Metrologické aspekty v analytické chemii: stanovení kovů ve vodách

The monitoring of water quality in the EU is described in detail and regulated by Directives of the European Commission and the Parliament, which underlines the importance of the quality of water (both potable and non-potable). Analysis of trace concentrations of contaminants in water, including metals, still presents challenges to demonstrate the quality and comparability of results. The article provides a detailed overview of the procedures that laboratories can use to assess the reliability of the results obtained by a particular measurement procedure. Emphasis is placed on three basic pillars: metrological traceability, validation and measurement uncertainty. Subsequently continuous evaluation is carried out using internal and external quality management measures. Regional aspects specific for the Czech Republic are also mentioned.

Increased Tea Saponin Content Influences the Diversity and Function of Plantation Soil Microbiomes

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) contained in plant litter will be released into soil with the decomposition process, which will affect the diversity and function of soil microbiomes. The response of soil microbiomes to PSMs in terms of diversity and function can provide an important theoretical basis for plantations to put forward rational soil ecological management measures.

Splenic Infarction in a COVID-19 Patient without Respiratory Symptoms

High rates of thromboembolic events have been seen in cases of COVID-19. Here, we report a case of 23-year-old previously healthy female presented with left-sided abdominal pain associated with vomiting. The computed tomography scan showed multiple ill-defined wedge-shaped low attenuating areas of the spleen, suggesting splenic infarction. In the absence of other thromboembolic contributing factors, we believe this was a thromboembolic event in splenic circulation in relation to COVID-19 infection. Our case adds to the evidence of an arterial thrombotic event in a noncritical COVID-19 patient, emphasizing the importance of addressing thromboembolism diagnosis and management measures to avoid potentially deadly consequences.

Filarial Lymphedema Patients Are Characterized by Exhausted CD4+ T Cells

Worldwide, more than 200 million people are infected with filariae which can cause severe symptoms leading to reduced quality of life and contribute to disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). In particular, lymphatic filariasis (LF) caused by Wuchereria bancrofti can lead to lymphedema (LE) and consequently presents a serious health problem. To understand why only a fraction of the infected individuals develop pathology, it is essential to understand how filariae regulate host immunity. The central role of T cells for immunity against filariae has been shown in several studies. However, there is little knowledge about T cell exhaustion, which causes T cell dysfunction and impaired immune responses, in this group of individuals. Recently, we showed that LE patients from Ghana harbor distinct patterns of exhausted effector and memory CD8+ T cell subsets. Based on these findings, we now characterized CD4+ T cell subsets from the same Ghanaian patient cohort by analyzing distinct markers within a 13-colour flow cytometry panel. We revealed that LE patients had increased frequencies of CD4+ T cells expressing exhaustion-associated receptors such as KLRG-1, TIM-3 and PD-1 compared to healthy endemic normal and W. bancrofti-infected individuals. Moreover, CD4+ T cells in LE patients were characterized by distinct co-expression patterns of inhibitory receptors. Collectively with the previous findings on CD8+ T cell exhaustion patterns, the data shown here demonstrates that filarial LE patients harbor distinct subsets of exhausted T cells. Thus, T cell exhaustion patterns in LE patients need attention especially in regards to susceptibility of concomitant infections and should be taken into consideration for LE management measures.

Fisheries Reference Point and Stock Status of Croaker Fishery (Sciaenidae) Exploited from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

This research evaluated fisheries reference points and stock status to assess the sustainability of the croaker fishery (Sciaenidae) from the Bay of Bengal (BoB), Bangladesh. Sixteen years (2001–2016) of catch-effort data were analyzed using two surplus production models (Schaefer and Fox), the Monte Carlo method (CMSY) and the Bayesian state-space Schaefer surplus production model (BSM) method. This research applies a Stock–Production Model Incorporating Covariates (ASPIC) software package to run the Schaefer and Fox model. The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) produced by all models ranged from 33,900 to 35,900 metric tons (mt), which is very close to last year’s catch (33,768 mt in 2016). The estimated B > BMSY and F < FMSY indicated the safe biomass and fishing status. The calculated F/FMSY was 0.89, 0.87, and 0.81, and B/BMSY was 1.05, 1.07, and 1.14 for Fox, Schaefer, and BSM, respectively, indicating the fully exploited status of croaker stock in the BoB, Bangladesh. The representation of the Kobe phase plot suggested that the exploitation of croaker stock started from the yellow (unsustainable) quadrant in 2001 and gradually moved to the green (sustainable) quadrant in 2016 because of the reduction in fishing efforts and safe fishing pressure after 2012. Thus, this research suggests that the current fishing pressure needs to be maintained so that the yearly catch does not exceed the MSY limit of croaker. Additionally, specific management measures should implement to guarantee croaker and other fisheries from the BoB.

Analysis of the Negative Impacts of Coffee Husk on the Local Environment

In a locality wherever intense low process is completed while not appropriate waste management measures, low effluents area unit the principal reason behind organic pollution. Low husk contains caffeine, tannins, and chlorogenic acid, creating it a dangerous exposed husk. The low method has been delivery environmental issues to the environment thanks to the discharge of pollution with a large quantity of organic waste. the target of this work is to research the negative impacts of low husk on the atmosphere to scale back environmental pollution in step with the planet Health Organization, one among the foremost vital problems that enterprises confront as they look for ways to limit their use of the artifact by changing it into value-add products/applications is that the harmful impact of low husk on the atmosphere (WHO).The significance of the experiment is to form low husk as an alternate resource to switch fiber. Methylene chloride liquid-liquid extraction was developed to avoid caffeine, tannin, and CGA spectral overlapping within the three hundred -700 nm wavelength vary. The results indicated increment deadly materials that have an effect on the atmosphere. From the experiment performed low husk are often used as an alternate resource for getting composites for might applications and solve the environmental issues.

A Systematic Review on Opuntia (Cactaceae; Opuntioideae) Flower-Visiting Insects in the World with Emphasis on Mexico: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation

Opuntia spp. are cacti with high ecological, economic and conservation interest in semiarid environments, particularly in Mexico. We conducted a systematic search of the existing peer-reviewed literature about the state of knowledge of pollination ecology on these plants. We documented the most studied Opuntia species worldwide with an emphasis on Mexico. We found that only 15% of Opuntia species described have been investigated so far, and studies were mainly focused on comprehension of the biology of a single species. Despite the economic and cultural importance of Opuntia, there is a significant lack of knowledge about the flower-visiting insects and their taxonomic identity. We provide a checklist of the insect species associated with Opuntia spp. Through a circular network, we visualize the complex Opuntia flower-visiting insect relationship, and we detected a set of key species constituting the generalist core of the networks constructed. Since pollination is crucial for crop production, a better understanding of ecological interactions would inform management measures to strengthen biodiversity and agriculture sustainability as well as productivity in arid and marginal lands. Further research on pollination ecology is needed to improve the conservation status of the insects associated with Opuntia species.

Quantification of Industrial Wastewater Discharge From the Major Cities in Sichuan Province (China) from 2003 to 2018

Wastewater discharge is produced as a side effect of socio-economic activities and exerts severe pressure on the environment, its characteristics depend on the rate of urbanization and industrialization. We used spatial autocorrelation, environmental Kuznets curve (EKC), and logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) model to study the spatial characteristics and driving factors of industrial wastewater discharge in Sichuan province (2003–2018). We showed that the amount of industrial wastewater discharge in Sichuan province for the period was reduced from 116580 to 42064.96 million tons as observed from the Moran index ranging from -0.31 to 0.30. We identified five types of the EKC (monotonically decreasing, N, inverted N, U, and inverted U shape) in 18 major cities of Sichuan province. The technical effect (from -0.28 to -16.37) can reduce the discharge of industrial wastewater, while structure effect (0.05–3.83), economy effect (0.19–7.79) and population effect (from -0.08 to 0.46) can promote the industrial wastewater discharge. Our findings suggest that industrial wastewater discharge was reduced and showed a scattered distribution characteristic in Sichuan Province from 2003 to 2018. It is necessary to strengthen technical management measures to reduce industrial wastewater discharge in Sichuan province.

Modeling of the comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of economic entities: Management aspect

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented structural change in the current evolutionary development of the national economy of Ukraine. Situational trends that arise in the open economy of the country require reactive changes in the conditions for doing business and force public authorities to update strategies or mechanisms to support it. At the same time, a number of explicit factors, including unemployment and inflation, further exacerbate the problems in business activities. This makes it necessary to search for relevant methods that would allow interested stakeholders to carry out uninterrupted diagnostics of the state of entrepreneurship development and, on this basis, determine effective government policy tools to support this sector of the economy. Important management measures are the current assessment of the business sector, determination of its future development, and forecasting the consequences of the impact of the external environment on the activities of enterprises. At the same time, the updated methods should take into account the evolution of the development of the national economy and the specifics of the modern activities of large, medium, and small enterprises in Ukraine. The purpose of the article is to develop a relevant methodology for assessing the current activities of business entities in the managerial aspect, as well as modeling the forecast for the development of this sector of the economy, taking into account the specifics of the functioning of the national economy of Ukraine. The use of the methodology proposed by the authors will make it possible to systematically assess the current state of entrepreneurship development and respond in advance to negative factors that cause its inert development.