Distribution, health and ecological risk assessments of trace elements in Nigerian oil sands

The Nigerian oil sands represent the largest oil sand deposit in Africa, yet there is little published information on the distribution and potential health and ecological risks of trace elements in the oil resource. In the present study, we investigated the distribution pattern of 18trace elements(including biophile and chalcophile elements) as well as the estimated risks associated with exposure to these elements. The results of the study indicated that Fe was the most abundant element, with a mean concentration of 22,131 mg/kg while Br had the lowest mean concentration of 48 mg/kg. The high occurrence of Fe and Ti suggested a possible occurrence of ilmenite(Fe TiO_(3)) in the oil sands. Source apportionment using positive matrix factorization showed that the possible sources of detected elements in the oil sands were geogenic, metal production, and crustal. The contamination factor, geo-accumulation index, modified degree of contamination, pollution load index, and Nemerow pollution index indicated that the oil sands are heavily polluted by the elements. Health risk assessment showed that children were relatively more susceptible to the potentially toxic elements in the oil sands principally via ingestion exposure route(HQ > 1E-04). Cancer risks from inhalation are unlikely due to CR < 1E-06 but ingestion and dermal contact pose severe risks(CR > 1E-04). The high concentrations of the elements pose serious threats due to the potential for atmospheric transport, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability.

Behavior analysis and formative assessments in online oral medicine education during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND During the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,traditional teaching methods were disrupted and online teaching became a new topic in education reform and informatization.In this context,it is important to investigate the necessity and effectiveness of online teaching methods for medical students.This study explored stomatology education in China to evaluate the development and challenges facing the field using massive open online courses(MOOCs)for oral medicine education during the pandemic.AIM To investigate the current situation and challenges facing stomatology education in China,and to assess the necessity and effectiveness of online teaching methods among medical students.METHODS Online courses were developed and offered on personal computers and mobile terminals.Behavioral analysis and formative assessments were conducted to evaluate the learning status of students.RESULTS The results showed that most learners had already completed MOOCs and achieved better results.Course behavior analysis and student surveys indicated that students enjoyed the learning experience.However,the development of oral MOOCs during the COVID-19 pandemic faced significant challenges.CONCLUSION This study provides insights into the potential of using MOOCs to support online professional learning and future teaching innovation,but emphasizes the need for careful design and positive feedback to ensure their success.

Is big team research fair in national research assessments? The case of the UK Research Excellence Framework 2021

Collaborative research causes problems for research assessments because of the difficulty in fairly crediting its authors.Whilst splitting the rewards for an article amongst its authors has the greatest surface-level fairness,many important evaluations assign full credit to each author,irrespective of team size.The underlying rationales for this are labour reduction and the need to incentivise collaborative work because it is necessary to solve many important societal problems.This article assesses whether full counting changes results compared to fractional counting in the case of the UK’s Research Excellence Framework(REF)2021.For this assessment,fractional counting reduces the number of journal articles to as little as 10%of the full counting value,depending on the Unit of Assessment(UoA).Despite this large difference,allocating an overall grade point average(GPA)based on full counting or fractional counting gives results with a median Pearson correlation within UoAs of 0.98.The largest changes are for Archaeology(r=0.84)and Physics(r=0.88).There is a weak tendency for higher scoring institutions to lose from fractional counting,with the loss being statistically significant in 5 of the 34 UoAs.Thus,whilst the apparent over-weighting of contributions to collaboratively authored outputs does not seem too problematic from a fairness perspective overall,it may be worth examining in the few UoAs in which it makes the most difference.

Importance of Public Engagement in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and the Benefits of Stakeholder Involvement in Project Design, Environmental Soundness, and Social Acceptability

The paper discusses the importance of public engagement in environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and the benefits of stakeholder involvement in project design, environmental soundness, and social acceptability. It highlights the negative repercussions of mining activities in Ghana, including health consequences such as skin conditions, fever, coughs, diarrhea, malaria, and catarrh, as well as HIV/AIDS infection among those engaged in or connected to prostitution in mining towns. The environmental effects of mining in Ghana include noise pollution from heavy trucks, contamination of water bodies with chemicals from mineral refining, pollution of agricultural soils leading to reduced food productivity, and wildlife depletion from deforestation. The activities of small-scale miners, particularly those engaged in illicit mining, have a negative impact on water quality and increase the cost of water treatment for public consumption. Mining operations have detrimental effects on the social, cultural, and natural ecosystems in Ghana, affecting the quality of life of local communities. The study takes into consideration the impact of mining activities on the environment and natural resources in Ghana, as these are vital to the livelihoods of Ghanaian communities. Stakeholders in Tarkwa claim that mining operations have distorted the natural path of the river, leading to excessive pollution and making the water unfit for consumption. Ghana’s economy depends heavily on mining, which also contributes significantly to GDP and generates jobs for a large number of people. But mining also has a lot of negative repercussions, the effects of mining extend beyond the mineralized zone initially explored, highlighting the need to consider the environmental impact at every phase of the mining process.

Reflections on Tools and Methods for Differentiated Assessments of Individual Scientists, Groups of Scientists and Scientific Journals

Requirements for research assessments There are huge differences in mission, emphasis, inherent capability, and targeted utilization of research among scientific institutions. Hence, when it comes to assessments, a one-size-fits-all approach cannot meet the goal(s) of these assessments. Probably even larger differences exist between individuals, research teams and departments.

The impact of farmers’ assessments of risk management strategies on their adoption willingness

Farmers'assessments of risk management strategies and how the assessments influence their willingness to adopt these strategies are poorly understood.This study conducts a structured survey of 469 farmers to investigate how farmers assess both crop insurance and crop price insurance,the impact of the assessments on their adoption willingness,and in particular,the differences in assessments and adoption willingness between crop insurance and crop price insurance.Empirical results show that farmers’assessments on crop insurance can be significantly improved through communication and experience.The most effective way to improve farmers'assessments on crop price insurance is providing adequate information about the insurance products.Furthermore,farmers'adoption willingness would be enhanced by improved assessment of both crop yield and crop price insurance.This study provides the first empirical evidence that farmers have limited information to assess insurance,which significantly influences their willingness to adopt.This finding reflects that the dissemination of insurance policies,the effectiveness of insurance,and the availability of insurance services significantly enable farmers'ability to assess risk management strategies,which potentially increases farmers'willingness to adopt insurance.

Health Professionals’ Attitudes towards Electronic Psychosocial Assessments in Youth Mental Healthcare

Psychosocial assessments can help mental health professionals establish good therapeutic relationships while simultaneously conducting holistic assessments of their young clients. Using technology to conduct assessments may increase disclosure by young people;however, the uptake of new technologies into current face-to-face practice has been slow. In the current study, we were interested in exploring the attitudes of mental health workers to using an electronic psychosocial assessment tool (e-tool) within face-to-face service delivery with adolescents and young adults. An exploratory design was used to identify and qualitatively describe the views of 46 mental health workers from services across the ACT and Victoria, Australia. Data were coded using an inductive thematic approach. Comments indicated that mental health workers held both positive and negative views about the e-tool. Some participants believed that it would allow disclosure to occur in a stepped process, normalize questions, give youth greater input, and be time efficient. However, the majority believed that the e-tool would infringe on their work because they needed to respond to their clients immediately, it would not provide an accurate representation of the client, young people did not have the necessary capabilities to engage in the process, they would miss non-verbal cues from the young person, and they were more likely to gain information from organic conversations. The results suggest that many mental health professionals may be fearful of incorporating new technologies in current practice. Specific training and supportive implementation guidelines must be developed to support use of these new technologies and change practice.

Attitudes to Group Assessments: Prospective Psychotherapists’ Experiences of Being Assessed by Fellow Students

Background: The guidance of prospective therapists focused on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is most often made by groups of four students. However, learning therapist skills is a sensitive process that will be affected by the processes which occur within the group. Objective: The aim was to examine prospective psychotherapists’ attitudes to group assessments based on the revised version of the Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS-R). Method: Participants were 56 students with an average age of 45.65 years (range = 31 - 64). They were recruited from psychotherapy training at the Gothenburg University and the Evidens University College in Sweden. A questionnaire was constructed in which the questions were answered by check on visual analogue scales (VAS). Results: A majority of students consisting of 38 participants (68%) had a very positive approach to group assessments, while a minority of 18 participants (32%) was more negative. Most crucial for how to answer the question of group assessments was whether they considered themselves as fairly evaluated by their student colleagues within the group and whether or not only the supervisor should make the assessments. The view of group assessments (negative or positive) was not related to age, gender, and level of education in CBT or profession. In addition, both groups had a very positive view of both the CTS-R and the supervisors. Conclusion: It was concluded that more studies with the same focus are needed to determine the extent to which the results are generalizable.

Assessments of America's Global Strategy

Ever since Bush entered the White house, especially after 9/11 events, America has successively published series of strategic documents, such as the Nuclear Posture Review, Quadrennial Defense Review, National Security Strategy of the United States of America, National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction. After its unilateralist practices gained points military and lost points politically in the Afghan war and the Iraq war, the multi-lateralist posture on dealing with

Comparison of different nutritional assessments in detecting malnutrition among gastric cancer patients

AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of preoperative and postoperative malnutrition and the relationships between objective and subjective nutritional assessment of gastric cancer patients. METHODS: From October 2005 to July 2006, we studied 80 patients with no evidence of recurrent disease and no loss to follow-up after curative surgery for gastric cancer. In this group, 9 patients underwent total gastrectomy and 71 patients subtotal gastrectomy. At admission, 6 and 12 mo after surgery, the patients were assessed on the subjective global assessment (SGA), nutritional risk screening (NRS-2002), nutritional risk index (NRI) and by anthropometric measurements and laboratory data. Differences between the independent groups were assessed with the Student's t test and oneway analysis of variance. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate the association between the scores and variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of malnutrition at admissionwas 31% by SGA and 43% by NRS-2002. At admission, the anthropometric data were lower in the malnourished groups defined by the SGA and NRS-2002 assessments, but did not differ between the groups using the NRI assessment. Body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), triceps skin fold and midarm circumference were significantly reduced, but the total lymphocyte count, albumin, protein, cholesterol and serum iron levels did not decrease during the postoperative period. Six months after surgery, there was a good correlation between the nutritional assessment tools (SGA and NRS-2002) and the other nutritional measurement tools (BW, BMI, and anthropometric measurements). However, 12 mo after surgery, most patients who were assessed as malnourished by SGA and NRS-2002 had returned to their preoperative status, although their BW, BMI, and anthropometric measurements still indicated a malnourished status. CONCLUSION: A combination of objective and subjective assessments is needed for the early detection of the nutritional status in case of gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy.

Multi-mycotoxin exposure and risk assessments for Chinese consumption of nuts and dried fruits

In this study, 15 mycotoxins were detected in 233 nut and dried fruit samples from China. The 15 mycotoxins included aflatoxins （AFs： AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2）, trichothecene toxins （TCs： T-2, ZEA, ENA, ENA1, ENB, ENB1 and BEA）, Alternaria toxins （ATs： TEN, AOH and AME） and ochratoxin A （OTA）. The mycotoxins were detected in 47.6% of the samples and all 15 of the mycotoxins were found. Two samples were positive for AFB1 and exceeded the maximum tolerable levels allowed in China. The contamination levels of the mycotoxins found in nuts, dried jujubes, raisins, dried figs and dried Iongans were in the ranges of 0.1-462.7, 0.2-247.3, 0.8-10.1,0.2-384.1 and 0.1-89.2 μg kg^-1, respectively. Dried figs （80.0%） had the highest incidence of mycotoxins, followed by dried Iongans （60.0%）, dried jujubes （57.1%）, nuts （43.6%） and raisins （26.7%）. The estimated daily intake （EDI） values of each individual mycotoxin and all of the mycotoxins collectively were calculated by both the deterministic approach （DA） and the probability approach （PA）. For risk characterization, dietary exposure to TCs, ATs and OTA through consumption of nuts and dried fruits according to both approaches, showed no health risk to Chinese adults by exposure to either individual mycotoxins or in combination. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work in which risk assessment of multimycotoxins is performed, specifically including the emerging ENNs and BEA, in nuts and dried fruits of China.

Comparative carbon emission assessments of recycled and natural aggregate concrete: Environmental influence of cement content

This work examines the environmental and geochemical impact of recycled aggregate concrete production with properties representative for structural applications.The environmental influence of cement content,aggregate production,transportation,and waste landfilling is analysed by undertaking a life cycle assessment and considering a life cycle inventory largely specific for the region.To obtain a detailed insight into the optimum life cycle parameters,a sensitivity study is carried out in which supplementary cementitious materials,different values of natural-to-recycled aggregate content ratio and case-specific transportation distances were considered.The results show that carbon emissions were between 323 and 332 kgCO_(2)e per cubic metre of cement only natural aggregate concrete.These values can be reduced by up to 17%by replacing 25%of the cement with fly ash.By contrast,carbon emissions can increase when natural coarse aggregates are replaced by recycled aggregates in proportions of 50%and 100%,and transportation is not included in analysis.However,the concrete with 50%recycled aggregate presented lower increase,only 0.3%and 3.4%for normal and high strength concrete,respectively.In some cases,the relative contribution of transportation to the total carbon emissions increased when cement was replaced by fly ash in proportions of 25%,and case-specific transportation distances were considered.In absolute values,the concrete mixes with 100%recycled aggregates and 25%fly ash had lower carbon emissions than concrete with cement and natural aggregates only.Higher environmental benefits can be obtained when the transportation distances of fly ash are relatively short(15–25 km)and the cement replacement by fly ash is equal or higher than 25%,considering that the mechanical properties are adequate for practical application.The observations from this paper show that recycled aggregate concrete with strength characteristics representative for structural members can have lower carbon emissions than conventional concrete,recommending them as an alternative to achieving global sustainability standards in construction.

The role of hazard vulnerability assessments in disaster preparedness and prevention in China

China is prone to disasters and escalating disaster losses. Effective disaster mitigation is the foundation for efficient disaster response and rescue and for reducing the degree of hazardous impacts on the population. Vulnerability refers to the population's capacity to anticipate, cope with, and recover from the impact of a hazardous event. A hazard vulnerability assessment(HVA) systematically evaluates the damage that could be caused by a potential disaster, the severity of the impact, and the available medical resources during a disaster to reduce population vulnerability and increase the capacity to cope with disasters. In this article, we summarized HVA team membership, content(disaster identification, probability and consequences), and methods and procedures for an HVA that can be tailored to China's needs. We further discussed the role of epidemiology in an HVA. Disaster epidemiology studies the underlying causes of disasters to achieve effective disaster prevention and reduction. In addition, we made several recommendations that are already in practice in developed countries, such as the U.S., for future implementation in China and other developing countries. An effective HVA plan is crucial for successful disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Impact Assessments of Transgenic cry1Ab Rice on the Population Dynamics of Five Non-Target Thrips Species and Their General Predatory Flower Bug in Bt and Non-Bt Rice Fields Using Color Sticky Card Traps

A 2-yr field study was conducted to assess the effects of transgenic japonica rice（KMD1 and KMD2） with a synthetic cry1 Ab gene from Bacillus thuingiensis Berliner on population dynamics and seasonal average densities of five thrips species including Stenchaetothrips biformis（Bagnall）,Frankliniella intonsa（Trybom）,F.tenuicornis（Uzel）,Haplothrips aculeatus（Fabricius）,Haplothrips tritici（Kurd） and their general predatory flower bug,Orius similis Zheng as compared to the parental control rice line using the white,blue and yellow sticky card traps.Population dynamics and seasonal average densities of these five thrips species and their general predatory flower bug were not significantly affected by rice type.Additionally,the white sticky card trap was suggested to be the most suitable for monitoring the population of these five thrips species and their general predator.These results show that our tested Bt rice lines do not interrupt the population of non-target thrips species and their general predatory flower bug in the field,and also cannot result in more occurrence of these thrips species in the rice ecosystem.

Standardized Assessment of Ki-67 in Breast Cancer Patients Using Virtual Slides and an Automated Analyzer in Comparison to Central/Local Pathological Assessments

Purpose: To standardize the methods to measure Ki-67, there is an interest in automating the assessment of Ki-67. Therefore, we reviewed the possibility of introducing an automated analyzer to standardize the Ki-67 evaluation method. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a clinical database of patients who underwent surgery for early breast cancer at Tokyo-West Tokushukai Hospital. Among them, those who underwent preoperative core needle biopsy (CNB) were enrolled. The concordance rates of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki-67 by local pathologists were reviewed (valuations made by local pathologists), and nonmatching cases (from August 2008 to October 2011) were reassessed both by central review and using an automated analyzer with virtual slides. The results were compared with the evaluations made by local pathologists, and we reexamined the concordance rate by using central review and the automated analyzer. Results: The concordance rate of Ki-67 evaluations made by local pathologists in the preoperative CNB and surgical specimens was 78.7% in 287 cases pathologically assessed from October 2008 to March 2013. This rate was significantly lower (p < 0.01) than that of ER (95.6%), PgR (88.5%), and HER2 (91.6%). Reassessment of the 37 cases of nonmatching Ki-67 values from 2008 to October 2011 using central review and an automated analyzer resulted in clear improvement in matching of 22 (92.1%) and 24 (93.1%) of 37 cases, respectively. Conclusion: The concordance rate of Ki-67 in preoperative CNB and surgical specimens was lower than that of other biological markers;however, they were nearly equal by reassessment using central review and an automated analyzer.

Can health technology assessments assist the global campaign against poverty?

Although a key tenant of the Sustainable Development Goals is to achieve universal health coverage,the global drug gap persists-cver a third of the global population lack access to essential medicines.Without access to affordable drugs,people have worse health outcomes,higher medical expenses,and productivity loss,pushing them into poverty.Health technology assessments(HTAs)offer an opportunity to decrease the global drug gap and increase access to essential medicines by overcoming barriers to medicine access.These barriers include drug procurement,drug affordability for payers and patients,a patienfs ability to obtain essential medicines,and health system capacity.Using HTAs can therefore close the global drug gap by increasing access to affordable essential medicines.In turn,people have better health outcomes,spend less money on medical care,and can have better productivity.Ultimately,use of HTAs can lift the population out of poverty and force fewer people into poverty by creating better health outcomes at affordable prices.

Challenges of deep-sea biodiversity assessments in the Southern Ocean

Despite recent progress in deep-sea biodiversity assessments in the Southern Ocean （SO）, there remain gaps in our knowledge that hamper efficient deep-sea monitoring in times of rapid climate change. These include geographical sampling bias, depth and size-dependent faunal gaps in biology, ecology, distribution, and phylogeography, and the evolution of SO species. The phenomena of species patchiness and rarity are still not well understood, possibly because of our limited understanding of physiological adaptations and thresholds. Even though some shallow water species have been investigated physiologically, community-scale studies on the effects of multiple stressors related to ongoing environmental change, including temperature rise, ocean acidification, and shifts in deposition of phytoplankton, are completely unknown for deep-sea organisms. Thus, the establishment of long-term and coordinated monitoring programs, such as those rapidly growing under the umbrella of the Southern Ocean Observing System （SOOS） or the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy （DOOS）, may represent unique tools for measuring the status and trends of deep-sea and SO ecosystems.

Agreement of angle closure assessments between gonioscopy, anterior segment optical coherence tomography and spectral domain optical coherence tomography

AIM: To determine angle closure agreements between gonioscopy and anterior segment optical coherence tomography(AS-OCT), as well as gonioscopy and spectral domain OCT(SD-OCT). A secondary objective was to quantify inter-observer agreements of AS-OCT and SD-OCT assessments.METHODS: Seventeen consecutive subjects(33 eyes)were recruited from the study hospital’s Glaucoma clinic.Gonioscopy was performed by a glaucomatologist masked to OCT results. OCT images were read independently by 2 other glaucomatologists masked to gonioscopy findings as well as each other’s analyses of OCT images.RESULTS: Totally 84.8% and 45.5% of scleral spurs were visualized in AS-OCT and SD-OCT images respectively(P 【0.01). The agreement for angle closure between AS-OCT and gonioscopy was fair at k =0.31(95% confidence interval, CI: 0.03-0.59) and k =0.35(95%CI: 0.07-0.63) for reader 1 and 2 respectively. The agreement for angle closure between SD-OCT and gonioscopy was fair at k =0.21(95% CI: 0.07-0.49) and slight at k =0.17(95% CI: 0.08-0.42) for reader 1 and 2 respectively. The inter-reader agreement for angle closure in AS-OCT images was moderate at 0.51(95% CI: 0.13-0.88). The inter-reader agreement for angle closure in SD-OCT images was slight at 0.18(95% CI: 0.08-0.45).CONCLUSION: Significant proportion of scleral spurs were not visualised with SD-OCT imaging resulting in weaker inter-reader agreements. Identifying other angle landmarks in SD-OCT images will allow more consistent angle closure assessments. Gonioscopy and OCT imaging do not always agree in angle closure assessments but have their own advantages, and should be used together and not exclusively.

Issues Trustees Face in Natural Resource Damage Assessments, Part II

The first part of this two part series laid out the process that a Natural Resource Trustee will follow to complete a sound Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) as well as the typical challenges they face from the Responsible Party. The second part will present the typical issues that the trustee will face as the NRDA is tested in a court of law. A major litigation hurdle typically concerns what counts as “sound science” under the fact specific circumstances of a particular case. Many responsible parties will attempt to challenge a trustee’s assessment under the Daubert standard, which is the test for admissibility of evidence. However, because trustees are selected for their scientific expertise and subject to applicable laws and policies, including guidance on how to conduct a NRDA, trustees are generally the best arbiters of appropriate science, and as such should not be subject to a rigorous Daubert analysis.

Issues Trustees Face in Natural Resource Damage Assessments, Part I

The Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process evaluates natural resource injuries arising from hazardous waste or oil spills and determines the appropriate remedies. In this article, the first of a two part series, I address the issues that Natural Resource Trustees regularly face during the NRDA process outlined in numerous environmental statutes. Large scale environmental disasters call for sound science, but also discretionary and informed decision-making specific to the particulars of the scenario faced by the trustee that will make the public whole. If the environmental statutes are read correctly, a NRDA will enable a trustee to make the best decisions regarding restoration plans and damages owed. However, constant challenges to the trustee’s authority by the responsible party during the assessment process are not only inconsistent with the trustee’s statutorily delegated authority and the purpose of the environmental statutes themselves, but add considerable delay and cost to the restoration process. This article outlines the NRDA process a trustee typically follows while addressing common misinterpretations of statutory authority that often hinder the ultimate goal of environmental restoration.