Natural Exposure Research Articles

Birch-induced allergic rhinitis: Results of exposure during nasal allergen challenge, environmental chamber, and pollen season

BackgroundPollen variation can affect field study data quality. Nasal allergen challenge (NAC) is considered the gold standard for evaluating allergic rhinitis, while environmental exposure chambers (EECs) are mainly used in phase 2 drug development studies. We aimed to study birch-induced allergic rhinitis under 3 different conditions. MethodsThis study included 30 participants allergic to birch pollen, based on birch skin prick test, specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), and positive NAC. Participants were exposed to placebo twice, followed by 2 consecutive 4-h birch airborne exposures, repeated on 2 occasions to evaluate reproducibility and priming effect. Nasal response was defined as total corrected nasal symptom score (ΔTNSS) ≥ 5 during NAC and EEC. The primary end-point was to measure TNSS during the last 2 h of first allergen exposure. TNSS was also analyzed during natural exposure. ResultsThe dose most commonly yielding positive TNSS during NAC was 175.2 ng/200 μL. Eighteen participants experienced ΔTNSS ≥5 during the last 2 h of the first exposure, whereas 21 had positive responses at all 4 exposures. Mean ΔTNSS was 1 with placebo versus 6 with birch. Exposures were reproducible, with no observed priming effect. Airborne Bet v 1 was 25 ng/m3, while the pollen measurement was 279/m3 during pollen season. TNSS reached 5 in 67.9% of participants during peak pollen season. ConclusionEEC outcomes were similar to those obtained with NAC and natural exposure, suggesting the usefulness of EEC in allergic rhinitis studies. The primary end-point was reached, as 60% of participants experienced nasal responses.

Assessment the Impact of Climate Changes on Snow Cover Area Using Landsat Data in Sulaymaniyah City, Iraq

Snow due to its unique reflective nature and wide surface exposure is an important component of the Earth’s radiation balance. Data from Landsat5 TM and Landsat8 OLI images were used to detect the change in snow cover, values of water bodies, and land surface temperature during the study period years 1987, 1999, 2009, and 2022. ArcGIS 10.8 is used to determine the variations and calculate NDSI, NDSInw, NDWI, and LST index indices. This study aimed to monitor the snow cover area in Sulaymaniyah city, northeastern Iraq, and evaluate the impact of climate changes on snow cover. The results showed significant changes in the snow cover, and the area and percentage of snow cover decreased continuously during the study periods. Some regions have preserved the snow cover and these regions are concentrated in the northeastern part of the province. The finding also revealed that NDSI overestimated the amount of snow and ice cover, because it employs the near-infrared and visible bands, and NDSInw can extract ice cover in areas with water cover more effectively due to its usage of the NIR band.

Synthesis of submicron ferrous oxalate from red mud with high Fenton catalytic performance on degradation of methylene blue.

Ferrous oxalate dihydrate (FOD) can be used as a photo-Fenton catalyst with remarkable photo-Fenton catalytic and photocatalytic performances on organic pollutant degradation. Various reduction processes were compared in the current study to synthesize FODs from ferric oxalate solutionutilizing the iron source in alumina waste red mud (RM), including natural light exposure (NL-FOD), UV light irradiation (UV-FOD), and hydroxylamine hydrochloride hydrothermal method (HA-FOD). The FODs were characterized and employed as photo-Fenton catalysts for methylene blue (MB) degradation, and the effects of HA-FOD dosage, H2O2 dosage, MB concentration, and the initial pH were investigated. The results show that HA-FOD has submicron sizes and lower impurity contents with more rapid degradation rates and higher degradation efficiencies compared with the other two FOD products. When using 0.1g/L of each obtained FOD, 50mg/L of MB can be rapidly degraded by HA-FOD by 97.64% within 10min with 20mg/L of H2O2 at pH of 5.0, while NL-FOD and UV-FOD achieve 95.52% in 30min and 96.72% in 15min at the same conditions, respectively. Meanwhile, HA-FOD exhibits strong cyclic stability after two recycling experiments. Scavenger experiments reveal that the predominant reactive oxygen species responsible for MB degradation are hydroxyl radicals. These findings demonstrate that submicron FOD catalyst can be synthesized using hydroxylamine hydrochloride hydrothermal process from ferric oxalate solution with high photo-Fenton degradation efficiency and reduced reaction time for wastewater treatment. The study also provides a new pathway of efficient utilization for RM.

Are Humans Part of the Natural World? U.S. Children's and Adults' Concept of Nature and its Relationship to Environmental Concern.

Understanding factors that promote conservation attitudes is essential given ongoing environmental crises and the need for sustainability. Our research adopted various close- and open-ended tasks to explore: the extent to which U.S. urban adults (Study 1) and children (Study 2) have a basic conception of humans as part of nature, cognitive factors that predict more human-inclusive concepts of nature, and, finally, the relationship of their nature concepts and other individual differences to environmental moral concern and biocentric reasoning. General environmental moral concern and biocentric moral reasoning were a focus because both variables have previously been linked to sustainable attitudes. Across studies, adults and children did not tend to categorize humans as part of nature except when induced or disposed to attribute mind or life to nature. Among adults, a human-inclusive nature concept did not predict environmental moral concern or biocentrism. However, the degree of exposure to nature was positively predictive while a cluster of beliefs about humans as intrinsically unique, superior, and influential (human exceptionalism) was negatively predictive. Among children, a basic human-inclusive concept of nature was related to environmental concern but only among children who also tended to reason in ecological terms. These findings have important implications for sustainability efforts: They suggest that environmental moral concern and biocentric attitudes may be enhanced over-development by nature exposure and interventions that enduringly promote human-inclusive concepts of nature and ecological-systems understanding. Such intervention effects might be achieved by selectively inducing individuals to attribute mind and life to non-human natural phenomena and scaffolding accurate mechanistic understanding of evolution and common ancestry, which may also help to inhibit the development and deleterious effects of human exceptionalism.

Public Exposure to Natural Radiation and the Associated Increased Risk of Lung Cancer in the Betare-Oya Gold Mining Areas, Eastern Cameroon

Background: This study aims to reevaluate natural radiation exposure, following up on our previous study conducted in 2019, and to assess the associated risk of lung cancer to the public residing in the gold mining areas of Betare-Oya, east Cameroon, and its vicinity.Materials and Methods: Gamma-ray spectra collected using a 7.62 cm×7.62 cm in NaI(Tl) scintillation spectrometer during a car-borne survey, <i>in situ</i> measurements and laboratory measurements performed in previous studies were used to determine the outdoor absorbed dose rate in air to evaluate the annual external dose inhaled by the public. For determining internal exposure, radon gas concentrations were measured and used to estimate the inhalation dose while considering the inhalation of radon and its decay products.Results and Discussion: The mean value of the laboratory-measured outdoor gamma dose rate was 47 nGy/hr, which agrees with our previous results (44 nGy/hr) recorded through direct measurements (in situ and car-borne survey). The resulting annual external dose (0.29±0.09 mSv/yr) obtained is similar to that of the previous study (0.33±0.03 mSv/yr). The total inhalation dose resulting from radon isotopes and their decay products ranged between 1.96 and 9.63 mSv/yr with an arithmetic mean of 3.95±1.65 mSv/yr. The resulting excess lung cancer risk was estimated; it ranged from 62 to 216 excess deaths per million persons per year (MPY), 81 to 243 excess deaths per MPY, or 135 excess deaths per MPY, based on whether risk factors reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of Atomic Radiation, or International Commission on Radiological Protection were used, respectively. These values are more than double the world average values reported by the same agencies.Conclusion: There is an elevated level of risk of lung cancer from indoor radon in locations close to the Betare-Oya gold mining region in east Cameroon. Therefore, educating the public on the harmful effects of radon exposure and considering some remedial actions for protection against radon and its progenies is necessary.

Sunlight Induced Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye by SnS2 Nanoplates Under Natural Sunlight Exposure

Removal of dyes from water bodies is a significant concern throughout the world. In this study, SnS2 nanoplates were synthesized by a hydrothermal synthetic route at 160°C, and it is effectively characterized by various techniques. The XRD peaks confirmed the hexagonal planes of SnS2. The nanoplates-like morphology was revealed by FESEM and HRTEM. The optical band gap was investigated by UV-vis DRS and showed a reflection edge with corresponding energy at 2.2 eV. The photocatalytic activity of the SnS2 nanoplates is tested against the degradation of methylene blue under natural sunlight irradiation. About 95% degradation of methylene blue is observed in 120 min with the photocatalytic degradation rate of 0.021min-1. Results confirmed that the SnS2nanoplatescould facilitate 95 % degradation of methylene dye and followed the first-order kinetic model.

Commercial Immunoglobulin Products Contain Neutralizing Antibodies Against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Spike Protein.

Patients with antibody deficiency respond poorly to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and are at risk of severe or prolonged infection. They are given long-term immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IRT) prepared from healthy donor plasma to confer passive immunity against infection. Following widespread COVID-19 vaccination alongside natural exposure, we hypothesized that immunoglobulin preparations will now contain neutralizing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike antibodies, which confer protection against COVID-19 disease and may help to treat chronic infection. We evaluated anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody in a cohort of patients before and after immunoglobulin infusion. Neutralizing capacity of patient samples and immunoglobulin products was assessed using in vitro pseudovirus and live-virus neutralization assays, the latter investigating multiple batches against current circulating Omicron variants. We describe the clinical course of 9 patients started on IRT during treatment of COVID-19. In 35 individuals with antibody deficiency established on IRT, median anti-spike antibody titer increased from 2123 to 10 600 U/mL postinfusion, with corresponding increase in pseudovirus neutralization titers to levels comparable to healthy donors. Testing immunoglobulin products directly in the live-virus assay confirmed neutralization, including of BQ1.1 and XBB variants, but with variation between immunoglobulin products and batches.Initiation of IRT alongside remdesivir in patients with antibody deficiency and prolonged COVID-19 infection (median 189 days, maximum >900 days with an ancestral viral strain) resulted in clearance of SARS-CoV-2 at a median of 20 days. Immunoglobulin preparations now contain neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that are transmitted to patients and help to treat COVID-19 in individuals with failure of humoral immunity.

Influence of initial season on PVC weathering

The forecast of the aging behavior of PVC items from the initial stage of formulation design is crucial and relies on accelerated weathering devices. However, running outdoor weathering tests is necessary to achieve more realistic data. Natural aging norms do not specify the initial season of exposure as a parameter, but there are natural outdoor exposure studies outlining the importance of this aspect and indicating that the lowest degradation is obtained when exposure program starts in autumn and the highest one is observed when exposure starts in winter. Therefore, the first aim of this work is to understand if the initial exposure season affects the final results. Another aim, is the investigation of the effect of titanium dioxide loading to understand if the increase in cost formulation, is worth the stabilization effect. The last goal, is the understanding of the effect of stabilizers’ types: tin-based ones mostly used in North America, compared to Calcium Organic ones mostly utilized in Europe. As for the first aim, neither the graphical comparison of discoloration data, nor their statistical analysis confirmed that starting season has a significant effect on degradation. As for the second aim, the same analysis showed that the increase of titanium dioxide from 7 to 9 phr (parts per 100 parts of PVC) is irrelevant on degradation rate. As for the effect of stabilizer type, our analysis indicated that there is a significant difference among only one tin-based stabilizer compared to the others.

Nature exposure is not associated with parent-reported or objectively measured sleep quality in 6-year-old children – a study in Finland

ABSTRACT Exposure to green environments has been associated with better sleep quality in adults. This study examined whether nature exposure is associated with parent-reported or actigraphy measured sleep quality in children. Against the hypotheses, no differences in sleep quality between the case and control groups or a moderating effect of socioeconomic status or sex were found. Green environment exposure may not serve as an environmental intervention to increase sleep quality in children.

Stone's Throw and Ten Paces

A Stone’s Throw was created as a class project for an undergraduate first-year writing class and is partially based on my own experiences growing up close to a wooded trail in northern Minnesota. My initial intention for the story was to write and illustrate a simple narrative about the mental health benefits of nature exposure, based on both my personal experiences and the findings of several previously published research articles. The basic goal of the story is to introduce the reader to the concept of interacting with nature as a restorative experience, and portray experiencing nature as an accessible activity that requires no prior knowledge or particular skill set.
 Ideas for reflection:
 
 Nature can be present around you in many ways, from a state park to a garden to a simple potted plant. What types of nature do you notice around your neighborhood? What types of nature might your students notice?
 In the narrative, nature journaling is portrayed as one form of interaction with nature. What other forms of interaction could you engage with and/or teach to your students?

Carbonation of supersulfated cement concrete after 8 years of natural exposure

Supersulfated cement (SSC) has garnered attention as a potential lower-carbon alternative to traditional Portland cement, but its carbonation resistance has raised concerns about its wider implementation. This study aims to evaluate the carbonation behavior of SSC concrete after 8 years of natural exposure, examining the carbonation depths, changes in hydration products, and microstructures of SSC concrete with different water-to-cement ratios. The results showed that the carbonation rate of SSC concrete with a C30 grade was 1.02 mm/year, while the carbonation rate of SSC concrete with a C50 grade was 0.54 mm/year. During the exposure process, ettringite in the SSC concrete was found to be the first hydration product to carbonate, leading to a dense pore structure. However, once C–S–H gels began to carbonate, the pore structure rapidly coarsened, resulting in a significant increase in pore network connectivity. Carbonation in SSC concrete generated calcium carbonate with aragonite as the dominant polymorph due to the extensive carbonation of ettringite. The results of this study on the carbonation behavior of SSC concrete under natural conditions can serve as a reference for validating the results of accelerated carbonation tests and provide a foundation for developing a carbonation model for SSC concrete under complex environmental conditions.

Abrasion resistance of metakaolin-based geopolymers through accelerated testing and natural wear

Construction and building materials are subject to abrasion wear in a variety of routine applications. The objective of this paper was to investigate the abrasion resistance of metakaolin-based geopolymer concretes. A geopolymer mixture with only metakaolin as precursor material and another mixture with the replacement of 10% of metakaolin by rice husk ash were investigated. Three accelerated abrasion tests were performed. The inorganic abrasion test studies the wear caused by the imposition of sand on the concrete surface. The hydraulic abrasion test wears the concrete surface with metallic spheres in an aquatic environment. The deep abrasion test measures abrasion through wear on a stainless-steel cylinder using silicon carbide. A natural validation step through the exposure of slabs in a natural environment was created to confirm the performance of the geopolymers. The abrasion resistance of geopolymers was the same or better than the abrasion resistance shown in the literature for Portland cement concrete. This behavior is related to the great adhesion of the geopolymer matrix with the aggregates. The performance was validated in the natural exposure of geopolymer concrete slabs to low vehicle traffic.

Enhancing circadian rhythms-the circadian MEGA bundle as novel approach to treat critical illness.

Circadian rhythms are essential to physiological homeostasis, but often disrupted in the intensive care unit (ICU) due to the absence of natural zeitgebers and exposure to treatments which affect circadian regulators. This is increasingly recognized as a contributor to morbidity and mortality across a variety of medical conditions including critical illness. Maintenance of circadian rhythms is particularly relevant to critically ill patients, who are restricted not only to the ICU environment but often bed bound. Circadian rhythms have been evaluated in several ICU studies, but effective therapies to maintain, restore, or amplify circadian rhythms have not been fully established yet. Circadian entrainment and circadian amplitude enhancement are integral to patients' overall health and well-being, and likely even more important during response to and recovery from critical illness. In fact, studies have shown that enhancing the amplitude of circadian cycles has significant beneficial effects on health and wellbeing. In this review, we discuss up-to-date literature on novel circadian mechanism that could not only restore but enhance circadian rhythms in critical illness by using a MEGA bundle consisting of intense light therapy each morning, cyclic nutrition support, timed physical therapy, nighttime melatonin administration, morning administration of circadian rhythm amplitude enhancers, cyclic temperature control and a nocturnal sleep hygiene bundle.

Differences in viral decay and production following exposure to sunlight and dark

Although we have gained insight into the biological and biochemical effects of natural sunlight exposure on prokaryotes, little is known about sunlight exposure on natural virus communities. To address this question, an investigation of the effects of sunlight and dark treatments on viral communities, viral production and decay rates in Kenting coastal waters was conducted. The average rate of net viral production in the sunlight and dark treatment was 0.010 and 0.018 × 106 viruses mL–1 h− 1, respectively. Furthermore, averaged value for viral decay in the sunlight treatment was 0.016 × 106 viruses mL− 1 h− 1, a significant decrease (ca. 60%=((0.83 − 0.33)/(0.83 × 100%)) was observed in sunlight conditions, whereas no significant changes occurred in dark conditions. The gross viral production under sunlight conditions was slightly higher, however, non-significantly higher than that in the dark treatment. As a result, we suggest that sunlight damages a large portion of the natural viral community, affecting the role viruses play in food webs.

EE535 Economic Evaluation of Decennial Pertussis Vaccination with Tetanus, Diphtheria and Acellular Pertussis (TDAP) Vaccine in Adult Populations with Asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Brazil

Pertussis, a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis, is endemic in Brazil, but is underdiagnosed in adults due to atypical symptomatology and limited diagnosis time window. Brazil's Ministry of Health recommends decennial boosters in adults against diphtheria and tetanus, but not pertussis. After the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious diseases surged worldwide due to lack of natural exposure and reduced immunization coverage. Asthma and COPD populations are at increased risk of pertussis infection. This study assessed the cost-utility of decennial pertussis vaccination with Tdap vaccine versus no pertussis vaccination in Brazil's adult asthma and COPD populations in a high-incidence context.

Keep Calm and Go Out: Urban Nature Exposure, Mental Health, and Perceived Value during the COVID-19 Lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of incorporating nature-based solutions in urban design, in order to create sustainable and resilient cities. Inspired by these events, the present study aims at exploring the mental health benefits of nature exposure during the outbreak. Secondarily, we investigate changes in use patterns towards urban green spaces (UGS) and urban blue spaces (UBS) and whether extreme conditions, such as these of a lockdown, can lead to an increase in people’s appreciation of urban nature. Through an online survey, we observed that the pandemic resulted in a decrease in the frequency of visitation to UGS/UBS (p < 0.001). Significant differences were found for exercise (p < 0.001) and socialization (p < 0.05) as main drivers for visiting urban nature pre- and post-lockdown. Accordingly, visitation rates for forests (p < 0.05), playgrounds (p < 0.001), and the sea (p < 0.001) differed significantly when comparing the two periods. In people’s perception, UGS/UBS are important for the urban fabric (89%). Our structural equation model indicated that nature exposure had a beneficial effect on participants’ mental health (p < 0.001). Pathways that explain the relationship between nature exposure and post- lockdown value were nature relatedness, motivation, and perceived importance of UGS/UBS. No mediation could be extracted for nature exposure and mental health. Our findings show the positive association between nature exposure and mental health improvement, especially in times of crisis, as well as a shift in the “value domain” towards urban nature.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF RADON CONCENTRATION IN BOREHOLE WATERS; CORRELATION TO GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS KATSINA STATE, NORTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Radon in borehole water serves as a source of natural radioactivity exposure through indoor air. Determination of naturally occurring radionuclides concentration in ground and surface waters is useful as a contribution to environmental health studies. In this research, statistical analysis of radon concentration in (borehole) water was conducted in Katsina state. The aim of this study is to analyse statistically the concentration of radon in borehole water in Katsina state and to establish a possible relationship between radon activity concentration in borehole water and underlying rock types. A total of 110 water samples were collected and analysed using Tri-carb 1000 Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC) at the Centre for Energy Research and Training, Ahmadu Bello University. The overall average concentration of 222Rn was found to be 69 ± 3 Bql-1 with geological formations, G8 and G7 having the highest and lowest concentrations with values of 75 ± 10 Bql-1 and 57 ± 4 Bql-1 respectively, which are higher than the world average values of 10 Bql-1 set by WHO and 11.1 Bql-1 set by USEPA. The results showed that radon concentrations are clearly correlated to rock types with acidic intrusive rocks associated with values which sedimentary rocks are associated with lower concentrations.

Geochemical evidence for Alberta Oil Sands contamination in sediments remote to known oil sands deposits in Alberta, Canada

Oil spills and natural oil seeps are sources of petrogenic hydrocarbons in soils and sediments. To determine the source of hydrocarbon contamination in the environment the geochemical signature of the contaminant needs to be characterised. Here, we present biomarker and other molecular marker diagnostic ratios of Alberta Oil Sands using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to characterise the deposits and detect their incorporation in surficial sediments. Diagnostic ratios of steranes, terpanes, and aromatic steroids (e.g. C27, C28, and C29 regular sterane abundance, Gammacerane Index, Ts/Tm, TAS/(TAS + MAS), and MPI-2) were measured in samples of Alberta Oil Sands providing a set of criteria for their identification. Seven surficial sediment samples from central and southeast Alberta were then analysed using these criteria to detect Alberta Oil Sands contamination and other petrogenic and pyrogenic source inputs. Geochemical signatures consistent with Alberta Oil Sands hydrocarbons were identified in surficial sediments in Lamont County and glacial sediments from a moraine in Beaver County. Both sites are in Central Alberta, ∼300 km south of any oil sands extraction sites and natural exposures in northern Alberta, indicating long-distance sediment transport processes mobilised the deposits. These results show that the oil sands have been eroded and transported beyond the boundaries of their current known limits. This is important for understanding sediment transport processes as well as for remediation and reclamation purposes.

Inequalities in residential nature and nature-based recreation are not universal: A country-level analysis in Austria

Evidence suggests that residential nature, e.g., greenness around the home, and nature-based recreation, e.g., visits to specific natural locations, are beneficial for health and well-being. However, several studies report that residential access is lower among socio-economically disadvantaged communities, potentially exacerbating health inequalities. We explored this issue in Austria, a relatively rural and mountainous country that also contains several cities, including the capital Vienna with around 2 million citizens. Data were drawn from a representative survey of the adult population across all nine Austrian regions (N = 2258) and explored socio-demographic predictors of residential green and blue space (using satellite data on surrounding greenness and distance to rivers and lakes), and visit frequencies to 12 different urban and rural green/blue environments. In contrast to most findings elsewhere, which usually focus on relatively specific locations (e.g., cities), we found little evidence of socio-economic inequalities in residential green/blue space at the whole country level. Further, although frequent visits to specific environments were less likely among, e.g., people with lower vs. higher education, other typically disadvantaged groups, e.g., those self-identifying as belonging vs. not belonging to an ethnic minority, reported more visits to e.g., urban parks and rivers. Findings suggest that inequalities in nature exposure may not be universal when considered at a country level.

Improvements in Depressive Symptoms in Nature May Be Partly Caused by Improvements in Vagal Tone: A Review and Theoretical Perspective

The positive effects of natural environments on mental health have been observed and studied for decades. Specifically, psychology research from across the world has suggested that nature can reduce depression symptomology, although there is uncertainty about the mechanisms behind this relationship. Scott, McDonnell, LoTemplio, Uchino, and Strayer proposed that cognitive restoration and stress recovery in nature are indications of stimulation of the vagus nerve. Applying Scott et al.'s argument to research on nature and depression, we argue that activation of the vagus nerve is part of the mechanism by which nature exposure decreases depression. Specifically, we review the evidence that causally links the vagus nerve to depression symptomology, and then review emerging evidence that nature improves vagal tone. More research on the direct relationship between being in nature and vagal tone in individuals with depression is needed to further understand this potential relationship. In addition, in an increasingly globalized world, it is vital that this research includes participants and researchers who are from different cultural backgrounds to determine whether this effect is present across humans from diverse backgrounds.