The effect of agricultural intensification and water-locking on the world's largest coastal lagoonal system.

The palaeolimnological conditions of Mirim Lagoon, a large coastal shallow lagoon under the influence of historical human impacts related to the development of the primary sector of the economy were reconstructed. The first significant human impact consisted of locking the estuarine system to induce the transition from brackish to freshwater conditions. During this transition, the sedimentation rate consistently increased from pre-disturbance values of 0.25 cm yr-1 to >1 cm yr-1. A concomitant increase in nitrogen and carbon values was recorded indicating a related eutrophication process. The highest nutrient levels were achieved during the 1990s after the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies for agricultural production such as high-yielding varieties of rice resistant to climate variability and pests, and the use of inorganic fertilisers, pesticides and water supply controlled by irrigation. After 2011, the soybean production boosted and the area cultivated with this oilseed equalled the area of rice paddies, i.e., 2 × 105 ha. A sharp decrease in δ13C from -19 to -24‰ and in δ15N from 6 to 2‰ were observed in the sedimentary record, indicating a major shift in the composition of the organic matter after the agricultural intensification. Trace elements Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn showed a high positive correlation with Al and Fe, and enrichment factors near 1, indicating a natural and terrigenous source of these elements and also unpolluted conditions. However, the increase of As after 1990 and the positive correlation with Pb was associated with agricultural practices. All elemental ratios (K/Al, Ti/Al and V/Cr) showed constant pre-disturbance trends and a turning point ca. the 1990s. Microplastics were detected from the beginning of the 1990s and increased towards recent sediments, thus corroborating an anthropogenically impacted scenario. Therefore, the development of the primary sector of the economy exerted clear impacts on the environmental quality of the system.

Impact of an evidence-based intervention on urinary catheter utilization, associated process indicators, and infectious and non-infectious outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Multi-centre intervention studies tackling urinary catheterization and its infectious and non-infectious complications are lacking. AIM: To decrease urinary catheterization and, consequently, catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) and non-infectious complications. METHODS: Before/after non-randomized multi-centre intervention study in seven hospitals in Switzerland. Intervention bundle consisting of: (1) a concise list of indications for urinary catheterization; (2) daily evaluation of the need for ongoing catheterization; and (3) education on proper insertion and maintenance of urinary catheters. The primary outcome was urinary catheter utilization. Secondary outcomes were CAUTIs, non-infectious complications and process indicators (proportion of indicated catheters and frequency of catheter evaluation). FINDINGS: In total, 25,880 patients were included in this study [13,171 at baseline (August-October 2016) and 12,709 post intervention (August-October 2017)]. Catheter utilization decreased from 23.7% to 21.0% (P=0.001), and catheter-days per 100 patient-days decreased from 17.4 to 13.5 (P=0.167). CAUTIs remained stable at a low level with 0.02 infections per 100 patient-days (baseline) and 0.02 infections (post intervention) (P=0.98). Measuring infections per 1000 catheter-days, the rate was 1.02 (baseline) and 1.33 (post intervention) (P=0.60). Non-infectious complications decreased significantly, from 0.79 to 0.56 events per 100 patient-days (P<0.001), and from 39.4 to 35.4 events per 1000 catheter-days (P=0.23). Indicated catheters increased from 74.5% to 90.0% (P<0.001). Re-evaluations increased from 168 to 624 per 1000 catheter-days (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: A straightforward bundle of three evidence-based measures reduced catheter utilization and non-infectious complications, whereas the proportion of indicated urinary catheters and daily evaluations increased. The CAUTI rate remained unchanged, albeit at a very low level.

DETECTION OF IONIZING RADIATION TREATMENT IN GLASS USED FOR HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS.

The treatment with high doses of ionizing radiation is prescribed for the terminal sterilization of many healthcare products. In order to check the product irradiation, it may be useful to develop suitable detection methods. The aim of this work was to verify the suitability of the thermoluminescence (TL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques to reveal illegal omission of radiation sterilization in glass used for blood test tubes. In particular, this work reports the results of the analysis performed on two batches of glass tubes provided by the same manufacturer. The results indicated that both TL and EPR techniques could reveal the damage induced by high doses of ionizing radiation in the glass allowing the identification of the tubes which were irradiated at the manufacture stage. The study provided also some information about the chemical composition of the two-batch glass.

Realising the European network of biodosimetry: RENEB-status quo.

Creating a sustainable network in biological and retrospective dosimetry that involves a large number of experienced laboratories throughout the European Union (EU) will significantly improve the accident and emergency response capabilities in case of a large-scale radiological emergency. A well-organised cooperative action involving EU laboratories will offer the best chance for fast and trustworthy dose assessments that are urgently needed in an emergency situation. To this end, the EC supports the establishment of a European network in biological dosimetry (RENEB). The RENEB project started in January 2012 involving cooperation of 23 organisations from 16 European countries. The purpose of RENEB is to increase the biodosimetry capacities in case of large-scale radiological emergency scenarios. The progress of the project since its inception is presented, comprising the consolidation process of the network with its operational platform, intercomparison exercises, training activities, proceedings in quality assurance and horizon scanning for new methods and partners. Additionally, the benefit of the network for the radiation research community as a whole is addressed.

Thermoluminescence analysis of irradiated oyster shells.

This paper reports the thermoluminescence (TL) analysis performed on the oyster shells powder. TL response of (60)Co gamma-rays irradiated samples were studied in the range from 80 Gy to 8 kGy doses. TL signal of irradiated shell powder was higher as compared to the unirradiated control samples, which allowed to identify the irradiated oysters. Results show that the oyster shells have good TL properties and can be useful for the identification of irradiated seafood as well as for the evaluation of the treatment dose.

Use of commercial alanine and TL dosemeters for dosimetry intercomparisons among Italian radiotherapy centres.

In the implementation of a large-scale dosimetry intercomparison one of the main constraints is the availability of large number of dosemeters of the highest quality. Therefore, ISS tested the possibility of using commercially available dosemeters, alanine pellets and thermoluminescence (TL) dosimetry chips, for transfer dosimetry within the Italian intercomparison programme. In this work the characterisation of commercial alanine and TL dosemeters along with the ISS dose assessment procedure used in the Italian intercomparison are reported. Results demonstrate the feasibility of the ISS approach to transfer dosimetry since it is possible to measure 10 Gy with a combined uncertainty of 1% (1sigma) and 1 Gy with a combined uncertainty of 1.7% (1sigma) with alanine and TL dosemeters, respectively.

Features of EPR dosimetry with CaSO4:Dy phosphor.

The electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR) technique was used to study the paramagnetic centers induced by ionizing radiation in thermoluminescent CaSO4:Dy. Two different radiation induced centers, detectable in the (1-10(7)) Gy dose range and attributed to (SO3)- and Ca-vacancy center, (VCa)2-, respectively, can be used for dosimetry purpose. The (VCa)2- center is detectable only upon sample annealing at temperatures higher than about 180 degrees C. A reliable dose assessment can be performed in the (1-10(7)) Gy dose range and likely over 10(7) Gy. The sensitivity decreases with thermal cycles, while the yield of both centers increases with accumulated dose (pumping effect), at a greater extent for (VCa)2- center. (VCa)2- center is stable with time, while (SO3)- center shows a dose-dependent fading. Among the applications that can be imaged for this dosimeter, very high dose assessment capability is of particular importance.