Alleviating Pressure on Water Resources: A new approach could be attempted.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Sun S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4650578 | biostudies-other | 2015
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Similar Datasets
Project description:Water resource management must strive to link catchment information with water quality monitoring. The present study attempted this for the field of microbial fecal source tracking (MST). A fecal pollution source profile based on catchment data (e.g., prevalence of fecal sources) was used to formulate a hypothesis about the dominant sources of pollution in an Austrian mountainous karst spring catchment. This allowed a statistical definition of methodical requirements necessary for an informed choice of MST methods. The hypothesis was tested in a 17-month investigation of spring water quality. The study followed a nested sampling design in order to cover the hydrological and pollution dynamics of the spring and to assess effects such as differential persistence between parameters. Genetic markers for the potential fecal sources as well as microbiological, hydrological, and chemo-physical parameters were measured. The hypothesis that ruminant animals were the dominant sources of fecal pollution in the catchment was clearly confirmed. It was also shown that the concentration of ruminant markers in feces was equally distributed in different ruminant source groups. The developed approach provides a tool for careful decision-making in MST study design and might be applied on various types of catchments and pollution situations.
| S-EPMC3084580 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Global resource extraction raises concerns about environmental pressures and the security of mineral supply. Strategies to address these concerns depend on robust information on natural resource endowments, and on suitable methods to monitor and model their changes over time. However, current mineral resources and reserves reporting and accounting workflows are poorly suited for addressing mineral depletion or answering questions about the long-term sustainable supply. Our integrative review finds that the lack of a robust theoretical concept and framework for mass-balance (MB)-consistent geological stock accounting hinders systematic industry-government data integration, resource governance, and strategy development. We evaluate the existing literature on geological stock accounting, identify shortcomings of current monitoring of mine production, and outline a conceptual framework for MB-consistent system integration based on material flow analysis (MFA). Our synthesis shows that recent developments in Earth observation, geoinformation management, and sustainability reporting act as catalysts that make MB-consistent geological stock accounting increasingly feasible. We propose first steps for its implementation and anticipate that our perspective as "resource realists" will facilitate the integration of geological and anthropogenic material systems, help secure future mineral supply, and support the global sustainability transition.
| S-EPMC10795188 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe rapid evolution of Internet technologies and the collaborative approaches that dominate the field have stimulated the development of numerous bioinformatics resources. To address this new framework, several initiatives have tried to organize these services and resources. In this paper, we present the BioInformatics Resource Inventory (BIRI), a new approach for automatically discovering and indexing available public bioinformatics resources using information extracted from the scientific literature. The index generated can be automatically updated by adding additional manuscripts describing new resources. We have developed web services and applications to test and validate our approach. It has not been designed to replace current indexes but to extend their capabilities with richer functionalities.ResultsWe developed a web service to provide a set of high-level query primitives to access the index. The web service can be used by third-party web services or web-based applications. To test the web service, we created a pilot web application to access a preliminary knowledge base of resources. We tested our tool using an initial set of 400 abstracts. Almost 90% of the resources described in the abstracts were correctly classified. More than 500 descriptions of functionalities were extracted.ConclusionThese experiments suggest the feasibility of our approach for automatically discovering and indexing current and future bioinformatics resources. Given the domain-independent characteristics of this tool, it is currently being applied by the authors in other areas, such as medical nanoinformatics. BIRI is available at http://edelman.dia.fi.upm.es/biri/.
| S-EPMC2765974 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A new primary model based on a thermodynamically consistent first-order kinetic approach was constructed to describe non-log-linear inactivation kinetics of pressure-treated bacteria. The model assumes a first-order process in which the specific inactivation rate changes inversely with the square root of time. The model gave reasonable fits to experimental data over six to seven orders of magnitude. It was also tested on 138 published data sets and provided good fits in about 70% of cases in which the shape of the curve followed the typical convex upward form. In the remainder of published examples, curves contained additional shoulder regions or extended tail regions. Curves with shoulders could be accommodated by including an additional time delay parameter and curves with tails shoulders could be accommodated by omitting points in the tail beyond the point at which survival levels remained more or less constant. The model parameters varied regularly with pressure, which may reflect a genuine mechanistic basis for the model. This property also allowed the calculation of (a) parameters analogous to the decimal reduction time D and z, the temperature increase needed to change the D value by a factor of 10, in thermal processing, and hence the processing conditions needed to attain a desired level of inactivation; and (b) the apparent thermodynamic volumes of activation associated with the lethal events. The hypothesis that inactivation rates changed as a function of the square root of time would be consistent with a diffusion-limited process.
| S-EPMC1855581 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Nitrogen is a vital nutrient helpful to plants and crop growth. However, among the leading causes of water resources pollution is the excess nitrogen from agricultural sources. In European Union countries, the Nitrates Directive has been approved to reduce this problem monitoring of water bodies with regard to nitrate concentrations, designation of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs), and establishing codes of good agricultural practices and measures to prevent and reduce water pollution from nitrates. In light of this, we propose an integrated methodological approach to better manage a environmental issue as the perimeter of NVZs with the prospective that our approach could be used in the future by other member states representing a Best Practice in that direction. The methodology is based on data integration applied in a GIS environment. Different available data representing the knowledge of the territory were harmonised, systematised and georeferenced, in order to increase the environmental framework, preserve the contamination of the water resource and give indications on the measures to be implemented to apply in the best way possible the Nitrates Directive. Finally, it was also possible to overcome the infringement procedure in progress for Italy and the Puglia region and proceed to new designation of NVZs.
| S-EPMC8704299 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundConstipation is one of the most common non-motor symptoms in PD patients, and the constipation, can appear before motor symptoms. Incorrect treatment of constipation in PD patients can result in colonic volvulus and pseudo intestinal obstruction, as well as a reduction in the therapeutic effect of anti-PD drugs due to absorption issues. There is, however, no comprehensive and scientific nursing intervention plan for PD patients' constipation who are constipated.MethodsA multi-disciplinary nursing research group of five people was established to construct the first draft of intervention plan through literature review. We chose 15 experts from 7 universities and tertiary hospitals spread over 5 provinces (cities), including 4 neurologists, 9 clinical nursing specialists in neurology, 1 dietician, and 1 rehabilitator. Two rounds of consultations were held from April to July 2022 with 15 experts to screen and revise the indicators at each level, confirming their importance and feasibility at each level.ResultsThere were three primary indicators (pre-intentional stage, intentional stage, and action stage) in the two rounds of expert correspondence, nine secondary indicators (disease risk perception, adverse consequence expectation, self-efficacy and intention of action; action plan, coping plan and coping self-efficacy; produce healthy behaviors, maintain healthy behaviors, recover behaviors and recover self-efficacy), and 22 tertiary indicators.ConclusionsAfter the implementation of two rounds of Delphi method, the final formed constipation intervention program for PD patients provides the basis for clinical nursing practice, which has the characteristics of convenience, comprehensiveness, dependence, scientific and feasibility. Therefore, it has application and promotion value.
| S-EPMC10571412 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimsThe instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) and whole-cycle Pd/Pa investigate coronary physiology during non-hyperaemic conditions. To test for unique physiologic properties of the wave-free period when making resting coronary pressure measurements, we compared post hoc a diastolic pressure ratio (dPR) and Pd/Pa against iFR for numerical similarity and test/retest repeatability.Methods and resultsEight hundred and ninety-three lesions from 833 subjects were included from the VERIFY 2 and CONTRAST studies. Diastolic pressure ratio and a linear transform of Pd/Pa were compared against iFR for diagnostic performance. Mean difference between dPR and iFR [Δ = -0.006 ± 0.011, r2 = 0.993, area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) = 0.997] mirrored the difference of two iFR measurements repeated immediately (Δ = <0.001 ± 0.004, r2 = 0.998, AUC = 1.00). Minor variations in the definition of dPR changed its value by <1-2% over a broad range of the cardiac cycle. A linear transform of Pd/Pa showed very good diagnostic performance (Δ = -0.012 ± 0.031, r2 = 0.927, AUC = 0.979). Post hoc iFR values were validated against real-time iFR values and matched almost exactly (average Δ = <0.001 ± 0.004, 99.6% within ±0.01).ConclusionsOur dPR offers numerical equivalency to iFR. Despite different technical approaches for identifying the relevant period of diastole, the agreement between dPR and iFR and the insensitivity of dPR to minor variations in its definition further confirm numerical equivalency among resting metrics.
| S-EPMC6692701 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSuicide by adolescents and young adults is a major public health concern, and repetition of self-harm is an important risk factor for future suicide attempts.ObjectiveOur purpose is to explore the perspective of adolescents directly involved in suicidal acts.MethodsQualitative study involving 16 purposively selected adolescents (sex ratio1 ∶ 1) from 3 different centers. Half had been involved in repeated suicidal acts, and the other half only one. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews and analyzed according to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.ResultsWe found five main themes, organized in two superordinate themes. The first theme (individual dimensions of the suicide attempt) describes the issues and explanations that the adolescents saw as related to themselves; it includes the subthemes: (1) negative emotions toward the self and individual impasse, and (2) the need for some control over their lives. The second main theme (relational dimensions of attempted suicide) describes issues that adolescents mentioned that were related to others and includes three subthemes: (3) perceived impasse in interpersonal relationships, (4) communication, and (5) revenge.ConclusionsAdolescents involved in suicidal behavior are stuck in both an individual and a relational impasse from which there is no exit and no apparent way to reach the other. Revenge can bridge this gap and thus transforms personal distress into a relational matter. This powerful emotion has been neglected by both clinicians and researchers.
| S-EPMC4011950 | biostudies-literature
Project description:RationaleAs a powerful ambient ion source, atmospheric pressure (AP) matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) enables direct analysis at atmospheric pressure/temperature and minimal sample preparation. With the increasing usage of AP-MALDI sources with Orbitrap instruments, systematic characterization of the extent of ion suppression effect (ISE) in AP-MALDI-Orbitrap mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is desirable. Recently, a new low-pressure MALDI platform has been introduced that reportedly provided better sensitivity. While extensive research efforts have been devoted to improving spatial resolution, fewer studies focused on the characterization and sensitivity improvement of these MALDI platforms that, coupled with high-resolution Orbitraps, provide powerful strategy for MSI.MethodsWe compared the analytical performance of AP and low-pressure (subatmospheric) MALDI sources to study the effect of pressure control in the ion source. Using a model peptide/protein mixture, we systematically evaluated the factors influencing ISE. Furthermore, the effect of laser spot size was evaluated through tissue imaging analysis of lipids and neuropeptides. The effects of ion suppression and laser spot size have also been examined by comparing the number of identified molecular species during MSI analysis.ResultsSeveral key operating parameters including source pressure, laser energy, laser repetition rate, and microscopic slide coating materials were optimized to minimize the ISE. Under the optimal conditions, the subatmospheric AP-MALDI-Orbitrap platform with high spatial and mass spectral resolution enabled significantly improved coverage of several lipid and neuropeptide families in the MS analysis of mouse brain tissue sections.ConclusionsThe new SubAP-MALDI source coupled with an Orbitrap mass spectrometer was established as a viable platform for in situ endogenous biomolecular analysis with increased sensitivity compared with conventional AP-MALDI sources as evidenced by the confident identification of neuropeptides from mouse brain imaging analyses. The alleviated ISE was key to substantial performance improvement due to optimized intermediate pressure conditions and better ion collection by the ion funnel.
| S-EPMC6353668 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The properties of some forms of water ice reserve still intriguing surprises. Besides the several stable or metastable phases of pure ice, solid mixtures of water with gases are precursors of other ices, as in some cases they may be emptied, leaving a metastable hydrogen-bound water structure. We present here the first characterization of a new form of ice, obtained from the crystalline solid compound of water and molecular hydrogen called C0-structure filled ice. By means of Raman spectroscopy, we measure the hydrogen release at different temperatures and succeed in rapidly removing all the hydrogen molecules, obtaining a new form of ice (ice XVII). Its structure is determined by means of neutron diffraction measurements. Of paramount interest is that the emptied crystal can adsorb again hydrogen and release it repeatedly, showing a temperature-dependent hysteresis.
| S-EPMC5103070 | biostudies-literature