A system is proposed by which liquid metal piston columns, obtained by pumping the metal before a nozzle, are driven by high velocity vapours from the nozzle. End effects are avoided. The EMF is ...tapped off from the moving liquid column by electrodes through a transformer.
Reports of participatory rural appraisals and marine fish market assessments. Natural Resources Institute (NRI), Chatham, UK and Community Development Centre, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Report of workshop on 'Poverty alleviation and livelihood security among the coastal fish communities - market and credit access issues'. 27-28 March 2001. Natural Resources Institute (NRI), Chatham, ...UK and Community Development Centre, Chittagong, Bangladesh. 2 days
Livelihoods in coastal fishing communities, and the marine fish marketing system of Bangladesh. Natural Resources Institute, (NRI), Chatham, Kent, UK. 100 pp. Part 2
Livelihoods in coastal fishing communities, and the marine fish marketing system of Bangladesh. Natural Resources Institute, (NRI), Chatham, Kent, UK. 100 pp. Part 1
Developing highly selective and sensitive biosensors for diabetes management blood glucose monitoring is essential to reduce the health risks associated with diabetes. Assessing the glycation (GA) of ...human serum albumin (HSA) serves as an indicator for medium-term glycemic control, making it suitable for assessing the efficacy of blood glucose management protocols. However, most biosensors are not capable of simultaneous detection of the relative fraction of GA to HSA in a clinically relevant range. Here, we report an effective miniaturised biosensor architecture for simultaneous electrochemical detection of HSA and GA across relevant concentration ranges. We immobilise DNA aptamers specific for the detection of HSA and GA on gold nanoislands (Au NIs) decorated screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs), and effectively passivate the residual surface sites. We achieve a dynamic detection range between 20 and 60 mg/mL for HSA and 1-40 mg/mL for GA in buffer solutions. The analytical utility of our HSA and GA biosensor architectures are validated in mice serum indicating immediate potential for clinical applications. Since HSA and GA have similar structures, we extensively assess our sensor specificity, observing high selectivity of the HSA and GA sensors against each other and other commonly present interfering molecules in blood such as glucose, glycine, ampicillin, and insulin. Additionally, we determine the glycation ratio, which is a crucial metric for assessing blood glucose management efficacy, in an extensive range representing healthy and poor blood glucose management profiles. These findings provide strong evidence for the clinical potential of our biosensor architecture for point-of-care and self-assessment of diabetes management protocols.
The potential of indigenous iron-oxidizing microorganisms enriched at initial neutral pH of the sewage sludge for bioleaching of heavy metals was investigated at initial neutral pH of the sludge ...using ammonium ferrous sulfate (FAS) and ferrous sulfate (FS) as an energy sources in two different sets of experiments. After 16 days of bioleaching, 56% Cu, 48% Ni, 68% Zn and 42% C were removed from the sludge using ammonium ferrous sulfate as an energy source. On the other hand, 64% Cu, 58% Ni, 76% Zn and 52% Cr were removed using ferrous sulfate. Further, 32% nitrogen and 24% phosphorus were leached from the sludge using ferrous sulfate, whereas only 22% nitrogen and 17% phosphorus were removed using ammonium ferrous sulfate. The BCR sequential extraction study on speciation of metals showed that using ammonium ferrous sulfate and ferrous sulfate, all the metals remained in bioleached sludge as stable form (F4 fraction). The results of the present study indicate that the bioleached sludge would be safer for land application. Also, the fertilizing property was largely conserved in the bioleached sludge using both the substrates.
Abstract Background Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been shown to increase food security, or access to adequate food; however, SNAP participation has also ...been associated with obesity among certain demographic groups (eg, women, but not men and children), possibly due to poorer dietary quality. Depressive symptomatology is an understudied factor, which is associated with obesity across the lifespan. Objective This study examined the relationship between depressive symptomatology, dietary quality, and body weight among a sample of SNAP participants (n=639). Design The analysis was cross-sectional; survey data were collected in May to December 2011 by trained data collectors. Participants/setting Adults who self-identified as the primary food shopper of the household in two predominantly low-income African-American neighborhoods characterized as “food deserts” in Pittsburgh, PA, were recruited to participate in this study. Measures Dietary quality was calculated using the US Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Eating Index-2005. Body mass index (BMI; calculated as kg/m2 ) was based on objective measurements taken by the interviewer. Current depressive symptomatology was assessed by a trained interviewer using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2. Statistical analyses performed Descriptive statistics (means and percentages); two multivariate ordinary least-square regression analyses predicting BMI and dietary quality from depressive symptomatology while controlling for sociodemographic factors and food insecurity were performed. Results Depression was a strong and statistically significant predictor of both dietary quality and BMI; higher score in depressive symptomatology was associated with lower scores in dietary quality (β=−1.26; P <0.0001). A higher score in depressive symptomatology was associated with higher BMI (β=.63; P =0.0031). Conclusions These findings show that depressive symptomatology is significantly associated with weight-related outcomes and suggests that understanding the risk of depression among SNAP participants could be important to understanding the relationships among SNAP participation, diet, and weight. The association between depressive symptomology, elevated BMI, and lower dietary quality among low-income, primarily African-American residents living in a food desert suggests the potential for mental health interventions to have broader benefits in this population. However, the directionality of this association is unclear and improving diet and reducing weight might also improve mental health symptoms. Additional longitudinal studies should assess these possibilities.
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