Adverse Environmental Conditions Research Articles

The HmrABCX pathway regulates the transition between motile and sessile lifestyles in Caulobacter crescentus by a mechanism independent of hfiA transcription.

Complex communities attached to a surface, or biofilms, represent the major lifestyle of bacteria in the environment. Such a sessile state enables the inhabitants to be more resistant to adverse environmental conditions. Thus, having a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms that regulate the transition between the motile and the sessile states could help design strategies to improve biofilms when they are beneficial or impede them when they are detrimental. For Caulobacter crescentus motile cells, the transition to the sessile lifestyle is irreversible, and this decision is regulated at several levels. In this work, we describe a putative phosphorelay that promotes the motile lifestyle and inhibits biofilm formation, providing new insights into the control of adhesin production that leads to the formation of biofilms.

Proteomic analysis of MsFtsH8 overexpression reveals enhanced salt stress response in alfalfa through PSII stability and antioxidant capacity improvement

The FtsH (Filamentous temperature sensitive H) proteases, known for their crucial roles in protein quality control and maintaining the integrity of photosynthetic machinery, have emerged as key regulators of stress responses in plants. Our previous study revealed the overexpression of MsFtsH8, an FtsH gene from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), confers salt stress tolerance to the plant. By comparing the proteomic profiles of MsFtsH8-overexpressing alfalfa and wild type under salt stress conditions, we elucidate the molecular pathways underlying MsFtsH8-mediated salt stress resilience. We identified 730 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in MsFtsH8-overexpressing alfalfa under salt stress, compared to 498 DEPs in wild type alfalfa under the same growth condition. Our results reveal significant alterations in the expression of proteins involved in the photosynthetic system, consistent with the chloroplast subcellular localization of MsFtsH8. Specifically, MsFtsH8 overexpression stabilizes key components of Photosystem II (PSII) and enhances electron transport processes, leading to increased photosynthetic efficiency and oxidative photodamage repair capacity under salt stress. Moreover, MsFtsH8-overexpressing alfalfa exhibits elevated levels of antioxidative enzymes, further mitigating oxidative damage induced by high salinity. These findings deepen our understanding of the regulatory role of MsFtsH8 in salt stress response and highlight its potential for improving crop resilience under adverse environmental conditions.

Enhancing Digital Camera Image Quality and Thermal Efficiency Analysis

Digital camera technology has made significant advances in recent years, enabling the capture of high-resolution images. However, along with the pursuit of image quality, the thermal performance of digital cameras remains a critical consideration, especially in long-term use scenarios or adverse environmental conditions. This is essential in various fields like surveillance, smart cities, etc. This paper explores the application of image overlay algorithms, specifically high dynamic range (HDR) imaging techniques, and examines the impact of thermal efficiency on image quality in digital cameras. Through controlled experiments and analysis, this study aims to improve digital imaging capabilities.

Continuous tracking of effort and confidence while listening to speech-in-noise in young and older adults

Reporting discomfort when noise affects listening experience suggests that listeners may be aware, at least to some extent, of adverse environmental conditions and their impact on listening experience. This involves monitoring internal states (effort and confidence). Here we quantified continuous self-report indices that track one’s own internal states and investigated age-related differences in this ability. We instructed two groups of young and older adults to continuously report their confidence and effort while listening to stories in fluctuating noise. Using cross-correlation analyses between the time series of fluctuating noise and those of perceived effort or confidence, we showed that (1) participants modified their assessment of effort and confidence based on variations in the noise, with a 4 s lag; (2) there were no differences between the groups. These findings imply extending this method to other areas, expanding the definition of metacognition, and highlighting the value of this ability for older adults.

Grasslands support more diverse and resilient earthworm communities to climate change than croplands in Central Europe

Diversity and community composition of earthworms, key drivers of ecosystem functions, are increasingly threatened by global change, including climate and land-use change. However, empirical evidence for interactions of these concurrent drivers in affecting earthworm communities is scarce. Here, we investigated the effects of an experimentally imposed climate change scenario, including warming and altered precipitation patterns, and land use with two croplands (both conventional farming and organic farming characterize a three-year crop rotation) and two grasslands (intensively-used meadow and extensively-used meadow) on earthworm communities across different seasons and years in a field experiment. Compared with grasslands, earthworms in croplands have lower species richness (-26 %), abundance (-80 %), and biomass (-73 %), particularly the abundance of juveniles (-83 %) and Aporrectodea rosea (-76 %) as well as the biomass of juveniles (-84 %), A. rosea (-72 %), Octolasion cyaneum (-47 %), and Lumbricus terrestris (-83 %). Due to extreme droughts in Central Europe from 2018 to 2020, earthworm abundance and biomass were low across land-use types, but in grassland they increased (abundance: +80 %; biomass: +85 %) in 2021 presumably due to increased moisture conditions. Main effects of experimental climate change and intensified management practices as well as interaction of experimental climate change and land use on abundance and biomass of earthworms were non-significant. Notably, experimental climate change and land use interactively altered earthworm community composition, with the most pronounced difference between ambient and future climate in croplands than in grasslands. This indicates that earthworm community composition more sensitively reflects changes in environmental conditions than earthworm abundance and biomass, but the latter two negatively responded to prolonged drought conditions. Our results indicate that grasslands have a higher resilience of earthworm populations to buffer adverse environmental conditions than croplands. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the response of earthworms to inter-annual climatic variability and experimental climate change under different land-use types.

Pedestrian flow-environmental pollutants interactions and health risks to residents in high-occupancy public areas of apartment buildings

The current interaction of pedestrian flow and environmental pollutants in high-occupancy public areas of apartment and the risks of residents being exposed to environmental pollutants are issues that are often overlooked but urgently need to be addressed. In this study, we provide a comprehensive of pedestrian flow-environmental pollutants interactions and health risks to residents in first-floor public areas of apartment with high-occupancy. The main findings indicate that under closed management conditions, there is a significant increase in TVOC and noise levels during the peak periods of nighttime pedestrian flow. In the correlation analysis, the significant impact of time granularity selection in clarifying the correlation between pedestrian flow and environmental pollutants has been highlighted, with larger time granularities generally showing stronger correlations, while finer time granularities may help identify specific risks in areas directly connected to the external environment. There is a significant correlation exists between pedestrian flow and environmental pollutants (TVOC, ozone, and noise), with higher concentrations of these pollutants observed during peak pedestrian flow periods, thereby increasing the risk of residents being exposed to adverse environmental conditions. To mitigate the risks associated with TVOC pollution and noise exposure, it is crucial to maintain proper ventilation, avoid conducting cleaning or maintenance activities during peak hours, and implement noise-reducing measures, such as distancing noise sources from residential areas or installing soundproofing barriers. Additionally, the study identifies total volatile organic compounds originating from property maintenance activities and clarifies their dispersion patterns, emphasizing the importance of developing robust, standardized maintenance protocols for indoor environmental quality assurance. This research can improve the environmental sustainability of apartment buildings and provide a theoretical basis for the development of environmental health strategies for high-occupancy public areas of apartment buildings.

Activity of Streptomyces globosus OPF-9 against the important pathogen Alternaria longipes and biocontrol mechanisms revealed by multi-omic analyses

Plant diseases caused by fungal pathogens represent main threats to the yield and quality of agricultural products, and Alternaria longipes is one of the most important pathogens in agricultural systems. Biological control is becoming increasingly prevalent in the management of plant diseases due to its environmental compatibility and sustainability. In the present study, a bacterial strain, designated as OPF-9, was shown to effectively inhibit the pathogen A. longipes, which was identified as Streptomyces globosus. The culture conditions for OPF-9 were optimized through a stepwise approach and the fermentation broth acquired displayed an excellent inhibitory activity against A. longipes in vitro and in vivo. Further investigations suggested that the fermentation broth exhibited strong stability under a range of adverse environmental conditions. To reveal the molecular bases of OPF-9 in inhibiting pathogens, the whole-genome sequencing and assembly were conducted on this strain. It showed that the genome size of OPF-9 was 7.668 Mb, containing a chromosome and two plasmids. Multiple clusters of secondary metabolite synthesis genes were identified by genome annotation analysis. In addition, the fermentation broth of strain OPF-9 was analyzed by LC-MS/MS non-target metabolomic assay and the activity of potential antifungal substances was determined. Among the five compounds evaluated, pyrogallol displayed the most pronounced inhibitory activity against A. longipes, which was found to effectively inhibit the mycelial growth of this pathogen. Overall, this study reported, for the first time, a strain of S. globosus that effectively inhibits A. longipes and revealed the underlying biocontrol mechanisms by genomic and metabolomic analyses.

Comparative quantitative phosphoproteomic and parallel reaction monitoring analysis of soybean roots under aluminum stress identify candidate phosphoproteins involved in aluminum resistance capacity

Aluminum (Al) toxicity adversely impacts soybean (Glycine max) growth in acidic soil. Reversible protein phosphorylation plays an important role in adapting to adverse environmental conditions by regulating multiple physiological processes including signal transduction, energy coupling and metabolism adjustment in higher plant. This study aimed to reveal the Al-responsive phosphoproteins to understand their putative function and involvement in the regulation of Al resistance in soybean root. We used immobilized metal affinity chromatography to enrich the key phosphoproteins from soybean root apices at 0, 4, or 24 h Al exposure. These phosphoproteins were detected using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry measurement, verified by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM), and functionally characterized via overexpression in soybean hairy roots. A total of 638 and 686 phosphoproteins were identified as differentially enriched between the 4-h and 0-h, and the 24-h and 0-h Al treatment comparison groups, respectively. Typically, the phosphoproteins involved in biological processes including cell wall modification, and RNA and protein metabolic regulation displayed patterns of decreasing enrichment (clusters 3, 5 and 6), however, the phosphoproteins involved in the transport and metabolic processes of various substrates, and signal transduction pathways showed increased enrichment after 24 h of Al treatment. The enrichment of phosphoproteins in organelle organization bottomed after 4 h of Al treatment (cluster 1). Next, we selected 26 phosphoproteins from the phosphoproteomic profiles, assessed their enrichment status using PRM, and detected enrichment patterns similar to those observed via phosphoproteomic analysis. Among them, 15 phosphoproteins were found to reduce the accumulation of Al and callose in Al-stressed soybean root apices when their corresponding genes were individually overexpressed in soybean hairy roots. In summary, the findings of this study facilitated a comprehensive understanding of the protein phosphorylation events involved in Al resistance responses and revealed some critical phosphoproteins that enhance Al resistance in soybean roots.

Abiotic stressors in poultry production: A comprehensive review.

In modern animal husbandry, stress can be viewed as an automatic response triggered by exposure to adverse environmental conditions. This response can range from mild discomfort to severe consequences, including mortality. The poultry industry, which significantly contributes to human nutrition, is not exempt from this issue. Although genetic selection has been employed for several decades to enhance production output, it has also resulted in poor stress resilience. Stress is manifested through a series of physiological reactions, such as the identification of the stressful stimulus, activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal medulla, and subsequent hormonal cascades. While brief periods of stress can be tolerated, prolonged exposure can have more severe consequences. For instance, extreme fluctuations in environmental temperature can lead to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, impairment of reproductive performance, and reduced immunity. In addition, excessive noise in poultry slaughterhouses has been linked to altered bird behaviour and decreased production efficiency. Mechanical vibrations have also been shown to negatively impact the meat quality of broilers during transport as well as the egg quality and hatchability in hatcheries. Lastly, egg production is heavily influenced by light intensity and regimens, and inadequate light management can result in deficiencies, including visual anomalies, skeletal deformities, and circulatory problems. Although there is a growing body of evidence demonstrating the impact of environmental stressors on poultry physiology, there is a disproportionate representation of stressors in research. Recent studies have been focused on chronic heat stress, reflecting the current interest of the scientific community in climate change. Therefore, this review aims to highlight the major abiotic stressors in poultry production and elucidate their underlying mechanisms, addressing the need for a more comprehensive understanding of stress in diverse environmental contexts.

Low-toxicity natural pyrite on electro-Fenton catalytic reaction in a wide pH range

The resource utilization of natural pyrite not only reduces secondary pollution but also brings certain environmental benefits. However, the green and efficient use of pyrite presents certain challenges. In this study, a novel electro-Fenton (EF) system was constructed utilizing copper modified graphite felt (GF/Cu) as cathode and natural pyrite (com-FeS2) as catalyst. The results demonstrated that the system exhibited a remarkable stability over an extensive pH range (3.0–10.0) and remained effective even under adverse environmental conditions, such as high salinity or elevated antibiotic concentration. After optimizing the reaction conditions, 0.2 mM sulfamerazine (SMZ) was almost completely degraded within 1.5 h. The results highlighted the catalytic role of Fe(II) on the com-FeS2 surface. Combined with quenching experiments and quantitative analysis of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the removal of SMZ was primarily attributed to the generation of •OH, ordered by 1O2 > •O2− > •OHads, a possible degradation pathway was proposed by HR-LC-MS. The biological toxicity after the reaction was detected, and the introduction of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was beneficial to reduce the biological toxicity of iron dissolution. This work provides new insights into the green and efficient resource utilization of natural pyrite and significantly expands the pH applicability range of the Fenton process, demonstrating the large-scale industrial application potential of pyrite.

Maize Anthesis-Silking Interval Estimation via Image Detection under Field Rail-Based Phenotyping Platform

The Anthesis-Silking Interval (ASI) is a crucial indicator of the synchrony of reproductive development in maize, reflecting its sensitivity to adverse environmental conditions such as heat stress and drought. This paper presents an automated method for detecting the maize ASI index using a field high-throughput phenotyping platform. Initially, high temporal-resolution visible-light image sequences of maize plants from the tasseling to silking stage are collected using a field rail-based phenotyping platform. Then, the training results of different sizes of YOLOv8 models on this dataset are compared to select the most suitable base model for the task of detecting maize tassels and ear silks. The chosen model is enhanced by incorporating the SENetv2 and the dual-layer routing attention mechanism BiFormer, named SEBi-YOLOv8. The SEBi-YOLOv8 model, with these combined modules, shows improvements of 2.3% and 8.2% in mAP over the original model, reaching 0.989 and 0.886, respectively. Finally, SEBi-YOLOv8 is used for the dynamic detection of maize tassels and ear silks in maize populations. The experimental results demonstrate the method’s high detection accuracy, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.987 and an RMSE of 0.316. Based on these detection results, the ASI indices of different inbred lines are calculated and compared.

Landscape analysis of environmental data sources for linkage with SEER cancer patients database.

One of the challenges associated with understanding environmental impacts on cancer risk and outcomes is estimating potential exposures of individuals diagnosed with cancer to adverse environmental conditions over the life course. Historically, this has been partly due to the lack of reliable measures of cancer patients' potential environmental exposures before a cancer diagnosis. The emerging sources of cancer-related spatiotemporal environmental data and residential history information, coupled with novel technologies for data extraction and linkage, present an opportunity to integrate these data into the existing cancer surveillance data infrastructure, thereby facilitating more comprehensive assessment of cancer risk and outcomes. In this paper, we performed a landscape analysis of the available environmental data sources that could be linked to historical residential address information of cancer patients' records collected by the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. The objective is to enable researchers to use these data to assess potential exposures at the time of cancer initiation through the time of diagnosis and even after diagnosis. The paper addresses the challenges associated with data collection and completeness at various spatial and temporal scales, as well as opportunities and directions for future research.

Retrospective Review of Congenital Anomaly Cases in Ruminants

This study was designed to provide data on the incidence rates of congenital anomalies and their distribution by organs and systems in calves, lambs and kids brought to Van Yuzuncu Yil University, Surgery Clinic between 2017-2023. The animal material of the study consisted of 1104 ruminants, including 886 calves, 183 lambs and 35 kids, aged 0-6 months. In addition to clinical examination, anomalies were diagnosed by using direct and indirect radiographic examinations when necessary. In some cases, a definitive diagnosis was made by performing experimental laparotomy based on clinical and radiological examinations. 341 out of 1104 ruminants, including 234 calves, 96 lambs and 11 kids, suffered from congenital anomalies. Of the ruminants with congenital anomalies, 208 (61.00%) were male, 132 (38.70%) female and 1 (0.30%) hermaphrodite. Abdominal wall anomalies were determined with the highest number of 112 (32.9%) cases. These were followed by musculoskeletal system anomalies in 83 (24.4%) cases and gastrointestinal system anomalies in 56 (16.5%) cases. Head region anomalies occurred in 41 cases (12.1%), urinary system anomalies in 23 cases (6.8%) and CNS anomalies in 9 cases (2.6%). Multiple anomalies were recorded in 16 (4.7%) cases. In conclusion, congenital anomalies are frequently seen as pathologies in ruminants in our country, especially in our region. Avoiding inbreeding, making artificial insemination widespread, improving the care and nutrition of the dam during pregnancy, correcting adverse environmental conditions and eliminating stress factors, avoiding over-the-counter medication misuse during pregnancy and most importantly informing field veterinarians and animal owners about the subject will contribute to the prevention of congenital malformations and losses in livestock.

CRISPR-Cas9 mediated understanding of plants' abiotic stress-responsive genes to combat changing climatic patterns.

Multiple abiotic stresses like extreme temperatures, water shortage, flooding, salinity, and exposure to heavy metals are confronted by crop plants with changing climatic patterns. Prolonged exposure to these adverse environmental conditions leads to stunted plant growth and development with significant yield loss in crops. CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing tool is being frequently employed to understand abiotic stress-responsive genes. Noteworthy improvements in CRISPR-Cas technology have been made over the years, including upgradation of Cas proteins fidelity and efficiency, optimization of transformation protocols for different crop species, base and prime editing, multiplex gene-targeting, transgene-free editing, and graft-based heritable CRISPR-Cas9 approaches. These developments helped to improve the knowledge of abiotic stress tolerance in crops that could potentially be utilized to develop knock-out varieties and over-expressed lines to tackle the adverse effects of altered climatic patterns. This review summarizes the mechanistic understanding of heat, drought, salinity, and metal stress-responsive genes characterized so far using CRISPR-Cas9 and provides data on potential candidate genes that can be exploited by modern-day biotechnological tools to develop transgene-free genome-edited crops with better climate adaptability. Furthermore, the importance of early-maturing crop varieties to withstand abiotic stresses is also discussed in this review.

Impact of Nutrient Enrichment on Community Structure and Co-Occurrence Networks of Coral Symbiotic Microbiota in Duncanopsammia peltata: Zooxanthellae, Bacteria, and Archaea.

Symbiotic microorganisms in reef-building corals, including algae, bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, play critical roles in the adaptation of coral hosts to adverse environmental conditions. However, their adaptation and functional relationships in nutrient-rich environments have yet to be fully explored. This study investigated Duncanopsammia peltata and the surrounding seawater and sediments from protected and non-protected areas in the summer and winter in Dongshan Bay. High-throughput sequencing was used to characterize community changes, co-occurrence patterns, and factors influencing symbiotic coral microorganisms (zooxanthellae, bacteria, and archaea) in different environments. The results showed that nutrient enrichment in the protected and non-protected areas was the greatest in December, followed by the non-protected area in August. In contrast, the August protected area had the lowest nutrient enrichment. Significant differences were found in the composition of the bacterial and archaeal communities in seawater and sediments from different regions. Among the coral symbiotic microorganisms, the main dominant species of zooxanthellae is the C1 subspecies (42.22-56.35%). The dominant phyla of bacteria were Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidota. Only in the August protected area did a large number (41.98%) of SAR324_cladeMarine_group_B exist. The August protected and non-protected areas and December protected and non-protected areas contained beneficial bacteria as biomarkers. They were Nisaea, Spiroplasma, Endozoicomonas, and Bacillus. No pathogenic bacteria appeared in the protected area in August. The dominant phylum in Archaea was Crenarchaeota. These symbiotic coral microorganisms' relative abundances and compositions vary with environmental changes. The enrichment of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in environmental media is a key factor affecting the composition of coral microbial communities. Co-occurrence analysis showed that nutrient enrichment under anthropogenic disturbances enhanced the interactions between coral symbiotic microorganisms. These findings improve our understanding of the adaptations of coral holobionts to various nutritional environments.

A bud's life: Metabarcoding analysis to characterise hazelnut big buds microbiome biodiversity

Despite Corylus avellana L. being an economically important shrub species known for its resilience to adverse environmental conditions, it constantly faces attacks from a plethora of biotic entities. Among these, the mite pest Phytoptus avellanae is gaining importance, causing economic losses every year. This mite colonises the new generative and vegetative buds, leading them to become swollen and reddish, and drastically reducing hazelnut production. The biology behind gall formation is still poorly understood. This study provides a qualitative and quantitative description of the microbiome in both healthy and infested buds of two economically important hazelnut cultivars through metabarcoding of fungal ITS and bacterial 16 S. Potentially pathogenic genera such as Fusarium and Pseudomonas were predominant in the infested buds, along with the obligate intracellular bacterial genus Wolbachia. Akanthomyces muscarius was instead isolated from culture-based methods only from the infested buds. These findings could improve the understanding of gall ecology, supporting the management of mite populations, and they could also serve as a milestone for further studies on low-impact, monitoring-driven, and genetically targeted control strategies.

Effects of sand substrate removal on the intestinal antioxidant and metabolism in Marsupenaeus japonicus

M. japonicus is an important specie for factory farming, and factory farming requires an environment with sand at the bottom of the pond. However, the physiological responses as well as survival in the process of factory farming without laying sand are currently unknown. In the present study, we explored the effect of sand substrate removal on the intestinal histomorphology, antioxidant enzyme activity, and metabolic profile of M. japonicus. Our results indicate a gradual increase in the mortality rate of kuruma shrimp in ponds lacking sand substrate. The intestinal mucosa exhibited necrosis and the presence of vacuoles, with their number gradually increasing over time. The intestinal villi showed significant erosion, accompanied by a decrease in intestinal superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and catalase (CAT) activity, and consistent with an upregulation in the expression of apoptosis-related genes such as caspase-3, indicating an adaptive response to the adverse environmental conditions. Additionally, the metabolomic analysis revealed that most significantly differential metabolites were linked to amino acid and lipid metabolism. These findings enhance our understanding of the sand substrate removal on the intestinal health of kuruma shrimp, which provides a basis for the factory farming.

Potassium silica nanostructure improved growth and nutrient uptake of sorghum plants subjected to drought stress.

Recent advancements in nanotechnology present promising opportunities for enhancing crop resilience in adverse environmental conditions. In this study, we conducted a factorial experiment to investigate the influence of potassium nanosilicate (PNS) on sorghum plants exposed to varying degrees of drought stress A randomized complete block design with three replications was employed to subject the sorghum plants to different drought conditions. The three levels of stress were designated as non-stress (NS at -0.03 MPa), moderate stress (MD at -0.6 MPa), and severe stress (SD at -1.2 MPa). The plants were administered PNS at concentrations of 0 mM (control), 3.6 mM Si, and 7.2 mM Si. As drought stress intensified, we observed significant reductions in multiple plant parameters, including height, fresh weight, dry weight, leaf number, stem diameter, cluster length, seed weight, and nutrient uptake, with the most pronounced effects observed under SD conditions. Interestingly, nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) levels exhibited an increase under drought stress and PNS application, peaking at MD, alongside Si concentrations. Notably, PNS application facilitated enhanced nutrient uptake, particularly evident in the significant increase in nitrogen concentration observed at 3.6 mM PNS. Furthermore, the application of PNS significantly enhanced the fresh weight and nutrient concentrations (notably K and Si) in sorghum seeds under drought stress, despite varying statistical significance for other nutrients. These findings shed light on the mechanisms through which PNS exerts beneficial effects on plant performance under drought stress. By elucidating the complex interactions between PNS application, drought stress, and plant physiology, this study contributes significantly to the development of sustainable agricultural practices aimed at bolstering crop resilience and productivity in water-limited environments.

Long-term effects on cardiorespiratory and behavioral responses in male and female rats prenatally exposed to cannabinoid.

Development of the respiratory system can be affected by the use of drugs during pregnancy, as the prenatal phase is highly sensitive to pharmacological interventions, resulting in long-term consequences. The deleterious effects of external cannabinoids during gestation may be related to negative interference in central nervous system formation, cardiorespiratory system function, and behavioral disorders. Nevertheless, the impact of external cannabinoids on cardiorespiratory network development, chemosensitivity, and its future consequences in adulthood is still unclear. We evaluated the effects of prenatal exposure to a synthetic cannabinoid (WIN 55,212-2, 0.5 mg.kg-1.day-1) on the cardiorespiratory control and panic-like behavior of male and female rats in adulthood. Exogenous cannabinoid exposure during pregnancy resulted in a sex-dependent difference in breathing control. Specifically, males showed increased chemosensitivity to CO2 and O2, while females exhibited decreased sensitivity. Altered cardiovascular control was evident, with prenatally treated males and females being more susceptible to hypertension and tachycardia under adverse environmental conditions. Moreover, WIN-treated males exhibited higher fragmentation of sleep episodes, while females displayed anxiolytic and panicolytic behavioral responses to CO2. However, no changes were observed in the mechanical component of the respiratory system, and there were no neuroanatomical alterations, such as changes in the expression of CB1 receptors in the brainstem or in the quantification of catecholaminergic and serotonergic neurons. These findings highlight that external interference in cannabinoid signaling during fetal development causes sex-specific long-lasting effects for the cardiorespiratory system and behavioral responses in adulthood.

Relationship Between the Shape of Giant Reed-Based Fillers and Thermal Properties of Polyethylene Composites: Structural Related Thermal Expansion and Diffusivity Studies

AbstractThis paper describes the effect of two different fillers derived from giant reed (Arundo donax L.), namely fibers and shredded aerial parts of the plant, on the thermal properties of polyethylene-based composites, as the analysis of dimensional stability of lignocellulose-based composites, and its relationship with their thermal diffusivity, has not yet been assessed in the literature. It has been found that the introduction of such materials resulted in a significant reduction of the coefficient of thermal expansion, particularly more important in the case of fibers, due to their higher aspect ratio; in particular, this coefficient is reduced to less than half for fibrous composites (from 1.6·10− 4 K− 1 to 6.1·10− 5 K− 1 or 3.5·10− 5 K− 1 for 20 and 40% loadings). This parameter also influences the thermal diffusivity of the final parts; the diffusivity of composites increases with the ratio of lignocellulosic filler used, particularly when using fibers, due to a better orientation of these fibers than the shredded material, which does not exhibit a fibrous shape. Composites with 20% share of the filler exhibited a thermal diffusivity increased by about 15% compared to neat polyethylene, while 40% loadings resulted in a 25% and 60% increase for ground and fibrous materials, respectively. These results provide additional features to lignocellulose-composites characterization, providing properties not usually mentioned in the literature to expand the knowledge about such composite materials beyond mechanical properties, providing a broader range of properties to offer a wider application area of such composites. Statement of NoveltyArundo donax L. is of great interest to biorefineries due to its fast growth and resistance to adverse environmental conditions. Most research on this plant species focuses on obtaining energy products or valuable chemicals, while very few are related to composite production, particularly on thermoplastic materials. The work found in the literature so far does not provide insights into the relationships between the types of filler (and their aspect ratio) and their thermal properties. Therefore, this work expands the knowledge on the thermal behavior of lignocellulose-polymer composites, supplementing the research, usually focused only on mechanical properties, in their characterization by correlative analysis of thermal influenced dimensional change with structure and thermal diffusivity. Determining the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is a relevant parameter to assess the possibilities of using a material at high or low temperatures and evaluate the dimensional stability of a product during its service lifetime. On the other hand, thermal diffusivity brings together the capacity of a material to store thermal energy and distribute it throughout the material; that is, it relates heat capacity and thermal conductivity, which are also essential in using materials in market applications. Therefore, the work not only provides the results of thermal diffusivity and CTE of thermoplastic-reed composites but also correlates both parameters as a way to widen the range of application of plant-based composites in areas where dimensional stability (i.e., low thermal expansion) is required. Graphical Abstract