modes with maximum covariation between neuroimaging and non-imaging measures. Separate sCCAs for cortical thickness, cortical surface area and subcortical volumes confirmed that each imaging phenotype was correlated with non-imaging features (sCCA r range: 0.30–0.65, all PFDR ρ| = 0.31−0.61). Age, physical growth and sex had the highest association with adolescent brain structure (|ρ| = 0.24−0.62); at baseline, further significant positive associations were noted for cognitive measures while negative associations were observed at both time points for prenatal parental smoking, life events, and negative affect and substance use in youth (|ρ| = 0.10−0.23). Sex, physical growth and age are the dominant influences on adolescent brain development. We highlight the persistent negative influences of prenatal parental smoking and youth substance use as they are modifiable and of relevance for public health initiatives.

Powdery hierarchical porous carbons serve as cost‐effective, functional materials in various fields, namely energy storage, heterogeneous catalysis, electrochemistry, and water/wastewater treatment. Such powdered activated carbons (PAC) limit new module designs and require further preparation steps, for example, adding polymeric binders, to be shaped into a standalone geometry. Polymeric binders, however, can block PACs’ catalytic and active sites and, more importantly, pose the risk of secondary pollution for environmental purposes, especially in the context of clean water supply. This study introduces a novel synthesis method for fabricating freestanding nitrogen‐doped carbons with hierarchical porosity using chitosan and sucrose as green precursors. Chitosan supplies nitrogen and acts as a backbone, giving a freestanding geometry to the final product, and sucrose is a carbon‐rich precursor. The proposed method employs ice‐ and hard‐templating for macropores and mesopores and combines carbonization and activation steps with no required activating agent. Final freestanding carbons function as adsorbents for removing persistent pollutants, as binder‐free electrodes with high specific surface area and capacitive current, and as tubular gas diffusion electrodes for oxygen reduction reactions. These freestanding carbons enable new module designs and can be scaled‐up by numbering‐up, serving as bio‐based functional materials for a wide range of applications involving porous heteroatom‐doped carbons., A green templating route to produce tailor‐made monolithic carbons using chitosan and sucrose is herein reported. The synthesis method offers high flexibility to tune inner porosity and surface area, heteroatom content, and the final carbon monolith's geometry. Additionally, the monolithic form with adequate separation properties paves the way towards more sustainable concepts and novel module designs.

Schizophrenia has been extensively associated with reduced cortical thickness (CT), and its neurodevelopmental origin is increasingly acknowledged. However, the exact timing and extent of alterations occurring in preclinical phases remain unclear. With a high prevalence of psychosis, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a neurogenetic disorder that represents a unique opportunity to examine brain maturation in high-risk individuals. In this study, we quantified trajectories of CT maturation in 22q11DS and examined the association of CT development with the emergence of psychotic symptoms. Longitudinal structural MRI data with 1–6 time points were collected from 324 participants aged 5–35 years (N = 148 22q11DS, N = 176 controls), resulting in a total of 636 scans (N = 334 22q11DS, N = 302 controls). Mixed model regression analyses were used to compare CT trajectories between participants with 22q11DS and controls. Further, CT trajectories were compared between participants with 22q11DS who developed (N = 61, 146 scans), or remained exempt of (N = 47; 98 scans) positive psychotic symptoms during development. Compared to controls, participants with 22q11DS showed widespread increased CT, focal reductions in the posterior cingulate gyrus and superior temporal gyrus (STG), and accelerated cortical thinning during adolescence, mainly in frontotemporal regions. Within 22q11DS, individuals who developed psychotic symptoms showed exacerbated cortical thinning in the right STG. Together, these findings suggest that genetic predisposition for psychosis is associated with increased CT starting from childhood and altered maturational trajectories of CT during adolescence, affecting predominantly frontotemporal regions. In addition, accelerated thinning in the STG may represent an early biomarker associated with the emergence of psychotic symptoms.

The 22q11.2 deletion (22q11DS) is a common chromosomal microdeletion and a potent risk factor for psychotic illness. Prior studies reported widespread cortical changes in 22q11DS, but were generally underpowered to characterize neuroanatomic abnormalities associated with psychosis in 22q11DS, and/or neuroanatomic effects of variability in deletion size. To address these issues, we developed the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics Through Meta-Analysis) 22q11.2 Working Group, representing the largest analysis of brain structural alterations in 22q11DS to date. The imaging data were collected from 10 centers worldwide, including 474 subjects with 22q11DS (age = 18.2 ± 8.6; 46.9% female) and 315 typically developing, matched controls (age = 18.0 ± 9.2; 45.9% female). Compared to controls, 22q11DS individuals showed thicker cortical gray matter overall (left/right hemispheres: Cohen’s d = 0.61/0.65), but focal thickness reduction in temporal and cingulate cortex. Cortical surface area (SA), however, showed pervasive reductions in 22q11DS (left/right hemispheres: d = −1.01/−1.02). 22q11DS cases vs. controls were classified with 93.8% accuracy based on these neuroanatomic patterns. Comparison of 22q11DS-psychosis to idiopathic schizophrenia (ENIGMA-Schizophrenia Working Group) revealed significant convergence of affected brain regions, particularly in fronto-temporal cortex. Finally, cortical SA was significantly greater in 22q11DS cases with smaller 1.5 Mb deletions, relative to those with typical 3 Mb deletions. We found a robust neuroanatomic signature of 22q11DS, and the first evidence that deletion size impacts brain structure. Psychotic illness in this highly penetrant deletion was associated with similar neuroanatomic abnormalities to idiopathic schizophrenia. These consistent cross-site findings highlight the homogeneity of this single genetic etiology, and support the suitability of 22q11DS as a biological model of schizophrenia.

High-resolution modelling is needed to understand urban air quality and pollutant dispersion in detail. Recently, the PALM model system 6.0, which is based on large-eddy simulation (LES), was extended with the detailed Sectional Aerosol module for Large Scale Applications (SALSA) v2.0 to enable studying the complex interactions between the turbulent flow field and aerosol dynamic processes. This study represents an extensive evaluation of the modelling system against the horizontal and vertical distributions of aerosol particles measured using a mobile laboratory and a drone in an urban neighbourhood in Helsinki, Finland. Specific emphasis is on the model sensitivity of aerosol particle concentrations, size distributions and chemical compositions to boundary conditions of meteorological variables and aerosol background concentrations. The meteorological boundary conditions are taken from both a numerical weather prediction model and observations, which occasionally differ strongly. Yet, the model shows good agreement with measurements (fractional bias , normalised mean squared error , fraction of the data within a factor of 2 >0.3, normalised mean bias factor and normalised mean absolute error factor ) with respect to both horizontal and vertical distribution of aerosol particles, their size distribution and chemical composition. The horizontal distribution is most sensitive to the wind speed and atmospheric stratification, and vertical distribution to the wind direction. The aerosol number size distribution is mainly governed by the flow field along the main street with high traffic rates and in its surroundings by the background concentrations. The results emphasise the importance of correct meteorological and aerosol background boundary conditions, in addition to accurate emission estimates and detailed model physics, in quantitative high-resolution air pollution modelling and future urban LES studies.

A precursor method has been developed to synthesize Ce(iv) MOFs that could not be prepared directly from Ce(iv) salts. Starting from Ce6 clusters, two Ce-UiO-66 analogues and four tetracarboxylate-based Ce(iv) MOFs could be synthesized. The applied method facilitates framework formation by evading reactive individual Ce(iv)-ions thereby paving the way for further development of Ce-MOFs. ispartof: CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS vol:54 issue:8 pages:876-879 ispartof: location:England status: published

INTRODUCTION: The dynamic nature and complexity of the cellular events that take place during the last trimester of pregnancy make the developing cortex particularly vulnerable to perturbations. Abrupt interruption to normal gestation can lead to significant deviations to many of these processes, resulting in atypical trajectory of cortical maturation in preterm birth survivors. METHODS: We sought to first map typical cortical micro- and macrostructure development using invivo MRI in a large sample of healthy term-born infants scanned after birth (n = 259). Then we offer a comprehensive characterization of the cortical consequences of preterm birth in 76 preterm infants scanned at term-equivalent age (37-44 weeks postmenstrual age). We describe the group-average atypicality, the heterogeneity across individual preterm infants, and relate individual deviations from normative development to age at birth and neurodevelopment at 18 months. RESULTS: In the term-born neonatal brain, we observed heterogeneous and regionally specific associations between age at scan and measures of cortical morphology and microstructure, including rapid surface expansion, greater cortical thickness, lower cortical anisotropy and higher neurite orientation dispersion. By term-equivalent age, preterm infants had on average increased cortical tissue water content and reduced neurite density index in the posterior parts of the cortex, and greater cortical thickness anteriorly compared to term-born infants. While individual preterm infants were more likely to show extreme deviations (over 3.1 standard deviations) from normative cortical maturation compared to term-born infants, these extreme deviations were highly variable and showed very little spatial overlap between individuals. Measures of regional cortical development were associated with age at birth, but not with neurodevelopment at 18 months. CONCLUSION: We showed that preterm birth alters cortical micro- and macrostructural maturation near the time of full-term birth. Deviations from normative development were highly variable between individual preterm infants. ispartof: NEUROIMAGE vol:243 ispartof: location:United States status: published

Formation of complex 3-D nanoporous structures via selective dissolution of an electroactive component in a bulk material is commonly encountered in corrosion, electrochemistry and materials preparation. We report a characterization technique to rapidly calculate the size distribution of nanoporous ligaments and facets from molecular-scale models that reveal the evolution of nanoporous morphology reaching experimental timescales. The key feature of our approach is the use of connectivity lists for sites, which enables rapid quantification of several million-atom large nanoporous structures while being sufficiently versatile to handle non-cylindrical cross-sections, detachment of ligaments from the main structure, and crystal facet-related quantities. As an application of this characterization tool, we find that the alloy composition has a significant effect on the charge transfer and the structure whereas the starting shape (nanowires, nanocubes and nanoparticles of same size) has a subtle effect particularly at early-to intermediate stages of nanoporosity evolution. These conclusions cannot be arrived at by visual examination of the simulated structures. Ascertaining differences in structural features upon changing synthesis conditions using our approach will be relevant to porous materials such as those encountered in corrosion, batteries and geological systems. (C) 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In the perinatal brain, regional cortical architecture and connectivity lay the foundations for functional circuits and emerging behaviour. Interruptions or atypical development during or before this period may therefore have long-lasting consequences. However, to be able to investigate these deviations, we need a measure of how this architecture evolves in the typically developing brain. To this end, in a large cohort of 241 term-born infants we used Magnetic Resonance Imaging to estimate cortical profiles based on morphometry and microstructure over the perinatal period (37-44 weeks post-menstrual age, PMA). Using the covariance of these profiles as a measure of inter-areal network similarity (Morphometric Similarity Networks; MSN), we clustered these networks into distinct modules. The resulting modules were consistent and symmetric, and corresponded to known functional distinctions, including sensory-motor, limbic and association regions and were spatially mapped onto known cytoarchitectonic tissue classes. Posterior (parietal, occipital) regions became more morphometrically similar with increasing PMA, while peri-cingulate and medial temporal regions became more dissimilar. Network strength was associated with PMA: Within-network similarity increased over PMA suggesting emerging network distinction. These changes in cortical network architecture over an eight-week period are consistent with, and likely underpin, the highly dynamic behavioural and cognitive development occurring during this critical period. The resulting cortical profiles might provide normative reference to investigate atypical early brain development.

INTRODUCTION The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities. Variations in human cortical surface area and thickness are associated with neurological, psychological, and behavioral traits and can be measured in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Studies in model organisms have identified genes that influence cortical structure, but little is known about common genetic variants that affect human cortical structure. RATIONALE To identify genetic variants associated with human cortical structure at both global and regional levels, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain MRI data from 51,665 individuals across 60 cohorts. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 cortical regions with known functional specializations. RESULTS We identified 369 nominally genome-wide significant loci (P < 5 × 10−8) associated with cortical structure in a discovery sample of 33,992 participants of European ancestry. Of the 360 loci for which replication data were available, 241 loci influencing surface area and 66 influencing thickness remained significant after replication, with 237 loci passing multiple testing correction (P < 8.3 × 10−10; 187 influencing surface area and 50 influencing thickness). Common genetic variants explained 34% (SE = 3%) of the variation in total surface area and 26% (SE = 2%) in average thickness; surface area and thickness showed a negative genetic correlation (rG = −0.32, SE = 0.05, P = 6.5 × 10−12), which suggests that genetic influences have opposing effects on surface area and thickness. Bioinformatic analyses showed that total surface area is influenced by genetic variants that alter gene regulatory activity in neural progenitor cells during fetal development. By contrast, average thickness is influenced by active regulatory elements in adult brain samples, which may reflect processes that occur after mid-fetal development, such as myelination, branching, or pruning. When considered together, these results support the radial unit hypothesis that different developmental mechanisms promote surface area expansion and increases in thickness. To identify specific genetic influences on individual cortical regions, we controlled for global measures (total surface area or average thickness) in the regional analyses. After multiple testing correction, we identified 175 loci that influence regional surface area and 46 that influence regional thickness. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes involved in the Wnt signaling pathway, which is known to influence areal identity. We observed significant positive genetic correlations and evidence of bidirectional causation of total surface area with both general cognitive functioning and educational attainment. We found additional positive genetic correlations between total surface area and Parkinson’s disease but did not find evidence of causation. Negative genetic correlations were evident between total surface area and insomnia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depressive symptoms, major depressive disorder, and neuroticism. CONCLUSION This large-scale collaborative work enhances our understanding of the genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex and its regional patterning. The highly polygenic architecture of the cortex suggests that distinct genes are involved in the development of specific cortical areas. Moreover, we find evidence that brain structure is a key phenotype along the causal pathway that leads from genetic variation to differences in general cognitive function.

Stenting is a widely used treatment procedure for coronary artery disease around the world. Stents have a complex geometry, which makes the characterization of their corrosion difficult due to the absence of a mathematical model to calculate the entire stent surface area (ESSA). Therefore, corrosion experiments with stents are mostly based on qualitative analysis. Additionally, the quantitative analysis of corrosion is conducted with simpler samples made of stent material instead of stents, in most cases. At present, several methods are available to calculate the stent outer surface area (SOSA), whereas no model exists for the calculation of the ESSA. This paper presents a novel mathematical model for the calculation of the ESSA using the SOSA as one of the main parameters. The ESSA of seven magnesium alloy stents (MeKo Laser Material Processing GmbH, Sarstedt, Germany) were calculated using the developed model. The calculated SOSA and ESSA for all stents are 33.34%(&plusmn, 0.26%) and 111.86 mm (&plusmn, 0.85 mm), respectively. The model is validated by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), with a difference of 12.34% (&plusmn, 0.46%). The value of corrosion rates calculated using the ESSA computed with the developed model will be 12.34% (&plusmn, 0.46%) less than that of using ESSA obtained by micro-CT.

Herein we report an easy, ecofriendly and cheap synthetic approach for the preparation of carbon composites from the pyrolysis and activation of coffee waste and graphene oxide, and their evaluation as potential electrodes for lithium ion capacitors (LICs). An exhaustive optimization of some important parameters such as particle size, electronic conductivity or mass loading has been done for the battery-type electrode; whereas the optimum combination of specific surface area and pore size distribution were also investigated for the capacitor-type electrode. Optimized electrodes allowed to go one step beyond the state-of-the-art of biowaste based dual carbon LICs in terms of energy, power and cyclability. Assembled LICs show values of 100 Wh kg(AM)(-1) at 9000 W kg(AM)(-1) and retain above 80% of the initial capacitance after 3000 cycles, which is enhanced to 15,000 cycles by decreasing the voltage window. The authors thank the European Union (Graphene Flagship, Core 2, Grant number 785219) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN/FEDER) (RTI2018-096199-B-I00) for the financial support of this work. J. L. G. U. is very thankful to the Spanish Ministry of Education, Science and Universities (MICINN) for the FPU grant (16/03498). We are very grateful to Maria Jauregui and Maria Echeverria for their assistance with the XRD and TEM measurements, respectively. We also want to acknowledge the company GRAPHENEA for supplying the graphene oxide used in this work.

Cortical thickness, surface area and volumes vary with age and cognitive function, and in neurological and psychiatric diseases. Here we report heritability, genetic correlations and genome-wide associations of these cortical measures across the whole cortex, and in 34 anatomically predefined regions. Our discovery sample comprises 22,824 individuals from 20 cohorts within the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium and the UK Biobank. We identify genetic heterogeneity between cortical measures and brain regions, and 160 genome-wide significant associations pointing to wnt/β-catenin, TGF-β and sonic hedgehog pathways. There is enrichment for genes involved in anthropometric traits, hindbrain development, vascular and neurodegenerative disease and psychiatric conditions. These data are a rich resource for studies of the biological mechanisms behind cortical development and aging., Cortex morphology varies with age, cognitive function, and in neurological and psychiatric diseases. Here the authors report 160 genome-wide significant associations with thickness, surface area and volume of the total cortex and 34 cortical regions from a GWAS meta-analysis in 22,824 adults.

Herein, we report a simple approach for the preparation of phosphate-functionalized carbonaceous graphene-based composites. The homogeneous deposition of a thin layer of phenolic resin on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) sheets was achieved using phosphoric acid as the polymerization catalyst and functionalization agent. Subsequent pyrolysis of the composite yielded homogeneous lamellar-shaped microstructured porous carbon-graphene composites combining enhanced molecular diffusion and high electron transfer. In order to elucidate the effect of GO and porosity on the supercapacitor performance, a graphene free sample and a KOH-activated composite were also prepared and tested in a two-electrode configuration using aqueous and organic electrolytes. It was found that the presence of GO and the KOH activation lead to an increase in the specific surface area combined with a progressive widening of the pores. As a result, the KOH-activated composite reached specific capacitances of 211 and 105 F g(-1) when using 1 M H2SO4 and 1.5 M Et4NBF4 electrolytes, respectively. It was also found that phosphorus-functionalization of electrodes leads to an operating voltage of 1.3 V in the aqueous electrolyte, resulting in a considerable increase of the energy density of the cell. Finally, both non-activated and activated graphene-based composites provide excellent capacitance retention, energy and power densities and cycling stability. We thank the European Union (Graphene Flagship, Core 2, Grant number 785219), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN/FEDER) (MAT2015-64617-C2-2-R and RTI2018-096199-B-I00) and the Basque Government (Elkartek 2018) for the financial support of this work. J. L. G. U. is very thankful to the "Ministerio de ciencia, innovacion y universidades" for the FPU grant (16/03498). We also want to acknowledge the company GRAPHENEA for supplying the graphene oxide used in this work and Dr M. A. Munoz for the acquisition of the XPS spectrum.