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• Chronic unpredictable stress increases basal cortisol levels in adult zebrafish and induces anxiety-like behavior. • Preconception stress in females induces anxiety-like behavior in larval zebrafish. • Parental preconception stress induces anxiety-like behavior in adult offspring. The growth and function of the vertebrate brain are impacted by environmental stimuli and early life stress. Adults who experience chronic stress during early life are more likely to suffer various neurodevelopmental and health issues. However, our understanding of how these specific environmental signals at different developmental stages affect brain development is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated if stress in parents prior to conception modulates neurodevelopment in offspring. We used a chronic unpredictable stress model adapted to zebrafish, which is an increasingly popular vertebrate model in neuroscience research to investigate the effects of both maternal and paternal preconception stress on offspring behavior. We evaluated the responsiveness of three anxiety-related behavioral paradigms in zebrafish: the novel tank test, thigmotaxis, and shoaling behavior. We found larvae from stressed females exhibited anxiety-like behavior in a thigmotaxis assay. As these larvae matured into adults, they continued to exhibit anxiety-like behavior in a novel tank and shoaling behavioral assay. These studies indicate preconception stress exposure in parents can induce life-long alterations in offspring neurodevelopment. Further, these results expand the hypothesis that chronically elevated glucocorticoid signaling not only in stressed mothers, but also stressed dads can affect neurodevelopment in offspring. We propose that zebrafish may be a useful model to study the transgenerational effects of chronic stress mediated via the maternal and paternal line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Second generation (2G) ethanol is produced by breaking down lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars. In Brazil, sugarcane bagasse has been proposed as the lignocellulosic residue for this biofuel production. The enzymatic cocktails for the degradation of biomass-derived polysaccharides are mostly produced by fungi, such as Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei. However, it is not yet fully understood how these microorganisms degrade plant biomass. In order to identify transcriptomic changes during steam-exploded bagasse (SEB) breakdown, we conducted a RNA-seq comparative transcriptome profiling of both fungi growing on SEB as carbon source. Results: Particular attention was focused on CAZymes, sugar transporters, transcription factors (TFs) and other proteins related to lignocellulose degradation. Although genes coding for the main enzymes involved in biomass deconstruction were expressed by both fungal strains since the beginning of the growth in SEB, significant differences were found in their expression profiles. The expression of these enzymes is mainly regulated at the transcription level, and A. niger and T. reesei also showed differences in TFs content and in their expression. Several sugar transporters that were induced in both fungal strains could be new players on biomass degradation besides their role in sugar uptake. Interestingly, our findings revealed that in both strains several genes that code for proteins of unknown function and pro-oxidant, antioxidant, and detoxification enzymes were induced during growth in SEB as carbon source, but their specific roles on lignocellulose degradation remain to be elucidated. Conclusions: This is the first report of a time-course experiment monitoring the degradation of pretreated bagasse by two important fungi using the RNA-seq technology. It was possible to identify a set of genes that might be applied in several biotechnology fields. The data suggest that these two microorganisms employ different strategies for biomass breakdown. This knowledge can be exploited for the rational design of enzymatic cocktails and 2G ethanol production improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During hydrolysis treatments, where the main objective is the solubilization of hemicelluloses, several undesirable reactions may occur. As a result, monomeric sugars and nonsaccharide compounds are obtained in the liquor. In the present study, autohydrolysis liquor resulting from the corn waste hydrolysis treatment (180 °C, 30 min) was filtered successively increasing the membrane cutoff (1, 5, and 10 kDa) to observe the potential of this technology for hemicellulose purification and fractionation by molecular weight. The experimental results showed that the 10 kDa retentate liquor fraction has the highest hemicellulose concentration (6.10 g/L) and it was constituted by defined molecular weight components (Mw= 2880), with low content in smaller compounds and inorganic material. Hemicelluloses have been isolated from each fraction and were analyzed by different analytical techniques (FT-IR, TGA, 1H NMR, and CHNS–O elemental analysis) to determine that it was possible to improve the physicochemical characteristics of the original liquor by ultrafiltration technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil features prominently in the world's textile industry due to its know-how in cotton cultivation. However, the denim production chain generates relevant environmental impacts due to some characteristics of its production chain. This study investigated the usefulness of actions for improving environmental – measured in terms of Climate Changes (CC) –, and energy performances, represented by Primary Energy Demand (PED), to be implemented in the supply chain of trouser jeans produced in Brazil. A diagnosis of the current process provided by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) indicated CO 2 (liming and mechanization) and N 2 O (N-fertilizer) emissions in cotton cultivation, and CH 4 and CO 2 (natural gas) releases from heat for the industrial branch as CC impact sources. Reliance on natural gas (heat supply) industrial processes and the BR grid (energy supply) provided PED contributions. With a view of improving this performance, scenarios based on cotton and yarn imports, and even trouser jeans themselves from the United States, as well as the replacement of natural gas for wood have been proposed. The LCA for such conditions did not offers a unanimous alternative. The lesser impact for CC (4.44 kg CO 2eq /FU) refers to the manufacture of trouser jeans in Brazil using wood as a heat source. An Integrated Analysis combined the effects of both analyzed dimensions for all the different scenarios and the same alternative achieved the best combined indicator Moreover, if the CC estimate takes into account CO 2 fixation from the air and biogenic CO 2 emissions, the use of wood becomes advisable. The current scenario kept the best energy outcomes (124 MJ/FU) given a performance in terms of utilities and transport. Moreover, Sensitivity and Trend Analyzes sought to magnify the effects of the parameter oscillations that integrate the analyzed systems models. Overlap areas among scenarios were identified, confirming that measures to reduce consumptions along the trouser productive cycle are necessary to achieve satisfactory results in terms of environmental and energy performance. • The study verifies energy and environmental behaviors of jeans production in Brazil. • LCA was applied to analyze impacts of Global Warming and Primary Energy Demand. • Thermal and electrical energy have been identified as the main sources of impacts. • Cleaner Production principles were applied for designing improvement alternatives. • The use of wood in heat generation brought the best combined performance indicator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gulf of Cadiz is located in the southwestern margin of Iberia, where the slow NE-SW trending convergence between the African – Eurasian plates is of 3.8-5.6 mm/yr. Despite hosting a moderate/intermediate seismic activity, large historical and instrumental destructive earthquakes, such as the 1755 Lisbon earthquake (Mw 8.5) and tsunami, and the 1969 Horseshoe earthquake (Mw 8) occurred. On the basis of turbidite paleo-seismologic studies, we found that great earthquakes of Mw ≥ 8 occur in the external part of the Gulf of Cadiz following a recurrence interval of ~1800 years. This study focuses on the active structures located in this area and their potential tsunami hazard. These structures are: a WNW-ESE dextral strike-slip fault (Lineament South) and NW-verging thrust faults such as the Marquês de Pombal, the Horseshoe Fault, the North Coral Patch Ridge Fault, the South Coral Patch Ridge Fault and Gorringe Bank Fault. Using a scenario approach on the basis of geological data acquired in the Gulf of Cadiz during the last 20 years, we are able to determine the locations of highest tsunami hazard along the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. The workflow involves the following tasks: 1. Interpretation of all seismic sections (in time), defining the traces of the main active faults in the area; 2. Mapping the seafloor fault trace on using multibeam bathymetry and a GIS software; 3. Mesh of the fault surface and sub-surface information, and their respective horizons in order to generate a 3D model of the subsurface for each fault; 4. Conversion of the 3D model from time to depth on the basis of available velocity models (i.e. assigning a velocity value to the intervals between horizons); 5. Defining the specific attributes for each fault, such as Length, Width, Depth, Strike, Dip and Rake. 6. Determine the maximum magnitude (Max Mw) that single faults can generate and its maximum slip, which is mechanically compatible with the length and width previously defined (i.e. using the scaling-law of Leonard, 2014). 7. Finally, the tsunami simulations for each fault have been running using Tsunami-HySEA software and considering a simple inclined planar surface for the fault plane (to have a first approach of the tsunami and its affects) and a triangular information for the 3D mesh that represents the real fault geometry and allows us to generate a more realistic and detailed tsunami. On both cases, the parameters defined in steps 5 and 6 have been introduced for each fault. Our results show that all the studied faults of the Gulf of Cadiz can potentially generate a significant tsunami that eventually may severely affect the coasts of SW Europe and NW Africa. The faults with the largest tsunamigenic potential are the Gorringe Bank and the Lineament South, and the most affected areas are the coasts of Morrocco and Algarve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate is an important surfactant used by the Specialty Chemical Industry. However, little quantitative information regarding its environmental impacts in a systemic perspective is available. Therefore, this study assessed the environmental performance of 1.0 ton of Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate containing 3 mol of ethylene oxide (SLES 3EO), by means of a 'cradle-to-gate' Life Cycle Assessment. Environmental impacts were quantified in terms of Global Warming Potential and Primary Energy Demand (PED). Carbon Footprint was also estimated according to ISO 14067 guidelines. The Global Warming indicator was calculated as 1.87 t CO 2 eq/t for the baseline scenario, while PED was estimated as 71.7 GJ/t. Based on the main sources of impact, four individual alternatives aiming at environmental performance improvement were proposed, based on the Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production philosophy: S1) production using palm kernel oil from Brazil; S2) production from synthetic lauryl alcohol; S3) generation of thermal energy from biomass; S4) SLES 3EO synthesis using ethylene oxide obtained from sugarcane. Possible synergies deriving from the combinations of these propositions were also assessed, considering seven additional scenarios (S5 – S11). It was observed that lauryl alcohol performance was very influential and decisive for the results. Moreover, thermal energy from biomass was beneficial in terms of Global Warming, while increasing the renewable fraction of the PED indicator. On the other hand, ethylene oxide production from sugarcane ethanol was not an advantageous alternative, due to high fuel and thermal energy demands throughout its production chain. The Carbon Footprint assessment according to the ISO 14067 standard indicates a beneficial change in the impact profiles between the scenarios presenting renewable source assets participating in their life cycle, with a strong reduction in relation to the results obtained by applying the IPCC approach. Synergy among cleaner production propositions was observed and highly influenced by the amount of biomass incorporated to SLES 3EO life cycle. This can be considered an innovative approach regarding the Brazilian context. As a pioneer initiative, it is expected that the outcomes from this investigation would contribute to future initiatives investigating detergent formulation from an environmental perspective. • Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate environmental performance was assessed systemically • Impacts derive from lauryl alcohol and ethylene oxide chains, and thermal energy • Production of ethylene oxide from biomass was not an advantageous alternative • Palm production in Brazil and thermal energy from biomass lead to better indicators • Synergy among cleaner production propositions improved environmental indicators [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The values of δ 13 C in benthic foraminifera have been measured in a gas-hydrate-bearing sediment core collected from an area of active methane venting on the Vestnesa Ridge (West Svalbard continental margin) to reconstruct the local history of methane emissions over the past 23.500 yrs BP. The chronostratigraphic framework of the core has been derived from AMS 14 C dates and biostratigraphic analysis. While foraminifera from some intervals have δ 13 C within the normal marine range (0 to − 1‰), five intervals are characterized by a much lower δ 13 C, as low as − 17.4‰. These intervals are interpreted to record the incorporation of 13 C-depleted carbon in the presence of methane emissions at the seafloor during biomineralization of the carbonate foraminiferal tests and subsequent secondary mineralization. Methane emission events (MEE) occur from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the Holocene, with the most prominent one, in terms of δ 13 C depletion, predating the Bølling–Allerød Interstadial (GI-1 in the Greenland ice core record). The lack of correlation between the values of δ 13 C and δ 18 O, however, appears to preclude warming of bottom waters as the principal control on methane release. Rather, it seems likely that methane release is a consequence of episodicity in the supply of gas to the hydrate system and in the processes that enable methane gas to migrate through the hydrate stability field to the seabed, or of other geological processes still under debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The hypothesis that benthic foraminifera are useful proxies of local methane emissions from the seafloor has been verified on sediment core KS16 from the headwall of the Ana submarine landslide in the Eivissa Channel, Western Mediterranean Sea. The core MS312 from a nearby location with no known methane emissions is utilised as control. The core was analysed for biostratigraphy, benthic foraminiferal assemblages, Hyalinea balthica and Uvigerina peregrina carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition, and sedimentary structures. The upper part of the core records post-landslide deglacial and Holocene normal marine hemipelagic sediments with highly abundant benthic foraminifera species that are typical of outer neritic to upper bathyal environment. In this interval, the δ 13C composition of benthic foraminifera indicates normal marine environment analogous to those found in the control core. Below the sedimentary hiatus caused by the emplacement of the slide, the foraminiferal assemblages are characterised by lower density and higher Shannon Index. Markedly negative δ 13C shifts in benthic foraminifera are attributed to the release of methane through the seabed. The mean values of the 13C anomaly in U. peregrina are −0.951±0.208 in the pre-landslide sediments, and −0.269±0.152 in post-slide reworked sediments deposited immediately above the hiatus. The δ 13C anomaly in Hyalinea balthica is −2.497±0.080 and −2.153±0.087, respectively. To discard the diagenetic effects on the δ 13C anomaly, which could have been induced by Ca–Mg replacement and authigenic carbonate overgrowth on foraminifera tests, a benthic foraminifera subsample has been treated following an oxidative and reductive cleaning protocol. The cleaning has resulted, only in some cases, in a slight reduction of the anomaly by 0.95% for δ 13C and <0.80% for δ 18O. Therefore, the first conclusion is that the diagenetic alteration is minor and it does not alter significantly the overall carbon isotopic anomaly in the core. Consequently, the pre-landslide sediments have been subject to pervasive methane emissions during a time interval of several thousand years. Methane emissions continued during and immediately after the occurrence of Ana Slide at about 61.5ka. Subsequently, methane emissions decreased and definitely ceased during the last deglaciation and the Holocene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The striatum is considered to mediate some forms of procedural learning. Complex dynamic control (CDC) tasks involve an individual having to make a series of sequential decisions to achieve a specific outcome (e.g. learning to operate and control a car), and they involve procedural learning. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that patients with Parkinson''s disease who have striatal dysfunction, are impaired on CDC tasks only when learning involves procedural learning. 26 patients with Parkinson''s disease (PD) and 26 age-matched controls performed two CDC tasks, one in which training was observation-based (non-procedural), and a second in which training was action-based (procedural). Both groups were able to control the system to a specific criterion equally well, regardless of the training condition. However, when reporting their knowledge of the underlying structure of the system, both groups showed poorer accuracy when learning took place through observation-based compared with action-based training. Moreover, the controls’ accuracy in reporting the underlying structure of the systems was superior to that of PD patients. The findings suggest that the striatal dysfunction in Parkinson''s disease is not associated with impairment of procedural learning, regardless of whether the task involved procedural learning or not. It is possible that the learning and performance on CDC tasks are mediated by perceptual priming mechanisms in the neocortex. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]