Assessment of Water Quality in High-Pressure Peruvian Anthropic Sectors of Lake Titicaca Using a Calibrated Index

The world’s lakes are in the process of degradation, with loss of water quality as a result of anthropic influences. This research aimed to evaluate water quality in high-pressure Peruvian anthropic sectors of Lake Titicaca using a calibrated index. The study considered ten important bays with influence from urban sectors. In each bay, surface waters were monitored for six years, considering physical, chemical and microbiological parameters. Water quality was assessed using the NSF Water Quality Index (NSF-WQI) and the one calibrated for Lake Titicaca (WQIT). Comparing the efficiency of these two indices, the WQIT showed a variation from moderately polluted bays to bad quality bays, such as Desaguadero and Yunguyo. These two bays were classified as hypereutrophic, therefore, the uses attributable to this condition are only irrigation and energy production. Applying the NSF-WQI, the results were not able to identify this significative difference, as all bays were classified as moderate quality waters. This result indicates that the WQIT calibration was adequate, as it allows inferring and estimating the water quality of Lake Titicaca with greater precision. According to Peru’s water quality standard for category 4, established for the conservation of the country’s lakes, the parameters that exceeded the standard values were PO4-P (0.035 mg∙L−1) and BOD5 (5 mg∙L−1) in all bays, and TC (1000 MPN mL−1) in Yunguyo bay. These high values indicate eutrophication processes, one of the main problems in the study area. The WQIT calibrated for Lake Titicaca can be used as an efficient tool to assess water quality in high Andean lentic waterbodies in South America.

Assessment of groundwater suitability for different activities in Toshka district,south Egypt

Globally,groundwater has globally emerged as a crucial freshwater source for domestic,irrigation,and industrial needs.The evaluation of groundwater quality in the Toshka region is imperative to ensure its suitability for the extensive agricultural and industrial activities underway in this promising,groundwater-dependent development area.This is particularly significant as Egypt increasingly relies on groundwater reserves to address freshwater deficits and to implement mega-development projects in barren lands.In this study,fifty-two samples were collected from the recently drilled wells tapping into the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer(NSA)in the Toshka region.Groundwater quality was assessed through hydrochemical analysis,Piper diagram,and various indicators such as Na%,SAR,RSC,KR,MH and PI.The hydrochemical analysis revealed improved groundwater quality characteristics,attributed to continuous recharge from Lake Nasser.The Piper diagram categorised most of the water samples as"secondary salinity"water type.Almost all wells proved suitable for irrigation with only two wells unsuitable based on MH values and six wells based on KR values.Considering Total Hardness(TH)values,all samples were classified as"Soft",indicating their suitability for domestic and industrial purposes.Water Quality Index(WQI)results concluded that all samples met WHO and FAO guidelines for drinking and irrigation,respectively.Spatial distribution maps,constructed using GIS,facilitate the interpretation of the results.Regular monitoring of quality parameters is essential to detect any deviation from permissible limits.

Lead, Zinc and Iron Pollutants Load Assessment in Selected Rivers in Southern Nigeria: Implications for Domestic Uses

The aim of the study is to comparatively assess the concentrations of lead, zinc and iron in Rivers Ase, Warri and Ethiope, in Nigeria. Monthly water samples were collected from six randomly selected sites along the rivers course. 72 water samples were collected from each river at 0 - 15 cm depths. Samples were analysed based on the standard methods recommended by the WHO for testing lead, zinc and iron. The assessment of the water quality was done using the Water Quality Index (WQI) of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME-WQI). While hypotheses were tested using ANOVA. Findings indicated that CCME-WQI values were 47.3, 66.52 and 78.7. This meant that the water quality of River Ase is impaired and departed from desirable levels, while that of Warri and Ethiope were considered to occasionally be impaired and depart from desirable levels. The ANOVA model showed that there is a significant variation in heavy metal load in the selected rivers at P < 0.05. River water was put to domestic uses such as drinking (20.5%) preparing food (17.8%), bathing (19.8%), washing clothes and dishes (21.3%), brushing teeth (13.3%), and catering for domestic animals (7.5%). Poverty (49.5%) was the major reason for the use of river water for domestic purposes. The locals highlighted that they usually suffer from cholera (26.8%), diarrhoea (25.8%), dysentery (24%) and typhoid (23.5%) as a result of using the river water. The study recommended routine monitoring of anthropogenic and geologic activities, testing of the water regularly amongst others.

The role of quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment score as simple scoring system to predict Fournier gangrene mortality and the correlation with Fournier’s Gangrene Severity Index: Analysis of 69 patients

Objective:Fournier’s gangrene is a rare but life-threatening infection disease with high mortality rate.The quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment(qSOFA)is a new and simpler scoring system that may identify patients with suspected infection who are at greater risk for a poor outcome.The purpose of this study was to find out role of qSOFA in determining prognosis of Fournier’s gangrene patients.Methods:This study is a case control with retrospective review of Fournier’s gangrene patients treated at Hasan Sadikin Hospital from January 2013 to December 2017 who met inclusion criteria.Participants were divided into two groups according to qSOFA score as high qSOFA(2-3)and low qSOFA(0-1).Results:From 69 patients,the mortality rate was 24.6%.The sensitivity of qSOFA score to predict mortality was 88.2%;the specificity was 94.2%;positive predictive value was 83.3%;negative predictive value was 96.1%;positive likelihood ratio was 15.2;negative likelihood ratio was 0.12;and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of qSOFA was 94.2%.There was significant association between qSOFA scale and mortality with p-value of 0.0001.The qSOFA score has strong positive correlation with Fournier’s Gangrene Severity Index(p<0.0001,r=0.704).Conclusion:qSOFA scoring system has a high prognostic value and can be used to determine prognosis of Fournier’s gangrene patients.

Establishment of Monitoring and Assessment Index System of Land Degradation of Farmland Ecosystems at Small-scale

The research established land degradation monitoring and assessment in- dex system of farmland ecosystem under influence of human activities, including farming system, measures, mulch residuals, fertilizer pollutions, pesticide pollution, irrigation method, salt content of soils, engineering measures of discharging alkali, agricultural protection forests and poverty. The indices of the system are accessible, and convenient for operation, which is suitable for land managers self-monitoring, re- ducing irrational farming activities, improving farmland productivity and preventing farmland degradation.

Construction and application of an assessment index system for evalu ating the eco-community’s sustainability

An assessment index system including environment, socio-culture, economy and technology was established for evaluating environmental construction level of community （objective construction）, and questionnaire was designed according to paper review for evaluating residential satisfaction （subjective satisfaction）. The index system was divided into four layers： system （A）, subsystems （B）, categories （C）, and indicators （D）, and in total of 38 indicators was established. The Xihe community, affiliated to Nanfen district, Benxi City, Liaoning Province, China was selected as a case study. Results indicated that the community sustainability index related to objective environmental construction was 0.4355 and was classified as class Ⅲ （moderate）; the community sustainability index related to the residential satisfaction was 0.4255, belonging to class Ⅲ. In conclusion, the sustainability of Xihe community was moderate and needed to be improved. Residential satisfaction was lower than objective environmental construction. The assessment index system established in this study is able to reflect the comprehensive sustainability of community and can be used to evaluate other similar communities＇ sustainability.

Assessment and Application of Beach Quality Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process in Yangkou Beach, Qingdao

The whole-beach quality assessment is the basis of building and preserving beautiful beaches.The beach quality assessment index system and assessment standard have been established based on the attributes of beaches(including the width,slope,landform,and types),sorting coefficient,and softness degree of surface sediment.The assessment weight of each index for quality evaluation was analyzed using the analytic hierarchy process,and comprehensive scores of selected beach profiles were calculated in accordance with the light assessment standard.A beach quality evaluation model based on index weight and scores was established in this paper.The factors of 12 profiles of Yangkou Beach in Qingdao City were surveyed to carry out a quality assessment,and the comprehensive scores of each profile were calculated in accordance with the evaluation model.The results showed that the quality of Yangkou Beach can be divided into four ratings:excellent,good,medium,and poor.The excellent-quality area includes a wide and flat dry beach zone and soft,flat,and clean intertidal and subtidal zones covered with well-sorted fine sand,and leisure sports,such as volleyball,running,and swimming,are suitable for tourists.The good-quality area features a slightly narrow and dry beach zone,moderately soft and uneven intertidal and subtidal zones covered with fine sand and a small tidal gully,and a small amount of foreign matter;leisure sports,such as walking and running,are suitable for tourists.This study recommends the building of fixed drainage ditches or underground culverts to reduce the tidal gully.The medium-quality area consisted of a narrow and dry beach zone,moderately soft and uneven intertidal and subtidal zones covered by poorly sorted medium sand,a tide ditch,and a small amount of foreign matter.In this area,walking is suitable for tourists.Sand should be supplemented in the intertidal zone.The poor-quality area contained a very narrow and dry beach zone covered with poor-sorted gravel,a very chaotic intertidal zone with a considerable amount of foreign matters,such as bricks and rocks,wide tidal ditches,and an uneven subtidal zone with some reefs;leisure sports are unsuitable here.Thus,foreign matter and reefs should be removed,and the dry beach zone should be supplemented with sand.Therefore,the beach quality assessment is a very useful tool for building beautiful beaches.

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in soils and crops in a mining area(Au-Ag-Cutrona-oil et al.) of the Nanyang Basin, Henan Province, China

Heavy metal distribution in mining areas has always been a hot research topic due to the special environment of these areas. This study aims to explore the impact of heavy metal pollution on soils and crops in the study area, ensure the safety of local crops and the health of local residents, and provide a basis for the subsequent environmental restoration and the prevention and control of environmental pollution. Based on the analysis of the heavy metal concentrations in local soils and crops, the study investigated the spatial distribution, pollution degrees, and potential ecological risks of heavy metals in the farmland of a mining area in the southeastern Nanyang Basin, Henan province, China explored the sources of heavy metals and assessed the health risks caused by crop intake. The results of this study are as follows. The root soils of crops in the study area suffered heavy metal pollution to varying degrees. The degree of heavy metal pollution in maize fields is higher than that in wheat fields, and both types of fields suffer the most severe Cd pollution. Moreover, the root soils of different crops suffer compound pollution.The root soils in the maize fields suffer severe compound pollution at some sampling positions, whose distribution is similar to that of the mining area. Cd poses the highest potential ecological risks among all heavy metals, and the study area mainly suffers low and moderate comprehensive potential ecological risks. The principal component analysis(PCA) shows that the distribution of Zn, Cd, Pb, and As in soils of the study area is mainly affected by anthropogenic factors such as local mining activities;the distribution of Cr and Ni is primarily controlled by the local geological background;the distribution of Hg is mainly affected by local vehicle exhaust emissions, and the distribution of Cu is influenced by both human activities and the geological background. Different cereal crops in the study area are polluted with heavy metals dominated by Cd and Ni to varying degrees, especially wheat. As indicated by the health risk assessment results, the intake of maize in the study area does not pose significant human health risks;however, Cu has high risks to human health, and the compound heavy metal pollution caused by the intake of wheat in the study area poses risks to the health of both adults and children. Overall, the soils and crops in the study area suffer a high degree of heavy metal pollution, for which mining activities may be the main reason.

Validation of nutritional risk index method against patientgenerated subjective global assessment in screening malnutrition in colorectal cancer patients

Objective：To validate malnutrition screening tool of nutrition risk index （NRI） against patent-generated subjective global assessment （PG-SGA） as a gold standard tool in colorectal cancer patients before radiotherapy.Methods：Nutritional status of 52 volunteer colorectal cancer patients with a mean age of 54.1±16.8 years who referred to radiotherapy center were assessed by PG-SGA （gold standard method） and NRI.Serum albumin levels of patients were determined by colorimetric method.A contingency table was used to determine the sensitivity,specificity,and predictive value of the NRI in screening patients at risk of malnutrition,in comparison with the PG-SGA in patients before radiotherapy.Results：The findings of PG-SGA and NRI showed that 52％ and 45％ of patients in our study were moderately or severely malnourished respectively.The NRI had a sensitivity of 66％ and a specificity of 60％ against PG-SGA.The positive predictive value was 64％ and the negative predicative value was 62％.The agreement between NRI and PG-SGA was statistically insignificant （kappa =0.267; P＞0.05）.Conclusions：The findings of present study showed that the prevalence of malnutrition was high in patients with colorectal cancer.Moreover,NRI method had low sensitivity and specificity in assessing nutritional status of patients with cancer.It seems that the combination of anthropometric,laboratory parameters and a subjective scoring system may be helpful tools in screening of malnutrition in cancer patients.

Index-based assessment of agricultural drought in a semi-arid region of Inner Mongolia, China

Agricultural drought is a type of natural disaster that seriously impacts food security.Because the relationships among short-term rainfall,soil moisture,and crop growth are complex,accurate identification of a drought situation is difficult.In this study,using a conceptual model based on the relationship between water deficit and crop yield reduction,we evaluated the drought process in a typical rainfed agricultural region,Hailar county in Inner Mongolia autonomous region,China.To quantify drought,we used the precipitation-based Standardized Precipitation Index(SPI),the soil moisture-based Crop Moisture Index(CMI),as well as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI).Correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between dekad-scale drought indices during the growing season(May–September)and final yield,according to data collection from 2000 to 2010.The results show that crop yield has positive relationships with CMI from mid-June to mid-July and with the NDVI anomaly throughout July,but no correlation with SPI.Further analysis of the relationship between the two drought indices shows that the NDVI anomaly responds to CMI with a lag of 1 dekad,particularly in July.To examine the feasibility of employing these indices for monitoring the drought process at a dekad time scale,a detailed drought assessment was carried out for selected drought years.The results confirm that the soil moisture-based vegetation indices in the late vegetative to early reproductive growth stages can be used to detect agricultural drought in the study area.Therefore,the framework of the conceptual model developed for drought monitoring can be employed to support drought mitigation in the rainfed agricultural region of Northern China.

Assessment of Soil Water Content in Field with Antecedent Precipitation Index and Groundwater Depth in the Yangtze River Estuary

To better understand soil moisture dynamics in the Yangtze River Estuary （YRE） and predict its variation in a simple way, a field monitoring experiment was carried out along the north branch of the Yangtze River, where seawater intrusion was strong and salt-water variation is one of the limiting factors of local agriculture. In present paper, relation between antecedent precipitation index （API） and soil water content is studied, and effects of groundwater depth on soil water content was analyzed. A relatively accurate prediction result of soil water content was reached using a neural network model. The impact analysis result showed that the variation of the API was consistent with soil water content and it displayed significant correlations with soil water content in both 20 and 50 cm soil layer, and higher correlation was observed in the layer of 20 cm. Groundwater impact analysis suggested that soil moisture was affected by the depth of groundwater, and was affected more greatly by groundwater at depth of 50 cm than that at 20 cm layer. By introducing API, groundwater depth and temperature together, a BP artificial network model was established to predict soil water content and an acceptable agreement was achieved. The model can be used for supplementing monitoring data of soil water content and predicting soil water content in shallow groundwater areas, and can provide favorable support for the research of water and salt transport in estuary area.

Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis with combined serum aminotransferase/platelet ratio index and hyaluronic acid in patients with chronic hepatitis B

AIM： To construct a noninvasive assessment model consisting of routine laboratory data to predict significant fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B （CHB）. METHODS： A total of 137 consecutive patients with CriB who underwent percutaneous liver biopsy were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were divided into two groups according to their aminotransferase （ALT） level. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value （PPV）, negative predictive value （NPV）, the likelihood ratio （LR） of aminotransferase/platelet ratio index （APRI） ≥ 1.5 or 〈 1.5 in combination with different hyaluronic acid （HA） cut-off points were calculated for the presence of moderate to severe fibrosis/cirrhosis （fibrosis stages 2 and 4） and no to mild fibrosis/cirrhosis （fibrosis stages 0 and 1）. RESULTS： The APRI correlated with fibrosis stage in CriB patients. The APRI ≥1.5 in combination with a cut-off HA cut-off point 〉 300 ng/mL could detect moderate to severe fibrosis （stages 2-4） in Crib patients. The PPV was 93.7%, the specificity was 98.9%. The APRI 〈 1.5 in combination with different HA cut-off points could not detect no to mild fibrosis in CHB patients. CONCLUSION： The APRI ≥ 1.5 in combination with a HA cut-off point 〉 300 ng/mL can detect moderate to severe fibrosis （stages 2-4） in Crib patients.

Fuzzy Complex Index in Water Quality Assessment of Municipalities

Donghu Lake in Wuhan is a multipurpose complex water body. However, its eutrophication phenomenon becomes increasingly serious. By making use of detailed and accurate contamination monitoring data and several mathematics models, we probe into the dynamic state of water quality. The year’s average value of major contamination index in Donghu Lake from 2001 to 2008 and fuzzy complex index are used to assess its short-term state of water quality. The results show that its water quality is basically stable in the 4th class of water quality standard GB3838-2002.

Comprehensive assessment of heavy metal pollution in river and lake sediments using face graph and index of geoaccumulation

Surface sedimental samples were collected from(1)Le An River in Jiangxi Province, south of China,and(2)several lakes located in southwest of Germany.Concentrations of heavy metals in these samples were determined.Moreover,the situations of heavy metal pollution in two regions were comprehensively assessed by combined index of geoaccumulation with visualized multi- variate graphical method——modified Chernoff Face Graph.Face graphs intuitively demonstrated strong heavy metal contamination in Le An River,especially copper pollution.However,in lakes' sedimental samples,contamination of other heavy metals showed mild or clean except cadmium and chromium.

Assessment Index Structure of Mine Ventilation System and Application

Based on the basic content of advanced technology,safety and reliability, and economic reasonability and the definition of mine ventilation system, 16 assessment indexes of ventilation system are put forward from the point of 8 aspects such as mine ventilation power, ventilation network, ventilation equipments, ventilation quality, ventilation monitoring, capacity of preventing and fighting disaster, ventilation consumption of power, and the capacity of ventila- tion system. A new assessment index system is put forward and has a good effect after being applied in coal mines.

Research on the Weight of Index for the Assessment Standard for Green Store Building

Assessment standard for green store building of national standard has been compiled. The index has been given by experts' subjective assignment based on experience. Analytic hierarchy process has been used,making questionnaires of experts,using pairwise comparison and calculating the weight of each index. The weight of index in assessment would not only make quantitative evaluation on the whole situation of green store buildings,but also provide the foundation for compilation and revision.

Status, Distribution and Ecological Risk Assessment of Persistent Toxic Substances in Suburban Agricultural Soils in Hohhot City, North China

A total of 52 soil samples of Hohhot City were collected and four heavy metals and eight organochlorine pesticides were analyzed. The results showed that Cr, Cu, Zn, and Pb in soil were in range of 20.54 - 48.15 mg/kg, 40.10 - 94.60 mg/kg, 35.14 - 110.48 mg/kg, 38.86g - 245.36 mg/kg, with a mean value of 37.24 mg/kg, 60.76 mg/kg, 80.49 mg/kg, and 145.99 mg/kg, respectively. The high degree of variation of Pb, Zn, and Cu, reflected that the heavy metals were mainly interfered by human factors. The content values of ∑DDTs ranged from 5.01 ng/g to 105.08 ng/g with a mean of 36.94 ng/g, while the ∑HCHs ranged from 6.52 ng/g to 48.65 ng/g with an average of 23.29 ng/g, indicated that DDTs were highly used than HCHs in the study area. The relatively low α-HCH/γ-HCH ratio and relatively high o,p’-DDT/p,p’-DDT ratio indicated the application of lindane and dicofol on regional agricultural soil. The mean Igeo values was Pb (2.9) > Cu (1.5) > Cr (-0.31) > Zn (-0.35), revealing that the soil in Hohhot City was not polluted by Cr and Zn (Igeo 0), moderate polluted by Cu (1 Igeo 2), moderate to heavy pollution by Pb (2 Igeo 3). The range of potential ecological risk index of metals was from 35.02 to 132.96, indicating low to moderate potential ecological risk. HCHs in all soil samples were less than 50 ng/g, which could be considered as unpolluted, while DDTs in several samples were between 50 and 500 ng/g, which could be regarded as having low pollution.

Benefit evaluation of the Three-Gorges Reservoir migration by an assessment index model based on analytic hierarchy process

An assessment index model was established to evaulate the benefit of the Three-Gorges Reservoir migration through the analytical hierarchy process. Totally 43 indicators were selected to assess the impact of migration on the economic, social and ecological environmental aspects of the migration communities, with the data of the indicators of the years 1992, 1998, 2002 which represented the period of premigration, the end of the first phase migration and the end of the second phase migration, respectively. The evaluation matrix is sufficiently consistent, with a consistency ratio CR equal to 0.086 3. The assessment turned out a benefit value for the economic subsystem in the year 2004 larger than triple the value in the year 1992, indicating a remarkable economic growth in the Reservoir area. The constantly increasing value for the social subsystem reflects the stable social situations. There is a slight decline in the assessment outcome of the ecological subsystem for the year 1998, which implies enviromental conservation was given insufficient importance during that period. On the whole, the implementation of the migration project is favorable to the Reservoir region, as confirmed by the stably increasing overall evaluation value from 42.22% in 1992 to 68.81% in 2002. However, there is still much room to improve from the status quo to the target criteria.

Index system and methods for comprehensive assessment of cross-border power grid interconnection projects

With the global economy integration and progress in energy transformation,it has become a general trend to surpass national boundaries to achieve wider and optimal energy resource allocations.Consequently,there is a critical n eed to adopt scie ntific approaches in assessi ng cross-border power grid interconnection projects.First,con sidering the promotion of large-scale renewable energy resources and improvements in system adequacy,a comprehensive assessment index system,including costs,socio-economic benefits,environmental benefits,and technical benefits,is established in this study.Second,a synthetic assessment framework is proposed for cross-border power grid interconnection projects based on the index system comprising cost-benefit analysis,with market and network simulations,iterative methods for indicator weight evaluation,and technique for order preferenee by similarity to an ideal solution(TOPSIS)method for the project rankings.Fin ally,by assessi ng and comparing three cross-border projects betwee n Europe and Asia,the proposed index system and assessment framework have been proved to be effective and feasible;the results of this system can thus support investment decision-making related to such projects in the future.

The Values of the Prognostic Nutrition Index and the Patient Generated-Subjective Global Assessment during the Nutritional Assessment of Patients with Gastrointestinal Tumors

Objective To compare the value and consistency among the Patient Generated-Subjective Global Assessment(PG-SGA)and the Prognostic Nutrition Index(PNI)for assessing nutritional status in gastrointestinal tumor patients.Methods 251 patients from gastric cancer surgical ward from January 2019 to January 2020 were recruited through convenience sampling in this respective study.Nutritional screening and assessment were conducted for 251 gastrointestinal tumor patients using the nutritional risk screening 2002(NRS 2002)PG-SGA,and the PNI.PNI was calculated using the serum albumin level and the total lymphocyte count obtained from the patients’routine laboratory examination when they were admitted to the hospital.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)of the PG SGA and the PNI were plotted with the NRS 2002 used as the gold standard,and the diagnostic value of the PG-SGA and PNI was reflected by the area under the curve(AUC),sensitivity,specificity and Youden index.We then determined the optimal cut-off for the PNI and tested the consistency of the PG-SGA and PNI.Results The optimal cut-off point for the PNI was calculated to be 50.78.The AUC of the PG-SGA was 0.908(95%CI 0.871-0.944).The sensitivity was 89.9%,specificity was 76.2%and the Youden index was 0.661.The AUC of the PNI was 0.594(95%CI 0.516-0.572).The sensitivity was 73.8%,specificity was 44.3%and the Youden index was 0.181.In the consistency test,the kappa value was 0.838(P<0.001).Conclusion The PNI is of limited value for assessing malnutrition,although it did have good consistency with the PG-SGA.The combination of the PNI and PG-SGA can be used for diagnosing assessing malnutrition in clinical practice.