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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed by two core behavioral criteria, unusual reciprocal social interactions and communication, and stereotyped, repetitive behaviors with restricted interests. Excitatory/inhibitory imbalance is a prominent hypothesis for the etiology of autism. The selective GABAB receptor agonist R-baclofen previously reversed social deficits and reduced repetitive behaviors in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome, and Arbaclofen improved some clinical symptoms in some Fragile X and ASD patients. To evaluate R-baclofen in a broader range of mouse models of ASD, we tested both the R-baclofen enantiomer and the less potent S-baclofen enantiomer in two inbred strains of mice that display low sociability and/or high repetitive or stereotyped behaviors. R-baclofen treatment reversed social approach deficits in BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J (BTBR), reduced repetitive self-grooming and high marble burying scores in BTBR, and reduced stereotyped jumping in C58/J (C58), at nonsedating doses. S-baclofen produced minimal effects at the same doses. These findings encourage investigations of R-baclofen in other preclinical model systems. Additional clinical studies may be warranted to further evaluate the hypothesis that the GABAB receptor represents a promising pharmacological target for treating appropriately stratified subsets of individuals with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four commercially available natural products (olive leaf extract, lutein, sesamol and ellagic acid) were investigated for in vitro antioxidant properties using the DPPH·, ABTS·+, ferric reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP), oxygen reducing antioxidant capacity (ORAC) and β-carotene-linoleic acid assays. Antioxidant potency followed the order: ellagic acid > sesamol > olive leaf extract > lutein for all antioxidant test methods. Total phenolic content of olive leaf extract was estimated as 1.60 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight of olive leaf extract using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Qualitative and quantitative compositional analysis carried out using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with photo diode array detection (DAD) revealed six major polyphenolic compounds present in olive leaf extract: oleuropein, verbascoside, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. Lutein, sesamol, ellagic acid and olive leaf extract all showed great potential as natural antioxidants which would be useful in the prevention of diseases in which free radicals are implicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three types of planar solid-state sensors for measuring NO2 in a gas mixture has been designed and tested in the laboratory under controlled atmosphere between 573–723 K. The concentration of NO2 in the gas mixture was in the range of 0–500 ppm with the balance gas consisting of air. The three types of NO2 gas sensors that have been tested in this investigation can be schematically represented as follows: Pt, NO2 + air, NaNO3 + Ba(NO3)2 | NASICON disk | Porous YSZ disk | NO2 + air, Pt (I) Pt, NO2 + air, NaNO3 + Ba(NO3)2 | NASICON disk | YSZ thin film | NO2 + air, Pt (II) Pt, NO2 + air, Pt | YSZ disk | Au - Pd, NO2 + air, Pt (III) In sensor (I) the two solid electrolyte disks were attached by diffusion bonding at elevated temperature whereas in sensor (II) the (8 mol% Y2O3–ZrO2) YSZ thin film was deposited on (Na3Zr2Si2PO12) NASICON disk by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique. The measured open circuit electromotive force (Emf) of each sensor was found to attain stable value at all the concentrations of NO2 in the gas mixture and also varied linearly as a function of the logarithm of the partial pressure of NO2 in the gas mixture. The time required to reach 90% of the stable emf at a fixed concentration of NO2 and at a constant temperature was found to be 30–40 min for sensor (I) and approximately 2–3 min for sensor (II) and (III). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seedlings of six temperate pasture species, three grasses and three legumes, were grown for 19-24 days in sterile agar or sand-vermiculite media, in the presence of inorganic phosphate (Pi), glucose 1-phosphate (G1P) or inositol hexaphosphate (IHP). Agar (pH 5.0) had a low IHP-sorbing capacity while IHP was almost completely sorbedin sand-vermiculite. Pi and G1P were relatively availablein both media. Growth of each species was measured in relation to phosphorus (P) supply and levels of Pi supply at which shootyields reached 90% of maximum yield (Pcrit) were determined. Pcrit values were generally higher for the legume species than for the grasses, and were six-fold higher for Trifolium subterraneum L. seedlings when grown in sand-vermiculite relative to agar. When supplied with G1P, seedlings of the six species grew as well as plants supplied with Pi. By contrast, IHP was a poor source of P for plant growth, even when supplied in agar at levels up to40-fold greater than Pcrit. Using the growth of T. subterraneum in the presence of IHP, it was calculated that roots released approximately 0.09 nkat phytase g-1 root dry wt per day, over 20 days of growth. By supplementing agar containing IHP with phytase from Aspergillus niger (E.C. 3.1.3.8; 0.012 nkat plant-1, or ~1.3 nkat g-1 root dry wt), sufficient P became available to enable T. subterraneum seedlings to grow as well as Pi-supplied plants. These results indicate that while pasture plants can quite effectively use P from some organic P sources (e.g. G1P), the acquisition of phytate-P is limited both by availability of substrate and the capacity of plant roots to hydrolyse available IHP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic turf has been a mainstay of field sports and local communities for decades, and in that time, has faced both community and government pressure to ensure its safety and fitness for purpose. Considerable research and regulations have been applied to synthetic turf with regards to its safety, construction, potential toxicity, sports impact, as well as environmental considerations. However, very little attention has been paid to reports of odorous impacts from synthetic turf fields. This is problematic as odours are both a source of most complaints by communities towards other industries, as well as the fact that synthetic turf has a unique placement within communities themselves. It is wholly possible that the concerns surrounding synthetic turf are being modulated by the odours that the fields themselves produce through previously identified psychological mechanisms. As a result, ensuring good standards for synthetic turf with regards to odorous emissions should be benchmarked for community acceptability. This review investigates prior research into synthetic turf with regards to identified volatile organic compounds emitted, as well as proposing the means by which community stakeholders engage with synthetic turf, as well as how they should be consulted. From here, this review provides trajectories for future research within this space, and how regulatory bodies should address potential issues. This research space is currently in its infancy and therefore information relating to synthetic turf odour factors must be carefully considered., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Richard Stuetz reports financial support was provided by Office of the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, NSW Government. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Crown Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sudden smell loss is a specific early symptom of COVID-19, which, prior to the emergence of Omicron, had estimated prevalence of ~40% to 75%. Chemosensory impairments affect physical and mental health, and dietary behavior. Thus, it is critical to understand the rate and time course of smell recovery. The aim of this cohort study was to characterize smell function and recovery up to 11 months post COVID-19 infection., Methods: This longitudinal survey of individuals suffering COVID-19-related smell loss assessed disease symptoms and gustatory and olfactory function. Participants (n=12,313) who completed an initial survey (S1) about respiratory symptoms, chemosensory function and COVID-19 diagnosis between April and September 2020, were invited to complete a follow-up survey (S2). Between September 2020 and February 2021, 27.5% participants responded (n=3,386), with 1,468 being diagnosed with COVID-19 and suffering co-occurring smell and taste loss at the beginning of their illness., Results: At follow-up (median time since COVID-19 onset ~200 days), ~60% of women and ~48% of men reported less than 80% of their pre-illness smell ability. Taste typically recovered faster than smell, and taste loss rarely persisted if smell recovered. Prevalence of parosmia and phantosmia was ~10% of participants in S1 and increased substantially in S2: ~47% for parosmia and ~25% for phantosmia. Persistent smell impairment was associated with more symptoms overall, suggesting it may be a key marker of long-COVID illness. The ability to smell during COVID-19 was rated slightly lower by those who did not eventually recover their pre-illness ability to smell at S2., Conclusions: While smell ability improves for many individuals who lost it during acute COVID-19, the prevalence of parosmia and phantosmia increases substantially over time. Olfactory dysfunction is associated with broader persistent symptoms of COVID-19, and may last for many months following acute COVID-19. Taste loss in the absence of smell loss is rare. Persistent qualitative smell symptoms are emerging as common long-term sequelae; more research into treatment options is strongly warranted given that even conservative estimates suggest millions of individuals may experience parosmia following COVID-19. Healthcare providers worldwide need to be prepared to treat post COVID-19 secondary effects on physical and mental health.

Detection dogs serve a plethora of roles within modern society, and are relied upon to identify threats such as explosives and narcotics. Despite their importance, research and training regarding detection dogs has involved ambiguity. This is partially due to the fact that the assessment of effectiveness regarding detection dogs continues to be entrenched within a traditional, non-scientific understanding. Furthermore, the capabilities of detection dogs are also based on their olfactory physiology and training methodologies, both of which are hampered by knowledge gaps. Additionally, the future of detection dogs is strongly influenced by welfare and social implications. Most importantly however, is the emergence of progressively inexpensive and efficacious analytical methodologies including gas chromatography related techniques, "e-noses", and capillary electrophoresis. These analytical methodologies provide both an alternative and assistor for the detection dog industry, however the interrelationship between these two detection paradigms requires clarification. These factors, when considering their relative contributions, illustrate a need to address research gaps, formalise the detection dog industry and research process, as well as take into consideration analytical methodologies and their influence on the future status of detection dogs. This review offers an integrated assessment of the factors involved in order to determine the current and future status of detection dogs., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Complaints for odour causing industry continue to increase in numeracy and severity. One assessment approach using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Olfactometry (GC-MS/O), has been used primarily to identify priority odourants within a standardised panel. We investigated the variation of response between participants of average and high olfactory sensitivity, and discovered that current GC-MS/O methodologies do not represent the entirety of community odour impact. Based on these results we constructed a Biosolids Processing Odour Wheel followed by a Community Odour Wheel for use by untrained community members and site operators. By using the information gathered from this research, as well as odour testing workshops for a wastewater treatment plant's staff and community surrounding the facility, we established a communicative system, which was subsequently incorporated into an online dynamic odour observation platform. This platform provides the WWTP with meaningful information from the community, as well as a common language for which to discuss environmental malodour with all stakeholders., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In the context of environmental malodour, surveys are valuable as they allow for the relatively detailed analysis of multiple factors pertaining to odour perception and subsequent reaction. However, the causes for an individual to experience odour impact while a neighbour will not are still not understood. The goal of this current survey design was to consolidate varying research paths for surveys within the environmental odour research space. This survey investigated the area of effect for wastewater treatment plants by using stratified random sampling techniques that radiated from the industrial areas. Additionally, this survey provided a "non-alerted" response to environmental malodour that represents a step forward for ecological validity. We found a small number of items relating to odour annoyance and home ownership that can be used in order to predict odour impact for individual community members. However, we also did not find any relationship with odour impact and perceived control. This survey design and analysis reconciles the varied approaches towards community surveys administered in prior literature, as well as providing information to improve future community engagement policies., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Malodours remain the biggest source of complaints regarding environmental issues. This factor is likely to increase, as the urban development steadily encroaches into areas that have malodourous emitting industries (such as wastewater and waste management operations and intensive livestock practices), and has the potential to be both time and fiscally expensive. Despite the enormous amount of research involved in odour detection and abatement, as well as the creation of several distinct methodologies, there has yet been no definitive procedure to evaluate odour impact on communities, as well as community response. This paper is a review of the current methods that explore this problem, as well as a précis of this research field's goals and challenges. The first aim of this review is to illustrate the dichotomy between regulatory-established procedures, such as panellist testing, and methods that are centred around producing a more comprehensive explanation of factors that influence an odour's impact on a community or individual. In that regard, we have addressed several predominant paradigms of inquiry for this field: analytical methods, panellist testing, qualitative research, and survey methods, with associated variants. Secondly, the challenges of measuring and monitoring community impact are discussed. While the quantification of odorants is crucial to appreciating impact, individual-based modifiers of perception have an enormous scope for which to shape the effect of those odours. Perceptual differences are also likely the most dominant variables that influence the elicited behaviour of individuals who have experienced malodour exposure., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)