Un análisis integrado entre la calidad de vida y las necesidades de apoyo de personas adultas con discapacidad intelectual en Chile / An integrated analysis between the quality of life and the support needs of adults with intellectual disabilities in Chile

El paradigma de apoyos y el de calidad de vida se han transformado en guías fundamentales para los avances en el ámbito de la discapacidad intelectual (DI). Con base en una muestra de 93 personas adultas con DI, se analiza, desde un enfoque cuantitativo no experimental, la relación entre la calidad de vida y las necesidades de apoyo, aplicando la escala INICO-FEAPS y la escala de Intensidad de Apoyos (SIS) para cada constructo. Los principales resultados evidencian que existe una relación fuerte e indirecta entre calidad de vida y necesidades de apoyos, y también la relevancia de analizar dichos resultados desde variables como grado de discapacidad, sexo o nivel socioeconómico. La discusión permite inferir la necesidad de discutir nuevas estrategias en torno a categorías como el grado de discapacidad, la autodeterminación e inclusión social, como elementos facilitadores de la calidad de vida y apoyos desde un enfoque integral que contribuya al desarrollo de estrategias de programas sociales para la población con DI. (AU)

The support paradigm and the quality of life paradigm have become fundamental guides for progress in the field of Intellectual Disability (ID). Based on a sample of 93 adults with ID, the relationship between Quality of Life and Support Needs is analyzed from a non-experimental quantitative approach, applying the INICO-FEAPS scale and the SIS Support Intensity scale for each construct. The main results show that there is a strong and indirect relationship between quality of life and support needs, and the relevance of analyzing these results from variables such as the degree of disability, sex or socioeconomic level. The discussion allows us to infer the need to discuss new strategies around categories such as the degree of disability, self-determination and social inclusion, as facilitating elements of quality of life and supporting a comprehensive approach that contributes to the development of social program strategies for the population with ID. (AU)

Contaminação ambiental de uma agroindústria familiar de queijo colonial no sudoeste paranaense / Environmental contamination of a family colonial cheese agroindustry in the southwest of Parana

As falhas na higienização em um estabelecimento de alimentos podem refletir em problemas causando a contaminação ou deterioração do produto produzido. Esta pesquisa foi motivada por reclamações de consumidores informando que os queijos apresentaram fungos, mesmo estando dentro do prazo de validade e por solicitação do Serviço de Inspeção Municipal. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a contaminação ambiental em uma agroindústria da agricultura familiar produtora de queijo colonial no Sudoeste Paranaense. Foram realizadas a contagem para aeróbios mesófilos em equipamentos e superfícies que entram em contato com o alimento e análise microbiológica ambiental de bolores e leveduras na sala de secagem dos queijos. A coleta foi realizada com método de esfregaço de suabe estéril para aeróbios mesófilos e semeadas em placas de Petri com Ágar Padrão de Contagem. Para a coleta ambiental foram expostas placas de Petri com ágar Saboraund durante 15 minutos. Os resultados demonstraram ausência de contaminação nas superfícies, mas foram encontrados bolores e leveduras de forma acentuada na sala de secagem dos queijos, o que pode contribuir para a deterioração do produto, diminuindo sua validade. Para minimizar as perdas por contaminação é necessário que o processo de higienização dos ambientes seja realizado de forma eficiente.

Failures in hygiene in a food establishment can result in problems causing contamination or deterioration of the product produced. This research was motivated by complaints from consumers reporting that the cheeses had mold, even though they were within their expiration date and at the request of the Municipal Inspection Service. This research was to evaluate environmental contamination in an agroindustry in the family farm producing colonial cheese in Southwest Paraná. For the microbiological assessment of environmental contamination, counting for mesophilic aerobes was carried out on equipment and surfaces that come into contact with food and, environmental microbiological analysis of molds and yeast in the cheese drying room. The collection was carried out using the sterile swab smear for mesophilic aerobes and seeded in Petri dishes with Counting Standard Agar. For environmental collection, sheets of Petri with Saboraund agar for 15 minutes. The results demonstrated absence of contamination on surfaces. But the presence of molds and yeasts in the drying room cheeses, which can contribute to the deterioration of the product and thus reduce the validity. To minimize losses due to contamination, it is It is necessary that the process of cleaning and disinfecting environments is carried out efficiently.

Higienização de ambiente em agroindústria familiar de embutidos cárneos / Environmental hygienization in family meat product

A higienização é um procedimento importante na indústria de alimentos e sua realização deve ocorrer rotineiramente para evitar que os alimentos sejam contaminados. Além disso, todos os manipuladores de alimentos devem receber treinamentos de modo a entender como ocorrem as contaminações e como evitá-las, para que não ocorra deterioração antecipada dos alimentos e para que não exponham os consumidores ao risco de doenças transmitidas por alimentos em caso de contaminação. Esta pesquisa avaliou o processo de higienização e sua eficiência em superfícies presentes em uma agroindústria da agricultura familiar produtora de embutidos cárneos. Apesar de ter instalações adequadas a agroindústria apresentava inadequações quanto aos produtos utilizados e a frequência inadequada para uma higienização eficiente. Foi realizada análise microbiológica das superfícies dos equipamentos para contagem de aeróbios mesófilos e notou-se uma elevada carga microbiana que indicou uma baixa eficiência no processo de higienização. Sugeriu-se melhorias na higiene ambiental associado à instrução dos colaboradores, para contribuir na promoção da qualidade dos produtos, aumento dos lucros e salvaguardando a saúde do consumidor.

Hygiene is an important procedure in the food industry, and its performance must occur routinely to prevent food from being contaminated. In addition, all food handlers must receive training in order to understand how contamination occurs and how to avoid it, so that there is no anticipated deterioration of food and that consumers are not exposed to the risk of foodborne diseases. in case of contamination by pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, this research evaluated the cleaning process and its efficiency on surfaces present in a family farming agroindustry that produces meat products, which despite having adequate facilities, had some difficulties such as product use and inadequate frequency for eficiente cleaning. After performing a microbiological analysis to count surface mesophilic aerobes, a high level of contamination was noted, relating to low efficiency in the cleaning process. Improvements in environmental hygiene are suggested, associated with the instruction of employees for the implementation of the Standard Operating Hygiene Procedure, promoting improvements in product quality, increasing profits and safeguarding consumer health.

Vómitos en posos de café y valoración endoscópica precoz. ¿Es realmente el tiempo la clave? / Coffee ground emesis and early endoscopy: Is timing actually relevant?

Objetivo Los vómitos en posos de café son un síntoma clásico de hemorragia digestiva alta. Sin embargo, tienen escasa validez semiológica, dado su conocido bajo valor predictivo positivo. Nuestro objetivo es determinar si realizar una gastroscopia urgente en estos pacientes modifica nuestra conducta terapéutica con impacto real en la morbimortalidad. Pacientes y métodos Se trata de un estudio retrospectivo, observacional y descriptivo en el que se analizaron aquellos pacientes que se realizaron una gastroscopia en nuestro centro por vómitos en posos de café en los últimos 4 años (2017-2021). Se establecieron 2 grupos: endoscopia urgente (primeras 24h) y programada (más de 24h) y se evaluaron las diferencias entre ambos grupos en supervivencia, estancia en la UCI, días de ingreso hospitalario y tasa de resangrado. Resultados Se identificaron 314 pacientes, de los que finalmente se incluyeron 276, perteneciendo 176 al grupo de gastroscopia urgente y 109 al de diferida. No se identificaron diferencias en la tasa de ingreso en la UCI, días de estancia hospitalaria, supervivencia ni resangrado a los 30 días. Tampoco se objetivaron diferencias en la tasa de detección de lesiones potencialmente sangrantes ni en la necesidad de terapéutica endoscópica. Conclusiones Los vómitos en posos de café, sin otros datos clínicos de hemorragia digestiva, no son un indicador fiable de la misma, y la realización de una gastroscopia urgente no aporta beneficios en términos de morbimortalidad. Una estrategia conservadora en estos pacientes permitiría diferir endoscopias, evitando riesgos y ayudando al control de gastos sin incidir en el pronóstico del paciente. (AU)

Objective Coffee ground vomiting is a classical symptom of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. However, the clinical usefulness is limited, due to the low positive predictive value. Our goal is to determine if whether an urgent endoscopy does modify our therapeutic management with a real impact on survival. Patients and methods It is a retrospective, observational and descriptive study. We selected all patients that underwent a gastroscopy in our center for coffee ground vomiting over the last 4 years (2017-2021). Two groups were established: urgent endoscopy (first 24h) and scheduled (over 24h). Then we studied differences between both groups regarding survival, ICU admission, hospitalization days and rebleeding. Results Three hundred and fourteen patients were identified, from which 276 were included, with 176 belonging to the urgency group and 109 to the scheduled group. There were no differences in the ICU admission, hospitalization days, survival or rebleeding after 30 days. There were no differences either in the number of potentially bleeding lesions or the need of endoscopic therapeutic. Conclusions Coffee ground vomiting, without any other data supporting upper gastrointestinal bleeding, does not represent a reliable indicator. Performing urgent endoscopy is not beneficial in terms of morbimortality. Therefore, a more conservative strategy would allow to differ endoscopy, decreasing risks and reducing costs, without affecting the prognosis. (AU)

Imagen en retromodo para el diagnóstico de drusas del disco óptico: una serie de casos / Retro-mode imaging for the diagnosis of optic disc drusen: A case series

Objetivo: Nuestro principal objetivo es el de comparar la capacidad para detectar las drusas del disco óptico (DDO) utilizando diversas técnicas de imágenes no-invasivas, incluida la novedosa técnica de imagen de retromodo (RMI). Como segundo objetivo analizamos las características morfológicas de las DDO bajo esta última técnica. Materiales y métodos: Este estudio incluyó un total de 7 pacientes con DDO bilaterales, obteniendo un total de 14 ojos analizados. Se utilizaron técnicas no invasivas de imágenes multimodales, que incluyeron fotografía multicolor del fondo de ojo (MC), reflectancia en infrarrojo (NIR), autofluorescencia en luz verde y en luz azul (G-FAF y B-FAF, respectivamente) y RMI. La FAF se utilizó como el método principal para el diagnóstico de DDO. Dos observadores realizaron las comparaciones, obteniendo las tasas de detección de cada uno de los métodos. Las mediciones cuantitativas de las DDO incluyeron el número, el perímetro (P) y el área (A) de las DDO identificadas mediante la técnica de RMI. Resultado: La edad promedio de los pacientes incluidos fue de 49,28±23,16 años; 5 de los 7 pacientes fueron de sexo masculino. La técnica de RMI pudo detectar DDO en todos los casos, con una sensibilidad del 100%, en comparación con MC (sensibilidad del 60,71%), NIR (sensibilidad del 60,71%), B-FAF (sensibilidad del 100%), G-FAF (sensibilidad del 100%). RMI fue la única técnica de imagen capaz de evaluar morfológica y cuantitativamente las DDO. Conclusiones: RMI es una prometedora modalidad no-invasiva de imagen para diagnosticar DDO superficiales, proporcionando información valiosa sobre la distribución, la ubicación y el tamaño de estas. Por lo tanto, mediante nuestros resultados sugerimos la incorporación de la novedosa técnica de RMI como una herramienta complementaria para el diagnóstico y el seguimiento de DDO en combinación con los otros métodos de imagen multimodales.(AU)

Objective: We aimed to compare the detectability of optic disc drusen (ODD), using various non-invasive imaging techniques, including the novel retro-mode imaging (RMI), as well as to analyze the morphological characteristics of ODD on RMI. Methods: This study involved 7 patients with bilateral ODD, totaling 14 eyes. Multimodal imaging techniques, including multicolor fundus photography (MC), near-infrared reflectance (NIR), green and blue light fundus autofluorescence (G-FAF and B-FAF, respectively), and RMI were used to examine the eyes. FAF was used as the primary method of identifying ODD, and each method's detection rate was compared by two observers. Quantitative measurements of ODD included the number of ODD visualized by the RMI technique, the perimeter (P) and area (A) of ODD were identified. Results: The average age of the patients included was 49.28±23.16 years, with 5 of the 7 being men. RMI was able to detect ODD in all cases, with a sensitivity of 100%, compared to MC (sensitivity 60.71%), NIR (sensitivity 60.71%), B-FAF (sensitivity 100%), G-FAF (sensitivity 100%). RMI was the only imaging technique capable of assessing ODD morphology and quantifying ODD. Conclusions: RMI is a promising imaging modality for diagnosing superficial ODD, providing valuable information on the distribution, location, and size of ODD. We suggest the incorporation of RMI as a complementary tool for diagnosing and monitoring ODD in combination with other multimodal imaging methods.(AU)

Síntesis de evidencia. Cianobacterias, efectos a la salud humana, animal y ambiental / Synthesis of evidence. Cyanobacteria, effects on human, animal and environmental health

Los cuerpos de agua dulce albergan una gran cantidad de microorganismos cruciales para los ecosistemas acuáticos, incluyendo las cianobacterias. Sin embargo, su proliferación descontrolada representa riesgos para la salud humana, animal y el medio ambiente. Esta revisión destaca los efectos adversos de las cianobacterias y sus toxinas, así como los métodos de detección y prevención. La gestión efectiva de estos eventos requiere una comprensión integral de los factores ambientales y un enfoque preventivo en el tratamiento del agua. Se necesitan estrategias multifacéticas que incluyan la monitorización continua, medidas de tratamiento adecuadas y políticas de conservación ambiental para abordar este desafío

Freshwater bodies host a large number of microorganisms crucial to aquatic ecosystems, including cyanobacteria. However, their uncontrolled proliferation poses risks to human, animal and environmental health. This review highlights the adverse effects of cyanobacteria and their toxins, as well as detection and prevention methods. Effective management of these events requires a comprehensive understanding of environmental factors and a preventive approach to water treatment. Multifaceted strategies including continuous monitoring, appropriate treatment measures and environmental conservation policies are needed to address this challenge

Prevención de infecciones asociadas a cuidados de la salud en pacientes quemados / Prevention of healthcare-associated Infections in burn patients

Las infecciones asociadas a cuidados de la salud (IACS) son una de las complicaciones más importantes que presentan los pacientes gran quemados. Aumentan su morbimortalidad, la duración de su estadía, el consumo de antimicrobianos y los costos hospitalarios. Las tasas reportadas de IACS son muy variables entre los distintos países y centros de atención.El ánimo de esta publicación es brindar el material necesa-rio y actualizado de las medidas de control de infecciones que se deben implementar en la atención de los quemados ya que no es fácil disponer de información sobre este tema.En la presente revisión se analizaron estudios de distin-tas poblaciones, adultos y niños, con diferentes tipos que-maduras y diversos lugares de atención. Se utilizó como material de referencia las recomendaciones vigentes de la Sociedad Internacional de injurias por Quemaduras (ISBI, por su sigla inglés) y se adicionaron publicaciones y expe-riencias de grupos de trabajo local e internacional referen-tes en el tema.Se describen cinco tipos de medidas de control y preven-ción de IACS: medidas generales, medidas de higiene am-biental, prevención de la infección de los lechos de las que-maduras, profilaxis antibiótica y medidas de prevención de neumonía, infecciones asociadas a catéteres vasculares y vesicales en quemados. Es esencial implementar un enfoque proactivo y multidisci-plinario del control de infecciones en la atención de estos pacientes, generando recomendaciones adaptadas a la realidad de cada centro de salud, destinadas a disminuir las transmisión cruzada de microorganismos, utilizar los antimicrobianos tópicos y sistémicos en forma adecuada, disminuir la multirresistencia, reducir las IACS y su mor-talidad

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are one of the most important complications of severe burn patients. They increase their morbidity and mortality, length of stay, antimicrobial consumption, and hospital costs. Re-ported rates of IACS vary widely across countries and care settings.The purpose of this publication is to provide the nec-essary and up-to-date material on the infection control measures that should be implemented in the care of burn patients, since it is not easy to have information on this subject.In this review, we analysed studies of different popula-tions, adults and children, with different types of burns and different places of care. The current recommenda-tions of the International Society of Burn Injuries (ISBI) were used as reference material, and publications and experiences of local and international working groups on the subject were added. Five types of IACS control and prevention measures are described: General mea-sures, Environmental hygiene measures, Prevention of infection of burn injuries, Antibiotic prophylaxis and pre-vention measures for pneumonia, infections associated with vascular and bladder catheters in burn patients.Conclusion: It is essential to implement a proactive and multidisciplinary approach to infection control in the care of these patients, generating recommendations adapted to the reality of each health center, aimed at reducing cross-transmission of microorganisms, using typical and systemic antimicrobials appropriately, reduc-ing multiresistance, reducing HAIs and their mortality

Effects of metformin on wild fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) using in-lake mesocosms in a boreal lake ecosystem.

Due to its widespread use for the treatment of Type-2 diabetes, metformin is routinely detected in surface waters globally. Laboratory studies have shown that environmentally relevant concentrations of metformin can adversely affect the health of adult fish, with effects observed more frequently in males. However, the potential risk to wild fish populations has yet to be fully elucidated and remains a topic of debate. To explore whether environmentally relevant metformin exposure poses a risk to wild fish populations, the present study exposed wild fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) to 5 or 50 µg/L metformin via 2 m diameter in-lake mesocosms deployed in a natural boreal lake in Northern Ontario at the International Institute for Sustainable Development - Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA). Environmental monitoring was performed at regular intervals for 8-weeks, with fish length, weight (body, liver and gonad), condition factor, gonadosomatic index, liver-somatic index, body composition (water and biomolecules) and hematocrit levels evaluated at test termination. Metabolic endpoints were also evaluated using liver, brain and muscle tissue, and gonads were evaluated histologically. Results indicate that current environmental exposure scenarios may be sufficient to adversely impact the health of wild fish populations. Adult male fish exposed to metformin had significantly reduced whole body weight and condition factor and several male fish from the high-dose metformin had oocytes in their testes. Metformin-exposed fish had altered moisture and lipid (decrease) content in their tissues. Further, brain (increase) and liver (decrease) glycogen were altered in fish exposed to high-dose metformin. To our knowledge, this study constitutes the first effort to understand metformin's effects on a wild small-bodied fish population under environmentally relevant field exposure conditions.

Cellulose-based materials in environmental protection: A scientometric and visual analysis review.

As sustainable materials, cellulose-based materials have attracted significant attention in the field of environmental protection, resulting in the publication of numerous academic papers. However, there is a scarcity of literature that involving scientometric analysis within this specific domain. This review aims to address this gap and highlight recent research in this field by utilizing scientometric analysis and a historical review. As a result, 21 highly cited articles and 10 mostly productive journals were selected out. The scientometric analysis reveals that recent studies were objectively clustered into five interconnected main themes: extraction of cellulose from raw materials and its degradation, adsorption of pollutants using cellulose-based materials, cellulose-acetate-based membrane materials, nanocellulose-based materials, and other cellulose-based materials such as carboxymethyl cellulose and bacterial cellulose for environmental protection. Analyzing the distribution of author keywords and thoroughly examining relevant literature, the research focuses within these five themes were summarized. In the future, the development of eco-friendly and cost-effective methods for extracting and preparing cellulose and its derivatives, particularly nanocellulose-based materials, remains an enduring pursuit. Additionally, machine learning techniques holds promise for the advancement and application of cellulose-based materials. Furthermore, there is potential to expand the research and application scope of cellulose-based materials for environmental protection.

Ethanol, acetaldehyde, and methanol in the gas phase and rainwater in different biomes and urban regions of Brazil.

In the context of the increasing global use of ethanol biofuel, this work investigates the concentrations of ethanol, methanol, and acetaldehyde, in both the gaseous phase and rainwater, across six diverse urban regions and biomes in Brazil, a country where ethanol accounts for nearly half the light-duty vehicular fuel consumption. Atmospheric ethanol median concentrations in São Paulo (SP) (12.3 ± 12.1 ppbv) and Ribeirão Preto (RP) (12.1 ± 10.9 ppbv) were remarkably close, despite the SP vehicular fleet being ∼13 times larger. Likewise, the rainwater VWM ethanol concentration in SP (4.64 ± 0.38 µmol L-1) was only 26 % higher than in RP (3.42 ± 0.13 µmol L-1). This work demonstrated the importance of evaporative emissions, together with biomass burning, as sources of the compounds studied. The importance of biogenic emissions of methanol during forest flooding was identified in campaigns in the Amazon and Atlantic forests. Marine air masses arriving at a coastal site led to the lowest concentrations of ethanol measured in this work. Besides vehicular and biomass burning emissions, secondary formation of acetaldehyde by photochemical reactions may be relevant in urban and non-urban regions. The combined deposition flux of ethanol and methanol was 6.2 kg ha-1 year-1, avoiding oxidation to the corresponding and more toxic aldehydes. Considering the species determined here, the ozone formation potential (OFP) in RP was around two-fold higher than in SP, further evidencing the importance of emissions from regional distilleries and biomass burning, in addition to vehicles. At the forest and coastal sites, the OFP was approximately 5 times lower than at the urban sites. Our work evidenced that transition from gasoline to ethanol or ethanol blends brings the associated risk of increasing the concentrations of highly toxic aldehydes and ozone, potentially impacting the atmosphere and threatening air quality and human health in urban areas.

Assessing the responses of ecosystem patterns, structures and functions to drought under climate change in the Yellow River Basin, China.

Understanding how ecosystems respond and adapt to drought has become an urgent issue as drought stress intensifies under climate change, yet this topic is not fully understood. Currently, conclusions on the response of ecosystems in different regions to drought disturbance are inconsistent. Based on long MODIS data and observed data, this study systematically explored the relationships between ecosystem patterns, structures and functions and drought, taking a typical climate change-sensitive area and an ecologically fragile area-the Yellow River Basin-as a case study. Drought assessment results revealed that the Yellow River Basin has experienced meteorological and hydrological drought during most of the last two decades, predominantly characterized by medium and slight droughts. The ecosystem patterns and structures changed dramatically as the grassland decreased and the landscape fragmentation index (F) increased with increasing wetness. The annual gross primary productivity (GPP) increased, the water use efficiency (WUE) declined and ecosystem service value (ESV) exhibited a W-shaped increase at the watershed scale, but there were significant regional differences. There were positive correlations between F, GPP, ESV and drought indices, while there was a negative correlation between WUE and drought indices at the watershed scale. Under drought stress, the ecosystem structure in the basin was disrupted, the GPP and ESV decreased, but the WUE increased. Notably, approximately 106 %, 20 %, and 1 % of the maximum reductions in F, GPP, and ESV, respectively, were caused by drought, while the maximum 4 % of WUE increased. Responses of some functions in the wetland and grassland to drought vary from those in other ecosystems. The mechanisms underlying ecosystem responses to drought were further investigated. This study enhances the understanding of these responses and will help stakeholders formulate drought mitigation policies and protect ecosystem health.

Spatial-temporal change of river thermal environment and anthropogenic impact in China.

River water temperature is important and closely related to river ecosystem, concerning fishery industry, human health, and the land-sea exchange of nutrients, especially for great powers with a good deal of heat emission from once-through cooling systems of thermal power plants. However, the changes in river water temperature under the joint action of climate change and human activity such as the heat emission have not been well investigated for rising powers, hampering environmental policy making for sustainable development. Therefore, we have taken advantage of a recently-developed land surface model including river water temperature calculation with anthropogenic thermal discharge and zonal statistics to quantitatively make out the river water temperature variation and the man-made influence over the past thirty years (1981-2010) in China for the first time. Results show that the estimated water temperature in major rivers is generally close to the observation with the r2 of 0.83, though the underestimation exists in some rivers. The river water in the Pearl River Basin was the warmest with the mean temperature of 19.2 °C and the others in order were in the Southeast Basin, the Huaihe River Basin, the Yangtze River Basin, the Haihe River Basin, the Yellow River Basin, the Southwest Basin, the Song-Liao River Basin, and the Continental Basin, ranging from 16.7 °C to 6.3 °C. The Huaihe River Basin had the fastest mean increase rate of ca. 0.27 °C decade-1, while the slowest mean increase rate of ca. 0.13 °C decade-1 existed in the Pearl River Basin. At the subbasin scale, a meridionally-distributed hot spot zone (along the 115°E) of the increasing water temperature has been identified, where the trends ranged from 0.2 °C decade-1 to 0.5 °C decade-1. Air temperature exerted a major control on the spatial pattern of climatological water temperature, while both air temperature and downwelling solar flux played a leading role in the distribution of water temperature change trends. Although anthropogenic thermal emission heated the rivers locally, the impacts in the Song-Liao River, the Haihe River, the Huaihe River, and the middle and lower reaches of Yellow River and Yangtze River had been raised up to ca. 4.5 °C, when comparing with those controlled by climate change only. In general, these results show an acceptable level of river water temperature simulation in the land surface model, and could provide a scientific reference for the assessment on riverine thermal environment under the climate change and social impact in China.

Nitrogen Forms Regulate the Response of Microcystis aeruginosa to Nanoplastics at Environmentally Relevant Nitrogen Concentrations.

As essential primary producers, cyanobacteria play a major role in global carbon and nitrogen cycles. Though the influence of nanoplastics on the carbon metabolism of cyanobacteria is well-studied, little is known about how nanoplastics affect their nitrogen metabolism, especially under environmentally relevant nitrogen concentrations. Here, we show that nitrogen forms regulated growth inhibition, nitrogen consumption, and the synthesis and release of microcystin (MC) in Microcystis aeruginosa exposed to 10 µg/mL amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NH2) with a particle size of 50 nm under environmentally relevant nitrogen concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, and urea. We demonstrate that PS-NH2 inhibit M. aeruginosa differently in nitrate, urea, and ammonium, with inhibition rates of 51.87, 39.70, and 36.69%, respectively. It is caused through the differences in impairing cell membrane integrity, disrupting redox homeostasis, and varying nitrogen transport pathways under different nitrogen forms. M. aeruginosa respond to exposure of PS-NH2 by utilizing additional nitrogen to boost the production of amino acids, thereby enhancing the synthesis of MC, extracellular polymeric substances, and membrane phospholipids. Our results found that the threat of nanoplastics on primary producers can be regulated by the nitrogen forms in freshwater ecosystems, contributing to a better understanding of nanoplastic risks under environmentally relevant conditions.

Human and AI collaboration in the higher education environment: opportunities and concerns.

In service of the goal of examining how cognitive science can facilitate human-computer interactions in complex systems, we explore how cognitive psychology research might help educators better utilize artificial intelligence and AI supported tools as facilitatory to learning, rather than see these emerging technologies as a threat. We also aim to provide historical perspective, both on how automation and technology has generated unnecessary apprehension over time, and how generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT are a product of the discipline of cognitive science. We introduce a model for how higher education instruction can adapt to the age of AI by fully capitalizing on the role that metacognition knowledge and skills play in determining learning effectiveness. Finally, we urge educators to consider how AI can be seen as a critical collaborator to be utilized in our efforts to educate around the critical workforce skills of effective communication and collaboration.

Socio-demographic, agricultural, and personal protective factors in relation to health literacy among farmers from all regions of Thailand.

Introduction: Farmers are vulnerable to adverse health effects from pesticide exposure due to their health literacy (HL). Therefore, this study aims to investigate HL among farmers in four main regions of Thailand, investigating socio-demographics, agricultural, and personal protective factors to their HL. Methods: This cross-sectional design study was conducted on 4,035 farmers from January to July 2023. The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire-47 items were used to measure HL. Results: Thai farmers had a mean HL score of 34.7 ± 8.7, and the farmers in the North region of Thailand had the highest frequency of limited HL (75.8%). Socio-demographic factors that were associated with HL included gender, region of living, marital status, education level, co-morbidity, and number of family members. Agricultural factors associated with HL included planting status, working hours on farm, spraying pesticides, harvesting crops, pesticide use of >1 type, access information from government officers, access information from posters/brochures, information from online multimedia, and access information from neighbors. Personal protective factors that were associated with HL included wearing a hat, goggles, a rubber apron, and a long-sleeved shirt. Discussion: Our study recommends that strategies and interventions to enhance the HL of farmers should be focused on the target populations, which include men, widows, or divorced, those with low levels of education, those who have co-morbidities, and those who applied pesticides of more than 1 type and improper personal protective equipment (PPE) use. The primary emphasis needs to be on the North region of Thailand, making that the target area to improve health equity in Thailand. These efforts would enhance the HL of farmers and sustainably improve pesticide safety behavior. Additionally, there is an urgent need for supportive measures aimed at altering on-farm practices and promoting education on alternative pest management strategies, particularly non-chemical crop protection, to ensure sustainable agriculture.

Facile fabrication of amorphous Al/Fe based metal-organic framework as effective heterogeneous fenton catalyst for environmental remediation.

This study presents a facile preparation and durable amorphous Fe and Al-based MOF nanoplate (AlFe-BTC MOFs) catalyst with notable stability in Fenton reactions. Rigorous characterization using XRD, HR-TEM, and BET confirms the amorphous nature of the synthesized AlFe-BTC MOFs, revealing mesopores (3.4 nm diameter), a substantial surface area (232 m2/g), and a pore volume of 0.69 cc/g. XPS analysis delineates distinct Al2p and Fe2p binding energy values, signifying specific chemical bonding. FE-SEM elemental mapping elucidates the distinctive distribution of Fe and Al within the framework of AlFe-BTC MOFs. In catalytic activity testing, the amorphous AlFe-BTC MOFs exhibited outstanding performance, achieving complete degradation of Methylene blue (MB) dye and 78% TOC removal over 45 min of treatment under mild reaction conditions. The catalyst's durability was assessed, revealing about 75% TOC removal and complete dye decomposition over five successive recycles, with less than 1 mg/L of Fe and Al leaching. UV-Vis spectra revealed the destruction of MB dye over multiple recycling studies. Based on this finding, the amorphous AlFe-BTC MOF nanoplates emerge as a promising solution for efficient dye removal from industrial wastewater, underscoring their potential in advanced environmental remediation processes.

Floristic changes and environmental drivers of soil fungi and archaea in different salt-tolerant plant communities in the intertidal habitat of coastal wetlands.

Microorganisms are crucial elements of terrestrial ecosystems, which play significant roles in improving soil physicochemical properties, providing plant growth nutrients, degrading toxic and harmful chemicals, and biogeochemical cycling. Variations in the types and quantities of root exudates among different plants greatly alter soil physicochemical properties and result in variations in the diversity, structure, and function of soil microorganisms. Not much is understood about the differences of soil fungi and archaea communities for different plant communities in coastal wetlands, and their response mechanisms to environmental changes. In this study, fungal and archaea communities in soils of Suaeda salsa, Phragmites australis, and Spartina alterniflora in the intertidal habitat of coastal wetlands were selected for research. Soil fungi and archaea were analyzed for diversity, community structure, and function using high throughput ITS and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The study revealed significant differences in fungi and archaea's diversity and community structure in the rhizosphere soil of three plant communities. At the same time, there is no significant difference in the functional groups. SOM, TP, AP, MC, EC and SOM, TN, TP, AP, MC, EC are the primary environmental determinants affecting changes in soil fungal and archaeal communities, respectively. Variations in the diversity, community structure, and ecological functions of fungi and archaea can be used as indicators characterizing the impact of external disturbances on the soil environment, providing a theoretical foundation for the effective utilization of soil microbial resources, thereby achieving the goal of environmental protection and health promotion.