The Acoustic Method of Depth Sounding for Navigation Purposes1

Human-generated underwater noise and its effect on marine biota is recognized as an important issue. Boat noise can affect the communication success of fish species that use sounds for spawning purposes. During the reproductive period, males of the black drum Pogonias spp. produce calls ranging from 90 Hz to 300 Hz. In the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Pogonias courbina is one of the primary fishing species. Although no regulation is directly applied to protect it, a ban protects the reproductive period of other fish species during weekdays. Here, we investigated the potential effect of boat noise on P. courbina vocalizations through a passive acoustic method. Acoustic data were collected, and P. courbina calls were identified and counted. The files with boat noise passages were categorized into classes according to their noise frequency range (A = below 700 Hz, B = over 700 Hz, and C = below and above 700 Hz). The fish call rate was lower in files where boat noise overlapped the fish call frequency (Classes A and C). Only boat noise from Class C was significantly reduced during days with the active fishing ban. These results suggest that anthropogenic noise may affect the P. courbina call rate and underline the importance of including the evaluation of anthropogenic noise in the current management of the area.

Download Full-text

Magic Peptide: Unique Properties of the LRR11 Peptide in the Activation of Leukotriene Synthesis in Human Neutrophils

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22052671 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 2671

Author(s):

Galina M. Viryasova ◽

Ekaterina A. Golenkina ◽

Tibor Hianik ◽

Nataliya V. Soshnikova ◽

Nina G. Dolinnaya ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Defense Mechanisms ◽

Specific Binding ◽

Acoustic Method ◽

Effective Vaccine ◽

Human Neutrophils ◽

Shear Mode ◽

Vaccine Adjuvants ◽

High Biological Activity ◽

Pathogen Elimination ◽

Cpg Odns

Neutrophil-mediated innate host defense mechanisms include pathogen elimination through bacterial phagocytosis, which activates the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) product synthesis. Here, we studied the effect of synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs), which mimic the receptor-recognized sites of bacterial (CpG-ODNs) and genomic (G-rich ODNs) DNAs released from the inflammatory area, on the neutrophil functions after cell stimulation with Salmonella typhimurium. A possible mechanism for ODN recognition by Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) and RAGE receptor has been proposed. We found for the first time that the combination of the magic peptide LRR11 from the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) of TLR9 with the CpG-ODNs modulates the uptake and signaling from ODNs, in particular, dramatically stimulates 5-LOX pathway. Using thickness shear mode acoustic method, we confirmed the specific binding of CpG-ODNs, but not G-rich ODN, to LRR11. The RAGE receptor has been shown to play an important role in promoting ODN uptake. Thus, FPS-ZM1, a high-affinity RAGE inhibitor, suppresses the synthesis of 5-LOX products and reduces the uptake of ODNs by neutrophils; the inhibitor effect being abolished by the addition of LRR11. The results obtained revealed that the studied peptide-ODN complexes possess high biological activity and can be promising for the development of effective vaccine adjuvants and antimicrobial therapeutics.

Download Full-text

Data Echoes: Sound, Evidence, and Acoustic Methods in Energy Landscapes

Science Technology & Human Values ◽

10.1177/01622439211034575 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 016224392110345

Author(s):

James Maguire

Keyword(s):

Geothermal Energy ◽

Energy Production ◽

Model Building ◽

Acoustic Method ◽

Time Frame ◽

Energy Landscapes ◽

Geological Evidence ◽

Temporal Form ◽

Acoustic Methods ◽

Intractable Problem

This paper explores an informal acoustic method developed by a group of industrial geologists working in geothermal energy landscapes in the southwest of Iceland. Through a series of ethnographic descriptions, this paper renders the work these geologists carry out in sonic terms, emphasizing how they use their bodies as sonic detectors in the production of geological evidence. Sound, the paper argues, is what allows geologists to make the intractable problem of volcanic cooling doable. It does this by differentiating two forms of evidence. Primary evidence, which ends up as data in geological reports, and secondary sonic evidence, which is what establishes that this primary evidence is, in fact, evidence. The paper introduces the concept data echoes as a way to think about how sound articulates between these evidential protocols. As echo, sound works as an outside, which, while remaining external to official protocols of knowledge production, nevertheless helps to constitute distinctions that are meaningful to the production of those categories. As data echoes through the various moments of data capture, analysis, and model building, sound’s temporal form helps to predict the time frame of volcanic cooling, as it affects both the immediate energy production scenarios and the long durée of volcanic time.

Download Full-text

Influence of Pear Variety and Drying Methods on the Quality of Dried Fruit

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25215146 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (21) ◽

pp. 5146

Author(s):

Agata Marzec ◽

Hanna Kowalska ◽

Jolanta Kowalska ◽

Ewa Domian ◽

Andrzej Lenart

Keyword(s):

Principal Component ◽

Acoustic Method ◽

Drying Methods ◽

Drying Method ◽

Drying Time ◽

Good Taste ◽

Dried Fruit ◽

Breaking Work ◽

Alexander Lucas

In this study, the impacts of two different pear cultivars, “Conference” and “Alexander Lucas”, on the kinetics and the final quality of samples dried by convection (CD) and microwave-convection (MCD) methods, were investigated. The quality of dried material was evaluated by the analysis of water activity, porosity, color, acoustic emission (AE) and mechanical and sensory properties. The required drying time to obtain 0.2 kg H2O/kg dry solid (d.s.) was longer for “Conference” than “Alexander Lucas” and was 20 min by CD and 5 min by MCD. The pear cultivar, in conjunction with the drying method (CD or MCD), affected the number of AE events and the work of breaking. The CD pear of the “Conference” cultivar was characterized by higher force, higher breaking work and stronger AE relative to the CD pear of the “Alexander Lucas” cultivar. There were no differences in taste or overall quality, but the hardness was higher for the CD “Conference” pear. A principal component analysis showed that panelists preferred dried fruit with good taste and overall quality but lower hardness. A positive correlation was found between the number of acoustic events and sensory hardness; thus, an acoustic method can be useful for effectively evaluating the texture of dried pears. These results show that the dried pear slices that generated fewer AE events upon breaking were perceived as better by the panelists.

Download Full-text