[Contents of plutonium and microelements in the hair of Belarus inhabitants living in the areas contaminated during the Chernobyl AES accident].

Science.gov (United States)

Malenchenko, A F; Bazhanova, N N; Kanash, N V; Zhuk, I V; Lomonosova, E M; Bulyga, S F

1997-01-01

The levels of plutonium were studied in the body of inhabitants of the Minsk and Gomel Regions. Their hair was used as the indicator of its levels. The hair concentrations of plutonium correlated with its content in the ribs. The hair levels of lead in the inhabitants of some populated localities of the Gomel Region were found to be higher than those in the residents of unpolluted areas and industrial centers of the Republic of Belarus.

Degradation of mangroves adversely affected ecosystem and rural inhabitant in the Sindh's coastal area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naqvi, S.R.; Inam, Z.

2005-01-01

Mangroves the ecological treasure of Sindh, are facing a steady decline due to in active Government policies and lack of interest of local people. Mangroves provide important breeding Zone of to the marine biodiversity because of the reduction of silt flows, the area of active growth of delta, has been reduced from an original estimate of 2600 sq km to about 260 sq km. Similarly, the area of Mangroves from 345,000 hectares, the area is now only 205000 hectares. Pakistani Mangroves rank 6th among the mangroves spread in 92 countries. Mangroves forests act as inter face b/w land and sea. It provides nutrients to marine fisheries and is vital healthy Ecosystem. During past 50 years, nearly 100,000 hectares have been destroyed. The destruction is quite high from 1975 to 1992. It is due to water shortage in the river Indus. Degradation of mangroves adversely affected ecosystem and rural inhabitant in the coastal area. Thus to find root causes of degradation and its effects this study was made. (author)

Attractiveness for Younger Generation of Ostrava - Jih Housing Area Developed in Socialist Era: Through Interviews with the Inhabitants (Ostrava-City, Czech Republic)

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Yuno; Kanki, Kiyoko

2017-10-01

Ostrava city had developed as an industrial city in socialist era but now faces to deindustrialization. Ostrava-Jih is one of the housing areas developed in the socialist era. In this paper, the attractiveness of Ostrava-Jih for younger generation was showed by interview with inhabitants. As a result, the accessibility to nature around the housing estate, commercial facilities and public facilities, reasonable rent and housing price were evaluated. Besides, the inhabitants have done some activities for making their neighbourhoods more attractive.

Assessment of knowledge and awareness of global warming among inhabitants of industrial areas of an urban community in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruth Ochanya Adio-Moses

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Global warming with its attendant consequences such as extreme heat, natural disasters, poor air quality and allergens has increased health problems. The risk of injury, illness and resulting death among inhabitants are expected to be frequent and intense especially in areas with heavy industrial presence. The current low level of literacy and the socio-economic situation of Nigerians could be responsible for their low consciousness of this unpreventable changes in our climate in one hand and lack of willingness on the part of people to seek environmental health and safety information on the causes, effect and how to mitigate global warming on the other hand. This study focuses on assessment of knowledge and awareness of causes, effects and mitigating measures of global warming among inhabitants of industrial areas of Ibadan southwestern Nigeria. In this descriptive survey, purposive sampling technique was used to select 200 respondents from among the inhabitants of this area. A questionnaire with reliability co-efficient (r of 0.78 was used for data collection. Two research questions were answered and three hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. Statistical methods such as Chi-square, frequency count, simple percentage and pie chart were used for data analysis. Results showed that only 20% had 34.0% had negative attitude while 81 (40.5% were indifferent, all the three hypotheses were rejected. Consequently, it was deduced that respondents have significant knowledge of global warming. In recommendation, people’s environmental health seeking behaviour should be promoted through multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research and the development of inclusive environmental health and safety intervention strategies.

Dose- and age-dependent cardiovascular mortality among inhabitants of the Chornobyl contaminated areas. 1988-2010 observation period

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buzunov, V.O.; Prikashchikova, K.Je.; Domashevs'ka, T.Je.; Kostyuk, G.V.; Gubyina, Yi.G.; Tereshchenko, S.O.

2014-01-01

Cardiovascular mortality among inhabitants of contaminated areas of Ukraine is dependent on the total cumulative effective doses and age at the time of the Chornobyl accident. It is proved by a significantly higher (p < 0.05) mortality in people exposed to 21.00-50.0 mSv radiation doses compared to those having 5.6-20.99 mSv exposures. Mortality was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in age groups with higher doses as opposed to those with low ones. Maximum mortality was observed among inhabitants aged 40-60, while the lowest death rate - in patients younger than 18 years old. The data obtained also suggest that the radiation factor can be considered here as one accelerating the aging and pathophysiological abnormalities in survivors. Coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, arterial hypertension, diseases of arteries, arterioles and capillaries are the main causes of death from cardiovascular disease in people under investigation

Decision aiding handbooks for managing contaminated food production systems, drinking water and inhabited areas in Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nisbet, A.F.; Brown, J.; Howard, B.J.

2010-01-01

Three handbooks have been developed, in conjunction with a wide range of stakeholders to assist in the management of contaminated food production systems, inhabited areas and drinking water following a radiological incident. The handbooks are aimed at national and local authorities, central...... government departments and agencies, emergency services, radiation protection experts, the agriculture and food production sectors, industry and others who may be affected. The handbooks include management options for application in the different phases of an incident. Sources of contamination considered...

Survey of lead and CO--Hb in inhabitants in general

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mishima, M.; Hitosugi, M.; Ishikawa, K.; Suzuki, T.

1972-11-01

To grasp the effects of air pollution on the human body in smaller cities, lead content and CO--Hb (carboxyhemoglobin) in blood were examined in inhabitants of Soka City, Saitama Prefecture, as well as the factors of living. The inhabitants are nonuniform as an occupational population, however, from the point of view that the work places are located in the same city they are considered to be uniform as an occupational population. In the city, the Pb content of air was 6, 2 to 5 and 1 microgram/cu m, respectively, in highly, moderately, and slightly polluted areas. The Pb content of blood of inhabitants in highly polluted areas in the city was on the arithmetical average - 15 micrograms/dl, and CO--Hb in the same individuals was 1.8% (2.6% in smokers and 1.2% in nonsmokers). These figures mean that the effect of air pollution was very slight in the inhabitants in this city.

The air quality in inhabited areas located near from a petroleum perforation and extraction company

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colas, J.; Diaz, M.; Fuentes, E.; Teutelo, R.

2003-01-01

The quality of the air is studied in inhabited areas located near from a petroleum perforation and extraction company. Three halfway points of the areas of more racking and of treatment of product were selected and it was determined the day variation of the levels of concentration of SO2 and SH2 with a frequency of sampling of every 6 hours. By means of the statistical analysis it concludes that the ambient air in the valued points receives a severe contamination with directions of East component wind and variable speed, and the potential sources of emissions that influence on each point settle down. It is recommended to improve the hermetic in the storage and pumping of crude oil systems in the central battery of the company to minimize the fugitive emissions of SH2

Development of remediation/decontamination strategies reflecting local conditions by the EU long-term radiation exposure model for inhabited areas (ERMIN)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakuma, Kazuyuki; Nanba, Kenji; Terada, Akihiko; Hosomi, Masaaki

2015-01-01

The European model for inhabited areas (ERMIN), developed for prediction of radioactive compounds Chernobyl accident, was applied at Tomioka in Fukushima Prefecture as a model region for decontamination to investigate its feasibility. The application of ERMIN to eight compartments with each 100 x 100 m in this region, where decontamination was actually performed, confirmed that observed air dose rates were within the calculated counterparts irrespective of presence or absence of a term on environment half life for two months. With simulation sets capable of reproducing an air dose rate during a decontamination term, decontamination strategies incorporating five evaluation items, i.e. reduction of radiation exposure to inhabitants, cost for decontamination, the amount of waste, work effort, and the amount of radiation exposure for a worker, were proposed and compared. By initiating decontamination 9 months after the accident in Fukushima, radiation exposure to inhabitants, who continue to live at the modeled region, is reduced by about 24 mSv for the ensuring 15 months. Furthermore, decontamination strategies were compared by prioritizing the five evaluation items. (author)

Effects on non-human species inhabiting areas with enhanced level of natural radioactivity in the north of Russia: a review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geras' kin, Stanislav A. [Russian Institute of Agricultural Radiology and Agroecology RAAS, 249020 Obninsk, Kaluga region (Russian Federation)]. E-mail: stgeraskin@gmail.com; Evseeva, Tatiana I. [Institute of Biology, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Division RAS, Kommunisticheskaya 28, 167982 Syktyvkar (Russian Federation); Belykh, Elena S. [Institute of Biology, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Division RAS, Kommunisticheskaya 28, 167982 Syktyvkar (Russian Federation); Majstrenko, Tatiana A. [Institute of Biology, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Division RAS, Kommunisticheskaya 28, 167982 Syktyvkar (Russian Federation); Michalik, Boguslaw [Central Mining Institute, Pl. Gwarkow 1, 40-166 Katowice (Poland); Taskaev, Anatoliy I. [Institute of Biology, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Division RAS, Kommunisticheskaya 28, 167982 Syktyvkar (Russian Federation)

2007-05-15

Results of long-term radioecological investigations in areas with an enhanced level of natural radioactivity in the north of Russia are summarized. Deleterious changes within animal and plant populations inhabiting areas with an enhanced level of natural radioactivity in the Komi Republic were revealed. These changes are expressed in enhanced levels of mutagenesis, destructive processes in the tissues of animals, disturbances of reproductive functions and reduced offspring viability. Compensatory processes, resulting in animal and plant survival under extremely adverse conditions of radium and uranium-radium contamination, were observed as well. However, obvious signs of adaptation failed to be detected. The findings suggest that adverse somatic and genetic effects are possible in plants and animals in the dose range observed at sites with an enhanced level of natural radioactivity. In contrast, different plant species inhabiting an area with an enhanced level of natural radioactivity in the taiga zone of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) reveal a stimulation of growth processes, photosynthesis, endogenous low molecular weight antioxidant synthesis as well as adaptive response. It is apparent from the data presented that naturally occurring differences in terrestrial radiation level could be of genetic and ecological consequence.

Assessment of daily intake of major and trace elements by inhabitants of potential radiation protection of greater Cairo area, Egypt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramadan, A.B.

2005-01-01

Concentrations of K, Ca, U, Th, Cs, Sr, I, Al, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Ni and Cr were determined in vegetables, common foodstuffs and some animal products consumed by adult inhabitants of Greater Cairo Area. Some of these elements have chemical and biological similarity to some of the radionuclides abundantly encountered during nuclear power production and therefore data on these elements could provide important information on their biokinetic behavior. A total of 120 samples were analyzed using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). Generally, highest contributions for the intake of micro nutrients (Cu, Mn and Ni) arise from broad bean, rice and wheat flour consumption. Meat, milk, eggs and some vegetables are the major sources of K, Ca, U, Th, Cs, Al, Cd and Pb. The medium daily intake for the adult inhabitants of greater Cairo area was found to be 1.98 g of K, 0.54 mg of Ca, 1.14 fig of U, 0.8 μg of Th, 5.2μg of Cs, 1.3 mg of Sr, 105 μg of 1, 3.2 mg of Mn, 0.9 mg of Cu, 5.7 mg of Al, 5, 2 x 10 -2 mg of Pb, 2.1x10 -3 mg of Cd, 7.7x10 -2 mg of Ni and 2.1 x 10 -2 mg of Cr. The lower daily intake of Ca, Th, Cs and I by adult inhabitants of greater Cairo area could be due to the significantly lower consumption of milk and milk products, which are rich in these elements. The significantly lower intake of calcium by adult inhabitants of greater Cairo area may lead to higher uptake of radiostrontium and could result in higher internal radiation dose. The use of highly sensitive and reliable analytical methods resulted in accurate assessment of the values recorded for thorium and uranium suggested that radiation dose from their ingestion at natural background levels, is likely to be lower than those included in ICRP data. Concerning micro nutrients, the recommended values of daily intake of Cu and Mn are conveniently supplied by the common diet; however for Cr is lower than the recommended daily allowance. Due to high metals concentrations

The estimation of doses to the inhabitants arising from natural radiation source in the high background radiation area of Yangjiang, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Yongling; Shen Hong; Morishima, H.; Wei Lvxin; Jian Yuannu

2004-01-01

Objective: The purposes is to estimate the average annual effective dose of the inhabitants and absorbed dose in some human tissues and organs arising from natural radiation sources in the High Background Radiation Area (HBRA) of Yangjiang and in the neighboring Control Area (CA). In order to provide more effective evidence for analyzing the dose-effect relationships among the cohort members in the investigated areas, authors divided the local inhabitant into different dose-groups. Methods: The authors measured the environmental gamma external radiation levels and individual accumulated doses of 5293 people in the investigated areas. The concentrations for 222 Rn, 220 Rn and their decay products in air were also surveyed. The authors estimated the internal doses of natural radionuclides based on the results obtained from measurements in food, in drinking water, in human teeth, in several human tissues, in human placenta, and in activity concentration of exhaled 222 Rn and 220 Rn of the residents living in the investigated areas. Results: The estimation of average annual effective doses in HBRA and CA based on the data of environmental measurements of radiation level respectively are 2.12 ± 0.29 mSv a -1 and 0.69 ± 0.09 mSv a -1 . The sources of higher background radiation in HBRA are mainly contributed from terrestrial gamma radiation. The estimation of average annual effective doses to the residents arising from inhalation of 222 Rn, 220 Rn and their decay products was 3.28 mSv a -1 in HBRA, while that in CA was 1.03 mSv a -1 . The values of the absorbed dose of the residents in their trachea-bronchial tree and lung in HBRA arising from inhalation of 222 Rn, 220 Rn and their decay products are 5.40 mGy a -1 and 1.08 mGy a -1 respectively, which are about four times of the values of the absorbed dose in CA. The estimation of average annual effective doses to the inhabitants caused by 226 Ra and 228 Ra in HBRA and CA were 281.88 μSv a -1 and 84.54 μSv a -1

Evaluation of daily intake for some elements of radiation protection concern by inhabitants of Greater Cairo Area, Egypt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed H.E. Monged

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Concentrations of K, Ca, U, Th, Cs, Sr, I, Al, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Ni, Zn and Cr were determined in common foodstuffs consumed by adult inhabitants of Greater Cairo Area (GCA. Some of these elements have chemical and biological similarity to some of the radionuclides abundantly encountered during nuclear power production and therefore data on these elements could provide important information on their biokinetic behavior. A total of 120 samples were analyzed using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS. Highest contributions for the intake of micronutrients (Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn arise from broad bean, rice and wheat flour consumption. Meat, milk, eggs and some vegetables are the major sources of K, Ca, U, Th, Cs, Al, Cd and Pb intake. The medium daily intakes for the adult inhabitants of GCA from the analyzed elements were reported. The lower daily intake of Ca, Th, Cs and I by adult inhabitants of GCA could be due to significantly lower consumption of milk and milk products. The significantly lower intake of calcium by adult inhabitants of GCA may lead to higher uptake of radiostrontium and could result in perhaps higher internal radiation dose. The lower intake values obtained for thorium and uranium, which suggests that radiation dose from their ingestion at natural background levels, is likely to be lower than what may be concluded from International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP data. Concerning micronutrients, the recommended values of daily intake of Cu and Mn are conveniently supplied by diet; however, for Cr and Zn they are lower than the recommended daily allowance. Due to high metals concentrations and consumption rates, broad bean is the foodstuff that provided the highest ingestion rates of Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn, being therefore a very important source of micronutrients.

Fire and EMS Districts - MDC_FDStationTerritoryInhabited

Data.gov (United States)

NSGIC Local Govt | GIS Inventory — A polygon feature class of Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue (MDFR) Fire District Station Territories clipped to the extent of inhabited areas. This layer is intended...

Radon in groundwater and dose estimation for inhabitants in spas of the Sudety Mountains area, Poland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kozlowska, B.; Walencik, A.; Dorda, J.; Zipper, W.

2008-01-01

Full text: The highest average radon concentrations in water are found in the Sudety mountains area, located in the south-western part of Poland. This region is known for its beautiful hiking routes, clean environment and also a large number of natural water springs. Some of underground waters with mineralization of more than 1 g/l are mineral waters. Others contain elements with specific medicinal properties and they are called medicinal waters. Among them are radon enriched waters with radon activity equal to at least 74 Bq/l. Waters chosen for investigations were collected in 24 health resorts and towns of the Sudety mountains. Water samples were periodically collected from 118 springs over a period of 10 years. Most of these waters are mineral medicinal waters and are used for treatment for patients and tourists. 16 intakes are treated by inhabitants as drinking water for everyday use. Among them, 6 intakes are used in water supply systems for several buildings in some spas. The goal of our study was to determine the activity concentration of radon in underground spring water consumed by inhabitants and tourists and to calculate annual effective doses due to this radionuclide consumption and inhalation. Measurements of radon were performed with the use of the liquid scintillation technique

Nutrient intake and balancing among female Colobus angolensis palliatus inhabiting structurally distinct forest areas: Effects of group, season, and reproductive state.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunham, Noah T; Rodriguez-Saona, Luis E

2018-06-08

Understanding intraspecific behavioral and dietary variation is critical for assessing primate populations' abilities to persist in habitats characterized by increasing anthropogenic disturbances. While it is evident that some species exhibit considerable dietary flexibility (in terms of species-specific plant parts) in relation to habitat disturbance, it is unclear if primates are characterized by similar variation and flexibility regarding nutrient intake. This study examined the effects of group, season, and reproductive state on nutrient intake and balancing in adult female Colobus angolensis palliatus in the Diani Forest, Kenya. During July 2014 to December 2015, estimates of nutrient intake were recorded for eight females from three groups inhabiting structurally and ecologically distinct forest areas differing in tree species composition and density. There were differences in metabolizable energy (ME) and macronutrient intakes among groups, seasons, and reproductive states. Most notably, females inhabiting one of the more disturbed forest areas consumed less ME and macronutrients compared to females in the more intact forest area. Contrary to prediction, females in early lactation consumed significantly less ME and macronutrients compared to non-lactating and late lactation females. Despite differences in macronutrient intake, the relative contribution of macronutrients to ME were generally more conservative among groups, seasons, and reproductive states. Average daily intake ratios of non-protein energy to available protein ranged from approximately 3.5:1-4.3:1 among groups. These results indicate that female C. a. palliatus demonstrate a consistent nutrient balancing strategy despite significant intergroup differences in consumption of species-specific plant parts. Data from additional colobine species inhabiting different forest types are required to assess the extent to which nutrient balancing is constrained by phylogeny or is more flexible to local

Assessment of immune surveillance among inhabitants of high natural background radiation areas in Ramsar-Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sileh, Sajad Borzouei; Monfared, Ali Shabestani; Mostafazade, Amrollah; Abedian, Said

2010-01-01

In this study by Multi-parameter flow cytometry, immunologic analyze is performed on peripheral blood, NK cells, most effective cells in innate immune and the proportion of TCD8/TCD4 cells that is effective in cellular immune system will be determined. Lysosomal-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1 or CD107a) is used as a functional marker for the identification of natural killer cell activity. Immune surveillance and immune system role in tumoral defense in Ramsar inhabitants will be determined. Radiation dose rate in Talesh mahalle is very high and was many times greater than Chaparsar (another region in Ramsar). Immune surveillance and immune system role in tumoral defense in Talesh mahalle inhabitants will be compared to Chaparsar inhabitants. If this doesn't have significant difference, we should think about some other aspects such as free radical scavengers that will study later

The role of agricultural and natural ecosystems in the internal dose formation in the inhabitants of a controlled area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balonov, M.I.; Travnikova, I.G.

1990-01-01

The dynamics of caesium radionuclide transfer to agricultural and natural food products produced in western areas of the Bryansk region during 3 years after the Chernobyl accident and its change due to the protective measures adopted have been determined. It has been shown that the role of agricultural and natural (mushrooms, fish, berries) food products in the people's internal irradiation may be equally important both with routine diet and with the food restrictions imposed. The substitution of local food products for radiation-free ones reduced the internal irradiation dose in the adult rural inhabitants of the controlled area by 70-86% during 1.5 years. (author)

Vertical Distribution and Estimated Doses from Artificial Radionuclides in Soil Samples around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site

Science.gov (United States)

Taira, Yasuyuki; Hayashida, Naomi; Tsuchiya, Rimi; Yamaguchi, Hitoshi; Takahashi, Jumpei; Kazlovsky, Alexander; Urazalin, Marat; Rakhypbekov, Tolebay; Yamashita, Shunichi; Takamura, Noboru

2013-01-01

For the current on-site evaluation of the environmental contamination and contributory external exposure after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) and the nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS), the concentrations of artificial radionuclides in soil samples from each area were analyzed by gamma spectrometry. Four artificial radionuclides (241Am, 134Cs, 137Cs, and 60Co) were detected in surface soil around CNPP, whereas seven artificial radionuclides (241Am, 57Co, 137Cs, 95Zr, 95Nb, 58Co, and 60Co) were detected in surface soil around SNTS. Effective doses around CNPP were over the public dose limit of 1 mSv/y (International Commission on Radiological Protection, 1991). These levels in a contaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 were high, whereas levels in a decontaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 and another contaminated area 15 km from Unit 4 were comparatively low. On the other hand, the effective doses around SNTS were below the public dose limit. These findings suggest that the environmental contamination and effective doses on the ground definitely decrease with decontamination such as removing surface soil, although the effective doses of the sampling points around CNPP in the present study were all over the public dose limit. Thus, the remediation of soil as a countermeasure could be an extremely effective method not only for areas around CNPP and SNTS but also for areas around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), and external exposure levels will be certainly reduced. Long-term follow-up of environmental monitoring around CNPP, SNTS, and FNPP, as well as evaluation of the health effects in the population residing around these areas, could contribute to radiation safety and reduce unnecessary exposure to the public. PMID:23469013

Vertical distribution and estimated doses from artificial radionuclides in soil samples around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasuyuki Taira

Full Text Available For the current on-site evaluation of the environmental contamination and contributory external exposure after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP and the nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS, the concentrations of artificial radionuclides in soil samples from each area were analyzed by gamma spectrometry. Four artificial radionuclides ((241Am, (134Cs, (137Cs, and (60Co were detected in surface soil around CNPP, whereas seven artificial radionuclides ((241Am, (57Co, (137Cs, (95Zr, (95Nb, (58Co, and (60Co were detected in surface soil around SNTS. Effective doses around CNPP were over the public dose limit of 1 mSv/y (International Commission on Radiological Protection, 1991. These levels in a contaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 were high, whereas levels in a decontaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 and another contaminated area 15 km from Unit 4 were comparatively low. On the other hand, the effective doses around SNTS were below the public dose limit. These findings suggest that the environmental contamination and effective doses on the ground definitely decrease with decontamination such as removing surface soil, although the effective doses of the sampling points around CNPP in the present study were all over the public dose limit. Thus, the remediation of soil as a countermeasure could be an extremely effective method not only for areas around CNPP and SNTS but also for areas around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP, and external exposure levels will be certainly reduced. Long-term follow-up of environmental monitoring around CNPP, SNTS, and FNPP, as well as evaluation of the health effects in the population residing around these areas, could contribute to radiation safety and reduce unnecessary exposure to the public.

Vertical distribution and estimated doses from artificial radionuclides in soil samples around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site.

Science.gov (United States)

Taira, Yasuyuki; Hayashida, Naomi; Tsuchiya, Rimi; Yamaguchi, Hitoshi; Takahashi, Jumpei; Kazlovsky, Alexander; Urazalin, Marat; Rakhypbekov, Tolebay; Yamashita, Shunichi; Takamura, Noboru

2013-01-01

For the current on-site evaluation of the environmental contamination and contributory external exposure after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) and the nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS), the concentrations of artificial radionuclides in soil samples from each area were analyzed by gamma spectrometry. Four artificial radionuclides ((241)Am, (134)Cs, (137)Cs, and (60)Co) were detected in surface soil around CNPP, whereas seven artificial radionuclides ((241)Am, (57)Co, (137)Cs, (95)Zr, (95)Nb, (58)Co, and (60)Co) were detected in surface soil around SNTS. Effective doses around CNPP were over the public dose limit of 1 mSv/y (International Commission on Radiological Protection, 1991). These levels in a contaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 were high, whereas levels in a decontaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 and another contaminated area 15 km from Unit 4 were comparatively low. On the other hand, the effective doses around SNTS were below the public dose limit. These findings suggest that the environmental contamination and effective doses on the ground definitely decrease with decontamination such as removing surface soil, although the effective doses of the sampling points around CNPP in the present study were all over the public dose limit. Thus, the remediation of soil as a countermeasure could be an extremely effective method not only for areas around CNPP and SNTS but also for areas around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), and external exposure levels will be certainly reduced. Long-term follow-up of environmental monitoring around CNPP, SNTS, and FNPP, as well as evaluation of the health effects in the population residing around these areas, could contribute to radiation safety and reduce unnecessary exposure to the public.

Regional differences in commuting activities of inhabitants in the Tokyo metropolitan suburb

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masaki Kawase

2004-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to elucidate gender differences and regional differences of co-mmuting activities by inhabitants in Japanese metropolitan suburbs. I found the different parts by districts in the metropolitan suburb. Regional factors cause gender differences in commuting activities and result in regional differences: In residential areas, inhabitants who work in metropolitan centers occupy much of the population. In older built-up areas, there are many “local” persons. In rural areas, motorization is progressing because access to rail-roads has been inconvenient. These regional factors influence the behavioral characteristics of commuting by married men, married women, never married men and never married women.

Dose measurement, its distribution and individual external dose assessments of inhabitants on high background radiation area in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koga, Taeko; Morishima, Hiroshige [Kinki Univ., Atomic Energy Research Institute, Osaka (Japan); Tatsumi, Kusuo [Kinki Univ., Life Science Research Institute, Osaka (Japan); Nakai, Sayaka; Sugahara, Tsutomu [Health Research Foundation, Kyoto (Japan); Yuan Yongling [Labor Hygiene Institute of Hunan Prov. (China); Wei Luxin [Laboratory of Industorial Hygiene, Ministry of Health (China)

2001-01-01

As a part of the China-Japan cooperative research on the natural radiation epidemiology, we have carried out a dose-assessment study to evaluate the external to natural radiation in the high background radiation area (HBRA) of Yangjiang in Guangdong province and in the control area (CA) of Enping prefecture since 1991. Because of the difficulties in measuring the individual doses of all inhabitants directly by the personal dosimeters, an indirect method was applied to estimate the exposed dose rates from the environmental radiation dose rates measured by survey meters and the occupancy factors of each hamlet. An individual radiation dose roughly correlates with the environmental radiation dose and the life style of the inhabitant. We have analyzed the environmental radiation doses in the hamlets and the variation of the occupancy factors to obtain the parameters of dose estimation on the inhabitants in selected hamlets; Madi and the several hamlets of the different level doses in HBRA and Hampizai hamlet in CA. With these parameters, we made estimations of individual dose rates and compared them with those obtained from the direct measurement using dosimeters carried by selected individuals. The results obtained are as follows: (1) The environmental radiation dose rates are influenced by the natural radioactive nuclide concentrations in building materials, the age of the building and the arrangement of the houses in a hamlet. There existed a fairly large and heterogeneous distribution of indoor and outdoor environmental radiation. The indoor radiation dose rates were due to the exposure from the natural radioactive nuclides in the building materials and they were about twice higher than the outdoor radiation dose rates. This difference was not observed in CA. (2) The occupancy factor was affected by the age of individuals and the seasons of a year. Indoor occupancy factors were higher for infants and aged individuals than for other age groups. This lead to higher

Dose measurement, its distribution and individual external dose assessments of inhabitants on high background radiation area in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koga, Taeko; Morishima, Hiroshige; Tatsumi, Kusuo; Nakai, Sayaka; Sugahara, Tsutomu; Yuan Yongling; Wei Luxin

2001-01-01

As a part of the China-Japan cooperative research on the natural radiation epidemiology, we have carried out a dose-assessment study to evaluate the external to natural radiation in the high background radiation area (HBRA) of Yangjiang in Guangdong province and in the control area (CA) of Enping prefecture since 1991. Because of the difficulties in measuring the individual doses of all inhabitants directly by the personal dosimeters, an indirect method was applied to estimate the exposed dose rates from the environmental radiation dose rates measured by survey meters and the occupancy factors of each hamlet. An individual radiation dose roughly correlates with the environmental radiation dose and the life style of the inhabitant. We have analyzed the environmental radiation doses in the hamlets and the variation of the occupancy factors to obtain the parameters of dose estimation on the inhabitants in selected hamlets; Madi and the several hamlets of the different level doses in HBRA and Hampizai hamlet in CA. With these parameters, we made estimations of individual dose rates and compared them with those obtained from the direct measurement using dosimeters carried by selected individuals. The results obtained are as follows: 1) The environmental radiation dose rates are influenced by the natural radioactive nuclide concentrations in building materials, the age of the building and the arrangement of the houses in a hamlet. There existed a fairly large and heterogeneous distribution of indoor and outdoor environmental radiation. The indoor radiation dose rates were due to the exposure from the natural radioactive nuclides in the building materials and they were about twice higher than the outdoor radiation dose rates. This difference was not observed in CA. 2) The occupancy factor was affected by the age of individuals and the seasons of a year. Indoor occupancy factors were higher for infants and aged individuals than for other age groups. This lead to higher

On the population dose close to the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, P.; Peterson, L.; Pivovarov, S.; Rukhin, A.; Seredavina, T.; Sushkova, N.; Artemyev, O.; Abildinova, G.

2008-01-01

Full text: As a result of nuclear weapon tests at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) radiation exposure of inhabitants in surrounding villages has occurred over a period of several decades. Despite a number of published reports the determination of cumulative doses to the associated population and its uncertainty has not been finalized yet. Among the factors complicating this task are a) the time passed, b) the lack of direct personal dosimetry within the population possibly exposed, c) significant migration (out and in), d) inhomogeneous distribution of radionuclide deposition, e) new settlers at the SNTS and f) economic activities at the SNTS. This paper reports on the contribution of the ISTC-project K-465.2 'Complex examination of Semipalatinsk Test Site Region's population by advanced dosimetry methods' in assessing the population dose. The main results have been obtained during a period of three years by using the recent methodological progress made in EPR dosimetry on tooth enamel. Tooth enamel of people from settlements Dolon, Bodene, Cheremushki, Mostik, which were affected mainly by the first atomic explosion 1949, settlement Sarjal, affected by the first thermonuclear explosion in 1953, and as a control village Maysk, where radiological and meteorological records suggest that there was no significant radionuclide deposition near this village despite its position at the borders of SNTS, were investigated. Fresh tooth samples were used, which reflect well the current radiological situation. Additional measurements included e.g. environmental monitoring and in-vivo monitoring. EPR results suggest the existence of two sub-populations with different dose distributions: One with doses in the range of expected values from both natural background and SNTS testing, and another one with still higher doses not explained by the observed radioactive contamination. This finding is rather surprising. Additional research is needed to obtain a better statistic

Radioactive contamination on land and external radiation dose in residential areas around the former Soviet Union's Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: a review of our studies since 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoshi, M.; Yamamoto, M.; Sakaguchi, A.; Takada, J.; Apsalikov, K.N.; Gusev, B.I.

2004-01-01

A review is presented on our studies about radioactive contamination on land and external radiation doses to residents by the thermoluminescence technique, performed around the former Soviet Union's Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS) in Kazakhstan since 1995. Surface and core soil samples have been collected from different sites around the SNTS and long-lived radionuclides such as 137 Cs and Pu isotopes were measured. Unlike 137 Cs, the inventories of 239,240 Pu for most of the sites we visited were several to a few hundred times higher than those (40-120 Bq/m 2 ) for global fallout observed in Japan. Pu in soil around the SNTS was found to be tightly incorporated into various sizes of particles formed in the course of the condensation of melting materials, such as vaporized soil and bomb components. Lower atomic ratios of 240 Pu/ 239 Pu (0.03-0.05) for samples indicated that the nuclear tests conducted at the SNTS resulted in a relatively large amount of close-in fallout Pu even in the outside regions. External radiation doses to residents near the SNTS were evaluated by the thermoluminescence technique for brick samples collected from several settlements: Dolon, Semipalatinsk and Ust'-Kamenogorsk cities. The external radiation doses to population were estimated to be up to 1.0 Gy for resident in Dolon settlement. The doses in other two cities were evaluated to be several hundreds mGy. The present doses in Ust'-Kamenogorsk City were consistent with the human acute health effect on the citizens just after 1956 fallout. (author)

No evidence of radiation risk for thyroid gland among schoolchildren around Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamada, Aiko; Takamura, Noboru; Meirmanov, Serik; Alipov, Gabit; Mine, Mariko; Ensebaev, Ruslan; Sagandikova, Sagadat; Ohashi, Toshinori; Yamashita, Shunichi

2003-02-01

To assess thyroid status among the schoolchildren around Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS), Kazakhstan, and to evaluate the current status of iodine deficiency in this area, we performed medical screening of schoolchildren in two villages, Kaynar and Karaul villages, East Kazakhstan Region, Republic of Kazakhstan, located within 100 km of SNTS. A total of 196 schoolchildren were chosen at random. Control groups comprised 250 schoolchildren from Nagasaki, an iodine-rich area, and 100 schoolchildren from Gomel, an iodine-deficient area contaminated by the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. Ultrasound screening of thyroid revealed three cases of benign thyroid disease (two cases of goiter and one single cyst), but no cases suspicious of malignancy. The urinary iodine (UI) concentrations of subjects in Kaynar and Karaul ranged from 21.8 to 735.8 microg/L, 4.3% of whom showed low UI concentrations (tests carried out in SNTS.

Change of inhabitants consciousness on air pollution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Imai, N; Abe, K; Komuro, K; Oda, M

1972-11-01

The consciousness of inhabitants in Isogo Ward, Yokohama City about air pollution was surveyed in 1969 and 1973. A group of industrial factories was partly in operation in 1969 but was in full operation by 1973. Fortunately there was very slight difference in sex ratio, age, occupation, health condition, and smoking habits of the objects between 1969 and 1973. The survey was performed by questionnaires consisting of 43 items. The percentage of positive answers to human impairments in 1969 and 1973 were: 38.7 and 34.2 experience of health damage; 8.1 and 5.4 of eye-irritation; 16.1 and 14.5 of throat-irritation; 5.8 and 13.6 of sneeze; 4.2 and 2.3 of snivel; 9.2 and 10.2 of cough; 3.6 and 17.1 of dyspnea; 5.4 and 7.4 of asthma; and 22.2 and 5.7 of odor. Generally, the largest source of air pollution in this area was auto exhaust followed by factory-exhaust, and the change of inhabitants consciousness about air pollution pointed out the situation. Most inhabitants were pessimistic about the future status of air pollution in the surveys in 1969 and also in 1973.

Estimation of ionizing radiation impact on natural Vicia cracca populations inhabiting areas contaminated with uranium mill tailings and radium production wastes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evseeva, T.; Majstrenko, T. [Institute of Biology, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Division RAS, Kommunisticheskaya 28, 167982 Syktyvkar (Russian Federation); Geras' kin, S. [Russian Institute of Agricultural Radiology and Agroecology RAAS, 249020 Obninsk, Kaluga region (Russian Federation); Brown, J.E., E-mail: Justin.brown@nrpa.no [Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Grini naeringspark 13, 1332 Osteras (Norway); Belykh, E. [Institute of Biology, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Division RAS, Kommunisticheskaya 28, 167982 Syktyvkar (Russian Federation)

2009-10-01

Industrial areas in proximity to the Vodny settlement in the Komi Republic, Russia, have been contaminated by uranium mill tailings and radium production wastes. These areas, exhibiting high activity concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides in soils, constitute a field laboratory where the effects of combined chronic exposures to {alpha}-, {beta}- and {gamma}-emitting radionuclides on natural plant populations can be studied. The aim of the present work was to determine dose-effect relationships and the range of doses that cause biological effects in natural Vicia cracca L. populations inhabiting the study area. The studied plant species is native to the area and is found ubiquitously. Soil and vegetation samples were taken at a reference location and six contaminated sites characterized by distinct floodplain depositional units with different enhanced levels of naturally occurring radionuclides. A large fraction of the dose at the study sites (including the reference location) was attributable to internal irradiation and {sup 226}Ra was found to be an important contributor to this component of dose. The relationship between the frequency of chromosome aberrations in seedlings' root tip cells and the absorbed dose was found to be quadratic. An exponential model provided the best result in describing the empirical dependence between the absorbed dose and both the germination capacity of seeds and the survival rate of sprouts of V. cracca. For V. cracca plants inhabiting areas contaminated with uranium mill tailings and radium production wastes, a weighted absorbed dose of 0.2 Gy (weighting factor for alpha particles = 5) during the vegetation period could be considered to be a level below which no increase in genetic variability and decrease in reproductive capacity might be observed above background.

Perspectives of investigation and development of Semipalatinsk Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadyrzhanov, K.K.; Lukashenko, S.N.

2008-01-01

Heritage. UNESCO status would foster re-evaluation of the approaches and attitude towards the Site and, quite possibly, to lowering of radio-phobia in Kazakhstan increasing national proud. Territory of the test site remains a unique area in terms of opportunities it provides for various researches in radioecology, geochemistry of radioactive elements, radio-biology, and other fields. So, it should be quite promising to establish at SNTS an International Natural-Sciences Laboratory for Radio-Ecology. The first step towards this might be creation of IAEA Radiation Ecology Collaboration Center under the Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology NNC RK. Certain areas at SNTS can not be used now and in the observable future for conventional commercial activities. At the same time these lands can profitably be used for bringing there enterprises of nuclear power cycle. Particular need in Kazakhstan exists for disposal of radioactive waste accumulated in Kazakhstan. It is therefore reasonable to establish at SNTS a facility for processing and long-term storage (disposal) of radioactive waste. thus, now the former test site has so many unique qualities that their proper development and utilization would inevitably result both in new achievements in advanced science and in noticeable commercial outcomes for the national economy [ru

EURANOS. Generic handbook for assisting in the management of contaminated inhabited areas in Europe following a radiological emergency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nisbet, A.F.; Andersson, Kasper Grann; Brown, J.

industry and others who may be affected. The handbook is a living document that requires updating from time to time to remain state-of-the-art and customisation of the generic handbook is an essential part of its use within individual countries. The handbook includes management options for application...... and plants; trees and shrubs. The handbook is divided into several independent sections comprising: supporting scientific and technical information; an analysis of the factors influencing recovery; compendia of comprehensive, state-of-the-art datasheets for more than 50 management options; guidance....... The handbook for inhabited areas complements the two other handbooks for food production systems and drinking water supplies....

Assemblage of drosophilids (Diptera, Drosophilidae inhabiting flooded and nonflooded areas in the extreme South of Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.B. Duarte

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Several studies on the potential use of drosophilid assemblages as bioindicator systems have been carried out in the last years. Nevertheless, the successful application of these organisms in these systems requires adequate filling of several knowledge gaps. In this sense, little is known about drosophilid assemblages in wetlands and flooded areas. The present study provides the first survey of drosophilid species inhabiting such environments in the extreme South of Brazil and compares general beta-diversity patterns between assemblages of flooded versus nonflooded areas. The specimens were collected with banana-baited traps, and the assemblages recovered in eight wetlands of the southernmost coast of Brazil were compared to those recovered from seven nonflooded areas of the Pampa and Atlantic Forest biomes. A total of 5028 and 2571 individuals encompassing 27 and 37 species were collected in the flooded and nonflooded areas, respectively. The differential species composition patterns presented between these areas was statistically supported, which seems to be related to the lower beta-diversity presented by swamps, especially in regard to dominance patterns. So, the open and climatically harsher environment provided by wetlands possibly constitutes a hostile environment for the entry and, mainly, for the persistence of several native Drosophilidae species, in contrast to some exotic and more plastic species (as Drosophila simulans and Zaprionus indianus. Since the diversity gradient of flooded areas does not seem to be related to the conservation status of the swamp, our results question the use of Drosophilidae species as bioindicators of environmental disturbance and antropic influence in wetlands.

Composition of urinary calculi of the inhabitants of Rawalpindi/Islamabad area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalid, N.; Ahmed, J.

1991-01-01

One hundred and twenty eight urinary calculi of the inhabitants of Rawalpindi / Islamabad are were analysed employing infrared spectrophotometric method using the potassium bromide pellet technique. Calcium oxalate was the most frequently occurring component of adult upper urinary tract as well as of lower urinary tract calculi. In children ammonium hydrogen urate was the commonest component of upper urinary tract calculi, whereas the maximum frequency of occurrence of calcium oxalate was observed in the lower urinary tract calculi of children. The frequency of occurrence of different components was discussed and compared with the reported values for other countries. (author)

A study of trace element concentrations in human hair of some local populations in Japan. I. Inhabitants of the Tokyo metropolitan area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imahori, A.; Fukushima, I.; Shiobara, S.; Terai, M.

1979-01-01

By applying instrumental neutron activation analysis techniques, a survey was carried out to determine the levels of a variety of trace element concentrations in human hair of the inhabitants of the Tokyo metropolitan area. A total of 202 scalp hair samples were collected from the inhabitants of the residential district in the western part of the Tokyo metropolitan area. The donors were divided into five age groups, ranging from pre-school age to sixty years and above. Each group consisted of twenty males and twenty or more females. The sampling method and washing procedure recommended by the IAEA Advisory Group on the applications of nuclear methods in environmental research were strictly followed. Irradiation of the samples was made in the Rikkyo University 100-kW TRIGA MARK II reactor. By using several combinations of irradiation time, cooling time and counting time, the following 37 elements were quantitatively analysed: Ag, Al, As, Au, Ba, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, I, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Rb, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sn, Te, Ti, U, V, W and Zn. NBS standard reference orchard leaves and bovine liver were also analysed in the course of the hair analysis to assess the precision of the analytical techniques. (author)

Characterization of small mammal populations inhabiting the B-C cribs environs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedlund, J.D.; Rogers, L.E.

1976-12-01

The purpose of this study was to document the current status of small mammal populations inhibiting the 200 Area plateau near the B-C Crib management area and to compare them with populations inhabiting a protected (control) area within the confines of the Hanford ALE Reserve. Sampling sessions were conducted over two field seasons (1974 and 1975). A total of five species was detected within intensive study areas. These included the Great Basin pocket mouse (Perognathus parvus), deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster), sagebrush vole (Lagurus curtatus), and western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis). These species are probably representative of those found throughout the area at this particular elevation. Townsends ground squirrel (Spermophilus townsendii) also occurs in this area but did not occur on the sampling plots during the study duration. The pocket mouse was the only species present in sufficient numbers to permit a detailed analysis of population parameters. A discussion concerning the role small mammals play in mineral cycling and energy transfer processes is included along with a diagram depicting food web interrelationships for consumers inhabiting the 200 Area plateau region. Estimates of small mammal density and biomass provided in this document are needed for an overall understanding of the role biota play in the transfer of waste nuclides

Estimation of radioactive contamination of soils from the "Balapan" and the "Experimental field" technical areas of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.

Science.gov (United States)

Evseeva, T; Belykh, E; Geras'kin, S; Majstrenko, T

2012-07-01

In spite of the long history of the research, radioactive contamination of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS) in the Republic of Kazakhstan has not been adequately characterized. Our cartographic investigation has demonstrated highly variable radioactive contamination of the SNTS. The Cs-137, Sr-90, Eu-152, Eu-154, Co-60, and Am-241 activity concentrations in soil samples from the "Balapan" site were 42.6-17646, 96-18250, 1.05-11222, 0.6-4865, 0.23-4893, and 1.2-1037 Bq kg(-1), correspondingly. Cs-137 and Sr-90 activity concentrations in soil samples from the "Experimental field" site were varied from 87 up to 400 and from 94 up to 1000 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Activity concentrations of Co-60, Eu-152, and Eu-154 were lower than the minimum detectable activity of the method used. Concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides (K-40, Ra-226, U-238, and Th-232) in the majority of soil samples from the "Balapan" and the "Experimental field" sites did not exceed typical for surrounding of the SNTS areas levels. Estimation of risks associated with radioactive contamination based on the IAEA clearance levels for a number of key radionuclides in solid materials shows that soils sampled from the "Balapan" and the "Experimental field" sites might be considered as radioactive wastes. Decrease in specific activity of soil from the sites studied up to safety levels due to Co-60, Cs-137, Sr-90, Eu-152, Eu-154 radioactive decay and Am-241 accumulation-decay will occur not earlier than 100 years. In contrast, soils from the "Experimental field" and the "Balapan" sites (except 0.5-2.5 km distance from the "Chagan" explosion point) cannot be regarded as the radioactive wastes according safety norms valid in Russia and Kazakhstan. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dose estimates from protracted external exposure of inhabitants living in contaminated area of Russia after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yonehara, H.; Sahoo, S.K.; Kurotaki, K.; Uchiyama, M.; Ramzaev, V.P.; Barishkov, N.; Mishin, A.; Barkovski, A.

2000-01-01

With respect to the radiation risk assessment, it is important to estimate the accurate doses of inhabitants, due to protracted exposure after the Chernobyl accident as well as the high doses just after the accident. We used a model for estimation of the dose with a long-term temporal change using information of dose rate on the ground and profile of the activity depth distribution in soil. A value C t [μSv h -1 /(MBq m -2 )], which is dose rate in air corresponding to the initial deposition of 137 Cs on the ground just after the accident, was analyzed using the results of the measurements of dose rate in air and activity in soil samples in the contaminated area of Bryansk region in Russia. From the analysis, the value, C 12 at 12 years after the accident can be predicted by categorizing usage of the land. The values obtained from the results of the actual measurement were 1.5 for forest, 1.0 for pasture, 0.6 for yard, and 0.45 for arable or kitchen garden. Temporal change of C t was estimated with a vertical migration model of activity in soil developed by Golikov et al. Annual dose due to 137 Cs and 134 Cs contamination in the period from 1987 to 1999 in farmers, and forest workers were estimated by the model using above values. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by using the personal dose monitoring. The cumulative doses of the inhabitants estimated by the model range from 10 to 60 mSv. (author)

Arsenic, copper, and zinc contamination in soil and wheat during coal mining, with assessment of health risks for the inhabitants of Huaibei, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Gao Ling; Lou, Lai Qing; Zhang, Shuai; Xia, Xue Wei; Cai, Qing Sheng

2013-12-01

Field studies were conducted to investigate arsenic (As), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) contamination in agricultural soils and wheat crops at two areas in Huaibei, China. Area A is in the proximity of Shuoli coal mine. In area B, three coal mines and a coal cleaning plant were distributed. The potential health risk of As, Cu, and Zn exposure to the local inhabitants through consumption of wheat grains was also estimated. The results showed that significantly higher (psoils collected from area B than in those from area A. Arsenic concentrations in wheat sampled from area A were negatively correlated with the distance from the coal mine (p<0.001). Concentrations of Cu and Zn in wheat seedlings and grains collected from area B were significantly higher (p<0.05) than in those collected from area A, with the exception of Zn in wheat seedlings. Concentrations of Cu and Zn in most wheat grain samples were above the permissible limits of Cu and Zn in edible plants set by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization. The hazard index of aggregate risk through consumption of wheat grains was 2.3-2.4 for rural inhabitants and 1.4-1.5 for urban inhabitants. The average intake of inorganic As for rural inhabitants in Huaibei was above 10 μg day(-1). These findings indicated that the inhabitants around the coal mine are experiencing a significant potential health risk due to the consumption of locally grown wheat.

Contents of radioactive materials in main foods and the intake by inhabitants in most area of Jiangxi Province of China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1987-05-01

The contents of radioactive materials, such as /sup 90/Sr, /sup 137/Cs, /sup 210/Po, /sup 226/Ra, U, Th as well as total in main foods and water sources, in most area of Jiangxi Province of China from 1964 to 1984 have been reported. The contents of these radioactive materials were much lower than the limits defined in the national standard, /sup T/he Limited Magnitude of Radioactivity in Food/sup ./ The intakes of radioactive materials by inhabitants in Jiangxi were evaluated and compared with one fiftieth of ALI values recommended by ICRP. The data are of significant in monitoring of food radiological hygiene, revision of health standard and the assessment of environmental quality.

Non-cancer disease mortality among inhabitants in the high background radiation area of Yangjiang, China (1979-1998)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Quanfu; Akiba, Suminori; Zou Jianming

2008-01-01

Much is still unknown about the health effects of low-level radiation on human health, particularly on the risk of non-cancer diseases. A review by Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) scientists has concluded that the association of atomic-bomb radiation and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is almost certain since the relationship was shown by incidence and prevalence studies of various endpoints of atherosclerosis. In addition to the studies of atomic bomb survivors, the association of CVD with radiation exposure was observed in several other studies, including the follow-up study of patients treated for Hodgkin lymphoma, ankylosing spondilitis, peptic ulcer and scoliosis as well as nuclear workers. The inhabitants in the high background radiation area (HBRA) of Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, China receive the external radiation doses of 1.33 mSv in excess every year, mainly from exposure to terrestrial gamma ray, when compared to the residents in the neighboring control area (CA). Our most recent analysis of cancer mortality among residents in the HBRA and the CA showed no evident difference between the two areas. It should be of note that the crude cancer mortality rate in the study population was 60/100,000 person-years, which is much lower than cancer mortality in developed countries. On the other hand, non cancer deaths accounted for 90% of all deaths. In this report, we present the results of mortality analysis for non-cancer diseases during the period 1979-1998. (author)

Dose measurement, its distribution and individual external dose assessments of inhabitants in the high background radiation areas in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morishima, Hiroshige; Koga, Taeko; Tatsumi, Kusuo; Nakai, Sayaka; Sugahara, Tsutomu; Yuan Yongling; Wei Luxin

2000-01-01

As a part of the China-Japan cooperative research on natural radiation epidemiology, we have carried out a dose-assessment study to evaluate the external exposure to natural radiation in the high background radiation areas (HBRA) of Yangjiang in Guangdong province and in the control areas (CA) of Enping prefecture since 1991. Because of the difficulties in measuring the individual doses of all inhabitants directly by personal dosimeters, an indirect method was applied in which the exposed individual doses were estimated from the environmental radiation doses measured by survey meters and the occupancy factors of each hamlet. We analyzed the dose in the hamlets and the variation in the occupancy factors to obtain the parameters of dose estimation on the inhabitants in selected hamlets; Madi and several hamlets of different dose levels in HBRA and Hampizai hamlet in CA. With these parameters, we estimated individual dose rates and compared them with those obtained from direct measurement using dosimeters carried by selected individuals. The results obtained are as follows. The environmental radiation doses are influenced by the natural radioactive nuclide concentrations in building materials, the age of the building and the arrangement of the houses in a hamlet. There existed a fairly large and heterogeneous distribution of indoor and outdoor environmental radiations. The indoor radiation doses were due to exposure from the natural radioactive nuclides in the building materials and were about two times as large as the outdoor radiation doses. The difference between indoor and outdoor doses was not observed in CA. The occupancy factor was influenced by the age of individuals and by the season of the year. The occupancy factor was higher for infants and aged individuals than for other age groups. This lead to higher dose rates of exposure to those age groups. A good correlation was observed between the dose assessed indirectly and that measured directly and the

Dose measurement, its distribution and individual external dose assessments of inhabitants in the high background radiation areas in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morishima, Hiroshige; Koga, Taeko [Kinki Univ., Higashi-Osaka, Osaka (Japan). Atomic Energy Research Inst.; Tatsumi, Kusuo; Nakai, Sayaka; Sugahara, Tsutomu; Yuan Yongling; Wei Luxin

2000-10-01

As a part of the China-Japan cooperative research on natural radiation epidemiology, we have carried out a dose-assessment study to evaluate the external exposure to natural radiation in the high background radiation areas (HBRA) of Yangjiang in Guangdong province and in the control areas (CA) of Enping prefecture since 1991. Because of the difficulties in measuring the individual doses of all inhabitants directly by personal dosimeters, an indirect method was applied in which the exposed individual doses were estimated from the environmental radiation doses measured by survey meters and the occupancy factors of each hamlet. We analyzed the dose in the hamlets and the variation in the occupancy factors to obtain the parameters of dose estimation on the inhabitants in selected hamlets; Madi and several hamlets of different dose levels in HBRA and Hampizai hamlet in CA. With these parameters, we estimated individual dose rates and compared them with those obtained from direct measurement using dosimeters carried by selected individuals. The results obtained are as follows. The environmental radiation doses are influenced by the natural radioactive nuclide concentrations in building materials, the age of the building and the arrangement of the houses in a hamlet. There existed a fairly large and heterogeneous distribution of indoor and outdoor environmental radiations. The indoor radiation doses were due to exposure from the natural radioactive nuclides in the building materials and were about two times as large as the outdoor radiation doses. The difference between indoor and outdoor doses was not observed in CA. The occupancy factor was influenced by the age of individuals and by the season of the year. The occupancy factor was higher for infants and aged individuals than for other age groups. This lead to higher dose rates of exposure to those age groups. A good correlation was observed between the dose assessed indirectly and that measured directly and the

Self-assembly synthesis of hollow double silica @ mesoporous magnesium silicate magnetic hierarchical nanotubes with excellent performance for fast removal of cationic dyes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tian, Yaxi; Cui, Guijia; Liu, Yan; Li, Haizhen; Sun, Zebin; Yan, Shiqiang, E-mail: yansq@lzu.edu.cn

2016-11-30

Highlights: • Hollow double silica @ mesoporous magnesium silicate magnetic hierarchical nanotubes were synthesized for the first time. • MgSNTs showed excellent prformance for the removal of low concentration methylene blue and high concentration rodamine B. • It could be easily discovered from solution. - Abstract: In this work, novel hollow double silica @ mesoporous magnesium silicate magnetic hierarchical nanotubes (MgSNTs) were successfully synthesized by using magnetic mesoporous silica nanocapsules (MSNCs) as morphology templates via a hydrothermal method for the first time. MgSNTs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Mapping, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infraed spetroscopy, N{sub 2} adorption-desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. The synthesized MgSNTs with high specific surface area (588 m{sup 2}/g), average pore width (7.13 nm) and pore volume (1.05 cm{sup 3}/g) had high removal efficiency for low concentration methylene blue (70 mg/L, 299 mg/g) and high adsorption capacities for high concentration rodamine B (300 mg/L, 752 mg/g). Besides, it could be easily recovered due with the help of γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} in the inner chamber. Moreover, the adsorption capacity, the influence of pH, adsorption kinetics and adsorption mechanism were also carefully and comprehensively investigated. The results indicated that magnetic magnesium silicate nanotubes (MgSNTs) using mesoporous silica nanocapsules as the assisted templates were promsing adsorbents for water purification.

Study of cancer mortality among inhabitants in the high background radiation area of Yangjiang, China (1979-1998)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao Zufan; Sun Quanfu; Li Jia; Liu Yusheng; Wei Lvxin; Zou Jianming; Zha Yongru; Yuan Yongling

2004-01-01

Objective: The objective of the study is to explore cancer risk associated with the low-level radiation exposure of average annual effective dose of 6.4 mSv occurring in the high background radiation area (HBRA) in Yangjiang of Guangdong Province, China. Methods: The data of cancer mortality for period of 1979-1986 were collected in prospective follow-up survey of dynamic populations and those of 1987-1998 were obtained from a fixed cohort in the same method. Record linkage was used to combine the two data sets. The external dose received by the inhabitants was estimated on the basis of hamlet-specific environmental doses and sex-age-specific occupancy factors, and the fixed values of internal dose regardless of sex and age was assumed. Relative risk (RR) and excess relative risk coefficient (ERR/Sv) and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using the AMFIT in Epicure. Results: During the period of 1979-1998, the follow-up for 125 079 subjects accumulated 1 992 940 person-years and identified 12 444 deaths, including 1202 cancer deaths. The RR of mortality of all cancers in whole HBRA was 1.00 (95% CI, 0.89-1.14) showing no statistical difference between the HBRA and the control area (CA). The RRs of all cancers in low, intermediate and high dose groups in the HBRA did not show statistical difference from the control group, either. The region (Yangdong and Yangxi) and the follow-up period(1979-1986 and 1987-1998) did not evidently modify the results, and the restriction of cancer cases to those with pathology information made no statistically significant change in RRs. In site-specific cancer analysis, only the RR of esophageal cancer showed statistical excess in the HBRA, the others did not show statistical difference between the HBRA and the CA. The comparison of RRs of site-specific cancer mortality among different dose groups and the dose-response analysis of site-specific cancer mortality related to cumulative individual lifetime dose did not give

Reconstruction of local fallout composition and gamma-ray exposure in a village contaminated by the first USSR nuclear test in the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan.

Science.gov (United States)

Imanaka, Tetsuji; Yamamoto, Masayoshi; Kawai, Kenta; Sakaguchi, Aya; Hoshi, Masaharu; Chaizhunusova, Nailya; Apsalikov, Kazbek

2010-11-01

After the disintegration of the USSR in end of 1991, it became possible for foreign scientists to visit Kazakhstan, in order to investigate the radiological consequences of nuclear explosions that had been conducted at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS). Since the first visit in 1994, our group has been continuing expeditions for soil sampling at various areas around SNTS. The current level of local fallout at SNTS was studied through γ-spectrometry for (137)Cs as well as α-spectrometry for (239,240)Pu. Average values of soil inventory from wide areas around SNTS were 3,500 and 3,700 Bq m(-2) for (137)Cs and (239,240)Pu, respectively, as of January 1, 2000. The average level of (137)Cs is comparable to that in Japan due to global fallout, while the level of (239,240)Pu is several tens of times larger than that in Japan. Areas of strong contamination were found along the trajectories of radioactive fallout, information on which was declassified after the collapse of the USSR. Our recent efforts of soil sampling were concentrated on the area around the Dolon village heavily affected by the radioactive plume from the first USSR atomic bomb test in 1949 and located 110 km east from ground zero of the explosion. Using soil inventory data, retrospective dosimetry was attempted by reconstructing γ-ray exposure from fission product nuclides deposited on the ground. Adopting representative parameters for the initial (137)Cs deposition (13 kBq m(-2)), the refractory/volatile deposition ratio (3.8) and the plume arrival time after explosion (2.5 h), an absorbed dose in air of 600 mGy was obtained for the 1-year cumulative dose in Dolon village, due to the first bomb test in 1949. Considering possible ranges of the parameters, 350 and 910 mGy were estimated for high and low cases of γ-ray dose in air, respectively. It was encouraging that the deduced value was consistent with other estimations using thermal luminescence and archived monitoring data. The present

Community turnover of wood-inhabiting fungi across hierarchical spatial scales.

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Nerea Abrego

Full Text Available For efficient use of conservation resources it is important to determine how species diversity changes across spatial scales. In many poorly known species groups little is known about at which spatial scales the conservation efforts should be focused. Here we examined how the community turnover of wood-inhabiting fungi is realised at three hierarchical levels, and how much of community variation is explained by variation in resource composition and spatial proximity. The hierarchical study design consisted of management type (fixed factor, forest site (random factor, nested within management type and study plots (randomly placed plots within each study site. To examine how species richness varied across the three hierarchical scales, randomized species accumulation curves and additive partitioning of species richness were applied. To analyse variation in wood-inhabiting species and dead wood composition at each scale, linear and Permanova modelling approaches were used. Wood-inhabiting fungal communities were dominated by rare and infrequent species. The similarity of fungal communities was higher within sites and within management categories than among sites or between the two management categories, and it decreased with increasing distance among the sampling plots and with decreasing similarity of dead wood resources. However, only a small part of community variation could be explained by these factors. The species present in managed forests were in a large extent a subset of those species present in natural forests. Our results suggest that in particular the protection of rare species requires a large total area. As managed forests have only little additional value complementing the diversity of natural forests, the conservation of natural forests is the key to ecologically effective conservation. As the dissimilarity of fungal communities increases with distance, the conserved natural forest sites should be broadly distributed in space, yet

Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3 Short-Nanotubes

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Xiao XH

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract We report a rational synthesis of maghemite (γ-Fe2O3 short-nanotubes (SNTs by a convenient hydrothermal method and subsequent annealing process. The structure, shape, and magnetic properties of the SNTs were investigated. Room-temperature and low-temperature magnetic measurements show that the as-fabricated γ-Fe2O3 SNTs are ferromagnetic, and its coercivity is nonzero when the temperature above blocking temperature (TB. The hysteresis loop was operated to show that the magnetic properties of γ-Fe2O3 SNTs are strongly influenced by the morphology of the crystal. The unique magnetic behaviors were interpreted by the competition of the demagnetization energy of quasi-one-dimensional nanostructures and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy of particles in SNTs.

Present situation of radioactive contamination in and around the former Soviet Union's Semipalatinsk nuclear test site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, M.; Hoshi, M.; Takada, J.; Tsukatani, T.; Oikawa, S.; Yoshikawa, I.; Takatsuji, T.; Sekerbaev, A. Kh.; Gusev, B.I.

2001-01-01

Field missions were sent to the Semipalatinsk regions to investigate the present radioecological situation as a result of the radioactive fallout from nuclear test explosions carried out at the former Soviet Union's Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS). For this purpose, surface and core soil samples were collected at more than 60 sites, including several settlements such as Dolon, Chagan and Sarzhal, within and outside the SNTS territory. The radioactivities of long-lived radionuclides, 137 Cs, 238 Pu and 239,240 Pu, and the atomic ratio of 240 Pu/ 239 Pu were determined in combination with non-destructive g-ray spectrometric method and radiochemical separation followed by a-particle spectrometric and/or ICP-MS methods. The results showed a distinction of 137 Cs and 239,240 Pu inventories in soil depending on a sampling sites. Although 137 Cs was within typical environmental levels except for the area near the first nuclear test site and Balapan, 239,240 Pu was at elevated levels in all areas we visited. This high Pu contamination was recognized to be due to the weapons-grade Pu from the SNTS by the measurement of 240 Pu/ 239P u atomic ratio in soil samples. (author)

Analysis of diversity of wood-inhabiting fungi retrieved from a Mediterranean forest dominated by Pinus pinaster Aiton

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Maria D'Aguanno

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The present paper is focused on the diversity of wood-inhabiting fungi in a poorly investigated habitat: a Mediterranean forest dominated by maritime pine. The sampling area lies in Tocchi biogenetic Reserve, located in the province of Siena (Tuscany, Italy. The monitoring campaign was carried out in 10 permanents plots, taking note of all the fungal species found on each piece of dead wood, irrespective of size and stage of decay. Over one year of surveys, 56 taxa of wood-inhabiting fungi were recorded, among which 39 are corticoids species, 16 polypores and 1 Heterobasidiomycetes. The fungal community seems to be dominated by a small number of species, which are more abundant than the others. Moreover, there are some specific features of deadwood influencing the species composition, such as the presence of coarse woody debris at the first decay stage and fine woody debris at the late decay stages. The results allowed characterizing the wood-inhabiting fungal community in this forest reserve, broadening our knowledge on several species and providing a preliminary database for further studies in Mediterranean areas.

Cytogenetic study of murine rodents inhabiting in uranium-mining regions of Akmolinskaya oblast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazymbet, P.; Altaeva, N.; Bakhtin, M.; Zhapbasov, R.

2010-01-01

Republic of Kazakhstan is ranked as the world's leading uranium ore reserves. About 25% of the world's proven uranium ore reserves occur here. Strategy of study concerning ecology effects conditioned by ionizing radiation includes as one main element an analysis of genetic processes in natural populations and ecosystems. Therefore analysis of cytogenetic effects of murine rodents inhabiting in influence zones of uranium-mining regions is one of the most important elements of radio-bio-ecological monitoring and are not completed so far. In habitat of murine rodents in influence zone of Stepnogorsk Mining-Chemical Complex tailing it is shown that gamma radiation equivalent dose rate and beta-particle flux density exceed from 6 to 15 times check measurements. In soil, plant, and water samples the activity of radionuclides like 238 U, 226 Ra, 232 Th and 210 Pb exceeds the testing level from 2 to 52 times. Dose of ionizing radiation absorbed by murine rodents inhabited in radioactive contaminated areas exceeds from 10 to 19 times the one absorbed by control animals. Big Jerboa (Allactaga major Kern) inhabited nearby of Stepnogorsk Mining-Chemical Complex tailing has rate of occurrence of cells with hypo diploidy, and hyper diploidy in hematopoietic tissue which correspondingly 1,85 and 3,5 times exceeds the control level; and this factor of Jerboa (Allactaga saltator Eversman) is correspondingly 1,7 and 4,1 times higher than control level. Rate of occurrence of cells with polyploidy in Big Jerboa (Allactaga major Kern) from radioactively contaminated areas is 2,7 times higher than in control animal; and this factor of Jerboa (Allactaga saltator Eversman) by 6,4 times exceeds control level. Levels of chromosomal rearrangements of Big Jerboa (Allactaga major Kern) from trail and control areas are 3,39±0,60% and 0,60±0,19% correspondently; and these factors of Jerboa (Allactaga saltator Eversman) are 4,63±0,91% and 1,22±0,37%, correspondently which confirms existence

Friendly Home and Inhabitants' Morality: Mutual Relationships

Science.gov (United States)

Nartova-Bochaver, Sofya K.; Kuznetsova, Valeriya B.

2018-01-01

The study is aimed at investigating the connection between the friendliness of the home environment and the moral motives' level. The friendliness of the home environment includes two aspects: the number of functions provided by home (functionality) and the congruence of these functions with inhabitants' needs (relevance). The theoretical framework of the study was formed by research and ideas emphasizing the interplay between people and their environments. We hypothesized that the friendliness of the home environment and inhabitants' moral motives would have a reciprocal relationship: the friendlier the home the higher the inhabitants' moral motives' level, and, vice versa, the higher the person's moral motives' level the more positive home image. The respondents were 550 students (25% male). The Home Environment Functionality Questionnaire, the Home Environment Relevance Questionnaire, and the Moral Motivation Model Scale were used. As expected, it was found that the friendliness of the home environment and the inhabitants' moral motives are in reciprocal synergetic relationships. Relevance formed more nuanced correlation patterns with moral motives than functionality did. Functionality predicted moral motives poorly whereas moral motives predicted functionality strongly. Finally, relevance and moral motives were found to be in mutual relationships whereas the perceived functionality was predicted by moral motives only. PMID:29375450

Role of scientific experts and communication experts at the inhabitants briefing session for the risk communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sano, Kazumi

2012-01-01

After the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, enormous amount of waste contaminated by radioactive cesium has been produced. Burned ash that contained radiocesium ( 137 Cs) more than 8,000 Bq/kg will be stored at the not-yet-located final deposit. Until the final deposit is finally constructed, however, the radioactive ash should be stored safely at temporal deposits. Inhabitants briefing sessions for locating the temporal deposits are held at many places in the east Japan. But, they met difficulty in establishing smooth communication between citizens and the administrations. In this paper, I classify the questions arose from citizens at the inhabitants briefing session at Tokatsu area, Chiba prefecture, and discuss what role could scientists and science communicators play at this session. In addition, I classified the voices of inhabitants reported in the newspapers and discuss the media bias. (author)

Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in migratory birds inhabiting remote Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Ramey, Andy M.; Hernandez, Jorge; Tyrlöv, Veronica; Uher-Koch, Brian D.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Atterby, Clara; Järhult, Josef D.; Bonnedahl, Jonas

2018-01-01

We explored the abundance of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli among migratory birds at remote sites in Alaska and used a comparative approach to speculate on plausible explanations for differences in detection among species. At a remote island site, we detected antibiotic-resistant E. coli phenotypes in samples collected from glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens), a species often associated with foraging at landfills, but not in samples collected from black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), a more pelagic gull that typically inhabits remote areas year-round. We did not find evidence for antibiotic-resistant E. coli among 347 samples collected primarily from waterfowl at a second remote site in western Alaska. Our results provide evidence that glaucous-winged gulls may be more likely to be infected with antibiotic-resistant E. coli at remote breeding sites as compared to sympatric black-legged kittiwakes. This could be a function of the tendency of glaucous-winged gulls to forage at landfills where antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections may be acquired and subsequently dispersed. The low overall detection of antibiotic-resistant E. coli in migratory birds sampled at remote sites in Alaska is consistent with the premise that anthropogenic inputs into the local environment or the relative lack thereof influences the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among birds inhabiting the area.

Iodine prophylaxis around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site, Republic of Kazakstan.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamada, Aiko; Zakupbekova, Mairash; Sagandikova, Sagadat; Espenbetova, Maira; Ohashi, Toshinori; Takamura, Noboru; Yamashita, Shunichi

2003-12-01

This study aimed to clarify the iodine deficiency status in the Semipalatinsk region that has been contaminated by radioactive fallout from nuclear testing during the period of the former USSR. Based on the Japan-Kazakstan joint project of adult cancer screening around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS), from May to October 2002 spot urine specimens were collected at random in each village. Separately, children aged 5-15 years from around the SNTS were chosen at random and spot urine specimens were collected from them. Area contaminated by radioactive fallout around the SNTS, Republic of Kazakstan. A total of 2609 adults aged >40 years from 16 settlements in three regions and one city, and 298 children aged 5-15 years from two regions and one city. Median urinary iodine concentrations of adults and children in all regions were in the range of 116.0-381.7 and 127.7-183.0 microg l(-1), respectively. The highest prevalence of values 100 microg l(-1). In agreement with our previous studies, the urinary iodine concentration data showed no clear evidence of iodine deficiency around the SNTS. Kazakstan is geographically and nutritionally at moderate risk of iodine deficiency disorders without fortification or iodine replacement by iodised salt. The socio-medical prophylaxis against iodine deficiency has been successfully maintained in East Kazakstan.

World high background natural radiation areas: Need to protect public from radiation exposure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sohrabi, Mehdi

2013-01-01

Highlights of findings on radiological measurements, radiobiological and epidemiological studies in some main world high background natural radiation (HBNR) areas such as in Brazil, China, India and Iran are presented and discussed with special regard to remediation of radiation exposure of inhabitants in such areas. The current radiation protection philosophy and recommendations applied to workers and public from operation of radiation and nuclear applications are based on the linear non-threshold (LNT) model. The inhabitants of HBNR and radon prone areas receive relatively high radiation doses. Therefore, according to the LNT concept, the inhabitants in HBNR areas and in particular those in Ramsar are considered at risk and their exposure should be regulated. The HBNR areas in the world have different conditions in terms of dose and population. In particular, the inhabitants in HBNR areas of Ramsar receive very high internal and external exposures. This author believes that the public in such areas should be protected and proposes a plan to remedy high exposure of the inhabitants of the HBNR areas of Ramsar, while maintaining these areas as they stand to establish a national environmental radioactivity park which can be provisionally called “Ramsar Research Natural Radioactivity Park” (RRNRP). The major HBNR areas, the public exposure and the need to remedy exposures of inhabitants are reviewed and discussed. - Highlights: ► Highlights of findings on studies in HBNR areas are reviewed and discussed. ► The need to protect HBNR area inhabitants and remedy public exposure is emphasized. ► A collective approach is proposed to remedy exposure of Ramsar HBNR area inhabitants. ► Relocation of HBNR area inhabitants and establishing a park at the location is proposed. ► The advantages and disadvantages of the methods are discussed and recommendations are made

Occurrence of root parsley pathogens inhabiting seeds

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Bogdan Nowicki

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The studies on root parsley pathogens inhabiting seeds were conducted during 1981-1988 and in 1993. Filter paper method with prefreezing and keeping under light was used. Each test sample comprised 500 seeds. Pathogenicity of collected fungal isolates was tested following two laboratory methods. 238 seed samples were studied. 18 fungal species were found but only 7 proved to be important pathogens of root parsley. The most common inhabitants of root parsley seeds were Alternaria spp. A.allernata occurred on 74,8% of seeds but only a few isolates showed to be slightly pathogenic while A.petroselini and A.radicina were higly pathogenic and inhabited 11,4 and 4,2% of seeds, respectively. The second group of important pathogens were species of Fusarium found on 3,9% of seeds. F.avenaceum dominated as it comprised 48% of Fusarium isolates, the next were as follow: F.culmorum - 20%, F.equiseti - 15%, F.solani - 8%, F.oxysporum - 7% and F.dimerum -2%. Some fungi like Botrytis cinerea, Septoria petroselini and Phoma spp. inhabited low number of seeds, respectively O,4; 0,5 and 0,8%, but they were highly pathogenic to root parsley. The fungi: Bipolaris sorokiniana, Drechslera biseptata, Stemphylium botryosum and Ulocludium consortiale showed slight pathogenicity. They were isolated from 3,8% of seeds.

Around Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: progress of dose estimations relevant to the consequences of nuclear tests (a summary of 3rd Dosimetry Workshop on the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site area, RIRBM, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 9-11 of March, 2005).

Science.gov (United States)

Stepanenko, Valeriy F; Hoshi, Masaharu; Bailiff, Ian K; Ivannikov, Alexander I; Toyoda, Shin; Yamamoto, Masayoshi; Simon, Steven L; Matsuo, Masatsugu; Kawano, Noriyuki; Zhumadilov, Zhaxybay; Sasaki, Masao S; Rosenson, Rafail I; Apsalikov, Kazbek N

2006-02-01

calculations. A possible explanation of the differences between ESR and RLD/calculations doses is the following: for interpretation of ESR data the "shielding and behaviour" factors for investigated persons should be taken into account. The "upper level" of the combination of "shielding and behaviour" factors of dose reduction for inhabitants of Dolon' village of about 0.28 was obtained by comparing the individual ESR tooth enamel dose estimates with the calculated mean dose for this settlement. The biological dosimetry data related to the settlements near SNTS were presented at the Workshop. A higher incidence of unstable chromosome aberrations, micronucleus in lymphocytes, nuclear abnormalities of thyroid follicular cells, T-cell receptor mutations in peripheral blood were found for exposed areas (Dolon', Sarjal) in comparison with unexposed ones(Kokpekty). The significant greater frequency of stable translocations (results of analyses of chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes by the FISH technique) was demonstrated for Dolon' village in comparison with Chekoman(unexposed village). The elevated level of stable translocations in Dolon' corresponds to a dose of about 180 mSv, which is close to the results of ESR dosimetry for this village. The importance of investigating specific morphological types of thyroid nodules for thyroid dosimetry studies was pointed out. In general the 3rd Dosimetry Workshop has demonstrated remarkable progress in developing an international level of common approaches for retrospective dose estimations around the SNTS and in understanding the tasks for the future joint work in this direction. In the framework of a special session the problems of developing a database and registry in order to support epidemiological studies around SNTS were discussed. The results of investigation of psychological consequences of nuclear tests, which are expressed in the form of verbal behaviour, were presented at this session as well.

Present situation of radioactive contamination in and around the former Soviet Union's Semipalatinsk nuclear test site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamamoto, M. [Kanazawa Univ., Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Ishikawa (Japan); Hoshi, M.; Takada, J. [Hiroshima Univ., Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima (Japan); Tsukatani, T. [Kyoto Univ., Kyoto Institute of Economic Research, Kyoto (Japan); Oikawa, S. [Japan Chemical Analytical Center, Inage, Chiba (Japan); Yoshikawa, I.; Takatsuji, T. [Nagasaki Univ., Faculty of Environmental Studies, Nagasaki (Japan); Sekerbaev, A. Kh.; Gusev, B.I. [Kazakh Scientific Research Institute for Radiation Medicine and Ecology, Semipalatinsk (Kazakhstan)

2001-03-01

Field missions were sent to the Semipalatinsk regions to investigate the present radioecological situation as a result of the radioactive fallout from nuclear test explosions carried out at the former Soviet Union's Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS). For this purpose, surface and core soil samples were collected at more than 60 sites, including several settlements such as Dolon, Chagan and Sarzhal, within and outside the SNTS territory. The radioactivities of long-lived radionuclides, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 238}Pu and {sup 239,240}Pu, and the atomic ratio of {sup 240}Pu/{sup 239}Pu were determined in combination with non-destructive g-ray spectrometric method and radiochemical separation followed by a-particle spectrometric and/or ICP-MS methods. The results showed a distinction of {sup 137}Cs and {sup 239,240}Pu inventories in soil depending on a sampling sites. Although {sup 137}Cs was within typical environmental levels except for the area near the first nuclear test site and Balapan, {sup 239,240}Pu was at elevated levels in all areas we visited. This high Pu contamination was recognized to be due to the weapons-grade Pu from the SNTS by the measurement of {sup 240}Pu/{sup 239P}u atomic ratio in soil samples. (author)

[Selenium status of the inhabitants in the Kaluga region].

Science.gov (United States)

Golubkina, N A; Mal'tsev, G Iu; Bogdanov, N G; Vlaskina, S G; Alekseeva, I A; Khotimchenko, S A

1995-01-01

The human Se status of 8 areas of Kaluga region was studied. The mean serum Se levels 94 mg/l was significantly lower in the south compared to the northern area 126 mg/l. Areas with radioactive pollution possessed higher percentage of persons with low serum Se concentration than in regions without the pollution. Negative influence of radiation on serum Se level was confirmed also by epidemiological data for workers of Chernobil NNP (65 mg/l-workers attending to the reactor and 69 mg/l-for other employees). The same phenomenon was observed for males of Tula region who had taken part in the liquidation of an accident on the Chernobil NNP compared to other inhabitants of Tula region (78 mg/l and 89 mg/l correspondingly). The lowest antioxidant status (serum vitamin E, C and Se concentrations) in towns of Kaluga region with radioactive pollution possessed males of less than 60 years old.

Grasshopper populations inhabiting the B-C Cribs and REDOX Pond Sites, 200 Area Plateau, United States Energy Research and Development Administration's Hanford Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheldon, J.K.; Rogers, L.E.

1976-02-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the taxonomic composition, abundance, and food habits of grasshopper populations inhabiting the 200 Area plateau. Two sites were selected for detailed study, one near the B-C Cribs control zone and the other near the former REDOX Pond. A total of 14 grasshopper species were collected from the B-C Cribs study area and 16 species from the REDOX Pond area. Thirteen of these species occurred at both locations. Population density was low throughout most of the spring, increased in late May, and reached a peak of about 4 grasshoppers per square meter in early July. A dietary analysis showed that 7 of the 28 species of vascular plants recorded from the area were major components in grasshopper diets. These included needle-and-thread grass (Stipa comata), turpentine cymopterus (Cymopterus terebinthinus), Carey's balsamroot (Balsamorhiza careyana), western tansymustard (Descurainia pinnata), Jim Hill mustard (Sisymbrium altissimum), big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus). The plant most heavily utilized was big sagebrush, followed by turpentine cymopterus, green rabbitbrush, and Carey's balsamroot. Other species were less frequently eaten. Several plants were present in the diet at a much higher frequency than they occurred in the environment, indicating that they were preferred food items.

Lower Risk of Cancer in the Areas Inhabited by the German Minority in the Region of Opole, Poland.

Science.gov (United States)

Chawińska, Ewa; Tukiendorf, Andrzej; Miszczyk, Leszek

2015-01-01

The lower risk of cancer in the areas inhabited by the German minority in the region of Opole, Poland, at the turn of the 1980's and 1990's has been already reported. A reanalysis of the present-day data was conducted. All the cancer cases (at all sites combined) registered within the years 2008-2012 with data collected by the Regional Cancer Registry in Opole were analyzed in this study. To estimate the risk of cancer in different spatial contexts, such as trends, clusters, and levels, modern geostatistical tools were applied. A statistically significant reduction of the cancer risk was reported in administrative units with ≥ 10% of the German minority. Average decreases in relative risk of 13% in men and 16% in women were estimated. The geographical patterns of the estimates are illustrated. The observed differences in the risk of cancer between the ethnic groups (Germans and repatriates) confirm a historical trend of the disease in the region of Opole, Poland. Some genetic, nutritional, or cultural aspects together with economic issues may play a role in the specified spatial disease patterns. © 2015 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Tereny nadrzeczne jako miejsce spędzania czasu wolnego mieszkańców Bydgoszczy = Riverside areas as places of leisure inhabitants of Bydgoszcz

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Iwona Józefowicz

2015-12-01

  Słowa kluczowe: Bydgoszcz, Bydgoski Węzeł Wodny, tereny nadrzeczne, czas wolny,   Abstrakt   Celem artykułu jest omówienie wyników badań związanych z postrzeganiem terenów nadrzecznych jako miejsc spędzania czasu wolnego w Bydgoszczy. Większość ankietowanych mieszkańców Bydgoszczy spędza swój czas wolny na terenach Bydgoskiego Węzła Wodnego. Wśród preferowanych form znajdują się spacery, wycieczki piesze i rowerowe oraz uczestnictwo w imprezach plenerowych. Ocena terenów nadrzecznych jest zróżnicowana, obok odcinków postrzeganych pozytywnie są także te z notami negatywnymi.       Key words: Bydgoszcz, Bydgoski Węzeł Wodny, riverside areas, leisure.   Abstract   The article presents the results of studies related to the perception of riverside areas as places of leisure in Bydgoszcz. The majority of surveyed inhabitants of Bydgoszcz spends his free time in the areas of Bydgoski Węzeł Wodny Among the preferred forms are walking, hiking and biking trips and participation in outdoor events. Rating riverside areas is different. some areas are seen positively as those with negative notes.

Survey of Tsuruga inhabitants concerning radiation and its risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinoda, Yoshihiko; Yamano, Naoki

2015-01-01

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident has led to changes in the acceptance of nuclear power in many people. The authors conducted an opinion survey of 300 adult inhabitants of Tsuruga city in Fukui prefecture, Japan. The aim of this survey is to obtain people's opinions concerning radiation and its risks. Authors classified Tsuruga inhabitants on the basis of responses to questions on the concept and knowledge of risk and the cognition of radiation by factor and cluster analyses of multivariable analysis. Using the results of these analyses, Tsuruga inhabitants have been assigned to five categories: “acceptance group,” “anxiety group,” and three intermediate groups. (author)

Estimation of radioactive contamination of soils from the “Balapan” and the “Experimental field” technical areas of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evseeva, T.; Belykh, E.; Geras’kin, S.; Majstrenko, T.

2012-01-01

In spite of the long history of the research, radioactive contamination of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS) in the Republic of Kazakhstan has not been adequately characterized. Our cartographic investigation has demonstrated highly variable radioactive contamination of the SNTS. The Cs-137, Sr-90, Eu-152, Eu-154, Co-60, and Am-241 activity concentrations in soil samples from the “Balapan” site were 42.6–17646, 96–18250, 1.05–11222, 0.6–4865, 0.23–4893, and 1.2–1037 Bq kg −1 , correspondingly. Cs-137 and Sr-90 activity concentrations in soil samples from the “Experimental field” site were varied from 87 up to 400 and from 94 up to 1000 Bq kg −1 , respectively. Activity concentrations of Co-60, Eu-152, and Eu-154 were lower than the minimum detectable activity of the method used. Concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides (K-40, Ra-226, U-238, and Th-232) in the majority of soil samples from the “Balapan” and the “Experimental field” sites did not exceed typical for surrounding of the SNTS areas levels. Estimation of risks associated with radioactive contamination based on the IAEA clearance levels for a number of key radionuclides in solid materials shows that soils sampled from the 'Balapan' and the “Experimental field” sites might be considered as radioactive wastes. Decrease in specific activity of soil from the sites studied up to safety levels due to Co-60, Cs-137, Sr-90, Eu-152, Eu-154 radioactive decay and Am-241 accumulation-decay will occur not earlier than 100 years. In contrast, soils from the “Experimental field” and the “Balapan” sites (except 0.5–2.5 km distance from the “Chagan” explosion point) cannot be regarded as the radioactive wastes according safety norms valid in Russia and Kazakhstan. - Highlights: ► Distribution of radionuclides in soil of Semipalatinsk test site was mapped. ► The main contributors into soil radioactive contamination were 137 Cs and 90 Sr. ► Soils

ASSESSMENT OF NOISE POLLUTION OF INHABITED TERRITORIES IMPACTED BY AIRFIELDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sazonov Eduard Vladimirovich

2012-10-01

Full Text Available In the article, authors provide an overview of effective regulatory, reference and technical documents that govern the extent of suitability of territories adjacent to airfields for building-up. Methods of assessing the acceptable limits of the aviation noise in the areas adjacent to airfields are considered in the article. Ecologization of airfield environs is not a new problem. The research described in the article is noteworthy for the proposed optimization of any plans for the assurance of habitability of specific areas impacted by noise pollutions. The optimization consists in a set of organizational and technical solutions based on the noise levels in specific areas, development planning conditions of inhabited areas, and the monitoring of the airfield environs. It is the multi-factor approach that is capable of resolving the problem of ecological stress imposed by the noise coming from the air transport. Towards this end, the problem-solving strategy is to be developed and implemented in the areas that feature the same unfavorable environmental characteristics.

Neurobehavioral effects among inhabitants around mobile phone base stations.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdel-Rassoul, G; El-Fateh, O Abou; Salem, M Abou; Michael, A; Farahat, F; El-Batanouny, M; Salem, E

2007-03-01

There is a general concern on the possible hazardous health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiations (RFR) emitted from mobile phone base station antennas on the human nervous system. To identify the possible neurobehavioral deficits among inhabitants living nearby mobile phone base stations. A cross-sectional study was conducted on (85) inhabitants living nearby the first mobile phone station antenna in Menoufiya governorate, Egypt, 37 are living in a building under the station antenna while 48 opposite the station. A control group (80) participants were matched with the exposed for age, sex, occupation and educational level. All participants completed a structured questionnaire containing: personal, educational and medical histories; general and neurological examinations; neurobehavioral test battery (NBTB) [involving tests for visuomotor speed, problem solving, attention and memory]; in addition to Eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQ). The prevalence of neuropsychiatric complaints as headache (23.5%), memory changes (28.2%), dizziness (18.8%), tremors (9.4%), depressive symptoms (21.7%), and sleep disturbance (23.5%) were significantly higher among exposed inhabitants than controls: (10%), (5%), (5%), (0%), (8.8%) and (10%), respectively (Pstation exhibited a lower performance in the problem solving test (block design) than those under the station. All inhabitants exhibited a better performance in the two tests of visuomotor speed (Digit symbol and Trailmaking B) and one test of attention (Trailmaking A) than controls. The last available measures of RFR emitted from the first mobile phone base station antennas in Menoufiya governorate were less than the allowable standard level. Inhabitants living nearby mobile phone base stations are at risk for developing neuropsychiatric problems and some changes in the performance of neurobehavioral functions either by facilitation or inhibition. So, revision of standard guidelines for public

Inhabiting compassion: A pastoral theological paradigm

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Phil C. Zylla

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Inspired by the vision of care in Vincent van Gogh’s depiction of the parable of the Good Samaritan, this article offers a paradigm for inhabiting compassion. Compassion is understood in this article as a moral emotion that is also a pathocentric virtue. This definition creates a dynamic view of compassion as a desire to alleviate the suffering of others, the capacity to act on behalf of others and a commitment to sustain engagement with the suffering other. To weave this vision of compassion as a habitus rather than a theoretical construct, the article develops three phases of compassion: seeing, companioning and sighing. This framework deepens and augments a pastoral theological paradigm of compassion with the aim of inculcating an inhabited compassion in caregivers and the communities in which they participate.

Medicinal uses of plants by the inhabitants of Kunjerab National Park, Gilgit, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, B.; Abdukadir, A.; Qureshi, R.

2011-01-01

Like many other mountain communities, people living in the peripheries of Khunjerab National Park (KNP) have been using plant resources for food, medicine, shelter, fuel and other purposes since long. The present study was carried out to record the most common medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) and their traditional uses by the local inhabitants from the study area. A total of 43 plant species belonging to 40 genera and 28 families were recorded from Dhee, Barkhun, Shimshal and Khunjerab pastures during field visits conducted in 2006-2008, which are being used by the people of the area for the preparation of herbal recipes. In all, Asteraceae family contributed the highest number of species (11.63%), followed by Fabaceae, Lamiaceae and Rosaceae (9.30% each), Chenopodiaceae and Elaeagnaceae (4.65% each). Twenty nine diseases were treated by the reported species. Maximum number of species were employed for treating fever (9 spp.), followed by cough, in digestion (5 spp. each), wounds, eye infection, abdominal pain, jaundice, blood pressure and diarrhea (4 spp. each). The study area is a fragile ecosystem which is rapidly degrading due to excessive grazing and over exploitation by the inhabitants for their customary needs. In order to protect the dwindling floral resources and their classical uses, concrete conservation measures i.e., education and awareness, integration of traditional knowledge with modern health care and ex situ conservation of threatened species, supporting local livelihoods and rural economy is inevitable. (author)

Environmental pollution by automotive source. II. Local inhabitants's reaction to environmental pollution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aizawa, R; Hirara, K; Izumi, T; Mori, S

1975-04-01

The reaction of inhabitants to auto exhaust, noise, and vibration was surveyed in commercial and residential quarters by inquiries and measurement of the carbon monoxide in expired air of the inhabitants. About 65 percent of the inhabitants of busy quarters complained of severe reactions to auto exhaust, noise, and vibration; physical effects included headache, absentmindedness, loss of appetite, prickling of eyes, pain in the throat, and frequent colds. The concentration of carbon monoxide in the expired air of inhabitants of residential quarters was about 5 ppM, and in the busy quarter with much motor traffic the concentration was about 10 ppM. The concentration of carboxyhemoglobin in blood of the latter averaged 2.5 to 2.6 percent, and the former was 1.5 percent. The data were taken among non-smokers, and there were socio-economic differences among inhabitants of both quarters.

Air pollution around the Keihin heavy chemical industrial zone, and living environment and health injury in the inhabitants therein

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyazaki, I

1975-08-01

A survey of air pollution levels and the health of high school pupils and their parents was conducted in a heavily industrialized area of Kawasaki, Japan. The concentration of sulfur oxides in 1974 was about half of that in 1970 (0.029 ppM). The concentration of nitrogen oxides ranged from 0.030 to 0.040 ppM. There was a correlation between the concentrations of oxides of sulfur nitrogen. According to questionnaires, about 32 percent of the inhabitants showed concern about air pollution and photochemical smog. About 22 percent of the inhabitants complained of symptoms such as cold, rhinitis, and pharyngitis; and there was a correlation between total subjective symptoms and concentration of sulfur oxides. Near roadsides the concentration of nitrogen oxides was very high. Green plants are gradually disappearing from the heavily polluted area. Further industrialization in this area appears to be very dangerous for man and other living things.

Low effect of young afforestations on bird communities inhabiting heterogeneous Mediterranean cropland

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Juan S. Sánchez-Oliver

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Afforestation programs such as the one promoted by the EU Common Agricultural Policy have spread tree plantations on former cropland. These afforestations attract generalist forest and ubiquitous species but may cause severe damage to open habitat species, especially birds of high conservation value. We investigated the effects of young (<20 yr tree plantations dominated by pine P. halepensis on bird communities inhabiting the adjacent open farmland habitat in central Spain. We hypothesize that pine plantations located at shorter distances from open fields and with larger surface would affect species richness and conservation value of bird communities. Regression models controlling for the influence of land use types around plantations revealed positive effects of higher distance to pine plantation edge on community species richness in winter, and negative effects on an index of conservation concern (SPEC during the breeding season. However, plantation area did not have any effect on species richness or community conservation value. Our results indicate that the effects of pine afforestation on bird communities inhabiting Mediterranean cropland are diluted by heterogeneous agricultural landscapes.

Gastrointestinal parasitic infection in diverse species of domestic ruminants inhabiting tribal rural areas of southern Rajasthan, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Choubisa, S L; Jaroli, V J

2013-10-01

A total of 415 adult domesticated ruminants, 130 cattle (Bos taurus), 108 buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), 94 goats (Capra hircus) and 83 sheep (Ovis aries) inhabiting tribal rural areas of southern Rajasthan, India were investigated for evidence of gastrointestinal protozoan and helminthic infections. In southern Rajasthan humid ecosystem is predominant and has number of perennial freshwater bodies. Fresh faecal samples of these animals were examined microscopically by direct wet smear with saline and 1 % Lugol's iodine and formalin ether concentration. Of these 296 (71.32 %) were found to be infected with different species of gastrointestinal parasites. The highest (93.84 %) prevalence of these parasitic infections was found in cattle followed by goats (82.97 %), sheep (55.42 %) and buffaloes (46.29 %). Except cattle no other ruminants revealed protozoan infection. A total 8 species of gastrointestinal parasites were encountered. Among these parasites Fasciola hepatica was the commonest (15.18 %) followed by Haemonchus contortus (11.32 %), Ancylostoma duodenale (10.36 %), Trichuris trichiura (9.15 %), Amphistome species (7.95 %), Moniezia expansa (6.98 %), Strongyloides stercoralis (4.57 %) and Balantidium coli (3.37 %). The prevalence rate of these parasitic infections also varied seasonally. The highest prevalence rate was found in rainy season (84.21 %) followed by winter (73.9 %) and summer (52.8 %). The possible causes for variation in prevalence of parasitic infections are also discussed.

Transcriptional Upregulation of DNA Damage Response Genes in Bank Voles (Myodes glareolus Inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

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Toni Jernfors

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Exposure to ionizing radiation (IR from radionuclides released into the environment can damage DNA. An expected response to exposure to environmental radionuclides, therefore, is initiation of DNA damage response (DDR pathways. Increased DNA damage is a characteristic of many organisms exposed to radionuclides but expression of DDR genes of wildlife inhabiting an area contaminated by radionuclides is poorly understood. We quantified expression of five central DDR genes Atm, Mre11, p53, Brca1, and p21 in the livers of the bank vole Myodes glareolus that inhabited areas within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ that differed in levels of ambient radioactivity, and also from control areas outside the CEZ (i.e., sites with no detectable environmental radionuclides in Ukraine. Expression of these DDR genes did not significantly differ between male and female bank voles, nor among sites within the CEZ. We found a near two-fold upregulation in the DDR initiators Mre11 and Atm in animals collected from the CEZ compared with samples from control sites. As Atm is an important regulator of oxidative stress, our data suggest that antioxidant activity may be a key component of the defense against exposure to environmental radioactivity.

The Evolution of Urban Green Areas in Romania during 2002-2013

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Iulian Adrian Şorcaru

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The small size of green areas in Romanian urban settlements remains a problem of current urbanization, having a negative impact on the healthy lifestyle of the population. Nowadays, the green areas from most of the Romanian cities are under the WHO standard of 50 m2/inhabitant, under the E.U. standard of 26 m2/inhabitant, and also under the national standard (94 urban settlements-29.4% have less than 10 m2/inhabitant of green area in 2013. Furthermore, the evolution of green areas after 2002, shows that almost a quarter of Romanian urban settlements (24.5% recorded significant declines, some towns having less than one square meter per inhabitant. This study presents a detailed analysis of Romanian urban green areas, their evolution over the period 2002-2013, based on the latest data provided by INS (National Institute of Statistics, identifying in the same time the causes and effects that led to the current situation. Mapping the results and identifying regional disparities, along with proposing measures to increase urban green areas are also objectives achieved in this study.

Inhabiting Adaptive Architecture

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Holger Schnädelbach

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Adaptive Architecture concerns buildings that are specifically designed to adapt to their inhabitants and to their environments. Work in this space has a very long history, with a number of adaptive buildings emerging during the modernist period, such as Rietveld’s Schröder house, Gaudi’s Casa Batlló and Chareau's Maison de Verre. Such early work included manual adaptivity, even if that was motor-assisted. Today, buildings have started to combine this with varying degrees of automation and designed-for adaptivity is commonplace in office buildings and eco homes, where lighting, air conditioning, access and energy generation respond to and influence the behaviour of people, and the internal and external climate.

A Medical Consultation System to Support Health Care of Inhabitants through A Dialogue with Artificial Intelligence

Science.gov (United States)

Miyake, Hiroshi; Masuzawa, Hideaki

A medical consultation system has been developed that encompasses knowledge of various specialties. The system is designed to be used by general practitioners, and inhabitants themselves. It has the characteristics of ; 1. The input task of complaints is simplified by use of multiple choice questionaires. 2. The system advices the person whether to seek medical help or not, and if so, the degree of urgency, and from what type of practitioner or specialist. 3. It supplies the doctor information regarding essential symptoms and possible diagnosis. 4. The system offer easy tools to make a medical consultation system to the specialists themselves. This system is intended as an answer to the common problem of uncertainty on the part of both inhabitants and doctors as to the area of medical speciality that applies to a given disease.

Ethnomedicinal plants traditionally used in health care practices by inhabitants of Western Himalaya.

Science.gov (United States)

Malik, Zubair A; Bhat, Jahangeer A; Ballabha, Radha; Bussmann, Rainer W; Bhatt, A B

2015-08-22

Inspite of tremendous advances made in allopathic medicine, herbal practice still plays an important role in management and curing various ailments in remote and rural areas of India. However, traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants is eroding day by day and there is a need to document such knowledge, before it is lost forever. The aim of the present study was to document the indigenous and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants used by local inhabitants in and around Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary of Indian Himalaya for the advancement of biomedical research and development. The intensive field survey was carried out at three different altitudes of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS) and its adjoining areas. The inhabitants were interviewed about the local name of plants having ethno-medicinal values, plant parts used, mode of processing/application and preparation and dosage through discussions and semi structured questionnaires. A total of 97 medicinal plant species belonging to 52 families and 83 genera were reported for curing various ailments like fever, cough, cold, digestive disorders, constipation, menstrual disorders etc. Out of 97 plant species reported, 21 are rare or threatened. Literature review revealed that 11 out of the 97 plant species are reported with new therapeutic uses. The most frequently utilized plant part was the root/rhizome (33%) followed by leaf (27%). In some cases whole plant was utilized. A few medicinal plants had some veterinary uses also. The study provides comprehensive information about the eroding indigenous and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants used by local inhabitants in a part of Western Himalaya, India. The identification of the active ingredients of the plants used by the local people may provide some useful leads for the development of new drugs and such new approaches of traditional knowledge regarding medicinal plants and laboratory analysis might help pharmaceutical industry in new chapters for

Validity of the linear no-threshold (LNT) hypothesis in setting radiation protection regulations for the inhabitants in high level natural radiation areas of Ramsar, Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mortazavi, S.M.J.; Atefi, M.; Razi, Z.; Mortazavi Gh

2010-01-01

Some areas in Ramsar, a city in northern Iran, have long been known as inhabited areas with the highest levels of natural radiation. Despite the fact that the health effects of high doses of ionizing radiation are well documented, biological effects of above the background levels of natural radiation are still controversial and the validity of the LNT hypothesis in this area, has been criticized by many investigators around the world. The study of the health effects of high levels of natural radiation in areas such as Ramsar, help scientists to investigate the biological effects without the need for extrapolating the observations either from high doses of radiation to low dose region or from laboratory animals to humans. Considering the importance of these studies, National Radiation Protection Department (NRPD) of the Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority has started an integrative research project on the health effects of long-term exposure to high levels of natural radiation. This paper reviews findings of the studies conducted on the plants and humans living or laboratory animals kept in high level natural radiation areas of Ramsar. In human studies, different end points such as DNA damage, chromosome aberrations, blood cells and immunological alterations are discussed. This review comes to the conclusion that no reproducible detrimental health effect has been reported so far. In this paper the validity of LNT hypothesis in the assessment of the health effects of high levels of natural radiation is discussed. (author)

Environmental pollution by automotive source. II. Local inhabitants's reaction to environmental pollution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aizawa, R.; Hirara, K.; Izumi, T.; Mori, S.

1975-04-01

The reaction of inhabitants to auto exhaust, noise, and vibration was surveyed in commercial and residential quarters by inquiries and measurement of the carbon monoxide in expired air of the inhabitants. About 65 percent of the inhabitants of busy quarters complained of severe reactions to auto exhaust, noise, and vibration; physical effects included headache, absentmindedness, loss of appetite, prickling of eyes, pain in the throat, and frequent colds. The concentration of carbon monoxide in the expired air of inhabitants of residential quarters was about 5 ppM, and in the busy quarter with much motor traffic the concentration was about 10 ppM. The concentration of carboxyhemoglobin in blood of the latter averaged 2.5 to 2.6 percent, and the former was 1.5 percent. The data were taken among non-smokers, and there were socio-economic differences among inhabitants of both quarters.

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins in terrestrial bird species inhabiting an e-waste recycling site in South China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, Xiao-Jun; Sun, Yu-Xin; Wu, Jiang-Ping; Chen, She-Jun; Mai, Bi-Xian

2015-01-01

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are under review by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Currently, limited data are available about SCCPs in terrestrial organisms. In the present study, SCCP concentration in the muscles of seven terrestrial bird species (n = 38) inhabiting an e-waste recycling area in South China was determined. This concentration varied from 620 to 17,000 ng/g lipid. Resident birds accumulated significantly higher SCCP concentrations than migratory birds (p < 0.01). Trophic magnification was observed for migratory bird species but not for resident, which was attributed to high heterogeneity of SCCP in e-waste area. Two different homologue group patterns were observed in avian samples. The first pattern was found in five bird species dominated by C 10 and C 11 congeners, while the second was found in the remains, which show rather equal abundance of homologue groups. This may be caused by two sources of SCCPs (local and e-waste) in the study area. - Highlights: • SCCPs in terrestrial bird species from an e-waste area are first reported. • Elevated SCCP level was found as compared with other regions. • Resident birds accumulated significantly higher SCCP levels than migratory birds. • Trophic magnification was observed for migratory but not for resident bird species. • Two homologue patterns were found among seven bird species. - SCCP concentration in terrestrial bird species inhabiting an e-waste site was first reported in this study

Correlation of cytoplasmic beta-catenin and cyclin D1 overexpression during thyroid carcinogenesis around Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.

Science.gov (United States)

Meirmanov, Serik; Nakashima, Masahiro; Kondo, Hisayoshi; Matsufuji, Reiko; Takamura, Noboru; Ishigaki, Katsu; Ito, Masahiro; Prouglo, Yuri; Yamashita, Shunichi; Sekine, Ichiro

2003-06-01

The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS), the Republic of Kazakhstan, has been contaminated by radioactive fallout. The alteration of oncogenic molecules in thyroid cancer around the SNTS was considered worthy of analysis because it presented the potential to elucidate the relationship between radiation exposure and thyroid cancer. This study aimed to analyze both beta-catenin and cyclin D1 expressions in thyroid carcinomas around the SNTS. We examined nine cases of chronic thyroiditis, eight cases of follicular adenomas, and 23 cases of papillary carcinomas. Immunohistochemically, all carcinomas displayed a strong cytosolic beta-catenin expression, while both chronic thyroiditis and follicular adenomas showed a significantly lower cytoplasmic beta-catenin (22.2% and 37.5%, respectively). No cyclin D1 immunoreactivity was evident in chronic thyroiditis. In contrast, 62.5% of follicular adenomas and 87.0% of papillary carcinoma showed cyclin D1 overexpression. Additionally, a strong correlation between cytoplasmic beta-catenin and cyclin D1 expression was suggested in thyroid tumors. This study revealed a higher prevalence of both aberrant beta-catenin expression and cyclin D1 overexpression in papillary thyroid cancers around the SNTS than sporadic cases. The analysis of the alteration of the Wnt signaling-related molecules in thyroid cancer around the SNTS may be important to gain an insight into radiation-induced thyroid tumorigenesis.

Values of HbCO in 1000 inhabitants of Milan non exposed to occupational absorption of CO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grisler, R.; Gobbi, A.; Giavardi, C.; Caimmi, G.; Soverini, R.; Botta, A.

1975-01-01

Carboxyhemoglobin levels for 1000 non-occupationally exposed inhabitants of Milan were determined. The study group consisted of smokers and non-smokers; among the former, only individuals refraining from smoking for at least 10 hr were tested. The upper limit of the normal range for HbCO values among non-smokers was 2.85%, while among heavy smokers it was 4.59%. Heavy smokers also showed higher HbCO levels than did moderate smokers. Elevated HbCO values were also observed among residents living in carbon monoxide-polluted urban areas as compared with those living in unpolluted rural areas.

The level of awareness of inhabitants of Banat of environmental pollution

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Radanov Pavle M.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Of the pollution that leads to serious health and genetic consequences, as well as the reaction of the organism, and thus the problem of Banat becomes the priority before the inhabitants of Banat raises a dilemma: stay at the cost of survival or survive with the engagement of all forms of civil and seostkog opinion and initiatives in terms of raising environmental awareness and create control mechanisms that will actively engage in the environmental fate of Banat. This research I wanted to find out how much the inhabitants of Banat to meet specified environmental problems and environmental zagađenjem. At the same time I wanted to remark on how much pollution adversely affects all the living world. During the research, when collecting data, used the research survey instrument. Survey respondents is included in the table. Respondents are the inhabitants of Banat of different gender, age and academic qualifications. When examining used a questionnaire that contains ten questions and that the materials in the descriptive method. The results suggest that in the future, you should have the most attention paid to development and raising environmental awareness through education of permanent inhabitants of Banat programs on the protection of the environment.

Phylogeny of rock-inhabiting fungi related to Dothideomycetes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruibal, C.; Gueidan, C.; Selbmann, L.; Gorbushina, A.A.; Crous, P.W.; Groenewald, J.Z.; Muggia, L.; Grube, M.; Isola, D.; Schoch, C.L.; Staley, J.T.; Lutzoni, F.; Hoog, de G.S.

2009-01-01

The class Dothideomycetes (along with Eurotiomycetes) includes numerous rock-inhabiting fungi (RIF), a group of ascomycetes that tolerates surprisingly well harsh conditions prevailing on rock surfaces. Despite their convergent morphology and physiology, RIF are phylogenetically highly diverse in

Collective Memory and Collective Identity of Hlučín Region Inhabitants in the 20th Century

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Helena Kubátová

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The Hlučín Region is a small border area in the Moravia-Silesia Region. Its history is specific. Over 25 years in the 20th century, its border shifted three times and its inhabitants’ nationality also changed three times. The region was annexed by the German Reich in 1938 and its inhabitants gained the rights of citizens of the Reich, with the obligation to enlist in the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Germany. These historical turning points and their consequences after the Second World War are part of the cultural and communicative memory of most of the local people. The purpose of the article is to show the communicative memory of Hlučín Region inhabitants and the common knowledge of 20th century historical events to be one of the important integral parts of regional identity, which is a source of regional consciousness. Hlučín Region inhabitants identify themselves strongly with their region and society. This identification results from specific culture finding its expression in shared values, faith and traditions, and from the awareness of their own specificity. As a consequence of the predominant regional endogamy, this culture is handed down from one generation to another. Strong regional consciousness based on this identification, has a positive influence on the rich communal life and possibilities of stabilization and further development of the region.

Premises and Challenges of Entrepreneurship in Romanian Rural Areas

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Raluca IGNAT

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The rural inhabitants need to face and survive structural changes in rural economy and, thus, to become more market oriented. Traditions and old skills were somehow lost and new activities were approached. In order to reach them, public policy intervened and supported several types of activities. The public authorities demand Romanian inhabitants from rural areas to be truly competitive in a fully shacked economy. Therefore, the research question is: what are the premises and challenges that Romanian inhabitants from rural areas confront to? Entrepreneurial skills of Romanians in rural areas are a matter of national interest. The problem of entrepreneurships has, at least, two meanings in the present paper: the premises and challenges of the free manifestation of private initiative and the importance of this manifestation for national economy. The approach is pragmatic, for public policy. The main objectives of the research are: to identify the premises and challenges of the entrepreneurship in Romanian rural areas and to elaborate relevant solution for public policy in order to conduct to robust rural economy as a result of entrepreneurial expression. Therefore, next financial plan of the Romanian national Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 needs to take into consideration the premises and challenges of entrepreneurship, as this is the only pertinent solution for added value creation in rural economy. And the strategic approach is to define the future profile of Romanian rural inhabitant.

Loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 9q22.3 in microdissected basal cell carcinomas around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site, Kazakhstan.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwata, Kenji; Takamura, Noboru; Nakashima, Masahiro; Alipov, Gabit; Mine, Mariko; Matsumoto, Naomichi; Yoshiura, Koichiro; Prouglo, Yuriy; Sekine, Ichiro; Katayama, Ichiro; Yamashita, Shunichi

2004-04-01

A high incidence of skin cancers has been noted around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS) in Kazakhstan. Recently, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) susceptibility genes, human homolog of the Drosophila pathed gene (PTCH), and the xeroderma pigmentosa group A-complementing gene (XPA), have been cloned and localized on chromosome 9q22.3. To clarify the effect of low-dose irradiation on the occurrence of BCC, we used microdissection and polymerase chain reaction to identify loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 9q22.3 using BCC samples obtained from this region. Ten Japanese samples were analyzed as controls. LOH with at least 1 marker was identified in 5 of 14 cases from around SNTS, whereas only 1 case with 1 marker was identified among the 10 Nagasaki cases. The total number of LOH alleles from SNTS (8 of 45) was significantly higher than the number from Nagasaki (1 of 26) (P = 0.03). The higher incidence of LOH on 9q22.3 in BCC from around SNTS suggests involvement of chronic low-dose irradiation by fallout from the test site as a factor in the cancers.

FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY OF KIELCE SUBURBAN MUNICIPALITIES VERSUS THE STANDARD OF LIVING OF THEIR INHABITANTS

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Edyta Gąsiorowska-Mącznik

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Urbanization processes of areas located within large cities entail a number of consequences, such as a change in employment structure of inhabitants in these areas. New housing developments attract a stream of well-educated and affl uent urban dwellers, who move to the suburbs and contribute to the transformation of dominating functions in the areas located near the cities. Based on selected empirically measurable characteristics, synthetic measures were calculated for the phenomena analyzed with the use of the Hellwig method. The following functions have been included: agricultural, recreational, service, industrial, and residential. Based on the conducted analysis, it can be claimed that most of the examined municipalities are characterized by multifunctional development, with no dominant function apparent. Also, the analysis revealed the existence of three social classes in the studied areas, distinguished by a very high, high, or average standard of living of their members. The study found that the highest standard of living is typical for the municipalities where industrial and service-related functions dominate. 

An analysis of the death of main malignant tumor of inhabitants in nuclear power station area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Mingqiang; Lu Zunrong; Zheng Wen; Chen Guopei

1997-01-01

The authors reported the analysis on the death millimeter situation of inhabitants living around one nuclear power station during pre-operation period of 1988∼1991 and 1992∼1993 operating period. Total surrey population in six years is 2585521 person year, gross malignant tumour death rate is 116.38 x 10 -5 , calibrated death rate is 97.04 x 10 -5 , of which male is 129.20 x 10 -5 , female 65.39 x 10 -5 . An extremely significant difference is noted statistically. Individual annual death rate is 112.00 x 10 -5 , 120.15 x 10 -5 , 125.17 x 10 -5 , 116.45 x 10 -5 , 105.42 x 10 -5 and 119.16 x 10 -5 respectively. The statistical difference was no marked. The highest mortality rate is from the liver cancer, then from the cancer of the lung, of the stomach and of the esophagus. 94 cases died from leukemia with a mortality rate of 3.64 x 10 -5 , and 5 died from thyroid carcinoma, accounting for 0.17% of the total death cases

Tropical Deforestation, Community Forests, and Protected Areas in the Maya Forest

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David Barton. Bray

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Community forests and protected areas have each been proposed as strategies to stop deforestation. These management strategies should be regarded as hypotheses to be evaluated for their effectiveness in particular places. We evaluated the community-forestry hypothesis and the protected-area hypothesis in community forests with commercial timber production and strict protected areas in the Maya Forest of Guatemala and Mexico. From land-use and land cover change (LUCC maps derived from satellite images, we compared deforestation in 19 community forests and 11 protected areas in both countries in varying periods from 1988 to 2005. Deforestation rates were higher in protected areas than in community forests, but the differences were not significant. An analysis of human presence showed similar deforestation rates in inhabited protected areas and recently inhabited community forests, but the differences were not significant. There was also no significant difference in deforestation between uninhabited protected areas, uninhabited community forests, and long-inhabited community forests. A logistic regression analysis indicated that the factors correlated with deforestation varied by country. Distance to human settlements, seasonal wetlands, and degree and length of human residence were significant in Guatemala, and distance to previous deforestation and tropical semideciduous forest were significant in Mexico. Varying contexts and especially colonization histories are highlighted as likely factors that influence different outcomes. Poorly governed protected areas perform no better as a conservation strategy than poorly governed community forests with recent colonists in active colonization fronts. Long-inhabited extractive communities perform as well as uninhabited strict protected areas under low colonization pressure. A review of costs and benefits suggests that community forests may generate more local income with lower costs. Small sample sizes

Biomonitoring a human population inhabiting nearby a deactivated uranium mine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lourenço, J.; Pereira, R.; Pinto, F.; Caetano, T.; Silva, A.; Carvalheiro, T.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Human population environmentally exposed to uranium mining wastes. ► Significantly higher levels of manganese and uranium in peripheral blood samples. ► Significant DNA damages detected by the comet assay. ► Significant decrease of NK and T lymphocytes counts in exposed individuals. ► Concerns on the risks of human populations living nearby uranium mining areas. - Abstract: Environmental exposure to uranium and its daughter radionuclides, has been linked to several negative effects such as those related with important physiological processes, like hematopoiesis, and may also be associated with genotoxicity effects. Herein, genotoxic effects, immunotoxicity, trace elements and C reactive protein (CRP) analyses, were performed in peripheral blood samples collected from individuals of a population living near a deactivated uranium mine. C reactive protein analysis was performed to exclude candidates with active inflammatory processes from further evaluations. DNA damage and immunotoxicity (immunophenotyping and immune cell counts) were evaluated by comet assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Significant DNA damage was observed in the peripheral blood samples from volunteers living in the Cunha Baixa village. A significant decrease of NK and T lymphocytes counts were observed in the individuals from the Cunha Baixa village, when compared with individuals from the reference site. Uranium and manganese levels were significantly higher in the Cunha Baixa village inhabitants. On the other hand, zinc levels were significantly lower in those individuals when compared with the volunteers from the control village. Results suggest that inhabitants from Cunha Baixa have a higher risk of suffering from serious diseases such as cancer, since high DNA damages were observed in peripheral blood leukocytes and also decreased levels of NK and T cells, which play an essential role in the defense against tumor growth

Inhabiting compassion: A pastoral theological paradigm | Zylla | HTS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Inspired by the vision of care in Vincent van Gogh's depiction of the parable of the Good Samaritan, this article offers a paradigm for inhabiting compassion. Compassion is understood in this article as a moral emotion that is also a pathocentric virtue. This definition creates a dynamic view of compassion as a desire to ...

Sulfur determination in blood from inhabitants of Brazil using neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Laura C.; Zamboni, Cibele B.

2013-01-01

In this study the NAA technique was applied to analyze sulfur in blood from inhabitants of Brazil for the proposition of an indicative interval. The measurements were performed considering lifestyle factors (non-smokers, non-drinkers and no history of toxicological exposure) of Brazilian inhabitants. The influence of gender was also investigated considering several age ranges (18-29, 30-39, 40-49, >50 years). These data are useful in clinical investigations, to identify or prevent diseases caused by inadequate sulfur ingestion and for nutritional evaluation of Brazilian population.

Sulfur determination in blood from inhabitants of Brazil using neutron activation analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliveira, Laura C.; Zamboni, Cibele B. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN/SP) Av. Professor Lineu Prestes 2242 05508-000 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2013-05-06

In this study the NAA technique was applied to analyze sulfur in blood from inhabitants of Brazil for the proposition of an indicative interval. The measurements were performed considering lifestyle factors (non-smokers, non-drinkers and no history of toxicological exposure) of Brazilian inhabitants. The influence of gender was also investigated considering several age ranges (18-29, 30-39, 40-49, >50 years). These data are useful in clinical investigations, to identify or prevent diseases caused by inadequate sulfur ingestion and for nutritional evaluation of Brazilian population.

[Analysis of good practices for inhabitant participation in the clinical management units of the Andalusian Health Service (Spain)].

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez Martínez, M Eugenia; Pastor Moreno, Guadalupe; Pérez Corral, Olivia; Iriarte de Los Santos, M Teresa; Mena Jiménez, Ángel Luis; Escudero Espinosa, M Cecilia; García Romera, Inmaculada; Blanco García, Martín Germán; Martín Barato, Amelia

To discover good practices for inhabitant participation in the clinical management units (CMUs) of the Andalusian Health Service (AHS) (Spain) and to explore the reasons perceived by CMU and AHS professionals that may influence the presence and distribution of those good practices among the CMU. Study with mixed methodology carried out in Andalusia (Spain) in two phases (2013-2015). Firstly, an online survey was delivered to the Directors of the CMUs which had set up an inhabitant participation commission. In a second phase, a qualitative study was carried out through semi-structured interviews with professionals from the Andalusian Health Service with previous experience in inhabitant participation. A descriptive analysis of the quantitative information and a semantic content analysis of the qualitative information were carried out. 530 CMUs took part in the survey. The inhabitant participation practices more often implemented in the CMUs are those related to the informing and consultation levels. Twelve professionals were interviewed in the second phase. Other practices with higher inhabitant involvement and delegation are secondary. The barriers which were identified by professionals are related to the beliefs and attitudes of the inhabitants, the professionals, the health system and the environment. The main practices for inhabitant participation in the CMUs are related to the most basic levels of participation. The method and dynamics which facilitate inhabitant empowerment within the health system are not clearly recognised. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Fallout exposure and thyroid diseases prevalence in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhumadilov, Z.S.; Bhattarcharjee, Deborshi; Abisheva, G.

2004-01-01

The thyroid gland is considered to be especially susceptible to nuclear fallout because radioactive isotopes of iodine, and 131 I in particular, are major components of the fallout. During the 40 year period from 1949 to 1989, at Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) near the Semipalatinsk city, 30 surface, 88 atmospheric and 340 underground explosions of nuclear and thermonuclear devices were conducted by the former Soviet Union. The radionuclides emanating from these tests resulted in atmospheric and environmental contamination in the region of Semipalatinsk and parts of region of north-eastern Kazakhstan leading to various levels of acute and chronic radiation exposure. The radiation dosimetry results revealed that external dose to the population around Semipalatinsk due to radioactive cloud and fallout from the SNTS ranged from 35cGy-100cGy. The possible relationships between radiation exposure and the prevalence of thyroid gland abnormalities around the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site area are not well established and hence a detailed study of the same is suggested

Overview of different information about acute radiation syndrome among inhabitants around Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaroshinskaya, A.

1998-01-01

The Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe has divided scientists of the world, studying the consequences of its impact on the health of people, into two opposed, at times irreconcilable blocks. The first block generally comprises representatives of medical officials in the soviet and post-soviet society. They have been concealing the truth from the soviet and the world public for years. This group advocates the point of view that, except for firemen and several staff members who died at the time of the catastrophe, the Chernobyl accident has produced no practical impact on human health and will not do any such effect also in future. The second block consists basically of independent scientists. They are anxious about the facts of concealment of the truth on actual radiation doses, received by inhabitants of the areas around the Chernobyl NPP (ChNPP), as well as about impacts of low radiation dose on human health. Scientists of the second block are convinced that doses received by the population in the first days and months after the catastrophe at the ChNPP have played and will play significantly negative roles in worsening of human health years after the accident. The data on these doses have been deliberately concealed by the authorities from both the sufferers and the public. This fact has been already proven (by the Procurator General of the Ukraine as well). I have official and unofficial documents in my Chernobyl archive, which are demonstrating two approaching ways to the problems of radiological consequences due to the Chernobyl catastrophe. I would like to emphasize that these documents have never been published anywhere. In searching the answer to the question about the acute radiation syndrome among inhabitants in the areas around the Chernobyl NPP in the first weeks and months after the catastrophe, we will compare positions, arguments and conclusions of two blocks based on the facts presented in these documents. (author)

Immersive Environments: Using Flow and Sound to Blur Inhabitant and Surroundings

Science.gov (United States)

Laverty, Luke

Following in the footsteps of motif-reviving, aesthetically-focused Postmodern and deconstructivist architecture, purely computer-generated formalist contemporary architecture (i.e. blobitecture) has been reduced to vast, empty sculptural, and therefore, purely ocularcentric gestures for their own sake. Taking precedent over the deliberate relation to the people inhabiting them beyond scaleless visual stimulation, the forms become separated from and hostile toward their inhabitants; a boundary appears. This thesis calls for a reintroduction of human-centered design beyond Modern functionalism and ergonomics and Postmodern form and metaphor into architecture by exploring ecological psychology (specifically how one becomes attached to objects) and phenomenology (specifically sound) in an attempt to reach a contemporary human scale using the technology of today: the physiological mind. Psychologist Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow---when one becomes so mentally immersed within the current activity and immediate surroundings that the boundary between inhabitant and environment becomes transparent through a form of trance---is the embodiment of this thesis' goal, but it is limited to only specific moments throughout the day and typically studied without regard to the environment. Physiologically, the area within the brain---the medial prefrontal cortex---stimulated during flow experiences is also stimulated by the synthesis of sound, memory, and emotion. By exploiting sound (a sense not typically focused on within phenomenology) as a form of constant nuance within the everyday productive dissonance, the engagement and complete concentration on one's own interpretation of this sensory input affords flow experiences and, therefore, a blurred boundary with one's environment. This thesis aims to answer the question: How does the built environment embody flow? The above concept will be illustrated within a ubiquitous building type---the everyday housing tower

Assessment of unhealthy days of urban marginal inhabitants and effective factors in Mashhad, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maliheh Ziaee

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The concept of the quality of life (HRQOL related to health and its determinants contain aspects of quality of life that clearly affect people’s physical or mental health. One of the newest ways to assess the health and also the quality of life-related to health is the self-assessed health of the individual. The aim of the present study was assessment of unhealthy days, self-reported health status, and its influencing factors on residents of the marginalpart of Mashhad, Iran. Methods: In the current cross-sectional study, 580 citizens of the marginal regions and slum areas of Mashhad city were enrolled through cluster sampling method using governmental health care services divisions. The Persian version of the questionnaire CDC HRQOL-4 was used to measure the unhealthy days. Data was analyzed using SPSS, version 11.5, running ANOVA, chi-square, and t-tests. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: In the present study, 359 persons (61% were women and the mean age of participants was 32.6±11.51 years. The means of unhealthy days, physically unhealthy days, mentally unhealthy days, and days with dysfunction were found to be 7.2, 2.8, 4.1, and 1.7 days, respectively. The unhealthiest days (physical and mental were seen in unemployed people and the best to excellent health days were seen in housewives. Conclusion: Unhealthy days and days with dysfunction were reported higher in slum inhabitants, especially female, low literacy, and housewife participants. Providing the education and employment facilities for people who live in marginal city areas might decrease the unhealthy days.Keywords: Unhealthy days; Health; Urban Marginal Inhabitants; Mashhad

Human suffering effects of nuclear tests at Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. Established on the basis of questionnaire surveys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawano, Noriyuki; Hirabayashi, Kyoko; Taooka, Yasuyuki; Hiraoka, Takashi; Hoshi, Masaharu; Matsuo, Masatsugu; Apsalikov, K.N.; Moldagaliev, T.

2006-01-01

The main objective of the present paper is to explore the effects of radiation exposure on the inhabitants near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Tests Site (SNTS), Kazakhstan. Our research team of the Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, started in 2002 to conduct a field research study using questionnaire surveys. The present paper attempts to clarify health effects and mental problems on the inhabitants by using our questionnaire surveys. Among the responses to our survey, the present paper focuses upon responses to the questions concerning their health and mental problems. The data in Semipalatinsk have been compared with the results obtained in a similar survey conducted by Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities. The results show: 33% of the residents replied that they felt bad or had very bad health conditions. 70% of the residents strongly recognized a causal relationship between their bad health conditions and the nuclear tests. The diseases that over 30% of respondents possessed are arthralgia/lower back pain/arthritis, high-blood pressure, heart disease and digestive system disease. Acute radiation injuries from 1949 to 1962 that over 20% of respondents experienced were headaches and general malaise. Concerning their mental condition, 22% of respondents felt easily frustrated and agitated and 21% experienced nightmare. (author)

Nuclear-physical methods in macro- and microanalytical investigations of contamination with radionuclides at Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solodukhin, V.P.

2005-01-01

A complex of nuclear-physical methods developed in the Institute of Nuclear Physics of Kazakhstan National Nuclear Center for the investigations of the rate, character and peculiarities of contamination with radionuclides of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) is presented. The developed method combines both macroinvestigations (radionuclide analysis, NAA, XRFA, ESR- and NGR-spectroscopy) and microinvestigations (MS, micro-PIXE, electron microscopy). The results of the investigations at the main SNTS test sites 'Opytnoye pole' and 'Degelen' are presented. (author)

Non-linear behavior of public opinion on the issues regarding inhabitants' polls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohnishi, Teruaki; Suganuma, Jyun-ichi

2003-01-01

The observed change of public attitude around the time of inhabitants' poll in Japan was compared with model calculation to investigate its non-linear behavior. Two inhabitants' polls regarding nuclear issues, the approval and disapproval of the construction of Maki nuclear station, and of the MOX fuel use at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear station, were considered together with the poll on the reconstruction of the tenth weir in Yoshino river carried out in Tokushima. By using a mathematical model such that the individual attitude is mainly subject to two factors of the information environment and the mutual communication between the public, it was found that the change and the unification of public attitude around the time of inhabitants' poll can be interpreted as a manifestation of self-organization resulted from the cooperative phenomenon of those two factors. Moreover, it was also found that the abrupt change of public attitude just before the poll can be interpreted as a result of positive feedback of the information environment formed by the various types of propaganda activities to the attitude change, though the extent of such non-linear effects differs from case to case. (author)

Dosimetry study of East Kazakhstan residents by tooth enamel EPR spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Zhumadilov, Kassym; Ivannikov, Alexander; Skvortsov, Valeriy; Stepanenko, Valeriy; Rakhypbekov, Tolebay; Hoshi, Masaharu

2017-11-01

The tooth enamel electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) dosimetry method was used to determine accidental doses of population of settlements in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS), Kazakhstan. The influence of four explosions to the populations was included into this report. The distances between investigated settlements and Ground Zero (SNTS) are in the range of 70-200 km from SNTS. Most of settlements (Dolon, Mostik, Bodene, Cheremushki, Kanonerka) are located near the central axis of radioactive fallout trace from the most contaminating surface nuclear test, which was conducted in 29, August 1949. The other settlements located close to radioactive fallout trace result in a surface nuclear tests in 24, August 1956 (Ust-Kamenogorsk, Znamenka, Shemonaikha, Glubokoe, Tavriya, Gagarino), in 12 august 1953 (Sarzhal) and in 7, August 1962 (Akzhar, Kurchatov, Begen, Semenovka, Buras, Grachi). Tooth samples were extracted according to medical recommendations in a course of ordinary dental treatment.

The safety of Ignalina NPP and ecological danger in public opinion of inhabitants of Daugavpils region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peipinia, O.

1998-01-01

Inquest of Daugavpils' region pointed to a big anxiety for ecological danger of Ignalina NPP by inhabitants and experts. Absolute majority of respondents (73-78% inhabitants and 68-82% experts) apprehend the NPP as very dangerous and dangerous. More than half of respondents apprehend the dangerous increased during last two-three years. It is because no one has a good reference about situation, because tragic al Chernobyl NPP burst was on. The anxiety increases if the respondent lives nearer of NPP. Inhabitants of Daugavpils and it's region wants the better reference about situation, about future of Ignalina NPP after 2010 year, about securities means in case of NPP burst. (author)

Revealing structure and assembly cues for Arabidopsis root-inhabiting bacterial microbiota.

Science.gov (United States)

Bulgarelli, Davide; Rott, Matthias; Schlaeppi, Klaus; Ver Loren van Themaat, Emiel; Ahmadinejad, Nahal; Assenza, Federica; Rauf, Philipp; Huettel, Bruno; Reinhardt, Richard; Schmelzer, Elmon; Peplies, Joerg; Gloeckner, Frank Oliver; Amann, Rudolf; Eickhorst, Thilo; Schulze-Lefert, Paul

2012-08-02

The plant root defines the interface between a multicellular eukaryote and soil, one of the richest microbial ecosystems on Earth. Notably, soil bacteria are able to multiply inside roots as benign endophytes and modulate plant growth and development, with implications ranging from enhanced crop productivity to phytoremediation. Endophytic colonization represents an apparent paradox of plant innate immunity because plant cells can detect an array of microbe-associated molecular patterns (also known as MAMPs) to initiate immune responses to terminate microbial multiplication. Several studies attempted to describe the structure of bacterial root endophytes; however, different sampling protocols and low-resolution profiling methods make it difficult to infer general principles. Here we describe methodology to characterize and compare soil- and root-inhabiting bacterial communities, which reveals not only a function for metabolically active plant cells but also for inert cell-wall features in the selection of soil bacteria for host colonization. We show that the roots of Arabidopsis thaliana, grown in different natural soils under controlled environmental conditions, are preferentially colonized by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria, and each bacterial phylum is represented by a dominating class or family. Soil type defines the composition of root-inhabiting bacterial communities and host genotype determines their ribotype profiles to a limited extent. The identification of soil-type-specific members within the root-inhabiting assemblies supports our conclusion that these represent soil-derived root endophytes. Surprisingly, plant cell-wall features of other tested plant species seem to provide a sufficient cue for the assembly of approximately 40% of the Arabidopsis bacterial root-inhabiting microbiota, with a bias for Betaproteobacteria. Thus, this root sub-community may not be Arabidopsis-specific but saprophytic bacteria that would naturally be found

Differences in Employee Motivation at Slovak Primary Schools in Rural and Urban Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Hitka, Miloš; Stachová, Katarína; Balážová, Žaneta; Stacho, Zdenko

2015-01-01

In spite of turbulent urbanisation in Slovakia we assume that the 21st century is also a period of differences in value criteria of people living in rural and urban areas. The level of urbanisation, i.e. inhabitant movement from the countryside to towns and the level of suburbanisation, i.e. inhabitant movement from towns to the countryside, are…

Effect of chromate action on morphology of basalt-inhabiting bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Zhang; Zhu Ying; Kalabegishvili, Tamaz L.; Tsibakhashvili, Nelly Y.; Holman, Hoi-Ying

2006-01-01

Basalt-inhabiting bacteria isolated from polluted basalts have been demonstrated to be able to tolerate moderate to high concentrations of chromium oxyanions such as chromate. Previous results have shown that macromolecules outside the cell wall of bacteria may play an important role in this survival ability. In this paper, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were applied to study the chromate-induced morphological changes in chromate-resistant basalt-inhabiting Arthrobacter K-2 and K-4, which were isolated from the Republic of Georgia. The surfaces of both strains changed in the presence of chromate. TEM thin sections show that chromate stimulates the appearance of bacteria capsular polysaccharide outside the cell wall, although the chromate concentration does not have a strong effect on the capsular thickness. These results, in conjunction with those reported earlier, provide direct evidence to show that capsular polysaccharides of the bacteria play very important role for the reduction and localization of chromate

Municipal Competition for Inhabitants under Population Decrease. Zusammenfassung: Kommunale Konkurrenz um Einwohner bei Bevölkerungsrückgang

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Friedrich

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The shrinking population during the break-down, adaptation and recovery phase in Estonian social and political development enforces municipal competition among the municipalities. Competition for inhabitants is embedded in regional competition showing horizontal and vertical competition relations. Inhabitants’ competition prevails indirectly through municipal business promotion competition and directly through competition for inhabitants. The competition shows three phases. A phase concerns zoning and long-term planning; a second one refers to negotiations with settlement firms and short-term actions to attract inhabitants followed by a phase of revisions of zoning and measures. The oligopolistic industrial zoning model of business promotion policy points to the consequences of horizontal municipal competition also on population. Vertical influences on business promotion policy demonstrate a game-theoretic example of intergovernmental intervention from higher government on zoning. The negotiation phase in business promotion policy is modelled by a bilateral monopoly model between a municipality and a settlement firm. Horizontal regional competition highlights the implications on inhabitants’ competition. An oligopoly model of direct inhabitant competition concerns the zoning in particular for housing. Furthermore, a model of public enterprise service and fee formation and of horizontal public firm competition shows inhabitants’ competition in the second phase. Forms of inhabitant competition concerning suburbanisation and using public debt, revenues such as taxes, fees and expenditures are mentioned. Finally, follows a discussion of possible instruments to regulate inhabitant competition.

Validation of probabilistic methodology for generating actual inhabitants' behavior schedules for accurate prediction of maximum energy requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanimoto, Jun; Hagishima, Aya; Sagara, Hiroki [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University 6-1, Kasuga-koen, Kasuga-shi, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan)

2008-07-01

A data set of myriad and time-varying inhabitant-behavior schedules with a 15 min time resolution, generated by the authors in a previous study, is validated through a comparison analysis. We show three comparisons. The first and second compare the estimated demand with a time series of actual utility demand. The comparisons indicate that the generated data and its algorithm, described by the authors, have an appropriate robustness. Another comparison between the estimate and the annual averaged daily water demand of a residential area, consisting of 9327 residences, also shows an acceptable consistency. (author)

Dosimetry study of East Kazakhstan residents by tooth enamel EPR spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhumadilov Kassym

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The tooth enamel electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR dosimetry method was used to determine accidental doses of population of settlements in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS, Kazakhstan. The influence of four explosions to the populations was included into this report. The distances between investigated settlements and Ground Zero (SNTS are in the range of 70-200 km from SNTS. Most of settlements (Dolon, Mostik, Bodene, Cheremushki, Kanonerka are located near the central axis of radioactive fallout trace from the most contaminating surface nuclear test, which was conducted in 29, August 1949. The other settlements located close to radioactive fallout trace result in a surface nuclear tests in 24, August 1956 (Ust-Kamenogorsk, Znamenka, Shemonaikha, Glubokoe, Tavriya, Gagarino, in 12 august 1953 (Sarzhal and in 7, August 1962 (Akzhar, Kurchatov, Begen, Semenovka, Buras, Grachi. Tooth samples were extracted according to medical recommendations in a course of ordinary dental treatment.

Mechanism of Mg2+-Accompanied Product Release in Sugar Nucleotidyltransferases.

Science.gov (United States)

Vithani, Neha; Ankush Jagtap, Pravin Kumar; Verma, Sunil Kumar; Tripathi, Ravi; Awasthi, Shalini; Nair, Nisanth N; Prakash, Balaji

2018-03-06

The nucleotidyl transfer reaction, catalyzed by sugar nucleotidyltransferases (SNTs), is assisted by two active site Mg 2+ ions. While studying this reaction using X-ray crystallography, we captured snapshots of the pyrophosphate (product) as it exits along a pocket. Surprisingly, one of the active site Mg 2+ ions remains coordinated to the exiting pyrophosphate. This hints at the participation of Mg 2+ in the process of product release, besides its role in catalyzing nucleotidyl transfer. These observations are further supported by enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations. Free energy computations suggest that the product release is likely to be rate limiting in SNTs, and the origin of the high free energy barrier for product release could be traced back to the "slow" conformational change of an Arg residue at the exit end of the pocket. These results establish a dual role for Mg 2+ , and propose a general mechanism of product release during the nucleotidyl transfer by SNTs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors influencing subjective orthodontic treatment need and culture-related differences among Chinese natives and foreign inhabitants.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao-Ting, Li; Tang, Yin; Huang, Xue-Lian; Wan, Hua; Chen, Yang-Xi

2010-09-01

The aim of this survey was to compare Chinese natives and foreign inhabitants in Chengdu, China, with respect to: (1) attitudes towards dental appearance, (2) subjective orthodontic treatment need, and (3) the main factors influencing orthodontic treatment need. A total of 522 subjects, including 227 foreign inhabitants and 295 Chinese natives in Chengdu participated in the survey. A simple random sampling method was adopted and a face-to-face interview was conducted at some public sites using a questionnaire. Data was entered by two persons synchronously using Epidata 3.0, and SPSS 13.0 was used to analyze these data. 89.0% of foreign inhabitants were satisfied with their teeth compared to only 46.8% of Chinese natives. Females were more dissatisfied with their teeth than males. Chinese natives put improving appearance as the top priority (55.9%) for seeking orthodontic treatment; however, in foreign inhabitants, the main reason for seeking treatment was to improve masticatory function (44.1%), followed by "to be pretty" (35.2%). The importance of well-aligned teeth and self-perception of psychosocial impact of malocclusion were the same two main factors influencing subjective orthodontic treatment need (P different (P differences in orthodontic treatment motives between the two target groups. (3) There were differences in subjective orthodontic treatment needs between foreign inhabitants and Chinese natives. However, the prominent influential factors were almost the same. There may be benefit to understanding subjective orthodontic needs of different races.

Assessment of wood-inhabiting Basidiomycetes for biokraft pulping of softwood chips

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wolfaardt, F

2004-10-01

Full Text Available Wood-inhabiting Basidiomycetes have been screened for various applications in the pulp and paper industry and it is evident that different fungi need to be used to suit the specific requirements of each application. This study assessed...

Croatian small islands – residential and/or leisure area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josip Faričić

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses modern geographic processes on Croatian small inhabited islands. For centuries, Croatian small islands have been continuously inhabited area characterized by different social and economic activities. However, in the last several decades, the islands have experienced a severe depopulation, and on the other hand, the interest for occasional use of that attractive insular space for recreational purposes increased. Consequently, the basic insular functions have changed, which, among other things, contributes to changes of insular landscape and to the changed role of small islands in regional socio-economic systems.

Distribution of gall crabs inhabiting mushroom corals on Semporna reefs, Malaysia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Meij, Sancia E. T.; Hoeksema, Bert W.

Coral reef cryptofauna forms an important component of tropical marine biodiversity, consisting primarily of invertebrates dwelling in and on corals. During a survey carried out around the Semporna peninsula (Sabah, NE Borneo), the occurrence of gall crabs inhabiting mushroom corals was examined on

Evaluation of reactivity to Echinococcus spp. among rural inhabitants in Poland.

Science.gov (United States)

Cisak, Ewa; Sroka, Jacek; Wójcik-Fatla, Angelina; Zając, Violetta; Dutkiewicz, Jacek

2015-09-01

A group of 172 rural inhabitants from eastern Poland (68 males and 104 females, mean age 49.0 ± 12.0 years) was examined for the presence of antibodies against Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis. A population of 38 healthy urban dwellers from the city of Lublin (17 males and 21 females, mean age 36.2 ± 9.6 years) were examined as a control group. Sera of 22 rural inhabitants (12.8%) reacted positively to Echinococcus granulosus hydatid fluid antigen in the screening test. A cross-reactivity was observed with two serum samples that tested positive in ELISA for E. granulosus. Three serum samples were tested positive for E. multilocularis using the Em2plus ELISA assay and also positive for Western blot. None of the members of control group showed the presence of a seropositive reaction to Echinococcus spp. The reactivity to Echinococcus spp. among rural inhabitants decreased with age and this correlation was statistically significant (R = -0.197151, p = 0.009535). The percentage of positive findings was the highest (50.0%) in the youngest age group (14-20). No significant correlations were found between responses to interview questions (possession of domestic and farm animals, contact with wild animals, eating unwashed berries, drinking unboiled water) and the presence of seropositive reactions to Echinococcus spp. The presented results seem to indicate that echinococcosis is still a current problem in Poland that should not be neglected and, moreover, indicates the need for improvement in the routine laboratory diagnostics of Echinococcus spp. by standardizing the ELISA and Western blot tests.

Initiatives towards Carbon Neutrality in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area

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Karna Dahal

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Carbon neutrality represents one climate strategy adopted by many cities, including the city of Helsinki and the Helsinki metropolitan area in Finland. This study examines initiatives adopted by the Helsinki metropolitan area aimed at reducing energy-related carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality through future actions. Various sectorial energy consumption rates per year and carbon emissions from various sectors within the city of Helsinki and the metropolitan area were extracted from an online database and re-calculated (in GWh, MWh/inhabitant and MtCO2e, KtCO2e/inhabitant. We employed a backcasting scenario method to explore the various carbon reduction measures in the Helsinki metropolitan area. About 96% of the emissions produced in the Helsinki metropolitan area are energy-based. District heating represents the primary source of emissions, followed by transportation and electricity consumption, respectively. We also found that accomplishing the carbon reduction strategies of the Helsinki metropolitan area by 2050 remains challenging. Technological advancement for clean and renewable energy sources, smart policies and raising awareness resulting in behavioral changes greatly affect carbon reduction actions. Thus, strong political commitments are also required to formulate and implement stringent climate actions.

High level natural radiation areas with special regard to Ramsar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sohrabi, M.

1993-01-01

The studies of high level natural radiation areas (HLNRAs) around the world are of great importance for determination of risks due to long-term low-level whole body exposures of public. Many areas of the world possess HLNRAs the number of which depends on the criteria defined. Detailed radiological studies have been carried out in some HLNRAs the results of which have been reported at least in three international conferences. Among the HLNRAs, Ramsar has so far the highest level of natural radiation in some areas where radiological studies have been of concern. A program was established for Ramsar and its HLNRAs to study indoor and outdoor gamma exposures and external and internal doses of the inhabitants, 226 Ra content of public water supplies and hot springs, of food stuffs, etc., 222 Rn levels measured in 473 rooms of near 350 houses, 16 schools and 89 rooms and many locations of old and new Ramsar Hotels in different seasons, cytogenetic effects on inhabitants of Talesh Mahalleh, the highest radiation area, compared to that of a control area and radiological parameters of a house with a high potential for internal and external exposures of the inhabitants. It was concluded that the epidemiological studies in a number of countries did not show any evidence of increased health detriment in HLNRAs compared to control groups. In this paper, the conclusions drawn from studies in some HLNRAs around the world in particular Ramsar are discussed. (author). 20 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab

The Very High Background Radiation Area in Ramsar, Iran: Public Health Risk or Signal for a Regulatory Paradigm Shift?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karam, P. Andrew [Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, NY (United States); Mortazavi, S.M. Javad [Rafsanjan Univ. of Medical Sciences (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Medical Physics Dept.

2001-07-01

Ramsar, a city on the Caspian Sea in northern Iran hosts the highest measured natural background radiation levels in the world. These are due to the local geology and hydrogeology and, in some places, deliver radiation doses far in excess of those recommended for radiation workers. A population of about 2000 is exposed to average annual radiation levels of 10.2 mGy/yr and the highest recorded doses are about 260 mGy/yr. These high radiation levels are due to the deposition of {sup 226}Ra in local rocks and, because these rocks are used in the construction of many local houses, interior radiation levels are often similar to those found outside. The presence of areas such as Ramsar raises an interesting public health policy question: Is it necessary to relocate the inhabitants to areas of lower natural background radiation levels in the interests of public health? According to the linear, no-threshold (LNT) hypothesis, there is no doubt that relocating the population of Ramsar will result in a reduction in cancer incidence. Therefore, under any reasonable policy based on the LNT hypothesis, the public health is best served by relocating many of Ramsar's inhabitants to other areas along the Caspian Sea. At present, there is no reliable epidemiological data on cancer incidence among the inhabitants of Ramsar's high background radiation areas (HBRAs), but local physicians feel that local cancer incidence rates are lower than in neighboring cities. Furthermore, preliminary results indicate that there is a statistically significant radio adaptation in the inhabitants of Ramsar. Interestingly, it seems that the frequency of chromosome aberrations in the lymphocytes of the inhabitants of Ramsar is no higher than the control areas. This important finding suggests that the cancer rate in Ramsar should be no higher than in other comparable parts of Iran. In other HBRAs such as Yangjiang, China it has been reported that mortality from all cancers and those from

The Very High Background Radiation Area in Ramsar, Iran: Public Health Risk or Signal for a Regulatory Paradigm Shift?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karam, P. Andrew; Mortazavi, S.M. Javad

2001-01-01

Ramsar, a city on the Caspian Sea in northern Iran hosts the highest measured natural background radiation levels in the world. These are due to the local geology and hydrogeology and, in some places, deliver radiation doses far in excess of those recommended for radiation workers. A population of about 2000 is exposed to average annual radiation levels of 10.2 mGy/yr and the highest recorded doses are about 260 mGy/yr. These high radiation levels are due to the deposition of 226 Ra in local rocks and, because these rocks are used in the construction of many local houses, interior radiation levels are often similar to those found outside. The presence of areas such as Ramsar raises an interesting public health policy question: Is it necessary to relocate the inhabitants to areas of lower natural background radiation levels in the interests of public health? According to the linear, no-threshold (LNT) hypothesis, there is no doubt that relocating the population of Ramsar will result in a reduction in cancer incidence. Therefore, under any reasonable policy based on the LNT hypothesis, the public health is best served by relocating many of Ramsar's inhabitants to other areas along the Caspian Sea. At present, there is no reliable epidemiological data on cancer incidence among the inhabitants of Ramsar's high background radiation areas (HBRAs), but local physicians feel that local cancer incidence rates are lower than in neighboring cities. Furthermore, preliminary results indicate that there is a statistically significant radio adaptation in the inhabitants of Ramsar. Interestingly, it seems that the frequency of chromosome aberrations in the lymphocytes of the inhabitants of Ramsar is no higher than the control areas. This important finding suggests that the cancer rate in Ramsar should be no higher than in other comparable parts of Iran. In other HBRAs such as Yangjiang, China it has been reported that mortality from all cancers and those from leukemia, breast and

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins in terrestrial bird species inhabiting an e-waste recycling site in South China.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Xiao-Jun; Sun, Yu-Xin; Wu, Jiang-Ping; Chen, She-Jun; Mai, Bi-Xian

2015-03-01

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are under review by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Currently, limited data are available about SCCPs in terrestrial organisms. In the present study, SCCP concentration in the muscles of seven terrestrial bird species (n = 38) inhabiting an e-waste recycling area in South China was determined. This concentration varied from 620 to 17,000 ng/g lipid. Resident birds accumulated significantly higher SCCP concentrations than migratory birds (p < 0.01). Trophic magnification was observed for migratory bird species but not for resident, which was attributed to high heterogeneity of SCCP in e-waste area. Two different homologue group patterns were observed in avian samples. The first pattern was found in five bird species dominated by C10 and C11 congeners, while the second was found in the remains, which show rather equal abundance of homologue groups. This may be caused by two sources of SCCPs (local and e-waste) in the study area. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novelty of Dynamic Process in the Synthesis of Biocompatible Silica Nanotubes by Biomimetic Glycyldodecylamide as a Soft Template.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hyejung; Kim, Joong-Jo; Mo, Yong-Hwan; Reddy, Benjaram M; Park, Sang-Eon

2017-10-10

A dynamic process in the synthesis of silica nanotubes (SNTs) by utilizing glycyldodecylamide (GDA) as a soft template was thoroughly investigated. The morphological evolution from GDA to SNTs was deeply explored to elucidate the formation mechanism for optimizing the synthesis procedure. Various analytical tools, namely, XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, Z-potential, and N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, were employed during the synthesis procedure. The interactive structure of GDA was also investigated using TEM-EDX as a function of aging time. These studies revealed the stepwise morphology of nanograin, nanofiber, curved plate, and nanotube in the ethanol/water solution when aged at room temperature. The supramolecular GDA molded the vesicle type nanostructure which was surrounded by silica and facilitated the formation of uniform SNTs. The stimulus for GDA to be curved into a vesicle was the intermolecular hydrogen bonding between adjacent amide groups of the template molecules. This was illustrated by FTIR spectra of GDA-silica intermediate by detecting the transition of amide I peak from 1678 to 1635 cm -1 . The effect of hydrogen bonding became stronger when the sample was aged.

The Environmental Fluctuations of some Bioactive Nutraceutical Compounds in Zilla spinosa Inhabiting Arid Habitats

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Hemmat Ibrahim KHATTAB

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Zilla spinosa is one of the dominated woody perennial shrubs widespread in the Egyptian Red sea coastal desert, belonging to family Brassicacea. Z. spinosa is used as a folk medicine and for heating by local people. Z. spinosa inhabits arid habitats exposed to adverse climatic changes which influence the production of the bioactive natural products. The natural secondary products have significant importance for plant acclimatization to the arid habitats beside their significant practical application in medicinal, nutritive and industrial purposes. The accumulation levels of some natural products including phenols, tannins, glucosinolates, flavonoids, saponins, proanthocyanidins and cardiac glycosides were measured in Z. spinosa inhabiting different locations of Wadi Hagul during spring and summer seasons. The results of the current study showed that Z. spinosa grown in the adverse environment has adapted to cope with extreme temperature, water deficit and geoclimate changes especially in summer, by enhancing the accumulation of some antioxidant compounds including phenols, tannins, glucosinolates, flavonoids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, concomitant with increments in the total antioxidant capacity and PAL activity. Consequently, Z. spinosa shrubs inhabiting the arid environment is a promising new source of saponins, glucosinolates, cardiac glycosides, phenols and flavonoids which could participate in drug development and exploration of alternative strategies to increase productivity of wild plants.

DISTINGUISHING A HYPOTHETICAL ABIOTIC PLANET–MOON SYSTEM FROM A SINGLE INHABITED PLANET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Tong; Tian, Feng; Wei, Wanjing; Huang, Xiaomeng; Wang, Yuwei

2016-01-01

It has recently been suggested that an exomoon with a CH 4 atmosphere, orbiting an abiotic Earth-mass planet with an O 2 -rich atmosphere, can produce a false positive biosignature at a low–moderate spectral resolution (R = λ/Δλ ≤ 2000). If this were true, inferring the presence of life on exoplanets will be beyond our reach in the next several decades. Here we use a line-by-line radiative transfer model to compute the relevant reflection spectrum between 1 and 3.3 μm. We show that it is possible to separate the combined spectra of such planet–moon systems from an inhabited planet by multiple-band NIR observations. We suggest that future observations near the 2.3 μm CH 4 absorption band at a resolution of 100 and an SNR of 10 or more may be a good way to distinguish an abiotic planet–moon system from a inhabited single planet

[Identifying areas of epidemiological stratification in an onchocerciasis focus in Yanomami territory, Roraima, Brazil].

Science.gov (United States)

Coelho, G E; Vieira, J B; Garcia-Zapata, M T; Schuertz, J C

1998-01-01

In this paper, aimed at suitable planning, analysis, and follow-up of treatment, control, and eradication in a human onchocerciasis program, were studied 27 geographic areas and examined 3,974 inhabitants. Four epidemiological areas with different prevalences were identified and stratified.

Around Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: Progress of dose estimations relevant to the consequences of nuclear tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stepanenko, Valeriy F.; Hoshi, Masaharu; Bailiff, Ian K.

2006-01-01

by RLD and calculations. A possible explanation of the differences between ESR and RLD/calculations doses is the following: for interpretation of ESR data the shielding and behaviour' factors for investigated persons should be taken into account. The 'upper level' of the combination of 'shielding and behaviour' factors of dose reduction for inhabitants of Dolon' village of about 0.28 was obtained by comparing the individual ESR tooth enamel dose estimates with the calculated mean dose for this settlement. The biological dosimetry data related to the settlements near SNTS were presented at the Workshop. A higher incidence of unstable chromosome aberrations, micronucleus in lymphocytes, nuclear abnormalities of thyroid follicular cells, T-cell receptor mutations in peripheral blood were found for exposed areas (Dolan', Sarjal) in comparison with unexposed ones (Kokpekty). The significant greater frequency of stable translocations (results of analyses of chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes by the FISH technique) was demonstrated for Dolon' village in comparison with Chekoman (unexposed village). The elevated level of stable translocations in Dolon' corresponds to a dose of about 180 mSv, which is close to the results of ESR dosimetry for this village. The importance of investigating specific morphological types of thyroid nodules for dosimetry studies was pointed out. In general the 3rd Dosimetry Workshop has demonstrated remarkable progress in developing an international level of common approaches for retrospective dose estimations around the SNTS and in understanding the tasks for the future joint work in this direction. In the framework of a special session the problems of developing a database and registry in order to support epidemiological studies around SNTS were discussed. The results of investigation of psychological consequences of nuclear tests, which are expressed in the form of verbal behaviour, were presented at this session as well. (author)

Influence of inhabitant background on the physical changes of Banjarese houses: A case study in Kuin Utara settlement, Banjarmasin, Indonesia

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Meidwinna Vania Michiani

2016-12-01

A research was conducted in the embryo of Banjarmasin along the Kuin riverside settlement in Kuin Utara sub-district through a door-to-door survey with a questionnaire. The exploration indicates the following: (1 the original form of all remaining houses has been altered, (2 most of the inhabitants are classified as a low-income society, (3 the different characteristics of the present inhabitants change the physical condition of houses, (4 the relationship of the current house condition to the socio-culture and economy of the inhabitants plays a prominent role in revitalizing Banjarese houses as a valuable asset.

Citizen science data reveal ecological, historical and evolutionary factors shaping interactions between woody hosts and wood-inhabiting fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Heilmann-Clausen, Jacob; Maruyama, Pietro K; Bruun, Hans Henrik; Dimitrov, Dimitar; Laessøe, Thomas; Frøslev, Tobias Guldberg; Dalsgaard, Bo

2016-12-01

Woody plants host diverse communities of associated organisms, including wood-inhabiting fungi. In this group, host effects on species richness and interaction network structure are not well understood, especially not at large geographical scales. We investigated ecological, historical and evolutionary determinants of fungal species richness and network modularity, that is, subcommunity structure, across woody hosts in Denmark, using a citizen science data set comprising > 80 000 records of > 1000 fungal species on 91 genera of woody plants. Fungal species richness was positively related to host size, wood pH, and the number of species in the host genus, with limited influence of host frequency and host history, that is, time since host establishment in the area. Modularity patterns were unaffected by host history, but largely reflected host phylogeny. Notably, fungal communities differed substantially between angiosperm and gymnosperm hosts. Host traits and evolutionary history appear to be more important than host frequency and recent history in structuring interactions between hosts and wood-inhabiting fungi. High wood acidity appears to act as a stress factor reducing fungal species richness, while large host size, providing increased niche diversity, enhances it. In some fungal groups that are known to interact with live host cells in the establishment phase, host selectivity is common, causing a modular community structure. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Long-term radiation exposure of inhabitants in the Bryansk region in South-western Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernhardsson, Christian; Christiansson, Maria; Raeaef, Christopher; Mattsson, Soeren

2008-01-01

Since 1990 the effective doses from external and internal irradiation to residents in the Bryansk area, Russia, have been followed. In the 1990s field surveys in a number of villages took place annually and after 1998 more irregularly. All surveys were carried out in September-October, The individual doses of the inhabitants were assessed using TL-dosemeters and 'in vivo' measurements of 134 , 137 Cs. Twenty years after the Chernobyl accident, the average effective dose rate from internal and external exposure of 137 Cs to the inhabitants of the surveyed settlements - due to Chernobyl - was estimated to 0.6 mSv year -1 . This additional dose contribution is comparable with the yearly dose from cosmic radiation and naturally occurring radionuclides in the human body. During the first three years of the survey (1990-1993), the temporal variation in the effective dose rate from external irradiation can be described by a 20% annual decrease and then slowing down to a 12% decrease per year up to 1998. After that, there is a much slower decrease. In 2006 the fraction of the total effective dose rate associated with external exposure, was in the order of 0.4 mSv year -1 , which is twice as high as the dose from exposure of internal 137 Cs sources. The temporal variation in the internal exposure of 134 , 137 Cs is much more complex and related to several environmental and social factors. Hence, large variations are observed during different years and also between villages and within a specific village. In the present paper, results from all the field surveys are compared and the temporal evolution of the radiation environment during 20 years is discussed. (author)

Effects of air pollution on the health of regional inhabitants. Part I. Survey of disease state by Enquete. Taiki osen ga chiiki jumin no kenko ni oyobosu eikyo ni tsuite-dai ippo; anketo ni yoru shojo chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1973-01-01

From May to July 1972, the disease states of 2096 inhabitants (710 men and 1386 women) in the Fukushima Ward of Osaka City, where the concentration of sulfur trioxide in the air was (yearly average) 1.81 mg/day/100 sq cm and that of carbon monoxide was 5.3 ppM, and that of nitrogen dioxide was 5.3 ppM, were surveyed. The number of persons surveyed was 2.9% of all the inhabitants of the Ward. Twenty-two point one percent were in their thirties, 20.1% in their forties, 16.5% in their sixties, and 15.3% in their fifties. Those who experienced chest diseases were 2.9% of the total, and those with heart diseases were 1.5%. Non-smoking men were 31.7% of the total. The percentage of long-term complaints of cough and sputum was 11.8% in the eastern section, 11.2% in the northern section, 10.0% in the southern section, 6.8% in the western section of the Ward. The frequency of complaints was highest in the sixties (12.7%), followed by 11.5% in the fifties, 11.3% in the thirties, and 8.6% in the forties. The frequency of complaints from men was 11.1% and that from women was 6%. The frequency of complaints was 19.8% in smokers, 8.5% in those who smoked less, and 6.8% in non-smokers. The frequency of complaints classified by residential area showed 12.6% in industrial areas, and 7.8% in residential and commercial areas. The frequency of complaints of inhabitants who live along National Road No. 2 was relatively high, ranging from 15.0 to 18.8%, and the frequency of complaints of inhabitants was apparently higher than those of people who only work in the Ward.

The Spaces and Places That Women Casual Academics (Often Fail To) Inhabit

Science.gov (United States)

Crimmins, Gail

2016-01-01

This paper discusses a research project that aims to address the binary/irony of the central physical and teaching space that women casual academics inhabit within Australian universities, against their lack of presence in the existing discourses around higher education. The invisibility of women casual academics within the discourses around…

From nature tourism to ecotourism? The case of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Susan. Charnley

2005-01-01

This paper examines what is needed to transform nature tourism to protected areas into ecotourism, having genuine social benefits and serving as a tool for sustainable community development. It draws on the case of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania's most visited protected area, and a multiple land use zone inhabited by the pastoral Maasai peoples. I...

Organochlorine pesticide level differences among female inhabitants from Veracruz, Puebla and Tabasco, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Waliszewski, Stefan M; Caba, M; Saldarriaga-Noreña, H; Martínez, A J; Meza, E; Valencia Quintana, R; Zepeda, R

2014-08-01

Organochlorine pesticides have been used in Mexico in malaria control programs and against ectoparasites. The objective of this study was to compare the levels of organochlorine pesticides: HCB, α-β-γ-HCH, pp'-DDE, op'-DDT and pp'-DDT in adipose tissue of female inhabitants from three Mexican states: Veracruz, Puebla and Tabasco. Data analyses indicated higher β-HCH levels in Puebla inhabitants. When comparing the mean values of the pp'-DDE concentrations among the three states, no statistically significant differences were noted. A trend of increasing concentrations of op'-DDT from Veracruz to Puebla and Tabasco was observed. Significantly higher pp'-DDT concentrations in Veracruz as compared to Puebla and Tabasco were determined. Using factorial analysis of three age categories (>30, 31-50, pesticide concentrations increases with age of participants, indicating time of exposure as a principal factor of organochlorine pesticides accumulation in adipose tissue.

Urinary excretion of uranium in adult inhabitants of the Czech Republic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malátová, Irena; Bečková, Věra; Kotík, Lukáš

2016-01-01

The main aim of this study was to determine and evaluate urinary excretion of uranium in the general public of the Czech Republic. This value should serve as a baseline for distinguishing possible increase in uranium content in population living near legacy sites of mining and processing uranium ores and also to help to distinguish the proportion of the uranium content in urine among uranium miners resulting from inhaled dust. The geometric mean of the uranium concentration in urine of 74 inhabitants of the Czech Republic was 0.091 mBq/L (7.4 ng/L) with the 95% confidence interval 0.071–0.12 mBq/L (5.7–9.6 ng/L) respectively. The geometric mean of the daily excretion was 0.15 mBq/d (12.4 ng/d) with the 95% confidence interval 0.12–0.20 mBq/d (9.5–16.1 ng/d) respectively. Despite the legacy of uranium mines and plants processing uranium ore in the Czech Republic, the levels of uranium in urine and therefore, also human body content of uranium, is similar to other countries, esp. Germany, Slovenia and USA. Significant difference in the daily urinary excretion of uranium was found between individuals using public supply and private water wells as a source of drinking water. Age dependence of daily urinary excretion of uranium was not found. Mean values and their range are comparable to other countries, esp. Germany, Slovenia and USA. - Highlights: • Urinary uranium content of the inhabitants was experimentally determined. • Significant difference was found between inhabitants and uranium miners. • Higher uranium urinary content was found at users of private wells. • Dependence of urinary content on the age was not found. • The mean value and range of uranium daily excretion is similar to other countries.

Processes Governing Alkaline Groundwater Chemistry within a Fractured Rock (Ophiolitic Mélange Aquifer Underlying a Seasonally Inhabited Headwater Area in the Aladağlar Range (Adana, Turkey

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Cüneyt Güler

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate natural and anthropogenic processes governing the chemical composition of alkaline groundwater within a fractured rock (ophiolitic mélange aquifer underlying a seasonally inhabited headwater area in the Aladağlar Range (Adana, Turkey. In this aquifer, spatiotemporal patterns of groundwater flow and chemistry were investigated during dry (October 2011 and wet (May 2012 seasons utilizing 25 shallow hand-dug wells. In addition, representative samples of snow, rock, and soil were collected and analyzed to constrain the PHREEQC inverse geochemical models used for simulating water-rock interaction (WRI processes. Hydrochemistry of the aquifer shows a strong interseasonal variability where Mg–HCO3 and Mg–Ca–HCO3 water types are prevalent, reflecting the influence of ophiolitic and carbonate rocks on local groundwater chemistry. R-mode factor analysis of hydrochemical data hints at geochemical processes taking place in the groundwater system, that is, WRI involving Ca- and Si-bearing phases; WRI involving amorphous oxyhydroxides and clay minerals; WRI involving Mg-bearing phases; and atmospheric/anthropogenic inputs. Results from the PHREEQC modeling suggested that hydrogeochemical evolution is governed by weathering of primary minerals (calcite, chrysotile, forsterite, and chromite, precipitation of secondary minerals (dolomite, quartz, clinochlore, and Fe/Cr oxides, atmospheric/anthropogenic inputs (halite, and seasonal dilution from recharge.

Factors of land abandonment in mountainous Mediterranean areas: the case of Montenegrin settlements.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerckhof, Annelies; Spalevic, Velibor; Van Eetvelde, Veerle; Nyssen, Jan

2016-01-01

Land use changes have been investigated in the surroundings of 14 rural Montenegrin settlements in order to get specific information about trends in land abandonment since around 1950. Permanently, seasonally and less inhabited settlements with different geographic conditions were studied. This was done by interviewing local inhabitants, which enabled a holistic approach to reveal the underlying processes of land abandonment. According to the observed patterns of land use change, the study sites can be categorized into intensified, urbanized, extensified, overgrown and forested cases. The category of extensified settlements is characterized by a highly reduced agricultural management intensity, resulting in an increase in grasslands and fruit trees at the expense of cropland. This land use change is mainly related to emigrating and aging inhabitants, having less livestock. Such extensive land use is found in both permanently inhabited and abandoned villages. Only some studied settlements became largely overgrown by bushes and forest. The steep average slope gradients and a large distance to the nearest city are explanatory factors of such land abandonment. Land use intensification takes place in low-lying areas located nearby towns.

Ca and Mg determination from inhabitants of Brazil using neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zamboni, C.B.; Oliveir, L.C.; Luciana Kovacs; Sabrina Metairon

2012-01-01

In this study the neutron activation analysis (NAA) technique was applied to determine Ca and Mg in whole blood from inhabitants of Brazil for the purpose of establishing concentration ranges indicative of sex and age. The initiative to perform these measurements is related to the increase in heart disease. According to recent statistics from WHO, the average is one death due to heart attack in Brazil, every five minutes. The measures were performed considering lifestyle factors (non-smokers, non-drinkers and no history of toxicological exposure) of Brazilian inhabitants. A healthy group constituted of male (n = 94) and female (n = 84) blood donors, ages between 18 and 70 years and above 50 kg, was selected from the blood banks and hematological laboratories of Brazil. The influence of sex was also investigated considering several age ranges (18-29, 30-40, 41-50, >50 years). The results show significant differences when a comparison is made by sex and age and may be useful to identify or prevent clinical diseases. These results emphasize the need to perform periodic evaluation of Ca and Mg in blood. (author)

Lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in wild birds inhabiting North America.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramey, Andrew M; DeLiberto, Thomas J; Berhane, Yohannes; Swayne, David E; Stallknecht, David E

2018-05-01

Following detections of highly pathogenic (HP) influenza A viruses (IAVs) in wild birds inhabiting East Asia after the turn of the millennium, the intensity of sampling of wild birds for IAVs increased throughout much of North America. The objectives for many research and surveillance efforts were directed towards detecting Eurasian origin HP IAVs and understanding the potential of such viruses to be maintained and dispersed by wild birds. In this review, we highlight five important lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at HP IAVs in wild birds inhabiting North America: (1) Wild birds may disperse IAVs between North America and adjacent regions via migration, (2) HP IAVs can be introduced to wild birds in North America, (3) HP IAVs may cross the wild bird-poultry interface in North America, (4) The probability of encountering and detecting a specific virus may be low, and (5) Population immunity of wild birds may influence HP IAV outbreaks in North America. We review empirical support derived from research and surveillance efforts for each lesson learned and, furthermore, identify implications for future surveillance efforts, biosecurity, and population health. We conclude our review by identifying five additional areas in which we think future mechanistic research relative to IAVs in wild birds in North America are likely to lead to other important lessons learned in the years ahead. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in wild birds inhabiting North America

Science.gov (United States)

Ramey, Andy M.; DeLiberto, Thomas J.; Berhane, Yohannes; Swayne, David E.; Stallknecht, David E.

2018-01-01

Following detections of highly pathogenic (HP) influenza A viruses (IAVs) in wild birds inhabiting East Asia after the turn of the millennium, the intensity of sampling of wild birds for IAVs increased throughout much of North America. The objectives for many research and surveillance efforts were directed towards detecting Eurasian origin HP IAVs and understanding the potential of such viruses to be maintained and dispersed by wild birds. In this review, we highlight five important lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at HP IAVs in wild birds inhabiting North America: (1) Wild birds may disperse IAVs between North America and adjacent regions via migration, (2) HP IAVs can be introduced to wild birds in North America, (3) HP IAVs may cross the wild bird-poultry interface in North America, (4) The probability of encountering and detecting a specific virus may be low, and (5) Population immunity of wild birds may influence HP IAV outbreaks in North America. We review empirical support derived from research and surveillance efforts for each lesson learned and, furthermore, identify implications for future surveillance efforts, biosecurity, and population health. We conclude our review by identifying five additional areas in which we think future mechanistic research relative to IAVs in wild birds in North America are likely to lead to other important lessons learned in the years ahead.

Long-term measurements of the radiation exposure of the inhabitants of radioactively contaminated regions of Belarus. The Korma report II (1998-2015)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zoriy, Petro; Dederichs, Herbert; Pillath, Juergen; Heuel-Fabianek, Burkhard; Hill, Peter; Lennartz, Reinhard

2016-01-01

Radiological long-term measurements were performed between 1998 and 2015 in a region of Belarus that was affected by the Chernobyl accident. The internal radiation exposure of the inhabitants of the village of Volincy (Korma district) - caused by the existing contamination and an increasing lack of precautions in the course of time with regard to eating home-grown food - has experienced a significant decrease from a very high level. External exposure, however, reveals a different picture. Although an overall decrease was observed, the organic constituents of the soil show an increase in contamination. This increase was not observed in soils from cultivated land or gardens. In addition to the measurements, a relationship based on mutual trust allowed us to offer the inhabitants individual advice on how to reduce internal contamination. As a result of this advice and the decreasing environmental contamination (topsoil and crops), the internal dose was reduced significantly. Today, internal exposure is only slightly elevated and has no significant negative influence on the health of the inhabitants. In 2013, the internal dose decreased to less than 0.1 mSv/a. Despite this, the cumulative dose will remain significantly higher than ''normal'' values due to external exposure. Up to now, we have found no statistically significant signs or symptoms of diseases caused by radiation exposure. If internal exposure is checked on a regular basis and individual advice is available, there should be no specific danger for the people in the region in the near future. Resettlement may even be possible in former closed areas provided that people comply with appropriate dietary rules.

Long-term measurements of the radiation exposure of the inhabitants of radioactively contaminated regions of Belarus. The Korma report II (1998-2015)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zoriy, Petro; Dederichs, Herbert; Pillath, Juergen; Heuel-Fabianek, Burkhard; Hill, Peter; Lennartz, Reinhard

2016-07-01

Radiological long-term measurements were performed between 1998 and 2015 in a region of Belarus that was affected by the Chernobyl accident. The internal radiation exposure of the inhabitants of the village of Volincy (Korma district) - caused by the existing contamination and an increasing lack of precautions in the course of time with regard to eating home-grown food - has experienced a significant decrease from a very high level. External exposure, however, reveals a different picture. Although an overall decrease was observed, the organic constituents of the soil show an increase in contamination. This increase was not observed in soils from cultivated land or gardens. In addition to the measurements, a relationship based on mutual trust allowed us to offer the inhabitants individual advice on how to reduce internal contamination. As a result of this advice and the decreasing environmental contamination (topsoil and crops), the internal dose was reduced significantly. Today, internal exposure is only slightly elevated and has no significant negative influence on the health of the inhabitants. In 2013, the internal dose decreased to less than 0.1 mSv/a. Despite this, the cumulative dose will remain significantly higher than ''normal'' values due to external exposure. Up to now, we have found no statistically significant signs or symptoms of diseases caused by radiation exposure. If internal exposure is checked on a regular basis and individual advice is available, there should be no specific danger for the people in the region in the near future. Resettlement may even be possible in former closed areas provided that people comply with appropriate dietary rules.

Parasitological and serological studies on Amoebiasis and other intestinal parasitic infections in Recife and its suburban area, northeast Brazil

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Mitsu Okazaki

1988-08-01

Full Text Available Parasitological examinations were carried out during April to August, 1987, with 187 out-patients of the IMIP hospital, located in the center of Recife City, and 464 inhabitants of several villages around Cabo City, 50 Km southeast of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Approximately 71% of the IMIP patients and 92% of the Cabo inhabitants were infected with at least one species of intestinal parasite. There was minimum difference in the prevalence rate of Trichuris trichiura between two areas, whereas the prevalence rates of Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworms, Strongyloides stercoralis, Schistosoma mansoni and Entamoeba histolytica were higher in the inhabitants of the Cabo City area. Only Giardia lamblia was more prevalent in the out-patients of IMIP hospital. Test tube cultivation revealed that the prevalence rate of Necator americanus in both areas was much higher than that of Ancylostoma duodenale , and also that the prevalence rate of S. stercoralis of the IMIP patients and Cabo inhabitants were 4.5% and 9.6%, respectively. Six hundred and fifteen sera were serologically examined for amoebiasis by the gel diffusion precipitation test (GDP and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA using the antigen prepared from axenically cultured trophozoite of E. histolytica (strain HM-ITMSS. No positive reaction was observed in all of the sera as examined by GDP, while 32 out of 615 sera were positive on ELISA.

Heavy metal exposure, reproductive activity, and demographic patterns in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) inhabiting a contaminated floodplain wetland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levengood, Jeffrey M.; Heske, Edward J.

2008-01-01

We examined the concentrations of selected metals and selenium (Se) in the tissues of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) collected at a constructed wetland originally created as a retention basin for sediments dredged from Lake DePue, Illinois. These sediments were contaminated with high concentrations of cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and other elements as a result of nearby smelting operations. White-footed mice inhabiting the former retention basin experienced greater exposure to Cd, Pb, and Se than those from nearby reference sites. Concentrations of Cu and Zn in livers of mice from the contaminated wetland and adjacent floodplain reference site were greater than in mice from the more-distant reference sites. Judging by concentrations in their kidneys, white-footed mice inhabiting the floodplain adjacent to the contaminated wetland had greater exposure to Cd than those from the two more-distant reference sites. Concentrations of Hg in tissues of mice did not vary appreciably among sites. Concentrations of Cd and Se in the tissues of some white-footed mice from the contaminated wetland exceeded critical concentrations observed in experimental studies of laboratory mice and rats; with few exceptions tissue Pb concentrations were below published effects levels. However, we did not detect changes in abundance, demographics, or reproductive activity that might suggest population-level effects of contaminant exposure. Mean weight of embryos expressed as a function of crown-rump length did not differ among locations sampled, and no gross lesions indicative of exposure to heavy metals were observed. Kidney and liver weight, corrected for body weight, were nominally, though not significantly, lowest in both male and female mice from areas of increased Cd and Pb exposure. Metals dredged from Lake DePue were still bioavailable 25 years after deposition. However, small mammal populations are resilient to environmental stressors and we did not detect differences in

SUICIDAL ATTEMPTS AMONG YOUNG RURAL INHABITANTS

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Zdzisław Brzeski

2010-06-01

Full Text Available In recent years changes have been noted in the motivations for acute suicidal poisonings among young people from various environments, which are due to psychosocial changes both in the urban and rural environments. Suicidal attempts are accompanied – especially in the rural environment – by low social status, difficulties with adapting to a free market economy, emotional tension within the family, at school, in the environment of young people, addiction to alcohol, drug overuse, including psychotropes. Based on clinical material concerning rural inhabitants hospitalized due to suicidal poisonings, the authors performed the analysis of attitudes, motivations and causes of acute poisonings among the young rural population. Among rural adolescents who continued school or university education the dominant causes of undertaking a suicidal attempt were: adolescent period problems, conflicts within the family, conflicts with mates, and disappointment in love. Among young adults the motivations were as follows: difficulties with finding employment in the place of residence, conflicts within the family, overuse of stimulants, and sometimes states of depression during the period of aggravation of a disease.

Isolation and identification mould micoflora inhabiting plant leaf litter from Mount Lawu, Surakarta, Central Java

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MUHAMMAD ILYAS

2007-04-01

Full Text Available A study on isolation and identification mould inhabiting plant leaf litter had been conducted. The objective of the study was to isolate and identify mould inhabiting plant leaf litter from Mount Lawu, Surakarta, Central Java. The mould isolation was based on washing and filtering with membrane isolation method. The result showed that 39 moulds generas with 55 species varians, one group identified in class level, and three groups of unidentified mould isolates had been isolated. Taxas distributions showed that there were endophyte and phytopatogen mould isolates had been isolated such as Fusarium, Pestalotiopsis, Phoma, and Coelomycetes. However, typical soil taxa and common saprobic fungi such as Aspergillus, Cunninghamella, Mucor, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Rhizopus, and Trichoderma remain dominated the resulted isolates.

What Moves Them? Active Transport among Inhabitants of Dutch Deprived Districts

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Carla Saris

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Active modes of transport like walking and cycling have been shown to be valuable contributions to daily physical activity. The current study investigates associations between personal and neighbourhood environmental characteristics and active transport among inhabitants of Dutch deprived districts. Method. Questionnaires about health, neighbourhoods, and physical activity behaviour were completed by 742 adults. Data was analysed by means of multivariate linear regression analyses. Results. Being younger, female, and migrant and having a normal weight were associated with more walking for active transport. Being younger, male, and native Dutch and having a normal weight were associated with more cycling for active transport. Neighbourhood characteristics were generally not correlated with active transport. Stratified analyses, based on significant person-environment interactions, showed that migrants and women walked more when cars did not exceed maximum speed in nearby streets and that younger people walked more when speed of traffic in nearby streets was perceived as low. Among migrants, more cycling was associated with the perceived attractiveness of the neighbourhood surroundings. Discussion and Conclusion. Results indicated that among inhabitants of Dutch deprived districts, personal characteristics were associated with active transport, whereas neighbourhood environmental characteristics were generally not associated with active transport. Nevertheless, interaction effects showed differences among subgroups that should be considered in intervention development.

[Caries of permanent dentition in medieval inhabitants of Wrocław].

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Staniowski, Tomasz; Dabrowski, Paweł; Gawlikowska-Sroka, Aleksandra

2011-01-01

The study of dentition plays an important role in the reconstruction of the diet and in assessment of the overall health and living conditions of paleopopulations. The aim of this study was to determine the condition of permanent dentition of medieval inhabitants of Wrocław basing on the prevalence and intensity of caries in permanent dentition. The material consisted of 1156 permanent teeth from 118 skulls recovered from two medieval cemeteries in Wrocław: the parish cemetery at the St. Elisabeth Church (13th-14th century) and the cemetery in Ołbin (12th-13th century). Two age classes were formed taking into account anthropologic assessment and group size. The younger class consisted of material up to the age of 35 years; the remaining skulls were assigned to the older class. The prevalence and incidence of caries was determined. The prevalence and intensity of caries was 56.91% and 15.7%, respectively. Carious lesions predominated in males and in the older age class. The prevalence and intensity of caries in permanent dentition did not differ from other medieval populations and increased with age. High prevalence of caries reflects a high proportion of carbohydrates in the diet of medieval inhabitants of Wrocław, their high socioeconomic status, and poor oral hygiene.

Ecological aspects of microorganisms inhabiting uranium mill tailings

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, C.L.; Landa, E.R.; Updegraff, D.M.

1987-01-01

Numbers and types of microorganisms in uranium mill tailings were determined using culturing techniques. Arthrobacter were found to be the predominant microorganism inhabiting the sandy tailings, whereas Bacillus and fungi predominated in the slime tailings. Sulfate-reducing bacteria, capable of leaching radium, were isolated in low numbers from tailings samples but were isolated in significantly high numbers from topsoil in contact with the tailings. The results are placed in the context of the magnitude of uranium mill tailings in the United States, the hazards posed by the tailings, and how such hazards could be enhanced or diminished by microbial activities. Patterns in the composition of the microbial population are evaluated with respect to the ecological variables that influence microbial growth. ?? 1987 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

Sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in lymphocytes of inhabitants in high background radiation area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jinsheng; Zheng Qiaoling

1985-01-01

Blood samples were taken from 126 students of 15-16 years old, living in the high background radiation area, and from 124 controls of the same age range, living in the normal background radiation area. All students were interviewed for evaluation of their health status. Whole blood cultures were done with RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 20% fetal calf serum and antibiotics, The culture were incubated for 54-56 h in the presence of BrdU (10 μg/ml). Metaphases were stained for SCE using a modified techniqu of perry and Wolff. From each person 20 second division metaphases were analysed for SCEs. The average frequencies of SCEs observed in the high background group and the control group are presented. More SCEs were observed in the high background group than in the control with a statistically signigicant difference. In regard to the sex factor, it was found that the SCE frequencies in both sexes of the high background group were slightly higher than those in the control group. These findings suggest that continuous low-level irradiation by the high background radiation may induce increased frequency of SCEs

Metal accumulation in earthworms inhabiting floodplain soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vijver, Martina G.; Vink, Jos P.M.; Miermans, Cornelis J.H.; Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van

2007-01-01

The main factors contributing to variation in metal concentrations in earthworms inhabiting floodplain soils were investigated in three floodplains differing in inundation frequency and vegetation type. Metal concentrations in epigeic earthworms showed larger seasonal variations than endogeic earthworms. Variation in internal levels between sampling intervals were largest in earthworms from floodplain sites frequently inundated. High and low frequency flooding did not result in consistent changes in internal metal concentrations. Vegetation types of the floodplains did not affect metal levels in Lumbricus rubellus, except for internal Cd levels, which were positively related to the presence of organic litter. Internal levels of most essential metals were higher in spring. In general, no clear patterns in metal uptake were found and repetition of the sampling campaign will probably yield different results. - Metal levels in earthworms show large variation among sites, among seasons and among epigeic and endogeic species

The Prevalence and Pathogenicity of the “Anchor Worm” (Lernea spp, Phylum Arthropoda within the Finfish Inhabiting the Danube Delta Area

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Marius Hangan

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This research was conducted as a series of cross-sectional epidemiological studies. It started in the 2003 and ended in 2008, having as sample sites the Sontea-Fortuna, Gorgova-Uzlina, Dunavat-Dranov and Razim-Sinoie lakes. The aim of the research was to assess the distribution and the pathogenicity of the Lernaea copepod among the inhabiting finfish populations, in various seasons of the time period. Lernaea spp was found in ctenopharyngodon idella, cyprinus carpio, liza aurata and liza haematocheila, only in two out of the four sampled complex of lakes, Razim-Sinoie and Dunavat-Dranov. The highest prevalence of the parasite was recorded in the autumns and at the beginning of the springs. The frequency of the parasitism was highest in the C. idella captured in the Dunavat-Dranov complex lakes (86.29%. The lesions caused by the copepod were mainly localized on the eye balls, the tegmentum and on the fins, where hemorrhagic and proliferative processes, as well as an overall increase in tegmentum mucus secretion, were noticed.

Assessment of radiation doses to the public in areas contaminated by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahara, Shogo; Iijima, Masashi; Shimada, Kazumasa; Kimura, Masanori; Homma, Toshimitsu

2013-01-01

In the areas contaminated by radioactive materials due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, many residents are exposed to radiation through various exposure pathways. Dose assessment is important for providing appropriate protection to the people and clarifying the impact of the accident. The aim of this study is to provide preliminary results of the assessment of radiation doses received by the inhabitants of Fukushima Prefecture. To assess the doses realistically and comprehensively, a probabilistic approach was adopted using data that reflected realistic environmental trends and lifestyle habits in Fukushima Prefecture. In the first year after the contamination, the 95th percentile of the annual effective dose received by the inhabitants evacuated from the evacuation areas and the deliberate evacuation areas was mainly in the 1-10 mSv dose band. However, the 95th percentile of the dose received by some outdoor workers and inhabitants evacuated from highly contaminated areas was in the 10-50 mSv dose band. The doses due to external exposure to deposited radionuclides were the dominant exposure pathway, and their contributions were about 90% under prevailing contamination conditions in Fukushima Prefecture. In addition, 20%-30% of the lifetime effective dose was delivered during the first year after the contamination. (author)

Predictors of happiness among retired from urban and rural areas in Brazil

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Silvia Miranda Amorim

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract This study compared differences in degree of happiness, social support, activities performed, and health and economic situation among retirees from urban and rural areas in Minas Gerais State in Brazil. The influences of these predictors over individuals’ level of happiness were also analyzed. We included 279 retired individuals living in Abre Campo (a municipality with a population fewer than 20,000 inhabitants, which is considered a rural area and in Belo Horizonte (a municipality with a population of almost 2.5 million inhabitants, which is considered an urban area. Participants responded to a questionnaire that included scales of happiness, social support, diversity of activities, and issues about satisfaction with health and economic situation. Retirees from the urban area had a higher happiness level than retirees from the rural area (β= 0.16. The most important predictors of happiness were health (β= 0.42, social support (β= 0.26, and economic situation (β= 0.15, but no moderation effects of urban and rural areas were found. Our findings support the implementation of actions to offer financial planning before retirement and to stimulate social support and health promotion for retirees, particularly given the importance of these factors in perception of happiness.

Relationship between heavy metal accumulation and morphometric parameters in European hare (Lepus europaeus) inhabiting various types of landscapes in southern Poland.

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Wajdzik, Marek; Halecki, Wiktor; Kalarus, Konrad; Gąsiorek, Michał; Pająk, Marek

2017-11-01

To evaluate the influence of hazardous substances in the environment, studies of pollutant accumulation in wild living animals are needed. Studies dealing with heavy metal contamination in mammals usually focus on a single organ. We investigated accumulation of heavy metals as well as iron in European hare (Lepus europaeus) living in southern Poland, Małopolska Province. Hares were captured during the hunting season. We tested metal accumulation in 14 organs and tissues using 35 individuals with known body weight and sex inhabiting agricultural, industrial and other types of landscapes. To obtain deeper insight into contamination patterns, we used accumulation data from the liver since it is the most frequently investigated organ and prone to pollution accumulation. Based on the data obtained for the liver, we tested the impact of metal pollution on hare morphology, including body length and several skull cranimetric parameters. Metals content differed between organs. Moreover, individuals from industrial areas had higher Cd content in their body. We distinguished two groups of elements: the first group, Cd, Fe and Zn, revealed the highest toxic effect in the liver and kidneys; the second group, Cr, Ni, and Pb, accumulated primarily in the brain. Hares inhabiting industrial areas had higher concentration of Cd and Pb, and lower levels of Cr and Fe in their liver in comparison with those from agricultural and forest habitats. Heavy metals had an effect on body length that was negatively associated with Cr levels. Skull diastema length was associated positively with accumulation of Cd and Pb. We showed that hare organs and tissues could be used as bioindicators of environmental pollution by heavy metals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mimogonellus dreybrodti sp. n., a new cave-inhabiting Osoriinae from Laos (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae).

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Yin, Zi-Wei; Steiner, Helmut

2017-10-17

A new osoriine species, Mimogonellus dreybrodti Yin & Steiner, sp. n., collected from a cave in Houaphanh Province, Laos, is described and illustrated. This represents the third Mimogonellus species in Asia, and the first in the genus known to inhabit a cave environment.

PARASITIC AND SYMBIOTIC FAUNA INHABITING OYSTERS (CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA) SAMPLED FROM THE CALOOSAHATCHEE ESTUARY, FL

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Oysters, Crassostrea virginica, inhabiting 5 sites in the Caloosahatchee River estuary were studied over a 13 month period to determine the suitability of oyster habitat in relation to their health and condition. Histological examination of 650 oysters (10 animals per station per...

The inhabitants of Lund and Gaevle and the legacy of Chernobyl a preliminary study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erlandsson, B.

1999-01-01

The body burden of 137 Cs in the population of two Swedish cities, Lund and Gaevle has been calculated from measurements of the activity concentration in the sewage sludge from sewage treatment plants serving these cities. Now 13 years after the Chernobyl accident the activity in the run-off water during the winter season, January to March, and during dry periods is very low. Already 1996, 10 years after the accident, the distribution of the mean value of the activity concentration of 137 Cs has leveled out, and does not depend on the amount of precipitation. Therefor almost all 137 Cas activity can be determined as coming from the inhabitants of the two cities. The number of inhabitants and the distribution of men, women and children are well known for both Lund and Gaevle. These values are in good agreement with values obtained from whole-body measurements. (au)

Inhibition of in vitro growth of soil-borne pathogens by compost-inhabiting indigenous bacteria and fungi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramzan, N.; Noreen, N.; Shahzad, S.

2014-01-01

During the present studies, compost-inhabiting microorganisms including 44 fungi and 15 bacteria isolated from different compost samples were evaluated for their in vitro efficacy against soil-borne pathogens viz., Fusarium solani, Macrophomina phaseolina, Pythium aphanidermatum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Sclerotium rolfsii. Compost inhabiting microbes like Trichoderma harzianum, T. virens, Bacillus cereus, B. pumilus, B. subtilis, Micrococcus varians and Pseudomonas fluorescens were found to inhibit all the test pathogens. Acrophialophora fusispora and Penicillium citrinum reduced the mycelial growth of all the test pathogens except Sclerotium rolfsii. Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus megaterium showed biocontrol activity against all the pathogens except Rhizoctonia solani. Trichoderma harzianum parasitized mycelia of all the tested pathogens and produced coiling around the mycelium. (author)

Comparing Fear of Death of the Elderly Settled in Elderly’s Home and Inhabited in City Houses of Isfahan

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Esmat Nouhi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: On the one hand, increased growth of the elderly population and on the other hand, social– economic changes, personal and family lifestyles have caused an increased number of the elderly protecting centres. The aim of the present survey is to compare the fear of death among the elderly settled in elderly home and inhabited in city houses of Isfahan. Methods & Materials: This study is an analysis – cross sectional study and statistical population are all of the elderly over 60 years inhabited in 14 – fold zones of Isfahan and the ones settled in Sadeghieh elderly home. Participants in this survey were 300 elderly people that 102 people settled in the elderly home (31 males and 71 females and 198 people inhabited in the community (97 males and 101 females. The elderly inhabited in the community were selected through a cluster sampling method and the ones settled in the elderly home through available sampling method and evaluated through a questionnaire of Collett-Lester Fear of Death. In order to analyse collected data, parametric statistical methods of K–Square test and independent–T have been used . Results: The finding of this survey showed that fear of death total score mean was 70.5±15.5 in the elderly group inhabited in houses that significantly was more than that the elderly group settled in the elderly home (P=0.001. Conclusion: The results of this survey showed that fear of death in the elderly group settled in city houses is higher than elderly settled in the elderly’s home. It is necessary that the authorities pay more attention to the sanitary systems in all levels, evaluate the causes and, try to get the aids of the relevant organizations in order to Reduced fear of death of elderly people.

Specific diversity and morphological indices of muriform rodents in some areas of Semipalatinsk test range zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magda, I.N.; Chernykh, A.B.; Morozov, A.E.; Bushneva, I.A.; Ponyavkina, A.G.

2002-01-01

There were presented the results of the preliminary estimation of comparative specific diversity and morphological indices of muriform rodents inhabiting separate areas of the Semipalatinsk test site. (author)

Abandoned spaces, mute memories: On marginalized inhabitants in the urban centres of Slovenia

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Hrobat-Virloget Katja

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Article focuses on degraded heritage(s and their meanings for different groups of inhabitants, interpreting it/them through the studies of dominant and silenced memories. Case-studies of chosen Slovenian urban centres illustrate the consequences of drastic population change after the Second World War and of the transformation of power relations after Slovenia’s independence which brought changes in the political-ideological and economic system. As the authors observed, memories and heritage of Italian, German and Yugoslav inhabitants are often mute and silenced within the contemporary Slovenian hegemonic/authorised heritage discourse. Consequences of changes in social relations were also recognised at the micro level in the valorisation of the socialist heritage of industrial plants and military barracks. Today, these places are left to decay as the material reminders of the unwanted (pre-WWII or socialist past or they are transformed into centres of youth culture, creative industries or administrative centres. However, such reinterpretation does not enable their former users to access them and claim them as their own heritage.

Point-Source and Area-Wide Field Studies of Pyriproxyfen Autodissemination Against Urban Container-Inhabiting Mosquitoes

Science.gov (United States)

2014-04-05

in 50 L trash cans. Oak leaves of Quercus alba (L.) and Q. rubra (L.) were used because this infusion elicits oviposition responses from container...105 ha in area (Fig. 2), whereas, the control site was in Union Beach , NJ (40.2650 lat., - 74.71026 long.) and spanned 181 ha. Both the treatment and...people/km2) than Union Beach (1384.7 people/km2). We initially intended to assess pyriproxyfen-based area-wide autodissemination by treating 25% of an

Determination of 240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratios in human tissues collected from areas around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site by sector-field high resolution ICP-MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, M; Oikawa, S; Sakaguchi, A; Tomita, J; Hoshi, M; Apsalikov, K N

2008-09-01

Information on the 240Pu/239Pu isotope ratios in human tissues for people living around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) was deduced from 9 sets of soft tissues and bones, and 23 other bone samples obtained by autopsy. Plutonium was radiochemically separated and purified, and plutonium isotopes (239Pu and 240Pu) were determined by sector-field high resolution inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. For most of the tissue samples from the former nine subjects, low 240Pu/239Pu isotope ratios were determined: bone, 0.125 +/- 0.018 (0.113-0.145, n = 4); lungs, 0.063 +/- 0.010 (0.051-0.078, n = 5); and liver, 0.148 +/- 0.026 (0.104-0.189, n = 9). Only 239Pu was detected in the kidney samples; the amount of 240Pu was too small to be measured, probably due to the small size of samples analyzed. The mean 240Pu/239Pu isotope ratio for bone samples from the latter 23 subjects was 0.152 +/- 0.034, ranging from 0.088 to 0.207. A significant difference (a two-tailed Student's t test; 95% significant level, alpha = 0.05) between mean 240Pu/239Pu isotope ratios for the tissue samples and for the global fallout value (0.178 +/- 0.014) indicated that weapons-grade plutonium from the atomic bombs has been incorporated into the human tissues, especially lungs, in the residents living around the SNTS. The present 239,240Pu concentrations in bone, lung, and liver samples were, however, not much different from ranges found for human tissues from other countries that were due solely to global fallout during the 1970's-1980's.

Pulmonary adiaspiromycosis in the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) inhabiting Poland.

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Dolka, I; Giżejewska, A; Giżejewski, Z; Kołodziejska-Lesisz, J; Kluciński, W

2017-09-26

Adiaspiromycosis is a rare fungal infection caused by saprophytic fungi Emmonsia spp. (type Ascomycota) occurring especially in small free-living mammals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of histopathological lesions asscociated with adiaspiromycosis in the Eurasian beaver inhabiting Poland. In order to evaluate the presence of natural adiaspiromycosis we systematically investigated beaver populations from north-eastern Poland for adiaspores in the lungs. This study reveals for the first time the presence of pulmonary adiaspiromycosis of Eurasian beaver in Poland. As far as we know, there is no published data regarding pulmonary adiaspiromycosis in human patients in Poland.

The prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus among 15-34-year-aged Lithuanian inhabitants during 1991-2010.

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Ostrauskas, Rytas

2015-04-01

To summarize the data on the prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus among 15-34-year-aged Lithuania inhabitants (1991-2010). New prevalent cases consist of growing-up patients with diabetes onset in childhood, i.e., up to 14 years, new onset 15-34-year-aged type 1 diabetic patients Lithuanian inhabitants, and immigrants. The data on type 1 diabetes was collected with the help of general practitioners and regional endocrinologists in Lithuania. On 31 December 1991, there were 1202 adolescent and adult 15-34-year-aged patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus or 103.59 per 100,000 inhabitants of the same age group (95% Poisson CI 97.90-109.62), and at the end of 2010 - 1533 or 187.80 (178.63-197.44), respectively in Lithuania. During 19-year period the mean increase of type 1 diabetic patients was 1.25±1.94% per year or 1.47±2.74 per 100,000 inhabitants per mean year of the study period (for males 1.42±2.14% or 1.69±3.05/100,000 and for females 1.05±1.99%, or 1.24±2.92/100,000). Regression-based linear trends showed that the prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in 15-34-year-age group had a tendency to increase among males (r=0.953; p1) and females (r=0.970; p1). The age adjusted prevalence frequencies for males and females in 1991 were correspondingly 102.81/100,000 and 104.55/100,000, and in 2010 - 193.75 and 182.01. The prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus among 15-34-year-age males and females had a tendency to increase during 1991-2010. Copyright © 2014 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of novel forest ecosystems in the conservation of wood-inhabiting fungi in boreal broadleaved forests.

Science.gov (United States)

Juutilainen, Katja; Mönkkönen, Mikko; Kotiranta, Heikki; Halme, Panu

2016-10-01

The increasing human impact on the earth's biosphere is inflicting changes at all spatial scales. As well as deterioration and fragmentation of natural biological systems, these changes also led to other, unprecedented effects and emergence of novel habitats. In boreal zone, intensive forest management has negatively impacted a multitude of deadwood-associated species. This is especially alarming given the important role wood-inhabiting fungi have in the natural decay processes. In the boreal zone, natural broad-leaved-dominated, herb-rich forests are threatened habitats which have high wood-inhabiting fungal species richness. Fungal diversity in other broadleaved forest habitat types is poorly known. Traditional wood pastures and man-made afforested fields are novel habitats that could potentially be important for wood-inhabiting fungi. This study compares species richness and fungal community composition across the aforementioned habitat types, based on data collected for wood-inhabiting fungi occupying all deadwood diameter fractions. Corticioid and polyporoid fungi were surveyed from 67 130 deadwood particles in four natural herb-rich forests, four birch-dominated wood pastures, and four birch-dominated afforested field sites in central Finland. As predicted, natural herb-rich forests were the most species-rich habitat. However, afforested fields also had considerably higher overall species richness than wood pastures. Many rare or rarely collected species were detected in each forest type. Finally, fungal community composition showed some divergence not only among the different habitat types, but also among deadwood diameter fractions. Synthesis and applications : In order to maintain biodiversity at both local and regional scales, conserving threatened natural habitat types and managing traditional landscapes is essential. Man-made secondary woody habitats could provide the necessary resources and serve as surrogate habitats for many broadleaved deadwood

14 CFR 91.138 - Temporary flight restrictions in national disaster areas in the State of Hawaii.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... disaster areas in the State of Hawaii. 91.138 Section 91.138 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION... areas in the State of Hawaii. (a) When the Administrator has determined, pursuant to a request and justification provided by the Governor of the State of Hawaii, or the Governor's designee, that an inhabited...

Do site-specific radiocarbon measurements reflect localized distributions of 14C in biota inhabiting a wetland with point contamination sources?

Science.gov (United States)

Yankovich, T; King-Sharp, K J; Benz, M L; Carr, J; Killey, R W D; Beresford, N A; Wood, M D

2013-12-01

Duke Swamp is a wetland ecosystem that receives (14)C via a groundwater pathway originating from a waste management area on Atomic Energy Canada Limited's Chalk River Laboratories site. This groundwater reaches the surface of the swamp, resulting in relatively high (14)C levels over an area of 146 m(2). The objective of this study was to quantify (14)C concentrations in flora and fauna inhabiting areas of Duke Swamp over the gradient of (14)C activity concentrations in moss to determine whether (14)C specific activities in receptor biota reflect the localized nature of the groundwater source in the swamp. Representative receptor plants and animals, and corresponding air and soil samples were collected at six sites in Duke Swamp with (14)C specific activities in air that ranged from 1140 to 45,900 Bq/kg C. In general, it was found that specific activities of (14)C in biota tissues reflected those measured in environmental media collected from the same sampling site. The findings demonstrate that mosses could be used in monitoring programs to ensure protection of biota in areas with elevated (14)C, negating the need to capture and euthanize higher organisms. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health-Associated Niche Inhabitants as Oral Probiotics: The Case of Streptococcus dentisani

OpenAIRE

L?pez-L?pez, Arantxa; Camelo-Castillo, Anny; Ferrer, Mar?a D.; Simon-Soro, ?urea; Mira, Alex

2017-01-01

Oral diseases, including dental caries and periodontitis, are among the most prevalent diseases worldwide and develop as a consequence of a microbial dysbiosis. Several bacterial strains are being tested as potential oral health-promoting organisms, but usually they are species isolated from niches other than the site where they must exert its probiotic action, typically from fecal samples. We hypothesize that oral inhabitants associated to health conditions will be more effective than tradit...

The Role of Social Influence on How Residence Hall Inhabitants Respond to Fire Alarms

Science.gov (United States)

Leytem, Michael; Stark, Emily

2016-01-01

College resident halls pose a threat for a catastrophic event in the case of fire, but little research has examined potential influences on students' responses to fire alarms, particularly the role of social influence in affecting their behaviors. In the current study, residence hall inhabitants reported their knowledge about fire safety, their…

Spatial Distribution and Sampling Plans for Grapevine Plant Canopy-Inhabiting Scaphoideus titanus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Nymphs.

Science.gov (United States)

Rigamonti, Ivo E; Brambilla, Carla; Colleoni, Emanuele; Jermini, Mauro; Trivellone, Valeria; Baumgärtner, Johann

2016-04-01

The paper deals with the study of the spatial distribution and the design of sampling plans for estimating nymph densities of the grape leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball in vine plant canopies. In a reference vineyard sampled for model parameterization, leaf samples were repeatedly taken according to a multistage, stratified, random sampling procedure, and data were subjected to an ANOVA. There were no significant differences in density neither among the strata within the vineyard nor between the two strata with basal and apical leaves. The significant differences between densities on trunk and productive shoots led to the adoption of two-stage (leaves and plants) and three-stage (leaves, shoots, and plants) sampling plans for trunk shoots- and productive shoots-inhabiting individuals, respectively. The mean crowding to mean relationship used to analyze the nymphs spatial distribution revealed aggregated distributions. In both the enumerative and the sequential enumerative sampling plans, the number of leaves of trunk shoots, and of leaves and shoots of productive shoots, was kept constant while the number of plants varied. In additional vineyards data were collected and used to test the applicability of the distribution model and the sampling plans. The tests confirmed the applicability 1) of the mean crowding to mean regression model on the plant and leaf stages for representing trunk shoot-inhabiting distributions, and on the plant, shoot, and leaf stages for productive shoot-inhabiting nymphs, 2) of the enumerative sampling plan, and 3) of the sequential enumerative sampling plan. In general, sequential enumerative sampling was more cost efficient than enumerative sampling.

Public space and ecology in Medellin: of the indexes of square meters for inhabitant, to the system of urban green spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Velez Restrepo, Luis Anibal

2002-01-01

This paper constitutes a critic for green urban areas management from the landscape ecology perspective. In the context of urban public space as a reference, the decree No.1504 (1998) about urban public space in the Colombian land planning, and the agreement No.62 (1999) for the Medellin land planning 2000-2010. In the first part the conceptual limitations (from the ecological point of view) of both the decree and land planning in relation lo green areas and city-nature relationships, are highlighted. Green areas are being treated, in fact, as accessory to the urban public spaces and nowadays constitute a functionally disarticulated complex. In the second part the Medellin land planning is examined in detail to show the above-mentioned limitations especially in the absence of an ecological perspective of the urban landscape together with a lack of articulation of private open spaces and green areas. In the third part the new environmental functions of urban green areas are considered, as well as the importance of taking into account and making feasible the interactions among them, under an ecological functioning perspective. Further than an index of square meters per inhabitant. A system of green urban areas and management policies oriented to a greater naturalization are needed. The last part suggests ways of incorporating ecological criteria to the urban environmental management to the urban public space and of course to the planning and management of Medellin urban green areas and its metropolitan area

Characteristics of radionuclide contamination of different zones of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site ``Opytnoe pole''

Science.gov (United States)

Kadyrzhanov, K. K.; Khazhekber, S.; Lukashenko, S. N.; Solodukhin, V. P.; Kazachevskiy, I. V.; Poznyak, V. L.; Knyazev, B. B.; Rofer, Ch.

2003-01-01

Data on the spatial distribution of radionuclides (241Am, 239Pu, 137Cs and 152Eu) formed during nuclear explosions of different types near P2 SNTS test site are presented. Radionuclide contamination induced by the explosions varies in the concentrations of individual radionuclides, their proportions and species. Examination of the variations is a crucial task to plan remediation activities as well as those aimed at decrease of radiation risk for population and prevention of repeated contamination. Concentrations of 241Am and 239+240Pu that are the most toxic radionuclides in the area lie in hundred thousands of Bqkg-1. The most contaminated areas are classified by the radionuclide concentration, ratio and form present in soil.

Human Disturbance during Early Life Impairs Nestling Growth in Birds Inhabiting a Nature Recreation Area.

Science.gov (United States)

Remacha, Carolina; Delgado, Juan Antonio; Bulaic, Mateja; Pérez-Tris, Javier

2016-01-01

Nature recreation conflicts with conservation, but its impacts on wildlife are not fully understood. Where recreation is not regulated, visitors to natural areas may gather in large numbers on weekends and holidays. This may increase variance in fitness in wild populations, if individuals whose critical life cycle stages coincide with periods of high human disturbance are at a disadvantage. We studied nestling development of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) in a natural area where recreation activities intensify during weekends and other public holidays at picnic and leisure facilities, but not in the surrounding woods. In nests located near recreation facilities, blue tit nestlings that hatched during holidays developed slowly, and fledged with low body mass and poor body condition. However, nestlings that hatched outside of holidays and weekends in these nest boxes developed normally, eventually attaining similar phenotypes as those hatching in the surrounding woods. Within-brood variance in body mass was also higher in broods that began growing during holidays in disturbed areas. Our results show that early disturbance events may have negative consequences for wild birds if they overlap with critical stages of development, unveiling otherwise cryptic impacts of human activities. These new findings may help managers better regulate nature recreation.

Human Disturbance during Early Life Impairs Nestling Growth in Birds Inhabiting a Nature Recreation Area.

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Carolina Remacha

Full Text Available Nature recreation conflicts with conservation, but its impacts on wildlife are not fully understood. Where recreation is not regulated, visitors to natural areas may gather in large numbers on weekends and holidays. This may increase variance in fitness in wild populations, if individuals whose critical life cycle stages coincide with periods of high human disturbance are at a disadvantage. We studied nestling development of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus in a natural area where recreation activities intensify during weekends and other public holidays at picnic and leisure facilities, but not in the surrounding woods. In nests located near recreation facilities, blue tit nestlings that hatched during holidays developed slowly, and fledged with low body mass and poor body condition. However, nestlings that hatched outside of holidays and weekends in these nest boxes developed normally, eventually attaining similar phenotypes as those hatching in the surrounding woods. Within-brood variance in body mass was also higher in broods that began growing during holidays in disturbed areas. Our results show that early disturbance events may have negative consequences for wild birds if they overlap with critical stages of development, unveiling otherwise cryptic impacts of human activities. These new findings may help managers better regulate nature recreation.

Nutritional habits of the inhabitants of the island of Vis.

Science.gov (United States)

Missoni, Sasa

2009-12-01

The island of Vis belongs to middle Dalmatian group of islands with caracteristics Mediterranean climate. The assumption was that the dominant diet of the inhabitants is also Mediterranean. Such diet is considered to be one of the best for the prevention of many complex and chronic diseases, as confirmed by numerous studies in different parts of the World. This study showed a shift in dietary habits in the direction of a more globalized diet. Such sudden shift may prove to be an important trigger for the development of complex diseases such as diabetes melitus type 2, cardiovascular diseases, gout, as well as certain types of cancer.

Energy Consumption Information Services for Smart Home Inhabitants

Science.gov (United States)

Schwanzer, Michael; Fensel, Anna

We investigate services giving users an adequate insight on his or her energy consumption habits in order to optimize it in the long run. The explored energy awareness services are addressed to inhabitants of smart homes, equipped with smart meters, advanced communication facilities, sensors and actuators. To analyze the potential of such services, a game at a social network Facebook has been designed and implemented, and the information about players' responses and interactions within the game environment has been collected and analyzed. The players have had their virtual home energy usage visualized in different ways, and had to optimize the energy consumption basing on their own perceptions of the consumption information. Evaluations reveal, in particular, that users are specifically responsive to information shown as a real-time graph and as costs in Euro, and are able to produce and share with each other policies for managing their smart home environments.

Comparison of the Visual Capabilities of an Amphibious and an Aquatic Goby That Inhabit Tidal Mudflats.

Science.gov (United States)

Takiyama, Tomo; Hamasaki, Sawako; Yoshida, Masayuki

2016-01-01

The mudskipper Periophthalmus modestus and the yellowfin goby Acanthogobius flavimanus are gobiid teleosts that both inhabit the intertidal mudflats in estuaries. While P. modestus has an amphibious lifestyle and forages on the exposed mudflat during low tide, the aquatic A. flavimanus can be found at the same mudflat at high tide. This study primarily aimed to elucidate the differential adaptations of these organisms to their respective habitats by comparing visual capacities and motor control in orienting behavior during prey capture. Analyses of retinal ganglion cell topography demonstrated that both species possess an area in the dorsotemporal region of the retina, indicating high acuity in the lower frontal visual field. Additionally, P. modestus has a minor area in the nasal portion of the retina near the optic disc. The horizontally extended specialized area in P. modestus possibly reflects the need for optimized horizontal sight on the exposed mudflat. Behavioral experiments to determine postural and eye direction control when orienting toward the object of interest revealed that these species direct their visual axes to the target situated below eye level just before a rapid approach toward it. A characteristic feature of the orienting behavior of P. modestus was that they aimed at the target by using the specialized retinal area by rotating the eye and lifting the head before jumping to attack the target located above eye level. This behavior could be an adaptation to a terrestrial feeding habitat in which buoyancy is irrelevant. This study provides insights into the adaptive mechanisms of gobiid species and the evolutionary changes enabling them to forage on land. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The precondition of social mobility in Ignalina NPP and its area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikshys, A.

1998-01-01

In the paper some preconditions of social mobility in the northern Lithuania (Ignalina nuclear power plant) and in its area are analyzed. The results of the sociological research reveal the desire of some part of the inhabitants of the nuclear power plant area to change their social status and the place of residence. The difficult social and demographically situation in this region as significant is noted. The author proposes some mean for the normalization of this situation. (author)

Insect pests on firs in air pollution areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pfeffer, A

1962-01-01

Fir trees growing in areas contaminated by fluorine exhalations show clearly signs of a chronic injury leading finally to the death of the trees. In such contaminated areas individual trees show different degrees of susceptibility and resistance. In contaminated fir stands the disappearance of primary, monophagous bark beetles of the genus Pityokteines Fuchs was noted; while Pissodes piceae Ill. and the twig inhabiting bark beetles Cryphalus piceae Rtzb. C. abietis Rtzb. and Pityophthorus pityographus Rtzb. remained in small numbers. A population increase, however, occurred in Dreyfusia piceae Rtzb., D. nuesslini C.B. and in the wood-wasp Panrurus juvencus L.

EVERYDAY LIFE IN CAMPS FOR DISPLACED PERSONS IN GERMANY (ON PERSONAL MEMOIRS OF THEIR INHABITANTS

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Татьяна Александровна Котова

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The object of the research of the article is to reveal the main lines of everyday life in camps for displaced persons on the example of such camps as Fyussen, Kempten and Shlayskhaym, located in Germany. The author reveals thepeculiarities of the structure of the camps, household, cultural and spiritual life. The article is written on the basis of memoirs of contemporaries of that time, inhabitants of camps DPs I. N. Koren, V. Gashurova, O. Bezradetskaya-Astromova, I. Hrapunov, I. Savostina and others. The author concludes that in the camps for displaced persons there was active life, but not without difficulties. Despite various problems, in DP camps there was cultural life, various sporting and game events; inhabitants of camps spent leisure time by participating in theatrical and scout circles, ballet troupes. An important role in people’sadaptation to difficult conditions of accommodation in camps was played by publishing activities and the Church which helped people to survive financially and spiritually.

New aspects in distribution of population dose loads in Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, P.; Pivovarov, S.; Rukhin, A.; Seredavina, T.; Sushkova, N.

2008-01-01

Full text: The question on dose loads of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) region population is not fully solved till now. There is rather different estimations of doses, received by people of nearest to SNTS settlements. It may be explain by absence of individual dosimeters during and after nuclear weapon tests and also many various ways of radiation exposure receiving. During last some years we have done a people dose loads estimations by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) tooth enamel dosimetry method - one of the best and reliable for retrospective dosimetry. It was studied tooth enamel people from settlements Dolon, Bodene, Cheremushki, Mostik, which was irradiated mainly by the first atomic explosion 1949, settlement Sarjal, irradiated by the first thermonuclear explosion in 1953, and control settlement Maysk, which is sited close to SNTS, but there was no any radioactive traces due to east wind. The results display a not expected rather surprising picture: in all settlements, including control one Maysk, the dose loads distribution was rather similar, it has ex fast bimodal form with rather high doses in the second one. The possible reasons of such situation is discussed. The results obtained is compared with last estimations of Semipalatinsk region dose loads of population, which were specially attentively discussed at International Symposiums in Hiroshima (Japan, 2005) and Bethesda (MD, USA, 2006). (author)

Organochlorine pesticide residue levels in blood serum of inhabitants from Veracruz, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Waliszewski, Stefan M; Caba, M; Herrero-Mercado, M; Saldariaga-Noreña, H; Meza, E; Zepeda, R; Martínez-Valenzuela, C; Gómez Arroyo, S; Villalobos Pietrini, R

2012-09-01

The objective of the present study was to monitor the levels of organochlorine pesticides HCB; α-, β-, γ-HCH; pp'DDE; op'DDT; and pp'DDT in blood serum of Veracruz, Mexico inhabitants. Organochlorine pesticides were analyzed in 150 blood serum samples that constituted that which remained after clinical analyses, using gas chromatography-electron-capture detection (GC-ECD). The results were expressed as milligrams per kilogram on fat basis and micrograms per liter on wet weight. Only the following pesticides were detected: p,p'-DDE was the major organochlorine component, detected in 100% of samples at mean 15.8 mg/kg and 8.4 μg/L; p,p'-DDT was presented in 41.3.% of monitored samples at mean 3.1 mg/kg and 1.4 μg/L; β-HCH was found in 48.6% of the samples at mean 4.9 mg/kg and 2.7 μg/L; op'DDT was determined to be in only 3.3% of monitored samples at mean 2.7 mg/kg and 1.4 μg/L. The pooled samples divided according to sex showed significant differences of β-HCH and pp'DDE concentrations in females. The samples grouped according to age presented the third tertile as more contaminated in both sexes, indicating age as a positively associated factor with serum organochlorine pesticide levels in Veracruz inhabitants.

Human-related factors regulate the spatial ecology of domestic cats in sensitive areas for conservation.

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Joaquim P Ferreira

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Domestic cats ranging freely in natural areas are a conservation concern due to competition, predation, disease transmission or hybridization with wildcats. In order to improve our ability to design effective control policies, we investigate the factors affecting their numbers and space use in natural areas of continental Europe. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We describe the patterns of cat presence, abundance and space use and analyse the associated environmental and human constraints in a well-preserved Mediterranean natural area with small scattered local farms. We failed in detecting cats in areas away from human settlements (trapping effort above 4000 trap-nights, while we captured 30 individuals near inhabited farms. We identified 130 cats, all of them in farms still in use by people (30% of 128 farms. All cats were free-ranging and very wary of people. The main factor explaining the presence of cats was the presence of people, while the number of cats per farm was mostly affected by the occasional food provisioning with human refuse and the presence of people. The home ranges of eight radio tagged cats were centred at inhabited farms. Males went furthest away from the farms during the mating season (3.8 km on average, maximum 6.3 km, using inhabited farms as stepping-stones in their mating displacements (2.2 km of maximum inter-farm distance moved. In their daily movements, cats notably avoided entering in areas with high fox density. CONCLUSIONS: The presence, abundance and space use of cats were heavily dependent on human settlements. Any strategy aiming at reducing their impact in areas of conservation concern should aim at the presence of settlements and their spatial spread and avoid any access to human refuse. The movements of domestic cats would be limited in areas with large patches of natural vegetation providing good conditions for other carnivore mammals such as red foxes.

Research and systematization of 'hot' particles in the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site soils - methodology and first results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorlachev, I.D.; Knyazev, B.B.; Kvochkina, T.N.; Lukashenko, S.N.

2005-01-01

Full text: Sources of soil activity in Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) could be both 'hot' particles dimensions from tens microns to units millimeters and sub-microns particles determining a matrix activity of soil samples. The fractionating of radionuclides and formation of 'hot' particles radionuclide composition arose from temperature changes and complicated nuclear-physical and thermodynamics processes occurring in a fire ball and cloud of nuclear explosion. Knowledge of 'hot' particles physical-chemical properties is needed for evaluation of radioactive products migration in the environment and danger level of the people external and internal exposure. Moreover, minute information about the structure and compound of 'radioactive' particles can be useful for specification of processes occurring in a fiery sphere when conducting explosions of different phylum and also for specification of radioactive fallout forming mechanism. The main polluted spots of SNTS could be divided into the four the species depending on nuclear explosion phylum. Species of radionuclide and their distribution for the different nuclear explosions are able to differ considerably. Therefore, several most typical areas for the each phylum test were selected and twenty soil samples were collected to reveal their radionuclide pollution peculiarities. Collected soil samples were separated into the five granulometric fractions: 1 mm - 2 mm, 0.5 mm - 1 mm. 0.28 mm-0.5 mm, 0.112 mm - 0.28 mm and 1 mm), 210 'hot' particles of second fraction (1>f>0.5 mm) and 154 'hot' particles of third fraction (0.5>f>0.28 mm) have been selection from the twelve SNTS soil samples by the compelled fission and visual identification methods. Main sources of soil samples and 'hot' particles activities are 239+240 Pu, 241 Am, 137 Cs and 152 Eu isotopes.In addition to the described works the special sampling of large 'hot' particles (dimension more than 2 mm) was carried out in areas of the ground and air tests

Somatic mutagenesis at T-cell receptor locus in inhabitants of radiation polluted regions as a result of the Chernobyl disaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zamulaeva, I.A.; Smirnova, S.G.; Orlova, N.V.; Vereshchagina, O.A.; Chekin, S.Yu.; Smirnova, I.A.; Krikunova, L.I.; Parshin, V.S.; Ivanov, V.K.; Saenko, A.S.

2006-01-01

In the period of 2001-2004, the mutation frequency at T-cell receptor (TCR) locus was assessed in 553 inhabitants of contamination regions of the Russian Federation and 154 unexposed control persons. The inhabitants were divided into three groups according to age at the moment of the Chernobyl disaster and 137 Cs contamination density. The most intense changes of the TCR-mutant cell frequency was observed in the group of persons exposed to prenatal irradiation. The excess in the mean TCR-mutant cell frequency was less expressed in the group of inhabitants aged 0-14 years at the moment of irradiation start. It was not found significant differences in mutation frequency between the control group and adults consisting in the third group (18 and more years old). The changes of the TCR-mutant cell frequency in persons exposed in prenatal and postnatal periods differ not only quantitatively, but qualitatively. The TCR-mutant frequency was significantly higher in persons with benign tumors of different localizations and nodules in thyroid gland than in persons without this pathology [ru

Sustainability Challenges from Climate Change and Air Conditioning Use in Urban Areas

OpenAIRE

Lundgren, Karin; Kjellström, Tord

2013-01-01

Global climate change increases heat loads in urban areas causing health and productivity risks for millions of people. Inhabitants in tropical and subtropical urban areas are at especial risk due to high population density, already high temperatures, and temperature increases due to climate change. Air conditioning is growing rapidly, especially in South and South-East Asia due to income growth and the need to protect from high heat exposures. Studies have linked increased total hourly elect...

New O-superfamily conotoxins from Conus striatus inhabited near Chinese Hainan Island

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2000-01-01

Conotoxins are short peptide-toxins with specific targets and large diversity.They are useful in analgesia,neuroprotection,detection of some kinds of deseases,and receptor and ion channel study.In order to explore the conotoxin resourses of Chinese oceans,rapid amplification of 3' cDNA ends (RACE) method was utilized to systemically analyze the O-superfamily conotoxin content of Conus striatus inhabited near Chinese Hainan Island.Six new O-superfamily conopeptides were identified,one of which is highly homologous to MVIIA,an N-type calcium channel antagonist.

Long-term measurements of the radiation exposure of the inhabitants of radioactively contaminated regions of Belarus. The Korma report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dederichs, Herbert; Pillath, Juergen; Heuel-Fabianek, Burkhard; Hill, Peter; Lennartz, Reinhard

2009-01-01

Radiological long-term measurements were performed between 1998 and 2007 in a region in Belarus that was affected by the Chernobyl accident. The internal radiation exposure of the inhabitants in the village of Volincy (Korma County) - caused by the existing contamination and an increasing lack of precaution over time with regard to eating home-grown food - has experienced a significant decrease from a very high level. The external exposure, however, reveals a different picture. Although an overall decrease was observed, the organic constituents of the soil show an increase in contamination. This increase was not observed in soils from cultivated land or gardens. In addition to the measurements, a relationship based on mutual trust allowed us to offer the inhabitants individual advice on how to reduce internal contamination. As a result of this advice and the decreasing environmental contamination (topsoil and crops), the internal dose was reduced significantly. Today, the internal exposure has only increased slightly and has no significant negative influence on the health of the people. The internal dose will decrease to less than 0.2 mSv/a in 2011 and to below 0.1 mSv/a in 2020. Despite this, the cumulative dose will remain significantly higher than ''normal'' values due to external exposure. Until now, we have found no statistically significant signs or symptoms of diseases caused by radiation exposure. If internal exposure is checked on a regular basis and advice is offered on an individual basis, there should be no specific danger for the people in the region in the near future. Resettlement may even be possible in former prohibited areas provided that people comply with appropriate dietary rules. (orig.)

Animals and their products utilized as medicines by the inhabitants surrounding the Ranthambhore National Park, India

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Jaroli DP

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract The present ethnozoological study describes the traditional knowledge related to the use of different animals and animal-derived products as medicines by the inhabitants of villages surrounding the Ranthambhore National Park of India (Bawaria, Mogya, Meena, which is well known for its very rich biodiversity. The field survey was conducted from May to July 2005 by performing interviews through structured questionnaires with 24 informants (16 men and 8 women, who provided information regarding therapeutic uses of animals. A total of 15 animals and animal products were recorded and they are used for different ethnomedical purposes, including tuberculosis, asthma, paralysis, jaundice, earache, constipation, weakness, snake poisoning. The zootherapeutic knowledge was mostly based on domestic animals, but some protected species like the collared dove (Streptopelia sp., hard shelled turtle (Kachuga tentoria, sambhar (Cervus unicolor were also mentioned as important medicinal resources. We would suggest that this kind of neglected traditional knowledge should be included into the strategies of conservation and management of faunistic resources in the investigated area.

THE GREEN AREAS MANAGEMENT AND THEIR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

OpenAIRE

ADINA CLAUDIA NEAMTU; LIVIU NEAMTU

2014-01-01

The situation that exists at the level of the urban areas from Romania testifies a natural environment with a high risk for the health of the inhabitants as a consequence of the low level of the ecological development resulted from the lack of an integrated management of the green areas and spaces in comparison with the other components of the sustainable development. In the strategic management of the green areas and spaces having as purpose the improvement of the quality of ...

Radiation risk factors in incidence anortality among exposed individuals of East Kazakhstand m

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Kazbek Apsalikov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Lengthy clinical and epidemiological studies at the Research Institute of Radiation Medicine and Ecology have discovered basic patterns of long-term effects from ionizing radiation in population groups exposed to radiation risk. Methodology for calculating injury from radiation risk factors has been developed and implemented to minimize the effects of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS. Material and methods: We analyzed materials from the database of the Scientific Medical Register that were exposed to radiation as a result of SNTS. We analyzed both male and female populations of the Abay, Beskaragai and Zhanasemei, Kokpekti (control areas of East-Kazakhstan region (EKR from 2008-2012. These populations were split into three groups allocated by the generation. The first group represented persons born from the period of 01/01/1930 -08/01/1949 and their children born from the period of 10/09/1949-12/31/1962. The second group were persons born after 01/01/1963. The third group served as the control and were persons who immigrated to these areas after 1990. Results: There was an increased incidence of cancer (21.5%, p < 0.000734, cardiovascular diseases (10.2%; respiratory problems (9.6%, gastrointestinal issues (9.1%, p < 0.00371-0.00679 in the first group. The effect of the radiation dose has not been fully stuided among the subjects in the second group.The major causes of excess mortality in the first group were neoplams (30.6%, hypertension (23.8%, and myocardial infarction (22.6%. The effects of radiation influenced mortality in the second group were 2-2.5 times lower than the first group.Conclusion: There is a correlation between the size of the radiation dose, the risk profile, and age at the moment of radiation exposure with trends of morbidity and mortality in the radiation exposed areas.

Hepatozoon ellisgreineri n. sp. (Hepatozoidae): description of the first avian apicomplexan blood parasite inhabiting granulocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Valkiūnas, Gediminas; Mobley, Kristin; Iezhova, Tatjana A

2016-02-01

Blood parasites of the genus Hepatozoon (Apicomplexa, Hepatozoidae) infect all groups of terrestrial vertebrates, and particularly high prevalence and species diversity have been reported in reptiles and mammals. A few morphologically similar species, in which gamonts inhabit mononuclear leukocytes and red blood cells, have been described in birds. Here, we report a new Hepatozoon species, which was found in wild-caught secretary birds Sagittarius serpentarius, from Tanzania. Hepatozoon ellisgreineri n. sp. can be readily distinguished from all described species of avian Hepatozoon because its gamonts develop only in granulocytes, predominantly in heterophils, a unique characteristic among bird parasites of this genus. Additionally, this is the first reported avian apicomplexan blood parasite, which inhabits and matures in granulocytes. We describe H. ellisgreineri based on morphological characteristics of blood stages and their host cells. This finding broadens knowledge about host cells of avian Hepatozoon spp. and other avian apicomplexan blood parasites, contributing to the better understanding of the diversity of haematozoa. This is the first report of hepatozoonosis in endangered African birds of the Sagittariidae.

FAAL PARU PENDUDUK DESA TARJUN SEKITAR PABRIK SEMEN TIGA RODA KECAMATAN KELUMPANG SELATAN KABUPATEN KOTABARU (Lung Funtion of Tarjun Village Inhabitants nearby The Tiga Roda Cement Factory Kelumpang Selatan-Kotabaru

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Arifin Arifin

2003-03-01

Full Text Available ABSTRAK Studi ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis konsentrasi debu yang terbuang dari pabrik semen pada area dengan jarak 100m, 400m, 700m, dan 1000m dari pagar batas pabrik, dan mengidentifikasi factor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap fungsi paru dari penduduk yang tinggal dalam area tersebut. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan dengan menerapkan studi "cros-sectional", yang dilaksanakan terbadap 74 responden sebagai sample. Seluruh responden adalah ibu rumah tangga dengan kisaran umur 20-40 tahun dan tinggal di tempat tersebut sedikitnya 4 tahun. "Peronal Dust Sampler" digunakan untuk mengukur debu yang ada di dalam rumah. Kuisioner digunakan sebagai sumber informasi tambahan. "Anovu, Chi-Square and Multiple Logistical Regression " digunakan untuk menganalisis data. Penelitian ini mengindikasikan bahwa konsentrasi debu di daerah tempat tinggal telah melebihi maksimum yang ditetapkan berdasarkan SK Menteri Kesehatan No.829/MENKES/SK/VIll1999 tentang kondisi kesehatan rumah. Semakin dekat dengan tembok batas pabrik semakin tinggi konsentrasi debu. Tetapi fungsi paru para penduduk yang tinggal di berbagai jarak terhadap sumber polutan menunjukkan perbedaan yang tidak signifikan.   ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to analyze dust concentration emitted from a cement factory within the distance of 100, 400, 700, and 1000 meters from factory boundary walls, compare to the dust and to identify the factors affecting lung function of inhabitants within those areas. The research was conducted applying cross-sectional study, which was carried out towards 74 respondents as sample. All respondents are housewives with range of age 20-40 years old and have been staying in the study area for at least four years. Personal dust sampler was used to measure respirable dust inside the house. Questionnaires were used as additional information. Anova, and Multiple Logistical Regression were the tests used in analyzing data. The research indicates that the dust concentration

Encountering local inhabitants' perspectives in terms of authenticity: The example of rural tourism in southern Germany

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T. Weidinger

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Effects of globalisation and various standardisation processes in everyday life are currently reflected through individuals’ quests for encountering authenticity. The paper interrogates in which particular ways local inhabitants evaluate rural localities with regard to authenticity by means of local architectural styles and filmic representations. Empirical findings from two qualitative studies carried out in rural Southern Germany are presented. The studies were comprised of qualitative interviews with local inhabitants and representatives in tourism, politics and heritage conservation together with a film analysis of a popular Heimat film shot in the Bavarian forest. Results reveal locals’ critique of modern architectural styles such as “Tuscan houses” as inauthentic, whereby a link between architecture and regional identity (“archidentity” cannot be established. However, the film analysis brings forth locals’ congruities between filmic representations and their lived spaces. In sum, locals’ perspectives on authentication processes can contribute to re-evaluate localities that are mainly shaped by idealised images for tourism purposes.

Further investigation on chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes of inhabitants in high background radiation area in Yangjiang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Deqing; Zhang Chaoyang; Yao Suyan

1985-01-01

Blood samples were taken from 122 healthy secondary school students at the age of 15 to 16 living in a high background radiation region and from 99 controls, All subjects from both areas had lived there since their births; they were non-smokers and without history of exposure to medical X-rays. The youngsters of 15 to 16 years old who were native-born and grew up in the high background radiation area received approximately 3.5 rad more cumulative γ-ray exposure than those in the control area. For each individual 200 M-1 cells were analysed. The frequency of chromosome aberrations in the high background group was 0.47/100 cells, while that in the control group was 0.33/100 cells, the diffrence being statistically significant. The frequencies of acentrics (fragment, acentric ring and minute), dicentrics and stable aberrations (inversion and translocation) were 0.41, 0.021 and 0.045/100 cells respectively in the high background group, and 0.30, 0.020 and 0.005/100 cells respectively in the control group. Only the difference of stable aberrations between the two groups was significant

The Complex of Scolytinae Inhabiting Persea borbonia and Persea americana in Florida: Possible Interactions with Other Species

Science.gov (United States)

A diverse number of Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) have been found inhabiting Persea borbonia and P. americana in Florida during 2009 and 2010. They include the exotic redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, vector of Raffaelea lauricola, X. volvulus, X. ferrugineus, Xylosandrus crassiu...

Microenvironment and phylogenetic diversity of Prochloron inhabiting the surface of crustose didemnid ascidians.

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Daniel A; Pernice, Mathieu; Schliep, Martin; Sablok, Gaurav; Jeffries, Thomas C; Kühl, Michael; Wangpraseurt, Daniel; Ralph, Peter J; Larkum, Anthony W D

2015-10-01

The cyanobacterium Prochloron didemni is primarily found in symbiotic relationships with various marine hosts such as ascidians and sponges. Prochloron remains to be successfully cultivated outside of its host, which reflects a lack of knowledge of its unique ecophysiological requirements. We investigated the microenvironment and diversity of Prochloron inhabiting the upper, exposed surface of didemnid ascidians, providing the first insights into this microhabitat. The pH and O2 concentration in this Prochloron biofilm changes dynamically with irradiance, where photosynthetic activity measurements showed low light adaptation (Ek ∼ 80 ± 7 μmol photons m(-2) s(-1)) but high light tolerance. Surface Prochloron cells exhibited a different fine structure to Prochloron cells from cloacal cavities in other ascidians, the principle difference being a central area of many vacuoles dissected by single thylakoids in the surface Prochloron. Cyanobacterial 16S rDNA pyro-sequencing of the biofilm community on four ascidians resulted in 433 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) where on average -85% (65-99%) of all sequence reads, represented by 136 OTUs, were identified as Prochloron via blast search. All of the major Prochloron-OTUs clustered into independent, highly supported phylotypes separate from sequences reported for internal Prochloron, suggesting a hitherto unexplored genetic variability among Prochloron colonizing the outer surface of didemnids. © 2015 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dermal insecticide residues from birds inhabiting an orchard

Science.gov (United States)

Vyas, N.B.; Spann, J.W.; Hulse, C.S.; Gentry, S.; Borges, S.L.

2007-01-01

The US Environmental Protection Agency conducts risk assessments of insecticide applications to wild birds using a model that is limited to the dietary route of exposure. However, free-flying birds are also exposed to insecticides via the inhalation and dermal routes. We measured azinphos-methyl residues on the skin plus feathers and the feet of brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in order to quantify dermal exposure to songbirds that entered and inhabited an apple (Malus x domestica) orchard following an insecticide application. Exposure to azinphos-methyl was measured by sampling birds from an aviary that was built around an apple tree. Birds sampled at 36 h and 7-day post-application were placed in the aviary within 1 h after the application whereas birds exposed for 3 days were released into the aviary 4-day post-application. Residues on vegetation and soil were also measured. Azinphos-methyl residues were detected from the skin plus feathers and the feet from all exposure periods. Our results underscore the importance of incorporating dermal exposure into avian pesticide risk assessments.

Hyperuricemia in the inhabitants of the Marshall Islands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, W.H.; Harper, J.A.; Heotis, P.M.; Jamner, A.H.

1984-01-01

Annual medical examinations are conducted by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for a population of Marshallese who were accidentally exposed to radioactive fallout in 1954, for a comparison population, and for all inhabitants of the atolls of Rongelap and Utirik. Disease surveillance includes analysis of serum samples. Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels are common along Pacific populations, and modifying environmental factors have been investigated as a cause for this finding. The authors have studied SUA levels of people living in the Marshall Islands, and have found elevated values similar to those reported for other Micronesian populations. The nearly Gaussian distribution of individual serum uric acid values for men, and for women less than or equal to45 years of age, indicates that the elevation is due to a regularized increase in serum uric acid rather than to a subpopulation that has pathologic hyperuricemia. The higher serum uric acid levels appear, therefore, to be normal for the Marshallese, a conclusion supported by the infrequency of clinical gout in the population tested

Uranium isotopes in well water samples as drinking sources in some settlements around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Kazakhstan.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Masayoshi; Tomita, Junpei; Sakaguchi, Aya; Ohtsuka, Yoshihito; Hoshi, Masaharu; Apsalikov, Kazbek N

Radiochemical results of U isotopes ( 234 U, 235 U and 238 U) and their activity ratios are reported for well waters as local sources of drinking waters collected from the ten settlements around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS), Kazakhstan. The results show that 238 U varies widely from 3.6 to 356 mBq/L (0.3-28.7 μg/L), with a factor of about 100. The 238 U concentrations in some water samples from Dolon, Tailan, Sarzhal and Karaul settlements are comparable to or higher than the World Health Organization's restrictive proposed guideline of 15 μg (U)/L. The 234 U/ 238 U activity ratios in the measured water samples are higher than 1, and vary between 1.1 and 7.9, being mostly from 1.5 to 3. The measured 235 U/ 238 U activity ratios are around 0.046, indicating that U in these well waters is of natural origin. It is probable that the elevated concentration of 238 U found in some settlements around the SNTS is not due to the close-in fallout from nuclear explosions at the SNTS, but rather to the intensive weathering of rocks including U there. The calculated effective doses to adults resulting from consumption of the investigated waters are in the range 1.0-18.7 μSv/y. Those doses are lower than WHO and IAEA reference value (100 μSv/y) for drinking water.

Behavioural adaptations to moisture as an environmental constraint in a nocturnal burrow-inhabiting Kalahari detritivore Parastizopus armaticeps Peringuey (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O.A.E. Rasa

1994-08-01

Full Text Available The nocturnal desert detritivore Parastiz.opus armaticeps shows differences in surface activity patterns and burrow fidelity depending on surface humidity. After rain approximately half of the beetle population, independent of sex, is highly vagile and disperses over long distances. During drought, beetles are more sedentary and show higher burrow fidelity. They also inhabit burrows that are longer and deeper than non-inhabited ones, such burrows being relatively scarce. Burrow fidelity and the adoption of a more sedentary habit during drought are considered strategies to avoid the risks of not locating a suitable burrow before sunrise and subsequent desiccation in shallow burrows.

Ambient and smartphone sensor assisted ADL recognition in multi-inhabitant smart environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Nirmalya; Misra, Archan; Cook, Diane

2016-02-01

Activity recognition in smart environments is an evolving research problem due to the advancement and proliferation of sensing, monitoring and actuation technologies to make it possible for large scale and real deployment. While activities in smart home are interleaved, complex and volatile; the number of inhabitants in the environment is also dynamic. A key challenge in designing robust smart home activity recognition approaches is to exploit the users' spatiotemporal behavior and location, focus on the availability of multitude of devices capable of providing different dimensions of information and fulfill the underpinning needs for scaling the system beyond a single user or a home environment. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach for recognizing complex activities of daily living (ADL), that lie in between the two extremes of intensive use of body-worn sensors and the use of ambient sensors. Our approach harnesses the power of simple ambient sensors (e.g., motion sensors) to provide additional 'hidden' context (e.g., room-level location) of an individual, and then combines this context with smartphone-based sensing of micro-level postural/locomotive states. The major novelty is our focus on multi-inhabitant environments, where we show how the use of spatiotemporal constraints along with multitude of data sources can be used to significantly improve the accuracy and computational overhead of traditional activity recognition based approaches such as coupled-hidden Markov models. Experimental results on two separate smart home datasets demonstrate that this approach improves the accuracy of complex ADL classification by over 30 %, compared to pure smartphone-based solutions.

Ambient and smartphone sensor assisted ADL recognition in multi-inhabitant smart environments

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, Archan; Cook, Diane

2016-01-01

Activity recognition in smart environments is an evolving research problem due to the advancement and proliferation of sensing, monitoring and actuation technologies to make it possible for large scale and real deployment. While activities in smart home are interleaved, complex and volatile; the number of inhabitants in the environment is also dynamic. A key challenge in designing robust smart home activity recognition approaches is to exploit the users' spatiotemporal behavior and location, focus on the availability of multitude of devices capable of providing different dimensions of information and fulfill the underpinning needs for scaling the system beyond a single user or a home environment. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach for recognizing complex activities of daily living (ADL), that lie in between the two extremes of intensive use of body-worn sensors and the use of ambient sensors. Our approach harnesses the power of simple ambient sensors (e.g., motion sensors) to provide additional ‘hidden’ context (e.g., room-level location) of an individual, and then combines this context with smartphone-based sensing of micro-level postural/locomotive states. The major novelty is our focus on multi-inhabitant environments, where we show how the use of spatiotemporal constraints along with multitude of data sources can be used to significantly improve the accuracy and computational overhead of traditional activity recognition based approaches such as coupled-hidden Markov models. Experimental results on two separate smart home datasets demonstrate that this approach improves the accuracy of complex ADL classification by over 30 %, compared to pure smartphone-based solutions. PMID:27042240

Health Status of Sand Flathead (Platycephalus bassensis, Inhabiting an Industrialised and Urbanised Embayment, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria as Measured by Biomarkers of Exposure and Effects.

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Jarrad K Baker

Full Text Available Port Phillip Bay, Australia, is a large semi-closed bay with over four million people living in its catchment basin. The Bay receives waters from the Yarra River which drains the city of Melbourne, as well as receiving the discharges of sewage treatment plants and petrochemical and agricultural chemicals. A 1999 study demonstrated that fish inhabiting Port Phillip Bay showed signs of effects related to pollutant exposure despite pollution management practices having been implemented for over a decade. To assess the current health status of the fish inhabiting the Bay, a follow up survey was conducted in 2015. A suite of biomarkers of exposure and effects were measured to determine the health status of Port Phillip Bay sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis, namely ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD activity, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH biliary metabolites, carboxylesterase activity (CbE and DNA damage (8-oxo-dG. The reduction in EROD activity in the present study suggests a decline in the presence of EROD activity-inducing chemicals within the Bay since the 1990s. Fish collected in the most industrialised/urbanised sites did not display higher PAH metabolite levels than those in less developed areas of the Bay. Ratios of PAH biliary metabolite types were used to indicate PAH contaminant origin. Ratios indicated fish collected at Corio Bay and Hobsons Bay were subjected to increased low molecular weight hydrocarbons of petrogenic origin, likely attributed to the close proximity of these sites to oil refineries, compared to PAH biliary metabolites in fish from Geelong Arm and Mordialloc. Quantification of DNA damage indicated a localised effect of exposure to pollutants, with a 10-fold higher DNA damage level in fish sampled from the industrial site of Corio Bay relative to the less developed site of Sorrento. Overall, integration of biomarkers by multivariate analysis indicated that the health of fish collected in industrialised areas

DNA typing of HLA class II genes in native inhabitants of Chukotka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krylov, M.Yu.; Erdesz, S.; Alexeeva, L.I. [Institute of Rheumatology, Moscow (Russian Federation)

1995-06-01

Polymorphism of HLA class II genes was studied in native Chukotka inhabitants with the use of DNA oligotyping. The characteristics of the distribution of allelic variants of the loci HLA-DRB1, -DQA1, -DQB1, and -DPB1 were revealed; they were similar to those of other Subarctic Mongoloid populations and different from those for comparable populations of other climatic and geographic zones. Our data suggest that the specific features found for the distributions of some alleles of the loci examined are related to the geographic variation in the HLA gene system studied. 20 refs., 4 tabs.

Learning to Inhabit the Forest: Autonomy and Interdependence of Lives from a Mbya-Guarani Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Remorini, Carolina

2015-01-01

This chapter examines the ideas of reciprocity, respect, autonomy, and interdependence of lives and the impact of these on children's learning. Using an ecological perspective that recognizes humans' relationship with other living beings that inhabit the forest, this chapter is based on ethnographic research conducted in two Mbya-Guarani communities (Argentina). Respect and reciprocity are key for children to develop as part of the community and the forest and they are related to children's well-being and health. I describe Mbya perspectives on children's growth and development, emphasizing the balance between interdependence and autonomy as complementary goals and values, providing examples of environmentally relevant skills to grow up in the forest. These skills are associated with particular ways of inhabiting the forest, including learning how to walk in it and developing entendimiento (understanding). These make possible children's integration in community life through their participation and collaboration in daily activities. I attempt to articulate these ideas with the theoretical framework of Learning by Observing and Pitching In, especially concerning ways of organizing and supporting children's learning processes in the context of their engagement with multiaged and more experienced group of people. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Terrestrial Permafrost Models of Martian Habitats and Inhabitants

Science.gov (United States)

Gilichinsky, D.

2011-12-01

Martian permafrost is still 100 times older. Only one terrestrial environment is close to Mars in age - volcanoes in permafrost areas. The age of volcanic deposits frozen after eruption is much younger than the age of surrounding permafrost. Culture- and culture-independent methods show the presence of viable thermophiles and their genes within pyroclastic frozen material on Deception Island, Antarctica and Kamchatka peninsula. These bacteria and archeae have not been found in permafrost outside the volcanic areas. The only way for thermophiles to get into frozen soil is through deposition during eruption, i.e. the catastrophic geological events transport microbes from the depths to the surface and they survive at subzero temperatures. The past activity of Martian volcanoes periodically burned through the frozen strata and products of eruptions rose from the depths to the surface and froze. Images taken by the Stereo Camera on board the Mars Express discovered volcanoes 2-15Myr old that date back to ages close to permafrost on Earth. Terrestrial communities might serve as a model of inhabitants for these young volcanoes. 3. The only opportunity for free water on Mars is the overcooled water brines, and halo/psychrophilc community of Arctic cryopegs, sandwiched within permafrost, represents a plausible prototype for Martian microbial life.

Metallic copper spray--a new control technique to combat invasive container-inhabiting mosquitoes.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Norbert; Oo, Thin Thin; Schork, Nino

2015-11-09

The control of container-inhabiting mosquitoes is mainly based on environmental management with special emphasis on community participation e.g. source reduction by elimination or modification of water bodies. However, citizens are often not aware of the problems related to urban mosquito control or just ignore the advice provided during anti-mosquito control campaigns. In particular, cemeteries contain favourite breeding sites for container-inhabiting mosquitoes like Ochlerotatus j. japonicus, Culex pipiens s.l./Cx. torrentium, Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus. In our study, we investigated whether metallic copper e.g. in form of copper spray can be a suitable and cost-effective tool to combat mosquito breeding in vases or other similar small containers where no commonly used insecticides can be applied. The effect of metallic copper spray in comparison to 5 Euro cent coins or copper tubes at different dosages and water qualities applied in small water collections such as widely used plastic grave vases were evaluated by assessing the mortality rates of larvae of Oc.j. japonicus, Cx. pipiens s.l./Cx. torrentium and Ae.aegypti. Different water qualities were tested to assess the influence of pH on the solubility of the copper ions. The copper concentrations were quantified using ICP/MS (Inductively coupled plasma/Mass spectrometry) in relation to the exposure time and mortality rates of mosquito larvae. All statistical analyses were computed using JMP 10.0.2 (SAS Institute Inc., 2012, Cary, NC, USA). Dosages of less than 500 ppb of copper in the water of small containers led to a 100% mortality rate after 2 weeks for all tested mosquito species by using one or more 5 Euro cent coins/vase. When the interior surface of plastic grave vases was covered by metallic copper spray, all of the tested larvae died after 7-10 days in the laboratory and under field conditions the reduction rate was 99.44% for Oc.j. japonicus and 99.6% for Culex pipiens s.l./Cx. torrentium

Prevalence and clinical aspects of Wuchereria bancrofti among inhabitants of a resource limited irrigation project community, North Central Nigeria

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Ebube Charles Amaechi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the prevalence and clinical manifestations of lymphatic filariasis among inhabitants of the study area. Methods: A total of 1 069 persons of different age groups were examined using immunochromatographic test which detected Wuchereria bancrofti (W. bancrofti antigens by finger prick blood collection. Physical examinations of the subjects were also carried out to check for signs of the infection on the individuals. Results: Of these, 36 (3.4% were infected with W. bancrofti. Males showed a higher prevalence than females (4.0% vs. 2.8%, P < 0.05. Those that fell in the age group of 70 years and above were the most infected (23.8%. Regarding signs and symptoms of the disease, periodic fever was reported the most by the subjects (7.5% followed by crawling sensation (4.9%. Periodic fever and crawling sensation tended to appear much earlier in life, while tenderness of limbs, elephantiasis and hydrocele were symptoms that showed up from the fifth decade of life. Conclusions: Our study showed that lymphatic filariasis was caused by W. bancrofti as a serious health problem in irrigation communities of Nigeria. Realistic and sustained health interventions are required to effectively control the disease in this community and other related areas of Nigeria.

Estimation of annual effective dose from 226Ra 228Ra due to consumption of foodstuffs by inhabitants of high level natural radiation of Ramsar, Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fathivand, A.A.; Asefi, M.; Amidi, A.

2005-01-01

Full text: A knowledge of natural radioactivity in man and his environment is important since naturally occurring radionuclides are the major source of radiation exposure to man. Radioactive nuclides present in the natural environment enter the human body mainly through food and water.Besides, measurement of naturally occurring radionuclides in the environment can be used not only as a reference when routine releases from nuclear installation or accidental radiation exposures are assessed, but also as a baseline to evaluate the impact caused by non-nuclear activities. In Iran, measurement of natural and artificial radionuclides in environmental samples in normal and high-background radiation areas have been performed by some investigators but no information has been available on 226 Ra and 228 Ra in foodstuffs. Therefore we have started measurements of 226 Ra and 228 Ra in foodstuffs of Ramsar which is a coastal city in the north part of Iran and has been known as one of the world's high level natural radiation areas, using low level gamma spectrometry measurement system .The results from our measurements and food consumption rates for inhabitants of Ramsar city have been used for the estimation of annual effective dose due to consumption of foodstuffs by inhabitants of Ramsar city. A total of 33 samples from 11 different foodstuffs including root vegetables (beetroot), leafy vegetables (lettuce, parsley and spinach) and tea, meat,chicken, pea,broad bean, rice, and cheese were purchased from markets and were analyzed for their 226 Ra and 228 Ra concentrations. The highest concentrations of 226 Ra and 228 Ra were determined in tea samples with 1570 and 1140 mBq kg -1 respectively and the maximum estimated annual effective dose from 226 Ra and Ra due to consumption foodstuffs were determined to be 19.22 and 0.71 μSv from rice and meat samples respectively

Factors influencing retention of visible implant tags by westslope cutthroat trout inhabiting headwater streams of Montana

Science.gov (United States)

Bradley B. Shepard; Jim Robison-Cox; Susan C. Ireland; Robert G. White

1996-01-01

Retention of visible implant (VI) tags by westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi inhabiting 20 reaches of 13 isolated headwater tributary drainages in Montana was evaluated during 1993 and 1994. In 1993, 2,071 VI tags were implanted in westslope cutthroat trout (100-324 mm fork length) and adipose tins were removed as a secondary mark to evaluate tag...

Disseminating Ambient Assisted Living in Rural Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Leitner, Gerhard; Felfernig, Alexander; Fercher, Anton J.; Hitz, Martin

2014-01-01

The smart home, ambient intelligence and ambient assisted living have been intensively researched for decades. Although rural areas are an important potential market, because they represent about 80% of the territory of the EU countries and around 125 million inhabitants, there is currently a lack of applicable AAL solutions. This paper discusses the theoretical foundations of AAL in rural areas. This discussion is underlined by the achievements of the empirical field study, Casa Vecchia, which has been carried out over a four-year period in a rural area in Austria. The major goal of Casa Vecchia was to evaluate the feasibility of a specific form of AAL for rural areas: bringing AAL technology to the homes of the elderly, rather than moving seniors to special-equipped care facilities. The Casa Vecchia project thoroughly investigated the possibilities, challenges and drawbacks of AAL related to this specific approach. The findings are promising and somewhat surprising and indicate that further technical, interactional and socio-psychological research is required to make AAL in rural areas reasonable in the future. PMID:25068862

Disseminating Ambient Assisted Living in Rural Areas

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Gerhard Leitner

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The smart home, ambient intelligence and ambient assisted living have been intensively researched for decades. Although rural areas are an important potential market, because they represent about 80% of the territory of the EU countries and around 125 million inhabitants, there is currently a lack of applicable AAL solutions. This paper discusses the theoretical foundations of AAL in rural areas. This discussion is underlined by the achievements of the empirical field study, Casa Vecchia, which has been carried out over a four-year period in a rural area in Austria. The major goal of Casa Vecchia was to evaluate the feasibility of a specific form of AAL for rural areas: bringing AAL technology to the homes of the elderly, rather than moving seniors to special-equipped care facilities. The Casa Vecchia project thoroughly investigated the possibilities, challenges and drawbacks of AAL related to this specific approach. The findings are promising and somewhat surprising and indicate that further technical, interactional and socio-psychological research is required to make AAL in rural areas reasonable in the future.

Exposure subpopulations and peculiarities of individual dose distributions among inhabitants of the Semipalatinsk region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pivovarov, S. [Institute of Nuclear Physics, National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)], E-mail: pivov@inp.kz; Rukhin, A.; Seredavina, T.; Sushkova, N. [Institute of Nuclear Physics, National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan); Hill, P. [Forschungszentrum GmbH, Department of Safety and Radiation Protection, Juelich (Germany)], E-mail: p.hill@fz-juelich.de; Peterson, L.E. [Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (United States)], E-mail: peterson.leif@ieee.org

2007-07-15

The results of integral dose estimations for inhabitants of four settlements near the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site obtained by EPR dosimetry on tooth enamel in 2004-2005 years are discussed. It was found that the observed dose distributions have a nonstandard bimodal form with a mode at low doses in the range from 0.3-0.5 Gy, and a tail with higher doses, possibly suggesting two subpopulations. Possible reasons for such high doses are discussed.

The impact of preferences of inhabitants of settlements for developers activities

Science.gov (United States)

Pawłowicz, J. A.; Szafranko, E.

2017-08-01

Urban community contributes to the development of any city, but it is essential that its residents can live, work and relax in a friendly environment. The source of their well-being and positive aesthetic experience is a harmonious landscape, shaped by the functional spatial layout of streets, blocks of buildings and structures and the accompanying elements of nature and development, ensuring the rational development of urban space. The need to knowing of public expectations in relation to residence, is an important step in planning new investments by developers and construction companies. In order to carry out of research cooperation has been established with the construction company. Cooperation allowed to gain experience in the commercialization and implementation of research and carry out analysis and evaluation of spatial structures in terms of urban development and functional housing estates, with special emphasis on the needs of society. The observations focused in particular on ecological building and the necessity of the creation and development of green areas, sports and recreation to residential areas. We know that every square meter of land designated for housing carries a possible profit for the developer. The more will be built and sold apartments the more earn the investor. However, to the apartment were popular meet the demands of customers concerning not only the housing unit, but also the environment in which the building is situated. It is therefore important that the settlements were attractive and meet the social needs of society. Social needs are related to satisfying the expectations of the inhabitants of the settlements related to the comfort of the apartment, being, rest and recreation living within the zone of residence. As part of the research work carried study work and field research. They consisted gain knowledge about work organization in the enterprise and hearing the reasons and scope of the activities the developer, as well as get

Diversity and morphological structure of bacterial communities inhabiting the Diana-Hygieia Thermal Spring (Budapest, Hungary).

Science.gov (United States)

Anda, Dóra; Büki, Gabriella; Krett, Gergely; Makk, Judit; Márialigeti, Károly; Erőss, Anita; Mádl-Szőnyi, Judit; Borsodi, Andrea K

2014-09-01

The Buda Thermal Karst System is an active hypogenic karst area that offers possibility for the analysis of biogenic cave formation. The aim of the present study was to gain information about morphological structure and genetic diversity of bacterial communities inhabiting the Diana-Hygieia Thermal Spring (DHTS). Using scanning electron microscopy, metal accumulating and unusual reticulated filaments were detected in large numbers in the DHTS biofilm samples. The phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were represented by both bacterial strains and molecular clones but phyla Acidobacteria, Chlorobi, Chlorofexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Nitrospirae and Thermotogae only by molecular clones which showed the highest similarity to uncultured clone sequences originating from different environmental sources. The biofilm bacterial community proved to be somewhat more diverse than that of the water sample and the distribution of the dominant bacterial clones was different between biofilm and water samples. The majority of biofilm clones was affiliated with Deltaproteobacteria and Nitrospirae while the largest group of water clones was related to Betaproteobacteria. Considering the metabolic properties of known species related to the strains and molecular clones from DHTS, it can be assumed that these bacterial communities may participate in the local sulphur and iron cycles, and contribute to biogenic cave formation.

Risk Perception of Radiation Exposure of Villagers Living Near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site

Science.gov (United States)

Purvis-Roberts, K. L.

2006-12-01

Connecting scientific data to societal needs is particularly important with the complex environmental issues that face us in the near future, such as global warming and natural hazards. Once the scientific data is collected and analyzed, dissemination of the results needs to be communicated to the public in a way that can be easily understood without glossing over the complexity of the issue. An interesting case study derives from the primary nuclear test site for the former Soviet Union, located near the city of Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. Villagers living directly adjacent to the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) were exposed continuously to radioactive clouds from atmospheric, above ground and underground nuclear tests. The people living in the region are still exposed to low levels of radiation through the environmental contamination of their food and water and have experienced a higher incidence of cancers and birth defects than people living in other regions of the country. A database of historical environmental data was collected throughout the nuclear testing period by the Soviet government, tracking radiation concentrations through food, water, and soil samples around the SNTS, but this environmental data was never shared with the villagers. In fact, only after the Soviet Union fell apart in 1989 did the people discover that they had been exposed to radiation during the past 40 years. Through preliminary interviews with villagers, physicians, and scientists who live near the SNTS, it was discovered that the three groups viewed the risk of radiation exposure very differently. By developing a risk perception survey to understand how the different groups perceived radiation risk, and then comparing the scientific data to the survey results, a better way to communicate the risk could be developed. The risk perception survey was given to over 800 people in East Kazakhstan Oblast, including villagers living near the SNTS, scientists who study the

Noteworthy records of reptiles from natural open vegetation areas in plateau and coastal areas of the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil

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Ivo Rohling Ghizoni-Jr.

2009-09-01

Full Text Available The composition and geographic distribution of reptiles in Santa Catarina are little known, particularly in the open areas of its plateau (covered with ombrophylous steppe and Atlantic littoral (coastal dunes with thin, low, and predominant herbaceous vegetation known as restinga. Aiming to contribute to the knowledge of reptiles that inhabit these areas, this paper presents sixteen records of previously unknown or uncommon species in Santa Catarina: Acanthochelys spixii, Anops kingii, Cnemidophorus lacertoides, C. vacariensis, Leptotyphlops munoai, Mastigodryas b. bifossatus, Tantilla aff. melanocephala, Atractus reticulatus, Gomesophis brasiliensis, Lygophis flavifrenatus, Oxyrhopus r. rhombifer, Phalotris reticulatus, Philodryas agassizii, Xenodon dorbignyi, Micrurus altirostris and Bothrops pubescens. Aspects of the distribution and conservation of these species are discussed briefly.

Origins of inhabitants from the 16th century Sala (Sweden) silver mine cemetery – a lead isotope perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Price, T. Douglas; Frei, Robert; Bäckström, Ylva

2017-01-01

Historical documents record the operation of a silver mine from the 16th century AD located near the former village of Salberget in central Sweden. The historical record describes several categories of inhabitants, including local families, workers and miners, foreign engineers and mining...

Food Neophobia in Wild Rats (Rattus norvegicus Inhabiting a Changeable Environment-A Field Study.

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Klaudia Modlinska

Full Text Available Food neophobia is a reaction to novel food observed in many animal species, particularly omnivores, including Rattus norvegicus. A neophobic reaction is typically characterised by avoidance of novel food and the necessity to assess both its potential value and toxicity by the animal. It has been hypothesised that this reaction is not observed in rats inhabiting a changeable environment with a high level of variability with regard to food and food sources. This study was conducted in such changeable conditions and it aims to demonstrate the behaviour of wild rats R. norvegicus in their natural habitat. The rats were studied in a farm setting, and the experimental arena was demarcated by a specially constructed pen which was freely accessible to the rats. At regular intervals, the rats were given new flavour- and smell-altered foods, while their behaviour was video-recorded. The results obtained in the study seem to confirm the hypothesis that rats inhabiting a highly changeable environment do not exhibit food neophobia. The observed reaction to novel food may be connected with a reaction to a novel object to a larger extent than to food neophobia. The value of the results obtained lies primarily in the fact that the study was conducted in the animals' natural habitat, and that it investigated their spontaneous behaviours.

The feline skin microbiota: The bacteria inhabiting the skin of healthy and allergic cats

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Diesel, Alison; Patterson, Adam P.; Meason-Smith, Courtney; Johnson, Timothy J.; Mansell, Joanne; Suchodolski, Jan S.; Rodrigues Hoffmann, Aline

2017-01-01

Background The skin is inhabited by a multitude of microorganisms. An imbalance of these microorganisms is associated with disease, however, the causal relationship between skin microbiota and disease remains unknown. To describe the cutaneous bacterial microbiota of cats and determine whether bacterial dysbiosis occurs on the skin of allergic cats, the skin surfaces on various regions of 11 healthy cats and 10 allergic cats were sampled. Methodology/Principal findings Genomic DNA was extracted from skin swabs and sequenced using primers that target the V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA. The bacterial sequences from healthy cats revealed that there are differences in species diversity and richness between body sites and different epithelial surfaces. Bacterial communities preferred body site niches in the healthy cats, however, the bacterial communities on allergic cat skin tended to be more unique to the individual cat. Overall, the number of bacterial species was not significantly different between the two health status groups, however, the abundances of these bacterial species were different between healthy and allergic skin. Staphylococcus, in addition to other taxa, was more abundant on allergic skin. Conclusions/Significance This study reveals that there are more bacterial species inhabiting the skin of cats than previously thought and provide some evidence of an association between dysbiosis and skin disease. PMID:28575016

Estimation of absorbed radiation dose rates in wild rodents inhabiting a site severely contaminated by the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident.

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Kubota, Yoshihisa; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Watanabe, Yoshito; Fuma, Shoichi; Kawaguchi, Isao; Aoki, Masanari; Kubota, Masahide; Furuhata, Yoshiaki; Shigemura, Yusaku; Yamada, Fumio; Ishikawa, Takahiro; Obara, Satoshi; Yoshida, Satoshi

2015-04-01

The dose rates of radiation absorbed by wild rodents inhabiting a site severely contaminated by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident were estimated. The large Japanese field mouse (Apodemus speciosus), also called the wood mouse, was the major rodent species captured in the sampling area, although other species of rodents, such as small field mice (Apodemus argenteus) and Japanese grass voles (Microtus montebelli), were also collected. The external exposure of rodents calculated from the activity concentrations of radiocesium ((134)Cs and (137)Cs) in litter and soil samples using the ERICA (Environmental Risk from Ionizing Contaminants: Assessment and Management) tool under the assumption that radionuclides existed as the infinite plane isotropic source was almost the same as those measured directly with glass dosimeters embedded in rodent abdomens. Our findings suggest that the ERICA tool is useful for estimating external dose rates to small animals inhabiting forest floors; however, the estimated dose rates showed large standard deviations. This could be an indication of the inhomogeneous distribution of radionuclides in the sampled litter and soil. There was a 50-fold difference between minimum and maximum whole-body activity concentrations measured in rodents at the time of capture. The radionuclides retained in rodents after capture decreased exponentially over time. Regression equations indicated that the biological half-life of radiocesium after capture was 3.31 d. At the time of capture, the lowest activity concentration was measured in the lung and was approximately half of the highest concentration measured in the mixture of muscle and bone. The average internal absorbed dose rate was markedly smaller than the average external dose rate (sampling area was estimated to be approximately 52 μGy h(-1) (1.2 mGy d(-1)), even 3 years after the accident. This dose rate exceeds 0.1-1 mGy d(-1) derived consideration reference level for Reference rat

Comparison of Mosquito Magnet and Biogents Sentinel Traps for Operational Surveillance of Container-Inhabiting Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae) Species.

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Rochlin, Ilia; Kawalkowski, Margaret; Ninivaggi, Dominick V

2016-03-01

Container-inhabiting Aedes are among the most medically important mosquito vectors of diseases. They also impact health and quality of life by their persistent and severe biting. Monitoring of container-inhabiting Aedes species is challenging due to the need for specialized traps and lures. Biogents Sentinel (BGS) trap has become a standard for Aedes albopictus (Skuse) surveillance; however, it has substantial problems with durability, quality of construction, and sample exposure to the elements. The goal of this study was to develop a methodology for collecting medically important container-inhabiting Aedes species in numbers sufficient for population trend analysis, control efficacy studies, and pathogen testing. Mosquito Magnets (MM) baited with BG lure and R-octenol were selected as the most practical alternative to BGS, collecting significantly more Ae. albopictus (32.1 ± 0.7 vs. 5.6 ± 0.1), Aedes japonicus (Theobald) (10.1 ± 0.4 vs. 1.2 ± 0.02), and Aedes triseriatus (Say) (0.9 ± 0.04 vs. 0.04 ± 0.004) females on average per trapping under a variety of weather conditions. MM can be particularly useful for long-term surveillance or when large numbers of specimens are required for pathogen isolation, such as at the sites with suspected dengue or chikungunya transmission. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

ASSESSMENT OF THE AVERAGE ANNUAL EFFECTIVE DOSES FOR THE INHABITANTS OF THE SETTLEMENTS LOCATED IN THE TERRITORIES CONTAMINATED DUE TO THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

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N. G. Vlasova

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Catalogue of the average annual effective exposure doses of the inhabitants of the territories contaminated due to the Chernobul accident had been developed according to the method of the assessment of the average annual effective exposure doses of the settlements inhabitants. The cost-efficacy of the use of the average annual effective dose assessment method was 250 000 USD for the current 5 years. Average annual effective dose exceeded 1 mSv/year for 191 Belarus settlements from 2613. About 50 000 persons are living in these settlements.

Heavy metals content in reproductive organs of small mammals inhabiting in condition of chronic chemical exposure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukhacheva, S.V.; Davydova, Yu.A.

2008-01-01

In this research by example of bank vole the heavy metals concentrations (cadmium, copper and zinc) in reproductive organs of small mammals inhabiting in condition of environmental pollution with wastes from copper-smelting industry have been considered. The levels of radionuclides accumulation in testes, seminal vesicle and ovaries of voles with radionuclide concentration in others organs and tissues of animals have been compared.

Monitoring of organochlorine pesticide residue levels in adipose tissue of Veracruz, Mexico inhabitants.

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Waliszewski, Stefan M; Caba, M; Herrero-Mercado, M; Saldariaga-Noreña, H; Meza, E; Zepeda, R; Martínez-Valenzuela, C; Infanzon, R; Hernández-Chalate, F

2011-11-01

The objective of the present study was to monitor the levels of organochlorine pesticides HCB, α-β-γ-HCH, pp'DDE, op'DDT and pp'DDT in 150 adipose tissue samples of Veracruz, Mexico inhabitants. In analyzed samples, the following pesticides were detected: p,p'-DDE in 100% of the samples at mean 1.643 mg/kg; p,p'-DDT in 99.3.% of the samples at mean 0.227 mg/kg; β-HCH in 97.3% of the samples at mean 0.063 mg/kg; and op'DDT in 93.3% of the samples at mean 0.022 mg/kg. Comparing mean, median and geometric mean concentrations of organochlorine pesticides shows a decrease in values from mean to median and to geometric mean which points out a prevalence of lower concentrations among the total samples and the existence of occasional cases of extreme exposure expressed in range values. The pooled samples divided according to sex, showed only significant differences of pp'DDE median concentrations between sexes. The other organochlorine pesticides indicated no statistical differences between sexes, including the pp'DDE/pp'DDT ratio. The samples grouped according to age, showed that the third tertile was more contaminated for both sexes, indicating age as a positively associated factor with organochlorine pesticide levels in adipose tissue of Veracruz inhabitants. Comparing organochlorine pesticide levels between 2008 and 2010 years, a decreased tendency for β-HCH, pp'DDE, Σ-DDT and pp'DDE/pp'DDT ratio levels was observed.

Naturally occurring radionuclides in food and drinking water from a thorium-rich area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa Lauria, Dejanira da; Rochedo, Elaine R.R.; Godoy, Maria Luisa D.P.; Santos, Eliane E.; Hacon, Sandra S.

2012-01-01

This paper focuses on a survey of uranium and thorium decay chain radionuclides in food and drinking water from the thorium-rich (monazite-bearing) region of Buena, which is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The radionuclide concentration values in the food and drinking water from Buena reached values higher than 100-fold the international reference values. The daily intake of radionuclides by the local population is similar to that of another high background radiation area in Brazil, but the intake is higher than that of residents from a normal background radiation area. Approximately 58 % of the food consumed by Buena inhabitants is produced locally. Based on that figure, locally produced food and the dilution of total radionuclides in the diet of residents caused by food importation are both highly relevant to a population's intake of radionuclides. The concentration values for 210 Pb and the radium isotopes in drinking water from Buena are among the highest values to be reported in the literature. 228 Ra is the most important radionuclide ingested with both food and water among the inhabitants of Buena. (orig.)

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in fish with different feeding habits inhabiting a shallow lake ecosystem.

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Barni, María F Silva; Ondarza, Paola M; Gonzalez, Mariana; Da Cuña, Rodrigo; Meijide, Fernando; Grosman, Fabián; Sanzano, Pablo; Lo Nostro, Fabiana L; Miglioranza, Karina S B

2016-04-15

The occurrence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment can affect organisms inhabiting aquatic systems, in particular shallow lakes that are vulnerable to environmental stressors. This study aimed to assess POPs accumulation and changes at histological and physiological levels in tissues of three fish species with different trophic habits. Gills, brain, muscle, liver and gonads of Odontesthes bonariensis, Oligosarcus jenynsii and Cyphocharax voga were collected from the shallow lake La Peregrina, located in an agricultural area from Argentina. In addition, contaminant levels in surface water (SW), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and bottom sediments (BS) were assessed. Histological lesions were evaluated in fish tissues and levels of vitellogenin (VTG) were assessed in plasma of male fish in order to correlate these alterations with the presence of POPs in the environment. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were determined by GC-ECD. Biotic and abiotic samples showed the same POPs distribution pattern: OCPs>PCBs>PBDEs. Although tissue distribution of OCPs was species-specific, muscle showed the lowest levels in all species. The most abundant contaminants were endosulfans, suggesting their widespread use in the area. O. bonariensis showed the highest endosulfans levels in liver (184.2-219ngg(-1)wet w), which was associated with the high SPM levels considering this species is a filter feeder. The occurrence of PCBs and PBDEs shows the ubiquity of these pollutants in the area. Histological lesions in gills and liver of O. bonariensis and O. jenynsii, might be related with the high levels of endosulfans in these organs. The detection of VTG in males warns about a possible exposure to estrogenic compounds in the environment. In conclusion, the simultaneous exposure of fish to multiple environmental pollutants leads to different alterations, so measures should be taken in

"The House Is Still Named after Him": Exploring the Subjective Tensions of the Female Artist Inhabiting Cultural Discourses

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Hannon, Andrea; Journeaux, Jill

2014-01-01

This paper discusses the problematic category of "things known" to be the masculine hegemony ("His House") through which we experience reality, and the challenging situation of inhabiting dichotomous frameworks of knowledge. Methods are defined within practice in work that is process led, that investigate the relationship…

Interactions between soil- and dead wood-inhabiting fungal communities during the decay of Norway spruce logs.

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Mäkipää, Raisa; Rajala, Tiina; Schigel, Dmitry; Rinne, Katja T; Pennanen, Taina; Abrego, Nerea; Ovaskainen, Otso

2017-09-01

We investigated the interaction between fungal communities of soil and dead wood substrates. For this, we applied molecular species identification and stable isotope tracking to both soil and decaying wood in an unmanaged boreal Norway spruce-dominated stand. Altogether, we recorded 1990 operational taxonomic units, out of which more than 600 were shared by both substrates and 589 were found to exclusively inhabit wood. On average the soil was more species-rich than the decaying wood, but the species richness in dead wood increased monotonically along the decay gradient, reaching the same species richness and community composition as soil in the late stages. Decaying logs at all decay stages locally influenced the fungal communities from soil, some fungal species occurring in soil only under decaying wood. Stable isotope analyses suggest that mycorrhizal species colonising dead wood in the late decay stages actively transfer nitrogen and carbon between soil and host plants. Most importantly, Piloderma sphaerosporum and Tylospora sp. mycorrhizal species were highly abundant in decayed wood. Soil- and wood-inhabiting fungal communities interact at all decay phases of wood that has important implications in fungal community dynamics and thus nutrient transportation.

Impact of Industrial Releases on Inshas Area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Messiry, A.M.; Aly, M.M.

1999-01-01

Two Egyptian research reactors are located within the nuclear research center at Inshas area, 30 km north east of Cairo. This area are crowded by different industrial plants. The releases from them has a hazardous and economical effects on the research center workers and the surrounding inhabitancy. In the present work we study these effects. A meteorological regional specific data is considered all over the year, including a wind rose characterization. The study considered both normal operating conditions and an accidental releases. The results shows that there are a considerable risk due to normal releases in some areas downwind direction of the major releases, and a highly risk in areas subjected to major exposure. Regional maps of emission distribution, economical damage , pollutant concentration are obtained. The study helps to identify solutions to problems of atmospheric protection. It can be used as a decision support for the environmental, economic, and innovation planning at the national levels taking into consideration the national pollution standards and variety of existing emission sources

The planning of areas near nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

During the past five years national physical planning has been initiated by the Swedish Parliament. Guidelines have been given to the communities how to consider national interests when drawing up local planning and how to produce maps and descriptions of the planning. For the planning of the areas near the nuclear power stations the municipalities have certain guidelines from The Nuclear Power Inspectorate and The National Institute of Radiation Protection. It is advised to keep a low population density near the power plants, to avoid the type of harbour or industry which could have disturbing effects on the power plant and also to avoid to concentrate people, who are difficult to move from the area in case of an accident (i.e., homes for old people, maternity homes and prisons). The plants on the East Coast, Forsmark and Oskarshamn, are located in wooded areas with a very low population density. On the West Coast, near Ringhals and Barsebaeck, the population density is higher, and there is one village with about 2,000 inhabitants, situated at a distance of two (2) km from the Ringhals power plant. The Control Boards are now reluctant to concentrate more people in this village, where schools and shops were earlier planned for 3,000 inhabitants. The building activity near power plants is regulated by law. New buildings are prohibited within a distance of two (2) km from the plants. Some exeptions can be granted by the County Administrative Board after guidance from the Central Board. In a zone reaching 10 kilometers from the power plants there are no regulations by law about new buildings, except the earlier mentioned guidelines from the Central Boards to maintain a low population. (L.E.)

Stand-Alone Photovoltaic System Assessment in Warmer Urban Areas in Mexico

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Alberto-Jesus Perea-Moreno

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to examine the possibility of using a stand-alone photovoltaic system (SAPVS for electricity generation in urban areas in Southern Mexico. In Mexico, an urban area is defined as an area where more than 2500 inhabitants live. Due to constant migration from the countryside to the cities, the number of inhabitants of urban localities has been increasing. Global horizontal irradiation (GHI data were recorded every 10 min during 2014–2016 in Coatzacoalcos in the state of Veracruz located on 18°08′09″ N and 94°27′48″ W. In this study, batteries represented 77% of the total cost, 12 PV panels of 310 W could export 5.41 MWh to the grid, and an inverter with an integrated controller and charger was selected, which decreased the initial cost. The city of Coatzacoalcos was chosen because the average annual temperature is 28°, with an average relative humidity of 75% and an average irradiance of 5.3 kWh/m2/day. An emission factor 0.505 tCO2/MWh of greenhouse gases (GHG were obtained, based on the power system, the reduction of net annual GHG would be 11 tCO2 and a financial revenue of 36.951 × 103 $/tCO2 would be obtained. Financial parameters such as a 36.3% Internal Rate Return (IRR and 3.4 years payback show the financial viability of this investment. SAPVSs in urban areas in Mexico could be a benefit as long as housing has a high consumption of electricity.

Conformance contrast testing between rates of pulmonary tuberculosis in Ecuadorian border areas

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Claudia Ortiz-Rico

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Objective. To estimate rates of cases of respiratory symptomatic subjects and the incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis in two border areas of Ecuador, and contrast them with official figures. Materials and methods. Cross-sectional survey in the southeastern (SEBA, and the Andean southern Ecuadorian border areas (ASBA, which were conducted, respectively, in 1 598 and 2 419 persons aged over 15 years recruited over periods of three weeks. In identified respiratory symptomatic cases, a sputum sample was taken for smear testing. The results (odds ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals, were compared with local and national official figures using maximum likelihood contrasts. Results. The rates of respiratory symptomatic subjects (7.7% and 5.9% in the SEBA, and ASBA, respectively and of pulmonary tuberculosis (cumulative incidence rates of 125 and 140 per 100 000 inhabitants, in the same order were significantly greater than the official figures (of 0.98 and 0.99% for respiratory symptomatic subjects in the SEBA and ASBA, respectively; and of 38.23 per 100 000 inhabitants for pulmonary tuberculosis in Ecuador as a whole (p<0.001. Conclusion. It is necessary to reinforce both active case finding for respiratory symptomatic subject cases, and epidemiological surveillance of pulmonary tuberculosis in Ecuadorian border regions.

The symbiotic playground of lichen thalli--a highly flexible photobiont association in rock-inhabiting lichens.

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Muggia, Lucia; Vancurova, Lucie; Škaloud, Pavel; Peksa, Ondrej; Wedin, Mats; Grube, Martin

2013-08-01

The development of characteristic thallus structures in lichen-forming fungi requires the association with suitable photoautotrophic partners. Previous work suggests that fungi have a specific range of compatible photobionts and that selected algal strains are also correlated with the habitat conditions. We selected the rock-inhabiting crust lichen Protoparmeliopsis muralis, which exhibits high flexibility in algal associations. We present a geographically extended and detailed analysis of algal association patterns including thalli which host superficial algal colonies. We sampled 17 localities in Europe, and investigated the photobiont genotypic diversity within and between thalli and compared the diversity of intrathalline photobionts and externally associate algal communities between washed and unwashed thalli by single-strand conformation polymorphism analyses and ITS sequence data. The results show that (1) photobiont population within the lichen thalli is homogeneous; (2) multiple photobiont genotypes occur within single areoles and lobes of individual lichens; and (3) algal communities which superficially colonize the lichen thalli host taxa known as photobionts in unrelated lichens. Photobiont association patterns are extremely flexible in this ecologically versatile crust-forming lichen. We suggest that lichen surfaces represent a potential temporary niche for free-living stages of lichen photobionts, which could facilitate the establishment of further lichens in the proximal area. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

Respiratory and reproductive characteristics of eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) inhabiting a coal ash settling basin

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Staub, B.P.; Hopkins, W.A.; Novak, J.; Congdon, J.D. [University of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Lab.

2004-01-01

Coal fly ash and effluent from coal ash settling basins negatively affects metabolism and reproduction in a variety of organisms, including a number of fish species. Some species, most notably the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), are known to maintain viable populations in areas contaminated by coal ash. While eastern mosquitofish are present in these systems, their degree of tolerance to coal ash has not been investigated using sublethal metrics of exposure. It is possible that eastern mosquitofish persist in habitats affected by coal ash, but experience significant costs such as changes in metabolism and fecundity. Thus, we investigated the effects of coal ash on standard metabolic rate and reproduction of eastern mosquitofish inhabiting a coal-ash contaminated settling basin. Standard metabolic rates of mosquitofish from the ash contaminated site and a reference site were not significantly different. Despite elevated contaminant concentrations in ash basin females (selenium, arsenic, copper, and cadmium) and their offspring (selenium), brood sizes and offspring viability did not differ between clutches collected from ash basin and reference site females. Our data provide further evidence of the high degree of tolerance of eastern mosquitofish to exposure to aquatic coal ash disposal generated by power plants. However, the basis for such tolerance to ash remains unclear. Further investigations are required to determine whether such tolerance is a result of species-specific characteristics or population characteristics due to local adaptation.

Anti-Taenia solium metacestode IgG antibodies in serum samples from inhabitants of a central-western region of Brazil

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Oliveira Heliana B. de

2006-01-01

Full Text Available A total of 354 serum samples from inhabitants who frequent the Clinical Laboratory in Catalão, Goiás, in the central-western region of Brazil, were collected from June to August, 2002. The samples were evaluated by indirect immunofluorescence antibody tests and an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in order to detect anti-Taenia solium metacestode IgG antibodies. Reactive and inconclusive samples were tested by Western blotting (WB. Considering WB as a confirmation, the frequency of antibodies in the serum samples of the above population was 11.3% (CI 5.09 - 17.51. The immunodominant bands most frequently recognized in WB were 64-68 kDa (97.5% and 47-52 kDa (80%. The percentage of seropositivity to cysticercosis was significantly higher for individuals residing in areas without sewage systems (p < 0.0001. In conclusion, the results indicate a probable endemic situation of cysticercosis in this population. These results reinforce the urgent need for control and prevention measures to be taken by the local public health services.

The Biological Diversity and Production of Volatile Organic Compounds by Stem-Inhabiting Endophytic Fungi of Ecuador

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Rundell, Susan; Spakowicz, Daniel; Narváez-Trujillo, Alexandra; Strobel, Scott

2015-01-01

Fungal endophytes colonize every major lineage of land plants without causing apparent harm to their hosts. Despite their production of interesting and potentially novel compounds, endophytes—particularly those inhabiting stem tissues—are still a vastly underexplored component of microbial diversity. In this study, we explored the diversity of over 1500 fungal endophyte isolates collected from three Ecuadorian ecosystems: lowland tropical forest, cloud forest, and coastal dry forest. We sough...

Development of protected area system of the Komi Republic

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Tatyana Vyacheslavovna Tikhonova

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In this article, the damages for biodiversity on the Republic of Komi Protected Areas are outlined. World experience of organizing Protected Areas is represented. The central management tasks into categories of domestic Protected areas are shown. Analysis of prevailing categories of these objects functioning by continents is carried out. The main resources of financing are listed including state investments, various payments, taxes and charitable and grant incomes. In the result of the economic evaluation potential recipients of benefits from the usage of bioresources and ecosystem services on model objects are defined, including the world community, local inhabitants and tourists. Territories that possess reserve for increased usage of its resources and services are represented. The Russian experience of attracting investment, using of economic potential and cultural traditions, development of recreation, tourism and tourism industry and revival of native craft is shown. Actual and perspective objects of tourism and recreation on the territory of Protected Areas are represented

Alteration of protein patterns in black rock inhabiting fungi as a response to different temperatures

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Tesei, Donatella; Marzban, Gorji; Zakharova, Kristina; Isola, Daniela; Selbmann, Laura; Sterflinger, Katja

2012-01-01

Rock inhabiting fungi are among the most stress tolerant organisms on Earth. They are able to cope with different stressors determined by the typical conditions of bare rocks in hot and cold extreme environments. In this study first results of a system biological approach based on two-dimensional protein profiles are presented. Protein patterns of extremotolerant black fungi – Coniosporium perforans, Exophiala jeanselmei – and of the extremophilic fungus – Friedmanniomyces endolithicus – were compared with the cosmopolitan and mesophilic hyphomycete Penicillium chrysogenum in order to follow and determine changes in the expression pattern under different temperatures. The 2D protein gels indicated a temperature dependent qualitative change in all the tested strains. Whereas the reference strain P. chrysogenum expressed the highest number of proteins at 40 °C, thus exhibiting real signs of temperature induced reaction, black fungi, when exposed to temperatures far above their growth optimum, decreased the number of proteins indicating a down-regulation of their metabolism. Temperature of 1 °C led to an increased number of proteins in all of the analysed strains, with the exception of P. chrysogenum. These first results on temperature dependent reactions in rock inhabiting black fungi indicate a rather different strategy to cope with non-optimal temperature than in the mesophilic hyphomycete P. chrysogenum. PMID:22862921

Exposure to radon Rn-222 of inhabitants of buildings in Olsztyn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorzkowski, B.; Pachocki, K.; Rozycki, Z.; Majle, T.; Pensko, J.; Krzeslak, A.

1998-01-01

The concentrations of radon-222 in the air of some buildings in Olsztyn were measured. The main source of radon in buildings is in general the ground under building and the materials used for building structure. In this work the results of radon-222 concentration measurements in the air of some buildings constructed before the 1939 year, in the buildings constructed after 1945 year with the traditional use of the bricks and in the buildings constructed with the use of great prefabricated plates are presented. The relations between radon-222 concentrations in the basements and in the first floor flats situated above the basement were evaluated. Based on the mean radon concentrations in the air of the various types of buildings investigated the effective doses for the inhabitants of each type of buildings were estimated. (author)

Aeromagnetic survey of the Somma-Vesuvius volcanic area

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A. Rapolla

2005-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper we present and discuss the results of a geophysical airborne survey carried out in the Somma-Vesuvius volcanic area, Southern Italy, in 1999. The helicopter-borne survey was aimed at giving new detailed insights into the distribution of the magnetization of the area and, therefore, into the volcanological characteristics of the region, enhancing the knowledge given by a previous low resolution survey carried out at a regional scale by Agip. The new survey was carried out by flying on a surface parallel to the topography of the area, along flight lines spaced 600 m apart. The obtained total field map is dominated by a large anomaly related to the Mt. Somma-Vesuvius complex itself and characterized by a roughly elliptical shape. High-frequency anomalies occur in the edifice and in the area east of it, partly produced by cultural noise due to the densely inhabited area. The compilation of the maps of the analytic signal and of the horizontal derivative of the field allowed the location of the lateral boundaries of the magnetic sources of the area and represents a first step toward the interpretation of the maps in terms of geological structures.

Dung-inhabiting fungi: a potential reservoir of novel secondary metabolites for the control of plant pathogens.

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Sarrocco, Sabrina

2016-04-01

Coprophilous fungi are a large group of saprotrophic fungi mostly found in herbivore dung. The number of these fungi undergoing investigation is continually increasing, and new species and genera continue to be described. Dung-inhabiting fungi play an important ecological role in decomposing and recycling nutrients from animal dung. They produce a large array of bioactive secondary metabolites and have a potent enzymatic arsenal able to utilise even complex molecules. Bioactive secondary metabolites are actively involved in interaction with and defence against other organisms whose growth can be inhibited, resulting in an enhanced ecological fitness of producer strains. Currently, these antibiotics and bioactive secondary metabolites are of interest in medicine in particular, while very little information is available concerning their potential use in agriculture. This review introduces the ecology of dung-inhabiting fungi, with particular emphasis on the production of antibiotic compounds as a means to compete with other microorganisms. Owing to the fast pace of technological progress, new approaches to predicting the biosynthesis of bioactive metabolites are proposed. Coprophilous fungi should be considered as elite candidate organisms for the discovery of novel antifungal compounds, above all in view of their exploitation for crop protection. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biomimetic Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Endosymbiotic Bacterium Inhabiting Euphorbia hirta L. and Their Bactericidal Potential

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Baker Syed

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The present investigation aims to evaluate biomimetic synthesis of silver nanoparticles using endophytic bacterium EH 419 inhabiting Euphorbia hirta L. The synthesized nanoparticles were initially confirmed with change in color from the reaction mixture to brown indicating the synthesis of nanoparticles. Further confirmation was achieved with the characteristic absorption peak at 440 nm using UV-Visible spectroscopy. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were subjected to biophysical characterization using hyphenated techniques. The possible role of biomolecules in mediating the synthesis was depicted with FTIR analysis. Further crystalline nature of synthesized nanoparticles was confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD with prominent diffraction peaks at 2θ which can be indexed to the (111, (200, (220, and (311 reflections of face centered cubic structure (fcc of metallic silver. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM revealed morphological characteristics of synthesized silver nanoparticles to be polydisperse in nature with size ranging from 10 to 60 nm and different morphological characteristics such as spherical, oval, hexagonal, and cubic shapes. Further silver nanoparticles exhibited bactericidal activity against panel of significant pathogenic bacteria among which Pseudomonas aeruginosa was most sensitive compared to other pathogens. To the best of our knowledge, present study forms first report of bacterial endophyte inhabiting Euphorbia hirta L. in mediating synthesizing silver nanoparticles.

Monitoring congenital malformation among inhabitants of town

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pawel, I.

2004-01-01

In Russia rendering of medical care of inhabitants of town located not far from works of nuclear industries be provided for system of special referral centers. Now the congenital malformation (CM) is one of the most issue of the day unresolved problem protection of genetic health of populations. CM account weighty part of structure incidence nursery every where. The most of CM lead to developmental disability, substantively restrict to life span and fertility. for the present moment the treatment CM developed for isolated instances therefore special prophylaxis to take on special significance. The one way to prophylaxis is simultaneous monitoring of CM and chief factors of disutility. In the framework of the State system of monitoring of CM our research laboratory of the State Research Centre Institute of Biophysics to Make a reality monitoring CM in the families of personnel of units of the atomic industry. From 2000 and during the present moment we are logged data about 21 a species of CM. In any case monstriparity with one of these CM in the families of workers of the atomic industry we investigated this case. Pro hac vice we are logged data about professional contacts parents this child with any factors of professional disutility including ionizing radiation. During 2002 we was obtained reliable information from 13 special referral centers about 33 case of birth of baby with CM. It's average about 1/1000 from all case of birth. From this case only 12 babies with CM was birth in the families of personnel of the atomic industry. (Author)

Arbovirological survey in Silica plateau area, Roznava District, Czechoslovakia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubálek, Z; Cerný, V; Mittermayer, T; Kilík, J; Halouzka, J; Juricová, Z; Kuhn, I; Bárdos, V

1986-01-01

The serosurveys conducted in the Silica plateau area of the Slovak karst region revealed the presence of specific neutralizing antibody against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus in 18% of local inhabitants (33 examined, mostly goats and sheep farmers), 54% of goats (26 examined), 18% of sheep (120 examined) and 13% of cattle (60 examined), against Lipovník (LIP) virus in 30% of inhabitants, 88% of goats, 55% of sheep and 45% of cattle, and against Bhanja (BHA) virus in 27% of inhabitants, 46% of goats, 29% of sheep and 23% of cattle. The results of hemagglutination-inhibition tests with TBE and BHA antigens were analogous. A detailed analysis of these serologic data points to a recent enhancement of the circulation of LIP and BHA viruses and to a very low TBE virus activity in this natural focus of arboviral infections. The immunological surveys of the 32 former "Roznava disease" patients, conducted 25 years after an extensive epidemic of a TBE virus infection that originated in Roznava in 1951, revealed the presence of neutralizing (and also hemagglutination-inhibiting) antibodies against TBE virus in as many as 78% of cases. Antibodies against LIP and BHA viruses were also detectable in the sera of 16% and 9%, respectively, of these individuals. Populations of the ectoparasites examined for the presence of arbovirus comprised 231 Ixodes ricinus, 806 Dermacentor marginatus and 204 Haemaphysalis punctata ticks and 117 specimens of the louse-flies Melophagus ovinus. Two strains of arbivirus that were antigenically related to Lipovník and Tribec viruses belonging to a group of Kemerovo viruses were isolated from male and female I. ricinus ticks collected from cattle.

Evaluation of 137Cs body burden in inhabitants of Bryansk Oblast, Russian Federation, where a high incidence of thyroid cancer was observed after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekitani, Y.; Hayashida, N.; Karevskaya, I. V.; Vasilitsova, O. A.; Kozlovsky, A.; Omiya, M.; Yamashita, S.; Takamura, N.

2010-01-01

To determine the current risk of internal radiation exposure after the Chernobyl accident, the 137 Cs body burden of the inhabitants of Bryansk Oblast (Russian Federation) was evaluated, from 1998 to 2008. The study population is composed of 84 666 people who visited Bryansk No. 2 Hospital. A whole-body counter was used for measurement of 137 Cs body burden. 137 Cs concentration was significantly higher in the late period during the study and showed seasonal variation, suggesting that inhabitants may have consumed contaminated forest products. However, people with high annual exposure doses were quite rare during all years of the study. In conclusion, although internal radiation exposure from 137 Cs continues to this day in Bryansk Oblast, the annual exposure dose is low in almost all inhabitants. Because of the long half-life of 137 Cs, the long term follow-up is necessary to monitor the health status and relieve the anxiety of the inhabitants around Chernobyl. (authors)

The computer system for registration and dosimetric control of inhabitants, cosmonauts and pilots from the different radiation sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebedev, L.A.; Koniaev, S.V.; Mikheenko, S.G.; Rusin, S.V.; Sidorin, V.P.

1996-01-01

Cosmonauts, pilots and inhabitants living near the nuclear power plants or nuclear facilities are particular group of risk. To estimate the radiation risk for this limited part of population the Computer System was developed. The main purpose of this System is registration, account, storage, processing, analysis, forecasting and control both doses and radiation risks for each person. Both experimental and calculated data are used in the Computer System. The experimental data are used in case of estimation of doses received by cosmonauts during space flight and by pilots during the flight in atmosphere. The System allows to calculate the doses for each person from any type of medical procedures including the X-ray diagnostic examinations and radioisotopic diagnostics. The Computer System also allows to calculate the radiation exposure of inhabitants living near nuclear facilities both in case of normal exploitation and different kind of accidents. The annual dose distribution from different types of radiation sources are given. It was shown that doses from medical irradiation are comparable or sometime higher than the doses from space flight, air flight or nuclear accident. (author)

Heterogeneity and Developmental Connections between Cell Types Inhabiting Teeth

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Jan Krivanek

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Every tissue is composed of multiple cell types that are developmentally, evolutionary and functionally integrated into the unit we call an organ. Teeth, our organs for biting and mastication, are complex and made of many different cell types connected or disconnected in terms of their ontogeny. In general, epithelial and mesenchymal compartments represent the major framework of tooth formation. Thus, they give rise to the two most important matrix–producing populations: ameloblasts generating enamel and odontoblasts producing dentin. However, the real picture is far from this quite simplified view. Diverse pulp cells, the immune system, the vascular system, the innervation and cells organizing the dental follicle all interact, and jointly participate in transforming lifeless matrix into a functional organ that can sense and protect itself. Here we outline the heterogeneity of cell types that inhabit the tooth, and also provide a life history of the major populations. The mouse model system has been indispensable not only for the studies of cell lineages and heterogeneity, but also for the investigation of dental stem cells and tooth patterning during development. Finally, we briefly discuss the evolutionary aspects of cell type diversity and dental tissue integration.

PM levels in urban area of Bejaia

Science.gov (United States)

Benaissa, Fatima; Maesano, Cara Nichole; Alkama, Rezak; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella

2017-04-01

Air pollution is not routinely measured in Bejaia City, Algeria, an urban area of around 200,000 inhabitants. We present first time measurements of particulate matter (PM) mass concentrations for this city (PM10, PM7, PM4, PM2.5 and PM1) over the course of one week, from July 8 to July 14, 2015. This study covered eight urban sampling sites and 169 measurements were obtained to determine mass concentration levels. Air pollution is not routinely measured in Bejaia City, Algeria, an urban area of around 200,000 inhabitants. We present first time measurements of particulate matter (PM) mass concentrations for this city (PM10, PM7, PM4, PM2.5 and PM1) over the course of one week, from July 8 to July 14, 2015. This study covered eight urban sampling sites and 169 measurements were obtained to determine mass concentration levels. The average city-wide PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations measured during this sampling were 87.8 ± 33.9 and 28.7 ± 10.6 µg/m3 respectively. These results show that particulate matter levels are high and exceed Algerian ambient air quality standards (maximum 80 µg/m3, without specifying the particle size). Further, PM10 and PM2.5 averages were well above the prescribed 24-hour average World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines (WHO AQG) (50 µg/m3 for PM10 and 25 µg/m3 for PM2.5). The PM1, PM2,5, PM4 and PM7 fractions accounted for 15%, 32 %, 56% and 78% respectively of the PM10 measurements. Our analysis reveals that PM concentration variations in the study region were influenced primarily by traffic. In fact, lower PM10 concentrations (21.7 and 33.1 µg/m3) were recorded in residential sites while higher values (53.1, and 45.2 µg/m3) were registered in city centers. Keywords: Particulate matter, Urban area, vehicle fleet, Bejaia.

High-capacity transport, floor area ratio and its relationship with urbanization of metropolitan areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvalho da Costa, B.L. de; Carvalho da Costa, F.B. de

2016-07-01

Most of the world’s population lives in urban areas (54%). Near 42% of the global urban population live in cities with more than 1 million inhabitants, where problems associated with urban sprawl such as informal settlement, social-economic changes, environmental degradation and deficient high-capacity transport (HCT) systems are common. Meanwhile, urbanization and its associated transportation infrastructure define the relationship between city and countryside, between the city’s inner core and the periphery, between the citizen and his right to move. This article discusses and presents an overview about the relationship between the planning and extension of HCT systems and urban planning, (in the figure of the floor-area ratio - FAR- prescribed in regulations). The methodological approach consists of drawing a conceptual framework and studying 33 different cities of metropolitan areas on five continents. It’s noticed that areas in cities with a high construction potential but with an insufficient HCT negatively influence in urban mobility and hence the right to the city. We consider right to the city the various social and fundamental rights that, among others, includes the right to public transportation. Therefore there’s a real need of an integrated approach of community participation, FAR distribution, urban planning and transportation planning and so that urbanization, inevitable these days, takes place in a fair and harmonious way. (Author)

Nematodes inhabit soils of forest and clear-cut areas

Science.gov (United States)

Alex L. Shigo; George Yelenosky

1960-01-01

Nematodes are present in all forest soils, but their effects on forest trees are not known. The known destructive nature of these worms on other woody crops suggests that they may also be involved in causing some of the unexplainable losses in vigor and mortality of forest trees.

Fauna, flora, fowl, and fruit: effects of the Columbian Exchange on the allergic response of New and Old World inhabitants.

Science.gov (United States)

Salvaggio, J E

1992-01-01

The Columbian Exchange has been described as "the most important event in human history since the end of the Ice Age." This interchange of many species of fauna, flora, fowl, and fruits resulted in new encounters between New and Old World inhabitants. Prominent among these were manifestations of allergic reactions to many of the new substances. Little imagination is required to reflect on what these substances, added to or detracted from both the New and Old World lifestyles, habits, and diets. The numerous peas, vegetable seeds, and grasses, such as sugarcane, introduced during Columbus' later voyages, made an enormous difference in the lives of New World inhabitants, as did the introduction of the cow and horse, not to mention substances such as coconuts and bananas, that are now intimately associated with the Caribbean and the Bahamas. This article focuses on some the more important exchange substances and emphasizes many forms of anaphylaxis: asthma, food allergy, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, chronic bronchitis, rhinitis, serum sickness, and other conditions that developed in both New and Old World inhabitants. To mention only a few examples, the Europeans introduced to the New World potential dangers such as honeybees (anaphylaxis). It also gave the New World the cow and the horse (serum sickness), which became the constant companion of Columbus' Indians and the American cowboy. It gave the Italians their thick red gravy, and the New World its pizza (food allergy). The Caribbean received bananas and coconuts and the New World embraced coffee (caffeine addiction). On the other hand, the exchange also caused Europeans to begin puffing away on tobacco.

Runoff estimation in residencial area

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Meire Regina de Almeida Siqueira

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to estimate the watershed runoff caused by extreme events that often result in the flooding of urban areas. The runoff of a residential area in the city of Guaratinguetá, São Paulo, Brazil was estimated using the Curve-Number method proposed by USDA-NRCS. The study also investigated current land use and land cover conditions, impermeable areas with pasture and indications of the reforestation of those areas. Maps and satellite images of Residential Riverside I Neighborhood were used to characterize the area. In addition to characterizing land use and land cover, the definition of the soil type infiltration capacity, the maximum local rainfall, and the type and quality of the drainage system were also investigated. The study showed that this neighborhood, developed in 1974, has an area of 792,700 m², a population of 1361 inhabitants, and a sloping area covered with degraded pasture (Guaratinguetá-Piagui Peak located in front of the residential area. The residential area is located in a flat area near the Paraiba do Sul River, and has a poor drainage system with concrete pipes, mostly 0.60 m in diameter, with several openings that capture water and sediments from the adjacent sloping area. The Low Impact Development (LID system appears to be a viable solution for this neighborhood drainage system. It can be concluded that the drainage system of the Guaratinguetá Riverside I Neighborhood has all of the conditions and characteristics that make it suitable for the implementation of a low impact urban drainage system. Reforestation of Guaratinguetá-Piagui Peak can reduce the basin’s runoff by 50% and minimize flooding problems in the Beira Rio neighborhood.

Slope Stability Analysis and Mitigation Measures in the Area of the Sighişoara Medieval Citadel

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George-Cătălin Silvaş

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The Sighişoara Medieval Citadel has a very big importance to the cultural, architectural and historical heritage of Romania. The citadel is situated on the Fortress Hill and it is the only inhabited fortress in Romania. But underneath the beauty of the Citadel lies some problems that only the inhabitants and the authorities know. These problems consist in the presence of the slope instability phenomenon. Throughout the years the slopes of the Fortress Hill, because of a series of factors, became instable. Thus landslides occurred that affected the Citadel fortress walls. There are still some areas of the walls that have never been reconstructed yet. So a slope stability analysis shall show if the slope instability phenomenon is still active and the mitigation measures recommended will stop the activity of this phenomenon.

Study of plutonium and americium contamination in agricultural area, radiological impact caused by consumption of vegetables of this area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Espinosa, Assuncion; Aragon, Antonio; Cruz, Berta de la; Gutierrez, Jose

2001-01-01

The transuranide concentration has been studied for 30 years in vegetable production, crops in wide extensions and in private-owned farms, all of them situated within the Pu-contaminated area of Palomares due to an air accident in 1966. Based on these studies, a preliminary estimation of the radiological risk caused by the consumption of these products by the inhabitants was possible. The results show that most of the fruits present a surface contamination, which disappears or is significantly reduced when they are washed. The contamination present in edible parts of the vegetables, as well as the contamination of other products included in the diet, has facilitated the estimation of the effective dose for ingestion and the committed effective dose for 50 years for the inhabitants. The main conclusions are: those plants, whose cultivation period is less than a year, present a low level of contamination; the green parts of the plants have a higher contamination than the fruits; the Pu soil to plant transfer factor is very low. In general, those plants that have remained in the contaminated land for several years present a high contamination level; the ingestion of products from Palomares does not represent an important risk for the population, even in the case that the products were totally consumed by a critical group.( author)

Biometry of neotropical invertebrates inhabiting floodplain rivers: unraveling bionomy

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Florencia Zilli

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Currently, it is widely recognized that invertebrates play key roles in neotropical floodplains and in many other environments worldwide. However, little information has been published concerning their biometry, in spite that it represents an essential tool for many different studies. Here, we provided length-mass and length-length relationships by fitting the linearized model (log10 Y = log10a + b log10 X and several mean biomass ratios ± SE for bivalves, gastropods, quironomids, ephemeropterans, oligochaetes and hirudineans. We measured, weighed, oven dried and incinerated to ashes specimens collected from 2005 to 2014 in the Paraná River, Argentina. The lineal equations had fit levels higher than 75% in most of the significant regressions. Hence, when slopes were compared, differences raised from ontogeny and phylogeny of taxa. Additionally, slopes resulted different from constants of other regions, types of environments and climates. In addition, organic matter ratios resulted significantly different among invertebrates according to their feeding types. The equations and ratios that we provided will facilitate future research on life history, productivity and energy transference in the food webs of invertebrates inhabiting floodplain wetlands and can be used as tools for planning management strategies and in restoration projects of aquatic environments.

External dose estimates for future Bikini Atoll inhabitants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gudiksen, P.H.; Crites, T.R.; Robison, W.L.

1976-01-01

To evaluate the potential radiation doses that may be received by the returning Bikinians, we surveyed the residual radioactivity on Bikini and Eneu Islands in June of 1975. An integral part of the survey included measurements of gamma-ray exposure rates which are used to estimate external gamma-ray doses. The survey showed that on Bikini Island the rates are highly variable: values near the shores are generally of the order of 10 to 20 μR/h, while those within the interior average about 40 μR/h with a range of roughly 30 to 100 μR/h. Eneu Island, however, is characterized by more or less uniformly distributed gamma radiation levels of less than 10 μR/h over the entire island. These data, in conjunction with population statistics and expected life styles, allowed us to estimate the potential external gamma-ray doses associated with proposed housing locations along the lagoon road and within the interior portions of Bikini Island as well as along the lagoon side of Eneu Island. As expected, living on Eneu Island results in the lowest doses: 0.12 rem during the first year and 2.9 rem during 30 years. The highest values, 0.28 rem during the first year and 5.9 rem over 30 years, may potentially be received by inhabitants living within the interior of Bikini Island. Other options under consideration produce intermediate values

The role of novel forest ecosystems in the conservation of wood?inhabiting fungi in boreal broadleaved forests

OpenAIRE

Juutilainen, Katja; M?nkk?nen, Mikko; Kotiranta, Heikki; Halme, Panu

2016-01-01

Abstract The increasing human impact on the earth's biosphere is inflicting changes at all spatial scales. As well as deterioration and fragmentation of natural biological systems, these changes also led to other, unprecedented effects and emergence of novel habitats. In boreal zone, intensive forest management has negatively impacted a multitude of deadwood?associated species. This is especially alarming given the important role wood?inhabiting fungi have in the natural decay processes. In t...

Youthification in the Metropolitan Area of Cluj

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Vlad Cocheci

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This research exercise aims to identify all areas affected by what is now known as ‘youthification’ in the Metropolitan Area of Cluj. Broadly speaking, an area touched by youthification witnesses a massive arrival of young adults, who invest in housing, but only remain there until they age. Youthification is usually the second phase within an encompassing process of gentrification. To gain a clearer picture of this phenomenon, we employed a snapshot of the situation recorded by the Population and Housing Census of 2011. Using this image as a starting point, we then applied statistical thresholds aimed at measuring the presence and intensity of youthification within different areas. Thereafter, we looked at areas exhibiting the same level of youthification, in order to find those common traits of their young adult inhabitants that might prove relevant for their choices in matters of housing. Once completed, our efforts resulted in the first map showing the areas affected by youthification within the Metropolitan Area of Cluj. In addition, we reached the following conclusion: Young adults who live in the city are more likely to still be enrolled in a form of education and less likely to be married or to have children than those who live in the suburbs or in rural areas. This observation implies that there might be some hidden dependency relations, which are at work in shaping the choice of housing.

Planning, architecture, seismic, construction and energy-related criteria for sustainable spatial development in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve area

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Vasile Meiţă

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve represents a complex of ecosystems embedding a biome that had been included on UNESCO World Heritage list due to its global environmental importance. The outstanding natural diversity, including ecosystems, habitats and species situated at the top of European and International conservation lists, is mixed with an equally rich and important cultural (ethnic and religious diversity of the human communities inhabiting the area. According to the guidelines of the Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO, the biosphere reserves including human settlements should be managed such that they could constitute an example for what sustainable development means. Starting from the spatial dimension added to the traditional socioeconomic, ecological and cultural pillars of sustainable development, the paper examines planning, architecture, seismic, construction and energy-related criteria that could substantiate a sustainable development model applicable to the Danube Delta, and counter the effects of clime change in the area. The results suggest that the traditional practices of the inhabitants could offer sustainable solutions and help preserving the natural and cultural diversity of the region.

Designing and Inhabiting Virtual Environments: Bridging the gap between physical and virtual

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Matevž Juvančič

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Bringing the trilogy of the Erasmus intensive programme together in 2010, the Faculty of Architecture organised the third workshop in the series “Designing and Inhabiting Virtual Environments - DIVE”, addressing an elusive issue: “Bridging the gap between the physical and virtual” with the reference site of Križanke. During the 10-day intensive workshop, the participants developed a theoretical discussion based on a series of lectures, and afterwards pursued analyses of the reference site and designed spatial interventions with an emphasis on respecting the fragile nature of the site. From the very beginning to the end of their work, the participants analysed the boundaries between physical and virtual reality, examined the pros and cons of each, and sought possible integrations of both entities within a seamless and effective conceptual and actual representation.

Comparison of indicators of the use of insulin and oral diabetes medication in a Polish population of patients in urban and rural areas in the years 2008, 2011 and 2012

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Andrzej Śliwczyński

2014-06-01

Full Text Available introduction. Diabetes is one of the 10 most important chronic diseases in the world. According to the data of the International Diabetes Federation, in Poland 9% of the population between the ages of 20–79 suffer from diabetes. objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in the prevalence of diabetes in urban and rural areas in Poland, and the preparation of a model describing the phenomenon. materials and method. Differences between urban and rural areas were studied for the occurrence of patients treated with diabetes per 100,000 inhabitants, the number of patients, structure of treatment per the used products, and the costs of reimbursement of treatment products between 2008–2012. Urban and rural cases were compared using zip codes. The basis for classifying a patient as being an inhabitant of an urban or rural area was an urban zip code of the declared place of residence. results. Differences were observed both between various areas of Poland, as well as depending on whether the declared place of residence of the patient was urban or rural. Differences between urban and rural areas within the studied period have increased. The difference in the prevalence of diabetes among the inhabitants of Podlaskie, Śląskie or Świętokrzyskie provinces is striking. conclusion. Differences between urban and rural areas which depend on morbidity and detection of patients in the earlier phase of illness, the structures of medical technologies used in the treatment process, the number of purchased pharmaceuticals, enable better monitoring of effectiveness and quality of politics on prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. It is important for the creation of a health policy to devise a system of indicators, which will enable a decrease in the existing differences between regions, and between the urban and rural areas within the provinces.

Molecular genetic variation in sheep of the central Volga area inhabited by Finno-Ugric peoples

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M. TAPIO

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Based on morphology, native northern European sheep breeds belong to the short tailed type, of which the Romanov is the only native example still distributed in northwest Russia. Besides this, there exist local sheep populations kept by Finno-Ugric peoples in the central Volga region, which represent additional genetic resources in the area. Four sheep populations from the central Volga region were genotyped for 20 microsatellites and compared with geographically proximate breeds (Estonian Whitehead and Blackhead, the Finnsheep and an exported and a native population of Russian Romanov and with local populations in Estonia, Finland and Russian Karelia. Between-breed analyses including admixture analysis using molecular genetic markers and the phenotypic characteristics indicated that the Volgaic populations have not remained pure. The Viena population from Russian Karelia, the Romanov breed and, to some extent, the Komi population, have escaped extensive mixing, making them most attractive for conservation programmes. The study compared imported and native Romanov breed populations and the results suggest that the diversity parameters are markedly similar in these two populations.;

Benthic communities in chemical munitions dumping site areas within the Baltic deeps with special focus on nematodes

Science.gov (United States)

Kotwicki, Lech; Grzelak, Katarzyna; Bełdowski, Jacek

2016-06-01

Assessment of biological effects of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) dumped in the Baltic Sea has been one of the tasks of the Chemical Munitions Search & Assessment (CHEMSEA) project. Three sites have been selected for investigation: Bornholm Deep, Gotland Deep and Gdansk Deep. Fauna collected from these locations were compared with the reference area located between the studied regions at similar depths below 70 m. In total, four scientific cruises occurred in different seasons between 2011 and 2013. The total lack of any representatives of macrozoobenthos in all of the investigated dumping sites was noted. As a practical matter, the Baltic deeps were inhabited by nematodes as the only meiofauna representatives. Therefore, nematodes were used as a key group to explore the faunal communities inhabiting chemical dumping sites in the Baltic deeps. In total, 42 nematode genera belonging to 18 families were identified, and the dominant genus was Sabatieria (Comesomatidae), which constituted 37.6% of the overall nematode community. There were significant differences in nematode community structure (abundance and taxa composition) between the dumping areas and the reference site (Kruskal-Wallis H=30.96, pnematode assemblages could mirror the environmental conditions.

Evolution of Spaces between Buildings in Polish Mass Housing Estates in the Eyes of the Inhabitants

Science.gov (United States)

Ostanska, Anna

2017-10-01

interviews with the inhabitants of the estates. The paper presents the results of two interdisciplinary surveys, held five years apart in the same estate, and based on the same questionnaire. Its results confirm that user expectations evolve. The interest in the development of green areas, and availability of recreational facilities in the proximity of home is growing as people observe that changes are possible. Some people declare some form of active participation in improvements. Preferences towards functions and accessibility of the areas reflect changes in the demographic structure. Surveys of this kind may be regularly used in defining guidelines for further improvement measures, and raising user awareness of the personal responsibility for the condition of the neighbourhood.

Individual dose reconstruction among residents living in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site using EPR spectroscopy of tooth enamel.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivannikov, A I; Zhumadilov, Zh; Gusev, B I; Miyazawa, Ch; Jiao, L; Skvortsov, V G; Stepanenko, V F; Takada, J; Hoshi, M

2002-08-01

Individual accumulated doses were determined by EPR spectroscopy of tooth enamel for 26 adult persons residing in territories adjacent to the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS). The absorbed dose values due to radiation from nuclear tests were obtained after subtracting the contribution of natural background radiation from the total accumulated dose. The determined dose values ranged up to 250 mGy, except for one person from Semipalatinsk city with a measured dose of 2.8 +/- 0.4 Gy. Increased dose values were determined for the individuals whose teeth were formed before 1962, the end of the atmospheric nuclear tests. These values were found to be significantly larger than those obtained for a group of younger residents of heavily exposed territories and the residents of territories not exposed to radioactive fallout. These increased dose values are consistent with those based on officially registered data for the Northeastern part of Kazakstan adjacent to SNTS, which was exposed to high levels of radioactive fallout from nuclear tests in period 1949-1962.

Visuality, mobility and the cosmopolitan: inhabiting the world from afar.

Science.gov (United States)

Szerszynski, Bronislaw; Urry, John

2006-03-01

In earlier publications based on the research discussed in this article (e.g. Szerszynski and Urry 2002), we argued that an emergent culture of cosmopolitanism, refracted into different forms amongst different social groups, was being nurtured by a widespread 'banal globalism'--a proliferation of global symbols and narratives made available through the media and popular culture. In the current article we draw on this and other empirical research to explore the relationship between visuality, mobility and cosmopolitanism. First we describe the multiple forms of mobility that expand people's awareness of the wider world and their capacity to compare different places. We then chart the changing role that visuality has played in citizenship throughout history, noting that citizenship also involves a transformation of vision, an absenting from particular contexts and interests. We explore one particular version of that transformation--seeing the world from afar, especially in the form of images of the earth seen from space--noting how such images conventionally connote both power and alienation. We then draw on another research project, on place and vision, to argue that the shift to a cosmopolitan relationship with place means that humans increasingly inhabit their world only at a distance.

Inclusive education in schools in rural areas

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J. Antonio Callado Moreno

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Since Spain decided to embark on the development of inclusive schooling, studies have taken place to see if the inclusive principle is being developed satisfactorily. Inclusive schooling implies that all students, regardless of their particular characteristics, may be taught in ordinary schools, and in the majority of cases receive help in the classroom in which they have been integrated in order to cover any special educational needs. Our research aims to find out if schools situated in rural areas follow this principle and, once it has been put into practice, what strategies are being used. To this end, we designed a questionnaire addressed to Infant and Primary school teachers in the Sierra Sur area in the province of Jaén, in an agricultural context where most of the population live on olive picking and the cultivation of olive groves. Given the extension of the area, our research concentrated on schools situated in urban nuclei with a population of less than one thousand five hundred inhabitants. The results obtained demonstrate that rural areas do not take full advantage of the context they are in to favour inclusion processes and continue to develop proposals that are merely integrative.

Perception of local inhabitants regarding the socioeconomic impact of tourism focused on provisioning wild dolphins in Novo Airao, Central Amazon, Brazil

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LUIZ C.P.S. ALVES

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Botos (Inia geoffrensis are currently provisioned for use in tourist attractions in five sites in the Brazilian Amazon. Despite the known negative effects associated with human-wild dolphin interactions, this activity has been regulated and licensed in the Anavilhanas National Park in Novo Airão, Amazonas State, Brazil. We present an updated evaluation of the perception of the local community concerning the possible socioeconomic impacts of this tourism in Novo Airão. In April 2011, 45 interviews were conducted with inhabitants. A small segment of Novo Airão perceives currently itself as being economically dependent on the botos feeding tourism. Despite that, the economic benefits of this controversial activity apparently are not shared among most inhabitants, and botos feeding tourism is perceived as generating diverse negative effects. We conclude that if the activity was banned or modified into a less impacting tourist activity, this action would probably not majorly affect the lives of the general population.

Trend of cancer risk of Chinese inhabitants to dioxins due to changes in dietary patterns: 1980-2009

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Tao; Jiang, Wanyanhan; Ling, Zaili; Zhao, Yuan; Gao, Hong; Ma, Jianmin

2016-02-01

Food ingestion is a major route for human exposure and body burden to dioxins. We estimated the potential influence of changes in dietary patterns in Chinese population on human health risk to 2,3,7,8-TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) over the last three decades. We performed multiple modeling scenario investigations to discriminate the contribution of 2,3,7,8-TCDD emissions and changes in dietary patterns to the cancer risks (CR) to dioxins. Results showed that changes in dietary patterns, featured by decreasing consumption of total grain (including all unprocessed grains) and vegetables and increasing intake of animal-derived foodstuffs, caused increasing CR from 7.3 × 10-8 in 1980 to 1.1 × 10-7 in 2009. Varying dietary patterns contributed 17% to the CR of Chinese population in 2009 under the fixed emission in 1980. The CR to 2,3,7,8-TCDD in urban and eastern China residents was higher considerably than those who lived in rural area and western China, attributable to higher emissions, household income, and greater intake of animal-derived foodstuffs in urban and eastern China inhabitants. On the other hand, more rapid increasing trend of the CR was found in rural residents due to their more rapid increase in the consumption of fat-dominated foods as compared with urban residents.

Knowledge of the inhabitants of Belarus on the radiation and power problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vastchenko, S. V.

2000-01-01

The anonymous questionnaire of the inhabitants living in various regions of Belarus and having different age and level of education ha been done. The poll has been carried out aiming at definition of a general radiation erudition, as well as revealing the knowledge of the population about the effect of power stations (nuclear and thermal) on the environment and the health of a human being. The analysis of answers shows that people have a rather vague idea in the sphere considered. The analysis of the questionnaires shows that women are informed worse than men about the problems on radiation subjects. The investigation carried out has shown what problems on nuclear power (and radiation safety) should be given the more serious consideration when working with population, especially with women's audience, in order to raise the level of accepting nuclear power as the necessary source of energy. (author)

Cranial suture biology of the Aleutian Island inhabitants.

Science.gov (United States)

Cray, James; Mooney, Mark P; Siegel, Michael I

2011-04-01

Research on cranial suture biology suggests there is biological and taxonomic information to be garnered from the heritable pattern of suture synostosis. Suture synostosis along with brain growth patterns, diet, and biomechanical forces influence phenotypic variability in cranial vault morphology. This study was designed to determine the pattern of ectocranial suture synostosis in skeletal populations from the Aleutian Islands. We address the hypothesis that ectocranial suture synostosis pattern will differ according to cranial vault shape. Ales Hrdlicka identified two phenotypes in remains excavated from the Aleutian Island. The Paleo-Aleutians, exhibiting a dolichocranic phenotype with little prognathism linked to artifacts distinguished from later inhabitants, Aleutians, who exhibited a brachycranic phenotype with a greater amount of prognathism. A total of 212 crania representing Paleo-Aleuts and Aleutian as defined by Hrdlicka were investigated for suture synostosis pattern following standard methodologies. Comparisons were performed using Guttmann analyses. Results revealed similar suture fusion patterns for the Paleo-Aleut and Aleutian, a strong anterior to posterior pattern of suture fusion for the lateral-anterior suture sites, and a pattern of early termination at the sagittal suture sites for the vault. These patterns were found to differ from that reported in the literature. Because these two populations with distinct cranial shapes exhibit similar patterns of suture synostosis it appears pattern is independent of cranial shape in these populations of Homo sapiens. These findings suggest that suture fusion patterns may be population dependent and that a standardized methodology, using suture fusion to determine age-at-death, may not be applicable to all populations. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Demographic collapse and low genetic diversity of the Irrawaddy dolphin population inhabiting the Mekong River.

Science.gov (United States)

Krützen, Michael; Beasley, Isabel; Ackermann, Corinne Y; Lieckfeldt, Dietmar; Ludwig, Arne; Ryan, Gerard E; Bejder, Lars; Parra, Guido J; Wolfensberger, Rebekka; Spencer, Peter B S

2018-01-01

In threatened wildlife populations, it is important to determine whether observed low genetic diversity may be due to recent anthropogenic pressure or the consequence of historic events. Historical size of the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) population inhabiting the Mekong River is unknown and there is significant concern for long-term survival of the remaining population as a result of low abundance, slow reproduction rate, high neonatal mortality, and continuing anthropogenic threats. We investigated population structure and reconstructed the demographic history based on 60 Irrawaddy dolphins samples collected between 2001 and 2009. The phylogenetic analysis indicated reciprocal monophyly of Mekong River Orcaella haplotypes with respect to haplotypes from other populations, suggesting long-standing isolation of the Mekong dolphin population from other Orcaella populations. We found that at least 85% of all individuals in the two main study areas: Kratie and Stung Treng, bore the same mitochondrial haplotype. Out of the 21 microsatellite loci tested, only ten were polymorphic and exhibited very low levels of genetic diversity. Both individual and frequency-based approaches suggest very low and non-significant genetic differentiation of the Mekong dolphin population. Evidence for recent bottlenecks was equivocal. Some results suggested a recent exponential decline in the Mekong dolphin population, with the current size being only 5.2% of the ancestral population. In order for the Mekong dolphin population to have any potential for long-term survival, it is imperative that management priorities focus on preventing any further population fragmentation or genetic loss, reducing or eliminating anthropogenic threats, and promoting connectivity between all subpopulations.

The minimum area requirements (MAR) for giant panda: an empirical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Qing, Jing; Yang, Zhisong; He, Ke; Zhang, Zejun; Gu, Xiaodong; Yang, Xuyu; Zhang, Wen; Yang, Biao; Qi, Dunwu; Dai, Qiang

2016-12-08

Habitat fragmentation can reduce population viability, especially for area-sensitive species. The Minimum Area Requirements (MAR) of a population is the area required for the population's long-term persistence. In this study, the response of occupancy probability of giant pandas against habitat patch size was studied in five of the six mountain ranges inhabited by giant panda, which cover over 78% of the global distribution of giant panda habitat. The probability of giant panda occurrence was positively associated with habitat patch area, and the observed increase in occupancy probability with patch size was higher than that due to passive sampling alone. These results suggest that the giant panda is an area-sensitive species. The MAR for giant panda was estimated to be 114.7 km 2 based on analysis of its occupancy probability. Giant panda habitats appear more fragmented in the three southern mountain ranges, while they are large and more continuous in the other two. Establishing corridors among habitat patches can mitigate habitat fragmentation, but expanding habitat patch sizes is necessary in mountain ranges where fragmentation is most intensive.

Radioactive contamination of former Semipalatinsk test site area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Artem'ev, O.I.; Akhmetov, M.A.; Ptitskaya, L.D.

2001-01-01

The nuclear weapon infrastructure elimination activities and related surveys of radioactive contamination are virtually accomplished at the Semipalatinsk test site (STS). The radioecological surveys accompanied closure of tunnels which were used for underground nuclear testing at Degelen technical field and elimination of intercontinental ballistic missile silo launchers at Balapan technical field. At the same time a ground-based route survey was carried out at the Experimental Field where aboveground tests were conducted and a ground-based area survey was performed in the south of the test site where there are permanent and temporary inhabited settlements. People dwelling these settlements are mainly farmers. The paper presents basic results of radiological work conducted in the course of elimination activities. (author)

Defining urban and rural areas: a new approach

Science.gov (United States)

Arellano, Blanca; Roca, Josep

2017-10-01

the centers and peripheries is made by setting a threshold of night-time light intensity that allows the inclusion of most of the centers and sub-centers; c) once identified urbanized areas, or AHIL, it is necessary to delimit the rural areas, or Areas Little Impacted by Light (ALIL), which are characterized by low intensity night light; d) finally, rurban landscapes are those with nightlight intensities between ALIL and AHIL. The developed methodology allows comparing the degree of urbanization of the different countries and regions, surpassing the dual approach that has traditionally been used. This paper enables us to identify the different typologies of urbanized areas (villages, cities and metropolitan areas), as well as "rural", "rurban", "periurban" and "central" landscapes. The study identifies 186,134 illuminated contours (urbanized areas). 404 of these contours have more than 1,000,000 inhabitants and can be considered real "metropolitan areas"; on the other hand there are 161,821 contours with less than 5,000 inhabitants, which we identified as "villages". Finally, the paper shows that 40.26% live in rural areas, 15.53% in rurban spaces, 26.04% in suburban areas and only 18.16% in central areas.

Current status of intestinal parasitic infections among inhabitants of the Ghazni and Parwan provinces, Afghanistan

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Krzysztof Korzeniewski

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background. The prevalence rates of food- and waterborne parasitic infections in Afghanistan are unknown. Cases of invasive diseases found in Afghans are rarely laboratory-confirmed. Objectives . The aim of the study was to present the current status of intestinal parasitic infections in Afghan inhabitants on the example of patients hospitalized in two healthcare facilities in eastern Afghanistan. Material and methods . Fecal samples were collected from 548 patients (children aged 1–17 years and adults with internal complaints, treated in Ghazni Provincial Hospital (Afghan civilian medical center, Ghazni province, 180 south-west of Kabul and in Bagram Korean Hospital (Korean military medical center for Afghan patients, Parwan province, 60 km north of Kabul between 2013 and 2014. One to three stool specimens from Afghan patients were fixed in 10% formalin, transported to the Military Institute of Medicine in Poland and tested by light microscopy using three diagnostic methods (direct smear in Lugol’s solution, decantation in distilled water and Fülleborn’s flotation. Results . Intestinal parasites were found in 144/386 of tested patients from the Ghazni province (37.3% infected, mainly with Ascaris lumbricoides , Giardia intestinalis , Hymenolepis nana and in 49/162 patients from the Parwan province (30.2% infected, mainly with G. intestinalis , A. lumbricoides , H. nana . Conclusions . The rates of intestinal parasitic infections among Afghans are high. The wide range of the detected parasites (protozoa, nematodes, cestodes should result in the introduction of general screening to be conducted regularly among inhabitants of Afghanistan and the application of targeted antiparasitic chemotherapy aiming to eliminate intestinal helminths and protozoa from the local community.

PERCEPTION OF MODES OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT COMPARED TO TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR OF URBAN INHABITANTS IN LIGHT OF MARKETING RESEARCH

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Katarzyna HEBEL

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The study introduces the notion of “travel behaviour” among urban inhabitants, as well as highlighting its most common determinants, one of which is the perception of public transport. The study includes a comparative analysis of the link between passenger perceptions of the main modes of public transport in relation to the actual mode of transport chosen to complete a certain journey, based on market research results collected within a given city.

Network of Green Areas within Collective Housing Communities - Case Study from Timişoara, Romania

Science.gov (United States)

Branea, Ana-Maria; Stelian Găman, Marius; Bădescu, Ştefana

2017-10-01

Green areas have always been an essential feature of urban developments, improving the quality of life within a community, both from a social perspective - offering residents a place for relaxation and interaction, as well as from the point of view of disease prevention - improving the overall air quality, but also encouraging inhabitants to spend more time outside. The importance of these areas within a settlement further increases in the present-day context, in which the constant expansion of cities in their surrounding territory, phenomenon known as “urban sprawl”, gradually eliminates the natural green spaces and agricultural terrains from our landscape. This trend has devastating effects on the environment, as well as on the micro-climate of our settlements, characterized, in recent years, by the formation of heat islands within the built tissue. Moreover, the disappearance of natural green areas leads to the constant estrangement of the inhabitants, and especially of young generations, from the natural values and realities. It is thus more important than ever to ensure an adequate percentage of green areas for our cities, uniformly distributed within the urban tissue. Green belts, urban forests, parks, green squares or even urban gardens - all these entities play their parts within the urban green network, having certain radiuses of influence and attraction and thus occupying a specific position within the urban hierarchy. In Romania, the terrains left un-built between the collective housing buildings - or apartment blocks, erected during the communist administration and currently constituting public property, have a huge potential regarding the matter of urban greenery, being easily transformed into active and qualitative green areas. However, the local authorities lack the resources (both financial and in terms of human resources) to efficiently develop and then administrate these areas, which are consequently either abandoned, or used as illegal

Determination of the pollution with lead in the batteries factory in Al-Saffera (Aleppo) and surrounding area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Oudat, M.; Al-Kharfan, K.; Al-Shamali, K.

2007-10-01

The study aimed to determine the lead concentrations in the ecosystem surrounding the batteries factory in Al-Saffera. The results showed that the lead levels were very high in both factory area and the surrounding agricultural area. Lead levels in air varied between 12 and 34 μg/m3 in the area outside the factory. The same trends were in both soil and plant samples, and normal washing does not decrease the lead level in plant samples to acceptable levels. Mean lead levels in blood was also high and ranged between 55 and 28 μg /dl for factory workers and village inhabitants respectively. In conclusion the authorities administration must take all necessary procedures to reduce the lead levels in the factory area and in the surrounding area.(Author)

Determination of the pollution with lead in the batteries factory in Al-Saffera (Aleppo) and surrounding area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Oudat, M; Al-Kharfan, K; Al-Shamali, K [Atomic Energy Commission, Damascus (Syrian Arab Republic), Dept. of Protection and Safety

2007-10-15

The study aimed to determine the lead concentrations in the ecosystem surrounding the batteries factory in Al-Saffera. The results showed that the lead levels were very high in both factory area and the surrounding agricultural area. Lead levels in air varied between 12 and 34 {mu}g/m3 in the area outside the factory. The same trends were in both soil and plant samples, and normal washing does not decrease the lead level in plant samples to acceptable levels. Mean lead levels in blood was also high and ranged between 55 and 28 {mu}g /dl for factory workers and village inhabitants respectively. In conclusion the authorities administration must take all necessary procedures to reduce the lead levels in the factory area and in the surrounding area.(Author)

Ethnozoological study of animals based medicine used by traditional healers and indigenous inhabitants in the adjoining areas of Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Borah, Manash Pratim; Prasad, Surya Bali

2017-06-30

India has an immense faunal, floral, as well as cultural diversity with many ethnic communities who are primarily dependent on the traditional medicinal system for their primary health care. Documentation and evaluation of this indigenous remedial knowledge may be helpful to establish new drugs for human health. The present study is intended to look into different zootherapeutic medicinal uses in the traditional health care system among the native inhabitants adjacent to the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India. Field survey was carried out from March 2015 to August 2015 by personal interviews through semi-structured questionnaires. In some cases where participants were uncomfortable with the questionnaires, informal interviews and open group discussions were conducted with a total of 62 indigenous respondents (43 male and 19 female) who provided the information regarding various medicinal uses of animals and their products (local name of animal, mode of preparation, application etc). The study recorded a total of 44 different species, 44 genera and 36 families of animals which are used for the treatment of 40 different ailments. Insects occupied the highest uses (30.9%), followed by mammals (23.8%), fishes (16.7%), reptiles (11.9%), amphibians (7.1%), annelids (4.8%) and gastropods (4.8%). Further, some zootherapeutic animals i.e. cockroach (Periplaneta americana), praying mantis (Mantis religiosa) and earthworms (Metaphire houletti, Pheretima posthum) are used for the treatment of asthma, otorrhoea and cancer respectively. The findings suggest that the traditional zootherapeutic remedial measures followed by the native people adjacent to Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary plays an important role in their primary health care. The documentation of this indigenous knowledge on animal based medicines should be very helpful in the formulation of strategies for sustainable management and conservation of bio-resources as well as providing potential for the novel drugs

Exploring the Contribution of Fiscal Transfers to Protected Area Policy

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Maud Borie

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Biodiversity payments have become an increasingly proposed tool to promote conservation measures. An unexplored issue concerns the potential role of fiscal transfers between the state and infra-national authorities potentially as direct financial incentives for biodiversity conservation. We explore how protected areas can be taken into account in a redistributive fiscal transfer system between the state and local authorities, i.e., municipalities. Different simulations were made in the Mediterranean region of southern France, a major biodiversity hotspot subject to increasing threats. We examined two methods for fiscal transfer: first, a "per hectare" method, based on the surface of the protected area within the boundaries of the municipality and second a "population equivalent" method, in which we convert the surface of protected areas into relative numbers of inhabitants. Our results show that consideration of the population of the municipality in addition to its protected areas' surface can provide a strong incentive to encourage municipalities to designate protected areas. However, this will require increased public funding to buffer financial losses incurred by large municipalities that have a low proportion of their territory within protected areas. We discuss the social feasibility of this tool for green infrastructure implementation and future protected area designation.

Indigenous opportunistic bacteria inhabit mammalian gut-associated lymphoid tissues and share a mucosal antibody-mediated symbiosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Obata, Takashi; Goto, Yoshiyuki; Kunisawa, Jun; Sato, Shintaro; Sakamoto, Mitsuo; Setoyama, Hiromi; Matsuki, Takahiro; Nonaka, Kazuhiko; Shibata, Naoko; Gohda, Masashi; Kagiyama, Yuki; Nochi, Tomonori; Yuki, Yoshikazu; Fukuyama, Yoshiko; Mukai, Akira; Shinzaki, Shinichiro; Fujihashi, Kohtaro; Sasakawa, Chihiro; Iijima, Hideki; Goto, Masatoshi; Umesaki, Yoshinori; Benno, Yoshimi; Kiyono, Hiroshi

2010-04-20

The indigenous bacteria create natural cohabitation niches together with mucosal Abs in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Here we report that opportunistic bacteria, largely Alcaligenes species, specifically inhabit host Peyer's patches (PPs) and isolated lymphoid follicles, with the associated preferential induction of antigen-specific mucosal IgA Abs in the GI tract. Alcaligenes were identified as the dominant bacteria on the interior of PPs from naïve, specific-pathogen-free but not from germ-free mice. Oral transfer of intratissue uncultured Alcaligenes into germ-free mice resulted in the presence of Alcaligenes inside the PPs of recipients. This result was further supported by the induction of antigen-specific Ab-producing cells in the mucosal (e.g., PPs) but not systemic compartment (e.g., spleen). The preferential presence of Alcaligenes inside PPs and the associated induction of intestinal secretory IgA Abs were also observed in both monkeys and humans. Localized mucosal Ab-mediated symbiotic immune responses were supported by Alcaligenes-stimulated CD11c(+) dendritic cells (DCs) producing the Ab-enhancing cytokines TGF-beta, B-cell-activating factor belonging to the TNF family, and IL-6 in PPs. These CD11c(+) DCs did not migrate beyond the draining mesenteric lymph nodes. In the absence of antigen-specific mucosal Abs, the presence of Alcaligenes in PPs was greatly diminished. Thus, indigenous opportunistic bacteria uniquely inhabit PPs, leading to PP-DCs-initiated, local antigen-specific Ab production; this may involve the creation of an optimal symbiotic environment on the interior of the PPs.

Epithermal Neutron Activation Analysis (ENAA) of Cr(VI)-reducer Basalt-inhabiting Bacteria

CERN Document Server

Tsibakhashvili, N Ya; Kirkesali, E I; Aksenova, N G; Kalabegishvili, T L; Murusidze, I G; Mosulishvili, L M; Holman, H Y N

2005-01-01

Epithermal neutron activation analysis (ENAA) has been applied to studying elemental composition of Cr(VI)-reducer bacteria isolated from polluted basalts from the Republic of Georgia. Cr(VI)-reducing ability of the bacteria was examined by electron spin resonance (ESR) demonstrating that the bacteria differ in the rates of Cr(VI) reduction. A well-pronounced correlation between the ability of the bacteria to accumulate Cr(V) and their ability to reduce Cr(V) to Cr(III) observed in our experiments is discussed. Elemental analysis of these bacteria also revealed that basalt-inhabiting bacteria are distinguished by relative contents of essential elements such as K, Na, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Co. A high rate of Cr(III) formation correlates with a high concentration of Co in the bacterium. ENAA detected some similarity in the elemental composition of the bacteria. The relatively high contents of Fe detected in the bacteria (140-340 $\\mu $g/g of dry weight) indicate bacterial adaptation to the environmental condition...

Chlamydia psittaci genotype B in a pigeon (Columba livia inhabiting a public place in San José, Costa Rica

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G. Dolz

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Human chlamydiosis is a zoonotic disease of avian origin caused by Chlamydia psittaci. The highest infection rates have been detected in parrots (Psittacidae and pigeons (Columbiformes, the latter most frequently carry the genotypes B and E. These genotypes have been shown to also infect humans. Because pigeons (Columba livia cohabit with humans in urban areas, C. psittaci present in the dust from dry feces of infected pigeons may be transmitted by inhalation and represent a significant public health problem. Between 2012 and 2013 a total of 120 fecal samples were collected from pigeons at four public places (Plaza de la Cultura, Parque Morazán, Parque Central de Guadalupe, Plaza de las Garantías Sociales in San José, Costa Rica. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR was used to amplify a region of the outer membrane protein A gene of C. psittaci. Only one sample was positive in PCR and the positive sample was further subjected to sequencing and genotyping. Sequencing identified this sample as C. psittaci genotype B. This study is the first report to show the presence of this organism in pigeons of Costa Rica, and shows that the infected pigeons may represent a significant risk for humans who visit public places that are inhabited by pigeons.

Chlamydia psittaci genotype B in a pigeon (Columba livia) inhabiting a public place in San José, Costa Rica

Science.gov (United States)

Dolz, G.; Solórzano-Morales, Á.; Angelova, L.; Tien, C.; Fonseca, L.; Bonilla, M.C.

2013-01-01

Human chlamydiosis is a zoonotic disease of avian origin caused by Chlamydia psittaci. The highest infection rates have been detected in parrots (Psittacidae) and pigeons (Columbiformes), the latter most frequently carry the genotypes B and E. These genotypes have been shown to also infect humans. Because pigeons (Columba livia) cohabit with humans in urban areas, C. psittaci present in the dust from dry feces of infected pigeons may be transmitted by inhalation and represent a significant public health problem. Between 2012 and 2013 a total of 120 fecal samples were collected from pigeons at four public places (Plaza de la Cultura, Parque Morazán, Parque Central de Guadalupe, Plaza de las Garantías Sociales) in San José, Costa Rica. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify a region of the outer membrane protein A gene of C. psittaci. Only one sample was positive in PCR and the positive sample was further subjected to sequencing and genotyping. Sequencing identified this sample as C. psittaci genotype B. This study is the first report to show the presence of this organism in pigeons of Costa Rica, and shows that the infected pigeons may represent a significant risk for humans who visit public places that are inhabited by pigeons. PMID:26623327

Chlamydia psittaci genotype B in a pigeon (Columba livia) inhabiting a public place in San José, Costa Rica.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolz, G; Solórzano-Morales, Á; Angelova, L; Tien, C; Fonseca, L; Bonilla, M C

2013-01-01

Human chlamydiosis is a zoonotic disease of avian origin caused by Chlamydia psittaci. The highest infection rates have been detected in parrots (Psittacidae) and pigeons (Columbiformes), the latter most frequently carry the genotypes B and E. These genotypes have been shown to also infect humans. Because pigeons (Columba livia) cohabit with humans in urban areas, C. psittaci present in the dust from dry feces of infected pigeons may be transmitted by inhalation and represent a significant public health problem. Between 2012 and 2013 a total of 120 fecal samples were collected from pigeons at four public places (Plaza de la Cultura, Parque Morazán, Parque Central de Guadalupe, Plaza de las Garantías Sociales) in San José, Costa Rica. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify a region of the outer membrane protein A gene of C. psittaci. Only one sample was positive in PCR and the positive sample was further subjected to sequencing and genotyping. Sequencing identified this sample as C. psittaci genotype B. This study is the first report to show the presence of this organism in pigeons of Costa Rica, and shows that the infected pigeons may represent a significant risk for humans who visit public places that are inhabited by pigeons.

ÁREAS VERDES URBANAS, ESPAÇOS LIVRES PARA O LAZER / Urban green areas, open spaces for leisure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kátia MAZZEI Mazzei

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The creation and the management of Conservation Units in urban areas, as in the category ofintegral protection as of sustainable use, aims to improve the quality of life of the urban citizenat the same time that it promotes an improvement in the urban environment quality, endowingthe urban space with vegetal covering and fundamental green areas to the reproduction of thenatural cycle and maintenance of the dynamic balance. In the urban environment, the differentcategories of open spaces and the indexes of green area per inhabitant intend to offer optionsto the leisure and recreation activities, besides of characterizing as strategic instruments forthe municipal planning, integrating the characteristics and the limits of the environment to theurban expansion.

Resource use of Japanese macaques in heavy snowfall areas: implications for habitat management.

Science.gov (United States)

Enari, Hiroto; Sakamaki-Enari, Haruka

2013-07-01

Populations of Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) that inhabit the northernmost distribution of any nonhuman primates have been listed as endangered in Japan; however, macaques are widely known for being pests that cause agricultural damage. This study identified priority areas for the conservation and management of macaque habitats, by comparing the resource use of troops occupying remote mountains (montane troops) against troops inhabiting disturbed forests adjacent to settlements (rural troops). We collected species presence data across 2 years by radio-tracking two montane troops and two rural troops in the Shirakami Mountains. We developed seasonal utilization distributions by using the kernel method, and identified habitat characteristics by using ecological-niche factor analysis (ENFA). Our results indicate that environmental factors influencing the potential habitat varied widely with season in montane troops as compared with that in rural troops. ENFA results demonstrated that rural troops exhibited more biased resource use and narrower niche breadths than montane troops. Based on our findings, we propose that (1) primary broadleaf forests are the spring habitat conservation priority of montane troops; (2) the habitat unit--the product of habitat suitability index and its surface area--for montane troops is enhanced by removing old conifer plantations from the forest edge at low elevations; (3) such removal around settlements may also contribute toward removing a frontline refuge for rural troops intruding farmlands; and (4) intensive prevention measures against macaque intrusions into settlements during the bottleneck snowy season contribute toward reducing the habitat unit of rural troops.

Foliar nectar enhances plant-mite mutualisms: the effect of leaf sugar on the control of powdery mildew by domatia-inhabiting mites.

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Marjorie G; Porturas, Laura D; Taylor, Scott A

2016-09-01

Mite domatia are small structures on the underside of plant leaves that provide homes for predacious or fungivorous mites. In turn, mites inhabiting domatia defend the plant by consuming leaf herbivores and pathogens, which can result in a domatia-mediated, plant-mite defence mutualism. Several recent studies have suggested that plants receive enhanced benefits when they provide a foliar food source, such as sugars secreted from extrafloral nectaries, to mite mutualists alongside mite domatia. However, the effect of foliar sugar on reducing leaf pathogen load via domatia-inhabiting mites has not been directly investigated. To fill this gap, the links between foliar sugar addition, domatia-inhabiting mite abundance, and pathogen load were experimentally evaluated in wild grape. Furthermore, because the proposed combined benefits of providing food and housing have been hypothesized to select for the evolutionary correlation of extrafloral nectaries and domatia across plant lineages, a literature survey aimed at determining the overlap of mite domatia and extrafloral nectaries across plant groups was also conducted. It was found that leaves with artificial addition of foliar sugar had 58-80 % more mites than leaves without foliar sugar addition, and that higher mite abundances translated to reduced powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator) loads on leaves. It was found that mite domatia and extrafloral nectaries occur non-randomly in the same clades across Eudicots. Genera with both traits are reported to highlight candidate lineages for future studies. Together, the results demonstrate that foliar sugar can indeed enhance the efficacy of domatia-mediated plant-mite mutualisms, and suggest that this synergism has the potential to influence the co-distribution of foliar nectar and mite domatia across plants. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Area, depth and elevation of cryoconite holes in the Arctic do not influence Tardigrada densities

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Zawierucha Krzysztof

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Water bears (Tardigrada are known as one of the most extremophile animals in the world. They inhabit environments from the deepest parts of the oceans up to the highest mountains. One of the most extreme and still poorly studied habitats which tardigrades inhabit are cryoconite holes. We analysed the relation between area, depth, elevation and tardigrades densities in cryoconite holes on four glaciers on Spitsbergen. The mean (±SD of cryoconite area was 1287.21±2400.8 cm2, while the depth was on average 10.8±11.2 cm, the elevation 172.6±109.66 m a.s.l., and tardigrade density 24.9±33.0 individuals per gram of wet material (n = 38. The densities of tardigrades on Hans Glacier reached values of up to 168 ind. cm3, 104 ind. g−1 wet weight, and 275 ind. g−1 dry weight. The densities of tardigrades of the three glaciers in Billefjorden were up to 82 ind. cm2, 326 ind. g−1 wet weight and 624 ind. g−1 dry weight. Surprisingly, although the model included area, depth and elevation as independent variables, it cannot explain Tardigrada density in cryoconite holes. We propose that due to the rapid melting of the glacier surface in the Arctic, the constant flushing of cryoconite sediments, and inter-hole water-sediment mixing, the functioning of these ecosystems is disrupted. We conclude that cryoconite holes are dynamic ecosystems for microinvertebrates in the Arctic.

Importance of determination of the radon risk of the area for building before the building of every stay building

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinter, I.; Vicanova, M.

1997-01-01

In this paper the authors are dilating with the analyse of the equivalent volume activity of the radon in the flat's spaces and of the geological environment in the Slovak Republic. Nevertheless, that for the time being it is not explicitly legislative determined obligation of the discovering of the radon risk of the area of the planned housing, the the ends from up to now realized researches corroborate us the relevance of the quoted problem on the area of the Slovak Republic and the necessity of the determination of the radon risk of the area of the housing of the every inhabitable building [sk

Thyroid gland status among population living around the semipalatinsk nuclear test site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhumadilov, Z.; Land, C.; Hartshorne, M.

2000-01-01

From 1949-1962, regions of Kazakstan near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) were contaminated with high levels of radioactive fallout from atomic bomb tests carried out at the SNTS. The effective-dose is a principal criterion for the evaluation of the effect of radioactive fallout upon population. Thyroid disease prevalence may be ascertained, as a biomarker of radiation exposure and because it is of interest in itself. Some features from three studies of thyroid gland status among population living around SNTS will be reported. The first study is a case review of pathological findings of 7,271 patients from three regions adjacent to the SNTS, who were surgically treated during 1966-96; the second is a thyroid screening study of a cohort of 3000 village residents who were <20 years of age at the time of major fallout events in the Semipalatinsk region; the third is a complex molecular, morphological investigation and some approaches to rehabilitation of patients with thyroid abnormalities. Our first study revealed that there is a significant trend for the proportion of thyroid cancer to increase over time in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakstan 20-29 years after onset of testing in 1949, which might be related to radiation exposure. There are many ethnic groups in this region. Our research among two main ethnic groups (native Kazakh and European extraction) detected that the initial level of thyroid abnormalities and thyroid cancer was higher among residents of European extraction. The total number of surgical cases increased among both ethnic groups over the years, but the numbers of cases with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and thyroid cancer increased dramatically among ethnic Kazakhs. Overall, papillary and follicular cancers predominated, but it should be noted the relatively high percentage of follicular cancers after 1982 in the Semipalatinsk region. The primary screening outcome measure was the prevaleance of thyroid nodules as determined by ultrasound

Thyroid gland status among population living around the semipalatinsk nuclear test site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhumadilov, Z. [Semipalatinsk State Medical Academy (Kazakstan); Land, C.; Hartshorne, M. [and others

2000-05-01

From 1949-1962, regions of Kazakstan near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) were contaminated with high levels of radioactive fallout from atomic bomb tests carried out at the SNTS. The effective-dose is a principal criterion for the evaluation of the effect of radioactive fallout upon population. Thyroid disease prevalence may be ascertained, as a biomarker of radiation exposure and because it is of interest in itself. Some features from three studies of thyroid gland status among population living around SNTS will be reported. The first study is a case review of pathological findings of 7,271 patients from three regions adjacent to the SNTS, who were surgically treated during 1966-96; the second is a thyroid screening study of a cohort of 3000 village residents who were <20 years of age at the time of major fallout events in the Semipalatinsk region; the third is a complex molecular, morphological investigation and some approaches to rehabilitation of patients with thyroid abnormalities. Our first study revealed that there is a significant trend for the proportion of thyroid cancer to increase over time in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakstan 20-29 years after onset of testing in 1949, which might be related to radiation exposure. There are many ethnic groups in this region. Our research among two main ethnic groups (native Kazakh and European extraction) detected that the initial level of thyroid abnormalities and thyroid cancer was higher among residents of European extraction. The total number of surgical cases increased among both ethnic groups over the years, but the numbers of cases with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and thyroid cancer increased dramatically among ethnic Kazakhs. Overall, papillary and follicular cancers predominated, but it should be noted the relatively high percentage of follicular cancers after 1982 in the Semipalatinsk region. The primary screening outcome measure was the prevaleance of thyroid nodules as determined by

Rubidium contents in erythrocyte of children, rice and soil in the areas with different selenium status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Nianqing; Zhao Shunying; Qian Qinfang; Zhu Lianzhen; Piao Jianhua

1997-01-01

Rubidium concentration of erythrocyte of healthy children aged from 6-11 years living in four areas of Sichuan Province with different selenium status was measured by PIXE and the results show that the Rb concentration in erythrocyte for the Keshan Disease area is two times more than other three areas. Meanwhile the glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) activity of erythrocyte was determined and the results confirm that children in the Keshan Disease area are really with selenium deficiency. The Rb contents in rice and soil samples from the Keshan Disease area and the Se-deficiency area but with Se-supplementation to the inhabitants, were tested by INNA. It was found that Rb contents in rice and soil from the former area were much higher than those from the latter. This result indicates that Rb in erythrocyte of children is mainly taken from staple food (rice) and that a higher Rb level in soil is probably another environmental factor causing the Keshan Disease

Bacterial contamination of groundwater in urban area of Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zubair, A.; Rippey, B.

1999-01-01

Well-water samples (in=193) were collected from urban areas of five districts of Karachi during the period 1993 to 1995 to evaluate its bacteriological quality and their impact on city environment and morbidity patterns of inhabitants. Samples were analyzed by the standard method American Public Health Association. The bacteriological contamination level suggest that the groundwater of Chaahi is mainly affected by contamination of wastewater containing high levels of coliform and faecal coliform bacteria. This study points towards serious need to control the seepage from sewerage system and use of contaminated well-water should be discouraged to reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases in order to improve the quality of life and health. (author)

Problems Concerning Dose Assessments in Epidemiology of High Background Radiation Areas of Yangjiang, China (invited paper)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, L.X.; Yuan, Y.L.

1998-01-01

The purpose of this study on radiation levels and dose assessments in the epidemiology of a high background radiation area (HBRA) and the control area (CA) is to respond to the needs of epidemiology in these areas, where the inhabitants are continuously exposed to low dose, low dose rate ionising radiation. A brief description is given of how the research group evaluated the feasibility of the investigation by analysing the population size and the radiation levels, how simple reliable methods were used to get the individual annual dose for every cohort member, and how the cohort members were classified into various dose groups for dose-effect relationship analysis. Finally, the use of dose group classification for cancer mortality studies is described. (author)

Seasonal field efficacy of pyriproxyfen autodissemination stations against container-inhabiting mosquito Aedes albopictus under different habitat conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Suman, Devi Shankar; Wang, Yi; Faraji, Ary; Williams, Gregory M; Williges, Eric; Gaugler, Randy

2018-04-01

Control of the container-inhabiting mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is difficult using conventional methods due to its selection of cryptic peri-domestic habitats. We evaluated whether autodissemination stations can deliver sufficient pyriproxyfen to sentinel containers to produce significant pupal mortality in different habitats such as competing oviposition sites, peri-domestic habitats, junkyards and tire piles. We also tested how far the pesticide could be transferred over a 200-m range. Autodissemination stations performed effectively for 8-12 weeks under field conditions. Pupal mortality was reduced in sentinel cups with high-competing oviposition habitats (5 versus 20) in isolated plots; however, similar results were not seen in residential areas. Increasing the number of stations per plot (from 1 to 4) enhanced the efficacy. Peri-domestic habitat trials showed the highest pupal mortality (50.4%) and site contamination with pyriproxyfen (82.2%) among the trials. Autodissemination stations were able to contaminate habitats in a junkyard (50.0%) and tire piles (40.2%). Pyriproxyfen was detected in sentinel cups up to 200 m from stations. Detection of pyriproxyfen by residue analysis (0.005-0.741 µg L -1 ) in field samples confirmed the transfer of the insect growth regulator. Autodissemination stations have shown promising potential as a novel pest management tool against container mosquitoes in field trials in different habitats confronted by mosquito control personnel. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Multiple model mimicry and feeding behavior of the spider web-inhabiting damsel bug, Arachnocoris berytoides Uhler (Hemiptera: Nabidae), from Puerto Rico

Science.gov (United States)

Javier E. Mercado; Jorge A. Santiago-Blay

2015-01-01

The Neotropical genus, Arachnocoris Scott groups thirteen species of specialized spider web-inhabiting damsel bugs (Nabidae) distributed from Panama to Brazil and the West Indies. We present new information on the web behavior of A. berytoides Uhler from Puerto Rico. Three different life stages were observed on the spider webs, suggesting this species likely depends on...

Vélib and data: a new way of inhabiting the city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominique Boullier

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The Vélib bike rental system is worth analyzing in order to understand how cities move out of a model of large infrastructures towards a personal service principle connected to digital traceability and mapping of all activities. The new offer of bikes distributed all over the city creates a new map for access to mobility resources while introducing citizens to a “personal-public” device. Each feature of the system requires a very well designed information system to match the needs for bikes and to charge the users through cards (credit or transportation cards. Personal data is the essential entity that fuels the whole system and that creates potential privacy problems as well as monetization opportunities. The paper relies on a theoretical framework, called habitele, which accounts for the process of inhabiting that is now extended to the personal data ecosystem. The portability of mobile phones (and other devices such as cards creates an envelope that follows the urban citizen and equips all his activities while it makes a new layer of the city appear, adapted to the personal involvement in the urban environment

Determinants of self-rated health of Warsaw inhabitants.

Science.gov (United States)

Supranowicz, Piotr; Wysocki, Mirosław J; Car, Justyna; Debska, Anna; Gebska-Kuczerowska, Anita

2012-01-01

Self-rated health is a one-point measure commonly used for recognising subjectively perceived health and covering a wide range of individual's health aspects. The aim of our study was to examine the extent to which self-rated health reflects the differences due to demographic characteristics, physical, psychical and social well-being, health disorders, occurrence of chronic disease and negative life events in Polish social and cultural conditions. Data were collected by non-addressed questionnaire methods from 402 Warsaw inhabitants. The questionnaire contained the questions concerning self-rated health, physical, psychical and social well-being, the use of health care services, occurrence of chronic disease and contact with negative life events. The analysis showed that worse self-rated health increased exponentially with age and less sharply with lower level of education. Pensioners were more likely to assess their own health worse then employed or students. Such difference was not found for unemployed. Compared to married, the self-rated health of divorced or widowed respondents was lower. Gender does not differentiate self-rated health. In regard to well-being, self-rated health linearly decreased for physical well-being, for social and, especially, for psychical well-being the differences were significant, but more complicated. Hospitalisation, especially repeated, strongly determined worse self-rated health. In contrast, relationship between self-rated health and sickness absence or frequency of contact with physician were lower. Chronic diseases substantially increased the risk of poorer self-rated health, and their co-morbidity increased the risk exponentially. The patients with cancer were the group, in which the risk several times exceeded that reported for the patients of other diseases. Regarding negative life events, only experience with violence and financial difficulties were resulted in worse self-rated health. Our findings confirmed the usefulness

Model of external exposure of population living in the areas subjected to radioactive contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golikov, V.Yu.; Balonov, M.I.

2002-01-01

In the paper, we formulated the general approach to assessment of external doses to population living in contaminated areas (the model equation and the set of parameters). The model parameters were assessed on the basis of results of monitoring in the environment, phantom experiments, and social and demographic information obtained on the contaminated areas. Verification of model assessments performed by comparison with measurement results of individual external doses in inhabitants within the thermoluminescent dosimetry method have shown that differences in dose assessments within both methods does not exceed 1.5 times at a confidence level of 95%. In the paper, we present the results illustrating specific features of external dose formation in population living in the areas of Russia subjected to radioactive contamination due to nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site, radioactive releases from the Mayak enterprise, and the Chernobyl accident. (author)

Perception of local inhabitants regarding the socioeconomic impact of tourism focused on provisioning wild dolphins in Novo Airão, Central Amazon, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, Luiz C P S; Zappes, Camilah A; Oliveira, Rafael G; Andriolo, Artur; Azevedo, Alexandre de F

2013-01-01

Botos (Inia geoffrensis) are currently provisioned for use in tourist attractions in five sites in the Brazilian Amazon. Despite the known negative effects associated with human-wild dolphin interactions, this activity has been regulated and licensed in the Anavilhanas National Park in Novo Airão, Amazonas State, Brazil. We present an updated evaluation of the perception of the local community concerning the possible socioeconomic impacts of this tourism in Novo Airão. In April 2011, 45 interviews were conducted with inhabitants. A small segment of Novo Airão perceives currently itself as being economically dependent on the botos feeding tourism. Despite that, the economic benefits of this controversial activity apparently are not shared among most inhabitants, and botos feeding tourism is perceived as generating diverse negative effects. We conclude that if the activity was banned or modified into a less impacting tourist activity, this action would probably not majorly affect the lives of the general population.

PARAMETERS OF THE DIETARY PATTERN AND BEHAVIOR OF THE BRYANSK REGION INHABITANTS IN MAY 1986, INFLUENCING THE EVALUATION OF THE DOSE RECEIVED DUE TO THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. A. Zvonova

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Results of the poll on the lifestyle and nutrition of the population of the most contaminated areas of the Bryansk and Tula regions during the initial period after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are presented in the article. The poll was held at the beginning of 1987. Mean values of numeric factors were derived form the results of processing of questionnaires received from 8500 persons, namely: value of milk daily consumption depending on the age and place of residence, the date of the dairy cattle grazing starting, time of milk consumption termination in May 1986, time spent by the person outdoors and in the dwelling, data on the leaving of the contaminated territory. Obtained information is used for the clarification of models for the internal and external exposure dose calculation and for personalization of the dose estimations for the individual inhabitants.

EPR DOSIMETRY STUDY FOR POPULATION RESIDING IN THE VICINITY OF FALLOUT TRACE FOR NUCLEAR TEST ON 7 AUGUST 1962.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhumadilov, Kassym Sh; Ivannikov, Alexander I; Stepanenko, Valeriy F; Toyoda, Shin; Skvortsov, Valeriy G; Hoshi, Masaharu

2016-12-01

The method of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) dosimetry using extracted teeth has been applied to human tooth enamel to obtain individual absorbed doses of residents of settlements in the vicinity of the central axis of radioactive fallout trace from the contaminating surface nuclear test on 7 August 1962. Most of the settlements (Kurchatov, Akzhar, Begen, Buras, Grachi, Mayskoe, Semenovka) are located from 70 to 120 km to the North-East from the epicenter of the explosion at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS). This region is basically an agricultural region. A total of 57 teeth samples were collected from these sites. Eight teeth from residents of the Kokpekty settlement, which was not subjected to any radioactive contamination and located 400 km to the Southeast from SNTS, were chosen as a control. The principal findings, using this method, were that the average excess dose obtained after subtraction of the natural background radiation was 13 mGy and ranged up to about 100 mGy all for residents in this region. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The influence of the Lop Nor Nuclear Weapons Test Base to the population of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhumadilov, Kassym, E-mail: kassym@hiroshima-u.ac.j [Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553 (Japan); Ivannikov, Alexander [Medical Radiological Research Center, Korolev str. 4, Obninsk 249036 (Russian Federation); Zharlyganova, Dinara [Astana Medical University, Astana 010000 (Kazakhstan); Stepanenko, Valeriy [Medical Radiological Research Center, Korolev str. 4, Obninsk 249036 (Russian Federation); Zhumadilov, Zhaxybay [Nazarbayev University, Life Science Center, Astana 010000 (Kazakhstan); Apsalikov, Kazbek [Kazakh Scientific-Research Institute for Radiation Medicine and Ecology, Semey 071400 (Kazakhstan); Toyoda, Shin [Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science, 1-1 Ridai, Okayama 700-0005 (Japan); Endo, Satoru [Department of Quantum Energy Applications, Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8527 (Japan); Tanaka, Kenichi [Division of Physics, Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Center of Medical Education, Sapporo Medical University, South 1, West 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-8556 (Japan); Miyazawa, Chuzou [School of Dentistry, Ohu University, 31-1, Aza-Misumido, Tomita-machi, Koriyama-shi, Fukushima Pref. 963-8611 (Japan); Okamoto, Tetsuji [Department of Molecular Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Surgery, Division of Frontier Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University (Japan); Hoshi, Masaharu [Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553 (Japan)

2011-04-15

The method of electron spin resonance (ESR) dosimetry was applied to human tooth enamel to obtain estimates of individual absorbed dose for residents of Makanchi, Urdzhar and Taskesken settlements located near the Kazakhstan-Chinese border (about 400 km to the South-East, from the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) and about 1000 km from the Lop Nor Nuclear Weapons Test Base, China). Since the ground and atmospheric nuclear tests (1964-1981) at Lop Nor, the people residing in these settlements are believed to have been heavily exposed to radioactive fallout. Tooth samples had been extracted for medical reasons during the course of ordinary dental treatment. The village of Kokpekty, located 400 km to the South-east of the SNTS, was chosen as the control group since it has not been subjected to any radioactive contamination. The mean excess doses in tooth enamel obtained after subtraction of the contribution of natural background radiation do not exceed 62 {+-} 28 mGy, 64 {+-} 30 mGy, 49 {+-} 27 mGy and -19 {+-} 36 mGy for all ages of the residents of Makanchi, Urdzhar, Taskesken and the control village of Kokpekty, respectively.

The population of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB from Cikaniki, Botol Mountain, and Ciptarasa Area, and the ability of PSB to solubilize insoluble P in solid pikovskaya medium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SULIASIH

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB were collected from plant rhizosphere at Cikaniki (1100 m asl., soil at Botol Mountain (1000, 1500, and 1800 m asl., and Ciptarasa (600, 1000, and 1500 m asl., area at Gunung Halimun National Park (GHNP. The soil ware collected randomly from 3 areas and taken from 0-15 cm depth in the plants rhizosphere at Cikaniki and forest floor soil in Gunung Botol and Ciptarasa. The result showed that the difference of elevation area, soil pH, forest vegetation, and microbial habitat (rhizosphere and forest floor were not the inhabitation factors of the biodiversity of PSB and their ability to solubilize insoluble phosphate, but the inhabitation factors on the growth of the PSB population. The highest population of PSB at GHNP was founded in the plant rhizosphere of Altingia exelsa Norona and Schima wallichii (Dc. Korth (107sel/g soil at Cikaniki and in the forest floor soil (108sel/g soil at Botol Mountain (1000 m asl.. Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus sp., Bacillus megaterium, and Chromobacterium sp. dominated Cikaniki, Botol Mountain and Ciptarasa area. Those isolates could solubilize insoluble phosphate on solid Pikovskaya medium with the range of diameter is 1.5-2.5 cm.

Submicroscopic Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte carriage is common in an area of low and seasonal transmission in Tanzania

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shekalaghe, Seif A; Bousema, J Teun; Kunei, Karaine K

2007-01-01

. In this study, we investigated submicroscopic asexual parasitaemia and gametocytaemia in inhabitants of an area of hypoendemic and seasonal malaria in Tanzania. METHODS: Two cross-sectional malariometric surveys were conducted in the dry and wet seasons of 2005 in villages in lower Moshi, Tanzania. Finger prick...... blood samples were taken to determine the prevalence of P. falciparum parasites by microscopy, rapid diagnostic test and real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (QT-NASBA). RESULTS: 2752 individuals participated in the surveys, of whom 1.9% (51/2721) had microscopically confirmed asexual...... reveal that carriage of submicroscopic asexual parasite and gametocyte densities is relatively common in this low transmission area. Submicroscopic gametocytaemia is likely to be responsible for maintaining malarial transmission in the study area....

Streams and their future inhabitants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sand-Jensen, K.; Friberg, Nikolai

2006-01-01

In this fi nal chapter we look ahead and address four questions: How do we improve stream management? What are the likely developments in the biological quality of streams? In which areas is knowledge on stream ecology insuffi cient? What can streams offer children of today and adults of tomorrow?...

Accessibility of tertiary hospitals in Finland: A comparison of administrative and normative catchment areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Huotari, Tiina; Antikainen, Harri; Keistinen, Timo; Rusanen, Jarmo

2017-06-01

The determination of an appropriate catchment area for a hospital providing highly specialized (i.e. tertiary) health care is typically a trade-off between ensuring adequate client volumes and maintaining reasonable accessibility for all potential clients. This may pose considerable challenges, especially in sparsely inhabited regions. In Finland, tertiary health care is concentrated in five university hospitals, which provide services in their dedicated catchment areas. This study utilizes Geographic Information Systems (GIS), together with grid-based population data and travel-time estimates, to assess the spatial accessibility of these hospitals. The current geographical configuration of the hospitals is compared to a normative assignment, with and without capacity constraints. The aim is to define optimal catchment areas for tertiary hospitals so that their spatial accessibility is as equal as possible. The results indicate that relatively modest improvements can be achieved in accessibility by using normative assignment to determine catchment areas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Urban floods: a case study in the Savigliano area (North-Western Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Audisio

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Flood processes and effects are examined, concerning two rivers in an urbanized area in North-Western Italy (Piedmont – Cuneo Plain. In May 2008, some areas in Northern Italy were struck by intense and persistent rainfall. In the Cuneo province (Southern Piedmont, floodplain with some urban areas was inundated over ca. ten square kilometres, and the city of Savigliano (about 21 000 inhabitants was particularly hit by flood. A purposely-made historical research has evidenced approximately fifty flood events as having occurred since 1350 in the Savigliano area. Based upon historical data, both documents and maps, GIS (Geographical Information System technique and field surveys were used to quantitatively assess the growing urbanization of the city and to describe flood processes and effects over years. This work aims to describe the dynamic behaviour of the 2008 flood, also comparing it to past events, in particular those that occurred in 1896. It is emphasized how the knowledge of past events can be helpful in reducing urban flooding.

The prevalence of nervios and associated symptomatology among inhabitants of Mexican rural communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Salgado de Snyder, V N; Diaz-Perez, M J; Ojeda, V D

2000-12-01

The purpose of the present contribution is to describe the prevalence of nervios through self-report, to identify psychological and somatic symptoms associated with nervios, and to report the comorbidity of nervios with mood and anxiety disorders among Mexican rural-origin adults. The data reported here were collected as part of a larger project, whose aims were to determine the prevalence of selected mental health problems, their sociocultural manifestation and interpretation, and the utilization of mental health services among the inhabitants of rural communities in Mexico. A multi-stage, stratified, random sample of two regions in Mexico was obtained. The total number of participants used in the analyses was 942 adults: 441 men and 501 women. We found a prevalence of nervios of 15.5% in the general population. When analyzed by sex, women had a significantly higher prevalence (20.8%) of this condition than men (9.5%). Also, all the somatic and psychological symptoms associated with nervios had a higher prevalence among women than men.

Production of heterotrophic bacteria inhabiting macroscopic organic aggregates (marine snow) from surface waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alldredge, A.L.; Cole, J.J.; Caron, D.A.

1986-01-01

Macroscopic detrital aggregates, known as marine snow, are a ubiquitous and abundant component of the marine pelagic zone. Descriptions of microbial communities occurring at densities 2-5 orders of magnitude higher on these particles than in the surrounding seawater have led to the suggestion that marine snow may be a site of intense heterotrophic activity. The authors tested this hypothesis using incorporation of [ 3 H]thymidine into macromolecules as a measure of bacterial growth occurring on marine snow from oceanic waters in the North Atlantic and from neritic waters off southern California. Abundances of marine snow ranged from 0.1 to 4.3 aggregates per liter. However, only 0.1-4% ration per cell on aggregates was generally equal to or lower than that of bacteria found free-living in the surrounding seawater, indicating that attached bacteria were not growing more rapidly than free-living bacteria. Bacteria inhabiting aggregates were up to 25 times larger than free-living forms

Energy and poverty in isolated areas of Colombia. The poor residents' perceptions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarez, Claudia; Awad, Gabriel; Dyner, Isaac; Cherni, Judith

2003-01-01

For decades a number of studies have analyzed the effect of energy on the poor. In this paper our approach includes an assessment of the community's perception of the energy problem. Low income is one of the main reasons that make electricity less accessible to the poor; in addition, deficient access to energy services negatively affects the in come of poor population, in this way trapping them in a vicious cycle that is often difficult to break. For better understand the links between energy and poverty, making comparisons between theory and practice, the RESURL (Renewable Energy for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods) project evaluates some of the most important factors that support the efficient and suitable provision of energy services in remote rural areas, using a multidiscipline and participative perspective. An initial survey was undertaken in the Colombian pacific coast and in the Andean region, both with similar conditions: inhabited by poor population that is isolated from the national grid system. The zones were selected because their inhabitants have access to different forms of renewable energy. The paper discusses the findings of the fieldwork and examines some of the barriers that exist for a more productive use of energy in these regions

Energy and poverty in isolated areas of Colombia; the poor residents' perceptions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarez, Claudia; Awad, Gabriel; Dyner Isaac; Cherni, Judith

2003-01-01

For decades a number of studies have analyzed the effect of energy on the poor. In this paper our approach includes an assessment of the community perception of the energy problem. Low income is one of the main reasons that make electricity less accessible to the poor, in addition, deficient access to energy services negatively affects the income of poor population, in this way trapping them in a vicious cycle that is often difficult to break. For better understand the links between energy and poverty, making comparisons between the theory and practice, the result (renewable energy for sustainable rural livelihoods) the project evaluates some of the most important factors that support the efficient and suitable provision of energy services in remote rural areas, using a multidiscipline and participative perspective. An initial survey was undertaken in the Colombian pacific coast and in the Andean region, se both with similar conditions: inhabited by poor population that is isolated from the national grid system. The zones were selected because their inhabitants have access to different forms of renewable energy. The paper discusses the findings of the field work and examines some of the barriers that exist for a more productive use of energy in these regions

Thermal Comfort Level Assessment in Urban Area of Petrolina-PE County, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Vieira de Azevedo

Full Text Available Abstract This study evaluated the thermal conditions of urban areas in Petrolina-PE, from continuous data collected in urban and rural areas for the year of 2012. The results characterized urban heat islands (UHI with varying intensity in urban areas, especially UHI = 5.3 °C (high intensity occurred on April 28, 2012. It was evident that the constituent elements of urban areas contribute to the formation and expansion of UHI bringing thermal discomfort for its inhabitants. An adaptation to Thom’s equation for calculating the Thermal Discomfort Index (DIT, was used to obtain the maximum (DITx and minimum (DITm thermal discomfort. In the urban area, the DITm indicated thermal comfort in 23.0% of the days and partial comfort in 77.0% of days surveyed. Already, the DITx characterized 71.6% of days with partial comfort and 28.4% of days with thermal discomfort. In the rural area, The DITm indicated that 41.5% of days were thermally comfortable and 58.5% of days had partial comfort. However, the DITx pointed 87.7% of the days of this environment with partial thermal comfort and 12.3% of thermally uncomfortable days. Finally, the results showed that afforestation of urban area constitutes to an effective and efficient way to mitigate thermal discomfort.

Assessment of the potential radiological impact of residual contamination in the Maralinga and Emu areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haywood, S.M.; Smith, J.

1990-10-01

The report presents an assessment of potential doses to future inhabitants of the Maralinga and Emu areas of Southern Australia, where nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s and 1960s resulted in widespread residual radioactive contamination. Annual effective doses of several millisieverts would be expected to result from continual occupancy within contours enclosing areas of several hundred square kilometres. Larger predicted annual effective doses - of the order of 0.5 Sv -would be expected to occur from 100% occupancy in small regions immediately surrounding the test sites, but continual occupancy of such areas is highly unlikely because of their small size. The most significant dose pathways are inhalation of resuspended activity and ingestion of soil by infants. An analysis of the effects of uncertainties in the dose calculation indicated the uncertainty distribution on predicted doses from the inhalation pathway. (author)

Scuttle Flies (Diptera: Phoridae) Inhabiting Rabbit Carcasses Confined to Plastic Waste Bins in Malaysia Include New Records and an Undescribed Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Zuha, Raja M; Huong-Wen, See; Disney, R Henry L; Omar, Baharudin

2017-01-01

Scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) are small-sized insects of forensic importance. They are well known for diversified species and habitats, but in the context of forensic entomology, scuttle flies' inhabitance of corpses remains inadequately explored. With recent reports indicating the existence of more scuttle fly species possibly inhabiting these environments, a decomposition study using animal carcasses in enclosed environments was conducted. The aim was to record the occurrence of scuttle flies on rabbit carcasses placed in sealed plastic waste bins for a 40-day period. The study was conducted as two replicates in Bangi, Selangor. Sampling was carried out at different time intervals inside a modified mosquito net as a trap. Inside the trap, adult scuttle flies were aspirated and preserved in 70% ethanol. The fly larvae and pupae were reared until their adult stage to facilitate identification. From this study, six scuttle fly species were collected, i.e., Dahliphora sigmoides (Schmitz) ♂, Gymnoptera simplex (Brues) ♀ , Megaselia scalaris (Loew) ♂♀ , Puliciphora borinquenensis (Wheeler) ♂, Puliciphora obtecta Meijere ♀ and Spiniphora sp. ♀ . Both D. sigmoides and P. obtecta were newly recorded in Malaysia, whilst the Spiniphora sp. was considered an unknown species until it was linked to its male counterpart. The sealed waste bins were found to be accessible for the scuttle flies with delayed arrival (day 4-5). Megaselia scalaris was the primary scuttle fly species attracted to the carcass, and its occurrence could be observed between days 4-7 (replicate 1) and days 5-33 (replicate 2). This study also revealed Sarcophaga spp. (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) as the earliest species to colonize the remains and the longest to inhabit them (days 2-40). The larvae of Hermetia illucens (Linneaus) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) and Fannia sp . (Diptera: Fanniidae) were found on the carcasses during the mid-advanced decay period. These findings expand the knowledge on

Scuttle Flies (Diptera: Phoridae) Inhabiting Rabbit Carcasses Confined to Plastic Waste Bins in Malaysia Include New Records and an Undescribed Species

Science.gov (United States)

Zuha, Raja M.; Huong-Wen, See; Disney, R. Henry L.; Omar, Baharudin

2017-01-01

Scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) are small-sized insects of forensic importance. They are well known for diversified species and habitats, but in the context of forensic entomology, scuttle flies’ inhabitance of corpses remains inadequately explored. With recent reports indicating the existence of more scuttle fly species possibly inhabiting these environments, a decomposition study using animal carcasses in enclosed environments was conducted. The aim was to record the occurrence of scuttle flies on rabbit carcasses placed in sealed plastic waste bins for a 40-day period. The study was conducted as two replicates in Bangi, Selangor. Sampling was carried out at different time intervals inside a modified mosquito net as a trap. Inside the trap, adult scuttle flies were aspirated and preserved in 70% ethanol. The fly larvae and pupae were reared until their adult stage to facilitate identification. From this study, six scuttle fly species were collected, i.e., Dahliphora sigmoides (Schmitz) ♂, Gymnoptera simplex (Brues) ♀, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) ♂♀, Puliciphora borinquenensis (Wheeler) ♂, Puliciphora obtecta Meijere ♀ and Spiniphora sp. ♀. Both D. sigmoides and P. obtecta were newly recorded in Malaysia, whilst the Spiniphora sp. was considered an unknown species until it was linked to its male counterpart. The sealed waste bins were found to be accessible for the scuttle flies with delayed arrival (day 4–5). Megaselia scalaris was the primary scuttle fly species attracted to the carcass, and its occurrence could be observed between days 4–7 (replicate 1) and days 5–33 (replicate 2). This study also revealed Sarcophaga spp. (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) as the earliest species to colonize the remains and the longest to inhabit them (days 2–40). The larvae of Hermetia illucens (Linneaus) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) and Fannia sp. (Diptera: Fanniidae) were found on the carcasses during the mid-advanced decay period. These findings expand the

Quality index of the surface water of Amazonian rivers in industrial areas in Pará, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Medeiros, Adaelson Campelo; Faial, Kleber Raimundo Freitas; do Carmo Freitas Faial, Kelson; da Silva Lopes, Iris Danielly; de Oliveira Lima, Marcelo; Guimarães, Raphael Mendonça; Mendonça, Neyson Martins

2017-10-15

In this study was to evaluate the waters quality of the Murucupi River, located in urban agglomerate area and intense industrial activity in Barcarena City, Pará State. The Arapiranga River in Abaetetuba City was used as control area (Background), next to Barcarena. Was used the Water Quality Index (WQI) based on nine variables analized. Waters quality of the Arapiranga and Murucupi rivers were regular to good and bad to good, respectively. Anthropogenic influence on the Murucupi River was higher, mainly by the disposal of domestic effluents from the urban agglomerate and of the industrial waste tailing basins upstream of this river. Due to its less inhabited environment and further away from the area urban and industrial, the Arapiranga River was more preserved. Waters pollution of around these area is increasingly intense, and restricted its uses for various purposes. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Epithermal neutron activation analysis of CR(VI)-reducer basalt-inhabiting bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsibakhashvili, N.Ya.; Kalabegishvili, T.L.; Murusidze, I.G.; Mosulishvili, L.M.; Frontas'eva, M.V.; Kirkesali, E.I.; Aksenova, N.G.; Holman, H.Y.

2005-01-01

Epithermal neutron activation analysis (ENAA) has been applied to studying elemental composition of Cr(VI)-reducer bacteria isolated from polluted basalts from the Republic of Georgia. Cr(VI)-reducing ability of the bacteria was examined by electron spin resonance (ESR) demonstrating that the bacteria differ in the rates of Cr(VI) reduction. A well-pronounced correlation between the ability of the bacteria to accumulate Cr(VI) and their ability to reduce Cr(V) to Cr(III) observed in our experiments is discussed. Elemental analysis of these bacteria also revealed that basalt-inhabiting bacteria are distinguished by relative contents of essential elements such as K, Na, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Co. A high rate of Cr(III) formation correlates with a high concentration of Co in the bacterium. ENAA detected some similarity in the elemental composition of the bacteria. The relatively high contents of Fe detected in the bacteria (140-340 μg/g of dry weight) indicate bacterial adaptation to the environmental conditions typical of the basalts. The concentrations of at least 12-19 different elements ranging from major- to ultratrace ones were determined in each type of bacteria simultaneously. The range of concentrations spans over 8 orders of magnitude

The potentials of rural tourism in developing rural areas in Albania

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Henrietta Nagy

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The inspiration that drove us to this study is that conventional tourism in Albania is focused more on promoting seaside, cultural tourism, luxury resorts, etc. which has demonstrated a good trend. At the same time, specific parts of the country have been abandoned due to their underdeveloped situation. Given their assets as constructed and indigenous habitat, they progressively appear as regions for rural tourism development. It could provide good development opportunities in remote mountainous areas that every day more are abandoned by the population because they do not have enough employment opportunities. But as for other rural areas which have a great potential for development of rural tourism, they are not preferred by the population either to live because they do not have developed agriculture. They do not provide the opportunity to earn enough money to live on at the appropriate standard. So the development of rural tourism would help the population in such areas to diversify their activities and earn some extra income, motivating inhabitants to stay in their own areas. Overall, it would contribute to the balanced development of the regions of Albania.

Flora and phytosociology of an area of Restinga along the northern Coast of Bahia, Brazil

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Christiano Marcelino Menezes

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Areas of restinga are geologically recent environments. The species that inhabit this type of ecosystem are typical of adjacent areas, such as rain forest, tabuleiro forest and caatinga, and form a diverse community of trees, shrubs and erect and prostrate herbs. The goal of this work was to evaluate the vegetation in an area of restinga located along Praia do Forte, in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Four 200m transects where made within five plots of 100m2 each, and 1,640 individuals within 68 species were collected. High species diversity was found in transects 1 and 2 (H´ = 3.882 and 3 and 4 (H´ = 3.835. The most representative families were Myrtaceae, Rubiaceae and Malpighiaceae. Based on the species composition, a significant difference (p < 0.001 was found between the sampled areas, and the findings show that there are two distinct plant communities in this region, Mata deRestinga and Restinga em Moitas.

Food resource and temporal partitioning amongst a guild of predatory agroecosystem - inhabiting ant species

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Vivek Mohan AGARWAL, Neelkamal RASTOGI

2009-10-01

. The agroecosystem-inhabiting ant species prey on a large number and wide variety of insect herbivores as evident from the differences in the peak foraging times and the proportion of each type of prey hunted. Overall, our results indicate that the structure of agroecosystem-inhabiting ant assemblage may be influenced by a variety of factors including competition, temporal heterogeneities, prey availability and its characteristics such as size and mobility [Current Zoology 55 (5 : –, 2009].

Main internal dose-forming factors for inhabitants of contaminated regions at current phase of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident (Kyiv region as an example)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasilenko, V.V.; Nechajev, S.Yu.; Tsigankov, M.Ya.; And others

2015-01-01

Objective of this work is revealing of main dose"forming factors of internal doses for inhabitants of contaminated regions of Kyiv region relying on the results of integral dosimetric monitoring. Three villages have been chosen for the investigation. They are: Raghivka, Zelena Poliana (Poliske district), Karpylivka (Ivankiv district). Twice a year, in May and in October those villages' residents were inspected for content of incorporated "1"3"7Cs. They were measured by direct method at the place of residence with the help of whole body counters (WBC). The principal food samples were collected for detection of "9"0Sr and "1"3"7Cs content. Those villages' inhabitants were interviewed about food consumption levels. Mathematical, dosimetric and radio-chemical methods were used in this work. The estimation of internal doses due to intake of "1"3"7Cs by ingestion of milk and potatoes are in the range 0.3-34% of doses estimated on the base of WBC data. The contribution to the dose of internal exposure from intake of "1"3"7Cs with the milk consumption is no more than two times higher than the contribution of potatoes consumption in the case of equal consumption levels of these products. Contributions to the dose of internal exposure from intake of "9"0Sr with milk and potatoes consumptions are approximately similar. Consumption of mushrooms and other wild nature products by inhabitants from the inspected settlements is the main forming factor of internal dose due to "1"3"7Cs intake

Infection by Leishmania spp. in Free-Ranging Opossums (Didelphis albiventris) in an Environmentally Protected Area Inhabited by Humans in Southeastern Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Paiz, Laís Moraes; Donalisio, Maria Rita; Richini-Pereira, Virgínia Bodelão; Motoie, Gabriela; Castagna, Claudio Luiz; Tolezano, José Eduardo

2016-11-01

There is a growing concern about the participation of wild hosts and reservoirs in the epidemiology of leishmaniasis, particularly within the context of increasingly frequent environmental changes and the expansion of the One Health concept. This work is a molecular research of infection by Leishmania spp. among the wildlife of an environmentally protected area located in the municipality of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. The studied area has a history of intense environmental changes, with notifications of human cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the 1990s, and a focus of canine visceral leishmaniasis since 2009. Eighty-two wild mammals were sampled by monthly captures in this region over a 1-year period. Blood samples were collected from each animal and subjected to DNA extraction and PCR using primers for the region of the internal transcribed spacer-1. The results of gene sequencing for the first time revealed the infection of opossums (Didelphis albiventris) by Leishmania spp., subgenera Leishmania and Viannia, in Campinas. These findings, in addition to environmental and historical characteristics of the studied area, indicate a possible role of wildlife in the introduction and/or maintenance of natural foci of leishmaniasis transmission.

Lake fish as the main contributor of internal dose to lakeshore residents in the Chernobyl contaminated area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Travnikova, I.G.; Bazjukin, A.N.; Bruk, G.Ja.; Shutov, V.N.; Balonov, M.I.; Skuterud, L.; Mehli, H.; Strand, P.

2004-01-01

Two field expeditions in 1996 studied 137 Cs intake patterns and its content in the bodies of adult residents from the village Kozhany in the Bryansk region, Russia, located on the shore of a drainless peat lake in an area subjected to significant radioactive contamination after the 1986 Chernobyl accident. The 137 Cs contents in lake water and fish were two orders of magnitude greater than in local rivers and flow-through lakes, 10 years after Chernobyl radioactive contamination, and remain stable. The 137 Cs content in lake fish and a mixture of forest mushrooms was between approximately 10-20 kBq/kg, which exceeded the temporary Russian permissible levels for these products by a factor of 20-40. Consumption of lake fish gave the main contribution to internal doses (40-50%) for Kozhany village inhabitants Simple countermeasures, such as Prussian blue doses for dairy cows and pre-boiling mushrooms and fish before cooking, halved the 137 Cs internal dose to inhabitants, even 10 years after the radioactive fallout

The biogeochemistry and occurrence of unusual plant species inhabiting acidic, metal-rich water, Red Mountain, Bonnifield district, Alaska Range: Chapter J in Recent U.S. Geological Survey studies in the Tintina Gold Province, Alaska, United States, and Yukon, Canada--results of a 5-year project

Science.gov (United States)

Gough, Larry P.; Eppinger, Robert G.; Briggs, Paul H.

2007-01-01

This report presents results on the occurrence and biogeochemistry of unusual plant species, and of their supporting sediment, in an undisturbed volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit in the Tintina Gold Province (see fig. 1 of Editors’ Preface and Overview). The extraordinary plant assemblage found growing in the acidic metal-rich waters that drain the area is composed predominantly of bryophytes (liverworts and mosses). Ferricrete-cemented silty alluvial sediments within seeps and streams are covered with the liverwort Gymnocolea inflata, whereas the mosses Polytrichum commune and P. juniperinum inhabit the area adjacent to the water and within the splash zone. Both the liverwort-encrusted sediment and Polytrichum thalli have high concentrations of major- and trace-metal cations (for example, Al, As, Cu, Fe, Hg, La, Mn, Pb, and Zn). Soils in the area do not reflect the geochemical signature of the mineral deposit, and we suspect that they are most influenced by the chemistry of airborne dust (aeolian material) derived from outside the area.

Community Structure of Decapod Inhabit Dead Coral Pocillopora sp. in Pemuteran, Bali

Science.gov (United States)

Pertiwi, N. P. D.; Malik, M. D. A.; Kholilah, N.; Kurniasih, E. M.; Sembiring, A.; Anggoro, A. W.; Ambariyanto; Meyer, C.

2018-02-01

Decapod is one of the cryptic fauna associated with coral reefs, which play an important role and accounts for a major part of the biodiversity in the reef ecosystem. However, this biodiversity is largely overlooked and assessment regarding this biodiversity has not been conducted thoroughly due to lack of resources and the difficulties of sample collection. This research used semi-quantitative sampling methods to assess the community structure of decapod species inhabit dead Pocillopora sp. in Pemuteran, Bali. Two dead coral head of Pocillopora sp. were used as pilot study and sampled at the 8-12 m depth. All decapod found were collected and identify into family level. The result showed 214 decapods found consisting 12 families, with Xanthidae as the most abundant family. Community Index which consisting diversity, uniformity, and dominancy, indicated medium diversity, stable uniformity, and low dominancy of decapod community. This result also indicated no dominancy between families of decapod. Meanwhile, Species Density Index showed the value of 84.58 ± 2.04 individual per m3, with mean diversity of 7.05 ± 2.04 individual per m3 for each family.

Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil and Brown Rice and Human Health Risk Assessment near Three Mining Areas in Central China

OpenAIRE

Fan, Yu; Zhu, Tingping; Li, Mengtong; He, Jieyi; Huang, Ruixue

2017-01-01

Background. Metal mining and waste discharge lead to regional heavy metal contamination and attract major concern because of the potential risk to local residents. Methods. This research was conducted to determine lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), manganese (Mn), and antimony (Sb) concentrations in soil and brown rice samples from three heavy metal mining areas in Hunan Province, central China, and to assess the potential health risks to local inhabitants. Results. Local soil contaminati...

[Infestation by triatomines in rural settlement and resettlement areas the Region of Pontal do Paranapanema, State of São Paulo].

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Rubens Antonio; Sampaio, Susy Mary Perpétuo; Koyanagui, Paulo Hiroshi; Poloni, Marisa; de Carvalho, Maria Esther; Rodrigues, Vera Lúcia Cortiço Corrêa

2007-01-01

This study had the aim of assessing the characteristics of triatomine infestation in human dwellings in rural settlement and resettlement areas with regard to the time when infestation began. We analyzed data relating to 48 triatomine surveys carried out in 105 settlement areas and six resettlement areas in the region of Pontal do Paranapanema between January 1984 and June 2005. Among the 16 surveys in settlement areas, seven (43.8%) had positive findings, all of them in communities established eight or more years previously. Among the 32 surveys in resettlement areas, 23 (71.9%) had positive findings, all of them in communities established for periods shorter than eight years. Since the inhabitants of such communities frequently move, the need for constant vigilance to detect any cases of infestation by vector triatomines in new settlements cannot be overemphasized.

Slum inhabitants' perceptions and decision-making processes related to an innovative sanitation service: evaluating the Blue Diversion Toilet in Kampala (Uganda).

Science.gov (United States)

O'Keefe, Mark; Messmer, Ulrike; Lüthi, Christoph; Tobias, Robert

2015-01-01

The inadequate provision of sanitation in informal urban settlements, also known as slums, continues to be an important issue. New technologies and services are being designed to solve this problem. However, the history of failed sanitation programmes and projects highlights a lack of understanding of how slum inhabitants decide on investing in such products and services. In this paper, we gather perspectives from potential clients and investigate how slum inhabitants (1) perceive the current situation and whether they desire improvements of sanitation, (2) how they evaluate a new toilet that is still in development, and how (3) social processes and (4) constraints affect decisions. Data were collected through interviewing 1538 people within a general household survey. People using shared and public latrines desire an improvement of their sanitation facilities. The lack of water for washing is perceived by residents as a the biggest problem when accessing current latrines. The new toilet was mostly evaluated positively: people like it, expect large health benefits from it and it complies with cultural norms. However, people also expect some problems with the functioning of the toilet and expect opposition to pay for the service, due to the high costs and a lack of space to set up new toilets.

Rural areas affected by the Chernobyl accident: Radiation exposure and remediation strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacob, P., E-mail: Jacob@helmholtz-muenchen.de [Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, Institute of Radiation Protection, 85764 Neuherberg (Germany); Fesenko, S. [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria); Bogdevitch, I. [Scientific Research State Enterprise ' Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry' , Minsk (Belarus); Kashparov, V. [Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, Chabany (Ukraine); Sanzharova, N. [Russian Institute of Agricultural Radiology and Radioecology, Obninsk (Russian Federation); Grebenshikova, N. [Institute of Radiology, Gomel (Belarus); Isamov, N. [Russian Institute of Agricultural Radiology and Radioecology, Obninsk (Russian Federation); Lazarev, N. [Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, Chabany (Ukraine); Panov, A. [Russian Institute of Agricultural Radiology and Radioecology, Obninsk (Russian Federation); Ulanovsky, A. [Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, Institute of Radiation Protection, 85764 Neuherberg (Germany); Zhuchenko, Y. [Institute of Radiology, Gomel (Belarus); Zhurba, M. [Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, Chabany (Ukraine)

2009-12-15

Main objectives of the present work were to develop an internationally agreed methodology for deriving optimized remediation strategies in rural areas that are still affected by the Chernobyl accident, and to give an overview of the radiological situation in the three affected countries, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Study settlements were defined by having in 2004 less than 10,000 inhabitants and official dose estimates exceeding 1 mSv. Data on population, current farming practices, contamination of soils and foodstuffs, and remedial actions previously applied were collected for each of such 541 study settlements. Calculations of the annual effective dose from internal radiation were validated with extensive data sets on whole body counter measurements. According to our calculations for 2004, in 290 of the study settlements the effective dose exceeded 1 mSv, and the collective dose in these settlements amounted to about 66 person-Sv. Six remedial actions were considered: radical improvement of grassland, application of ferrocyn to cows, feeding pigs with uncontaminated fodder before slaughter, application of mineral fertilizers for potato fields, information campaign on contaminated forest produce, and replacement of contaminated soil in populated areas by uncontaminated soil. Side effects of the remedial actions were quantified by a 'degree of acceptability'. Results are presented for two remediation strategies, namely, Strategy 1, in which the degree of acceptability was given a priority, and Remediation Strategy 2, in which remedial actions were chosen according to lowest costs per averted dose only. Results are highly country-specific varying from preference for soil replacement in populated areas in Belarus to preference for application of ferrocyn to cows in Ukraine. Remedial actions in 2010 can avert a large collective dose of about 150 person-Sv (including averted doses, which would be received in the following years). Nevertheless, the number of

THE GREEN AREAS MANAGEMENT AND THEIR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

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ADINA CLAUDIA NEAMTU

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The situation that exists at the level of the urban areas from Romania testifies a natural environment with a high risk for the health of the inhabitants as a consequence of the low level of the ecological development resulted from the lack of an integrated management of the green areas and spaces in comparison with the other components of the sustainable development. In the strategic management of the green areas and spaces having as purpose the improvement of the quality of air the priority role is held by the obtainment of necessary information in the view of adopting decision. In this context, monitoring the existent green areas represents a fundamental element that has to provide the necessary information. In correlation with this monitoring it is necessary the realization of the operative informational system for supervising the air quality constituted automatically from fix monitoring points and in a real time of the main air pollutants. The domains of sustainable development at the level of urban areas are considered to be: urban planning, the management of green areas and air quality, the management and the reduction of the sweepings, water quality, energy efficiency, clean and efficient transportation, etc.

PEARLS OF THE PČINJA VALLEY – RURAL TOURISM ATTRACTIONS OF THIS AREA

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Svetlana Trajković

2013-10-01

Full Text Available River Valley Pčinja, with its source part and tributaries that make up the Aegean Sea with its configuration, where the gorge turns between nearby mountains and flat areas, meadows, gardens and of our arable land, remains of old mills, houses and villages, which, still do not leave the inhabitants of this region, contains tourist potential. This valley is adorned with rich flora and fauna where one can see examples of the unique flora and fauna, with its diversity and natural material in the form of a "devil's stone" Witness antiquities and places of worship as well as a special value of the Monastery of St. Prohor of Pcinja. The pleasant climate and in some areas of the river gurgling disrupts primordial peace and makes the holiday for eyes, soul of every lover of nature.

Can (ReCentralization Be a Modern Governance in Rural Areas?

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István BALÁZS

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Concentration and recentralization can be described as a European trend in the fi eld of local governance, especially in the fi eld of the administration of rural areas. An important tool of the concentration of the local administration is the intercommunal cooperation. The Hungarian rural areas have fragmented spatial structures. Because of the fragmentation and the small number of the voluntary associations these types of local cooperation were signifi cantly supported by the central budget in the 1990s and 2000s. The economic crisis resulted in a strong concentration trend in Hungary, as well. The new Hungarian Municipal Code introduced a Janus-faced model. The administration of the rural areas was strongly concentrated by the establishment of the mandatory common municipal offi ces of the small villages (under 2000 inhabitants while the forms of the intercommunal associations were simplifi ed. This reform reduced the number of local offi ces signifi cantly. This type of intercommunal cooperation became the main form of the j oined public service management as well, because the former signifi cant state aid of the voluntary associations has been reduced.

Can (ReCentralization Be a Modern Governance in Rural Areas?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

István BALÁZS

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Concentration and recentralization can be described as a European trend in the fi eld of local governance, especially in the fi eld of the administration of rural areas. An important tool of the concentration of the local administration is the intercommunal cooperation. The Hungarian rural areas have fragmented spatial structures. Because of the fragmentation and the small number of the voluntary associations these types of local cooperation were signifi cantly supported by the central budget in the 1990s and 2000s. The economic crisis resulted a strong concentration trend in Hungary, as well. The new Hungarian Municipal Code introduced a Janus-faced model. The administration of the rural areas was strongly concentrated by the establishment of the mandatory common municipal offi ces of the small villages (under 2000 inhabitants while the forms of the intercommunal associations were simplifi ed. This reform reduced the number of local offi ces signifi cantly. This type of intercommunal cooperation became the main form of the j oined public service management as well, because the former signifi cant state aid of the voluntary associations have been reduced.

[Use of emergency departments in rural and urban areas in Spain].

Science.gov (United States)

Sarría-Santamera, A; Prado-Galbarro, J; Ramallo-Farina, Y; Quintana-Díaz, M; Martínez-Virto, A; Serrano-Aguilar, P

2015-03-01

Describe the use of emergency departments (ED), and analyse the differences in use between residents in rural and urban areas. Using data from the National Health Survey of 2006 and 2011, the profiles of patients with ED visits by population size of place of residence were obtained. The variables associated with making one visit to the ED were also evaluated, in order to determine the effect of the population size of place of residence. A higher use of ED is observed in persons with a higher frequency of use of Primary Care and hospital admissions, and increases with worse self-perceived health and functional status, with more chronic diseases, in people from lower social classes, and younger ages. Adjusting for the other variables, residents in larger cities have a higher use of ED than residents in rural areas, who show a higher use of public and non-hospital based ED, than residents in urban areas. There is a higher use of ED by inhabitants of urban areas that cannot be justified by a worst health status of that population. This tends to indicate that the use of ED is not under-used in rural areas, but overused in urban areas. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Grey water characteristics and treatment options for rural areas in Jordan.

Science.gov (United States)

Halalsheh, M; Dalahmeh, S; Sayed, M; Suleiman, W; Shareef, M; Mansour, M; Safi, M

2008-09-01

Low water consumption in rural areas in Jordan had resulted in the production of concentrated grey water. Average COD, BOD and TSS values were 2568mg/l, 1056mg/l and 845mg/l, respectively. The average grey water generation was measured to be 14L/c.d. Three different treatment options were selected based on certain criterions, and discussed in this article. The examined treatment systems are septic tank followed by intermittent sand filter; septic tank followed by wetlands; and UASB-hybrid reactor. Advantages and disadvantages of each system are presented. It was concluded that UASB-hybrid reactor would be the most suitable treatment option in terms of compactness and simplicity in operation. The volume of UASB-hybrid reactor was calculated to be 0.268m(3) with a surface area of 0.138m(2) for each house having 10 inhabitants on average. Produced effluent is expected to meet Jordanian standards set for reclaimed water reuse in irrigating fruit trees.

Green Urbanism for the Greener Future of Metropolitan Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Zaręba, Anna; Krzemińska, Alicja; Widawski, Krzysztof

2016-10-01

Intensive urbanization is swallowing municipal green areas which causes intensification of erosion, decrease in biodiversity and permanent fragmentation of habitats. In the face of these changes, a risk of irreversible damages to urban ecosystems is growing. That is why planning of solutions within the framework of Green Urbanism in metropolitan areas inhabited by over 55% of the global population is of extraordinary importance. The task of the paper is to present patterns of the Green Urbanism using selected examples of metropolitan areas as case studies. The main goal of the research is to make comparison between GU practices in different countries, in various spatial settings. The principles of triple zero framework: zero fossil-fuel energy use, zero waste, zero emissions (from low-to-no-carbon emissions) introduce not only the contemporary trends in theoretical urban planning but are dictated by practical considerations to create a healthy environment for a healthy society with a minimized environmental footprint. The research results help to identify Green Urbanism techniques used for multiple functions, including ecological, recreational, cultural, aesthetic and other uses and present opportunities for implementation of Green Urbanism solutions in metropolitan areas. To achieve healthier society and environment, highly congested and polluted cities have to be recreated through working with the existing landscape, topography and natural resources particular to the site.

Sustainability Challenges from Climate Change and Air Conditioning Use in Urban Areas

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Karin Lundgren

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Global climate change increases heat loads in urban areas causing health and productivity risks for millions of people. Inhabitants in tropical and subtropical urban areas are at especial risk due to high population density, already high temperatures, and temperature increases due to climate change. Air conditioning is growing rapidly, especially in South and South-East Asia due to income growth and the need to protect from high heat exposures. Studies have linked increased total hourly electricity use to outdoor temperatures and humidity; modeled future predictions when facing additional heat due to climate change, related air conditioning with increased street level heat and estimated future air conditioning use in major urban areas. However, global and localized studies linking climate variables with air conditioning alone are lacking. More research and detailed data is needed looking at the effects of increasing air conditioning use, electricity consumption, climate change and interactions with the urban heat island effect. Climate change mitigation, for example using renewable energy sources, particularly photovoltaic electricity generation, to power air conditioning, and other sustainable methods to reduce heat exposure are needed to make future urban areas more climate resilient.

The creation of the Chagos marine protected area: a fisheries perspective(☆).

Science.gov (United States)

Dunne, Richard P; Polunin, Nicholas V C; Sand, Peter H; Johnson, Magnus L

2014-01-01

From a fisheries perspective, the declaration of a 640,000 km² "no-take" Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Chagos Archipelago in 2010 was preceded by inadequate consideration of the scientific rationale for protection. The entire area was already a highly regulated zone which had been subject to a well-managed fisheries licensing system. The island of Diego Garcia, the only area where there is evidence of overfishing has, because of its military base, been excluded from the MPA. The no-take mandate removes the primary source of sustenance and economic sustainability of any inhabitants, thus effectively preventing the return of the original residents who were removed for political reasons in the 1960s and 1970s. The principles of natural resource conservation and use have been further distorted by forcing offshore fishing effort to other less well-managed areas where it will have a greater negative impact on the well-being of the species that were claimed to be one of the primary beneficiaries of the declaration. A failure to engage stakeholders has resulted in challenges in both the English courts and before an international tribunal.

Epidemiological investigation of radiological effects in high background radiation areas of Yangjiang, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Luxin; Zha, Yongru; Tao, Zufan; He, Weihui; Chen, Deqing; Yuan, Yongling

1990-01-01

The purpose of this investigation is to provide some information for providing whether any detrimental effects exist in a large population whose families have been continuously exposed to a low dose rate radiation. Two areas in Yangjiang Country, characterized by high background radiation (HBR) with environmental gamma exposure, large population size and long-term inhabitants, were selected for evaluation of late effects of HBR. The areas with normal radiation background close to the Yangjiang Country were selected as control areas. Up to 1986 approximately one million person-years in each area in both HBR and control areas have been observed. No increase of cancer mortality was found in the HBR areas; on the contrary, cancer mortality tended to be lower in the HBR areas than the control areas. The prevalence of hereditary diseases and congenital defects was similar in both HBR and control areas, but the frequency of Down's syndrome was higher in the HBR areas (through within the normal range) than the control areas. A possible explanation is the difference of age of maternity between the HBR and control areas, and the extremely low frequency in the control areas. Possible factors influencing the incidence of mutationbased diseases were comparable in the HBR and control groups. However, the cultural and educational levels were somewhat different, probably affecting health status and family planning. It is likely that there may be a dose threshold for cancer incidence, but this remains to be determined by further research. (N.K.)

Distribution and accumulation of metals in tadpoles inhabiting the metalliferous streams of eastern Chalkidiki, northeast Greece.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelepertzis, Efstratios; Argyraki, Ariadne; Valakos, Efstratios; Daftsis, Emmanouil

2012-10-01

The present study investigates the accumulation of heavy metals [copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mn), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr)] in tadpoles inhabiting the metalliferous streams flowing within the Asprolakkas River basin (northeast Chalkidiki peninsula, Greece) and the effect of potentially harmful elements in stream water and sediment on the corresponding levels in their tissue. Animals were collected from six sampling sites influenced by a wide range of surface water and stream sediment trace element concentrations. The results of the chemical analyses showed that tadpoles accumulated significant levels of all of the examined metals. The range of whole-body mean measured concentrations were (in dry mass) as follows: Cu (46-182 mg/kg), Pb (103-4,490 mg/kg), Zn (494-11,460 mg/kg), Mn (1,620-13,310 mg/kg), Cd (1.2-82 mg/kg), Ni (57-163 mg/kg), and Cr (38-272 mg/kg). The mean concentrations of Pb, Zn, Mn, Ni, Cr, and Cd in Kokkinolakkas stream, which drains a currently active mining area, were the highest ever reported in tadpoles. Our results indicate that whole-body levels of Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd increase with stream sediment concentrations and that these organisms tend to accumulate metals bound to Fe and Mn oxides. In addition, high dissolved concentrations and significant concentrations associated with more labile geochemical phases of sediments for specific metals were contributing factors determining whole-body levels. Given the observed bioconcentration factors, as well as the correlation with sediment concentrations, it is proposed that these organisms could be considered as bioindicators of environmental contamination and may be used for monitoring purposes within this metal-rich zone and, perhaps, within other rivers affected by metal mining.

High annual and seasonal variations in malaria transmission by anophelines and vector species composition in Dielmo, a holoendemic area in Senegal

OpenAIRE

Fontenille, Didier; Lochouarn, Laurence; Diagne, N.; Sokhna, Cheik Sadibou; Lemasson, Jean-Jacques; Diatta, Mathurin; Konaté, L.; Faye, Faye; Rogier, C.; Trape, Jean-François

1997-01-01

We conducted a three-year entomologic study in Dielmo, a village of 250 inhabitants in a holoendemic area for malaria in Senegal. Anophelines were captured on human bait and by pyrethrum spray collections. The mosquitoes belonging to the #Anopheles gambiae$ complex were identified using the polymerase chain reaction. Malaria vectors captured were #An. funestus$, #An. arabiensis$, and #An. gambiae$. #An. funestus$ was the most abundant mosquito captured the first year, #An. arabiensis$ in the ...

How can interventions for inhabitants be justified after a nuclear accident? An approach based on the radiological protection system of the international commission on radiological protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahara, Shogo; Homma, Toshimitsu; Yoneda, Minoru; Shimada, Yoko

2016-01-01

Management of radiation-induced risks in areas contaminated by a nuclear accident is characterized by three ethical issues: (1) risk trade-off, (2) paternalistic intervention and (3) individualization of responsibilities. To deal with these issues and to clarify requirements of justification of interventions for the purpose of reduction in radiation-induced risks, we explored the ethical basis of the radiological protection system of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The ICRP's radiological protection system is established based on three normative ethics, i.e. utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics. The three ethical issues can be resolved based on the decision-making framework which is constructed in combination with these ethical theories. In addition, the interventions for inhabitants have the possibility to be justified in accordance with two ways. Firstly, when the dangers are severe and far-reaching, interventions could be justified with a sufficient explanation about the nature of harmful effects (or beneficial consequences). Secondly, if autonomy of intervened-individuals can be promoted, those interventions could be justified. (author)

Seasonal and size-related variation of subcellular biomarkers in quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) inhabiting sites affected by moderate contamination with complex mixtures of pollutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Ács, A; Vehovszky, Á; Győri, J; Farkas, A

2016-07-01

The size-related differences in subcellular biomarker responses were assessed in Dreissena bugensis mussels inhabiting harbours moderately affected by pollution with complex mixtures of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Adult D. bugensis samples were collected from three harbours of Lake Balaton (Hungary) characterized by moderate shipping activity, and as reference site, from a highly protected remote area of the lake. Biomarkers of exposure (metallothioneins (MTs), ethoxyresorufin-o-deethylase (EROD)), oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation (LPO), DNA strand breaks (DNAsb)) and possible endocrine disruption (vitellogenin-like proteins (VTG)) were analysed in whole-tissue homogenates of differently sized groups of mussels in relation to environmental parameters and priority pollutants (heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Integrated biomarker response (IBR) indices were calculated for biomarker responses gained through in situ measurements to signalize critical sites and to better distinguish natural tendencies from biological effects of contaminants. Biomarker responses showed close positive correlation in case of MT, EROD, LPO, and DNAsb and negative correlation with VTG levels with mussel shell length in autumn, when higher levels of biomarkers appeared, possibly due to natural lifecycle changes of animals.

Visual effects of test drilling for natural gas in the Waddenzee and the North Sea coastal area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dijkstra, H.

1996-01-01

The potential hindrance of the view, caused by offshore platforms, has been investigated as part of the environmental impact reports for test drilling for natural gas in the North Sea area, on the island Ameland and in the Wadden Sea. The hindrance is determined by calculating the weighed numbers of inhabitants and vacationers within 10 km of 26 drilling sites, divided over 12 drilling areas. For each drilling area the preferred location was determined. The hindrance of the view is the lowest when drilling tests are carried out in the winter. Also digital photo paste-ups were made by which it can be shown how drilling installations look like in a landscape. Finally, measures are given by which the visual effects of drilling installations and burn off can be reduced. 34 figs., 33 tabs., 2 appendices, 35 refs

The ventilation influence on the spatial distribution of Rn-222 and its decay products in human inhabited environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munoz, S.N.M.; Hadler, J.C.; Paulo, S.R.

1996-01-01

For the determination of the ventilation influence (directional flux of air induced by a fan) on the spatial distribution of Rn-222 and its decay products (daughters) present in human inhabited environments, a group of experimental results were obtained by means of the fission nuclear tracks left by α-particles over adequate plastic detectors CR-39). The exposure of these detectors was done in a closed environment considering the influence of ventilation for different angles, velocities and distances from fan. The results show that a relative quantity of daughters of Rn-222 are pulled out of the environment due to the effects of ventilation and plat-out

Evaluation of the 40 K internal exposure on the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Eliane E.; Lauria, Dejanira C.; Amaral, Eliana C.S.; Carvalho, Laercio L.

2002-01-01

Among the naturally occurring radionuclides 40 K is the highest contributor for the intake dose. The aiming of this research was to determine the activity concentrations of 40 K in the main consumed foodstuffs by the adult inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro city in view of estimating its daily intake and arisen intake dose. The 40 K activity concentrations in the foodstuffs ranged from 20 to 544 Bq/kg fresh and the estimated daily intake was 61 Bq. The highest contribution for its intake arises from consumption of bean (35%), beef (11%), potato (8%) and rice (8%). The total annual effective dose was estimated to be 138 mSv/a. Value that falls into the range of international literature reported value (from 122 to 200 μSv/a. (author)

Geochemistry of ground water and the source of contamination of fluoride in the drinking water of the Naranji area, district Swabi, NWFP, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danishwar, S.; Shah, M.T.

1997-01-01

Inhabitants of the Naranji village are known for their yellow coloration of teeth throughout the Mardan division. A general survey of the area shows prevalence of dental and skeletal fluorosis of varied degree in the village. A detailed geochemical analysis of ground water of the village indicates fluoride concentration of 13.5 mg l-1 which is about 9 times more than WHO's maximum contaminant level. The source of high fluoride in drinking water is considered to be the alkaline rocks of Koga Complex. Tube well water should be supplied to the area in order to avoid the fluoride contamination. (author)

Influence of motorization and supermarket-proliferation on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the inhabitants of a small town on Okinawa, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Takasu, Nobuyuki; Yogi, Hiroyuki; Takara, Masaki; Higa, Moritake; Kouki, Tsuyoshi; Ohshiro, Yuzuru; Mimura, Goro; Komiya, Ichiro

2007-01-01

Motorization and supermarket-proliferation affect lifestyles. About 15 years ago, Okinawans went to several shops on foot, but now they go to supermarkets by car. The influences of these changes on the prevalence of diabetes are uncertain. OBJECTIVE AND MEASUREMENTS: The influence of motorization and supermarket-proliferation on the prevalence of diabetes was studied in the inhabitants of a town on Okinawa, Japan. Measurements were composed of anthropometry and blood chemistry. Participants were asked where they buy food and daily necessities (several shops or a supermarket) and how they get there (by car or on foot). Serial cross-sectional. Inhabitants of the island of Okinawa were studied. In 1991, 24% went to several shops and 20% to a supermarket. However, in 2004, only 3.1% went to several shops and 83% to a supermarket. In 1991, 55% went to shopping places on foot and 38% by car. However, in 2004, only 14% went on foot and 76% by car. The prevalence of diabetes in Okinawa increased from 4.7% in 1991 to 8.4% in 2004. The prevalence of diabetes correlated positively with the percent of inhabitants going to supermarkets, and those going there by car. In 1991, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 4.7% in men and 4.6% in women; no difference was noted between men and women. In 2004, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes increased to 9.2% in men and to 7.5% in women. The increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes from 1991 to 2004 was higher in men than in women. About 15 years ago, Okinawans went to shops on foot, but now they go to supermarkets by car. The prevalence of diabetes is increasing. Motorization and supermarket-proliferation are associated with the increases of the prevalence of diabetes. The increase in diabetes prevalence was higher in men than in women.

Determination of microelements in thyroids of the inhabitants of Belarus by neutron activation analysis using the k0-method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boulyga, S.F.; Zhuk, I.V.; Lomonosova, E.M.; Kievetz, M.K.; Denschlag, H.O.; Zauner, S.

1997-01-01

The 'k 0 -method' of neutron activation analysis has been tested for applicability to the determination of trace elements in samples of thyroids of inhabitants from regions in Belarus affected to different degree by thyroid cancer among children after the accident of the Chernobyl power plant. It is shown that the k 0 -method produces results identical to the 'relative method' in neutron activation analysis. Significant differences in the elemental composition of thyroids from the regions of Gomel and Minsk are observed and may be related to the different levels of occurrence of thyroid cancer among children. (author)

Identification of largemouth bass virus in the introduced Northern Snakehead inhabiting the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwanowicz, L; Densmore, C; Hahn, C; McAllister, P; Odenkirk, J

2013-09-01

The Northern Snakehead Channa argus is an introduced species that now inhabits the Chesapeake Bay. During a preliminary survey for introduced pathogens possibly harbored by these fish in Virginia waters, a filterable agent was isolated from five specimens that produced cytopathic effects in BF-2 cells. Based on PCR amplification and partial sequencing of the major capsid protein (MCP), DNA polymerase (DNApol), and DNA methyltransferase (Mtase) genes, the isolates were identified as Largemouth Bass virus (LMBV). Nucleotide sequences of the MCP (492 bp) and DNApol (419 pb) genes were 100% identical to those of LMBV. The nucleotide sequence of the Mtase (206 bp) gene was 99.5% identical to that of LMBV, and the single nucleotide substitution did not lead to a predicted amino acid coding change. This is the first report of LMBV from the Northern Snakehead, and provides evidence that noncentrarchid fishes may be susceptible to this virus.

Identification of largemouth bass virus in the introduced Northern snakehead inhabiting the Cheasapeake Bay watershed

Science.gov (United States)

Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Densmore, Christine L.; Hahn, Cassidy M.; McAllister, Phillip; Odenkirk, John

2013-01-01

The Northern Snakehead Channa argus is an introduced species that now inhabits the Chesapeake Bay. During a preliminary survey for introduced pathogens possibly harbored by these fish in Virginia waters, a filterable agent was isolated from five specimens that produced cytopathic effects in BF-2 cells. Based on PCR amplification and partial sequencing of the major capsid protein (MCP), DNA polymerase (DNApol), and DNA methyltransferase (Mtase) genes, the isolates were identified as Largemouth Bass virus (LMBV). Nucleotide sequences of the MCP (492 bp) and DNApol (419 pb) genes were 100% identical to those of LMBV. The nucleotide sequence of the Mtase (206 bp) gene was 99.5% identical to that of LMBV, and the single nucleotide substitution did not lead to a predicted amino acid coding change. This is the first report of LMBV from the Northern Snakehead, and provides evidence that noncentrarchid fishes may be susceptible to this virus.

Impact of the AD 79 explosive eruption on Pompeii, II. Causes of death of the inhabitants inferred by stratigraphic analysis and areal distribution of the human casualties

Science.gov (United States)

Luongo, Giuseppe; Perrotta, Annamaria; Scarpati, Claudio; De Carolis, Ernesto; Patricelli, Giovanni; Ciarallo, Annamaria

2003-08-01

Detailed descriptions of the effects of explosive eruptions on urban settlements available to volcanologists are relatively rare. Apart from disease and starvation, the largest number of human deaths caused by explosive eruptions in the twentieth century are due to pyroclastic flows. The relationship between the number of victims related to a specific hazard and the presence of urban settlements in the area covered by the eruption has been shown. However, pyroclastic falls are also extremely dangerous under certain conditions. These conclusions are based on archaeological and volcanological studies carried out on the victims of the well-known AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed and buried the Roman city of Pompeii. The stratigraphic level in the pyroclastic deposit and the location of all the casualties found are described and discussed. The total number of victims recovered during the archaeological excavations amounts to 1150. Of these, 1044 well recognisable bodies plus an additional group of 100 individuals were identified based on the analysis of several groups of scattered bones. Of the former, 394 were found in the lower pumice lapilli fall deposit and 650 in the upper stratified ash and pumice lapilli pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) deposits. In addition, a tentative evaluation suggests that 464 corpses may still be buried in the unexcavated part of the city. According to the reconstruction presented in this paper, during the first phase of the eruption (August 24, AD 79) a huge quantity of pumice lapilli fell on Pompeii burying the city under 3 m of pyroclastic material. During this eruptive phase, most of the inhabitants managed to leave the city. However, 38% of the known victims were killed during this phase mainly as a consequence of roofs and walls collapsing under the increasing weight of the pumice lapilli deposit. During the second phase of the eruption (August 25, AD 79) 49% of the total victims were on the roadways and 51% inside

Estimation of thorium intake due to consumption of vegetables by inhabitants of high background radiation area by INAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sathyapriya, R.S.; Suma Nair; Prabhath, R.K.; Madhu Nair; Rao, D.D.

2012-01-01

A study was conducted to estimate the thorium concentration in locally grown vegetables in high background radiation area (HBRA) of southern coastal regions of India. Locally grown vegetables were collected from HBRA of southern coastal regions of India. Thorium concentration was quantified using instrumental neutron activation analysis. The samples were irradiated at CIRUS reactor and counted using a 40% relative efficiency HPGe detector coupled to MCA. The annual intake of thorium was evaluated using the consumption data provided by National Nutrition Monitoring Board. The daily intake of 232 Th from the four food categories (green leafy vegetables, others vegetables, roots and tubers, and fruits) ranged between 0.27 and 5.352 mBq d -1 . The annual internal dose due to ingestion of thorium from these food categories was 46.8 x 10 -8 for female and 58.6 x 10 -8 Sv y -1 for male. (author)

Comparative mtDNA analyses of three sympatric macropodids from a conservation area on the Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea.

Science.gov (United States)

McGreevy, Thomas J; Dabek, Lisa; Husband, Thomas P

2016-07-01

Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei), New Guinea pademelon (Thylogale browni), and small dorcopsis (Dorcopsulus vanheurni) are sympatric macropodid taxa, of conservation concern, that inhabit the Yopno-Urawa-Som (YUS) Conservation Area on the Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea. We sequenced three partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes from the three taxa to (i) investigate network structure; and (ii) identify conservation units within the YUS Conservation Area. All three taxa displayed a similar pattern in the spatial distribution of their mtDNA haplotypes and the Urawa and Som rivers on the Huon may have acted as a barrier to maternal gene flow. Matschie's tree kangaroo and New Guinea pademelon within the YUS Conservation Area should be managed as single conservation units because mtDNA nucleotides were not fixed for a given geographic area. However, two distinct conservation units were identified for small dorcopsis from the two different mountain ranges within the YUS Conservation Area.

Metal bioaccumulation, genotoxicity and gene expression in the European wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) inhabiting an abandoned uranium mining area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lourenço, Joana, E-mail: joanalourenco@ua.pt [Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); CESAM, Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Pereira, Ruth [Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); CESAM, Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Gonçalves, Fernando; Mendo, Sónia [Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); CESAM, Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal)

2013-01-15

Genotoxic effects caused by the exposure to wastes containing metals and radionuclides were investigated in the European wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). The animals were captured in the surroundings of an abandoned uranium mining site. DNA damage was assessed by comet assay; gene expression and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were assessed, respectively, by Real-Time PCR and melt curve analysis. The bioaccumulation of metals in the liver, kidney and bones was also determined to help clarify cause–effect relationships. Results confirmed the bioaccumulation of cadmium and uranium in organisms exposed to uranium mining wastes. P53 gene was found to be significantly up-regulated in the liver of those organisms and SNPs in the Rb gene were also detected in the kidney. Our results showed that uranium mining wastes caused serious DNA damage resulting in genomic instability, disclosed by the significant increase in DNA strand breaks and P53 gene expression disturbance. These effects can have severe consequences, since they may contribute for the emergence of serious genetic diseases. The fact that mice are often used as bioindicator species for the evaluation of risks of environmental exposure to humans, raises concerns on the risks for human populations living near uranium mining areas. - Highlights: ► Long term effects of chronic pollution in natural population of rodents. ► Bioaccumulation of cadmium and uranium by organisms exposed to uranium wastes. ► P53 upregulation in the liver and SNPs in the Rb gene detected in the kidney. ► Significant DNA damages detected by the comet assay. ► Concerns on the risks of human populations living nearby uranium mining areas.

WHAT MOTIVATES CULTURAL TOURISTS? AN ANALYSIS OF BUCHAREST INHABITANTS' MOTIVATION TO VISIT THE CENTRE REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ravar Anamaria Sidonia

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Cultural tourism is currently one of the main driving forces of the tourist phenomena, accounting for a significant part of the world's tourist flows. Cultural tourism may take many forms, according to the motivation behind tourists' impetus to travel to a certain destination. Cultural heritage and historical sites, dance, music and theatre performances, art galleries, museums and exhibitions, religious and worship sites and ethnic traditions are the main attractions for tourists motivated by knowledge seeking, self-development and the desire to experience other cultures. Although cultural motivations play an important role in the generation of tourist flows towards cultural tourism destinations, a tourism experience is rarely generated as a result of a single motivation. The act of choosing a specific destination and tourism product is influenced by multiple motivations, not only cultural but also connected to relaxation or family. Furthermore, tourism products are rarely homogeneous – a single holiday may include experiences with cultural content as well as leisure time, sports, adventure or entertainment. Thus, culture is not always the main motivation behind cultural tourism and may in fact be less central to the decision to travel than other factors. This is particularly true in the case of destinations which dispose of various cultural assets, but whose natural tourist resources – such as landscape, climate, access to the sea – also makes them attractive for other types of tourism. The aim of this article is to show that in the case of tourist destinations where cultural attractions represent the vast majority of the areas' tourist heritage, cultural motivations remains central to the decision to travel. Furthermore, we will seek to identify the main types of cultural attractions that motivate cultural tourism in Romania by investigating Bucharest inhabitants' perception of the Centre Region, a cultural destination par excellence in

Cancer incidence in Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area, 2000-2004. First five years report from population based cancer registry of Metropolitan Area of Bucaramanga.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erika Eliana Meza Durán

2007-11-01

diagnosis, control of duplicated cases, as well as code and typing quality. It was notpossible to include the cases obtained on the death certificate. Results: from 2000 to 2004, the Cancer Registry collecteddata on 5,939 new cases (without basal cell carcinoma, equivalent to diagnose 3.3 new cases per day. Every year, 858residents of the Metropolitan Area of Bucaramanga died by cancer (average of 2,3 cases per day; 57.0% of the casesaffected females (3,365 cases and 43.0% males (2,574 cases, the relation female:male is 1.3:1. The annual crudeincidence rate in male is 107.7/100,000 inhabitants, and in female is 128.2/ 100,000 inhabitants; the age-adjusted incidencerate (TEE it is 162.6 and 146.5 for 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. Excluding basal cell carcinoma, the most frequentcancer in males is prostate cancer (TEE 45.9/100,000 inh, followed by stomach cancer (TEE 18.3/100,000 inh and the skinsquamous cell carcinoma (14.7/100,000 hab; among women, the most frequent cancer is breast cancer (TEE 37.3/100,000hab, followed by cervical cancer (TEE 19.9/100,000 hab and colon and rectal cancer (TEE 9.8/100,000 hab. Conclusions:Compared with the GLOBOCAN 2002 data (A project that estimates the incidence, prevalence and mortality of 27 cancertypes for all the countries of the world in the year 2002, the breast cancer in this region is superior to that estimated for thecountry, while the rates on uterine cervix are very inferior to that estimated. The results of the other localizations in general aresimilar to expected.

Response of the endangered tropical dry forests to climate change and the role of Mexican Protected Areas for their conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Prieto-Torres, David A; Navarro-Sigüenza, Adolfo G; Santiago-Alarcon, Diego; Rojas-Soto, Octavio R

2016-01-01

Assuming that co-distributed species are exposed to similar environmental conditions, ecological niche models (ENMs) of bird and plant species inhabiting tropical dry forests (TDFs) in Mexico were developed to evaluate future projections of their distribution for the years 2050 and 2070. We used ENM-based predictions and climatic data for two Global Climate Models, considering two Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios (RCP4.5/RCP8.5). We also evaluated the effects of habitat loss and the importance of the Mexican system of protected areas (PAs) on the projected models for a more detailed prediction of TDFs and to identify hot spots that require conservation actions. We identified four major distributional areas: the main one located along the Pacific Coast (from Sonora to Chiapas, including the Cape and Bajío regions, and the Balsas river basin), and three isolated areas: the Yucatán peninsula, central Veracruz, and southern Tamaulipas. When considering the effect of habitat loss, a significant reduction (~61%) of the TDFs predicted area occurred, whereas climate-change models suggested (in comparison with the present distribution model) an increase in area of 3.0-10.0% and 3.0-9.0% for 2050 and 2070, respectively. In future scenarios, TDFs will occupy areas above its current average elevational distribution that are outside of its present geographical range. Our findings show that TDFs may persist in Mexican territory until the middle of the XXI century; however, the challenges about long-term conservation are partially addressed (only 7% unaffected within the Mexican network of PAs) with the current Mexican PAs network. Based on our ENM approach, we suggest that a combination of models of species inhabiting present TDFs and taking into account change scenarios represent an invaluable tool to create new PAs and ecological corridors, as a response to the increasing levels of habitat destruction and the effects of climate change on this ecosystem. © 2015

A secondary nursery area for the copper shark Carcharhinus brachyurus from the late Miocene of Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Landini, Walter; Collareta, Alberto; Pesci, Fabio; Di Celma, Claudio; Urbina, Mario; Bianucci, Giovanni

2017-10-01

The life history strategies of sharks often include the use of protected nursery areas by young-of-the-year and juveniles. Nursery areas can be primary (i.e., grounds where the sharks are born and spend the very first part of their lives) or secondary (i.e., grounds inhabited by slightly older but not yet mature individuals). Criteria utilized to recognize these strategic habitats include: high concentration of young sharks, high food availability, and low predation risk. Since the fossil record of sharks consists mainly of isolated teeth, identification of paleonurseries involves a series of problems due to difficult application of actualistic criteria. A rich shark tooth-bearing level (ST-low1) has recently been discovered in the upper Miocene deposits of the Pisco Formation exposed at Cerro Colorado (southern coast of Peru). Most of the teeth collected from this level belong to the extant copper shark Carcharhinus brachyurus. These teeth are small and compatible with those of extant juveniles. This observation, coupled with other paleoenvironmental considerations, indicates that the ST-low1 horizon could have represented a nursery ground for juvenile individuals of C. brachyurus. The absence of very small-sized teeth (i.e., referable to young-of-the-year) suggests a secondary nursery ground inhabited by immature copper sharks. Observations on the tooth size of other Lamniformes, Carcharhiniformes, and Myliobatiformes occurring along with C. brachyurus point to a significantly juvenile structure of this elasmobranch assemblage, thus supporting the hypothesis of a communal use of the Cerro Colorado paleonursery.

PREVALENCE OF CHAGAS DISEASE IN A RURAL AREA IN THE STATE OF CEARA, BRAZIL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erlane Chaves FREITAS

2015-10-01

Full Text Available SUMMARY Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and affects about two to three million people in Brazil, still figuring as an important public health problem. A study was conducted in a rural area of the municipality of Limoeiro do Norte - CE, northeastern Brazil, aiming to determine the prevalence of T. cruzi infection. Of the inhabitants, 52% were examined, among whom 2.6% (4/154 were seropositive in at least two serological tests. All seropositive individuals were older than 50 years, farmers, with a low education and a family income of less than three minimum wages. Active surveillance may be an alternative for early detection of this disease.

[Assessment of soil degradation in regions of nuclear power explosions at Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site].

Science.gov (United States)

Evseeva, T I; Geras'kin, S A; Maĭstrenko, T A; Belykh, E S

2011-01-01

Degree of the soil cover degradation at the "Balapan" and "Experimental field" test sites was assessed based on Allium-test of soil toxicity results and international guidelines on radioactive restriction of solid materials (IAEA, 2004) and environment (Smith, 2005). Soil cover degradation maps of large-scale (1 : 25000) were made. The main part of the area mapped belongs to high-contaminated toxic degraded soil. A relationship between the soil toxicity and the total radionuclide activity concentrations was found to be described by power functions. When the calculated value (equal to 413-415 Bq/kg of air dry soil) increases, the soil becomes toxic for plants. This value is 7.8 times higher than the maximal value for background territories (53 Bq/kg) surrounding SNTS. Russian sanitary and hygienic guidelines (Radiation safety norms, 2009; Sanitary regulations of radioactive waste management, 2003) underestimate the degree of soil radioactive contamination for plants.

Phenomenological study of aerosol dry deposition in urban area: surface properties, turbulence and local meteorology influences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roupsard, P.

2013-01-01

Aerosol dry deposition is not much known for urban areas due to the lack of data. Knowledge on this phenomenon is necessary to understand pollutant fluxes in cities and to estimate inhabitant exposition to ionizing radiation of radioactive aerosols. A data providing could enable to enhance dry deposition models for these areas. An original experimental approach is performed to study submicron aerosol dry deposition on urban surfaces. Wind tunnel coupled to in situ experiments give results to study different physical phenomenon governing dry deposition. Dry deposition velocities are measured using aerosol tracers. These data are associated to turbulent and meteorological measured conditions. This database permits to classify the principal physical phenomenon for each experiment type. Finally, different phenomenon must be considered for chronic and acute exposition of urban surfaces to atmospheric particles. (author)

Genetic and nutritional characterization of some macrophytes, inhabiting the Bardawil Lagoon, Sinai, Egypt

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Hosam E. Elsaied

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The ecological and economical significances of macrophytes, inhabiting the Mediterranean Lagoon, Bardawil, northern Sinai, Egypt, are still ambiguous, due to lack of knowledge. This study focused on genetic and nutritional characterization of three dominant macrophyte species at Bardawil Lagoon. Genetic identifications were done through genomic DNA extraction, followed by PCR amplifications and sequencing of 18S rRNA genes of the studied species. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that two of the recorded species showed homologies with the seagrass species, Posidonia oceanica and Halophila ovalis, with nucleotide identities 94.5% and 96.8%, respectively. The third species showed a unique phylogenetic lineage, representing nucleotide identity average, 86.5%, among the brown seaweeds, Heterokontophyta. Nutritional analyses indicated that the recorded seaweed-like macrophyte had the highest recommended nutritional contents, crude protein, 24.67%, with a total amino acid composition of 6.64 g/100 g protein, and carbohydrate, 38.16%, besides a calorific value of 3.063 K cal/g, among the studied macrophytes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to characterize macrophyte community in Bardawil Lagoon, using both genetic and biochemical approaches.

Awareness Research Concerning the Existence and Implications of the Avrig – Scorei – Fagaras protected Area

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Bratucu G.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This article is based upon a survey conducted in the protected area of Avrig - Scorei - Făgăraş from Romania. The main purpose of the article is to determine the awareness, attitudes and ways in which the inhabitants of a protected area may act towards the conservation of the area and support the community development. The research was based on a direct interview, using a questionnaire comprising 20 direct questions. The sampling method was probabilistic, with a multistage sampling, as it allows the possibility to extrapolate the results obtained for the entire research population. The systematic error is of +/-4%. The results showed a reduced awareness of the residents about the existence, functioning and support of this protected area, as well as a positive approach of the local public institutions involved in the management of the area. The local institutions have started to enforce the rules and regulations concerning the protection of the environment in this area, still with a long way to run, according to the opinions of the locals, until reaching the EU standards in this field.

The effects of habitat degradation on metacommunity structure of wood-inhabiting fungi in European beech forests

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halme, Panu; Ódor, Péter; Christensen, Morten

2013-01-01

Intensive forest management creates habitat degradation by reducing the variation of forest stands in general, and by removing old trees and dead wood in particular. Non-intervention forest reserves are commonly believed to be the most efficient tool to counteract the negative effects...... with different management histories. For this purpose, we used a large data set of wood-inhabiting fungi collected from dead beech trees in European beech-dominated forest reserves. The structure of fungal assemblages showed high beta diversity, while nestedness and similarity was low. During the decomposition...... extirpated specialized species from the local species pools in managed sites, and resulted in more homogeneous communities in managed sites. It is alarming that community structure is affected the most in the latest decay stages where the decay process turns the dead wood into litter, and which is thus...

Long-term measurements of the radiation exposure of the inhabitants of radioactively contaminated regions of Belarus. The Korma report; Langzeitbeobachtung der Dosisbelastung der Bevoelkerung in radioaktiv kontaminierten Gebieten Weissrusslands. Korma-Studie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dederichs, Herbert; Pillath, Juergen; Heuel-Fabianek, Burkhard; Hill, Peter; Lennartz, Reinhard

2009-09-24

Radiological long-term measurements were performed between 1998 and 2007 in a region in Belarus that was affected by the Chernobyl accident. The internal radiation exposure of the inhabitants in the village of Volincy (Korma County) - caused by the existing contamination and an increasing lack of precaution over time with regard to eating home-grown food - has experienced a significant decrease from a very high level. The external exposure, however, reveals a different picture. Although an overall decrease was observed, the organic constituents of the soil show an increase in contamination. This increase was not observed in soils from cultivated land or gardens. In addition to the measurements, a relationship based on mutual trust allowed us to offer the inhabitants individual advice on how to reduce internal contamination. As a result of this advice and the decreasing environmental contamination (topsoil and crops), the internal dose was reduced significantly. Today, the internal exposure has only increased slightly and has no significant negative influence on the health of the people. The internal dose will decrease to less than 0.2 mSv/a in 2011 and to below 0.1 mSv/a in 2020. Despite this, the cumulative dose will remain significantly higher than ''normal'' values due to external exposure. Until now, we have found no statistically significant signs or symptoms of diseases caused by radiation exposure. If internal exposure is checked on a regular basis and advice is offered on an individual basis, there should be no specific danger for the people in the region in the near future. Resettlement may even be possible in former prohibited areas provided that people comply with appropriate dietary rules. (orig.)

[Lutzomyia longiflocosa as suspected vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis on the sub-andean region of Tolima department, Colombia, and the knowledge on sandflies by the inhabitants].

Science.gov (United States)

Pardo, Raúl H; Cabrera, Olga Lucía; Becerra, Jorge; Fuya, Patricia; Ferro, Cristina

2006-10-01

Between 2003 and 2004 the largest epidemic of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia (2,810 cases, with the highest incidence of 6,202 x 100,000 in 2004) occurred in the sub-Andean rural area of the municipalities of Chaparral and San Antonio in the department of Tolima. The present study was carried out to identify suspected vectors and to establish the knowledge that the inhabitants have about sand flies in order to use this information for vector control. 46 houses were sampled with CDC light traps set up indoors to establish the sand fly species composition, abundance and the percentage of infestation. Houses were examined during daylight to identify endophagy. A questionnaire was applied in order to estimate the knowledge about sand flies, their role in transmission and the sites and seasons of highest abundance. Three anthropophilic sand fly species of possible epidemiological importance were found. L. longiflocosa was the dominant sand fly species accounting for 81.7% (192 / 235) of all catches and infested the highest number of houses (41.7%). The other two species were L. columbiana and L. nuneztovari, with relative abundances of 3.4% and 2.1%, respectively, and house infestations of 13.0% and 6.5%, respectively. There was no evidence of endophilic behavior. Inhabitants recognized sand flies and their role in transmission. They identified the houses and the dry season as the site and time period of highest sand fly abundance. Based on its high anthropophily, predominance and apparent endophagic behavior, L. longiflocosa is the most probable vector of leishmaniasis indoors. L. columbiana and L. nuneztovari could be involved as secondary vectors outdoors. The importance of these findings on sand fly control is discussed.

Seven wood-inhabiting new species of the genus Trichoderma (Fungi, Ascomycota) in Viride clade.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Wen-Tao; Zhuang, Wen-Ying

2016-06-01

More than 200 recent collections of Trichoderma from China were examined and 16 species belonging to the Viride clade were identified based on integrated studies of phenotypic and molecular data. Among them, seven wood-inhabiting new species, T. albofulvopsis, T. densum, T. laevisporum, T. sinokoningii, T. sparsum, T. sphaerosporum and T. subviride, are found. They form trichoderma- to verticillium-like conidiophores, lageniform to subulate phialides and globose to ellipsoidal conidia, but vary greatly in colony features, growth rates, and sizes of phialides and conidia. To explore their taxonomic positions, the phylogenetic tree including all the known species of the Viride clade is constructed based on sequence analyses of the combined RNA polymerase II subunit b and translation elongation factor 1 alpha exon genes. Our results indicated that the seven new species were well-located in the Koningii, Rogersonii and Neorufum subclades as well as a few independent terminal branches. They are clearly distinguishable from any existing species. Morphological distinctions and sequence divergences between the new species and their close relatives were discussed.

Ethnomedicinal plants used by local inhabitants of Jakholi block, Rudraprayag district, western Himalaya, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ankit; Nautiyal, Mohan C; Kunwar, Ripu M; Bussmann, Rainer W

2017-08-24

Ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Indian Himalayas is very interesting because of the wide range of medicinal plants used in traditional medical practice. However, there is a danger of knowledge being lost because the knowledge sharing is very limited and passed on orally. The present study is the first ethnomedicinal study in Jakholi area of Rudraprayag district of Northwestern India. The aim of present study was to identify traditional medicinal plants used by the inhabitants to treat different ailments and document the associated knowledge of these medicinal plants. An ethnomedicinal survey was carried out in 72 of 133 villages and alpine pastures of Jakholi block (800-4000 m asl). Door to door surveys and group discussions, applying semi-structured questionnaires were conducted with traditional healers and villagers in local language (Garhwali). Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) was computed to analyse collected ethnomedicinal data. A total of 78 species (Gymnosperms 3 species, Monocotyledons 12 and 63 Dicotyledons) belonging to 73 genera in 46 families were identified to treat 14 different ailments categories. Most dominant family is Asteraceae (5 species). In disease treated categories, Diseases of the skin (DE) have the highest proportion (29.55%) followed by Gastro- intestinal disorder (GA) (25.89%). The most life form of plants used was herb (56%) followed by tree (23%) while root was the most frequently used part of the plants and the traditional preparation was mainly applied in the form of paste (37%). The highest ICF value (0.99) was found for hair ailments (HA) followed ophthalmologic complaints (OP) and mental afflictions (MA) (0.98). The present study provides valuable information about traditional knowledge of medicinal plants of Jakholi Block in the Northwestern Himalaya, India. Local communities still possess large traditional knowledge of plants and their therapeutic uses and that the link of that traditional knowledge to modern research could be

From occupying to inhabiting - a change in conceptualising comfort

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaffari, Svenja D; Matthews, Ben

2009-01-01

; secondly, that it promotes technologies that treat environmental parameters as variables for our manipulation, rather than opportunities to reflect on, and adjust our own (temporal human) fit with our environment. Borrowing from Cole et al. [4], we argue for technologies that enable users to inhabit rather than occupy the built environment.

From occupying to inhabiting - a change in conceptualising comfort

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffari, Svenja D.; Matthews, Ben

2009-11-01

; secondly, that it promotes technologies that treat environmental parameters as variables for our manipulation, rather than opportunities to reflect on, and adjust our own (temporal human) fit with our environment. Borrowing from Cole et al. [4], we argue for technologies that enable users to inhabit rather than occupy the built environment.

Genomic structure of the native inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia and North Borneo suggests complex human population history in Southeast Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Yew, Chee-Wei; Lu, Dongsheng; Deng, Lian; Wong, Lai-Ping; Ong, Rick Twee-Hee; Lu, Yan; Wang, Xiaoji; Yunus, Yushimah; Aghakhanian, Farhang; Mokhtar, Siti Shuhada; Hoque, Mohammad Zahirul; Voo, Christopher Lok-Yung; Abdul Rahman, Thuhairah; Bhak, Jong; Phipps, Maude E; Xu, Shuhua; Teo, Yik-Ying; Kumar, Subbiah Vijay; Hoh, Boon-Peng

2018-02-01

Southeast Asia (SEA) is enriched with a complex history of peopling. Malaysia, which is located at the crossroads of SEA, has been recognized as one of the hubs for early human migration. To unravel the genomic complexity of the native inhabitants of Malaysia, we sequenced 12 samples from 3 indigenous populations from Peninsular Malaysia and 4 native populations from North Borneo to a high coverage of 28-37×. We showed that the Negritos from Peninsular Malaysia shared a common ancestor with the East Asians, but exhibited some level of gene flow from South Asia, while the North Borneo populations exhibited closer genetic affinity towards East Asians than the Malays. The analysis of time of divergence suggested that ancestors of Negrito were the earliest settlers in the Malay Peninsula, whom first separated from the Papuans ~ 50-33 thousand years ago (kya), followed by East Asian (~ 40-15 kya), while the divergence time frame between North Borneo and East Asia populations predates the Austronesian expansion period implies a possible pre-Neolithic colonization. Substantial Neanderthal ancestry was confirmed in our genomes, as was observed in other East Asians. However, no significant difference was observed, in terms of the proportion of Denisovan gene flow into these native inhabitants from Malaysia. Judging from the similar amount of introgression in the Southeast Asians and East Asians, our findings suggest that the Denisovan gene flow may have occurred before the divergence of these populations and that the shared similarities are likely an ancestral component.

[Somatic mutagenesis at T-cell receptor locus in inhabitants of radiation polluted regions as a result of the Chernobyl disaster].

Science.gov (United States)

Zamulaeva, I A; Smirnova, S G; Orlova, N V; Vereshchagina, O A; Chekin, S Iu; Smirnova, I A; Krikunova, L I; Parshin, V S; Ivanov, V K; Saenko, A S

2006-01-01

In the period of 2001-2004, frequency of cells bearing mutations at T-cell receptor (TCR) locus was assessed in 553 inhabitants of radiation polluted regions of the Russian Federation and 154 unexposed control persons. The inhabitants were divided into three groups according to age at the moment of the Chernobyl disaster and 137Cs pollution density: 1) in utero, 37-555 kBq/m2; 2) 0-14 years old, 20-555 kBq/m2; 3) 18 and more years old, highest 137Cs density (185 more than 555 kBq/m2). The most intense changes of the TCR-mutant cell frequency were observed in the group of persons exposed to ionizing radiation in utero. The mean frequency of the mutant cells was higher in the first group than in age-matched control group by about 1.5-fold: 4.0 x 10(-4) vs 2.7 x 10(-4) accordingly (p Chernobyl accident). The changes of the TCR-mutant cell frequency in persons exposed in pre- and postnatal periods differ not only quantitatively, but qualitatively. In the fist case all persons react to irradiation by increasing number of the TCR-mutant cells in some degree. In the second case - only a part of population. Proportion of reacting persons depends on age at the start of irradiation and, perhaps, on dose absorbed. The TCR-mutant frequency was significantly higher in persons with benign tumors of different localizations and nodules in thyroid gland than in persons without this pathology.

Trophic coupling between two adjacent benthic food webs within a man-made intertidal area: A stable isotopes evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Schaal, Gauthier; Riera, Pascal; Leroux, Cédric

2008-04-01

This study aimed at establishing the effects of human-made physical modifications on the trophic structure and functioning of an intertidal benthic food web in Arcachon Bay (France). The main food sources and the most representative consumers were sampled on an artificial rocky dyke and its adjacent seagrass meadow. The food sources of consumers were inferred through the use of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. The contributions of the different food sources to the diets of the consumers were established using the Isosource mixing model. In order to reduce the range of feasible contributions, additional non-isotopic constraints were added when necessary to the outputs of this model. We observed a more complex food web than previously shown for artificial habitats. Moreover, it appears that several consumers inhabiting the artificial environment base most of their diet on allochtonous eelgrass-derived detritus. In turn, several consumers inhabiting the eelgrass meadow consumed significantly macroalgae-derived material originating from the adjacent artificial rocky area. These results point out that the food webs associated to adjacent habitats can influence each other through the utilisation of exported organic matter.

[Foodborne disease outbreaks around the urban Chilean areas from 2005 to 2010].

Science.gov (United States)

Alerte, Viller; Cortés A, Sandra; Díaz T, Janepsy; Vollaire Z, Jeannette; Espinoza M, M Eugenia; Solari G, Verónica; Cerda L, Jaime; Torres H, Marisa

2012-02-01

Foodborne disease outbreaks are one of the main health problems all over the world, which have an extensive impact on human health. [corrected] To analyze the foodborne disease outbreaks occurred in Chilean urban area from 2005 to 2010. We made a descriptive epidemiologic study. First, criteria were defined and classified according to previous epidemiologic investigations, clinical and environment samples, then. Variables of space, time, place and person were also analyzed. Among 2,806 reported outbreaks, 2434 (86.7%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Incidence rate of the period (2005-2010) were 32 cases per 100 inhabitants. A total of 12,196 people were affected, with an average of 5 patients per outbreak. The households (36.2%), restaurants (16.3%), supermarkets (6.3%) free fair (4.4%) have been the most important outbreak areas. The foods involved were seafood (15.4%), fish (15.1%), and fast food (13.5%). The etiologic agents were Salmonella spp, Shigella spp, Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Outbreaks foodborne diseases are frequents in the Chilean urban area, which make vulnerable a lot of people. The largest numbers happened in the households and were due to bad handling and/or inappropriate storage of the foods.

The carriage of potentially pathogenic β-haemolytic streptococci (β-HS in healthy adult inhabitants of Wielkopolska, Poland

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Maciej Bura

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background . Acute pharyngitis is a common disease in primary health care patients. Beta-hemolytic streptococci (β-HS are a frequent etiological agent, while swab culture from the throat and palatine tonsils is the gold standard for diagnosis. Objectives. The evaluation of the prevalence of potentially pathogenic β-HS carriage in young adult inhabitants of Wielkopolska. Material and methods. The study included 205 healthy young adult (18–44 years old (29.0 ± 6.4 inhabitants (M – 95, F – 110 of Wielkopolska (Poland. Two swabs were taken from the throat: the first one was used to perform a rapid antigenic diagnostic test (RAD T for group A streptococci (GAS and the second to grow a conventional culture. If β-HS grew, isolates were serotyped according to Lancefield. In addition, simple demographic and medical data were collected from the subjects. The study was financed from funds granted within the first edition of the “Give a hand” project (Karol Marcinkowski Poznan University of Medical Sciences. Results . Positive throat cultures were obtained in 15.6% out of 205 persons (n = 32. The distribution of β-HS serogroup results was as follows: group C (GCS – 17 cases (53.1% of cases where β-HS was positive, group F (GFS – 9 cases (28.1%, GAS – 3 people (9.4% and group G (GGS – 3 subjects (9.4%. The growth of the discussed bacteria in cultures was moderate or high in 53% of these cases. RAD T was positive in 5 cases (but only one person had GAS in throat culture. The positive culture result was significantly more frequent in men (62.5% out of 32 cases with β-HS growth, p = 0.0460. Conclusions . 1. The possibility of β-HS carriage must be taken into account when analysing the results of throat swab cultures. 2. GAS carriage is significantly lower than non-GAS carriage. 3. GCS were the most prevalent among non-GAS. 4. Being male may predispose individuals to β-HS carriage.

Cytogenetic investigation in a population living in the high background radiation area in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deqing, C.

1980-04-01

On the basis of the previous investigation, 24,000 metaphases of the lymphocytes of 120 inhabitants from Tongyou region, where the highest individual cummulative exposure per year of 372 mR in weighted average was recorded in the high background radiation area selected, have been analysed with the method recommended by WHO in 1973, in order to determine the extent of human chromosome aberrations induced by the high background radiation of various levels. The results show that the difference between the total number of chromosome breakages in the individuals living in the high background radiation area and that in the control area (0.32x10/sup -2/ and 0.27x10/sup -2/ per cell respectively) is not significant whereas that between the numbers of two-hite aberrations (mainly dicentric) in the same two groups (0.042x10/sup -2/ and 0.0048x10/sup -2/ per cell) is significant (X/sup 2/ = 6.1475, P<0.05). In addition, the normal value of the chromosome aberrations of human lymphocytes was analyzed.

Non-target effects of fungicides on nectar-inhabiting fungi of almond flowers.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaeffer, Robert N; Vannette, Rachel L; Brittain, Claire; Williams, Neal M; Fukami, Tadashi

2017-04-01

Nectar mediates interactions between plants and pollinators in natural and agricultural systems. Specialized microorganisms are common nectar inhabitants, and potentially important mediators of plant-pollinator interactions. However, their diversity and role in mediating pollination services in agricultural systems are poorly characterized. Moreover, agrochemicals are commonly applied to minimize crop damage, but may present ecological consequences for non-target organisms. Assessment of ecological risk has tended to focus on beneficial macroorganisms such as pollinators, with less attention paid to microorganisms. Here, using culture-independent methods, we assess the impact of two widely-used fungicides on nectar microbial community structure in the mass-flowering crop almond (Prunus dulcis). We predicted that fungicide application would reduce fungal richness and diversity, whereas competing bacterial richness would increase, benefitting from negative effects on fungi. We found that fungicides reduced fungal richness and diversity in exposed flowers, but did not significantly affect bacterial richness, diversity, or community composition. The relative abundance of Metschnikowia OTUs, nectar specialists that can impact pollination, was reduced by both fungicides. Given growing recognition of the importance of nectar microorganisms as mediators of plant-pollinator mutualisms, future research should consider the impact of management practices on plant-associated microorganisms and consequences for pollination services in agricultural landscapes. © 2016 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks removed from skin of people and circumstances of being bitten – research from the area of Poland, 2012–2014

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Edyta Gałęziowska

2018-03-01

Infestation of ticks infected with Lyme disease spirochete in this study proved to be variable and depend on the season, the area of tick attack and the region in Poland. The results of the study clearly show that ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi inhabit all regions of Poland. The results are consistent with National Institute of Hygiene data which indicates that Lyme disease cases are recorded in all regions of Poland.

Preparing research on optimized construction of sustainable human living environment in regions where people of a certain ethnic group live in compact communities in China

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Dong Junyan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the poor transport system, remoteness and few channels to access to information from the outside world in most minority-inhabited areas in China, buildings in these areas are well preserved. In particular, dwellings in these places show low-tech and ecological features. Different types and the natural environment of the plateau where Shangri-La lies provide people with a variety of living resources. As living environments vary in different areas, different inhabitation forms have been formed. Tibetan people adjust measures to local conditions and excel at using local materials and appropriate technologies to build houses. In this paper, a case study is made of traditional dwellings in Tibetan-inhabited areas in Shangri-La, to analyze low-tech and ecological strategies for traditional dwellings in Tibetan-inhabited areas in Shangri-La, from three aspects: regional environment measures, building technologies and the spatial order system.

NOTES ABOUT THE EXPLOTATION OF NORTHERN ENVIRONMENT SCOUTING THE AREA, BEGINING OF THE HUNTING

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Cristóbal López Carrera

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This article is part of an ethnohistoric research work about the uses and representations of the deer in the Northeastern México. It talks about the historic uses of this region starting from the original inhabitants, until recent decades. Therefore, this is a review of the quotidian life, facing nature, along the time. In the old times the people from rural area maintained certain balance with the environment because they relayed heavily on the balance with the surrounded ecosystem. The lack of knowledge and vinculation with the environment observed in these days, is caused by the migration of rural people to the big cities and the non-balanced city-country development.

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in the population of Central Asia on the example of inhabitants of Eastern Afghanistan

Science.gov (United States)

Korzeniewski, Krzysztof

Parasitic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are a major health problem worldwide, especially in the Third World countries, where poor standards of hygiene and sanitation as well as the lack of medical care facilitate the spread of food and waterborne infections. To estimate the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in Central Asia on the example of the population inhabiting the Ghazni Province in eastern part of the country and to assess the validity of the WHO recommended mass deworming campaign carried out in Afghanistan. Taking into consideration the fact that hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Asia and Africa have recently been flooding into Europe, it has become necessary to investigate the epidemiology of intestinal parasitoses in areas characterized by different climatic conditions and poor standards of sanitation. The study was conducted in eastern Afghanistan between November 2011 and April 2014. Parasitological examination was performed on 3 different study groups: 110 soldiers from the Afghan National Army (adults), 1,167 patients hospitalized at the Ghazni Provincial Hospital (807 children and adolescents aged 1–18 and 360 adults), and 1,869 students (7–18 years) frequenting local schools. The study involved 3,146 people including: 2,248 females and 898 males; 2,676 children and adolescents (1–18 years) and 460 adults (19–85 years). Three stool samples were collected from each study subject at the intervals of 2 to 3 days. The samples were fixed in 10% formalin and then transported by air to the Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine (Military Institute of Medicine) in Poland, where they were examined by light microscopy using 3 different diagnostic methods (direct smear in Lugol’s solution, decantation with distilled water, Fülleborn’s flotation). In total, 1,220 Afghans were found to be infected with pathogenic intestinal parasites (38.8%): 44/110 soldiers (40.0%), 322/807 hospitalized children and adolescents

Results of tooth enamel EPR dosimetry for population living in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhumadilov, K. [Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, 734-8553 (Japan)], E-mail: kassym@hiroshima-u.ac.jp; Ivannikov, A. [Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, 734-8553 (Japan); Medical Radiological Research Center, Obninsk, 249036 (Russian Federation); Apsalikov, K. [Scientific-Research Institute for Radiation Medicine and Ecology, Semipalatinsk 490050 (Kazakhstan); Zhumadilov, Zh. [Semipalatinsk State Medical Academy, Semipalatinsk 490050 (Kazakhstan); Zharlyganova, D. [Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, 734-8553 (Japan); Stepanenko, V.; Skvortsov, V. [Medical Radiological Research Center, Obninsk, 249036 (Russian Federation); Berekenova, G. [Scientific-Research Institute for Radiation Medicine and Ecology, Semipalatinsk 490050 (Kazakhstan); Toyoda, S. [Department of Applied Physics Faculty of Science Okayama University of Science, 700-0005 (Japan); Endo, S.; Tanaka, K. [Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, 734-8553 (Japan); Miyazawa, C. [School of Dentistry, Ohu University, Koriyama-shi, Fukushima Pref. 963-8611 (Japan); Hoshi, M. [Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, 734-8553 (Japan)

2007-07-15

The method of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) dosimetry was used on human tooth enamel to obtain individual absorbed doses of residents of settlements in the vicinity of the Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) in Semipalatinsk region, Kazakhstan. Measured teeth were extracted according to medical indications. In total, 105 tooth enamel samples were analyzed, including eight tooth samples from control settlement Kokpekty, which is located 400 km to the Southeast from SNTS and was not subjected to any radioactive contamination. It was found that the excess doses obtained after subtraction of the contribution of natural background radiation ranged up to about 440 mGy for residents of Dolon, whose tooth enamel was formed before 1949, and do not exceed 100 mGy for younger residents. For residents of Mostik, excess doses do not exceed 100 mGy for all ages except in one resident, for whom an extremely high dose of 1250 mGy was registered. For Bodene settlement, excess doses higher than 100 mGy were obtained for two samples from the residents having enamel formed before 1949. An extremely high dose (2800{+-}400 mGy) was obtained for one resident of Semipalatinsk City. The average excess dose for Semipalatinsk samples with enamel formation before 1949 was determined close to the average excess dose for tooth enamel samples from Dolon village.

Study of feasible and sustainable multilateral approach on nuclear fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuno, Y.; Tazaki, M.; Akiba, M.; Takashima, R.; Izumi, Y.; Tanaka, S.

2013-01-01

Despite the Fukushima accident it is undeniable that nuclear power remains one of the most important methods to handle global growth of economic/energy consumption and issues with greenhouse gases. If the demand for nuclear power increases, the demand for not only the generation of power but also for refining uranium (U), conversion, enrichment, re-conversion, and fuel manufacturing should increase. In addition, concerns for the proliferation of 'Sensitive Nuclear Technologies' (SNT) should also increase. We propose a demand-side approach, where nuclear fuel cycle (NFC) activities would be implemented among multiple states. With this approach, NFC services, in particular those using SNTs, are multilaterally executed and controlled, thereby preventing unnecessary proliferation of SNTs, and enabling safe and appropriate control of nuclear technologies and nuclear materials. This proposal would implement nuclear safety and security at an international level and solve transport issues for nuclear fuels. This proposal is based on 3 types of cooperation for each element of NFC: type A: cooperation for 3S only, services received; Type B: cooperation for 3S, MNA (Multilateral Nuclear Activities) without transfer of ownership to MNA; and Type C cooperation for 3S, MNA holding ownership rights. States involved in the 3 types of activity should be referred to as partner states, host states, and site states respectively. The feasibility of the proposal is discussed for the Asian region

Wild leafy vegetables: A study of their subsistence dietetic support to the inhabitants of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, India

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Rao KS

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Consumption of greens is a major source of vitamins and micro-nutrients for people using only vegetarian diets rich in carbohydrates. In remote rural settlements where vegetable cultivation is not practiced and market supplies are not organized, local inhabitants depend on indigenous vegetables, both cultivated in kitchen gardens and wild, for enriching the diversity of food. Knowledge of such foods is part of traditional knowledge which is largely transmitted through participation of individuals of households. A total of 123 households in six villages of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve buffer zone was surveyed using a schedule to assess the knowledge, availability and consumption pattern of wild leafy vegetables. Quantity estimations were done using regular visits with informants from 30 sample households of the six study villages during the collections. Monetization was used to see the value of wild leafy vegetables harvested during a year. The diversity of wild leafy vegetables being use by the local inhabitants is 21 species belonging to 14 genera and 11 families. This is far less than that being reported to be used by the communities from Western Ghats in India and some parts of Africa. Irrespective of social or economic status all households in the study villages had the knowledge and used wild leafy vegetables. The number of households reported to consume these wild leafy vegetables is greater than the number of households reporting to harvest them for all species except for Diplazium esculentum and Phytolacca acinosa. The availability and use period varied for the species are listed by the users. The study indicated that the knowledge is eroding due to changing social values and non participation of younger generation in collection and processing of such wild leafy vegetables.

Sexual Quality of Life, Sexual Knowledge, and Attitudes of Older Adults on the Example of Inhabitants Over 60s of Bialystok, Poland

OpenAIRE

Mateusz Cybulski; Lukasz Cybulski; Elzbieta Krajewska-Kulak; Magda Orzechowska; Urszula Cwalina; Marek Jasinski

2018-01-01

Introduction: Aging has a strong influence on the quality of relationships and sexual functioning, but in itself does not cause a lack of sexual desire.Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of sexual life and define sexual knowledge and attitudes of older people on the example of residents of Bialystok, Poland at the age of 60 and over.Methods: The study included 170 people, inhabitants of Bialystok, Poland aged over 60: 85 students of the University of Healthy Senior an...

Mortality in Zarinsk area of Altai Krai as a territory exposed to radiation as a result of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site

OpenAIRE

Kolyado I.; Plugin S.

2017-01-01

In Altai krai, there exists a regional segment of the National Radiation Epidemiological Register. The most numerous contingent are victims of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk testing site. The new method of calculation of cumulative total effective whole-body radiation dose in patients exposed to radiation as a result of nuclear testing at the Semipalatinsk test site allowed expanding this contingent, to a large extent - due to the inhabitants of Zarinsk area of Altai Krai. The given artic...

Time trend tendency (1988-2014 years) of organochlorine pesticide levels in the adipose tissue of Veracruz inhabitants.

Science.gov (United States)

Calderón-Garcidueñas, Ana Laura; Waliszewski, Stefan M; Ruiz-Ramos, Rubén; Del Carmen Martinez-Valenzuela, María

2018-03-10

The population that lives in areas where organochlorine pesticides were spread in the past is still exposed to them through contaminated food, particulate matter, and vapors. Due to their lipophilic properties and resistance to metabolic reactions, they accumulate in tissues and fluids rich in lipids. The aim of the study was to monitor the concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in forensic adipose tissue samples of adult inhabitants of Veracruz City, Mexico, and compare their time trend levels from 1988 to 2014. During the study, hexachlorobenzene (HCB); lindane; β-hexachorocyclohexane; p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (pp'DDE); p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p'-DDT); and o,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (o,p'-DDT) were determined. Our survey was divided into two periods: first, from the years 1988 to 1999, during which DDT was allowed to fight malaria and dengue vectors and the second from the years 2001 to 2014, after the DDT ban. A total of 1435 samples were analyzed. There were substantial differences in the forecasted time trend values of p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDT in human adipose tissue samples in the two different periods. During the first period, p,p'-DDE decrease time trend was 1.198 mg/kg on lipid base per year; for the second one, decrease was 0.128 mg/kg on lipid base per year. p,p'-DDT decreased 0.507 mg/kg on lipid base during the first period and 0.039 mg/kg on lipid base for the second. The different concentrations may be explained by the cessation of fresh exposure after the first period and a more equilibrated decontamination tendency during the second period. This model was useful to show the decrease in the concentration of pesticides in human adipose tissue samples.

Malignant neoplasm rate in inhabitants of the Kozloduy NPP area; Zabolevaemost` zlokachestvennymi novoobrazovaniyami sredi naselenya v rajone AEhS `Kozloduy`

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dimitrov, P [National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Sofia (Bulgaria)

1996-12-31

Illness incidence of malignant formations in lungs, mammary gland, thyroid gland, lymph and blood producing tissues is investigated in the 30 km area around Kozloduy and compared to data from two other locations in Bulgaria. The number of malignant growth in the lungs, mammary or thyroid gland on 100 000 persons is lower than the average number for the country as a whole. The number of malignant formations in lymph and blood producing tissues is higher than the average number for the country but the difference is statistically insignificant. Thyroid gland diseases occur with very small frequency for the investigated period (1985-1990). 8 refs., 4 figs.

Radioactivity in Kerala. In an Indian area, the cancer rate surprises the researchers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neelesh, Misra

1999-05-01

In a small are in the South of india the natural radioactivity gives to its inhabitants a radiation dose thirty times more important that the most part of populations of our planet. Curiously, the cancer rate is not more important than in the region where there is no radioactivity. A study concluded that the inhabitants would have become immunized against radiations and have perhaps developed immunities to other diseases. Several international experts have expressed their skepticism about this conclusion. (N.C.)

Analysis of internal doses to Mole voles inhabiting the East-Ural radioactive trace

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malinovsky, G.; Yarmoshenko, I. [Institute of Industrial Ecology UB RAS (Russian Federation); Chibiryak, M.; Vasil' ev, A. [Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology UB RAS (Russian Federation)

2014-07-01

Substantial task of development of approaches to radiation protection of non-human biota is investigation of relationships of exposure to dose, and dose to effects. Small mammals inhabiting territory of the East-Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT) are affected to ionizing radiation for many generations after accident at Mayak plutonium production in 1957. According to results of numerous studies a number of effects of exposure are observed. It is remarkable that the revealed effects are both negative and adaptive. In particular, the analysis of the variability of morphological structures of the axial skull and lower jaw in the population of northern mole vole (Ellobius talpinus Pall.), the burrowing rodent inhabiting the EURT, is of great interest. At the same time there is no reliable assessment of the radiation doses to these animals. Earlier we developed the approach to assess internal doses to mouse-like rodents (mice and voles) caused by incorporated {sup 90}Sr, which is the main dose contributing radionuclide at the EURT. Dose assessments are based on the results of beta-radiometry of intact bone. Routine methods for measuring the activity concentration of {sup 90}Sr in skeleton require ashing of samples, however in morphometric studies the destruction of material should be avoided: the skulls of mole voles are stored in the environmental samples depository of IPAE. Coefficients linking results of beta-radiometry of intact bone and activity concentration of {sup 90}Sr in skull of mouse was obtained basing on comparison of results of beta-radiometry of intact bone and bone ash. Obtained coefficients cannot be directly applied for calculating activity concentration of {sup 90}Sr in mole vole skulls because they are significantly larger. Therefore the additional study is required to assess proper coefficient of conversion from beta-radiometry to activity concentration of {sup 90}Sr. Developed dose assessment procedure includes application of the published values of

Varying and unchanging whiteness on the wings of dusk-active and shade-inhabiting Carystoides escalantei butterflies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Dengteng; Wu, Gaoxiang; Yang, Lili; Kim, Hye-Na; Hallwachs, Winnie; Burns, John M; Janzen, Daniel H; Yang, Shu

2017-07-11

Whiteness, although frequently apparent on the wings, legs, antennae, or bodies of many species of moths and butterflies, along with other colors and shades, has often escaped our attention. Here, we investigate the nanostructure and microstructure of white spots on the wings of Carystoides escalantei , a dusk-active and shade-inhabiting Costa Rican rain forest butterfly (Hesperiidae). On both males and females, two types of whiteness occur: angle dependent (dull or bright) and angle independent, which differ in the microstructure, orientation, and associated properties of their scales. Some spots on the male wings are absent from the female wings. Whether the angle-dependent whiteness is bright or dull depends on the observation directions. The angle-dependent scales also show enhanced retro-reflection. We speculate that the biological functions and evolution of Carystoides spot patterns, scale structures, and their varying whiteness are adaptations to butterfly's low light habitat and to airflow experienced on the wing base vs. wing tip.

Biochemical characterization of sunscreening mycosporine-like amino acids from two Nostoc species inhabiting diverse habitats.

Science.gov (United States)

Richa; Sinha, Rajeshwar P

2015-01-01

We have screened two Nostoc species inhabiting diverse habitats for the presence of sunscreening mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA) compounds. The identification and characterization of one MAA (RT 3.1-3.8 min, λmax -334 nm) from both Nostoc species were performed using absorption spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Shinorine and porphyra-334 were commonly present in both Nostoc sp. strain HKAR-2 and Nostoc sp. strain HKAR-6. Nostoc sp. strain HKAR-2 also showed the presence of an unknown MAAs with retention time of 6.9 min and a corresponding λmax of 334 nm. Present investigation clearly demonstrated the presence of diverse profile of MAAs in the hot spring cyanobacterium in comparison to the rice field isolate. Thus, Nostoc sp. strain HKAR-2 would be a better source for the production of MAAs that can be used as a potent natural sunscreen against UV-B irradiation.

The waaL gene mutation compromised the inhabitation of Enterobacter sp. Ag1 in the mosquito gut environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Dong; Jiang, Jinjin; Yu, Wanqin; Kukutla, Phanidhar; Uentillie, Alejandro; Xu, Jiannong

2015-08-27

The mosquito gut harbors a variety of bacteria that are dynamically associated with mosquitoes in various contexts. However, little is known about bacterial factors that affect bacterial inhabitation in the gut microbial community. Enterobacter sp. Ag1 is a predominant Gram negative bacterium in the mosquito midgut. In a mutant library that was generated using transposon Tn5-mediated mutagenesis, a mutant was identified, in which the gene waaL was disrupted by the Tn5 insertion. The waaL encodes O antigen ligase, which is required for the attachment of O antigen to the outer core oligosaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The waaL(-) mutation caused the O antigen repeat missing in the LPS. The normal LPS structure was restored when the mutant was complemented with a plasmid containing waaL gene. The waaL(-) mutation did not affect bacterial proliferation in LB culture, the mutant cells grew at a rate the same as the wildtype (wt) cells. However, when waaL(-) strain were co-cultured with the wt strain or complemented strain, the mutant cells proliferated with a slower rate, indicating that the mutants were less competitive than wt cells in a community setting. Similarly, in a co-feeding assay, when fluorescently tagged wt strain and waaL(-) strain were orally co-introduced into the gut of Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, the mutant cells were less prevalent in both sugar-fed and blood-fed guts. The data suggest that the mutation compromised the bacterial inhabitation in the gut community. Besides, the mutant was more sensitive to oxidative stress, demonstrated by lower survival rate upon exposure to 20 mM H₂O₂. Lack of the O antigen structure in LPS of Enterobacter compromised the effective growth in co-culture and co-feeding assays. In addition, O-antigen was involved in protection against oxidative stress. The findings suggest that intact LPS is crucial for the bacteria to steadily stay in the gut microbial community.

From occupying to inhabiting - a change in conceptualising comfort

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jaffari, Svenja D; Matthews, Ben, E-mail: svenja@mci.sdu.d, E-mail: matthews@mci.sdu.d [SPIRE Center for Participatory Innovation Research, Mads Clausen Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Alsion 2, 6400 Soenderborg, DK (Denmark)

2009-11-01

comfort is for ordinary people; secondly, that it promotes technologies that treat environmental parameters as variables for our manipulation, rather than opportunities to reflect on, and adjust our own (temporal human) fit with our environment. Borrowing from Cole et al. [4], we argue for technologies that enable users to inhabit rather than occupy the built environment.

Study of thorium uptake by inhabitants of a high background radiation area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melo, D.R.; Lipsztein, J.L.; Juliao, L.M.Q.C.; Lourenco, M.C.; Lauria, D.

2002-01-01

Buena, located in the North of Rio de Janeiro, is characterized by its high natural radiation background, due to large deposits of monazite sand. The foodstuffs consumed by the population are basically composed of local products, which contain significant amounts of thorium. The analysis of complete cooked meals have shown an average daily intake of 18 mBq.d -1 of 232 Th and 189 mBq.d -1 of 228 Th. The average urine to feces ratio of 232 Th from samples of volunteers was found equal to 7.5x10 -2 . The comparison of the experimental data with the predicted urine to feces ratios derived using the biokinetic model for thorium described by the ICRP publication 69 and simulating inhalation and ingestion separately, lead to the conclusion that the thorium intake is a combination of inhalation and ingestion. The clearance rate of thorium of monazite in lungs has apparently behaved as Type M compound. Inhalation is the biggest contributor for the committed effective dose due to thorium internal exposure. (author)

[Socioeconomic indicators and oral health services in an underprivileged area of Brazil].

Science.gov (United States)

Palmier, Andréa Clemente; Andrade, Danielle Alves; Campos, Ana Cristina Viana; Abreu, Mauro Henrique Nogueira Guimarães; Ferreira, Efigênia Ferreira

2012-07-01

To evaluate the association between the proportion of tooth extractions, socioeconomic indicators, and the availability of oral health services in an underprivileged area of Brazil. An ecological study was carried out in 52 municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The socioeconomic indicators employed were criteria for health care resources allocation, municipal human development index, Theil index, Gini coefficient, and sanitation conditions. Concerning the availability of oral health services, the following were considered: number of inhabitants, number of dental surgeons living in the city, number of dentists working in the public services, and number of municipal oral health care teams. The utilization of oral health services was evaluated using the indicators recommended by the Health Ministry's Basic Care Package (Pacto da Atencão Básica in Portuguese) and the number of procedures carried out in the primary care setting. The 17 variables assessed were grouped into factorial components, which were then analyzed in terms of their relationship with the dependent variable, tooth extractions. The following six components explained 73.5% of the overall variance: socioeconomic conditions, social inequality, Basic Care Package indicators, number of procedures carried out, ratio of dentists to inhabitants, and coverage of the Family Health Strategy. Inequalities in income distribution (P = 0.031) and coverage by the Family Health Strategy (P = 0.015) contributed significantly to explain the difference in the proportion of tooth extractions in the different municipalities under study. The dental loss observed in the region is largely explained by socioeconomic factors and aspects related to the organization of oral health services.

Technical and institutional innovation in agroforestry for protected areas management in the Brazilian Amazon: opportunities and limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

Schroth, Götz; da Mota, Maria do Socorro S

2013-08-01

Tropical forest countries are struggling with the partially conflicting policy objectives of socioeconomic development, forest conservation, and safeguarding the livelihoods of local forest-dependent people. We worked with communities in the lower Tapajós region of the central Brazilian Amazon for over 10 years to understand their traditional and present land use practices, the constraints, and decision making processes imposed by their biophysical, socioeconomic, and political environment, and to facilitate development trajectories to improve the livelihoods of forest communities while conserving the forest on the farms and in the larger landscape. The work focused on riverine communities initially in the Tapajós National Forest and then in the Tapajós-Arapiuns Extractive Reserve. These communities have a century-old tradition of planting rubber agroforests which despite their abandonment during the 1990s still widely characterize the vegetation of the river banks, especially in the two protected areas where they are safe from the recent expansion of mechanized rice and soybean agriculture. The project evolved from the capacity-building of communities in techniques to increase the productivity of the rubber agroforests without breaking their low-input and low-risk logic, to the establishment of a community enterprise that allowed reserve inhabitants to reforest their own land with tree species of their choice and sell reforestation (not carbon) credits to local timber companies while retaining the ownership of the trees. By making land use practices economically more viable and ecologically more appropriate for protected areas, the project shows ways to strengthen the system of extractive and sustainable development reserves that protects millions of hectares of Amazon forest with the consent of the communities that inhabit them.

Technical and Institutional Innovation in Agroforestry for Protected Areas Management in the Brazilian Amazon: Opportunities and Limitations

Science.gov (United States)

Schroth, Götz; da Mota, Maria do Socorro S.

2013-08-01

Tropical forest countries are struggling with the partially conflicting policy objectives of socioeconomic development, forest conservation, and safeguarding the livelihoods of local forest-dependent people. We worked with communities in the lower Tapajós region of the central Brazilian Amazon for over 10 years to understand their traditional and present land use practices, the constraints, and decision making processes imposed by their biophysical, socioeconomic, and political environment, and to facilitate development trajectories to improve the livelihoods of forest communities while conserving the forest on the farms and in the larger landscape. The work focused on riverine communities initially in the Tapajós National Forest and then in the Tapajós-Arapiuns Extractive Reserve. These communities have a century-old tradition of planting rubber agroforests which despite their abandonment during the 1990s still widely characterize the vegetation of the river banks, especially in the two protected areas where they are safe from the recent expansion of mechanized rice and soybean agriculture. The project evolved from the capacity-building of communities in techniques to increase the productivity of the rubber agroforests without breaking their low-input and low-risk logic, to the establishment of a community enterprise that allowed reserve inhabitants to reforest their own land with tree species of their choice and sell reforestation (not carbon) credits to local timber companies while retaining the ownership of the trees. By making land use practices economically more viable and ecologically more appropriate for protected areas, the project shows ways to strengthen the system of extractive and sustainable development reserves that protects millions of hectares of Amazon forest with the consent of the communities that inhabit them.

Habitat characteristics of nesting areas and of predated nests in a Mediterranean population of the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis galloitalica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco A.L. Zuffi

2006-01-01

Full Text Available one of the largest population of Emys orbicularis galloitalica of central Italy inhabits the canal system wet areas within a natural protected park. Features of nesting habitats, nest structure, and predation patterns of 209 nests of a large population of the European pond turtle are here presented and analysed. Nest sites were characterised by sunny bushy areas in strip habitat, digged along north-south oriented canals, on average with about 26% of the area covered by vegetation, less than one meter distant from 30 cm height bushes, at about 11 m from water and at about 13 m distance from wooded areas, 28 m away from a road. Principal Component and discriminant analyses were used on 20 selected variables in order to reduce the number of physical variables, and indicate that canal border, strip habitat, and canal orientation are grouping variables, that correctly classified 41.6%, 66.5%, and 100 % respectively of nest presence.

Lymphatic Filariasis in Brazilian Urban Area (Maceió, Alagoas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fontes Gilberto

1998-01-01

Full Text Available A cross-sectional survey conducted among evening students was used to determine the prevalence of Wuchereria bancrofti infection in Maceió, capital of the State of Alagoas, northeast Brazil. A single thick-blood smear was used, being collected between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. From a total of 29,551 students enrolled at evening elementary schools in the 33 city sectors, 16,569 (56.4% were random selected for inclusion in the study. From those, 10,857 (65.5% were interviewed and examined and 73 (0.7% were found to have microfilaraemia. Autochthonous W. bancrofti carriers live in 10 of the 33 city sectors, suggesting a focal distribution. Moreover, 84% of infections were diagnosed among 29% of all students examined, inhabiting three contiguous sectors at the city central area, presenting infection rates up to 5.3%. Students living in city sectors with prevalence of microfilariae carriers greater than 1% were found to have a higher risk for infection when compared to students from the rest of the town [Relative Odds (RO 12.8, 95% CI 6.7 - 25.1]. Eleven positive individuals from non endemic areas were living in Maceió for more than 10 years; time of residence in the area was a major risk factor for infection among students not born in the region (p<0.01. Regarding sex, male students presented a higher proportion of positive (RO 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 - 2.9.

Ozone, area social conditions, and mortality in Mexico City

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Neill, M.S.; Loomis, Dana; Borja-Aburto, V.H.

2004-01-01

We investigated whether the association of daily mortality and ambient ozone differs by age and area social conditions of the region of residence using a time-series analysis. The study setting was metropolitan Mexico City, a high altitude city situated in a valley, with an estimated 20 million inhabitants, large socioeconomic gradients, and ozone levels frequently exceeding international standards. We stratified daily deaths by six census-derived socioeconomic indicators, based on characteristics of the county where decedents lived. We used Poisson regression to model the association between daily mortality and ozone levels (on the day of death and the previous day) in separate models, stratified by area socioeconomic level and age, and controlling for time trends and temperature. Ozone was positively associated with total mortality [0.65% increase per 10 ppb increment, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.02%, 1.28%] and for mortality among those over age 65 [1.39% increase per 10 ppb increment, 95% CI: 0.51%, 2.28%]. Associations between ozone and all-age mortality did not show any consistent patterns according to socioeconomic gradients. We conclude that elderly people are at higher risk for ozone-associated mortality. Though county-level social indicators in Mexico City were not strong markers of vulnerability to ozone-associated acute mortality in this analysis, complex associations between individual and area-level factors may exist that would require additional data and further analyses to elucidate

Combinatorial function of velvet and AreA in transcriptional regulation of nitrate utilization and secondary metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Berges, Manuel S; Schäfer, Katja; Hera, Concepción; Di Pietro, Antonio

2014-01-01

Velvet is a conserved protein complex that functions as a regulator of fungal development and secondary metabolism. In the soil-inhabiting pathogen Fusarium oxysporum, velvet governs mycotoxin production and virulence on plant and mammalian hosts. Here we report a previously unrecognized role of the velvet complex in regulation of nitrate metabolism. F. oxysporum mutants lacking VeA or LaeA, two key components of the complex, were impaired in growth on the non-preferred nitrogen sources nitrate and nitrite. Both velvet and the general nitrogen response GATA factor AreA were required for transcriptional activation of nitrate (nit1) and nitrite (nii1) reductase genes under de-repressing conditions, as well as for the nitrate-triggered increase in chromatin accessibility at the nit1 locus. AreA also contributed to chromatin accessibility and expression of two velvet-regulated gene clusters, encoding biosynthesis of the mycotoxin beauvericin and of the siderophore ferricrocin. Thus, velvet and AreA coordinately orchestrate primary and secondary metabolism as well as virulence functions in F. oxysporum. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lead identification in soil surrounding a used lead acid battery smelter area in Banten, Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adventini, N; Santoso, M; Lestiani, D D; Syahfitri, W Y N; Rixson, L

2017-01-01

A used lead acid battery smelter generates particulates containing lead that can contaminate the surrounding environment area. Lead is a heavy metal which is harmful to health if it enters the human body through soil, air, or water. An identification of lead in soil samples surrounding formal and informal used lead acid battery smelters area in Banten, Indonesia using EDXRF has been carried out. The EDXRF accuracy and precision evaluated from marine sediment IAEA 457 gave a good agreement to the certified value. A number of 16 soil samples from formal and informal areas and 2 soil samples from control area were taken from surface and subsurface soils. The highest lead concentrations from both lead smelter were approximately 9 folds and 11 folds higher than the reference and control samples. The assessment of lead contamination in soils described in C f index was in category: moderately and strongly polluted by lead for formal and informal lead smelter. Daily lead intake of children in this study from all sites had exceeded the recommended dietary allowance. The HI values for adults and children living near both lead smelter areas were greater than the value of safety threshold 1. This study finding confirmed that there is a potential health risk for inhabitants surrounding the used lead acid battery smelter areas in Banten, Indonesia. (paper)

Visceral leishmaniasis in an environmentally protected area in southeastern Brazil: Epidemiological and laboratory cross-sectional investigation of phlebotomine fauna, wild hosts and canine cases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Rita Donalisio

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Leishmaniasis is a rapidly expanding zoonosis that shows increasing urbanization. Concern exists regarding the role of wildlife in visceral leishmaniasis (VL transmission, due to frequent natural or anthropogenic environmental changes that facilitate contact between wildlife, humans and their pets. The municipality of Campinas, in southeastern Brazil, initially recorded VL in 2009, when the first autochthonous case was confirmed in a dog living in an upscale residential condominium, located inside an environmentally protected area (EPA. Since then, disease transmission remains restricted to dogs inhabiting two geographically contiguous condominiums within the EPA.We conducted a cross-sectional study of the VL focus to investigate Leishmania spp. infection in domestic dogs, wild mammals and sand flies using molecular tools and recommended serological techniques. Canine seroprevalences of 1.5% and 1.2% were observed in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Six insect species, confirmed or suspected vectors or potential transmitters of Leishmania, were identified. Two specimens of the main L. (L. infantum vector in Brazil, Lutzomyia longipalpis, were captured in the EPA. Natural infection by L. (L. infantum was recorded in one Expapillata firmatoi specimen and two Pintomyia monticola. Natural infection by L. (L. infantum and Leishmania subgenus Viannia was also detected in two white-eared opossums (Didelphis albiventris, a known reservoir of VL. Geographical coordinates of each sampling of infected animals were plotted on a map of the EPA, demonstrating proximity between these animals, human residences, including the dogs positive for VL, and forest areas.The EPA, which is inhabited by humans, has an active VL focus. The risk of establishing and maintaining disease transmission foci in similar scenarios, i.e. wild areas that undergo environmental modifications, is evident. Moreover, different epidemiological profiles of VL must be included to elaborate

Visceral leishmaniasis in an environmentally protected area in southeastern Brazil: Epidemiological and laboratory cross-sectional investigation of phlebotomine fauna, wild hosts and canine cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Donalisio, Maria Rita; Paiz, Laís Moraes; da Silva, Vanessa Gusmon; Richini-Pereira, Virgínia Bodelão; von Zuben, Andrea Paula Bruno; Castagna, Claudio Luiz; Motoie, Gabriela; Hiramoto, Roberto Mitsuyoshi; Tolezano, José Eduardo

2017-07-01

Leishmaniasis is a rapidly expanding zoonosis that shows increasing urbanization. Concern exists regarding the role of wildlife in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) transmission, due to frequent natural or anthropogenic environmental changes that facilitate contact between wildlife, humans and their pets. The municipality of Campinas, in southeastern Brazil, initially recorded VL in 2009, when the first autochthonous case was confirmed in a dog living in an upscale residential condominium, located inside an environmentally protected area (EPA). Since then, disease transmission remains restricted to dogs inhabiting two geographically contiguous condominiums within the EPA. We conducted a cross-sectional study of the VL focus to investigate Leishmania spp. infection in domestic dogs, wild mammals and sand flies using molecular tools and recommended serological techniques. Canine seroprevalences of 1.5% and 1.2% were observed in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Six insect species, confirmed or suspected vectors or potential transmitters of Leishmania, were identified. Two specimens of the main L. (L.) infantum vector in Brazil, Lutzomyia longipalpis, were captured in the EPA. Natural infection by L. (L.) infantum was recorded in one Expapillata firmatoi specimen and two Pintomyia monticola. Natural infection by L. (L.) infantum and Leishmania subgenus Viannia was also detected in two white-eared opossums (Didelphis albiventris), a known reservoir of VL. Geographical coordinates of each sampling of infected animals were plotted on a map of the EPA, demonstrating proximity between these animals, human residences, including the dogs positive for VL, and forest areas. The EPA, which is inhabited by humans, has an active VL focus. The risk of establishing and maintaining disease transmission foci in similar scenarios, i.e. wild areas that undergo environmental modifications, is evident. Moreover, different epidemiological profiles of VL must be included to elaborate prevention and

Phosphorus budget in the low-income, peri-urban area of Kibera in Nairobi (Kenya).

Science.gov (United States)

Kelderman, P; Koech, D K; Gumbo, B; O'Keeffe, J

2009-01-01

Kibera, located in Nairobi, Kenya is one of the largest (235,000 inhabitants) low-income areas in East Africa. Surface waters in Kibera show high pollution levels with respect to SRP (soluble reactive phosphorus; range: 2-10 mg P/L), coming from the uncontrolled wastewater discharges in the area. The different P production and consumption values in Kibera were estimated using interviews (155 interviewed) as well as detailed P house-keeping for five representative families. The results show that highest P consumption comes from food, in particular cereals. Highest P production came from urine (55% of the total) and faeces (31%), with relatively lower contributions from grey water and solid wastes. The overall P budget in Kibera amounted to around 9 x 10(3) kg P/month. This is equivalent to 0.47 g P/person yr, both for P production and consumption, with a relative error of 20%. Comparing with the estimated P outflows via the Kibera surface waters, around 65% of the P produced in Kibera will leave the area. In future ECOSAN techniques such as urine separation could well be applied for efficient recycling of these waste sources.

Impact of energy consumption on urban warming and air pollution in Tokyo metropolitan area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saitoh, T.S.; Hoshi, H.

1995-01-01

The rapid progress of industrialization and urbanization due to economic growth and concentration of social function in the urban areas in Japan have had an adverse effect on the urban environment. In most cities, it has become evident that the increase in energy consumption is causing environmental problems, including a temperature rise in the urban atmosphere (urban heat island) and air pollution. This paper reports the results of field observations and three dimensional simulations of the urban heat island using a three-dimensional modelling vorticity-velocity vector potential formation, in the Tokyo metropolitan area. According to the simulation for urban warming in the study area for the year 2031, the maximum temperature of a summer evening (18:00) would exceed 43 degrees celsius, indicating that Tokyo would no longer be comfortable for its inhabitants. It is concluded that in the near future, the problem of the urban heat island will become a more important issue than that of global warming because the rate of urban warming is greater. For this reason, the urban heat island could be fatal to humans unless resolved in the near future. (author). 1 tab., 11 figs., 18 refs

Air Quality Deterioration of Urban Areas Caused by Wildfires in a Natural Reservoir Forest of Mexico

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Noel Carbajal

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Many regions of the world suffer loss of vegetation and reduced air quality due to wildfires. Studies on aerosol emissions by wildfires often discuss the negative effects of atmospheric contaminants from a regional or mesoscale perspective. The occurrence of wildfires reveals that a high percentage takes place close to large urban areas. Very high concentration of pollutants and PM10 particulate matter reach urban zones and millions of inhabitants. These events of high pollutant concentrations are seasonally recurrent. There are many large urban areas in the world that often undergo severe air deterioration due to wildfires smoke. We document the extreme impact of wildfire that occurs in the Protected Area of Flora and Fauna La Primavera located in neighborhood of Guadalajara, a large urban zone in Mexico. The simultaneous emissions of aerosols by 60 wildfires were simulated and compared with observed data. The plume generated by the wildfires reached large areas of the central part of Mexico. The principal characteristics of smog emissions (CO, NO2, and PM10 over the urban area were acceptably reproduced. Observed and modeled CO, PM10, and NO2 data indicated that aerosol plumes generated by the wildfires increased notably the concentrations over the metropolitan zone of Guadalajara.

Structures and immunolocalization of Na+, K+ -ATPase, Na+ /H+ exchanger 3 and vacuolar-type H+ -ATPase in the gills of blennies (Teleostei: Blenniidae) inhabiting rocky intertidal areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Uchiyama, M; Komiyama, M; Yoshizawa, H; Shimizu, N; Konno, N; Matsuda, K

2012-05-01

The structure and immunolocalization of the ion transporters Na(+) ,K(+) -ATPase (NKA), Na(+) /H(+) exchanger (NHE3) and vacuolar-type H(+) -ATPase (VHA) were examined in the gills of teleosts of the family Blenniidae, which inhabit rocky shores with vertical zonation in subtropical seas. These features were compared among the following species with different ecologies: the amphibious rockskipper blenny Andamia tetradactylus, the intertidal white-finned blenny Praealticus tanegasimae and the purely marine yaeyama blenny Ecsenius yaeyamaensis. Light and electron microscopic observations indicated that thick gill filaments were arranged close to each other and alternately on two hemibranches of a gill arch in the opercular space of A. tetradactylus. Many mucous cells (MC) and mitochondrion-rich cells (MRC) were present in the interlamellar regions of the gill filament. An immunohistochemical study demonstrated that numerous NKA, NHE3 and some VHA were located predominantly on presumed MRCs of gill filaments and at the base of the lamellae. Analyses using serial (mirror image) sections of the gills indicated that only a few NKA immunoreactive cells (IRC) were colocalized with VHA on some MRCs in the filaments. In the gills of P. tanegasimae, NKA- and NHE3-IRCs were observed in the interlamellar region of the filaments and at the base of the lamellae. VHA-IRCs were located sparsely on the lamellae and filaments. In the gills of E. yaeyamaensis, the lamellae and filaments were thin and straight, respectively. MCs were located at the tip as well as found scattered in the interlamellar region of gill filaments. NKA-, NHE3- and VHA-IRCs were moderately frequently observed in the filaments and rarely on the lamellae. This study shows that the structure and distribution of ion transporters in the gills differ among the three blennid species, presumably reflecting their different ecologies. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the

The upper Sava valley at the three border area of Austria, Italy ans Yugoslavia - a geographic perspective

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Vladimir Klemenčič

1990-12-01

Full Text Available An analysis on the alpine spatial factors was carried out in the area of Kranjska gora and the Upper Sava valley, in the NW corner of Slovenia (Yugoslavia. As a part of a similar study Austrians and Italians, at their side of the border, ther research focused on future regional development. The so called "Three Border Area", in the above-mentioned countries, candidates for the winter olympics in 1998 and in general seek cross-border cooperation. The mountainous region of the Julian Alps here is separated from another mountainous and border strech of the Karawanks by the deep glacial river valley of the river Sava. The central place within the valley is Kranjska Gora — a famous winter šport center. World cup alpine skiing races and ski-jumping competitions (Planica take place here every year. The past post-war period were not very much in favour of developing tourism in general. That is why many inhabitants of the Upper Sava Valley decided to abandon agriculture and look for jobs in the governmentaly supported steel mills of the communal center of Jesenice. Daily migration accures today in both directions: man from the area migrate to the industry, woman from the above-mentioned town travel daily the same distance to work in hotels. Lately a couple of hundred inhabitants found jobs also in the nearby employment centers of Carinthia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Future complex regional development in the area of the bordering countries of Italy, Austria and Yugoslavia can be supported in the part of Slovenia with the tradition of mountaineering and ski jumping as well as vvith an international tradition in hosting guests from distantplaces and vvith the tradition of organizing sporting events. The relatively "underdeveloped alpine landscape" here. mostly within the borders of the Triglav National Park could attract visitors too. Among other developments Mountaineering — and Ski-jumping Schools and Courses of

The green areas of San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Olga M. Ramos-González

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Green areas, also known as green infrastructure or urban vegetation, are vital to urbanites for their critical roles in mitigating urban heat island effects and climate change and for their provision of multiple ecosystem services and aesthetics. Here, I provide a high spatial resolution snapshot of the green cover distribution of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, by incorporating the use of morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA as a tool to describe the spatial pattern and connectivity of the city's urban green areas. Analysis of a previously developed IKONOS 4-m spatial resolution classification of the city of San Juan from 2002 revealed a larger area of vegetation (green areas or green infrastructure than previously estimated by moderate spatial resolution imagery. The city as a whole had approximately 42% green cover and 55% impervious surfaces. Although the city appeared greener in its southern upland sector compared to the northern coastal section, where most built-up urban areas occurred (66% impervious surfaces, northern San Juan had 677 ha more green area cover dispersed across the city than the southern component. MSPA revealed that most forest cover occurred as edges and cores, and green areas were most commonly forest cores, with larger predominance in the southern sector of the municipality. In dense, built-up, urban land, most of the green areas occurred in private yards as islets. When compared to other cities across the United States, San Juan was most similar in green cover features to Boston, Massachusetts, and Miami, Florida. Per capita green space for San Juan (122.2 m²/inhabitant was also comparable to these two U.S. cities. This study explores the intra-urban vegetation variation in the city of San Juan, which is generally overlooked by moderate spatial resolution classifications in Puerto Rico. It serves as a starting point for green infrastructure mapping and landscape pattern analysis of the urban green spaces

Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world’s largest no-take marine protected area

Science.gov (United States)

SHEPPARD, C. R. C.; ATEWEBERHAN, M.; BOWEN, B. W.; CARR, P.; CHEN, C. A.; CLUBBE, C.; CRAIG, M. T.; EBINGHAUS, R.; EBLE, J.; FITZSIMMONS, N.; GAITHER, M. R.; GAN, C-H.; GOLLOCK, M.; GUZMAN, N.; GRAHAM, N. A. J.; HARRIS, A.; JONES, R.; KESHAVMURTHY, S.; KOLDEWEY, H.; LUNDIN, C. G.; MORTIMER, J. A.; OBURA, D.; PFEIFFER, M.; PRICE, A. R. G.; PURKIS, S.; RAINES, P.; READMAN, J. W.; RIEGL, B.; ROGERS, A.; SCHLEYER, M.; SEAWARD, M. R. D; SHEPPARD, A. L. S.; TAMELANDER, J.; TURNER, J. R.; VISRAM, S.; VOGLER, C.; VOGT, S.; WOLSCHKE, H.; YANG, J. M-C.; YANG, S-Y.; YESSON, C.

2014-01-01

The Chagos Archipelago was designated a no-take marine protected area (MPA) in 2010; it covers 550 000 km2, with more than 60 000 km2 shallow limestone platform and reefs. This has doubled the global cover of such MPAs.It contains 25–50% of the Indian Ocean reef area remaining in excellent condition, as well as the world’s largest contiguous undamaged reef area. It has suffered from warming episodes, but after the most severe mortality event of 1998, coral cover was restored after 10 years.Coral reef fishes are orders of magnitude more abundant than in other Indian Ocean locations, regardless of whether the latter are fished or protected.Coral diseases are extremely low, and no invasive marine species are known.Genetically, Chagos marine species are part of the Western Indian Ocean, and Chagos serves as a ‘stepping-stone’ in the ocean.The no-take MPA extends to the 200 nm boundary, and. includes 86 unfished seamounts and 243 deep knolls as well as encompassing important pelagic species.On the larger islands, native plants, coconut crabs, bird and turtle colonies were largely destroyed in plantation times, but several smaller islands are in relatively undamaged state.There are now 10 ‘important bird areas’, coconut crab density is high and numbers of green and hawksbill turtles are recovering.Diego Garcia atoll contains a military facility; this atoll contains one Ramsar site and several ‘strict nature reserves’. Pollutant monitoring shows it to be the least polluted inhabited atoll in the world. Today, strict environmental regulations are enforced.Shoreline erosion is significant in many places. Its economic cost in the inhabited part of Diego Garcia is very high, but all islands are vulnerable.Chagos is ideally situated for several monitoring programmes, and use is increasingly being made of the archipelago for this purpose. PMID:25505830

Highly efficient photoelectrochemical performance of SrTiO{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} heterojunction nanotube array thin film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Yan [Qingdao University, School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Environments (China); Bu Yuyu [Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Engineering Center of Marine Corrosion Protection, Institute of Oceanology (China); Yu Jianqiang, E-mail: yjq@licp.cas.cn; Li Ping [Qingdao University, School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Environments (China)

2013-06-15

SrTiO{sub 3}-TiO{sub 2} heterojunction thin-film nanotube arrays (SNTs, the average inner diameter is about 50 nm) was fabricated via electrochemical anodization followed by a hydrothermal treatment. The photo-to-current conversion properties and the photoelectrochemical performance for cathodic protection of carbon steel in 0.5 M of sodium chloride solution under white light illumination were investigated. The results showed that the highly ordered nanotube arrays could provide very excellent cathodic protection for carbon steel under white light irradiation.

Development of innovation infrastructure of agricultural production Lviv area

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Vasyl Chemerys

2017-06-01

pigs is in all categories of economic agents; quantity of poultry; middle amount of inhabitants in the districts area, and also middle annual yield of milk per cow in agricultural enterprises. Six areas of clusterizationcan be outlined it is possible to identify and on a geographical sign, depending on the place of their localization within the limits of area territory: the first area is north-eastern; the second area is a foot-hill; the third area is western; a fourth area is east; a fifth area is north-western; a sixth area is mountain. The areas of clusterization offered in the article will be instrumental in growth of efficiency of functioning of agrarian enterprises, and also realization of them, economic potential.

Knowledge of the inhabitants of Lubelskie region on proper eating habits

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Dorota Weber

2017-08-01

  Due to the fact that care about health, where proper eating habits are one of its constituents, exerts a strong impact on both social and economic life of a country, it is not just an individual case of each person, but a public matter.  The state of health status is obviously subject to a number of factors. However, the habits and customs with regard to daily habits are of particular importance due to the significance of food for the physical existence of each human body. These habits are formed in childhood and youth, however they undergo modifications throughout the whole life. Quite frequently the possessed knowledge is not a sufficient motivation to make great changes in the manner of eating, thus it does not change the eating habits. The aim of the paper is to determine the level of knowledge of clinic patients, selected at random, on proper eating habits. Materials and methods The research was conducted during the period of January-February 2016 year in a Lublin clinic. The investigation comprised 148 respondents. The method used in the research was a diagnostic survey, and the selected technique was a questionnaire conducted among the respondents, using a birth certificate, an interview and an anthropometric study. The study included 148 persons, who were further divided into two groups: students and workers. The respondents were the inhabitants of Lublin and nearby villages. The survey findings underwent a static programme analysis in Statistica 9.1 software (StatSoft, Poland. Conclusions The identification of nutritional knowledge and dietary behaviours of consumers as well as determination of the level and diversity of their nutritional awareness should become the basis for the preparation of guidelines on the content of broadcasts in order to promote healthy eating habits among consumers of different groups.

Dengue virus infection-enhancing antibody activities against Indonesian strains in inhabitants of central Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamanaka, Atsushi; Oddgun, Duangjai; Chantawat, Nantarat; Okabayashi, Tamaki; Ramasoota, Pongrama; Churrotin, Siti; Kotaki, Tomohiro; Kameoka, Masanori; Soegijanto, Soegeng; Konishi, Eiji

2016-04-01

Dengue virus (DENV) infection-enhancing antibodies are a hypothetic factor to increase the dengue disease severity. In this study, we investigated the enhancing antibodies against Indonesian strains of DENV-1-4 in 50 healthy inhabitants of central Thailand (Bangkok and Uthai Thani). Indonesia and Thailand have seen the highest dengue incidence in Southeast Asia. The infection history of each subject was estimated by comparing his/her neutralizing antibody titers against prototype DENV-1-4 strains. To resolve the difficulty in obtaining foreign live viruses for use as assay antigens, we used a recombinant system to prepare single-round infectious dengue viral particles based on viral sequence information. Irrespective of the previously infecting serotype(s), most serum samples showed significantly higher enhancement titers against Indonesian DENV-2 strains than against Thai DENV-2 strains, whereas the opposite effect was observed for the DENV-3 strains. Equivalent enhancing activities were observed against both DENV-1 and DENV-4. These results suggest that the genotype has an impact on enhancing antibody activities against DENV-2 and DENV-3, because the predominant circulating genotypes of each serotype differ between Indonesia and Thailand. Copyright © 2015 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Landslide susceptibility assessment using Spatial Analysis and GIS modeling in Cluj-Napoca Metropolitan Area, Romania

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Bogdan Eugen Dolean

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In Romania, landslides together with the multitude geomorphological processes linked to them are some of the most common hazards which manifested in vulnerable areas with important human activities can induce many negative effects. From this perspective, identifying the areas affected by landslides, based on GIS spatial analysis models and statistical methods, is a subject frequently discussed in the national and international literature. This research was focused on the methods and practices of GIS spatial analysis, with a target of creating a complex model and a viable methodology of assessment the probability of occurrence of landslides, applicable within any territory. The study was based on the identification and analysis in a bivariate systemic manner of the numerous factors involved in the production of landslides, such as topography, morphology, hydrography, geological, lithology, weather, land use. The area in which the analysis has been conducted, The Metropolitan Area of Cluj-Napoca, was chosen due to the exacerbated urbanization of the recent years, coupled with a massive increase in the number of inhabitants, thus being a space of socioeconomic importance and a real challenge regarding spatial planning. Applying the model in this area has generated relatively good results, with a power of predictability of over 80%, measured in landslides sample areas used for the validation of the results, fact which attest the viability of the model and the fact that the model can be used in different areas with related morphometric and environmental characteristics.

Protection of people living in long-term contaminated areas after a nuclear accident: the guidance of ICRP Publication 111

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lochard, Jacques

2012-01-01

The International Commission on Radiological Protection provides guidance for the protection of people living in long-term contaminated areas after nuclear accidents or radiological emergencies in ICRP Publication 111 (Ann. ICRP 2009, 39(3)). The prolonged exposures resulting from such events are defined as existing exposure situations and the driving principle for managing exposure situations is the optimization of protection. In conjunction with optimization, the Commission recommends the use of reference levels to restrict individual doses. To be effective, protection strategies to maintain and reduce exposure as low as reasonably achievable should include actions implemented by public authorities and private businesses, but also by the affected population itself. The process through which inhabitants living in a contaminated environment identify problems and apply their own protective actions has been named 'self-help protection' by the Commission. Such a process supposes that affected individuals are fully aware of the situation and are well informed. It is the responsibility of the authorities to establish programmes for continuous radiation monitoring, information and education of the population. The involvement of local professionals and inhabitants in the definition and implementation of protection strategies is a key factor for the sustainability of long-term rehabilitation programmes. (note)

[Scorpion stings in an area of Nordeste de Amaralina, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil].

Science.gov (United States)

de Amorim, Andréa Monteiro; Carvalho, Fernando Martins; Lira-da-Silva, Rejâne Maria; Brazil, Tania Kobler

2003-01-01

An epidemiological study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of individuals who referred scorpion sting accidents in a population sample from Areal, a neighborhood northeast of Amaralina, Salvador City, State of Bahia, Brazil. A random, systematic sample of 1,367 individuals was taken, corresponding to 44.4% of the total population. Eighty-two residents referred scorpion sting since they were resident in Areal, giving a prevalence coefficient of 6% (95% CI 4.7 - 7.3). The prevalence of persons stung by scorpions increased according to greater time spent in the domicile and more advanced age. It was remarkable that 92.7% of the scorpions stings occurred within the home. The incidence coefficient estimated for the most recent period of time (January to July, 2000) was 1.15 cases/1,000 inhabitants per month, comparable to the highest ever reported for an epidemic area.

Genetic and morphologic differentiation of the Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus between estuarine and coastal areas in Portugal

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Joana F. Marques

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The Lusitanian toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801, is distributed from the Ghana coast to the Iberian Peninsula, being particularly abundant on the south coast of Portugal. The differentiation of this species along the Portuguese coast was assessed through the analysis of 10 samples, considering morphological characters (20 morphometric and 16 meristic and genetic markers (10 allozymes, 11 loci. Southern samples included estuaries and their adjacent coastal areas, given that this species inhabits both environments, whereas western samples only comprised estuaries. Morphometric and meristic data discriminant analysis evidenced some differentiation between estuarine and coastal populations. This was not entirely corroborated by the genetic analysis, which showed an overall pattern of low FST (0.042 and Nei’s genetic distance, even between geographically distant areas. However, higher values of these parameters were found between estuaries of the south coast and their adjacent coastal areas, suggesting that estuarine systems play a major role in such differentiation. Results are discussed regarding toadfish life-history pattern and Portuguese coast geomorphology, giving an insight into the biological and environmental factors influencing population sub-structuring.

A case-control study of nasopharyngeal carcinoma among inhabitants in high background radiation areas of Yangjiang, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou Jianming; Sun Quanfu; Yuan Yongling

1999-01-01

Objective: The purpose of the study was to confirm and explore main risk factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in cohort members of the investigated areas, and evaluate effects of confounding factors on cancer risk associated with exposure to high background radiation. Methods: The deceased cases of NPC during the period of 1987-1995 were selected as study subjects for each of whom two controls were randomly selected from potential control subjects who died from causes other than malignant tumors and external causes, and matched for sex and years of birth and death (within 5 years). Using structure questionnaire, the relevant information including socioeconomic status, dietary habits, smoking and alcohol consumption, history of illness, agricultural use of pesticide, medical X-ray exposure and familial history of NPC were collected. The odds ratio (OR) was used as a measure of association between NPC and the risk factors. Results: 102 cases and 202 controls were successfully investigated. Single factor conditional logistic regression analysis showed that the occurrence of NPC was closely positively associated with intake of salted fish, pickles, fermented soybeans, cured meats, history of chronic rhinitis and familial history of NPC. Further multiple conditional logistic regression analysis turned out that intake of salted fish, history of chronic rhinits and familial history of NPC were the independent risk factors of NPC. After controlling for history of chronic rhinits and familial history of NPC, the results based on multiple conditional logistic regression analysis from high background radiation, intake of salted fish and fermented soybeans, tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption showed that only intake of salted fish was a significant risk factor (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.52-5.18), tobacco smoking (OR = 1.2, 95% CI 0.65-2.22), alcohol consumption (OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.38-1.78) and exposure to high background radiation (OR= 0.86, 95% CI 0.44-1.68) did not

Has the income of the residential area impact on the use of intensive care?

Science.gov (United States)

Liisanantti, J H; Käkelä, R; Raatiniemi, L V; Ohtonen, P; Hietanen, S; Ala-Kokko, T I

2017-08-01

The socioeconomic factors have an impact on case mix and outcome in critical illness, but how these factors affect the use of intensive care is not studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in patients from residential areas with different annual incomes. Single-center, retrospective study in Northern Finland. All the non-trauma-related emergency admissions from the hospital district area were included. The postal codes were used to categorize the residential areas according to each area's annual median income: the low-income area, €18,979 to €28,841 per year; the middle-income area, €28,879 to €33,856 per year; and the high-income area, €34,221 to €53,864 per year. A total of 735 non-trauma-related admissions were included. The unemployment or retirement, psychiatric comorbidities and chronic alcohol abuse were common in this population. The highest incidence, 5.5 (4.6-6.7)/1000/year, was in population aged more than 65 years living in high-income areas. In working-aged population, the incidence was lowest in high-income areas (1.5 (1.3-1.8/1000/year) compared to middle-income areas (2.2 (1.9-2.6)/1000/year, P = 0.001) and low-income areas (2.0 (1.7-2.4)/1000/, P = 0.009). Poisonings were more common in low-income areas. There were no differences in outcome. The incidence of ICU admission in working-aged population was 25% higher in those areas where the annual median income was below the median annual income of €38,775 per inhabitant per year in Finland. © 2017 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Stigmatization of people with mental illness among inhabitants of a rural community in northern Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Audu, Ishaq A; Idris, Suleiman H; Olisah, Victor O; Sheikh, Taiwo L

2013-02-01

Despite the fact that mental illness is a common problem in society, people's perception of the mentally ill and community attitude towards them is still rather poor, making their rehabilitation and reintegration into society an uphill task. To examine the stigmatization of people with mental illness within a rural community and identify the socio-demographic variables involved. A cross-sectional descriptive study using a multi-stage random sampling technique to obtain data through an interviewer-administered questionnaire to 325 adult inhabitants of a rural community in Nigeria. The results showed widespread ignorance about causation, mode of transmission and remedies available for mental illness, with only 0.9% of respondents attributing mental illness to brain disease. The others attributed it to spiritual attack, punishment for evil doing and illicit psychoactive substance use, among other things. Negative views about the mentally ill were also widely expressed resulting in discriminatory practices. Stigmatization of people with mental illness is still rampant in our community. There is a need for adequate public education about the causes and mode of transmission of mental illness and the treatment options available in the community.

The knowledge of the inhabitants of Lesser Poland about the profession of an occupational therapist

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Żmudzińska Urszula Ż

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: A contemporary model of occupational therapy differs from the previous model which was common in Poland in previous years. Therefore, the opinions of the society concerning the profession of an occupational therapist are constantly changing. Material and methods: The research included 244 inhabitants of Lesser Poland aged between 25 and 65 employed in various professions. A questionnaire regarding occupational therapy and the profession and competences of occupational therapists was applied in the study. Results: The presented results show that the job of an occupational therapist is perceived as a needed profession both by individuals who underwent such therapy and those who did not use such services. Responses regarding competences and activities in the profession of an occupational therapist revealed differences in the opinions of the study participants. Conclusions: Taking into account only competences and activities of an occupational therapist, associations of the study participants reflected the knowledge of the model of therapy that existed before and was mainly devoted to occupational therapy workshops. The respondents would trust an occupational therapist both in adapting the house to their needs and in performing exercises connected with activities of daily living.

Molecular characterization of endophytic fungi associated with the roots of Chenopodium quinoa inhabiting the Atacama Desert, Chile.

Science.gov (United States)

González-Teuber, M; Vilo, C; Bascuñán-Godoy, L

2017-03-01

Plant roots can be highly colonized by fungal endophytes. This seems to be of particular importance for the survival of plants inhabiting stressful habitats. This study focused on the Identification of the fungal endophytic community associated with the roots of quinoa plants ( Chenopodium quinoa ) growing near the salt lakes of the Atacama Desert, Chile. One hundred endophytic fungi were isolated from healthy quinoa roots, and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was sequenced for phylogenetic and taxonomic analysis. The isolates were classified into eleven genera and 21 distinct operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Despite a relatively high diversity of root endophytic fungi associated with quinoa plants, the fungal community was dominated by only the Ascomycota phyla. In addition, the most abundant genera were Penicillium , Phoma and Fusarium , which are common endophytes reported in plant roots. This study shows that roots of C . quinoa harbor a diverse group of endophytic fungi. Potential roles of these fungi in plant host tolerance to stressful conditions are discussed.

Raja asterias population assessment in FAO GFCM GSA17 area

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C. FERRÀ

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Population structure and distribution of the starry ray, Raja asterias, were described based on data collected during yearly rapido trawl surveys (SoleMon, between 2005 and 2014 in the Northern and Central Adriatic Sea. A total of 306 individuals were caught, sex ratio was 1.04:1 in favor of males and length-weight relationships were obtained for the whole sample. Following the MEDITS scale, maturity was estimated, observing a higher number of immature individuals. Relative abundance significantly increased during the recent period with the highest values recorded at 5-30 m depths. Such increase could be related to the response of R. asterias to climatic change or to the decrease  in fishing pressure in the area. Clear spatial segregation of individuals depending on their life stage was observed, with immature individuals inhabiting the coastal areas and adults more abundant at depths greater than 40 m. The comparison of the result of the present study with MEDITS survey outcomes in terms of  distribution patterns, persistence areas of adults and juveniles and abundances indices, evidences that SoleMon survey seems to be more suitable in defining such features of the stock, likely due to the greater catchability of the rapido trawl in respect to the MEDITS trawl net. However, further investigations are needed to identify factors affecting the increasing abundance of this species, and develop an action plan for spatial management of fishing activities.

Cost and effectiveness of decontamination strategies in radiation contaminated areas in Fukushima in regard to external radiation dose.

Science.gov (United States)

Yasutaka, Tetsuo; Naito, Wataru; Nakanishi, Junko

2013-01-01

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of decontamination strategies in the special decontamination areas in Fukushima in regard to external radiation dose. A geographical information system (GIS) was used to relate the predicted external dose in the affected areas to the number of potential inhabitants and the land use in the areas. A comprehensive review of the costs of various decontamination methods was conducted as part of the analysis. The results indicate that aerial decontamination in the special decontamination areas in Fukushima would be effective for reducing the air dose rate to the target level in a short period of time in some but not all of the areas. In a standard scenario, analysis of cost and effectiveness suggests that decontamination costs for agricultural areas account for approximately 80% of the total decontamination cost, of which approximately 60% is associated with storage. In addition, the costs of decontamination per person per unit area are estimated to vary greatly. Appropriate selection of decontamination methods may significantly decrease decontamination costs, allowing more meaningful decontamination in terms of the limited budget. Our analysis can help in examining the prioritization of decontamination areas from the viewpoints of cost and effectiveness in reducing the external dose. Decontamination strategies should be determined according to air dose rates and future land-use plans.

Measurements of whole body and urine of the inhabitants of the neighbouring to the Radioactive Waste Storage Center (CADER)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfaro L, M.M.

1998-10-01

The existence of the Center of Storage of Radioactive Wastes (CADER) in the Municipality of Temascalapa, Estado de Mexico has generated restlessness among the inhabitants from it installation. In March 1998, its appeared in diverse media, notes and reports attributing illnesses and sufferings to the CADER activities. In coordination with the health authorities of the Estado de Mexico and of the Municipality of Temascalapa, the doctors of the ININ assisted people that converged to the centers. For the above-mentioned, in the period understood among the months of May to September 1998, its were carried out measurements in 338 urine samples and 45 whole-body of voluntary people of the surroundings of the CADER. This document has the purpose of presenting the information on the carried out measurements. (Author)

Diversity in the socio-economic role of the main non-wood forest products for the inhabitants of small villages and large towns in Poland

OpenAIRE

Barszcz, Anna; Suder, Alicja

2009-01-01

The NWFPs (non-wood forest products) sector is of the crucial importance to the Polish households but its social and economic role is varied and depends on place of residence. For the inhabitants of villages and small towns forests are the place of working and NWFPs sale provides an additional financial resource. City-dwellers do not treat NWFPs as a source of income but rather as an element of recreation and they use these products mainly for their own needs. Some remarks for the developing ...

ESR dosimetry study for the residents of Kazakhstan exposed to radioactive fallout on 24, August 1956

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhumadilov, K., E-mail: kassym@hiroshima-u.ac.jp [Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553 (Japan); Ivannikov, A. [Medical Radiological Research Center, Obninsk 249036 (Russian Federation); Zharlyganova, D. [Astana Medical University, 51a, Beibitshilik str., Astana 010000 (Kazakhstan); Zhumadilov, Zh. [Nazarbayev University, Life Sciences Center, D. Kunayev str., Astana 010000 (Kazakhstan); Stepanenko, V. [Medical Radiological Research Center, Obninsk 249036 (Russian Federation); Abralina, Sh.; Sadvokasova, L. [Semey State Medical Academy, Semey 071400, Abay str. 103 (Kazakhstan); Zhumadilova, A. [Astana Medical University, 51a, Beibitshilik str., Astana 010000 (Kazakhstan); Toyoda, S. [Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science, Okayama 700-0005 (Japan); Endo, S. [Department of Quantum Energy Applications, Graduated School of Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8527 (Japan); Okamoto, T. [Department of Molecular Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Surgery, Division of Frontier Medical Science, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553 (Japan); Hoshi, M. [Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553 (Japan)

2011-09-15

The method of electron spin resonance (ESR) dosimetry has been applied to human tooth enamel in order to obtain individual absorbed doses from the population of settlements within the vicinity of the central axis of the radioactive fallout trace from the contaminating nuclear surface test of 24, August 1956. Most of the settlements (Glubokoe, Tavriya, and Gagarino) are located near Ust-Kamenogorsk city, in Kazakhstan (about 400 km to the east from the epicenter of the explosion at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS)). It was found that the excess doses obtained after the subtraction of natural background radiation ranged up to about 120 mGy for the residents of Ust-Kamenogorsk city, whose tooth enamel was formed before 1956. For the residents of Gagarino, excess doses do not exceed 47 mGy for all ages. For the residents of Tavriya, the maximum of excess dose was determined as 54 mGy and for the residents of Glubokoe, the maximum excess dose was about 83 mGy. For the population of the Shemonaikha settlements (about 70 km from the centerline of the radioactive fallout trace) the highest excess dose is 110 mGy. Also for this study, Znamenka village (about 130 km from the epicenter) was included. The Kokpekty settlement was chosen as a control and not subjected to any radioactive contamination and is located 400 km to the Southeast from SNTS.

Phytate degradation by fungi and bacteria that inhabit sawdust and coffee residue composts.

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Fathallh Eida, Mohamed; Nagaoka, Toshinori; Wasaki, Jun; Kouno, Kenji

2013-01-01

Phytate is the primary source of organic phosphorus, but it cannot be directly utilized by plants and is strongly adsorbed by the soil, reducing bioavailability. Composting is a process used to improve the bioavailability of phytate in organic wastes through degradation by microorganisms. In this study, we aimed to investigate the phytate-degrading ability of fungi and bacteria that inhabit sawdust compost and coffee residue compost, and their contribution to the composting process. In the plate assay, the fungi that formed clear zones around their colonies belonged to the genera Mucor, Penicillium, Galactomyces, Coniochaeta, Aspergillus, and Fusarium, while the bacteria belonged to the genera Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Chitinophaga, and Rahnella. Eight fungal isolates (genera Mucor, Penicillium, Galactomyces, and Coniochaeta) and four bacterial isolates (genera Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, and Rahnella) were selected to evaluate phytase activity in their liquid culture and their ability to degrade phytate in organic materials composed of mushroom media residue and rice bran. The selected fungi degraded phytate in organic materials to varying degrees. Penicillium isolates showed the highest degradation ability and Coniochaeta isolate exhibited relatively high degradation ability. The clear zone diameters of these fungal isolates displayed significantly positive and negative correlations with inorganic and phytate phosphorus contents in the organic materials after incubation, respectively; however, none of the selected bacteria reduced phytate phosphorus in organic materials. It is therefore possible that fungi are major contributors to phytate degradation during composting.

[HORIZONTAL TRANSMISSION OF HBV INFECTION IN MIGRANTSFROM A HYPERENDEMIC AREA TO THEIR CONTACTS IN A LOW ENDEMICITY AREA IN PERU

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Cabezas, César; Anaya, Elizabeth; Bartalesi, Filippo; Sánchez, Jaime

1997-01-01

Migration of inhabitants from high endemicity to low endemicity areas, where the majority of population is susceptible, implies a risk of transmission. This factor suggested the study of the presence of HBV infection on migrants from Huanta and in their host communities in Lima.MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty families from a human settlement in the District of San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima, were chosen at random. This sample included migrant families and people who had born in Lima.The members of these families were subjected to a survey to obtain demographic data and possible risk factor for HBV infection, and venous blood sample was obtained to determine HBV serological markers by ELIZA techniques.RESULTS: A total of 215 people were evaluated, 130 (60,5%) were female, and 85 (39,5%) were male. There were 9 (4,2%) HbsAg carriers; 4 (1,9%) of them were born in Huanta; the other 5 (2,3%) were born in Lima, and had never been to Huanta. They were under 20 years of age. No significant association was found between the presence of HbsAg and the use of injectables, blood transfusions, tatoos, previous surgery, dental extractions or sexual relations.CONCLUSION: The presence of HbsAg carrier on people born in Lima, with no "classical" risk factor for HBV infection, could be associated with carriers migrating from a hyperendemic HBV area, suggesting a mechanism of horizontal transmission.

Two decades of research in the Brazilian areas of high natural radioactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cullen, T.L.; Paschoa, A.S.; Barcinski, M.; Eisenbud, M.; Franca, E.P.; Ribeiro, C.C.

1980-01-01

The geology of Brazil results in several areas of high natural radioactivity. The three areas studied were Guarapari, Araxa-Tapira and Morro do Ferro. In Guarapari, the possibility that internal contamination might arise from inhaled dust or from thoron and radon in the air was studied; however analysis of placentae showed low values of internal contamination. Nevertheless a higher rate of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral lymphocytes was observed compared to controls. In Araxa-Tapira, high concentrations of Ra-226 and Ra-228 were found in manioc, flour, potatoes and citrus fruits. Some inhabitants were shown to have daily intakes of 20-40 pCi of Ra-226 and 120-240 pCi of Ra-228. On the mountain of Morro do Ferro, measurements of the uptake of Ra-228, Ra-226 and Th-228 by plants ranged from 7 to 10,303 pCi/kg. The concentrations of thoron and radon in rat holes and termite mounds ranged from 5 to 55,400 pCi/1. Since the mountain is estimated to hold 12,000 tons of thorium, the deposit is now being used as an analogue for modelling the transport of plutonium over geological time. (UK)

Metal bioaccumulation, genotoxicity and gene expression in the European wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) inhabiting an abandoned uranium mining area.

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Lourenço, Joana; Pereira, Ruth; Gonçalves, Fernando; Mendo, Sónia

2013-01-15

Genotoxic effects caused by the exposure to wastes containing metals and radionuclides were investigated in the European wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). The animals were captured in the surroundings of an abandoned uranium mining site. DNA damage was assessed by comet assay; gene expression and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were assessed, respectively, by Real-Time PCR and melt curve analysis. The bioaccumulation of metals in the liver, kidney and bones was also determined to help clarify cause-effect relationships. Results confirmed the bioaccumulation of cadmium and uranium in organisms exposed to uranium mining wastes. P53 gene was found to be significantly up-regulated in the liver of those organisms and SNPs in the Rb gene were also detected in the kidney. Our results showed that uranium mining wastes caused serious DNA damage resulting in genomic instability, disclosed by the significant increase in DNA strand breaks and P53 gene expression disturbance. These effects can have severe consequences, since they may contribute for the emergence of serious genetic diseases. The fact that mice are often used as bioindicator species for the evaluation of risks of environmental exposure to humans, raises concerns on the risks for human populations living near uranium mining areas. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preterm birth in the Inuit and First Nations populations of Québec, Canada, 1981–2008

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Auger, Nathalie; Sing, Mélanie Fon; Park, Alison L.; Lo, Ernest; Trempe, Normand; Luo, Zhong-Cheng

2012-01-01

Objectives To evaluate preterm birth (PTB) for Inuit and First Nations vs. non-Indigenous populations in the province of Québec, Canada. Study design Retrospective cohort study. Methods We evaluated singleton live births for Québec residents, 1981–2008 (n =2,310,466). Municipality of residence (Inuit-inhabited, First Nations-inhabited, rest of Québec) and language (Inuit, First Nations, French/English) were used to identify Inuit and First Nations births. The outcome was PTB (Inuit language speakers in Inuit-inhabited areas and the rest of Québec compared with French/English speakers in the rest of Québec, and disparities persisted over time. Relative to French/English speakers in the rest of Québec, Inuit language speakers in the rest of Québec had the highest risk of PTB (HR 1.98, 95% CI: 1.62–2.41). The risk was also elevated for Inuit language speakers in Inuit-inhabited areas, though to a lesser extent (HR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.18–1.41). In contrast, First Nations language speakers in First Nations-inhabited areas and the rest of Québec had similar or lower risks of PTB relative to French/English speakers in the rest of Québec. Conclusions Inuit populations, especially those outside Inuit-inhabited areas, have persistently elevated risks of PTB, indicating a need for strategies to prevent PTB in this population. PMID:22456035

Preterm birth in the Inuit and First Nations populations of Québec, Canada, 1981-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Auger, Nathalie; Fon Sing, Mélanie; Park, Alison L; Lo, Ernest; Trempe, Normand; Luo, Zhong-Cheng

2012-03-24

To evaluate preterm birth (PTB) for Inuit and First Nations vs. non-Indigenous populations in the province of Québec, Canada. Retrospective cohort study. We evaluated singleton live births for Québec residents, 1981-2008 (n = 2,310,466). Municipality of residence (Inuit-inhabited, First Nations-inhabited, rest of Québec) and language (Inuit, First Nations, French/English) were used to identify Inuit and First Nations births. The outcome was PTB (Inuit language speakers in Inuit-inhabited areas and the rest of Québec compared with French/English speakers in the rest of Québec, and disparities persisted over time. Relative to French/English speakers in the rest of Québec, Inuit language speakers in the rest of Québec had the highest risk of PTB (HR 1.98, 95% CI: 1.62-2.41). The risk was also elevated for Inuit language speakers in Inuit-inhabited areas, though to a lesser extent (HR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.18-1.41). In contrast, First Nations language speakers in First Nations-inhabited areas and the rest of Québec had similar or lower risks of PTB relative to French/English speakers in the rest of Québec. Inuit populations, especially those outside Inuit-inhabited areas, have persistently elevated risks of PTB, indicating a need for strategies to prevent PTB in this population.

Mais Médicos program: provision of medical doctors in rural, remote and socially vulnerable areas of Brazil, 2013-2014.

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Pereira, Lucélia L; Santos, Leonor M P; Santos, Wallace; Oliveira, Aimê; Rattner, Daphne

2016-01-01

The Mais Médicos program was introduced in 2013 with the aim of reducing the shortage of doctors in priority regions and diminishing regional inequalities in health. One of the strategies has been to offer 3-year contracts for doctors to work in primary healthcare services in small towns, inland, rural, remote, and socially vulnerable areas. This report describes the program's implementation and the allocation of doctors to these target areas in 2014. To describe the provision of doctors in the first year of implementation, we compared the doctor-to-population ratio in the 5570 municipalities of Brazil before and after the program, based on the Federal Board of Medicine database (2013), and the official dataset provided by the Ministry of Health (2014). In its first public call (July 2013) 3511 municipalities joined the Mais Médicos program, requesting a total of 15 460 doctors; although the program prioritizes the recruitment of Brazilians, only 1096 nationals enrolled and were hired, together with 522 foreign doctors. As a consequence, an international cooperation agreement was set in place to recruit Cuban doctors. In 12 months the program recruited 14 462 doctors: 79.0% Cubans, 15.9% Brazilians and 5.1% of other nationalities, covering 93.5% of the doctors demanded; they were assigned to all the 3785 municipalities enrolled. The study reveals a major decrease in the number of municipalities with fewer than 0.1 doctors per thousand inhabitants, which dropped from 374 in 2013 to 95 in 2014 (75% reduction). Of the total, 294 doctors were sent to work in the country's 34 Indigenous Health Districts (100% coverage) and 3390 doctors were deployed in municipalities containing certified rural maroon communities (formed centuries ago by runaway slaves). After 1 year of implementation, the municipalities with maroon communities with less than 0.1 doctors per thousand inhabitants were reduced by 87% in the poorest north region. More than 30% of municipalities with

THE POPULATION IN THE APUSENI MOUNTAINS AREA: PAST, PRESENT AND PERSPECTIVES (1900–2030

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IOAN PLĂIAŞ

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Among the phenomena that drew attention to the Apuseni Mountains area, the population dynamics recorded over time has a prominent place. The present article carries out research regarding the evolution of this phenomenon over the last 110 years. The information the article relies upon was gathered from the censuses that were started in 1900 and continued in the years 1910, 1930, 1941, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 and 2011. The problem that requires attention nowadays concerning the population of the Apuseni Mountains is the constant and gradual population decline, which registered different intensities in all villages of the area included in the perimeter. The period we analyze witnessed different types of intervals: some of them were characterized by significant increases in population, others by relative stagnations and the last ones (since the 1966 census by a dramatic reduction in the number of inhabitants. The demographic decline which has taken place in the Apuseni Mountains area over the last 60 year has, among other consequences, that of modifying the age structure of the population in an unfavorable direction with regards to the population stability in the area on the medium and long term. The changes in the population structure have led, and will continue to do so, to acceleration in the demographic decline over time. As it stands, the prognosis for the year 2030 underlines an increasingly worrisome situation

Variation of the dimensions and the strength of electrical ceramics during irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blaunshtein, I.M.; Kishinevskaya, M.B.; Muminov, M.I.

1988-01-01

Changes were studied in the linear dimensions and the ultimate bend strength of a wide range or ceramic materials (MK and GB7 high-alumina ceramics, the UF-46 mullite-corundum ceramic, SNTs and SK-1 steatite ceramics, and the glasses that have the same chemical composition as that of the glass phase of the GB-7 and UF-46 ceramics) following irradiation with a gamma beam from a Co 60 source and in the field of mixed gamma-neutron radiation from a VVR-SM reactor up to the maximum doses

An approach to detecting delayed effects of radioactive contamination on industrial-urban-area dwellers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Privalova, L.I.; Katsnelson, B.A.; Polzik, E.V.; Kazantsev, V.S.; Lipatov, G.Ya.; Beikin, Y.B.

1994-01-01

Detecting changes in humans that result from radioactive contamination of the area of residence many years after an incident (i.e., when the radiation has substantially decayed) presents a difficult epidemiological problem. Problems of this kind are even more complicated in areas where the population is continually exposed to other harmful man-made factors. The city of Kamensk-Uralsky (Sverdlovsk region, Russia) is a good case in point. In 1957, part of Kamensk-Uralsky was contaminated as the result of an accident at the Kyshtym nuclear plant. In addition, the population of the contaminated area is being exposed to atmospheric emissions from several industrial enterprises. Two comparable groups of residents were formed: one in the contaminated area and another in a control area within the same city characterized by similar levels of chemical pollution but substantially lower radioactive contamination. The groups were composed of only those people who had been living in these areas continually since time of the accident and who were under 15 years of age at the time of the accident. The groups were matched by sex, age, and socio-occupational characteristics. For each subject, data were gathered on more than 50 parameters including hematological, immunological, and biochemical indices of the health status. All these data were obtained from blood tests taken in the fall of 1992. Data processing was carried out with the help of a computerized mathematical pattern recognition methodology, which ensured reliable discrimination between the generalized health status in the areas under study. We found that the health status of inhabitants of the area more contaminated with radioactive fallouts were adversely affected by radiation

Pesticide residues in leafy vegetables and human health risk assessment in North Central agricultural areas of Chile.

Science.gov (United States)

Elgueta, Sebastian; Moyano, Stella; Sepúlveda, Paulina; Quiroz, Carlos; Correa, Arturo

2017-06-01

To investigate pesticide residue concentrations and potential human health risk, a study was conducted in 118 leafy vegetable samples collected in 2014-2015 from the North Central agricultural areas of Chile. The pesticide residues were determined using the multiresidue QuEChERS method by gas chromatography as well as high-performance liquid chromatography. The results indicated that 27% of the total samples contained pesticide residues above the maximum residue limits of each active ingredient. The maximum estimated daily intake obtained for carbon disulphide (CS 2 ), methamidophos, azoxystrobin and cypermethrin were 0.57, 0.07, 0.06 and 0.05 mg kg -1 , respectively, which was higher than their acceptable daily intake. It is concluded that inhabitants of the North Central agricultural area of Chile are not exposed to health risks through the consumption of leafy vegetables with the exception of methamidophos. Nevertheless, the high levels of methamidophos detected in leafy vegetables could be considered a potential chronic health risk.

Seasonal patterns in microbial communities inhabiting the hot springs of Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Briggs, Brandon R; Brodie, Eoin L; Tom, Lauren M; Dong, Hailiang; Jiang, Hongchen; Huang, Qiuyuan; Wang, Shang; Hou, Weiguo; Wu, Geng; Huang, Liuquin; Hedlund, Brian P; Zhang, Chuanlun; Dijkstra, Paul; Hungate, Bruce A

2014-06-01

Studies focusing on seasonal dynamics of microbial communities in terrestrial and marine environments are common; however, little is known about seasonal dynamics in high-temperature environments. Thus, our objective was to document the seasonal dynamics of both the physicochemical conditions and the microbial communities inhabiting hot springs in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, China. The PhyloChip microarray detected 4882 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) within 79 bacterial phylum-level groups and 113 OTUs within 20 archaeal phylum-level groups, which are additional 54 bacterial phyla and 11 archaeal phyla to those that were previously described using pyrosequencing. Monsoon samples (June 2011) showed increased concentrations of potassium, total organic carbon, ammonium, calcium, sodium and total nitrogen, and decreased ferrous iron relative to the dry season (January 2011). At the same time, the highly ordered microbial communities present in January gave way to poorly ordered communities in June, characterized by higher richness of Bacteria, including microbes related to mesophiles. These seasonal changes in geochemistry and community structure are likely due to high rainfall influx during the monsoon season and indicate that seasonal dynamics occurs in high-temperature environments experiencing significant changes in seasonal recharge. Thus, geothermal environments are not isolated from the surrounding environment and seasonality affects microbial ecology. © 2013 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The first report of a microdiverse anammox bacteria community in waters of Colombian Pacific, a transition area between prominent oxygen minimum zones of the eastern tropical Pacific.

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Castro-González, M; Molina, V; Rodríguez-Rubio, E; Ulloa, O

2014-12-01

Anaerobic ammonium oxidizers contribute to the removal of fixed nitrogen in oxygen-deficient marine ecosystems such as oxygen minimum zones (OMZ). Here we surveyed for the first time the occurrence and diversity of anammox bacteria in the Colombian Pacific, a transition area between the prominent South and North Pacific OMZs. Anammox bacteria were detected in the coastal and oceanic areas of the Colombian Pacific in low oxygen (Chile and Arabian Sea) within Candidatus ‘Scalindua spp’. Moreover, some anammox bacteria OTUs shared a low similarity with environmental phylotypes (86–94%). Our results indicated that a microdiverse anammox community inhabits the Colombian Pacific, generating new questions about the ecological and biogeochemical differences influencing its community structure.

Shuar Women’s Responses to Socio-Environmental Conflict in the Area of the Mirador Project (Ecuador

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Ana Dolores Verdú Delgado

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The Mirador Project is a large-scale mining project located in the Cordillera del Cóndor that plans to extract 60,000 metric tons of rock daily beginning in 2018. The severity of socio-environmental impacts resulting from the Mirador Project are amplified due to the fact that the project takes place in an area largely inhabited by the indigenous Shuar who have constitutional rights to maintain control over their ancestral territories. In this paper I analyze the impact that large-scale mining has on the S huar female population by examining their perception of the conflict in question. Data is analyzed within the ecofeminist discourse focusing on the particularity of rural women in the global South in relation to nature and development.

Hydrocarbon contamination of coastal sediments from the Sfax area (Tunisia), Mediterranean Sea.

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Louati, A; Elleuch, B; Kallel, M; Saliot, A; Dagaut, J; Oudot, J

2001-06-01

The coastal area off the city of Sfax (730,000 inhabitants), well-known for fisheries and industrial activities, receives high inputs of organic matter mostly anthropogenic. Eighteen stations were selected in the vicinity of the direct discharge of industrial sewage effluents in the sea in order to study the spatial distribution of the organic contamination. Surface sediments sampled in the shallow shelf were analysed for hydrocarbons by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Total hydrocarbon distributions revealed high contamination as compared to other coastal Mediterranean sites, with an average concentration of 1865 ppm/dry weight sediment. Gas chromatographic distribution patterns, values of unresolved mixture/n-alkane ratio and distributions of steranes and hopanes confirmed a petroleum contamination of the Arabian light crude oil type. Biogenic compounds were also identified with a series of short-chain carbon-numbered n-alkenes in the carbon range 16-24.

Relative risk of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil: a spatial analysis in urban area.

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Valdelaine Etelvina Miranda de Araújo

2013-11-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL is a vector-borne disease whose factors involved in transmission are poorly understood, especially in more urban and densely populated counties. In Brazil, the VL urbanization is a challenge for the control program. The goals were to identify the greater risk areas for human VL and the risk factors involved in transmission. METHODOLOGY: This is an ecological study on the relative risk of human VL. Spatial units of analysis were the coverage areas of the Basic Health Units (146 small-areas of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Human VL cases, from 2007 to 2009 (n = 412, were obtained in the Brazilian Reportable Disease Information System. Bayesian approach was used to model the relative risk of VL including potential risk factors involved in transmission (canine infection, socioeconomic and environmental features and to identify the small-areas of greater risk to human VL. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The relative risk of VL was shown to be correlated with income, education, and the number of infected dogs per inhabitants. The estimates of relative risk of VL were higher than 1.0 in 54% of the areas (79/146. The spatial modeling highlighted 14 areas with the highest relative risk of VL and 12 of them are concentrated in the northern region of the city. CONCLUSIONS: The spatial analysis used in this study is useful for the identification of small-areas according to risk of human VL and presents operational applicability in control and surveillance program in an urban environment with an unequal spatial distribution of the disease. Thus the frequent monitoring of relative risk of human VL in small-areas is important to direct and prioritize the actions of the control program in urban environment, especially in big cities.

Evaluation of Organochlorine Compounds (PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs and DDTs) in Two Raptor Species Inhabiting a Mediterranean Island in Spain (8 pp).

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Merino, Rubén; Abad, Esteban; Rivera, Josep; Olie, Kees

2007-01-01

-: DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/espr2006.01.015 Species that are at high levels of the food web have often been used as bioindicators to evaluate the presence of persistent contaminants in ecosystems. Most of these species are long-lived, so pollutant burdens may be integrated in some complex way over time. This makes them particularly sensitive to deleterious effects of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Birds have been suggested as useful organisms for monitoring pollutant levels. Traditionally such studies have been carried out with raptors such as osprey (Pandion haliaetus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), bald eagle (Haliaetus leucocephalus), etc. In this paper we present the results of a monitoring study conducted on two raptor species, osprey (Pandion haliaetus) and red kite (Milvus milvus), inhabiting a Mediterranean island (Menorca, Spain). These two species have different feeding habits; ospreys prey on fish and red kites feed on terrestrial species. This study constitutes a good opportunity to investigate if differences in feeding habits (aquatic vs. terrestrial) influences the contaminants pattern in two species inhabiting the same area. The study was conducted in a non-destructive way, using only failed eggs, to avoid the damage of the population stability. Eggs were collected during the period 1994-2000. The contaminants examined were dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs, including DDT and its main metabolite, DDE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), including ortho PCBs (PCBs with at least one Chlorine atom in the ortho position): #28, 52, 95, 101, 123+149, 118, 114, 153, 132+105, 138, 167, 156, 157, 180, 170, 189, 194; and non ortho PCBs (PCBs with no Chlorine atom in the ortho position): #77, 126, 169 and all the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) with Chlorine atoms at the 2,3,7 and 8 position (2,3,7,8-substituted PCDDs and PCDFs). The analysis of organochlorine compounds was performed

Oxygen isotopic distribution along the otolith growth axis by secondary ion mass spectrometry: Applications for studying ontogenetic change in the depth inhabited by deep-sea fishes

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Shiao, Jen-Chieh; Itoh, Shoichi; Yurimoto, Hisayoshi; Iizuka, Yoshiyuki; Liao, Yun-Chih

2014-02-01

This study using tuna otoliths as working standards established a high lateral resolution and precision analysis to measure δ18Ootolith by secondary ion mass spectrometry. This analytical approach of the ion probe was applied to deep-sea fishes to reconstruct the likely depths inhabited by the fishes at different life history stages based on the measured δ18Ootolith values as a proxy of water temperature. Dramatic increases up to 5-6‰ in δ18Ootolith, representing a temperature decrease of approximately 20 °C, were detected in a blind cusk eel (Barathronus maculatus) otolith and in the otoliths of Synaphobranchus kaupii during leptocephalus metamorphosis to glass eel, inferred from the drop of otolith Sr/Ca ratios and increase of otolith growth increment width. δ18Ootolith profiles clearly divided the fish's life history into a planktonic stage in the mixed layer of the ocean and a benthic stage on the deep-sea ocean bottom. The habitat shift signal was recorded within a 150 μm width of otolith growth zone, which was too narrow to be clearly detected by mechanical drilling and conventional isotopic ratio mass spectrometry. However, variations down to -7‰ were found in δ18Ootolith profiles as the result of Cs2+ beam sputter in the core and larval portions of the otoliths. Carbon mapping by electron probe microanalyzer and staining by toluidine blue suggested abundant proteins existed in the areas with anomaly negative δ18Ootolith values, which cannot be interpreted as a habitat change but due to the isotopic fractionation by O emission from the proteins. These results implied that careful design and understanding of the chemical composition of the analytical areas or tracks on the heterogeneous otolith was essential for highly accurate and precise analysis.

Peridomiciliary colonies of Triatoma vitticeps (Stal, 1859 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae infected with Trypanosoma cruzi in rural areas of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil

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Claudiney Biral dos Santos

2005-08-01

Full Text Available In Brazil, the colonization of human dwellings by triatomines occurs in areas with native vegetation of the caatinga or cerrado types. In areas of Atlantic forest such as in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, there are no species adapted to live in human habitations. The few autochthonous cases of Chagas disease encountered in Espírito Santo have been attributed to adult specimens of Triatoma vitticeps that invade houses from forest remnants. In recent years, the entomology unit of the Espírito Santo State Health Secretariat has recorded nymphs infected with flagellates similar to Trypanosoma cruzi in rural localities. Entomological surveys were carried out in the residences and outbuildings in which the insects were found, and serological examinations for Chagas disease performed on the inhabitants. Four colonies were found, all associated with nests of opossums (Didelphis aurita, 111 specimens of T. vitticeps, and 159 eggs being collected. All the triatomines presented flagellates in their frass. Mice inoculated with the faeces presented trypomastigotes in the circulating blood and groups of amastigotes in the cardiac muscle fibres. Serological tests performed on the inhabitants were negative for T. cruzi. Even with the intense devastation of the forest in Espírito Santo, there are no indications of change in the sylvatic habits of T. vitticeps. Colonies of this insect associated with opossum nests would indicate an expansion of the sylvatic environment into the peridomicile.

Effects of Mesocyclops longisetus (Copepoda:Cyclopidae) on mosquitoes that inhabit tires: influence of litter type, quality, and quantity.

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Schreiber, E T; Hallmon, C F; Eskridge, K M; Marten, G G

1996-12-01

A 59-week study was conducted to evaluate the impact of adult Mesocyclops longisetus populations on larval mosquito species inhabiting tires. Greater than 90% reduction of number of 1st and 2nd instars was recorded by 4 wk with 90% reduction of number of 3rd and 4th instars after 7 wk. Reduced control was noted with the onset of cooler winter water temperature. Overall. a 52% reduction in the number of 1st and 2nd instars was achieved, and a 57% reduction was noted in number of 3rd- and 4th-instar mosquito larvae. Cooler temperatures resulted in a decline of adult Mesocyclops, which resulted in reduced larval control. Significantly greater numbers of Mesocyclops adults were collected in tires with either new litter or heavy amounts of litter regardless of litter type. Lastly, litter type, either oak leaves or pine needles, did not influence mosquito reduction or abundance of Mesocyclops populations.

Weight-length Relationships, Gonadosomatic Indeces, Sex Ratios and Relative Weight of the Omani-Indian Oil sardine, Sardinella longiceps (Valenciennes1847) from Al-Seeb Area; Sultanate of Oman

OpenAIRE

Al-Jufaili Saud

2011-01-01

This study presents the weight-length relationship and spawning period of the Omani Indian Oil sardine Sardinella longiceps (Valenciennes 1847) which inhabits the near shore zone along the Omani coast. A total of 1744 specimens were collected between January 1997 to February 1998 from Al-Seeb; a suburban area situated by the sea in Muscat, Oman. Samples were obtained on a monthly basis from beach seine and gillnet catches. The female to male sex ratio was obtained to be 0.6. The monthly varia...

Express Assessment of Population Health in Environmentally Unfriendly Region of Kazakhstan

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Sholpan K. Bakhtiyarova

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The article shows that the proximity of houses to Lake Balkhash affects somatic health – more than 80 % of inhabitants of nearby area had low level, while about the same number of people – 75 % of the inhabitants of more remote areas from the lake showed "average" and "below average" level of health

Níveis de anticorpos para arbovírus em indivíduos da região de Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brasil Arbovirus antibody levels in the population of the Ribeirão Preto area, S.Paulo State (Brazil

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Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo

1986-06-01

Full Text Available Com o objetivo de conhecer os níveis de anticorpos para arbovírus, foram estudados 302 indivíduos da região de Ribeirão Preto (Brasil, moradores em 3 tipos de locais com distintas formas de organização do espaço: próximos à área de paisagem natural; com paisagem modificada para a agropecuária; comunidades urbanas. Foram efetuados testes sorológicos de inibição da hemaglutinação, neutralização e fixação do complemento para 21 arbovírus. Os resultados mostraram que 19,9% dos indivíduos investigados apresentaram anticorpos, sugerindo infecções pregressas por vários arbovírus. A maior percentagem de habitantes que se infectaram por estes agentes foi observada em locais próximos à área de paisagem natural, 38,5%. O vesiculovírus Piry foi o agente para o qual se encontrou o maior número de soros reagentes, 12,5%. A maior ocorrência de portadores de anticorpos para o vírus Piry foi observada nos indivíduos: do sexo masculino; com idade superior a 40 anos; guardas-florestais, lavradores e profissionais com atividades ligadas ao rio.The area of Ribeirão Preto is located in the north of S.Paulo State - Brazil. The population is 611,742. The climate is sub-tropical warm and humid. The area of Ribeirão Preto is almost completely deforested and covered by extensive plantations of sugar cane and coffee and pasture. With the purpose of discovering the arbovirus antibody levels, a serologic survey was carried out among people of the Ribeirão Preto area living in different geographical environments. Fifty two inhabitants located close to natural landscap, 38 in places with landscape modified by agriculture and cattle raising, and 93 in urban communities were studied. Serologic tests for hemagglutination inhibition by 20 Togaviridae and Bunyaviridae arbovirus, and neutralization and complement fixation tests on Piry Rhabdoviridae were carried out. It was discovered that 19.9% of the sample population presented antibodies

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of local inhabitants about ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: The present study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of local residents about insecticide treated nets (ITNs) for malaria control in an endemic area of Ethiopia Methods: A descriptive cross-survey was conducted from July 2008 to September 2008. A structured questionnaire collecting ...

Biodiversity Conservation: Why Local Inhabitants Destroy Habitat In ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This review identifies some intrinsic and extrinsic factors that tend to drive the destruction of habitat, game poaching and unsustainable utilization of plants products by communities surrounding many protected areas around the world, leading to wildlife and plant species decline. Intrinsic factors are basic needs of the locals; ...

Selenium in aquatic biota inhabiting agricultural drains in the Salton Sea Basin, California

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Saiki, Michael K.; Martin, Barbara A.; May, Thomas W.

2012-01-01

Resource managers are concerned that water conservation practices in irrigated farmlands along the southern border of the Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, could increase selenium concentrations in agricultural drainwater and harm the desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius), a federally protected endangered species. As part of a broader attempt to address this concern, we conducted a 3-year investigation to collect baseline information on selenium concentrations in seven agricultural drains inhabited by pupfish. We collected water, sediment, selected aquatic food-chain taxa (particulate organic detritus, filamentous algae, net plankton, and midge [Chironomidae] larvae), and two poeciliid fishes (western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis and sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna) for selenium determinations. The two fish species served as ecological surrogates for pupfish, which we were not permitted to sacrifice. Dissolved selenium ranged from 0.70 to 32.8 μg/L, with selenate as the major constituent. Total selenium concentrations in other environmental matrices varied widely among drains, with one drain (Trifolium 18) exhibiting especially high concentrations in detritus, 5.98–58.0 μg Se/g; midge larvae, 12.7–50.6 μg Se/g; mosquitofish, 13.2–20.2 μg Se/g; and mollies, 12.8–30.4 μg Se/g (all tissue concentrations are based on dry weights). Although toxic thresholds for selenium in fishes from the Salton Sea are still poorly understood, available evidence suggests that ambient concentrations of this element may not be sufficiently elevated to adversely affect reproductive success and survival in selenium-tolerant poeciliids and pupfish.

Osmotic and ionic regulation in shore crabs Carcinus maenas inhabiting a tidal estuary

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Winkler, A.; Siebers, D.; Becker, W.

1988-03-01

Shore crabs Carcinus maenas were exposed to salinities fluctuating according to the natural tidal rhythm. To this end they were maintained in net cages positioned in the estuarine waters of the river Elbe. The cages were lifted every hour, and between 8 12 specimens were analyzed for hemolymph concentrations of Na, K, Ca, Mg, and osmolality. The results obtained were compared with the respective data measured in external brackish water. In addition, the specific activity of Na-K-ATPase in a posterior gill was determined. Hemolymph Na and Mg as well as branchial Na-K-ATPase were also determined in crabs collected in the North Sea and the Baltic. The results show that in C. maenas living in salinities fluctuating with the tides by approx. 15‰ S, Na, K and Ca were hyperregulated, and Mg was effectively hyporegulated. The concentrations of all hemolymph ions and the activity of the Na-K-ATPase were kept constant over the whole tidal cycle. In Baltic crabs, Na was effectively hyperregulated and gill Na-K-ATPase was significantly elevated by a factor of ca 2 when compared with North Sea crabs. It is suggested that long-term hyperregulation of Na in constant salinities results from an increased number of Na-K-ATPase molecules which may change by synthesis or degradation following salinity stress. Constant hemolymph levels of hyperregulated Na in crabs inhabiting fluctuating brackish water are accomplished by activation of existing Na-K-ATPase by low Na and inhibition by higher ambient concentrations.

Selenium in aquatic biota inhabiting agricultural drains in the Salton Sea Basin, California.

Science.gov (United States)

Saiki, Michael K; Martin, Barbara A; May, Thomas W

2012-09-01

Resource managers are concerned that water conservation practices in irrigated farmlands along the southern border of the Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, could increase selenium concentrations in agricultural drainwater and harm the desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius), a federally protected endangered species. As part of a broader attempt to address this concern, we conducted a 3-year investigation to collect baseline information on selenium concentrations in seven agricultural drains inhabited by pupfish. We collected water, sediment, selected aquatic food-chain taxa (particulate organic detritus, filamentous algae, net plankton, and midge [Chironomidae] larvae), and two poeciliid fishes (western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis and sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna) for selenium determinations. The two fish species served as ecological surrogates for pupfish, which we were not permitted to sacrifice. Dissolved selenium ranged from 0.70 to 32.8 μg/L, with selenate as the major constituent. Total selenium concentrations in other environmental matrices varied widely among drains, with one drain (Trifolium 18) exhibiting especially high concentrations in detritus, 5.98-58.0 μg Se/g; midge larvae, 12.7-50.6 μg Se/g; mosquitofish, 13.2-20.2 μg Se/g; and mollies, 12.8-30.4 μg Se/g (all tissue concentrations are based on dry weights). Although toxic thresholds for selenium in fishes from the Salton Sea are still poorly understood, available evidence suggests that ambient concentrations of this element may not be sufficiently elevated to adversely affect reproductive success and survival in selenium-tolerant poeciliids and pupfish.

Assessing Soil Quality in Areas Affected by Sulfide Mining. Application to Soils in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (SW Spain

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Isabel González

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The characterization, evaluation and remediation of polluted soils is one of the present environmental challenges to be addressed in the coming years. The origin of trace elements in soils can be either geogenic or anthropogenic, but only the latter is interesting from a legal point of view. The hazard of the pollutants in the soils not only depends on their total concentration, but particularly on their availability. The mobility of the trace elements depends on their speciation, and it is also affected by several soil parameters. Mining activity is one of the most important anthropogenic causes of soil pollution. As a case study, this work is focused in the Riotinto mining area (Iberian Pyrite Belt, IPB, SW Spain. The IPB is one of the most important metallogenic provinces in the world and it has been exploited for thousands of years. The disposal of mining residues has produced important sources of contamination by trace elements and acidic waters affecting soils and rivers. In addition to these problems, the closure of mines in the Pyrite Belt at the end of the 20th Century has led to a great loss of employment, which has caused the development of an intensive agriculture of citrus fruits as a new source of income. The intensive growing of citrus fruits and the traditional subsistence agriculture have been developed surrounding the mining areas and on floodplains near to mining sites. The level of soil pollution has not been taken into account in these cases, nor has its impact on the health of the inhabitants of these areas. Therefore, it is of great interest to study the current state of the cultivated soils and the sources and types of contaminants derived from mining activity in order to program its decontamination, where appropriate, according to legislation. In order to know the present and future hazard posed by the soils chemical and mineralogical speciation has been carried out, given that the availability of a metal depends on the

Radiation dozes reconstruction of Semipalatinsk region Beskaragai area's population by the method of biological measure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bigaliev, A.; Kundakbaeva, G.; Bigalieva, R.

2001-01-01

Full text: The study of radiation situation (on the position of May 1989) in Beskaragai area of Semipalatinsk region showed that the level of γ-radiation on it's territory reached 13-20 μR/hour, which was determined by the traces of long living radionuclides. In the inhabited regions of Dolon, Kanonerka, Buras, Ramadan villages the effect of deepening was noticed, α-particle's density level has reached maximum on the depth of approximately 10 cm, and further it decreases up to the 30 cm depth, This circumstance witnesses about the fact that we are talking about radioactive traces of many years ago happening with a time going to the depth from the upper coverage of soil. We've made the evaluation of radiation influence's genetic effects on the man's population. Cytogenetic analysis (with the use of G-method of chromosome's coloring) at whole in Beskaragai region shows that the frequency of aberrations for the cell among the inhabitants of the region is obviously higher 3.3 times at average in the region than among the population of the controlled area. During the study of the cytogenetic effects of increased radiation level's influence it is important first of all to determine the frequency of chromosome type aberrations - dicentric chromosomes, centric circles, acentric pair fragments. As it is known, the level of chromosome type aberrations is sufficiently well correlated with the doze, We have determined accumulative doze of radiation using the formula (D.C. Lloyd at all. 1992) for the calculation of dicentrics under the chronical influence of the small dozes of ionized radiation. According to the made calculations the oriented reconstruction of radiation dozes in Beskaragai region made 11 ber = 0.11 Sv, for the Dolon village - 14 ber, Kanonerka village - 13 ber, Buras village - 6 ber, Ramadan - 9.5 ber. Presented data allows to ask the question about the more spread use of cytogenetic method of research among the different population's categories living at

Estimates of entrainment mortality for striped bass and other fish species inhabiting the Hudson River estuary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boreman, J.; Goodyear, C.P.

1988-01-01

An empirically derived age-, time-, and space-variant equation was used to estimate entrainment mortality at power plants for seven fish species inhabiting the Hudson River estuary. Entrainment mortality is expressed as a conditional rate, which is the fractional reduction in year-class strength due to entrainment if other sources of mortality are density-independent. Estimates of the conditional entrainment mortality, based on historical and projected once-through cooling operation of five power plants, were 11-22% for striped bass, 11-17% for white perch, 5-7% for Atlantic tomcod, 14-21% for American shad, 4-11% for river herring (alewife and blueback herring combined), and 35-79% for bay anchovy. Closed-cycle cooling (natural-draft cooling towers) at three of the power plants (Indian Point, Bowline Point, and Roseton) would reduce entrainment mortality of striped bass by 50-80%, of white perch by 75-80%, of Atlantic tocod by 65-70%, of American shad by 80%, of river herring by 30-90%, and of bay anchovy by 45-80%. The life stages most vulnerable to entrainment mortality were post-yolk-sac larva and entrainable size juvenile. 18 refs., 7 tabs

A Road Map to Canadian Chemical Recovery Handbook for Inhabited Areas: Scoping Study

Science.gov (United States)

2014-05-01

A Road Map to Canadian Chemical Recovery Handbook for I © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of National...Australia (EMA) Office of Attorney General, Canberra. b) Australian Emergency Management Institute Mount Macedon, Victoria

Transfer Factors of Nuclides for Five Fish Species Inhabiting the Sea near the Yonggwang Nuclear Power Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lim, Kwangmuk; Choi, Yongho; Jun, In; Kim, Byungho; Keum, Dongkwon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-05-15

The IAEA is going to publish a handbook of the TF values of various radionuclides for a number of plant and animal species. However, it is recommended that they be used in case there is no site-specific data. This is because TF values can vary considerably with wild-life species and environmental conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to urgently establish our own database of wild-life transfer factors for use in the wild-life dose assessment probably in the near future. In the present study, TF values of various radionuclides were investigated for several marine fish species living around the Younggwang NPP. It was done by measuring the concentrations of stable isotopes in fish and seawater samples. TF values of 21 nuclides were measured for five fish species inhabiting the sea near the Younggwang NPP. They showed considerable variations with the nuclides and fish species. Determination of TF values needs to be extended to various kinds of domestic wild lives so as to establish an input data file for a Korean assessment model such as K-BIOTA.

[Dynamics of numbers of commercial fish in early ontogenesis in different areas of the Central-Eastern Atlantic].

Science.gov (United States)

Arkhipov, A G; Mamedov, A A; Simonova, T A; Tenitskaia, I A

2011-01-01

Changes in the quantitative composition of mass fish species at early stages of ontogenesis in different areas of the Central-Eastern Atlantic (CEA) in warm and cold seasons in 1994-2008 were analyzed in the paper. The most widespread representatives of ichthyocenosis of CEA were: European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus), common scad (Trachurus trachurus), round sardinella (Sardinella aurita), and West-African scad (Trachrus trecae). The data obtained indicate that, within the economic zone of Morocco, fluctuations of numbers at early stages of development in European pilchard and common scad are close over the entire water area under consideration (36 degrees-21 degrees N). The regularities of fluctuations of the numbers of ichthyoplankton are similar to the interannual changes in the biomass of fish in the area of Morocco. In the area of Mauritania (21 degrees-16 degrees N), fluctuations of numbers of the early stages of development of commercial fish cannot be unambiguously correlated with changes in the biomass of adult fish. It is known that, in the economic zone of Mauritania, there are Senegal-Mauritanian populations of round sardinella and West-African scad that inhabit waters of different states and are not completely assessed by our surveys. Therefore, no obvious relation was observed between the considered data.

Food Insecurity in Urban and Rural Areas in Central Brazil: Transition from Locally Produced Foods to Processed Items.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Livia Penna Firme; Carvalho, Raissa Costa; Maciel, Agatha; Otanasio, Polyanna Nunes; Garavello, Maria Elisa de Paula Eduardo; Nardoto, Gabriela Bielefeld

2016-01-01

Aiming to investigate the effect of diet and food consumption with regard to health, environment, and economy in light of nutrition ecology, we studied the dimensions of nutrition and food security in urban and rural settings in the region of Chapada dos Veadeiros, Central Brazil. We tracked diet and food consumption through carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in fingernails of these inhabitants together with food intake data as a proxy for their diet patterns. We estimated household food insecurity by using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Nutrition and food insecurity was observed in both urban and rural areas, but was accentuated in rural settings. The diet pattern had high δ(13)C values in fingernails and low δ(15)N. Both urban and rural areas have diets with low diversity and relying on low-quality processed food staples at the same time that nutrition and food insecurity is quite high in the region.

Environment studies in the Olkiluoto area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikonen, A.T.K.; Kaapu, J.; Lehtonen, K.; Mattila, J.; Raeisaenen, R.; Turkki, H.; Sauvonsaari, J.

2003-04-01

are 12-15 professional fishermen and 200- 230 households fishing for domestic and recreational needs. The fish stocks are good in the area, the most important species caught being perch, pike and whitefish. On the basis of an interview of the local inhabitants, there are 11 private drilled wells of depths 16-73 metres in the Olkiluoto Island, from which three are primary sources for continuous consumption and two primary for leisure-time habitats. Most of the wells are not expected to be affected by any means by underground activities in the central parts of the island. (orig.)

Diversity and role of plasmids in adaptation of bacteria inhabiting the Lubin copper mine in Poland, an environment rich in heavy metals

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Lukasz eDziewit

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The Lubin underground mine, is one of three mining divisions in the Lubin-Glogow Copper District in Lower Silesia province (Poland. It is the source of polymetallic ore that is rich in copper, silver and several heavy metals. Black shale is also significantly enriched in fossil organic matter in the form of long-chain hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organic acids, esters, thiophenes and metalloporphyrins. Biological analyses have revealed that this environment is inhabited by extremophilic bacteria and fungi. Kupfershiefer black shale and samples of water, bottom and mineral sediments from the underground (below 600 m Lubin mine were taken and twenty bacterial strains were isolated and characterized. All exhibited multi-resistant and hypertolerant phenotypes to heavy metals. We analyzed the plasmidome of these strains in order to evaluate the diversity and role of mobile DNA in adaptation to the harsh conditions of the mine environment. Experimental and bioinformatic analyses of 11 extrachromosomal replicons were performed. Three plasmids, including a broad-host-range replicon containing a Tn3 family transposon, carried genes conferring resistance to arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, mercury and zinc. Functional analysis revealed that the resistance modules exhibit host specificity, i.e. they may increase or decrease tolerance to toxic ions depending on the host strain. The other identified replicons showed diverse features. Among them we identified a catabolic plasmid encoding enzymes involved in the utilization of histidine and vanillate, a putative plasmid-like prophage carrying genes responsible for NAD biosynthesis, and two repABC-type plasmids containing virulence-associated genes. These findings provide an unique molecular insight into the pool of extrachromosomal replicons and highlight their role in the biology and adaptation of extremophilic bacteria inhabiting terrestrial deep subsurface.

Radioactivity in the groundwater of a high background radiation area.

Science.gov (United States)

Shabana, E I; Kinsara, A A

2014-11-01

Natural radioactivity was measured in groundwater samples collected from 37 wells scattered in an inhabited area of high natural background radiation, in a purpose of radiation protection. The study area is adjacent to Aja heights of granitic composition in Hail province, Saudi Arabia. Initial screening for gross α and gross β activities showed levels exceeded the national regulation limits set out for gross α and gross β activities in drinking water. The gross α activity ranged from 0.17 to 5.41 Bq L(-)(1) with an average value of 2.15 Bq L(-)(1), whereas gross β activity ranged from 0.48 to 5.16 Bq L(-)(1), with an average value of 2.60 Bq L(-)(1). The detail analyses indicated that the groundwater of this province is contaminated with uranium and radium ((226)Ra and (228)Ra). The average activity concentrations of (238)U, (234)U, (226)Ra and (228)Ra were 0.40, 0.77, 0.29 and 0.46 Bq L(-)(1), respectively. The higher uranium content was found in the samples of granitic aquifers, whereas the higher radium content was found in the samples of sandstone aquifers. Based on the obtained results, mechanism of leaching of the predominant radionuclides has been discussed in detail. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ethnobotany of babassu palm ( Attalea speciosa Mart. in the Tucuruí Lake Protected Areas Mosaic - eastern Amazon

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Fábio Ribeiro Araújo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Documenting the ethnobotanical knowledge of populations living in protected areas is important both for science and for the effective conservation of these areas, as it can help to clarify the level of dependency that human communities have on local plant resources. Babassu (Attalea speciosa, Arecaceae is one of the most important non-timber forest resources of rural communities in the Amazon. We explored the ethnobotanical knowledge and uses of babassu by riverine populations inhabiting the Tucuruí Lake Protected Areas Mosaic in the eastern Amazon, by examining the diversity, purposes and descriptions of its uses and aspects of its extraction. Data were collected in 2010 and 2014 from 193 families. A total of 1,226 use records were cited representing 60 different uses. Records were classified into nine use-categories; utensils and tools was the most important category, followed by construction and human food. The use with the greatest purpose consensus value among the informants was thatch. Babassu proved to be an important resource for the livelihood of the local communities in providing shelter, food and reliable energy. Most informants lacked knowledge about sustainable practices and management of this resource.

The Measurable and the Real Quality of Life in the City. Urban regeneration as a technological correlation of resources, spaces and inhabitants

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Filippo Angelucci

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This essay looks at urban regeneration beginning from the notion of the exclusive qualities of the contemporary city: selective, closed, introspective, and inaccessible. Focusing on the tactical/metadesign phase of the urban regeneration process and referring to the paradigms of resilience and bio-psycho-social inclusion, the paper proposes a technological design vision to recompose the qualities of the ‘common good’ known as the city into an inclusive, open, communicative and accessible reality. Operating through technological-environmental interfaces and need-based/ enabling macro-requirements, the paper considers the urban system as an inhabitable organism characterised by differences, tensions and balances between the apparatuses of the city, within a matrix of widespread quality. 

The effect of illegal lead processing on blood lead levels in children living in the mining area

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Ćorac Aleksandar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Backgraund/Aim. The northern part of Kosovo was one of the largest lead and zinc production industries in Europe. Special attention has been paid to the landfill sites of these metals remained after past industrial activities. The inhabitants of Roma camps in this area are collecting led waste they process by crushing and melting in their shacks in primitively organized working environments. Because of all the aforementioned it was necessary to examine the concentration of blood lead level (BLL in the children aged less than 6 years inhabiting this area, especially taking care of blood analysis of children living in Roma camps. Methods. The study was conducted in the municipality of Leposavić, Province Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia. Totally 78 subjects participated in the study. All the subjects were divided into two groups: the group I consisting of 42 children who lived in the Romas camp, and the group II with 36 children from a city kindergarten. Based on the mathematical model WRPLOT we found out that both groups of patients were in the low risk zone for industrial contamination exposure. Blood analysis was done according to the protocol provided by ESA Lead Care. Results. The average age of participants in the study was 4.60 ± 1.63 years. The mean BBL in the children from the group 1 was 19.11 μg/dL and from the group 2 4.87 μg/dL. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean values of BBL between the groups (U = 39, p < 0.001. All of the children from the group 1 had BBL greater than 5 μg/dL in comparison to 38.9% of the children from the group 2 (χ2 = 35.75, p < 0.001. Conclusion. Although both groups were located outside the zone of direct spread of pollution, the results indicate high concentrations of lead in blood of all the examined children. The concentration was higher in the children who lived in the area in which illegal processing of lead waste took place. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education

A study of trace element concentrations in human hair of some local populations in Japan. II. Inhabitants of a Japanese rural area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakurai, S.; Tsunoda, H.; Terai, M.; Yukawa, M.; Tomura, K.; Suzuki-Yasumoto, M.

1979-01-01

Hair, as a route by which many metals are excreted, has advantages over other tissues as an indicator of body burden. However, as few data exist on trace element concentrations in hair, a study was made on a rural population in Japan. Hair was collected from 107 residents engaged mainly in dairy farming in a rural area in the northern part of the country. Samples were taken from subjects who had been born and bred in the area which is believed to be free from environmental pollution. A large number of the families had lived there for generations. Nineteen trace elements were detected. The mean values for Hg in hair were 6.8+-2.9 ppm for males and 4.5+-2.7 ppm for females. There was a low statistical correlation between Hg and Se. The mean value for Cu in hair was 17+-7.2 ppm for males and 16+-5.7 ppm for females and that for Zn was 140+-61 ppm for males and 130+-63 ppm for females. A comparison of the mean values of the trace elements in the hair of the subjects aged 20-39 and 40-59 years showed significant differences for Mn in males and Mn and Br in females. A comparison of the findings for the two sexes showed that the concentrations of Mn, Mg, Ca and Br were much higher in females than in males. In contrast, the concentrations of Hg were higher in males than in females. It is suggested that the values obtained for the trace elements in the present study are examples of normal values for trace elements in hair of the Japanese populations. (author)