Fibromyalgia after motor vehicle collision: evidence and implications

OBJECTIVE: Assess currently available evidence regarding the ability of a motor vehicle collision (MVC) to trigger the development of fibromyalgia (FM). METHODS: Consensus standards developed by the American College of Rheumatology Environmental Disease Study Group were used to assess the ability of an MVC to trigger FM. RESULTS: Increasing evidence suggests that FM and related disorders are characterized by abnormalities in central nervous system function related to sensory processing, autonomic regulation, and neuroendocrine function. MVC trauma appears capable of triggering FM, but generally not through direct biomechanical injury. Instead, the evidence suggests that MVC trauma can act as a "stressor," which in concert with other factors, such as an individual's biologic vulnerability, psychosocial factors, cultural factors, and so on, may result in the development of chronic widespread pain and other somatic symptoms. MVC trauma is only one of many stressors which can trigger such disorders, and the environment within which the stressor is experienced (biological and psychosocial) may largely determine whether there is an adverse physiologic result or not. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence that MVC trauma may trigger FM meets established criteria for determining causality, and has a number of important implications, both for patient care, and for research into the pathophysiology and treatment of these disorders.     

Semi-empirical estimation of sorption of hydrophobic pollutants on natural sediments and soils

Methods were developed for estimating the equilibrium sorption behavior of hydrophobic pollutants. At low pollutant concentration (aqueous phase concentration less than half the solubility), sorption isotherms were linear, reversible, and characterized by a partition coefficient, K_p. Partition coefficients normalized to organic carbon, K_OC ($\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{OC}}\text{=}\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{p}}\text{fraction}$ organic carbon), were highly invariant over a set of sediments and soils collected from throughout the nation. Equations for estimating K_OC from water solubility (including crystal energy) and octanol/water partition coefficients were developed. The predictive equations were tested on literature sorption data and found to estimate measured K_OC's generally within a factor of two.     

Combining material characterization with single and multi-oxyanion adsorption for mechanistic study of chromate removal by cationic hydrogel

Cationic hydrogel with magnetic property was synthesized via radical polymerization and its removal capacity of chromate from contaminated water was found to be 200 mg/g. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) study, the mechanism of chromate removal by hydrogel was found to be non-specific adsorption, mainly due to ion exchange, as evidenced by the positively charged functional group, trimethyl ammonium –N+(CH3)3; in the monomer. Verifications were accordingly determined by testing different oxyanion adsorption onto the hydrogel. The results of the chromate adsorption experiments illustrated that the amount of chromate adsorbed was nearly equal to that of the chloride released from the hydrogel, which is part of the evidence for ion exchange. Single and multi-oxyanion adsorption experiments were also performed, and it was demonstrated that ion removal was species independent, but charge dependent, another characteristic of the ion exchange process. It was found that the same Langmuir model can be applied to best fit the findings of single and multi-oxyanion adsorption, which further indicates the mechanism of chromate removal is attributed to ion exchange. In view of the above, the background anions compete for adsorption sites with chromate, evidenced by inhibitive chromate removal in the presence of background electrolytes in the batch studies, further echoing the ion exchange mechanism.     

Food security and climate change in drought-sensitive savanna zones of Ghana

Desertification, climate variability and food security are closely linked through drought, land cover changes, and climate and biological feedbacks. In Ghana, only few studies have documented these linkages. To establish this link the study provides historical and predicted climatic changes for two drought sensitive agro-ecological zones in Ghana and further determines how these changes have influenced crop production within the two zones. This objective was attained via Markov chain and Fuzzy modelling. Results from the Markov chain model point to the fact that the Guinea savanna agro-ecological zone has experienced delayed rains from 1960 to 2008 while the Sudan savanna agro-ecological zone had slightly earlier rains for the same period. Results of Fuzzy Modelling indicate that very suitable and moderately suitable croplands for millet and sorghum production are evenly distributed within the two agro-ecological zones. For Ghana to adapt to climate change and thereby achieve food security, it is important to pursue strategies such as expansion of irrigated agricultural areas, improvement of crop water productivity in rain-fed agriculture, crop improvement and specialisation, and improvement in indigenous technology. It is also important to encourage farmers in the Sudan and Guinea Savanna zones to focus on the production of cereals and legumes (e.g. sorghum, millet and soybeans) as the edaphic and climatic factors favour these crops and will give the farmers a competitive advantage. It may be necessary to consider the development of the study area as the main production and supply source of selected cereals and legumes for the entire country in order to free lands in other regions for the production of crops highly suitable for those regions on the basis of their edaphic and climatic conditions.     

Testing the effectiveness of capture mark recapture population estimation techniques using a computer simulation with known population size

Estimation of small mammal population sizes is important for monitoring ecosystem condition and for conservation. Here, we test the accuracy of standard methods of population size estimation using Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) on a simulated population of agents. The use of a computer simulation allows complete control of population sizes and behaviors, thereby avoiding assumptions that may be violated in real populations. We find that the recommended protocol for CMR sampling, using uniformly distributed traps, consistently overestimates population sizes by as much as 100% when studies are conducted over only two trapping periods. More than 20 trapping periods are required before this method, or that of placing traps randomly, gives an accurate estimation of population size (i.e., within a 95% confidence limit of the actual value). Non-random sampling, by placing traps on runways used by small mammals, produces the most accurate, and least variable, estimates of population. However, we show that around 10 trapping periods are still required to produce an accurate population estimate using this method. Given that most real populations do not comply with the ‘ideal’ assumptions made by CMR, we suggest that population estimates based on CMR may be fundamentally flawed, and recommend that protocols for CMR population estimation methods may need revising.     

Climate change and crop production nexus in Somalia: an empirical evidence from ARDL technique

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The purpose of this research examination is to ascertain the effect of climate change, measured rainfall, temperature, and CO2, on crop production by...     

Use of micellar liquid chromatography for rapid monitoring of fungicides post harvest applied to citrus wastewater

A method based on micellar liquid chromatography has been developed to simultaneously monitor four pesticides largely post-harvest applied to citrus:thiabendazole,pyrimethanil,o-phenylphenol and imazalil.Water samples were filtered and directly injected without other treatment,thus avoiding extraction steps.The composition of the mobile phase was optimized using a chemometrical approach to achieve and excellent resolution to 0.07 mol/L SDS/5%,V/V 1-pentanol buffered at p H 3.Mobile phase run through a C18 column at 1 m L/min at room temperature.The detection was performing by UV–Visible absorbance using a wavelength program:0–10 min,305 nm(for thiabendazole);10–12;265 nm(for pyrimethanil)and 12–18,220 nm(o-phenylphenol and imazalil).The developed method was validated following the guidelines of the US Environmental Protection Agency in terms of:quantitation range,(0.5–4 to 15μg/m L),linearity(r20.9995),sensitivity(LOD,0.18–1.4μg/m L),precision(9.2%),trueness(93.9%–103.7%),and ruggedness(9.9%).It was found that the fungicides remain up to eight days in surface water at outdoor conditions.The method was used to screen the presence of the analytes in several waste water samples,and was proved to be useful in routine analysis.     

Greenhouse gas dynamics in an urbanized river system: influence of water quality and land use

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Rivers act as a natural source of greenhouse gases (GHGs). However, anthropogenic activities can largely alter the chemical composition and microbial...     

Multiscale Analysis of Hydrology in a Mountaintop Mine‐Impacted Watershed

In the Appalachian region of the eastern United States, mountaintop removal mining (MTM) is a dominant driver of land‐cover change, impacting 6.8% of the largely forested 4.86 million ha coal fields region. Recent catastrophic flooding and documented biological impairment downstream of MTM has drawn sharp criticism to this practice. Despite its extent, scale, and use since the 1970s, the impact of MTM on hydrology is poorly understood. Therefore, the goal of this study was a multiscale evaluation to establish the nature of hydrologic impacts associated with MTM. To quantify the extent of MTM, land‐cover change over the lifetime of this practice is estimated for a mesoscale watershed in southern West Virginia. To assess hydrologic impacts, we conducted long‐term trend analyses to evaluate for systematic changes in hydrology at the mesoscale, and conducted hydrometric and response time modeling to characterize storm‐scale responses of a MTM‐impacted headwater catchment. Results show a general trend in the conversion of forests to mines, and significant decreases in maximum streamflow and variability, and increases in base‐flow ratio attributed to valley fills and deep mine drainage. Decreases in variability are shown across spatial and temporal scales having important implications for water quantity and quality. However, considerable research is necessary to understand how MTM impacts hydrology. In an effort to inform future research, we identify existing knowledge gaps and limitations of our study.     

Complexation of the antibiotic tetracycline with humic acid

The effect of solution chemistry and sorbate-to-sorbent ratio on the interaction of the antibiotic tetracycline with Elliott soil humic acid (ESHA) was investigated using equilibrium dialysis and FITEQL modeling. Tetracycline speciation strongly influenced its sorption to ESHA. Sorption was strongly pH-dependent with a maximum around pH 4.3, and competition with H+ and electrolyte cation (Na+) was evident. The pH-dependent trend was consistent with complexation between the cationic/zwitterionic tetracycline species and deprotonated sites in ESHA (mainly carboxylic functional groups). Modification of ESHA by Ca2+ addition increased tetracycline sorption suggesting that ternary complex formation (ESHA-metal-tetracycline) may be important at higher concentrations of multivalent metal cations. The macroscopic data (pH-envelope and sorption isotherms) were successfully modeled using a discrete logK function with the FITEQL 4.0 chemical equilibrium program indicating that ESHA-tetracycline interaction could be reasonably represented as complex formation of a monoacid with discrete sites in humic acid. Sorption-desorption hysteresis was observed; both sorption and desorption isotherms were well described by the Freundlich equation.