Brain

Graphene is a two-dimensional nanomaterial composed of carbon and formed by a single layer of densely packed carbon atoms. The high mechanical strength and significant electrical and thermal properties of graphene mean that it is highly suited to many new applications in the fields of electronics, biological, chemical and magnetic sensors, photodetectors and energy storage and generation. Due to its potential applications, graphene production is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, but given its low market uptake and the limitations in analysing its effects, little information on the concentrations of graphene nanomaterials in ecosystems is currently available.

As a result of the surface characteristics of graphene, once in the aquatic environment, graphene could act as a carrier of organic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, to aquatic organisms. Accordingly, the CBET (Cell Biology in Environmental Toxicology) research group has evaluated not only the capacity of graphene oxide to sorb polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, but also the toxicity of graphene oxide alone and in combination with certain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in embryo and adult zebrafish. The research was conducted in collaboration with the University of Bordeaux.

Embryonic malformations and neurotoxicity

"The results reveal that graphene oxide can carry polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into the zebrafish (via a kind of Trojan horse effect) and exert sublethal effects. Under the conditions we adopted, the toxic effects have not been huge, no fish or embryos have died, but in some biomarkers we have detected effects that have put us on the alert," said Amaia Orbea, a PhD-holder in the CBET group at the UPV/EHU.

Firstly, they detected that at high concentrations malformations may occur in embryos, "which means that in longer exposures and at higher concentrations non-viable animals may be born", explained Orbea. Secondly, this research has confirmed that "in the long term, during a three-week exposure period, the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which slows down nervous stimuli, was inhibited in all the fish treated, so despite not using very high concentrations, we saw that as the exposure time increases, neurotoxic effects begin to appear", said the researcher.

"We used specific concentrations and time periods, but we don't know how these concentrations will evolve from now on in nature or what their possible influence may be in relation to other pollutants. The results have shown us that the concentrations that may exist in the environment at the moment are not very dangerous, but we have to be careful: we don't know what effects these low concentrations may have during longer exposures. The results obtained are related to the conditions applied in our experiments. We don't normally come across graphene alone in the environment; along with graphene there are many other pollutants that also affect animals... We need to consider them all at the same time," she concluded.

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2021 - 3D bioprinting can create engineered scaffolds that mimic natural tissue. Controlling the cellular organization within those engineered scaffolds for regenerative applications is a complex and challenging process.

Cell tissues tend to be highly ordered in terms of spatial distribution and alignment, so bioengineered cellular scaffolds for tissue engineering applications must closely resemble this orientation to be able to perform like natural tissue.

In Applied Physics Reviews, from AIP Publishing, an international research team describes its approach for directing cell orientation within deposited hydrogel fibers via a method called multicompartmental bioprinting.

The team uses static mixing to fabricate striated hydrogel fibers formed from packed microfilaments of different hydrogels. In this structure, some compartments provide a favorable environment for cell proliferation, while others act as morphological cues directing cell alignment. The millimeter-scale printed fiber with the microscale topology can rapidly organize the cells toward faster maturation of the engineered tissue.

"This strategy works on two principles," said Ali Tamayol, coauthor and an associate professor in biological engineering at UConn Health. "The formation of topographies is based on the design of fluid within nozzles and controlled mixing of two separate precursors. After crosslinking, the interfaces of the two materials serve as 3D surfaces to provide topographical cues to cells encapsulated within the cell permissive compartment."

Extrusion-based bioprinting is the most widely used bioprinting method. In extrusion-based bioprinting, the printed fibers are typically several hundreds of micrometers in size with randomly oriented cells, so a technique providing topographical cues to the cells within these fibers to direct their organization is highly desirable.

Conventional extrusion bioprinting also suffers from high shear stress applied to the cells during the extrusion of fine filaments. But the fine scale features of the proposed technique are passive and do not compromise other parameters of the printing process.

To direct cellular organization, according to the team, extrusion-based 3D-bioprinted scaffolds should be made from very fine filaments.

"It makes the process challenging and limits its biocompatibility and the number of materials that can be used, but with this strategy larger filaments can still direct cellular organization," said Tamayol.

This bioprinting technique "enables production of tissue structures' morphological features -- with a resolution up to sizes comparable to the cells' dimension -- to control cellular behavior and form biomimetic structures," Tamayol said. "And it shows great potential for engineering fibrillar tissues such as skeletal muscles, tendons, and ligaments."

(Philadelphia, PA) - For patients with chronic pain, ineffective treatments, lowered work productivity, and other factors often coalesce, fueling feelings of hopelessness and anxiety and setting the stage for even bigger problems, including substance use disorders. In 2017 alone, some 18 million Americans misused prescription pain relievers over the course of the previous year. In many of these instances, patients suffering from chronic pain became addicted to prescription opioids.

In addition to being highly addictive, many studies suggest that prescription opioids do not effectively control pain over the long term, and hence researchers have been exploring various alternatives, including cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is a non-psychoactive substance derived from the Cannabis plant.

Studies have shown that while CBD reduces pain sensation in animals, its ability to do so in humans is limited by low bioavailability, the extent to which the drug successfully reaches its site of action. Now, new work by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University suggests this obstacle may be overcome by a novel CBD analog known as KLS-13019.

"In a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), we've been able to show for the first time that KLS-13019 works as well as, if not better than, CBD in preventing the development of neuropathy and reversing pain sensitivity after pain has been established," said Sara Jane Ward, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at the Katz School of Medicine and senior investigator on the new study. The findings were published online April 6 in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

KLS-13019, developed by the Pennsylvania-based bio-pharmaceutical and phyto-medical company Neuropathix, Inc., is among the most promising neuroprotective CBD analogs currently under investigation. In previous work in cell models, it was found to be more potent than CBD, and studies in animals suggested it had improved bioavailability.

Encouraged by those initial studies, Dr. Ward and colleagues set out to better understand the pain-relieving capabilities of KLS-13019, relative to CBD, in animals with CIPN. CIPN is a common side effect of certain cancer treatments that damage peripheral nerves, which carry sensory information to the arms, legs, and brain. The severe pain, or peripheral neuropathy, caused by CIPN manifests in different ways in human patients but frequently involves tingling or burning sensations and numbness, weakness, or discomfort in the limbs.

In a series of experiments designed to gauge animals' pain responses, the researchers found that pain sensitivity was greatly reduced in animals with CIPN that were treated with KLS-13019 or CBD. KLS-13019 further reversed sensitivity to painful stimuli in animals in which peripheral neuropathy was already established, an effect that was not observed in CBD-treated animals.

Earlier studies have also hinted at the possibility that CBD is able to reduce opioid craving in patients with opioid use disorder.

"Many patients who use opioids for pain management enter a cycle of reinforcement, where each use of opioids triggers reward pathways and perceived pain relief, leading to addiction," Dr. Ward explained.

While Dr. Ward and colleagues did not find evidence supporting a role for CBD in reducing opioid craving, they did observe significantly reduced opioid-seeking behavior in KLS-13019-treated animals.

"This tells us that KLS-13019 has benefits beyond its ability to alleviate pain," Dr. Ward said.

The researchers suspect that while likely sharing a mechanism with CBD for pain relief, KLS-13019 may have an additional mechanism of action, one that breaks up the pathways reinforcing opioid use.

In future work, Dr. Ward and her team plan to explore the mechanisms by which KLS-13019 exerts its effects, particularly those underlying the drug's ability to disrupt opioid-seeking behavior. They also plan to test the ability of KLS-13019 to alleviate other types of pain, beyond CIPN.

The Gerontological Society of America's highly cited, peer-reviewed journals are continuing to publish scientific articles on COVID-19. The following were published between March 17 and April 19; all are free to access:

Older Adults’ Loneliness in Early COVID-19 Social Distancing: Implications of Rurality: Research report in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences by Heather R. Fuller, PhD, and Andrea Huseth-Zosel, PhD
Prognostic Implication of Baseline Sarcopenia for Length of Hospital Stay and Survival in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019: Research article in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences by Ji-Won Kim, MD, Jun Sik Yoon, MD, Eun Jin Kim, MD, Hyo-Lim Hong, MD, Hyun Hee Kwon, MD, Chi Young Jung, MD, Kyung Chan Kim, MD, Yu Sub Sung, PhD, Sung-Hoon Park, MD, Seong-Kyu Kim, MD, and Jung-Yoon Choe, MD, PhD
Culture Linked to Increasing Ageism During COVID-19: Evidence from a 10-Billion-Word Corpus across 20 countries: Research article in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences by Reuben Ng, PhD, Ting Yu Joanne Chow, BA (Hons. First Class), and Wenshu Yang, MSc
Job Transitions and Mental Health Outcomes among U.S. Adults Aged 55 and Older During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Research article in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences by Leah R. Abrams, PhD MPH, Jessica M. Finlay, PhD, and Lindsay C. Kobayashi, PhD
Social Isolation and Loneliness Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Longitudinal Study of U.S. Adults over 50: Research report in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences by Siyun Peng, PhD, and Adam R. Roth, PhD

A new study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology ¬provides insights on how common hospitalized patients develop liver injury from taking different medications.

When investigators analyzed the records of 156,570 hospitalized patients, they found 499 cases of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), for an incidence of 0.32%. Anti-infective agents, cancer medications, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were the major categories of drugs causing DILI, and the highest incidence was due to voriconazole (an antifungal medication). Patients with high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, pre-existing liver disease, and prior surgeries faced a higher risk of DILI.

"We have carried out DILI-related real-world study with the help of information technology to provide a more accurate reference for safe and rational drug use," said corresponding author DaiHong Guo, of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, in Beijing.

A new study provides a profile of teachers around the world who provide English Medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education, in which the English language is used to teach academic subjects (other than English itself) in countries where the first language is not English.

The study, which is published in the International Journal of Applied Linguistics, found that the social sciences and natural sciences are the most represented disciplines with EMI teachers in higher education. The study also revealed various differences by country.

"As EMI is a phenomenon in a constant state of development, it is important that researchers continue to document how it evolves and who are the key players in that evolution," said lead author Ernesto Macaro, PhD, of the University of Oxford, in the UK.

Researchers from University of Texas-Austin and Copenhagen Business School published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that offers actionable guidance to managers on the deployment of algorithms in marketing contexts.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled "When Algorithms Fail: Consumers' Responses to Brand Harm Crises Caused by Algorithm Errors" and is authored by Raji Srinivasan and Gulen Sarial-Abi.

Marketers increasingly rely on algorithms to make important decisions. A perfect example is the Facebook News Feed. You do not know why some of your posts show up on some people's News Feeds or not, but Facebook does. Or how about Amazon recommending books and products for you? All of these are driven by algorithms. Algorithms are software and are far from perfect. Like any software, they can fail, and some do fail spectacularly. Add in the glare of social media and a small glitch can quickly turn into a brand harm crisis, and a massive PR nightmare. Yet, we know little about consumers' responses to brands following such brand harm crises.

First, the research team finds that consumers penalize brands less when an algorithm (vs. human) causes an error that causes a brand harm crisis. In addition, consumers' perceptions of the algorithm's lower agency for the error and resultant lower responsibility for the harm caused mediate their less negative responses to a brand following such a crisis.

Second, when the algorithm is more humanized-- when it is anthropomorphized (e.g., Alexa, Siri) (vs. not) or machine learning (vs. not), it is used in a subjective (vs. objective) task, or an interactive (vs. non-interactive) task--consumers' responses to the brand are more negative following a brand harm crisis caused by an algorithm error. Srinivasan says that "Marketers must be aware that in contexts where the algorithm appears to be more human, it would be wise to have heightened vigilance in the deployment and monitoring of algorithms and provides resources for managing the aftermath of brand harm crises caused by algorithm errors."

This study also generates insights about how to manage the aftermath of brand harm crises caused by algorithm errors. Managers can highlight the role of the algorithm and the lack of agency of the algorithm for the error, which may reduce consumers' negative responses to the brand. However, highlighting the role of the algorithm will consumers' negative responses to the brand for an anthropomorphized algorithm, a machine learning algorithm, or if the algorithm error occurs in a subjective or in an interactive task, all of which tend to humanize the algorithm.

Finally, insights indicate that marketers should not publicize human supervision of algorithms (which may actually be effective in fixing the algorithm) in communications with customers following brand harm crises caused by algorithm errors. However, they should publicize the technological supervision of the algorithm when they use it. The reason? Consumers are less negative when there is technological supervision of the algorithm following a brand harm crisis.

"Overall, our findings suggest that people are more forgiving of algorithms used in algorithmic marketing when they fail than they are of humans. We see this as a silver lining to the growing usage of algorithms in marketing and their inevitable failures in practice," says Sarial-Abi.

Full article and author contact information available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242921997082

Brain implants are used to treat neurological dysfunction, and their use for enhancing cognitive abilities is a promising field of research. Implants can be used to monitor brain activity or stimulate parts of the brain using electrical pulses. In epilepsy, for example, brain implants can determine where in the brain seizures are happening.

Over time, implants trigger a foreign body response, creating inflammation and scar tissue around the implant that reduces their effectiveness.

The problem is that traditional implants are much more rigid than brain tissue, which has a softness comparable to pudding. Stress between the implant and the tissue caused by constant movement of the brain with respect to the implant signals the body to treat the implant as a foreign object. This interaction between the implant and the brain is similar to a knife cutting into a piece of pudding. An implant as soft as brain tissue would be ideal, but such soft implants would be difficult to manufacture and implant on the microscale.

A team of researchers from The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) and McGill's Department of Biomedical Engineering found a solution using silicone and sugar.

By using silicone polymers, widely known for their medical applications, the scientists were able to make the softest brain implant to date with the thickness of a thin sewing thread (~0.2 mm), and the consistency of soft pudding - as soft as the brain itself. They were then able to implant it into the brain using a trick from the cookbook.

They adopted classical cooking techniques of sugar melting, caramelizing and molding both for making the implant, as well as for encapsulating it into a needle made of hardened sugar.

When surgically inserted into the brain of an anesthetized rat, the sugar needle carried the implant to the right location, and dissolved within seconds, leaving the delicate implant in place. Sugar is non-toxic and is naturally metabolized by the brain. Examining brain tissue three and nine weeks after implantation, the team found higher neuronal density and lower foreign body response compared to traditional implants.

While more research is needed to develop electrically active, soft implants, and to prove the safety and effectiveness of the technique in humans, one day it could be used to unlock the potential of brain implants in treating neurological disease and dysfunction.

"The implants we created are so soft that the body doesn't see it as a big threat, allowing them to interact with the brain with less interference," says Edward Zhang, the study's first author. "I am excited about the future of brain implant technology and believe our work helps pave the path for a new generation of soft implants that could make brain implants a more viable medical treatment."

"By reducing the brains inflammatory response, our new, very soft implants are a good thing for the brain and a good thing for the long-term function of an implant," says Tim Kennedy, a researcher at The Neuro and the study's co-senior author. "The miniature sugar needle devised by Zhang is a sweet solution to placing the super-soft implant into equally soft brain tissue."

"Biomedical engineering research is about making the impossible, possible," says David Juncker, a professor of biomedical engineering at McGill and the study's co-senior author. "Here we set out to make an implant as soft as the brain and implant it into the brain, which was a major challenge. We are excited about the results, and the possibility it opens up for long lasting, well-tolerated brain implants"

Swansea University scientists have uncovered potentially dangerous chemical pollutants that are released from disposable face masks when submerged in water.

The research reveals high levels of pollutants, including lead, antimony, and copper, within the silicon-based and plastic fibres of common disposable face masks.

The work is supported by the Institute for Innovative Materials, Processing and Numerical Technologies (IMPACT) and the SPECIFIC Innovation & Knowledge Centre

Project lead Dr Sarper Sarp of Swansea University College of Engineering said:

"All of us need to keep wearing masks as they are essential in ending the pandemic. But we also urgently need more research and regulation on mask production, so we can reduce any risks to the environment and human health".

Outlined in a recent paper, the tests carried out by the research team used a variety of masks - from standard plain face masks to novelty and festive masks for children with many currently being sold in UK retail outlets.

The rise in single-use masks, and the associated waste, due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been documented as a new cause of pollution. The study aimed to explore this direct link - with investigations to identify the level of toxic substances present.

The findings reveal significant levels of pollutants in all the masks tested - with micro/nano particles and heavy metals released into the water during all tests. Researchers conclude this will have a substantial environmental impact and, in addition, raise the question of the potential damage to public health - warning that repeated exposure could be hazardous as the substances found have known links to cell death, genotoxicity and cancer formation.

To combat this, the team advise further research and subsequent regulations be put in place in the manufacturing and testing process.

Project lead Dr Sarper Sarp explained:

'The production of disposable plastic face masks (DPFs) in China alone has reached approximately 200 million a day, in a global effort to tackle the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, improper and unregulated disposal of these DPFs is a plastic pollution problem we are already facing and will only continue to intensify.'

'There is a concerning amount of evidence that suggests that DPFs waste can potentially have a substantial environmental impact by releasing pollutants simply by exposing them to water. Many of the toxic pollutants found in our research have bio-accumulative properties when released into the environment and our findings show that DPFs could be one of the main sources of these environmental contaminants during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is, therefore, imperative that stricter regulations need to be enforced during manufacturing and disposal/recycling of DPFs to minimise the environmental impact.'

'There is also a need to understand the impact of such particle leaching on public health. One of the main concerns with these particles is that they were easily detached from face masks and leached into the water with no agitation, which suggests that these particles are mechanically unstable and readily available to be detached.

Therefore, a full investigation is necessary to determine the quantities and potential impacts of these particles leaching into the environment, and the levels being inhaled by users during normal breathing. This is a significant concern, especially for health care professionals, key workers, and children who are required to wear masks for large proportions of the working or school day.'

Pyrosomes, named after the Greek words for 'fire bodies' due their bright bioluminescence, are pelagic tunicates that spend their entire lives swimming in the open ocean. They are made up of many smaller animals, known as zooids, that sit together in a tubular matrix, known as tunic (hence the name pelagic tunicates). Because they live in the open ocean, they generally go unnoticed. In spite of this, increasing research points to their importance in marine environments, as they can form dense blooms that impact food web dynamics and contribute to the movement and transformation of organic carbon.

The study conducted with GEOMAR research vessel POSEIDON in 2018 and 2019 in the vicinity of the Cabo Verde Islands, of which the results have now been published in the international journal Scientific Reports, addressed important research gaps; observations on the interactions between pyrosomes and their environment have rarely been made in the water column. Most studies that investigated pyrosomes with submersibles looked at moribund colonies on the seabed or used net catches that generally disrupt species interactions. Furthermore, the aim was to estimate the contribution of these organisms to the local marine carbon cycle. For the eastern Atlantic such information was still largely unknown.

"Because we combined underwater observations, sampling and genetic analyses, we were able to gain several new insights into pyrosome ecology", says lead author Vanessa Stenvers, from GEOMAR. During the expedition, the organisms were observed directly with the research submersible JAGO, and also studied via a pelagic towed camera system, PELAGIOS, as well as by net and water sampling.

"Our study shows that pyrosomes form an important biological substrate in the water column that other animals use for settlement, shelter and/or as a food source", explains Vanessa Stenvers. "We have estimated that Pyrosoma atlanticum provides up to 0.28 m2 of substrate area per square metre of total area during a bloom period. This is a huge number if you consider that there are little physical features in the water column besides the animals that live there", says the marine biologist.

Thanks to the underwater observations, the team also discovered several new species interactions, including the jellyfish Drymonema gorgo, which fed on pyrosomes, and a yet undescribed oxycephalid amphipod that was frequently observed on pyrosomes. Upon closer inspection, these amphipods had removed individual zooids to create a cavity in the colony into which they retreated upon disturbance.

Pyrosome blooms were found to be related to high values of chlorophyll. Since the filter-feeding organisms directly consume microalgae, they profit from upwelling conditions that are found both on the lee side of the islands as well as in mid-ocean eddies. The latter are circular currents that can move cold nutrient-rich water from deeper depths up to the surface.

"Furthermore, we found that Pyrosoma atlanticum plays an important role in how about the vertical transport of organic carbon in the waters around the Cabo Verde Islands", explains Dr. Henk-Jan Hoving, who leads the Deep Sea Biology research group at GEOMAR and is senior co-author of the study. Pyrosomes migrate up and down the water column daily to feed in the productive upper marine layers at night. At dusk, they migrate back to deeper water layers. During this migration, they actively transport their feces to these depths, while also releasing carbon through respiration. "In addition to observations and theoretical estimates, we have been able to show with the detection of environmental DNA from water samples that pyrosome material can also be detected below their migration range, i.e. sinking into the deep ocean", explains Dr Hoving.

Another way for pyrosomes to contribute to the carbon cycle is by deposition of dead and dying colonies to the seafloor, where they act as food for organisms living there. "From the submersible JAGO, I observed that pyrosomes were consumed on the seafloor by decapods, such as large crabs, shrimps and hermit crabs, illustrating their important role as food for seabed scavengers", says marine biologist and co-author Rui Freitas of the Marine Institute at the Universidade Técnica do Atlântico, Mindelo, Cabo Verde. "Thus, the present results illustrate the important and versatile ecological role of Pyrosoma atlanticum in the ocean around the Cabo Verde Islands, affecting both pelagic and benthic ecosystems", Henk-Jan Hoving concludes.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A new map including rover paths of the Schrodinger basin, a geologically important area of the moon, could guide future exploration missions.The map was created by a team of interns at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, including Ellen Czaplinski, a University of Arkansas graduate student researcher at the Arkansas Center for Planetary Sciences and first author of a paper published in The Planetary Science Journal.

The researchers identified significant geologic features of the Schrödinger basin, located near the lunar south pole. Schrödinger is the second-youngest impact basin on the moon and includes diverse crustal features and rock types that are important to understanding the moon's geological history.

"When the Schrödinger basin was formed, some of these lithologies (the general physical characteristics of the rocks) may have been uplifted from very deep below the lunar surface," Czaplinski said. "Therefore, investigating these rocks up close is extremely important for answering high-priority science goals."

In 2007, the National Research Council outlined scientific objectives and goals of future lunar missions, including exploration of the South Pole-Aitken basin, the oldest and deepest impact basin on the moon. Because the Schrödinger basin is located within the South Pole-Aitken basin, it presents a unique opportunity to study rocks that possibly originated deep below the surface, Czaplinski said.

"Many of these rock types are exposed at the surface in multi-kilometer long exposures of rock outcrops in Schrödinger's 'peak ring,' an inner ring of uplifted rocks that formed with the basin. Sampling these rocks within the peak ring provides high scientific potential for further understanding the context of Schrödinger's lithologies."

Along with the map, researchers created three potential paths for robotic rovers to travel through the Schrödinger basin to collect high-priority rock samples.

With the explosion in digital entertainment options over the past several decades and the more recent restrictions on outdoor and in-person social activities, parents may worry that excessive engagement with digital technology could have long-term effects on their children's mental health.

A new study published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, however, found little evidence for an increased association between adolescents' technology engagement and mental health problems over the past 30 years. The data did not consistently support the suggestion that the technologies we worry about most (e.g., smartphones) are becoming more harmful.

The new study, which included 430,000 U.K. and U.S. adolescents, investigated the links between social media use and depression, emotional problems, and conduct problems. It also examined the associations between television viewing and suicidality, depression, emotional problems, and conduct problems. Finally, the study explored the association between digital device use and suicidality.

Of the eight associations examined in this research, only three showed some change over time. Social media use and television viewing became less strongly associated with depression. In contrast, social media's association with emotional problems did increase, although only slightly. The study found no consistent changes in technology engagement's associations with conduct problems or suicidality.

"If we want to understand the relationship between tech and well-being today, we need to first go back and look at historic data--as far back as when parents were concerned too much TV would give their kids square eyes--in order to bring the contemporary concerns we have about newer technologies into focus," said Matti Vuorre, a postdoctoral researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute and lead author on the paper.

The study also highlighted key factors preventing scientists from conclusively determining how technology use relates to mental health.

"As?more data accumulates on adolescents' use of emerging technologies, our knowledge of them?and their effects on mental health will become more precise," said Andy Przybylski, director of research at Oxford Internet Institute and senior author on the study. "So,?it's too soon to?draw?firm conclusions about the increasing, or declining, associations between social media and?adolescent mental health, and it is certainly way too soon to be making policy or regulation on this basis."?

"We need more transparent and credible collaborations between scientists and technology companies to unlock the answers. The data exists within the tech industry; scientists just need to be able to access it for neutral and independent investigation," Przybylski said.

Boulder, Colo., USA: The Geological Society of America regularly publishes
articles online ahead of print. For April, GSA Bulletin topics
include multiple articles about the dynamics of China and Tibet; the Bell
River hypothesis that proposes that an ancestral, transcontinental river
occupied much of northern North America during the Cenozoic Era; new
findings in the climatic history during one of the Earth’s coldest periods:
The Late Paleozoic Ice Age; and the age an nature of the Chicxulub impact
crater. You can find these articles at

https://bulletin.geoscienceworld.org/content/early/recent

.

Evidence of Carboniferous arc magmatism preserved in the Chicxulub
impact structure

Catherine H. Ross; Daniel F. Stockli; Cornelia Rasmussen; Sean P.S. Gulick;
Sietze J. de Graaff ...

Abstract:
Determining the nature and age of the 200-km-wide Chicxulub impact target
rock is an essential step in advancing our understanding of the Maya Block
basement. Few age constraints exist for the northern Maya Block crust,
specifically the basement underlying the 66 Ma, 200 km-wide Chicxulub
impact structure. The International Ocean Discovery Program-International
Continental Scientific Drilling Program Expedition 364 core recovered a
continuous section of basement rocks from the Chicxulub target rocks, which
provides a unique opportunity to illuminate the pre-impact tectonic
evolution of a terrane key to the development of the Gulf of Mexico. Sparse
published ages for the Maya Block point to Mesoproterozoic, Ediacaran,
Ordovician to Devonian crust are consistent with plate reconstruction
models. In contrast, granitic basement recovered from the Chicxulub peak
ring during Expedition 364 yielded new zircon U-Pb laser
ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)
concordant dates clustering around 334 ± 2.3 Ma. Zircon rare earth element
(REE) chemistry is consistent with the granitoids having formed in a
continental arc setting. Inherited zircon grains fall into three groups:
400−435 Ma, 500−635 Ma, and 940−1400 Ma, which are consistent with the
incorporation of Peri-Gondwanan, Pan-African, and Grenvillian crust,
respectively. Carboniferous U-Pb ages, trace element compositions, and
inherited zircon grains indicate a pre-collisional continental volcanic arc
located along the Maya Block’s northern margin before NW Gondwana collided
with Laurentia. The existence of a continental arc along NW Gondwana
suggests southward-directed subduction of Rheic oceanic crust beneath the
Maya Block and is similar to evidence for a continental arc along the
northern margin of Gondwana that is documented in the Suwannee terrane,
Florida, USA, and Coahuila Block of NE México.

View article:

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35831.1/596574/Evidence-of-Carboniferous-arc-magmatism-preserved

Detrital zircons from Late Paleozoic Ice Age sequences in Victoria Land
(Antarctica): New constraints on the glaciation of southern Gondwana

Luca Zurli; Gianluca Cornamusini; Jusun Woo; Giovanni Pio Liberato;
Seunghee Han ...

Abstract:
The Lower Permian tillites of the Beacon Supergroup, cropping out in
Victoria Land (Antarctica), record climatic history during one of the
Earth’s coldest periods: the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. Reconstruction of
ice-extent and paleo-flow directions, as well as geochronological and
petrographic data, are poorly constrained in this sector of Gondwana. Here,
we provide the first detrital zircon U-Pb age analyses of both the Metschel
Tillite in southern Victoria Land and some tillites correlatable with the
Lanterman Formation in northern Victoria Land to identify the source
regions of these glaciogenic deposits. Six-hundred detrital zircon grains
from four diamictite samples were analyzed using laser ablation−inductively
coupled plasma−mass spectrometry. Geochronological and petrographic
compositional data of the Metschel Tillite indicate a widespread reworking
of older Devonian Beacon Supergroup sedimentary strata, with minor
contribution from Cambro-Ordovician granitoids and meta-sedimentary units
as well as Neoproterozoic metamorphic rocks. Euhedral to subhedral
Carboniferous−Devonian zircon grains match coeval magmatic units of
northern Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land. This implies, in accordance
with published paleo-ice directions, a provenance from the east-southeast
sectors. In contrast, the two samples from northern Victoria Land tillite
reflect the local basement provenance; their geochronological age and
petrographic composition indicates a restricted catchment area with
multiple ice centers. This shows that numerous ice centers were present in
southern Gondwana during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. While northern
Victoria Land hosted discrete glaciers closely linked with the northern
Victoria Land-Tasmania ice cap, the west-northwestward flowing southern
Victoria Land ice cap contributed most of the sediments comprising the
Metschel Tillite.

View article:

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35905.1/596482/Detrital-zircons-from-Late-Paleozoic-Ice-Age

Generation of Cretaceous high-silica granite by complementary crystal
accumulation and silicic melt extraction in the coastal region of
southeastern China

Jing-Yuan Chen; Jin-Hui Yang; Ji-Heng Zhang; Jin-Feng Sun; Yu-Sheng Zhu ...

Abstract:
It is generally hypothesized that high-silica (SiO2 > 75 wt%)
granite (HSG) originates from crystal fractionation in the shallow crust.
Yet, identifying the complementary cumulate residue of HSG within plutons
remains difficult. In this work, we examine the genetic links between the
porphyritic monzogranite and HSG (including porphyritic granite,
monzogranite, and alkali feldspar granite) from the coastal area of
southeastern China using detailed zircon U-Pb ages, trace elements, Hf-O
isotopes, and whole-rock geochemistry and Nd-Hf isotopic compositions.
Zircon U-Pb ages indicate that the porphyritic monzogranite and HSG are
coeval (ca. 96−99 Ma). The HSG and porphyritic monzogranite have similar
formation ages within analytic error, identical mineral assemblages,
similar Nd-Hf isotopic compositions, and consistent variations in their
zircon compositions (i.e., Eu/Eu*, Zr/Hf, and Sm/Yb), which suggests that
their parental magma came from a common silicic magma reservoir and that
the lithological differences are the result of melt extraction processes.
The porphyritic monzogranite has relatively high SiO2 (70.0−73.4
wt%), Ba (718−1070 ppm), and Sr (493−657 ppm) contents, low K2O
and Rb concentrations and low Rb/Sr ratios (0.1−0.2), and it displays weak
Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.57−0.90). Together with the petrographic features
of the porphyritic monzogranite, these geochemical variations indicate that
the porphyritic monzongranite is the residual silicic cumulate of the
crystal mush column. The HSG (SiO2 = 75.0−78.4) has variable
Rb/Sr ratios (2−490) and very low Sr (1−109 ppm) and Ba (9−323 ppm)
contents. Zircon from the HSG and porphyritic monzogranite overlap in
Eu/Eu*, Zr/Hf, and Sm/Yb ratios and Hf contents; however, some zircon from
the HSG show very low Eu/Eu* (−-enriched
volatiles (or fluids) from the interstitial melt rejuvenated the
pre-existing highly crystalline mush. Subsequent extraction and upward
migration of silicic melt resulting from compaction of the mush column
formed the HSG at shallow crustal levels, which left the complementary
crystal residue solidified as porphyritic monzogranite at the bottom.

View article:

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35745.1/596469/Generation-of-Cretaceous-high-silica-granite-by

A newly discovered Late Cretaceous metamorphic belt along the active
continental margin of the Neo-Tethys ocean

Dan Wang; Fu-Lai Liu; Richard Palin; Jia-Min Wang; Mathias Wolf ...

Abstract:
High-grade metamorphic rocks and crustal melts provide crucial evidence for
growth and differentiation of the continental crust, and are widespread in
collisional orogens. However, their importance in the evolution of
continental arcs remains poorly understood. Metamorphism and related
anatexis in the preserved continental margin of the Neo-Tethys ocean serves
as a key natural laboratory to investigate this process. Along the
Neo-Tethyan arc margin, the Gaoligong shear zone, Yunnan region of China,
is an important locality for linking Lhasa in the north with Sibumasu and
Burma in the south. Here, Late Cretaceous granulite-facies metamorphism and
crustal anatexis have been identified for the first time in the Gaoligong
area. Zircon and monazite U-Pb dating indicates that S-type granites formed
at 87−73 Ma, granites and buried pelitic sediments were simultaneously
metamorphosed at 75−70 Ma during Neo-Tethyan subduction, and all
lithologies were overprinted by a younger 40−30 Ma magmatic and strike-slip
event related to India-Asia collision. Phase equilibria modeling of
high-grade anatectic gneiss in the MnO-Na2O-CaO-K2
O-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O-TiO 2 system indicates peak pressure-temperature (P−T)
conditions of 780−800 °C and 6.5−7.5 kbar and defines a cooling and
decompressional P−T path for the metapelites. This demonstrates
that sediments within the Neo-Tethyan active continental arc were buried to
>20 km depth at 75−70 Ma. In combination with the metamorphic record of
the Lhasa, Burma, and Sibumasu blocks, an extensive Late Cretaceous
metamorphic belt must have formed along the Neo-Tethyan subduction zone.
This spatially correlates with coeval gabbro-diorite suites exposed in the
Gangdese, Sibumasu and Burma terranes that were triggered by thinning of
the lithospheric mantle. This prolonged Late Cretaceous mantle-derived
magmatism and lithospheric thinning may have provided a regional-scale heat
source for high-grade metamorphism and crustal anatexis along the active
continental margin of the Neo-Tethys ocean.

View article:

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35900.1/596470/A-newly-discovered-Late-Cretaceous-metamorphic

Early Cenozoic partial melting of meta-sedimentary rocks of the eastern
Gangdese arc, southern Tibet, and its contribution to syn-collisional
magmatism

Yuan-Yuan Jiang; Ze-Ming Zhang; Richard M. Palin; Hui-Xia Ding; Xuan-Xue Mo

Abstract:
Continental magmatic arcs are characterized by the accretion of voluminous
mantle-derived magmatic rocks and the growth of juvenile crust. However,
significant volumes of meta-sedimentary rocks occur in the middle and lower
arc crust, and the contributions of these rocks to the evolution of arc
crust remain unclear. In this paper, we conduct a systematic study of
petrology, geochronology, and geochemistry of migmatitic paragneisses from
the eastern Gangdese magmatic arc, southern Tibet. The results show that
the paragneisses were derived from late Carboniferous greywacke, and
underwent an early Cenozoic (69−41 Ma) upper amphibolite-facies
metamorphism and partial melting at pressure-temperature conditions of ∼11
kbar and ∼740 °C, and generated granitic melts with enriched Hf isotopic
compositions (anatectic zircon εHf(t) = −10.57 to +0.78).
Combined with the existing results, we conclude that the widely distributed
meta-sedimentary rocks in the eastern Gangdese arc deep crust have the same
protolith ages of late Carboniferous, and record northwestward-decreasing
metamorphic conditions. We consider that the deeply buried sedimentary
rocks resulted in the compositional change of juvenile lower crust from
mafic to felsic and the formation of syn-collisional S-type granitoids. The
mixing of melts derived from mantle, juvenile lower crust, and ancient
crustal materials resulted in the isotopic enrichment of the
syn-collisional arc-type magmatic rocks of the Gangdese arc. We suggest
that crustal shortening and underthrusting, and the accretion of
mantle-derived magma during the Indo-Asian collision transported the
supracrustal rocks to the deep crust of the Gangdese arc.

View article:

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35763.1/596331/Early-Cenozoic-partial-melting-of-meta-sedimentary

Subduction initiation of the western Proto-Tethys Ocean: New evidence
from the Cambrian intra-oceanic forearc ophiolitic mélange in the
western Kunlun Orogen, NW Tibetan Plateau

Qichao Zhang; Zhong-Hai Li; Zhenhan Wu; Xuanhua Chen; Ji’en Zhang ...

Abstract:
The supra-subduction zone ophiolite or ophiolitic mélange formed in the
forearc setting is generally considered to be a key geological record for
subduction initiation (SI) with petrological characteristics comparable to
the SI-related rock sequence from forearc basalt (FAB) to boninite in the
Izu-Bonin-Mariana subduction zone. Nevertheless, the standard FAB and
boninite are generally difficult to observe in the forearc rocks generated
during SI. Yet, a typical rock sequence indicating the SI of the western
Proto-Tethys Ocean is reported for the first time in the Qimanyute
intra-oceanic forearc system in the western Kunlun Orogen, Northwest
Tibetan Plateau. The magmatic compositions, which range from less to more
high field strength element (HFSE)-depleted and large ion lithophile
element (LILE)-enriched, are changing from oceanic plagiogranites (ca. 494
Ma) to forearc basalt-like gabbros (FAB-Gs, ca. 487 Ma), boninites, and
subsequent Nb-enriched gabbros (NEGs, ca. 485 Ma), which are thus
consistent with the Izu-Bonin-Mariana forearc rocks as well as the Troodos
and Semail supra-subduction zone-type ophiolites. The geochemical data from
the chemostratigraphic succession indicate a subduction initiation process
from a depleted mid-oceanic-ridge (MORB)-type mantle source with no
detectable subduction input to gradual increasing involvement of
subduction-derived materials (fluid/melts and sediments). The new
petrological, geochemical, and geochronological data, combined with the
regional geology, indicate that the well-sustained FAB-like intrusive
magmas with associated boninites could provide crucial evidence for SI and
further reveal that the SI of the western Proto-Tethys Ocean occurred in
the Late Cambrian (494−485 Ma).

View article:

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35922.1/596240/Subduction-initiation-of-the-western-Proto-Tethys

Ancestral trans–North American Bell River system recorded in late
Oligocene to early Miocene sediments in the Labrador Sea and Canadian
Great Plains

Julia I. Corradino; Alex Pullen; Andrew L. Leier; David L. Barbeau Jr.;
Howie D. Scher ...

Abstract:
The Bell River hypothesis proposes that an ancestral, transcontinental
river occupied much of northern North America during the Cenozoic Era,
transporting water and sediment from the North American Cordillera to the
Saglek Basin on the eastern margin of the Labrador Sea. To explore this
hypothesis and reconstruct Cenozoic North American drainage patterns, we
analyzed detrital zircon grains from the Oligocene−Miocene Mokami and
Saglek formations of the Saglek Basin and Oligocene−Miocene fluvial
conglomerates in the Great Plains of western Canada. U-Pb detrital zircon
age populations in the Mokami and Saglek formations include clusters at

View article:

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35903.1/596241/Ancestral-trans-North-American-Bell-River-system

Origin and age of the Shenshan tectonic mélange in the
Jiangshan-Shaoxing-Pingxiang Fault and late Early Paleozoic
juxtaposition of the Yangtze Block and the West Cathaysia terrane,
South China

Lijun Wang; Kexin Zhang; Shoufa Lin; Weihong He; Leiming Yin

Abstract:
When and how the Yangtze Block (Yangtze) and the West Cathaysia terrane
(West Cathaysia) in South China were amalgamated are critical to a better
understanding of the Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic tectonic evolution
of South China and remain highly debatable. A key to this debate is the
tectonic significance of the Jiangshan-Shaoxing-Pingxiang (JSP) Fault, the
boundary between Yangtze and West Cathaysia. The Shenshan mélange along the
JSP Fault has the typical block-in-matrix structure and is composed of
numerous shear zone-bounded slivers/lenses of rocks of different types and
ages that formed in different tectonic environments, including middle to
late Tonian volcanic and volcanogenic sedimentary rocks (turbidite) of
arc/back-arc affinity, a series of middle Tonian ultramafic to mafic
plutonic rocks of oceanic island basalt affinity, a carbonaceous shale that
was deposited in a deep marine environment, and a red mudstone. U-Pb zircon
ages and acritarch assemblages (Leiosphaeridia-Brocholaminaria
association) found in the turbidite confirm its Tonian age, and fossils
from the carbonaceous shale (Asteridium-Comasphaeridium
and Skiagia-Celtiberium-Leiofusa) constrains its age to
the Early to Middle Cambrian. Field relationships and available age data
leave no doubt that the ultramafic-mafic rocks are exotic blocks (rather
than intrusions) in the younger metasedimentary rocks. We conclude that the
Shenshan mélange is not an ophiolitic mélange, but rather a tectonic
mélange that formed as a result of movement along the JSP Fault in the
early Paleozoic. We suggest that Yangtze and West Cathaysia were two
separate microcontinents, were accreted to two different parts of the
northern margin of Gondwana in the early Early Paleozoic, and juxtaposed in
the late Early Paleozoic through strike-slip movement along the JSP Fault.
We further suggest that the ca. 820 Ma collision in the Jiangnan Orogen
took place between Yangtze and a (micro)continent that is now partly
preserved as the Huaiyu terrane and was not related to West Cathaysia. We
compare our model for South China with the accretion of terranes in the
North American Cordillera and propose a similar model for the relationship
between the Avalon and Meguma terranes in the Canadian Appalachians, i.e.,
the two terranes were accreted to two different parts of the Laurentian
margin and were later juxtaposed through margin-parallel strike slip
faulting.

View article:

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/B35963.1/595995/Origin-and-age-of-the-Shenshan-tectonic-melange-in

A new study, published in JCI Insight, looks at how Brd4, a regulator of the innate immune response, influences diet-induced obesity. The researchers believe that Brd4 could be used as a target for obesity and insulin resistance.

Approximately one-third of the adults and one in five children in the U.S. have obesity problems. Unfortunately, the condition is also associated with the development of other diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer. "One of the biggest challenges we face is trying to understand how people develop obesity. If we can understand that, we can develop solutions for treating or preventing these diseases," said Lin-Feng Chen (MME), a professor of biochemistry.

The researchers investigated the role of the innate immune response, which is the defense system we are born with and the first line of defense against invading microbes. Although the innate immune response is important in fighting against infections, it also causes different kinds of diseases.

Since obesity is accompanied by low levels of inflammation, the researchers wanted to test whether the inflammation is caused by the innate immune response and whether Brd4 is also involved. "Our previous studies showed that Brd4 plays an important role in the innate immune response, so we were trying to understand how it influences the development of diseases such as obesity," Chen said.

The researchers used mice that lacked the Brd4 gene in their macrophages, which are a part of innate immunity. These cells cause inflammations and have been previously associated with obesity. The mice lacking Brd4 were fed a high-fat diet, which is known to trigger obesity, and they were compared to normal mice the same diet.

"We observed that after several weeks of the high-fat diet, the normal mice became obese while the mice lacking Brd4 did not. They also had reduced inflammation and higher metabolic rates," Chen said. These results suggest that the mice which did not have Brd4 used fat as the energy source, as opposed to sugar, which is usually used as the primary source of energy.

To understand the molecular mechanism by which Brd4 contributes to obesity, the researchers compared the gene expression profiles during high-fat diet in normal mice and mice that lacked the Brd4 gene. They found that Brd4 was essential for the expression of Gdf3, a protein whose release suppressed the breakdown of fats and lipids in adipose tissues. Without Brd4, the mice had reduced levels the of Gdf3 and increased breakdown of fat.

The researchers believe that controlling lipid metabolism is only one of the mechanisms through which Brd4 contributes to obesity. Another mechanism they are interested in studying includes the gut microbiome. "We know that bacteria in the gut can sometimes trigger diet-induced obesity. We're currently working with our MME theme members in the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology to figure out how Brd4 modulates microbes to do that," Chen said. The researchers are also looking into Brd4 inhibitors, that are commonly used to treat cancer, to see whether they can also inhibit the development of obesity.

Educating athletes, parents and coaches about concussion treatment and prevention has been a priority during the last decade, but are the intended audiences hearing the message?

New research from the University of Michigan found that 1 in 4 adolescents self-reported at least one concussion in 2020, up from about 20% in 2016. During that same time period, youth who reported one concussion rose from roughly 14% to 18%, and those who reported at least two concussions increased from about 6% to 7%.

"Self-reported concussions could be increasing given that both children and parents have greater knowledge with respect to these injuries," said co-author Philip Veliz, assistant research professor at the U-M School of Nursing. "We have seen a greater effort in the U.S. to educate the population regarding the risks associated with head injuries and may have greater knowledge with respect to symptoms associated with these types of injuries."

Increases in any self-reported concussion were found across gender and race/ethnicity categories, among those whose parents had a high school degree or less, and among respondents who participated in competitive sport during the past year.

The study, scheduled to appear online May 4 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is believed to be the first known national study to track whether self-reported concussion rates have declined or increased in the last decade.

Veliz and colleagues estimated trends in the self-reported concussion among nearly 53,000 students who participated in the 2016-2020 Monitoring the Future annual school-based survey of 8th, 10th and 12th graders. About half were girls, 45% were white, 12% African American, 21% Hispanic and 23% other (Asian American, Native American or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.)

Students were asked if they had ever had a head injury that was diagnosed as a concussion; response options included no; yes, once; and yes, more than once. Results varied across groups.

"For instance, self-reported concussion did not increase among adolescents who did not participate in sports," Veliz said. "One reason that adolescents who participate in sports saw an increase in self-reported concussion could be due to greater awareness of these types of injuries within sporting contexts. This type of information among nonparticipants may be limited given that they are not participating in activities that are susceptible to these types of injuries."

Veliz was surprised by the increases found among Hispanic, non-Hispanic other, and non-Hispanic Black youth, given that these groups have been found to have lower prevalence of self-reporting concussions compared to non-Hispanic white adolescents.

The increase in self-reporting of concussions for students who participate in competitive sports contrasted with emergency department data that showed a decrease in sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries among youth between 2012 and 2018.

Veliz said more adolescents may be seeking care from health professionals outside the emergency department, who have appropriate diagnosis and management skills.

This study adds knowledge to the understanding of trends with respect to head injuries among adolescents in the U.S., Veliz said. The self-report data can help supplement emergency room data and help provide information with respect to certain groups who are more susceptible to these types of injuries.