scholarly journals Modified materials based on layered minerals as ameliorants for the remediation of podzol in the industrial barren

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-388
Author(s):  
Tatiana K. Ivanova ◽  
Marina V. Slukovskaya ◽  
Irina A. Mosendz ◽  
Evgeniya A. Krasavtseva ◽  
Victoria V. Maksimova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Red Clover ◽  
High Specific Surface Area ◽  
Potentially Toxic Metals ◽  
Expanded Vermiculite ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Murmansk Region ◽  
High Sorption ◽  
Environmental Technologies ◽  
Test Plants

Layered silicates, such as serpentine and vermiculite, have properties that make it possible to use materials based on them as components of environmental technologies. The possibility of soil remediation in industrially contaminated area, formed due to the long-term exposure to emissions from copper-nickel production (Monchegorsk, Murmansk region), was studied. Two materials were used as ameliorants in our study: expanded vermiculite and granular serpentine sorbent, a waste after using the purification technology of highly concentrated solutions from metals. These materials have a high sorption activity to several metals, a high specific surface area, the ability to retain moisture, and are available in quantities sufficient to work on the remediation of large areas. A study of the physicochemical properties of industrially polluted soil and ameliorants, direct phytotoxicity testing of podzol and its mixtures with expanded vermiculite and the serpentine sorbent (test plants - common oat Avna satva L. and red clover Trifolium pratnse L.) were carried out. The study results showed that the proposed materials were effective additives for increasing the pH of acidic soil, sorption and precipitation of Al and potentially toxic metals - Cu, Ni, Pb, Fe, and improving the soil hydrophysical and agrochemical characteristics. A positive response of test plants to the introduction of ameliorants into industrially contaminated soil was noted.

Health Literacy and Long-Term Care Needs among Thai Elderly in Rural Communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 103 (12) ◽  
pp. 1315-1324
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptom ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Study Results

Background: Factors related to long-term care needs have been studied widely, but there is limited research about the influence of health literacy on long-term care needs among the elderly in rural communities where the social context and care environment are uniquely different. Objective: To examine factors influencing long-term care needs among Thai elderly in rural communities. Materials and Methods: The present study used the cross-sectional design. The study sample included 477 elderly persons, who were members of the communities in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Multi-stage random sampling was used to select participants. They were interviewed using the demographic and health information questionnaire, the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale (TGDS), the health literacy scale of Thai adults and long-term care needs questionnaire. The selected factors examined as independent variables included some demographic factors, depressive symptom, and health literacy. Results: The present study results revealed significant positive relationships existing between long-term care needs with age and depressive symptom, while negative relationships between income and health literacy were reported. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that four of nine determinants of long-term care needs: age, depressive symptom, health knowledge and understanding, and ability managing their health condition significantly predicted long-term care needs at a level of 18% (R² adjusted=0.18, p<0.001). Conclusion: The present study results showed associations between personal and health literacy factors with long-term care needs. These findings prove that it is vitally important for healthcare professionals to consider the rural elderly’s mental health status and health literacy when providing care and planning treatment. Keywords: Health literacy, Long-term care needs, Rural community

Comparing the Genetic Detox Ability and Heavy Metal Burden in a Cohort of Samples of Egyptian Children and those with Autistic Spectrum Disorder

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaurock-Busch E
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Potentially Toxic Metals ◽  
Gstt1 Null Genotype ◽  
Egyptian Children ◽  
Glutathione S Transferases ◽  
Metal Burden ◽  
Detoxification Pathway

The heavy metal burden of patients with Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been widely discussed [1-5]. Present knowledge suggests that ASD patients, compared to ‘normal’s’ show a greater metal burden, which may be a cause of the ASD pathogenesis, possibly due to a limited detoxification potential. We thus aimed to evaluate if the metal burden of ASD children is due to comprised detoxification ability, and if missing of enzymes such as the glutathione-S-transferases provide an explanation, or if additional factors play a role. Genetically, we noticed a slight difference in the detoxification ability of the ASD group compared to the Control group. In the ASD group, carrier of the genotype GSTT1 null genotype (i.e. the homozygous loss) are 1.7 times more common as in the Control group and the GSTT1 allele is more frequent in the ASD patient collective. These findings are not statistically significant but indicate a trend. In addition, our data indicates that levels of potentially toxic metals in blood and hair of both groups demonstrate a similar immediate and long-term exposure. However, 36% of the ASD group showed signs of zinc deficiency compared to 11% of the Control group and this points towards inefficiency of the Phase I detoxification pathway. More research is needed to explore the role of other elements in the detoxification pathway.

scholarly journals A Holistic Framework for Evaluating Adaptation Approaches to Coastal Hazards and Sea Level Rise: A Case Study from Imperial Beach, California

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1324
Author(s):  
David Revell ◽  
Phil King ◽  
Jeff Giliam ◽  
Juliano Calil ◽  
Sarah Jenkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Public Benefits ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Local Risk ◽  
Over Time

Sea level rise increases community risks from erosion, wave flooding, and tides. Current management typically protects existing development and infrastructure with coastal armoring. These practices ignore long-term impacts to public trust coastal recreation and natural ecosystems. This adaptation framework models physical responses to the public beach and private upland for each adaptation strategy over time, linking physical changes in widths to damages, economic costs, and benefits from beach recreation and nature using low-lying Imperial Beach, California, as a case study. Available coastal hazard models identified community vulnerabilities, and local risk communication engagement prioritized five adaptation approaches—armoring, nourishment, living shorelines, groins, and managed retreat. This framework innovates using replacement cost as a proxy for ecosystem services normally not valued and examines a managed retreat policy approach using a public buyout and rent-back option. Specific methods and economic values used in the analysis need more research and innovation, but the framework provides a scalable methodology to guide coastal adaptation planning everywhere. Case study results suggest that coastal armoring provides the least public benefits over time. Living shoreline approaches show greater public benefits, while managed retreat, implemented sooner, provides the best long-term adaptation strategy to protect community identity and public trust resources.

scholarly journals French Firms and COVID-19: Do the Debt Status, Crisis Management System, and Monetary Policy Play a Role?

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mina Sami
Keyword(s):  
Monetary Policy ◽  
Stock Returns ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
Daily Growth ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Major Outbreak

Abstract This study has two main objectives: first, it assesses the effect of outbreak pandemic diseases on the French firms’ stock returns by considering the sector of activity as the main center of analysis. Second, it investigates the role of the crisis management system, firm debt strategy, and monetary policy in dealing with the adverse shocks of the major outbreak of the COVID-19. The study results can be summarized as follows: (1) the daily growth in COVID-19 cases and deaths are associated with lower stock returns of the listed firms, especially for the firms operating in the energy, industrial and health care sectors. In contrast, telecommunication and consumer sectors are not significantly affected. (2) The pandemic’s adverse effect is much more tolerant with the French firms with an efficient crisis management system and low long-term debt commitments than the firms that do not have such a system and engaged with long term debts. (3) Euribor rates and monetary policy are still playing an essential role during the pandemic period.

scholarly journals Reproductive Performance Following Hysteroscopic Surgery for Uterine Septum: Results from a Single Surgeon Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Ertan Saridogan ◽  
Mona Salman ◽  
Lerzan Sinem Direk ◽  
Ali Alchami
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
Reproductive Outcomes ◽  
Hysteroscopic Surgery ◽  
High Quality Evidence ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Uterine Septum

Uterine septum can negatively affect reproductive outcomes in women. Based on evidence from retrospective observational studies, hysteroscopic incision has been considered a solution to improve reproductive performance, however there has been recent controversy on the need for surgery for uterine septum. High quality evidence from prospective studies is still lacking, and until it is available, experts are encouraged to publish their data. We are therefore presenting our data that involves analysis of the patient characteristics, surgical approach and long-term reproductive outcomes of women who received treatment for uterine septum under the care of a single surgeon. This includes all women (99) who underwent hysteroscopic surgery for uterine septum between January 2001 and December 2019. Of those 99 women treated for intrauterine septum who were trying to conceive, 91.4% (64/70) achieved pregnancy, 78.6% (55/70) had live births and 8.6% (6/70) had miscarriages. No statistically significant difference was found in the live birth rates when data was analyzed in subgroups based on age, reason for referral/aetiology and severity of pathology. Our study results support the view that surgical treatment of uterine septa is beneficial in improving reproductive outcomes.

scholarly journals Evaluating Machine Learning and Geostatistical Methods for Spatial Gap-filling of Monthly ESA CCI Soil Moisture in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 2848
Author(s):  
Hao Sun ◽  
Qian Xu
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gap Filling ◽  
Spatial Continuity ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Data Gaps

Obtaining large-scale, long-term, and spatial continuous soil moisture (SM) data is crucial for climate change, hydrology, and water resource management, etc. ESA CCI SM is such a large-scale and long-term SM (longer than 40 years until now). However, there exist data gaps, especially for the area of China, due to the limitations in remote sensing of SM such as complex topography, human-induced radio frequency interference (RFI), and vegetation disturbances, etc. The data gaps make the CCI SM data cannot achieve spatial continuity, which entails the study of gap-filling methods. In order to develop suitable methods to fill the gaps of CCI SM in the whole area of China, we compared typical Machine Learning (ML) methods, including Random Forest method (RF), Feedforward Neural Network method (FNN), and Generalized Linear Model (GLM) with a geostatistical method, i.e., Ordinary Kriging (OK) in this study. More than 30 years of passive–active combined CCI SM from 1982 to 2018 and other biophysical variables such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), precipitation, air temperature, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), soil type, and in situ SM from International Soil Moisture Network (ISMN) were utilized in this study. Results indicated that: 1) the data gap of CCI SM is frequent in China, which is found not only in cold seasons and areas but also in warm seasons and areas. The ratio of gap pixel numbers to the whole pixel numbers can be greater than 80%, and its average is around 40%. 2) ML methods can fill the gaps of CCI SM all up. Among the ML methods, RF had the best performance in fitting the relationship between CCI SM and biophysical variables. 3) Over simulated gap areas, RF had a comparable performance with OK, and they outperformed the FNN and GLM methods greatly. 4) Over in situ SM networks, RF achieved better performance than the OK method. 5) We also explored various strategies for gap-filling CCI SM. Results demonstrated that the strategy of constructing a monthly model with one RF for simulating monthly average SM and another RF for simulating monthly SM disturbance achieved the best performance. Such strategy combining with the ML method such as the RF is suggested in this study for filling the gaps of CCI SM in China.

scholarly journals Rationale, Design, and Methodology of a Prospective Cohort Study for Coping with Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: The RECage Project

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 1613-1627
Author(s):  
Eleni Poptsi ◽  
Magda Tsolaki ◽  
Sverre Bergh ◽  
Bruno Mario Cesana ◽  
Alfonso Ciccone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Psychotropic Drug ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Cost Of Care ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Drug Consumption ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Behavioral And Psychological Symptoms

Background: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are quite challenging problems during the dementia course. Special Care Units for people with dementia (PwD) and BPSD (SCU-B) are residential medical structures, where BPSD patients are temporarily admitted, in case of unmanageable behavioral disturbances at home. Objective: RECage (REspectful Caring for AGitated Elderly) aspires to assess the short and long-term effectiveness of SCU-Bs toward alleviating BPSD and improving the quality of life (QoL) of PwD and their caregivers. Methods: RECage is a three-year, prospective study enrolling 500 PwD. Particularly, 250 community-dwelling PwDs presenting with severe BPSD will be recruited by five clinical centers across Europe, endowed with a SCU-B, for a short period of time; a second similar group of 250 PwD will be followed by six other no-SCU-B centers solely via outpatient visits. RECage’s endpoints include short and long-term SCU-B clinical efficacy, QoL of patients and caregivers, cost-effectiveness of the SCU-B, psychotropic drug consumption, caregivers’ attitude toward dementia, and time to nursing home placement. Results: PwD admitted in SCU-Bs are expected to have diminished rates of BPSD and better QoL and their caregivers are also expected to have better QoL and improved attitude towards dementia, compared to those followed in no-SCU-Bs. Also, the cost of care and the psychotropic drug consumption are expected to be lower. Finally, PwD followed in no-SCU-Bs are expected to have earlier admission to nursing homes. Conclusion: The cohort study results will refine the SCU-B model, issuing recommendations for implementation of SCU-Bs in the countries where they are scarce or non-existent.

scholarly journals Creating and Characterisation of New Red Clover Variety ‘Jancis’/ Sarkanâ Âboliòa Ðíirnes ‘Jancis’ Izveidoðana Un Tâs Raksturojums

2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 180-183
Author(s):  
Biruta Jansone ◽  
Sarmīte Rancāne ◽  
Pēteris Bērziņš ◽  
Aldis Jansons
Keyword(s):  
Seed Yield ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Family Selection ◽  
High Dry Matter ◽  
Bright Pink ◽  
Long Stem ◽  
Dark Green ◽  
High Seed Yield

Abstract The aim of this work was to develop a red clover variety adapted to agro-climatic conditions of Latvia, suitable for different requirements of forage producers, resistant to most widespread diseases and producing high seed yield annually. Medium late ripening diploid red clover variety ‘Jancis’ was created at the LLU Research Institute of Agriculture in long-term work carried out since 1985. After free pollination of best samples of red clover collections from the VIR (St. Petersburg), individual and family selection among hybrids were carried out for approximately 20 years. Finally, best breeding line Nr. 43047 was registered as a variety ‘Jancis’. The variety is characterised by good winter hardiness, high dry matter yield (10-12 t·ha-1) and good persistence in the sward - up to 3-4 years. The variety is characterised by a long stem (90-110 cm) with 8-9 internodes, dark green leaves with a distinctive brighter picture, medium length and width of medial leaflet, and bright pink flower heads. ‘Jancis’ has stable annual seed yield in the conditions of Latvia; under favourable conditions reaching 500- 600 kg·ha-1 seeds. Since 2010, the variety ‘Jancis’ has been included in the common Latvian and EU Plant Variety Catalogue.

scholarly journals Developmental exposure to silver nanoparticles leads to long term gut dysbiosis and neurobehavioral alterations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Lyu ◽  
Shreya Ghoshdastidar ◽  
Karamkolly R. Rekha ◽  
Dhananjay Suresh ◽  
Jiude Mao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Silver Nanoparticles ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Developmental Exposure ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Mice ◽  
Gut Dysbiosis ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractDue to their antimicrobial properties, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used in a wide range of consumer products that includes topical wound dressings, coatings for biomedical devices, and food-packaging to extend the shelf-life. Despite their beneficial antimicrobial effects, developmental exposure to such AgNPs may lead to gut dysbiosis and long-term health consequences in exposed offspring. AgNPs can cross the placenta and blood–brain-barrier to translocate in the brain of offspring. The underlying hypothesis tested in the current study was that developmental exposure of male and female mice to AgNPs disrupts the microbiome–gut–brain axis. To examine for such effects, C57BL6 female mice were exposed orally to AgNPs at a dose of 3 mg/kg BW or vehicle control 2 weeks prior to breeding and throughout gestation. Male and female offspring were tested in various mazes that measure different behavioral domains, and the gut microbial profiles were surveyed from 30 through 120 days of age. Our study results suggest that developmental exposure results in increased likelihood of engaging in repetitive behaviors and reductions in resident microglial cells. Echo-MRI results indicate increased body fat in offspring exposed to AgNPs exhibit. Coprobacillus spp., Mucispirillum spp., and Bifidobacterium spp. were reduced, while Prevotella spp., Bacillus spp., Planococcaceae, Staphylococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., and Ruminococcus spp. were increased in those developmentally exposed to NPs. These bacterial changes were linked to behavioral and metabolic alterations. In conclusion, developmental exposure of AgNPs results in long term gut dysbiosis, body fat increase and neurobehavioral alterations in offspring.

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