Level Of Exposition Research Articles

Risk assessment of food with exposition levels below the LOAEL: challenges and potential solutions using CBD as an example

Risk assessment of food with exposition levels below the LOAEL: challenges and potential solutions using CBD as an example

Selected Fungicides as Potential EDC Estrogenic Micropollutants in the Environment.

An increasing level of pesticide exposition is being observed as a result of the consumption of large amounts of fruits, vegetables and grain products, which are key components of the vegetarian diet. Fungicides have been classified as endocrine-disrupting compounds, but their mechanisms of action have not yet been clarified. The effect of boscalid (B), cyprodinil (C) and iprodione (I) combined with Tamoxifen (T) and 17β-estradiol (E2) on cell viability, cell proliferation, reporter gene expression, ROS content, the cell membrane's function, cell morphology and antioxidant enzymes gene expression in MCF-7 and T47D-KBluc cell lines were investigated. The cell lines were chosen due to their response to 17β -estradiol. The selected fungicides are commonly used in Poland to protect crops against fungi. Our results revealed that the studied fungicides caused significant increases in cell viability and proliferation, and estrogenic activity was present in all studied compounds depending on their concentrations. Oxidative stress activated uncontrolled cancer cell proliferation by inducing ROS production and by inhibiting antioxidant defense. Our findings verify that the studied fungicides could possibly exhibit endocrine-disrupting properties and exposure should be avoided.

Review OSINT tool for social engineering.

In recent years, we observed an increase in cyber threats, especially social engineering attacks. By social engineering, we mean a set of techniques and tools to collect information about a person or target to extort sensitive information. Such information might be used for (industrial) espionage, to blackmail the user, or represent the starting point to perform malicious cyber attacks against the individual or, more often, against the organization they work for. The human factor is often the most vulnerable element in the security of any system, and the mass of information we disseminate online largely facilitates social engineering activities. To prevent and mitigate social engineering attacks, Open Source INTelligence (OSINT) techniques and tools can be used to evaluate the level of exposition of an individual or an organization. OSINT is the collection of information through open sources, that is, sources not protected by copyright or privacy. The article reviews the main OSINT tools for countering and preventing social engineering attacks. Specifically, it proposes the different tools diving them accordingly to the specific information they allow to track (e-mail, social profiles, phone numbers, etc.).

Modeling the Vulnerability of Livelihood Systems to Drought along Livelihood Zones in the Northwestern Escarpment of the Ethiopian Rift Valley

Drought is becoming a common problem for farmers in the Northwestern Escarpment Ethiopian Rift Valley’s three studied livelihood zones (LZs). Droughts wreaked havoc on the community’s livelihood systems regularly. It lefts the community food insure and repeatedly disturbs their ecosystems. As a result, the current study used meteorological, spatial, and socioeconomic data from the area to assess the community’s drought vulnerability. Each variable of drought vulnerability was normalized as proxy indicators to calculate exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity indexes. From the results, the Raya valley livelihood zone (RVLZ) is relatively more drought vulnerable (0.65) than the Tsirare catchment livelihood zone (TCLZ) (0.63) and Alagie-Ofla livelihood zones (ALOFLZ) (0.60). The RVLZ has a less adaptive capacity than ALOFLZ but more susceptibility and higher exposures to drought risks than the two LZs. Besides, the TCLZ has less adaptive capacity than the two livelihood zones, with more vulnerability and exposure to drought risks than ALOFLZ. The highest levels of exposition and susceptibility synergy with low resilience have aggravated the vulnerability to drought in all study LZs. Livelihood zone-based interventions and climate-smart farming are thus necessary for all LZs to reduce possible drought risks and transfer vulnerable communities into high adaptive capacities.

Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics: Boltzmann's versus Planck's State Definitions and Counting †.

During the physical foundation of his radiation formula in his December 1900 talk and subsequent 1901 article, Planck refers to Boltzmann’s 1877 combinatorial-probabilistic treatment and obtains his quantum distribution function, while Boltzmann did not. For this, Boltzmann’s memoirs are usually ascribed to classical statistical mechanics. Agreeing with Bach, it is shown that Boltzmann’s 1868 and 1877 calculations can lead to a Planckian distribution function, where those of 1868 are even closer to Planck than that of 1877. Boltzmann’s and Planck’s calculations are compared based on Bach’s three-level scheme ‘configuration–occupation–occupancy’. Special attention is paid to the concepts of interchangeability and the indistinguishability of particles and states. In contrast to Bach, the level of exposition is most elementary. I hope to make Boltzmann’s work better known in English and to remove misunderstandings in the literature.

The effects of examiner fatigue on the diagnostic accuracy of dental radiographs.

The aim of the study was to find out whether and to what extent the performance of dentists regarding diagnostic evaluation of dental radiographs is influenced by symptoms of fatigue. Over a period of 40 minutes, 21 dentists evaluated a database of 96 randomly selected, infinitely repeating intraoral dental radiographs for the presence of periapical radiolucencies. Both before and after, participants were asked to assess their subjective fatigue using the Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory (SOFI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). Diagnostic accuracy was analyzed using the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) method. Furthermore, the correlation between diagnostic accuracy and radiographic experience, image viewing time, and level of training was also evaluated. The study showed that despite increasing fatigue, the diagnostic accuracy of the examiners remained consistent with an average AUC value of 0.768 ± 0.091. Within the 40-min reporting period, no statistically significant fluctuations were found. The diagnostic accuracy varied depending on the radiographic experience: with many years of radiographic experience, the diagnostic accuracy increased. At the same time, the older study participants with greater radiographic experience became less tired compared to younger study participants during the examination. Although an increase in fatigue was observed during the 40-min examination, the diagnostic accuracy of the doctors remained constant. Due to the high workload which needs to be handled in a limited time, medical and dental professionals have reached a certain level of exposition to stress that can lead to physical fatigue. However, the increasing fatigue should not negatively influence the work of the doctors. The study shows that the radiodiagnostic accuracy remained the same.

Inhibitory control and the understanding of buoyancy from childhood to adulthood

Intuitive conceptions represent common obstacles to conceptual learning in science. A growing number of studies demonstrate that when learning occurs, these intuitive conceptions are not replaced by scientific conceptions but rather coexist with them and thus need to be inhibited to prevent systematic errors. However, to date no study has demonstrated that the increasing ability to mobilize a given scientific conception is rooted in the increasing ability to inhibit the intuitive conception that interferes with it. In the current study, we investigated whether the increasing ability from childhood to adulthood to solve a scientific problem regarding the buoyancy of marbles of different sizes and densities is rooted in the increasing ability to inhibit the “bigger objects sink more” intuitive conception. To do so, we designed a negative priming paradigm in which 11-year-old children, 17-year-old adolescents, and 24-year-old adults were asked to choose which of two marbles of various sizes and densities sinks more. Negative priming effects reported in children and adolescents suggest that, unlike adults, they must inhibit the “bigger objects sink more” intuitive conception to determine, for instance, that a small marble with high density (e.g., small lead marble) will sink more than a bigger marble with a lower density (e.g., big wooden marble). We also found that the amplitude of negative priming effects decreased with age, suggesting that the level of exposition to the scientific knowledge of buoyancy (increasing with age) may decrease the need to inhibit the “bigger objects sink more” intuitive conception.

Growth and survival over ten years of Brazil-nut trees planted in three anthropogenic habitats in northern Amazonia

ABSTRACT We examined the growth and survival of Brazil-nut trees, Bertholletia excelsa (Lecythidaceae) under different environmental conditions and levels of canopy openness within experimental plantations in the Trombetas River valley, in northern Brazil. We planted 144 seedlings in three anthropogenic habitats with different levels of sunlight exposition: crop field (100% canopy opening), shrub fallow (20-80% canopy opening) and Brazil-nut forest (< 10% canopy opening). We measured plant height and diameter annually and recorded mortality and resprouting over ten years. The performance of B. excelsa differed significantly among habitats, with the highest growth rate observed at the highest level of canopy openness (crop field). Survival was highest in crop field (85%) and shrub fallow (63%) and lowest in Brazil-nut forest (17%). Resprouting capacity was higher in the crop field, as Brazil-nut plants recovered after fire episodes, with most plants resprouting more than one shoot. Some trees in the crop field began to produce flowers and fruits at 9-10 years. We showed that B. excelsa juveniles are light-demanding, with higher survival and growth under conditions of high light exposure. We suggest the use of Brazil-nut trees for reforestation, restoration of degraded lands and enrichment of secondary vegetation, as long as an adequate management is adopted (e.g., maintaining plants exposed to direct sunlight and control of competing pioneer species).

Modelling the cooling energy saving potential of facade greening in summer for a set of building typologies in mid-latitudes

Densely populated city quarters lacking green increase the urban heat island effect and thermal discomfort outdoors and indoors. Facade greenings (FG) cool buildings and their surroundings through shading, insulation and transpiration, as demonstrated experimentally. FG also reduces energy consumption for building cooling. Because of complex interrelationships, to assess the performance of FG towards different buildings is not trivial.Therefore, a validated numerical heat-mass transfer model is proposed and applied to describe the energy saving potential of a one-layered FG for nine wall compositions representing relevant building types, climatic conditions in Berlin, Germany and Ljubljana, Slovenia and the south- and westward exposition. The buildings represent several functions and a range of wall insulation levels. For each scenario, temperatures and energy in- and outflows are calculated from June to September (20-year average).FG can reduce exterior and interior wall temperatures by up to 17 K and 2.9 K, respectively. For the whole period, energy savings range from 2 to 16 kWh m–2 depending on building and climate. Results show that both, level of insulation, thermal inertia, exposition and climatic conditions must be considered when predicting FG’s energy saving potential for buildings. The introduced model (http://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-10512) can be used to predict cooling performances and to identify priority buildings for FG implementation in cities.

Ochratoxin a in breast milk in Morocco: the affecting dietary habits of the lactating mothers and the degree of exposure of newborns “CONTAMILK study”

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the level of contamination of breast milk (BM) by ochratoxin A, among Moroccan lactating mothers in the city of Rabat, and to identify the associated factors of exposure, also to estimate the degree of exposure of the breastfeed infant. The analysis of ochratoxin A (OTA) was accomplished by ELISA method on 82 colostrum samples. OTA was detectable (>0.08 ng/mL) in 55% of samples with a maximum concentration of 10.04 ng/mL, and the levels exceeded 0.5 ng /mL in 50 % of the samples. In addition, several factors and dietary habits affect significantly the level of OTA in the analyzed samples of breast milk including, the consumption of industrial dairy products, the frequency of consumption of canned foods, dried fruits and legumes, also the period of breast milk collection. Besides, OTA was higher than the tolerable daily intake for 49% newborns. However, these results need to be confirmed by multicenter studies to more broadly estimate the levels of exposition of Moroccan population to OTA. Furthermore, awareness campaigns are recommended to inform the public, especially pregnant women and lactating women about appropriate preventive measures to limit exposure to this mycotoxin.

System for Assessing the Effectiveness of Temporary Blinding Devices

The development of non-lethal weapons and, in particular, temporary blinding devices is associated with problem of choosing boundaries of effectiveness. The aim of present work is determination of criteria for estimation of the effects of visual jamming devices action on the naked eye.The present-day scoring system used for effectiveness estimation of laser temporary blinding devices is based on maximum permissible exposure and/or accessible emission level defined for each hazard class in accordance with operating standard.In the present work we carried out analysis and modeling of the cases of application of temporary blinding laser devices. The proposed scoring system was founded on international standard IEC 60825-1-2014 as well as Manual on Laser Emitters and Flight Safety. The modeling of bright light action on observer eye was rested on CIE General Disability Glare Equation and provided quantitative description of jamming effectiveness. The main parameters used in this model and dictated by ambient light level and human eye characteristics, were veiling luminance and angle of distinguishing objects under it.In terms of exposition level and perception effects we determined six zones – unallowed, hazard, temporary blinding, discomfort, alerting, completely safe. Proposed system combined with modeling provides with visual demonstration of perceived light source and allows to describe human physiological sensation and to establish the fact of jamming at different distances. This system was the basis of the development of temporary blinding device for revelation of safe but effective spatial boundaries of action.

On Keynes’s Painstaking Slow Instruction of Harrod on the Technical Aspects of His IS-LM Model in July-September, 1935:Harrod Only Finally Understood Keynes’s IS-LM Model After He Had Read the Postscript to Keynes’s Letter of August 27th, 1935 to Harrod

Keynes spent a tremendous amount of time and energy attempting to tutor Harrod on the mechanics of his IS-LM model between July to September, 1935. Keynes’s painstaking slow attempts finally led Keynes in desperation to write a three point postscript to his letter of August, 1935, that is written at a grammar school level of exposition. Only after reading Keynes’s three point postscript, written at a grammar school level of exposition, did Harrod finally grasp the point that Keynes was making, which is that it is impossible for there to be any equilibrium in Aggregate (Effective) Demand, Y, interest rate, r, space of Investment(I) and Savings(S) because the IS curve was a SINGLE, downward sloping line in (Y,r) space. There is ,obviously, a missing equation. Harrod’s continual resort to ceteris paribus assumptions about a constant or fixed level of aggregate income ,Y, in order to support the existing classical (neoclassical ) theory of the rate of interest in (r;I,S ) space, is very similar to Pigou’s assumption of ceteris paribus in his 1933 The Theory of Unemployment, so that he could apply his Marshallian apparatus of partial equilibrium. Keynes’s main point in the appendix to Chapter 19 of his General Theory (1936) was that Pigou had no IS-LM model. The critical problem is that Harrod, starting with his January,1937 Econometrica article, sought to cover up Keynes’s IS-LM model, just as he attempted to cover up Keynes’s multiplier – accelerator model provided by Keynes to Harrod in correspondence in August,1938. The unanimous belief among economists that Hicks was the inventor of the IS-LM model in his April, 1937 Econometrica article is simply a myth that is easily falsified by any economist who reads the correspondence of August 27th and August 30th, 1935 between Harrod and Keynes.

COVID-19 pandemic and management of patients with chronic neurological conditions in low-middle income countries: the added burden

In the Era of SARS-COV2 pandemic, management of non-COVID-19 patients remained heterogenous, particularly in Low-Middle Income Countries where the majority of resources have been allocated to COVID-19 and where managing complex chronic patients with multiple comorbidities such as Neurologic patients is already challenging due to the vulnerability of these patient category, scarce qualified human resources and lack of adapted health structures. We expose a locally developed algorithm aiming to better manage chronic neurological patients, help reduce their exposition level to SARS-COV2 disease while ensuring care continuity without increasing the costs of the preventive measures. This procedure was based on two main pillars: telemedicine as a useful tool for avoiding the necessity of patient’s physical presence at the hospital while ensuring an effective clinical follow up. In five weeks, we performed over 300 WhatsApp® consultations, received 450 vocal messages and 262 written questions; Protectives measures dependent on the patient’s risk assessment which could varies from the simple mask wearing instruction to the strict protective isolation protocol.

Molecular identification and prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in zebu and taurine cattle in North Cameroon

BackgroundPublic interest for tick-borne pathogens in cattle livestock is rising due to their veterinary and zoonotic importance. Consequently, correct identification of these potential pathogens is crucial to estimate the level of exposition, the risk and the detrimental impact on livestock and the human population.ResultsConventional PCR with generic primers was used to identify groups of tick-borne pathogens in cattle breeds from northern Cameroon. The overall prevalence in 1260 blood samples was 89.1%, with 993 (78.8%) positive for Theileria/Babesia spp., 959 (76.1%) for Anaplasma/Ehrlichia spp., 225 (17.9%) for Borrelia spp., and 180 (14.3%) for Rickettsia spp. Sanger sequencing of a subset of positively-tested samples revealed the presence of Theileria mutans (92.2%, 130/141), T. velifera (16.3%, 23/141), Anaplasma centrale (10.9%, 15/137), A. marginale (30.7%, 42/137), A. platys (51.1%, 70/137), Anaplasma sp. ‘Hadesa’ (10.9%, 15/137), Ehrlichia ruminantium (0.7%, 1/137), E. canis (0.7%, 1/137), Borrelia theileri (91.3%, 42/46), Rickettsia africae (59.4%, 19/32) and R. felis (12.5%, 4/32). A high level of both intra- and inter-generic co-infections (76.0%) was observed. To the best of our knowledge, B. theileri, T. mutans, T. velifera, A. platys, Anaplasma sp. ‘Hadesa’, R. felis and E. canis are reported for the first time in cattle from Cameroon, and for R. felis it is the first discovery in the cattle host. Babesia spp. were not detected by sequencing. The highest number of still identifiable species co-infections was up to four pathogens per genus group. Multifactorial analyses revealed a significant association of infection with Borrelia theileri and anemia. Whereas animals of older age had a higher risk of infection, the Gudali cattle had a lower risk compared to the other local breeds.ConclusionCo-infections of tick-borne pathogens with an overall high prevalence were found in all five study sites, and were more likely to occur than single infections. Fulani, Namchi and Kapsiki were the most infected breed in general; however, with regions as significant risk factor. A better-adapted approach for tick-borne pathogen identification in co-infected samples is a requirement for epidemiological investigations and tailored control measures.

Sleep quality of offshore wind farm workers in the German exclusive economic zone: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo assess the quality of sleep of employees in the German offshore wind industry and to explore factors associated with poor sleep quality.DesignWeb-based cross-sectional survey.SettingOffshore companies operating in wind farms...

Serological Evidence of Mosquito-Borne Flaviviruses Circulation in Hunting Dogs in Campania Region, Italy

A Flavivirus survey on 183 hunting dogs was conducted in Campania region, Southern Italy. The seroprevalence value of 40.43% (74/183, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] 33.37-47.49) detected in our study using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent serologic assay (cELISA) proves a considerable level of Flavivirus exposition of these animals. Among the 74 cELISA-positive sera, seroneutralization (SN) test showed that 24 sera resulted positive for Usutu virus with an overall prevalence of 13.11% (24/183) (95% CI 8.27-17.95), but none of cELISA-positive samples resulted positive for West Nile virus. Data analysis showed a significant difference of cELISA seropositivity risk factors in case of presence of farm animals in contact with hunting dogs and for dogs living in a rural environment but not for gender, age, management, hunting season, and hunting abroad. A RT-PCR assay was performed to detect the Flavivirus RNA, but none of the blood samples tested positive. This study documents the first report regarding the circulation of Flavivirus in hunting dog in Southern Italy and suggests the dog as an interesting target to monitor Flavivirus circulation.

High-frequency, high-intensity electromagnetic field effects on Saccharomyces cerevisiae conversion yields and growth rates in a reverberant environment

Studies of the effects of electromagnetic waves on Saccharomyces cerevisiae emphasize the need to develop instrumented experimental systems ensuring a characterization of the exposition level to enable unambiguous assessment of their potential effects on living organisms. A bioreactor constituted with two separate compartments has been designed. The main element (75% of total volume) supporting all measurement and control systems (temperature, pH, agitation, and aeration) is placed outside the exposure room whereas the secondary element is exposed to irradiation. Measurements of the medium dielectric properties allow the determination of the electromagnetic field at any point inside the irradiated part of the reactor and are consistent with numerical simulations. In these conditions, the growth rate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the ethanol yield in aerobic conditions are not significantly modified when submitted to an electromagnetic field of 900 and 2400 MHz with an average exposition of 6.11 V.m−1 and 3.44 V.m−1 respectively.

Preliminary results on the influence of car characteristics on their gases emissions using gas sensors

A method, based on the use of monitoring portable sensors, has been successfully employed for the determination of the composition of car exhausts from 11 diesel and 5 gasoline cars. These emissions include nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The measures were taken in different places where each car was parked. In this study it has been tried to correlate the emitted gases with some of the car characteristics, such as the power (varied from 68 to 143HP), the number of kilometers traveled and the age of the car (between 2 and 19years). Results found show a significant variation of the emission values, which range between 490 and 3350ppm for CO2, from 0.1 to 40.3ppm for CO and between 0.13 and 32.25mg/m3 for VOCs. In the case of NO2 emissions, the highest measured level was 4.66mg/m3. Moreover, measurements of human breath, before starting up and turning off the car, were used to evaluate the impact of vehicle emissions on the human health. It was found exposition levels which indeed the effects of exhausts on the quality of operator air lungs.

Bergson, Descartes e a Vida Interior

A despeito de seu vocabulário técnico e argumentos sinuosos, a questão da subjetividade indica uma maneira peculiar pela qual a Filosofia moderna pensa sobre “quem nós somos”. Trata-se aqui de recuperar o aspecto intuitivo deste problema. Para tanto, proponho um contraponto entre as filosofias de Descartes e de Henri Bergson. O que as torna mais próximas daquela intuição filosófica quanto à nossa vivência interior é que ambas compartilham a concepção de Filosofia como um modo de vida do qual o discurso teórico é uma parte importante, mas somente uma parte. Por isso, os argumentos e o plano de exposição dessas filosofias serão interpretados à luz da conjuntura existencial na qual foram ensinados. Ao realçar a concepção existencial que subsiste à questão estritamente teórica do sujeito, pretendo indicar como esta pode renovar, no âmbito da Metafísica Contemporânea, o problema filosófico do sentido da vida.

Corticosterone levels in relation to trace element contamination along an urbanization gradient in the common blackbird (Turdus merula)

In a rapidly urbanizing world, trace element pollution may represent a threat to human health and wildlife, and it is therefore crucial to assess both exposition levels and associated effects of trace element contamination on urban vertebrates. In this study, we investigated the impact of urbanization on trace element contamination and stress physiology in a wild bird species, the common blackbird (Turdus merula), along an urbanization gradient (from rural to moderately urbanized areas). Specifically, we described the contamination levels of blackbirds by 4 non-essential (Ag, Cd, Hg, Pb) and 9 essential trace elements (As, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Se, Zn), and explored the putative disrupting effects of the non-essential element contamination on corticosterone levels (a hormonal proxy for environmental challenges). We found that non-essential trace element burden (Cd and Pb specifically) increased with increasing urbanization, indicating a significant trace element contamination even in medium sized cities and suburban areas. Interestingly, the increased feather non-essential trace element concentrations were also associated with elevated feather corticosterone levels, suggesting that urbanization probably constrains birds and that this effect may be mediated by trace element contamination. Future experimental studies are now required to disentangle the influence of multiple urban-related constraints on corticosterone levels and to specifically test the influence of each of these trace elements on corticosterone secretion.