The majority of the carbon worldwide is in soil. In a river catchment, the tight relationship between soil, water and climate makes carbon likely to be eroded and transported from the soil to the ...rivers. There are multiple variables which can trigger and accelerate the process. In order to assess the importance of the factors involved, and their interactions resulting in the changes in the carbon cycle within catchments, we have studied the catchments of 26 Finnish rivers from 2000 to 2019. These catchments are distributed all over Finland, but we have grouped them into three categories: southern, peatland and northern. We have run a boosted regression tree (BRT) analysis on chemical, physical, climatic and anthropogenic factors to determine their influence on the variations of total organic carbon (TOC) concentration. TOC concentration has decreased in Finland between 2000 and 2019 by 0.91 mg/l, driven principally by forest ditching and % old forest in the catchment. Old forest is especially dominant in the northern catchments with an influence on TOC of 40.5%. In southern and peatland catchments, average precipitation is an important factor to explain the changes in TOC whilst in northern catchments, organic fields have more influence.
•From 2000 to 2019, TOC has decreased 0.91 mg/l in Finnish rivers' catchments.•Peatland catchments showed highest TOC concentration but the largest decrease.•Changes in TOC are mainly driven by forest ditching, % of old forest and wetlands.•The climatological factors have been of high importance in the changes in TOC.
Individual and group cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by reducing recurrent events, improving risk factors, aiding compliance with drug treatment, ...and improving quality of life through physical activity and education. Home-based programs are equally effective in improving exercise capacity, risk factors, mortality, and health-related quality of life outcomes compared to hospital-based intervention. Cardio-telerehabilitation (CTR) programs are a supplement or an alternative to hospital rehabilitation programs providing similar benefits to usual hospital and home care. Despite this statement, implementation in the public and private healthcare environment is still scarce and limited. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy, feasibility, and adherence of a personalized eight-week mHealth telerehabilitation program in low-risk cardiac patients in the hospital of Melilla (Spain). The secondary aims were to investigate patient satisfaction, identify barriers of implementation and adverse events, and assess cost-effectiveness from a health system perspective. A study protocol for a single center prospective controlled trial was conducted at the Regional Hospital of Melilla (Spain), with a sample size of (
= 30) patients with a diagnosis of low-risk CVD with class I heart failure according to NYHA (New York Heart Association). Outcomes of this study, will add new evidence that could support the use of CTR in cardiac patients clinical guidelines.
An exhaustive characterization of the physicochemical properties of gum arabic (GA)-coated Fe
O
magnetic nanoparticles was conducted in this work. These nanoparticles were obtained via the in-situ ...coprecipitation method (a fast single-step method) in two GA:Fe ratios, 10:1 and 20:1, respectively. Several experimental techniques were applied in the characterization process, all of them described below. Using Transmission Electron Microcopy images, they were shown to have spherical-like morphology with 11 nm diameter. The Fourier Transform Infrared spectra confirmed the attachment of the GA on the surface of the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), providing good colloidal stability from pH 7 to 8. The thickness of the coatings (1.7 nm and 1.1 nm) was determined using thermogravimetric measurements. A high specific absorption rate and superparamagnetic properties were determined using alternant and static magnetic fields, respectively. The GA-coated MNPs were non-cytotoxic, according to tests on HT-29 human intestine cells. Additionally, HT-29 cells were exposed to magnetic fluid hyperthermia at 530 kHz, and the induction of cell death by the magnetic field, due to the heating of GA-coated MNP, was observed.
The browning of surface waters due to the increased terrestrial loading of dissolved organic carbon is observed across the northern hemisphere. Brownification is often explained by changes in ...large-scale anthropogenic pressures (including acidification, and climate and land-use changes). We quantified the effect of environmental changes on the brownification of an important lake for birds, Kukkia in southern Finland. We studied the past trends of organic carbon loading from catchments based on observations taken since the 1990s. We created hindcasting scenarios for deposition, climate and land-use change in order to simulate their quantitative effect on brownification by using process-based models. Changes in forest cuttings were shown to be the primary reason for the brownification. According to the simulations, a decrease in deposition has resulted in a slightly lower leaching of total organic carbon (TOC). In addition, runoff and TOC leaching from terrestrial areas to the lake was smaller than it would have been without the observed increasing trend in temperature by 2 °C in 25 years.
The use of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) in food analysis in the last decade is reviewed. The HILIC mechanism is briefly discussed, but main emphasis is put on the use of ...HILIC for separation of different food matrices. The food matrices are divided into food of animal origin and related products, vegetables, fruits and related compounds, and other food-related matrices. A list on important applications is provided for each category including experimental conditions and a brief summary of the results. The 100 references included will provide the reader a comprehensive overview and insight into HILIC applications to food analysis.
•Review comprises 67 methods for quantifying PVS applied in 60 studies up to September 2023.•Morphological and Hessian filters, and U-Net configurations are the most widely applied approaches.•PVS ...burden is associated with age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, WMH, sleep and cognition.•Occupation, ethnicity and genetic traits also relate to PVS burden.
Research into magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-visible perivascular spaces (PVS) has recently increased, as results from studies in different diseases and populations are cementing their association with sleep, disease phenotypes, and overall health indicators. With the establishment of worldwide consortia and the availability of large databases, computational methods that allow to automatically process all this wealth of information are becoming increasingly relevant. Several computational approaches have been proposed to assess PVS from MRI, and efforts have been made to summarise and appraise the most widely applied ones. We systematically reviewed and meta-analysed all publications available up to September 2023 describing the development, improvement, or application of computational PVS quantification methods from MRI. We analysed 67 approaches and 60 applications of their implementation, from 112 publications. The two most widely applied were the use of a morphological filter to enhance PVS-like structures, with Frangi being the choice preferred by most, and the use of a U-Net configuration with or without residual connections. Older adults or population studies comprising adults from 18 years old onwards were, overall, more frequent than studies using clinical samples. PVS were mainly assessed from T2-weighted MRI acquired in 1.5T and/or 3T scanners, although combinations using it with T1-weighted and FLAIR images were also abundant. Common associations researched included age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, white matter hyperintensities, sleep and cognition, with occupation-related, ethnicity, and genetic/hereditable traits being also explored. Despite promising improvements to overcome barriers such as noise and differentiation from other confounds, a need for joined efforts for a wider testing and increasing availability of the most promising methods is now paramount.
We have investigated the effects of light-emitting diode (LED)-induced phototoxicity (LIP) on cone-photoreceptors and their protection with brimonidine (BMD), brain-derived neurotrophic factor ...(BDNF), pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) or basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). In anesthetized, dark adapted, adult albino rats a blue (400 nm) LED was placed perpendicular to the cornea (10 sec, 200 lux) and the effects were investigated using Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) and/or analysing the retina in oriented cross-sections or wholemounts immune-labelled for L- and S-opsin and counterstained with the nuclear stain DAPI. The effects of topical BMD (1%) or, intravitreally injected BDNF (5 µg), PEDF (2 µg), CNTF (0.4 µg) or bFGF (1 µg) after LIP were examined on wholemounts at 7 days. SD-OCT showed damage in a circular region of the superotemporal retina, whose diameter varied from 1,842.4±84.5 µm (at 24 hours) to 1,407.7±52.8 µm (at 7 days). This region had a progressive thickness diminution from 183.4±5 µm (at 12 h) to 114.6±6 µm (at 7 d). Oriented cross-sections showed within the light-damaged region of the retina massive loss of rods and cone-photoreceptors. Wholemounts documented a circular region containing lower numbers of L- and S-cones. Within a circular area (1 mm or 1.3 mm radius, respectively) in the left and in its corresponding region of the contralateral-fellow-retina, total L- or S-cones were 7,118±842 or 661±125 for the LED exposed retinas (n = 7) and 14,040±1,860 or 2,255±193 for the fellow retinas (n = 7), respectively. BMD, BDNF, PEDF and bFGF but not CNTF showed significant neuroprotective effects on L- or S-cones. We conclude that LIP results in rod and cone-photoreceptor loss, and is a reliable, quantifiable model to study cone-photoreceptor degeneration. Intravitreal BDNF, PEDF or bFGF, or topical BMD afford significant cone neuroprotection in this model.
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) provide accessible and engaging information for Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy students. The objective of this research was to determine the usefulness ...in improving academic performance and empathy in health sciences undergraduates, and to test a hypothetical model through structural equation analysis. This research was carried out using a descriptive and quasi-experimental design. It was conducted in a sample of 381 participants: 176 used a MOOC and 205 did not. The results of the Student’s t-test showed statistically significant differences in academic performance between the groups in favor of those students who had realized the MOOC. Participants carried out an evaluation rubric after taking MOOC. Statistically significant differences in empathy were also obtained between the pre (X = 62.06; SD = 4.41) and post (X = 73.77; SD = 9.93) tests. The hypothetical model tested via structural equation modeling was supported by the results. Motivation for the MOOC explained 50% of the variance. The MOOC (participation and realization) explained 58% of academic performance, 35% of cognitive empathy and 48% of affective empathy. The results suggest an association between higher realization and participation in a MOOC and higher levels of academic performance, and cognitive and affective empathy.
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