关键词： Atmospheric pollution   Bio-based cover systems   Biogas   Greenhouse gases   Solid waste valorization  

摘要： Landfill is an important anthropogenic source of greenhouse gases (GHG). Aiming at methane mitigation through the use of a cover layer in the form of fugitive emissions, this study investigated the methane passive bio-oxidation in a Brazilian landfill in biofilters under two conditions: control column (packing material using only landfill cover soil with approximately equal to 0.8% organic matter) and enriched column (packing material using 45 cm landfill cover soil and 15 cm mixture of cover soil plus compost with approximately equal to 6% organic matter). Biogas was collected from a vertical drain pipe of a four-year-old cell and injected into the base of the columns with a high inlet loading (1000 g(CH4).m(-2).d(-1)) in upward flow mode. Ten campaigns were carried out for six months in order to determine the efficiency of the methane oxidation in each column. Soil temperature, moisture and nutrients content in both filter beds were also determined. The oxidation global efficiencies were higher in the enriched column throughout all campaigns, with approximate to 71 and approximate to 95% for the control and enriched columns, respectively, demonstrating that this technology can be applied even in landfills where there is no energy recovery from biogas (as in most landfills in developing countries). Our study demonstrated that the use of substrates with high organic matter content and low cost in landfill cover layers might present high efficacy in the reduction in methane fugitive emissions. Even operating in field-scale conditions, the results of this study were comparable to those obtained with biofilters on laboratory-scale (under controlled operational conditions). Graphic abstract

关键词： Ayurveda   healing   herbs   holistic   nature   oral medicine  

摘要： Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) uses a holistic approach that finds natural solutions that help the immune system to fight off infection and diseases. In conventional medicine, the diseases are treated as a series of symptoms developed and not its actual cause or etiology, but CAM commonly targets the exact cause of the disorder thereby stimulating the body's healing process. This is based on an integrative literature review of methods and techniques used as complementary and alternative approaches for oral health care. A comprehensive electronic database search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google, Google Scholar, and SCOPUS. Medicinal plants such as Medicago Sativa, Aloe Barbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera), and Trifolium Pratense (Red Clover) have excellent applications in treating gum disorders, prevent tooth decay, and have demonstrated good antifungal activity in the oral cavity. Homeopathic medicines such as Belladonna, Antimonium crudum, and Chamomilla have useful applications in relieving toothache. In Chinese medicine, various acupressure points (Acupuncture) have been used to relieve pain related to tooth, head-and-neck region, sinusitis, etc. Dental professionals can utilize these treatment modalities in their practice along with other conventional procedures as an integrative treatment approach to achieve better outcomes.

摘要： BACKGROUND Beyond submental fat reduction, injectable deoxycholic acid (DCA) has gained popularity in recent years for various minimally invasive lipolysis applications. OBJECTIVE To summarize and evaluate the evidence of off-label uses of injectable DCA. METHODS MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and CENTRAL were searched. The outcomes measured included applications of DCA, treatment regimen, and its efficacy. An overall success rate for each condition was calculated based on the improvement defined in the included studies. RESULTS Eleven studies evaluated the cosmetic use of DCA for excess adipose tissue on various anatomical locations. The outcomes were evaluated at time points ranging from 1 to 21 months post-treatment, with overall success rates over 85%. Eight case reports and series reported the success of using DCA treating lipomas, xanthelasmas, paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, fibrofatty residue of infantile hemangioma, piezogenic pedal papules, and HIV-associated lipohypertrophy. Although the preliminary efficacies were high, the overall recommendations for off-label uses are weak because of the lack of high-level studies. CONCLUSION The review emphasizes the diversity of injectable DCA as a minimally invasive technique for lipolysis. Further high-level studies demonstrating consistent treatment regimens and methods of evaluation are warranted to make more definitive recommendations regarding off-label DCA use.

关键词： Stroke   Spasticity   Transcranial magnetic stimulation   Randomized-controlled trials   Meta-analysis  

摘要： Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) can be used to manage post-stroke spasticity, but a meta-analysis of the recent randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) is lacking. Our aim is to perform a meta-analysis of the RCTs that investigated the efficacy of rTMS in patients with post-stroke spasticity. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for eligible papers published up to February 2020. The primary outcome was the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), measured as the effect of rTMS compared with controls and after rTMS (using a change score calculated separately in the active and sham treatment groups). Finally, five papers and eight data sets were included. rTMS had no significant benefit on MAS in patients with post-stroke spasticity compared to sham treatment (WMD = - 0.29, 95% CI - 0.58, 0.00;P = 0.051). When analyzing the change score in the treatment groups, a significant effect of rTMS was observed (WMD = - 0.27, 95% CI - 0.51, - 0.04;P = 0.024). When analyzing the change score in the sham treatment groups, no significant effect of sham treatment was observed, indicating no placebo effect (WMD = 0.32, 95% CI: - 0.40, 1.04;P = 0.387). We included the sample size, year of publication, percentage of male patients, and age difference in each study as covariates, and performed a meta-regression. The results showed no association between these variables and the MAS. Compared with sham stimulation, rTMS did not show a significant reduction in MAS for the patients who experienced post-stroke spasticity, but the patients reported a better outcome in MAS on a before-after scenario.

关键词： Ascaridia   Heterakis   Capillaria   Cestodes   Chicken   Methods  

摘要： The prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths was investigated in sixty-six commercial non-caged layer flocks. Twenty-nine flocks were housed indoors in aviaries or floor systems, nineteen flocks were kept in conventional free-range systems with outdoor access, and eighteen flocks in organic free-range systems. Flocks were investigated at end of rearing (mean age 17 weeks), peak of egg production (mean age 38 weeks) and before slaughter (mean age 74 weeks). Four different methods were applied to determine worm infestation. During necropsies, worm infestations were recorded and mucosal scrapings were evaluated for the presence of worm eggs. Faecal samples from each flock were investigated by simple flotation method and McMaster counting technique. No gastrointestinal helminths were found in pullets. During production, 87.9 % of the layer flocks were infected with at least one nematode species at the peak of production. The prevalence further increased significantly up to 98.5 % at the end of production (p=0.05). This increase could be ascribed mainly to infections with Ascaridia (A.) galli and/or Heterakis (H.) gallinarum which were most prevalent in all husbandry systems. Furthermore, their prevalence increased significantly with the age of birds (p=0.023;p < 0.001). With regard to the husbandry system, the prevalence of Capillaria spp. was significantly higher in flocks from outdoor systems compared to flocks that were kept indoors. Cestodes were only detected at the end of production with a prevalence of 15.2 % and significantly more flocks with access to outdoor run were found positive. Interestingly, H. gallinarum was found with a high prevalence indoor and in outdoor systems. Anthelminthic treatment did not impact the prevalence of nematode infections. Comparing four different methods for the detection of helminths it was revealed that their efficiencies varied depending on the worm species. Overall, the simple flotation method was superior to detect A. galli an

关键词： COVID-19   Impact assessment   Paris agreement   Carbon pricing   CGE model   India  

摘要： In this paper the Covid-19 pandemic has been analysed from sustainability and climate change perspectives with the help of a recursive dynamic CGE model for India. The Covid-19 could have major long term impacts on GDP, household income, inequality, CO2 emissions, and carbon prices. Significant slowdown in labour intensive informal sectors such as construction and services, as well as in energy intensive and capital goods sectors, leads to adverse impacts on household income and inequality. Our analysis further suggests that climate policy consistent with the Paris Agreement target can complement the economic recovery process. Specifically, recycling of carbon tax revenues to investments could stimulate growth and employment, reduce inequality, and reduce carbon emissions, compared to a scenario without climate policy. Therefore, the need of the hour is to formulate and implement climate friendly recovery strategies.

关键词： Self-reacting friction stir welding   Wear theory   Shear layer   Boundary condition   CFD model  

摘要： A pressure-dependent velocity boundary condition is developed based on wear theory for modeling self-reacting friction stir welding using computational fluid dynamics approach, which provides a new perspective in understanding the physics of sliding/sticking transition condition. The importance of shear layer in weld formation is emphasized. Effects of welding speed on the weld cross-section geometry can be robustly captured with this newly developed boundary condition. Computational results show that at higher welding speed, the TMAZ boundary moves towards the pin periphery at the advancing side, which corresponds to the experimental observations. This tendency could serve as a numerical criterion to predict void defect formation.

关键词： BECCS   bioenergy crops   CCS   district heating   LCA   radiative forcing   temporal GHG emissions  

摘要： District heating (DH) systems can improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and be a cost-effective residential space heating alternative over conventional decentralized heating. This study uses radiative forcing (RF), a time-sensitive life cycle assessment metric, to evaluate space heating alternatives. We compare forest residue and willow biomass resources and natural gas as fuel sources against decentralized heating using heating oil. The comparison is performed for selected locations in the Northeastern United States over a 30-year production timeline and 100 observation years. The natural gas and willow scenarios are compared with scenarios where available forest residue is unused and adds a penalty of GHG emissions due to microbial decay. When forest residues are available, their use is recommended before considering willow production. Investment in bioenergy-based DH with carbon capture and storage and natural-gas-based DH with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is considered to assess their influence on RF. Its implementation further improves the net carbon mitigation potential of DH despite the carbon and energy cost of CCS infrastructure. Soil carbon sequestration from willow production reduces RF overall, specifically when grown on land converted from cropland to pasture, hay, and grassland. The study places initial GHG emissions spikes from infrastructure and land-use change into a temporal framework and shows a payback within the first 5 years of operation for DH with forest residues and willow.

关键词： Blind   Reading disability   Alternative multimedia materials   Visual expressions in mathematics   Braille-graphics translation  

摘要： The purpose of this study is to analyze the performance of the braille translation program on formulas, graphs, and tables of middle school mathematics. To do so, the forms of expression and the degrees and accuracy in the EBS braille math workbooks and in the braille conversion of EBS general math workbooks by using braille translation software were analyzed. As a result, there were omissions of 4 decorative visual data in the linear equations, 6 required and decorative visual data in the direct proportions, and 7 required and decorative visual data in the number of diagonals of the polygons in the EBS braille workbook files. There were 2 marked omissions of graphs in the direct proportions and graphs, and 3 unmarked omissions of pictures in the diagonals of the polygons, in the EBS braille math workbook files. There were 2 inadequate full translation of formulas in the solving linear equations, 2 unmarked omissions of graphs in the direct proportions and graphs, and in the diagonal of the polygons, there were 5 unmarked omissions of formulas and 3 unmarked omissions of formulas, translated from the EBS general math workbooks. The study showed braille errors in EBS braille math workbooks and braille translation errors by the braille translation program in math formulas, pictures, and graphs of EBS general math workbooks. The study presented specific braille translation errors occurred and the reasons as to math formulas, pictures, and graphs. The limitation of the study was that the proper types and ways of braille-translation of visual materials in math were not addressed. Braille translation programs used in Korea should be all comparatively analyzed and an improvement solution should be designed with the participation of blind users and braille translators in the future study.

关键词： alkaline   salt   enzyme-assisted extraction   SDS-PAGE   sesame seed meal   TD-NMR relaxometry  

摘要： Sesame seed is mostly utilised for its oil but also the waste of the oil processing;the seed meal has also significant potential to be used as an alternative protein source. In this study, the goal is to produce sesame seed protein by using three different techniques;alkaline, salt and enzyme-assisted extraction. A comprehensive physicochemical characterisation of the extracts was performed. Total and soluble protein contents, emulsification activity & emulsion stability, FTIR spectroscopy, hydration behaviour and gelling ability experiments by TD-NMR were conducted for all extracted proteins. Also, SDS-PAGE experiments were performed to observe the effect of extraction conditions on protein folding. Overall, the aqueous phase of enzyme-assisted extracted proteins (E-ACP) had the highest protein content and solubility, which resulted in other improved physicochemical properties. Salt extracted samples were 'salted-out', therefore, had poor physicochemical properties. TD-NMR experiments further confirmed the solubility and gelling ability results by measuring the change in the T-2 spin relaxation times. Additionally, FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the most critical peaks for the proteins;Amide I (C=O stretching) and Amide II (N-H bending). In summary, depending on the physicochemical property of interest, different extraction methods yielded proteins with different properties.