Ziya Circular Economy Park is the biggest e-waste recycle park in North China before 2011, its function was then transformed in response to regulations and rules. In this paper, investigation was ...conducted to research the residual concentrations of 14 analytes (12 heavy metals and 2 non-metals) in the surface soil of Ziya Circular Economy Park and surrounding area. Both ecological and health assessments were evaluated using GI (geo-accumulation index) and NPI (Nemerow pollution index), and associated health risk was assessed by using USEPA model. According to the ecological risk assessment, Cu, Sb, Cd, Zn and Co were seriously enriched in the soil of the studied area. The health risk assessment proposed by USEPA indicated no significant health risks to the population. Soil properties, such as pH and organic matter, were found to correlate with the enrichment of heavy metals. Arsenic concentrations in the soil were found positively correlated to dead bacteria concentrations. Spatial distribution of heavy metals revealed that Ziya Circular Economy Park was the dominant pollution source in the studied area. Findings in this study suggest that enough attention should be payed to the heavy metal pollution in Ziya Circular Economy Park.
•Evaluating the pollution status of heavy metals in an e-waste contaminated area.•Assessing human health risk of heavy metals in the study area.•Mapping the spatial distribution of heavy metals.
Yang–Mills theories are an important building block of the standard model and in particular of quantum chromodynamics. Its correlation functions describe the behavior of its elementary particles, the ...gauge bosons. In quantum chromodynamics, the correlation functions of the gluons are basic ingredients for calculations of hadrons from bound state equations or properties of its phase diagram with functional methods.
Correlation functions of gluons are defined only in a gauge fixed setting. The focus of many studies is the Landau gauge which has some features that alleviate calculations. I discuss recent results of correlation functions in this gauge obtained from their equations of motions. Besides the four-dimensional case also two and three dimensions are treated, since the effects of truncations, viz., the procedure to render the infinitely large system of equations finite, can be studied more directly in these cases. In four dimensions, the anomalous running of dressing functions plays a special role and it is explained how resummation is realized in the case of Dyson–Schwinger equations.
Beyond the Landau gauge other gauges can provide additional insights or can alleviate the development of new methods. Some aspects or ideas are more easily accessible in alternative gauges and the results presented here for linear covariant gauges, the Coulomb gauge and the maximally Abelian gauge help to refine our understanding of Yang–Mills theories.
Background
Alzheimer disease (AD) is more prevalent in African American (AA) and Hispanic White (HIW) compared to Non‐Hispanic White (NHW) individuals. Similarly, neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) vary ...by population in AD. This is likely the result of both sociocultural and genetic ancestral differences. However, the impact of these NPS on AD in different groups is not well understood.
Methods
Self‐declared AA, HIW, and NHW individuals were ascertained as part of ongoing AD genetics studies. Participants who scored higher than 0.5 on the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Scale (CDR) were included. Group similarities and differences on Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI‐Q) outcomes (NPI‐Q total score, NPI‐Q items) were evaluated using univariate ANOVAs and post hoc comparisons after controlling for sex and CDR stage.
Results
Our sample consisted of 498 participants (26% AA; 30% HIW; 44% NHW). Overall, NPI‐Q total scores differed significantly between our groups, with HIW having the highest NPI‐Q total scores, and by AD stage as measured by CDR. We found no significant difference in NPI‐Q total score by sex. There were six NPI‐Q items with comparable prevalence in all groups and six items that significantly differed between the groups (Anxiety, Apathy, Depression, Disinhibition, Elation, and Irritability). Further, within the HIW group, differences were found between Puerto Rican and Cuban American Hispanics across several NPI‐Q items. Finally, Six NPI‐Q items were more prevalent in the later stages of AD including Agitation, Appetite, Hallucinations, Irritability, Motor Disturbance, and Nighttime Behavior.
Conclusions
We identified differences in NPS among HIW, AA, and NHW individuals. Most striking was the high burden of NPS in HIW, particularly for mood and anxiety symptoms. We suggest that NPS differences may represent the impact of sociocultural influences on symptom presentation as well as potential genetic factors rooted in ancestral background. Given the complex relationship between AD and NPS it is crucial to discern the presence of NPS to ensure appropriate interventions.
Key points
Our study sought to determine if there are differences in neuropsychiatric symptom prevalence, as measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI‐Q), among self‐declared African American (AA), Hispanic, and Non‐Hispanic White (NHW) individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
While the prevalence of several NPI‐Q symptoms was consistent across the three groups our Hispanic participants showed a greater overall burden of neuropsychiatric symptoms—especially anxiety and mood symptoms (i.e., Anxiety, Depression, Apathy, and Irritability items). By contrast, African Americans reported significantly more behavioral problems as reflected on the Disinhibition and Elation items.
The variability in the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms among different populations (e.g., mood and anxiety symptoms in HIW) represents both underlying genetic factors rooted in ancestral background as well as sociocultural influences on the measurement and reporting of NPS.
Reasons for the Study:
The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) has been used for studies of neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative disorders for the past 25 years. This article reviews the ...history of the development and application of the NPI.
Main Findings:
The NPI consists of 10 (or 12) items that are assayed with questions, subquestions, and ratings of frequency and severity. The NPI has been shown to be valid and reliable. The NPI has been translated into approximately 40 languages; it has 4 of versions designed for different clinical applications. The NPI studies show contrasting profiles of behavioral symptoms in different neurologic disorders. The NPI has been used in approximately 350 clinical trials. In economic studies, the NPI captures the cost of behavioral symptoms in dementias.
Principle Conclusions:
The NPI is a useful instrument for capturing behavioral changes in Alzheimer disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Drawing on a large sample of American adults (N=2153) we replicate and extend the Single-Item Narcissism Scale (SINS) recently developed by Konrath, Meier, and Bushman (2014). Consistent with their ...initial study, we find that the SINS correlates positively with the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and has good discriminant validity from common measures of self-esteem. Additionally, we provide new evidence that the SINS may not primarily tap into grandiose narcissism. We also find that in comparison to other common personality measures of narcissism, the SINS correlated somewhat less consistently with our behavioral measure and has a higher threshold for detecting narcissistic traits. Overall, we conclude that when inclusion of established measures is not feasible, the SINS may be a viable alternative.
Facing COVID-19 in Ophthalmology Department Romano, Mario R.; Montericcio, Alessio; Montalbano, Clara ...
Current eye research,
06/2020, Letnik:
45, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Purpose: To provide useful guidelines, targeted at ophthalmology professionals, to minimize COVID-19 infection of both health-care workers and patients.
Methods: In this review we present updated ...literature merged with our experience from hospitals in Bergamo, the epicenter of the COVID-19 European outbreak.
Results: Non-pharmaceutical interventions, hygienic recommendations and personal protective equipment to contain viral spread as well as a suggested risk assessment for postponement of non-urgent cases should be applied in ophthalmologist activity. A triage for ophthalmic outpatient clinic is mandatory.
Conclusion: Ophthalmology practice should be reorganized in order to face COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern exhibit varying degrees of transmissibility and, in some cases, escape from acquired immunity. Much effort has been devoted to measuring these phenotypes, but ...understanding their impact on the course of the pandemic—especially that of immune escape—has remained a challenge. Here, we use a mathematical model to simulate the dynamics of wild-type and variant strains of SARS-CoV-2 in the context of vaccine rollout and nonpharmaceutical interventions. We show that variants with enhanced transmissibility frequently increase epidemic severity, whereas those with partial immune escape either fail to spread widely or primarily cause reinfections and breakthrough infections. However, when these phenotypes are combined, a variant can continue spreading even as immunity builds up in the population, limiting the impact of vaccination and exacerbating the epidemic. These findings help explain the trajectories of past and present SARS-CoV-2 variants and may inform variant assessment and response in the future.
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•Modeled impacts of different SARS-CoV-2 variants across range of scenarios•Enhanced transmissibility leads to more infections and narrows margin for control•Partial immune escape often remains rare and may not limit vaccination impact•Impact of immune escape is much greater when paired with enhanced transmissibility
A modeling approach looking at the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants with partial immune escape and/or increased transmissibility suggests that enhanced transmissibility is more strongly linked to epidemic severity and narrows the margin for control.
Abstract Background Automated infrared pupillometry (AIP) and the Neurological Pupil index (NPi) provide an objective means of assessing and trending the pupillary light reflex (PLR) across a broad ...spectrum of neurological diseases. NPi quantifies the PLR and ranges from 0 to 5; in healthy individuals, the NPi of both eyes is expected to be ≥ 3.0 and symmetric. AIP values demonstrate emerging value as a prognostic tool with predictive properties that could allow practitioners to anticipate neurological deterioration and recovery. The presence of an NPi differential (a difference ≥ 0.7 between the left and right eye) is a potential sign of neurological abnormality. Methods We explored NPi differential by considering the modified Rankin Score at discharge (DC mRS) among patients admitted to neuroscience intensive care units (NSICU) of 4 U.S. and 1 Japanese hospitals and for two cohorts of brain injuries: stroke (including subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, acute ischemic stroke, and aneurysm, 1,200 total patients) and 185 traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients for a total of more than 54,000 pupillary measurements. Results Stroke patients with at least 1 occurrence of an NPi differential during their NSICU stay have higher DC mRS scores (3.9) compared to those without an NPi differential (2.7; P < .001). Patients with TBI and at least 1 occurrence of an NPi differential during their NSICU stay have higher discharge modified Rankin Scale scores (4.1) compared to those without an NPi differential (2.9; P < .001). When patients experience both abnormalities, abnormal (NPi < 3.0) and an NPi differential, the latter has an anticipatory relationship with respect to the former ( P < .001 for z-score skewness analysis). Finally, our analysis confirmed ≥ 0.7 as the optimal cutoff value for the NPi differential (AUC = 0.71, P < .001). Conclusion The NPi differential is an important factor that clinicians should consider when managing critically ill neurological injured patients admitted to the neurocritical care units. Trial registration NCT02804438 , Date of Registration: June 17, 2016.
•The first standardized assessment for soil quality at Sb smelting site is developed.•Soil resilience index (SRI) and soil contamination index (SCI) are both evaluated.•Soil quality in Sb smelting ...site is mainly limited by low level of soil resilience.•The weak soil resilience is caused by relatively low specific microbial abundances.
Antimony smelting activities damage the soil and vegetation surroundings while generating economic value. However, no standardized methods are available to diagnose the extent of soil degradation at antimony smelting sites. This study developed a standardized framework for assessing soil quality by considering microbial-induced resilience and heavy metal contamination at Xikuangshan antimony smelting site. The soil resilience index (SRI) and soil contamination index (SCI) were calculated by Minimum Data Set and geo-accumulation model, respectively. After standardized by a multi-criteria quantitative procedure of modified Nemerow's pollution index (NPI), the integrated assessment of soil quality index (SQI), which is the minimum of SRINPI and SCINPI, was achieved. The results showed that Sb and As were the prominent metal(loid) pollutants, and significant correlations between SQI and SRI indicated that the poor soil quality was mainly caused by the low level of soil resilience. The primary limiting factors of SRI were Fungi in high and middle contaminated areas, and Skermanella in low contaminated area, suggesting that the weak soil resilience was caused by low specific microbial abundances. Microbial regulation and phytoremediation are greatly required to improve the soil quality at antimony smelting sites from the perspectives of pollution control and resilience improvement. This study improves our understanding of ecological effects of antimony smelting sites and provides a theoretical basis for ecological restoration and sustainable development of mining areas.
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