Sum Of Units Research Articles

Ecotoxicity of bromate and human health risks resulting from wastewater treatment units' effluents associated with some key physicochemical parameters in two hotspots connected to the Egyptian Mediterranean Sea

This study is the first of its kind in terms of focusing on the seasonal monitoring of bromine species (bromide− and bromate) and some of the main physicochemical parameters in the surface water of stations inside and in front of the El Noubareya and El-Umum drains that flow directly or indirectly to the Egyptian Mediterranean coast at A (El Noubareya Drain) and B (El-Mex Bay) sites. Among the bromine species, bromate (BrO3−) is a disinfection byproduct considered by many international agencies to have a potential carcinogenic effect in humans and is also known to be ecologically toxic to aquatic organisms. Drain water samples collected from the studied sites A and B had a bromide/chlorinity ratio (3.85E-03 - 6.25E-03 and 3.27E-03 - 6.97E-03, respectively) significantly higher than the typical value for open seawater (3.50E-03), showing significant dilution with wastewater at drain stations in the investigated sites. The source and origin of bromine species and the major ions studied associated with the wastewater units were identified and tracked by calculating the ion/chlorinity ratio and multivariate analysis. The total hazard quotient (THQ) for bromate intake and dermal exposure in children, females, and males demonstrates negligible harm to human health. The toxic unit (TU) and the sum of toxic units (STU) values of the three trophic levels in the surface water for the two sites under investigation yielded approximately comparable values for risk quotient (RQ) and mixture risk characterization ratios (RCRmix(MEC/PNEC)), indicating that invertebrates are more sensitive to bromate dangers than fish and algae. The study highlights the importance of conducting large-scale laboratory tests on the effluents resulting from wastewater treatment units, including bromide levels, to prevent the formation of dangerous side compounds such as bromate, which may have negative effects on populations and may lead to the toxicity of trophic levels in ecosystems.

Accumulated thermal units method for predicting development stages, and potential seed yield of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) under Mediterranean conditions

The possibility of accurately assessing the emergence, anthesis and maturation dates of sunflower grown under Mediterranean conditions was investigated. Accumulated Thermal Units (TSUM) from sowing to emergence, from emergence to anthesis, and from anthesis to maturation were recorded in 14 experimental sunflower plantations, carried out in two sites with representative soils in the Thessaly Plain (central Greece) in the years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2022. Various combinations of sowing date; irrigation and N-fertilization inputs were studied, and the corresponding phenological stages and seed yields were determined. It was found that the TSUM method is very effective for predicting the duration of the phenological stages of sunflower and thus the development rate and stages of this crop. Particularly accurate is the assessment of the emergence-anthesis period calculated at 817 degree days (°C-d) for base temperature (To) equal to 6 °C and optimum temperature (Topt) 28 °C, whereas for the anthesis-maturation period, the TSUM method needs to be adjusted for photoperiodism, using a photoperiod coefficient based on the daylength. In a simpler approach, the heat unit sum of 1213°C-d (To=0 °C) it can be used for the emergence-anthesis period (or 1418°C-d for the sowing-anthesis period), without much error, and an average period of 44 days for the anthesis-maturation period. Having determined the anthesis-maturation period, the potential seed yield of sunflower was successfully assessed, based on the global radiation prevailing during the grain filling period (i.e. last 37 days before capitulum ripening) for the treatments of optimum water and nitrogen applications. Knowledge of the seed yield potential of sunflower might be very important for land evaluation purposes and the introduction of this important crop in Thessaly more generally and many Mediterranean sites.

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, Fe) and metalloid (As) in surface sediment of Anzali International Wetland, Iran

ABSTRACT This study aimed to assess the metal concentration, mobility, bioavailability, ecological risk, and toxicity in the surface sediment of Anzali International Wetland. Contamination and ecological risk were evaluated using parameters such as Global Contamination Factors (GCF), Risk Assessment Code (RAC), Toxic Unit (TU), sum of Toxic Units (ΣTUs), Toxic Risk Index (TRI), ecological risk (ER), Risk Index (RI), and modified Hazard Quotients (MHQ). Heavy metal mean concentrations (mean ± SD) ranked as follows: Zn (95.46 ± 20.71) > Cr (19.79 ± 2.79) > Ni (18.49 ± 5.23) > Pb (13.97 ± 3.20) > As (6.45 ± 1.87) > Cd (0.90 ± 0.34). Cd exhibited high mobility and bioavailability, while Cr, Pb, Zn, Ni, and As mainly existed in residual fractions, indicating low bioavailability and minimal ecological risk. Ecological risk assessment identified “moderate” to “considerable” risk potential for Cd at specific sites. The Risk Index categorized Anzali sediment as having “low” to “moderate” risk potential (150 < RI < 300). Values of RI, ΣTUs, and MHQ suggested low to moderate risk potential and low toxicity in the sediment. Global Contamination Factor (GCF) values indicated high contamination (12.53 to 79.11). Recommendations include installing effective sewage treatment plants and promoting proper agricultural practices to mitigate metal toxicity in Anzali Wetland and also protect human and environmental health.

Cryptocurrency Portfolio Management:A Clustering-Based Association Approach

The aim of this study is to identify crypto assets with similar characteristics and to explore the similar responses of these assets to market-priced events. This process is carried out in two stages. Cluster analysis and association analysis were applied in the research. First of all, cluster analysis was performed using the variables; the total number of active unique addresses, USD value of the current supply, fixed closing price of the asset, return on investment of the asset, total of the current supply, number of transactions, USD value of the sum of native units and 30 days volatility criteria. HK-Means algorithm and R Program were used for clustering. Then, the co-movement of crypto assets was analyzed using the FP-Growth algorithm and the WEKA program. 71 crypto assets with the highest market capitalization and meeting the research criteria were included in the research. The data used in the research covers the period of May 2021-May 2022. According to the main findings obtained from the research; within the framework of the criteria used in the research, 4 clusters were formed. Most important association rules found to be between; btc (bitcoin) &amp; aave (nominex), eth (ethereum) &amp; aave (nominex), dot (polkadot) &amp; aave (nominex), neo &amp; aave (nominex), uni (uniswap) &amp; aave (nominex) , btg (bitcoin gold) &amp; etc (ethereum classic), xrp (riple) &amp; algo (algorand) &amp; doge (dogecoin), xrp (riple) &amp; doge (dogecoin), cro (cronos) &amp; xrp (riple) &amp; algo ( algorand) &amp; trx (tron) &amp; doge (dogecoin).

The best constant for inequality involving the sum of the reciprocals and product of positive numbers with unit sum

In this paper, we study a special algebraic inequality containing a parameter, the sum of reciprocals and the product of positive real numbers whose sum is 1. Using a new optimization argument the best values of the parameter are determined. In the case of three numbers the algebraic inequality has some interesting geometric applications involving a generalization of Euler’s inequality about the ratio of radii of circumscribed and inscribed circles of a triangle.

A New Approximate Sum of Absolute Differences Unit for Bioimages Processing

An inexact 6-transistor full adder (FA) cell is presented. It is low-power and gives full-swing outputs because of the applied gate diffusion input (GDI) along with the dynamic threshold (DT) techniques. The FA which has three errors is used in a 10-transistor inexact 4:2 compressor based on the stacking circuit idea. The implementation by a 16 nm carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (CNTFET) technology shows a small area of 0.027 lm2 and 0.045 lm2 for the FA and compressor, respectively. A new approximate sum of absolute differences (SAD) block is presented by the FA and compressor. The average power, power-delay-product (PDP), and peak signalto-noise ratio (PSNR) of the SAD are 6.80 mW, 33.86 nJ, and 42.98 dB, respectively, which confirm its efficiency for bioimages difference detection.

Ecological implications of boron and sulfur in sediments from a lake in the Nile Delta: Remote sensing, fractionation and ecotoxicity

PurposeThe study aimed to provide an overview of the behavior, fate and ecotoxicity of boron and sulfur in the sediments of Lake Burullus, Egypt, after the degradation of the lake area.Materials and methodsChanges in the studied lake area due to human activities were estimated using Erdas Imagine v14 and ArcGIS. Sequential and non-sequential extraction techniques for boron and sulfur fractionation in sediments were evaluated.Results and discussionA remote-sensing tracking investigation revealed a decrease in area of about 19.4%. Boron geochemical fractions had the order of residual (BF5, 61.48 ± 3.84%) > bound oxide (BF3, 15.47 ± 9.64%) > specifically adsorbed (BF2, 13.34 ± 9.85%) > bound organic (BF4, 9.85 ± 12.40%) > water-soluble and exchangeable (BF1, 2.2 ± 2.66%). Sulfur gave the order of the fractions as residual (SF5, 70.52 ± 16.92%) > phosphate extractable (SF2, 15.47 ± 9.34%) > bound organic (SF4, 7.20 ± 5.35%) > CaCl2 -extractable (SF3, 9.85 ± 12.40%) > water-soluble sulfur (SF1, 1.34 ± 1.52%). A worst-case scenario involving boron and sulfur toxicity values was studied using mixture risk characterization ratios (RCRmix) based on the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) and sum of toxic units (STU).ConclusionsThe RCRmix and STU of boron showed high long-term risks to aquatic organisms, while sulfur showed high short-term risks. Invertebrates were the most sensitive species to boron and sulfur. This study sheds light on the ecological impact of boron and sulfur in Lake Burullus sediments, highlighting potential risks to aquatic organisms. Further research could focus on developing mitigation strategies to address these concerns.Graphical

OAT ADAPTABILITY TO ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES AND TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS

Global climate changes cause the acceleration of environmental factors changes - temperature, unevenness of precipitation, drought, which has a significant effect on the yield. Food systems need expanded species biodiversity that are multifunctional in use and sufficiently tolerant to growing conditions. One of these cultures is oats which extremely valuable in human nutrition and provision fodder base. The purpose of the research is to establish the adaptability of oat varieties sowing under variable conditions of nutrition, thermal regime and moisture supply during the years of research. Field research with oat varieties was conducted during 2021-2023 in the stationary experiment of the Plant Breeding Department of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine in a separate subdivision "Agronomic Research Station" (Pshenychne village, Fastivskyi district, Kyiv region ) on typical low humus chernozems. Varieties of oats vary in terms of adaptability due to genetic and environmental characteristics and technological factors of cultivation. The analysis of environmental factors was carried out - thermal units accumulation, sums of active and effective temperatures, GTK for biologically active minima at the level +5C and +10C. It is proved that the ecological factors characteristic for growing oats are used for calculation indicators for the biological minimum of +5С. Sums of thermal accumulation units for the period March - July on average for the years 2021 - 2023 was 2229.7; active temperatures for a biologically active minimum of +5С –2004.2; active temperatures for biologically active minimum +10С–1768.5; effective temperatures for a biologically active minimum of +5С–1361.5; effective temperatures for the biologically active minimum +10C–797.1C. The adaptability of varieties was identified through their plasticity and stability. The plasticity of the varieties increased with an increase of macronutrients in combination with sulfur. Highly plastic and stable varieties are Ivory, Zubr, Legin Nosivskyi - the coefficient of plasticity is equal or exceeds 1 for all fertilizing systems. The Ivory variety is high plastic and stable and responds positively to improvement of nutrition conditions: coefficient of plasticity - 1.00 - 1.32, coefficient of stability - 0.00 - 0.037. The Neptune variety is low-plastic and unstable for almost every rates of fertilizers, except for combinations with sulfur. For the Svitanok variety was established a positive reaction to increasing the rates of macroelements in combination with sulfur - the plasticity coefficient increased from 0.65, the stability coefficient from 0.015 in the control variant to 1.70 and 0.018, respectively, for the introduction N120P120K120S45+N30. There was a similar reaction for the Zakat variety - coefficient increased from 0.86 in the control version to 1.44 with applying N120P120K120S45+ N30.

Psycholinguistics, Corpus Linguistics, and Text Analytics: Potential for Interaction

This article explores the possibilities of interaction between psycholinguistics, corpus linguistics, and text mining. When it comes to big data processing, the recent advances in psycholinguistics must be taken into account. In our digital reality, we should no longer view text as a mere sum of individual language units that are assembled based on their similarities in meaning. The insights of psycholinguistics into text have been revised, as in-depth text analysis unravels the new roles of the sender and the recipient, bringing to the fore qualitative methods for processing large data arrays. Without studying the mechanisms of speech generation and perception, it is impossible to improve language neural networks and machine translation engines. Here, the potential of psycholinguistics for training specialists in text analytics is discussed. As an example, the advantages of integrating the disciplines “Psycholinguistics” and “Psycholinguistic Methods for Studying Language and Text” into the psychological and linguistic module of the Master’s program “Text Analytics in Education and Science”, which has been launched at Kazan Federal University (Russia), are shown. The psycholinguistic component of the discipline “Corpus Linguistics” for Master’s students is described.

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in relation to environmental justice related variables in Wisconsin, United States.

The growth of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) has caused significant environmental detriments and raised concerns regarding environmental justice with CAFOs exposure. This study examined environmental disparities in exposure to CAFOs with several environmental justice related variables and considered exposure intensity. We obtained data on permitted CAFOs (July 2021) from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. We used Census tract level variables from the 2010 Census to evaluate environmental disparities by environmental justice related variables (i.e., percentages of Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black, or Hispanic; percentage living below the poverty level; median annual household income; income inequality (Gini index); percentage with education less than high school diploma; racial isolation (RI) for Non-Hispanic Black; and educational isolation (EI) for population without a college degree). We assessed exposure to CAFOs as the sum of animal units (AUs) within each Census tract and investigated exposure disparities by comparing distributions of environmental justice related variables based on CAFO status (i.e., never, expired, or current) and Census tract-level CAFOs exposure intensity categories (i.e., from low exposure (quartile 1) to high exposure (quartile 4)). CAFOs in Wisconsin were generally located in areas with lower percentages of racial minority persons and high SES communities; however, within the areas with current CAFO exposure, areas with high CAFOs exposure intensity had higher percentages of non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic, and lower percentages of non-Hispanic White populations compared to areas with low CAFOs exposure. This study compared distributions of CAFO exposure and multiple environmental justice related variables and considered exposure intensity based on animal units for CAFOs exposure metric. Although CAFOs in Wisconsin were generally located in areas with lower percentages of racial/ethnic minority subpopulations and high SES communities, we found complex disparities with higher exposure for disadvantaged communities within areas with CAFOs. This work adds to the existing evidence that some populations such as racial/ethnic minority populations may face disproportionate burdens from CAFOs.

Assessment of land use effect, mapping of human health risks and chemometric analysis of potential toxic elements in topsoils of Aran-o-Bidgol, Iran.

This study examines topsoil contamination in Aran-o-Bidgol urban region of central Iran, with a focus on potentially toxic elements (PTEs). A total of 135 topsoil samples in different land types were characterized, ranging from areas with agricultural farms, desert, industrial and residential activity, and brick kilns. The average concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, Co, Fe, Zn, and Mn were 0.72, 11.41, 14.82, 29.87, 51.13, 106.69, 8741.87, 48.59, and 346.42mgkg-1, respectively, which all exceed the local background levels. The results reveal that land use significantly affected PTE concentrations. Cr, Co, Mn, and Fe concentrations in soils of residential and brick kiln areas were especially high. In contrast, concentrations of Cu, Ni, and Zn were higher in agricultural and residential areas. Risk assessment analysis showed that the sum of toxic units for PTEs for brick kilns (1.72), residential (1.82), and agricultural (1.79) areas exceeded those of other land types and that Ni and Cr contributed the most to the high toxic risk index values. Both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk indices of PTEs in soils were within an acceptable limit, except for the cancer risk of Ni (3.52E-04) and Cr (3.00E-04) among children. The spatial hazard index and carcinogenic health risk of PTEs showed that samples from the southwestern parts of the study area might pose significant health problems to adults and children. This study demonstrates how combining different techniques can help spatially characterize PTE accumulation and protect populations at risk.

Hybrid planning techniques for early-stage left-sided breast cancer: dose distribution analysis and estimation of projected secondary cancer-relative risk

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate three techniques of irradiation of left-sided breast cancer patients, three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), hybrid Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (h-IMRT), and hybrid Volumetric-Modulated Arc Therapy (h-VMAT, h-ARC), in terms of dose distribution in the planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs). The second aim was to estimate the projected relative risk of radiation-induced secondary cancers for hybrid techniques. Materials and methods Three treatment plans were prepared in 3D-CRT, h-IMRT, and h-VMAT techniques for each of the 40 patients, who underwent CT simulation in deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH). For hybrid techniques, plans were created by combining 3D-CRT and dynamic fields with an 80%/20% dose ratio for 3D-CRT and IMRT or VMAT. Cumulative dose–volume histograms were used to compare dose distributions within the PTV and OARs (heart, left anterior descending coronary artery [LAD], left and right lung [LL, RL], right breast [RB]). Projected risk ratios for secondary cancers were estimated relative to 3D-CRT using the organ equivalent dose (OED) concept for the Schneider’s linear exponential, plateau, and full mechanistic dose–response model. Results All plans fulfilled the PTV criterium: V95%≥95%. Compared to 3D-CRT, both hybrid techniques showed significantly better target coverage (PTV: V95%>98%, p < 0.001), and the best conformality was achieved by h-ARC plans (CI: 1.18 ± 0.09, p < 0.001). Compared to 3D-CRT and h-ARC, h-IMRT increased the average sum of monitor units (MU) over 129.9% (p < 0.001). H-ARC increased the mean dose of contralateral organs and the LL V5Gy parameter (p < 0.001). Both hybrid techniques significantly reduced the D max of the heart by 5 Gy. Compared to h-IMRT, h-ARC increased secondary cancer projected relative risk ratios for LL, RL, and RB by 18, 152, and 81%, respectively. Conclusions The results confirmed that both hybrid techniques provide better target quality and OARs sparing than 3D-CRT. Hybrid VMAT delivers less MU compared to hybrid IMRT but may increase the risk of radiation-induced secondary malignancies.

Implementation of geriatric screening in the emergency department using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Implementation of evidence-based care processes (EBP) into the emergency department (ED) is challenging and there are only a few studies of real-world use of theory-based implementation frameworks. We report final implementation results and sustainability of an EBP geriatric screening program in the ED using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The EBP involved nurses screening older patients for delirium (Delirium Triage Screen), fall risk (4-Stage Balance Test), and vulnerability (Identification of Seniors at Risk score) with subsequent appropriate referrals to physicians, therapy specialists, or social workers. The proportions of screened adults ≥65 years old were tracked monthly. Outcomes are reported January 2021-December 2022. Barriers encountered were classified according to CFIR. Implementation strategies were classified according to the CFIR-Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC). Implementation strategies increased geriatric screening from 5% to 68%. This did not meet our prespecified goal of 80%. Change was sustained through several COVID-19 waves. Inner setting barriers included culture and implementation climate. Initially, the ED was treated as a single inner setting, but we found different cultures and uptake between ED units, including night versus day shifts. Characteristics of individuals barriers included high levels of staff turnover in both clinical and administrative roles and very low self-efficacy from stress and staff turnover. Initial attempts with individualized audit and feedback were not successful in improving self-efficacy and may have caused moral injury. Adjusting feedback to a team/unit level approach with unitwide stretch goals worked better. Identifying early adopters and conducting on-shift education increased uptake. Lessons learned regarding ED culture, implementation in interconnected health systems, and rapid cycle process improvement are reported. The pandemic exacerbated barriers to implementation in the ED. Cognizance of a large ED as a sum of smaller units and using the CFIR model resulted in improvements.

Pesticide dynamics in three small agricultural creeks in Hesse, Germany.

Due to their high biodiversity, small water bodies play an important role for freshwater ecosystems. Nonetheless, systematic pesticide monitoring in small creeks with a catchment <30 km2 is rarely conducted. In this study, event-driven water samples were taken from May until November 2017 and March until July 2018 after 20 rain events at three sampling sites with catchment areas of <27 km2 in the Wetterau, a region with intensive agriculture in Southern Hesse, Germany. Additionally, enriched extracts of the native water samples from the campaign in 2018 were used for the Microtox assay to determine baseline toxicity to invertebrates over time and sum of toxic units (STU) were calculated to compare the potential toxicity of the samples. Overall, 37 pesticides and 17 transformation products were found, whereby the herbicide metamitron (79 µg/L) showed the highest concentration. Regularly, pesticide concentrations peaked at the time of the highest water level within each sampling event. Within each sampling event maximum pesticide concentration was mostly reached in water samples taken during the first two hours. The sum of the time-weighted mean concentration values of all pesticides was between 2.0 µg/L and 7.2 µg/L, whereby the measured concentrations exceeded their regulatory acceptable concentration (RAC) at 55% of all sampling events for at least one pesticide. The mean EC50 values varied between 28.6 ± 13.1 to 41.3 ± 12.1 REF (relative enrichment factor). The results indicated that several samples caused baseline toxicity, whereby the highest activity was measured at the time of highest water levels and pesticides concentrations, and then steadily decreased in parallel with the water level. Median STUs of invertebrates ranged from -2.10 to -3.91, of algae/aquatic plants from -0.79 to -1.84 and of fish from -2.47 to -4.24. For one of the three sampling sites, a significant linear correlation between baseline toxicity and STUinvertebratewas found (r2=0.48). The results of the present study suggest that (1) current pesticide monitoring programs underestimate risks posed by the exposure to pesticides for aquatic organisms and (2) pre-authorization regulatory risk assessment schemes are insufficient to protect aquatic environments.

Toxicity evaluation of a heavy-metal-polluted river: Pollution identification and bacterial community assessment.

The Salt River is an important urban river in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In this study, the source identification and risk and toxicity assessment of the heavy-metal-contaminated sediments in the Salt River were investigated. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), potential ecological risk index (RI), pollution load index (PLI), and toxic units (TU) were applied to determine effects of heavy metals on microbial diversities and ecosystems. Results from the ecological and environmental risk assessment show that high concentrations of Zn, Cr, and Ni were detected in the midstream area and the sum of toxic units (ΣTUs) in the midstream (7.2-32.0) is higher than in the downstream (14.0-19.7) and upstream (9.2-17.1). It could be because of the continuous inputs of heavy-metal-contained wastewaters from adjacent industrial parks. Results also inferred that the detected heavy metals in the upstream residential and commercial areas were possibly caused by nearby vehicle emissions, non-point source pollution, and domestic wastewater discharges. Results of metagenomic assays show that the sediments contained significant microbial diversities. Metal-tolerant bacterial phyla (Proteobacteria: 24.4%-46.4%, Bacteroidetes: 1.3%-14.8%, and Actinobacteria: 2.3%-11.1%) and pathogenic bacterial phyla (Chlamydiae: 0.5%-37.6% and Chloroflexi: 5.8%-7.2%) with relatively high abundance were detected. Metal-tolerant bacteria would adsorb metals and cause the increased metal concentrations in sediments. Results indicate that the bacterial composition in sediment environments was affected by anthropogenic pollution and human activities and the heavy-metal-polluted ecosystem caused the variations in bacterial communities. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Microbial community in sediments is highly affected by heavy metal pollution. Wastewaters and vehicle traffic contribute to river sediments pollution by heavy metals. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteria are dominant heavy-metal-tolerant bacterial phyla in sediments. Toxicity assessment is required to study risk levels of heavy-metal contained sediments.

606-P: The Effect of a Dietary Intervention on Insulin Requirements in Type 1 Diabetes—A 12-Week Randomized Clinical Trial

Background and Objective: A plant-based has been shown to improve glycemic control and insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to test the effect of this diet in people with type 1 diabetes. Methods: Fifty-eight people with type 1 diabetes were randomly assigned to follow a low-fat vegan diet (vegan group, n=29), or a standard portion-controlled diet (control group, n=29) for 12 weeks. All meals were tracked, using the Cronometer mobile application. Insulin sensitivity was assessed, using the carbohydrate to insulin ratio, which was calculated as the number of grams of total dietary carbohydrate to total units of insulin administered. Total insulin dose was calculated as a sum of basal and bolus insulin units injected per day. Results: The consumption of carbohydrates increased in the vegan group by an average of 118 g/day (p=0.002), compared with no significant change in the control group (−18 g/day; p=0.11; treatment effect +137 [95% CI, +65 to +208]; p&amp;lt;0.001). Insulin sensitivity, assessed by the carbohydrate to insulin ratio, increased in the vegan group by 6.2 on average (p=0.002), compared with no significant change in the control group (−0.8; p=0.32; treatment effect +7.0 [95% CI, +3.1 to +10.9]; p=0.001). Total daily dose of insulin decreased by 12.1 units/day in the vegan group (p=0.007), compared with no significant change in the control group (−18 units/day; p=0.66; treatment effect −10.7 [95% CI, −21.3 to −0.2]; p=0.046). Conclusions: This study suggests that a low-fat vegan diet may have beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and insulin requirements in people with type 1 diabetes. Larger trials are needed to confirm these findings. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04944316 Disclosure H.Kahleova: None. Funding Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (330072)

Abnormal fluoride distribution, human health risk assessment, predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) and environmental hazards in an Egyptian lake connected to the Mediterranean Sea

Fluoride can affect the metabolism and physiological functioning of humans and aquatic organisms like any hazardous substance when it exceeds its permissible limits and PNEC values. The fluoride content of the lake water and sediment samples collected from different locations was determined to assess its risks to humans and its ecological toxicity in Lake Burullus. Statistical analyses show that the proximity of the supplying drains had an impact on the fluoride content. Fluoride ingestion and skin contact in lake water and sediment during swimming for child, female and male were evaluated at 95, 90, and 50%. The values of hazard quotient (HQ) and total hazard quotient (THQ) for children, females and males were less than one, reflecting that exposure to fluoride through ingestion and skin-to-skin contact while swimming poses no risks to human health. PNEC values for fluoride in lake water and sediment were estimated using the equilibrium partitioning method (EPM). The ecological risk assessment of fluoride for acute and chronic toxicity was performed for the three trophic levels based on the PNEC, the half-maximal effective concentration (EC50), the median lethal dose (LC50), the no-observed effect concentration (NOEC), and the 5% lethal concentration (EC05). The risk quotient (RQ), mixture risk characterization ratios (RCRmix), relative contribution (RC), toxic unit (TU), and sum of toxic units (STU) were estimated. The acute and chronic RCRmix(STU) and RCRmix(MEC/PNEC) produced similar values for the three trophic levels in lake water and sediment, indicating that invertebrates are the most sensitive species to fluoride. These results of evaluating the environmental risks of fluoride in lake water and sediments reflected its significant impact on aquatic organisms living in the lake area in the long term.

Predicting bronze casting recipes in ancient China: ternary copper-lead–tin alloys and the “unit sum problem”

This paper explores the relationship between trends in the observed composition of ternary copper-lead–tin alloys and the recreation of “recipes” used for the casting of bronze objects, and in particular, to ask if the recipe can be reconstructed from the chemical data. The archaeological context is specifically the manufacture of bronzes in pre-Dynastic China, but the nature of the discussion is essentially mathematical. Although the chemical compositions of Chinese bronzes have been well-studied and the casting processes have been exhaustively researched in terms of mould technology, little attention has been given to understanding the recipes used by the bronze casters when producing the alloy to pour into the moulds. The mathematical issue is simple—clearly, in a ternary alloy, the weight percentage compositions of the three components are intimately connected, such that if one goes up, the other two must reduce. Within this constraint, can the correlation patterns seen when assemblages of such objects are plotted as simple binary diagrams be interpreted in terms of the recipe used to create that alloy, and, in particular, can such recipes be replicated by simple numerical models?

On rings determined by their idempotents and units

This paper describes properties of three certain classes of rings determined by conditions on idempotents and units, namely, the condition that any two generators of each principal right ideal are associated (UG rings), the condition that every principal right ideal is generated by a sum of a unit and an idempotent (Pr ), and the condition xy = 0 implies xsy = 0 for a sum of idempotent and unit s and any elements x, y of a ring (idun-semicommutative rings). It is proved that the class of all UG rings contains every local as well as every von Neumann regular ring, and the condition Pr is satisfied by both semiperfect and regular rings. Both local and abelian regular rings are proved to be necessarily idun-semicommutative. For all three classes are presented some closure properties and illustrating examples.

Amalgamated rings with semi nil-clean properties

An element in a ring R is said to be semi nil-clean if it is a sum of nilpotent and periodic elements in R. An element in a ring R is said to be semiclean if it is a sum of unit and periodic elements in R. A ring R is said to be semi nil-clean (resp., semiclean) if every element in R is semi nil-clean (resp., semiclean). We discuss some basic properties of semi nil-clean ring and we also study the concepts of semi nil-clean and semiclean properties in various context of commutative rings such as amalgamations and the ring of polynomials R[x] of a ring R.