Interregional traceability of Tunisian olive oils to the provenance soil by multielemental fingerprinting and chemometrics

The aim of this study was to prove the usefulness of multielements as provenance markers of olive oils by evaluating their link with soil composition and their discriminatory power. Eleven elements in twenty-one olive oils and their paired soils from four Tunisian regions were characterized. Chemometrics have been implemented for ICP-MS data processing. Principal component analysis identified the predominant geochemical source of the elements in the oils based on their associations according to Goldschmidt’s rule. Although a clear correlation was not proven, correspondence was identified between the discriminating elements for both the soils and olive oils, which included Fe, Rb, Mg, and Pb. Linear discriminant analysis achieved classification and prediction rates of 92.1% and 87.3%, respectively. Our study substantiates the validity of multielements as markers of the olive oils’ provenance, and that an elemental fingerprinting approach can be successfully applied in the construction of a database of Tunisian olive oils

Multicenter, single-blind, randomized controlled study of the efficacy and safety of favipiravir and nafamostat mesilate in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nafamostat combined with favipiravir for the treatment of COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel assignment study in hospitalized patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients were randomly assigned to receive favipiravir alone (n = 24) or nafamostat with favipiravir (n = 21). The outcomes included changes in the World Health Organization clinical progression scale score, time to improvement in body temperature, and improvement in oxygen saturation (SpO2). Results: There was no significant difference in the changes in the clinical progression scale between nafamostat with favipiravir and favipiravir alone groups (median, -0.444 vs -0.150, respectively; least-squares mean difference, -0.294; P = 0.364). The time to improvement in body temperature was significantly shorter in the combination group (5.0 days; 95% confidence interval, 4.0-7.0) than in the favipiravir group (9.0 days; 95% confidence interval, 7.0-18.0; P =0.009). The changes in SpO2 were greater in the combination group than in the favipiravir group (0.526% vs -1.304%, respectively; least-squares mean difference, 1.831; P = 0.022). No serious adverse events or deaths were reported, but phlebitis occurred in 57.1% of the patients in the combination group. Conclusion: Although our study showed no differences in clinical progression, earlier defervescence, and recovery of SpO2 were observed in the combination group

Indian Monsoonal Variations During the Past 80 Kyr Recorded in NGHP-02 Hole 19B, Western Bay of Bengal: Implications From Chemical and Mineral Properties

金沢大学理工研究域地球社会基盤学系Detailed reconstruction of Indian summer monsoons is necessary to better understand the late Quaternary climate history of the Bay of Bengal and Indian peninsula. We established a chronostratigraphy for a sediment core from Hole 19B in the western Bay of Bengal, extending to approximately 80 kyr BP and examined major and trace element compositions and clay mineral components of the sediments. Higher δ 18 O values, lower TiO 2 contents, and weaker weathering in the sediment source area during marine isotope stages (MIS) 2 and 4 compared to MIS 1, 3, and 5 are explained by increased Indian summer monsoonal precipitation and river discharge around the western Bay of Bengal. Clay mineral and chemical components indicate a felsic sediment source, suggesting the Precambrian gneissic complex of the eastern Indian peninsula as the dominant sediment source at this site since 80 kyr. Trace element ratios (Cr/Th, Th/Sc, Th/Co, La/Cr, and Eu/Eu*) indicate increased sediment contributions from mafic rocks during MIS 2 and 4. We interpret these results as reflecting the changing influences of the eastern and western branches of the Indian summer monsoon and a greater decrease in rainfall in the eastern and northeastern parts of the Indian peninsula than in the western part during MIS 2 and 4. © 2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved

Reconstruction of paleo-tsunami disasters : Evidence from radiometric dating of massive Porites coral boulders in Southern Ryukyu Islands

報告番号: ; 学位授与年月日: 2011-03-24 ; 学位の種別: 修士 ; 学位の種類: 修士(環境学) ; 学位記番号: 修創域第3873号 ; 研究科・専攻: 新領域創成科学研究科環境学研究系自然環境学専

Deterioration and Preservation of City Wall in Nanjing

Nanjing City Wall in Nanjing, China, an important cultural heritage of the city, has deteriorated owing to factors such as the presence of microorganisms, salt crystallization, exfoliation, and cracks in the bricks and stones. For this research, the present status regarding the deterioration of the Nanjing City Wall was first surveyed, after which we attempted to identify the factors causing the deterioration. Herein, a simulation model expressing the infiltration of rainwater into the city wall is proposed, and based on the simulation results, the influence of rainwater on the deterioration of the wall is examined. The simulation results showed that the rainwater increases the moisture content of the inside bricks and plaster only very slowly

Projecting future changes in element concentrations of approximately 100 untreated discharges from legacy mines in Japan by a hierarchical log-linear model

Understanding future changes in the concentrations of elements such as Cd in mine drainages, which can cause severe environmental impacts, is crucial to strategically optimize the treatment and management of such drainages. In this study, on the basis of 17-year data (2003 & ndash;2019) for 99 untreated drainages from legacy mines in Japan, we developed a Bayesian hierarchical log-linear model that can capture temporal changes in the concentrations of seven elements including six metals (Cd, Pb, As, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn) in individual mine drainages. We also projected future changes to understand the prospective trends nationwide. The modeling results showed that, during 2003 & ndash;2019, although overall decreasing trends were observed for most elements across all the drainages evaluated, decreases in the concentrations of these elements were not evident in many mine drainages (5%& ndash;28% of drainages for individual elements); in addition, any rise in the number of mine drainages with element concentrations below nationwide drainage standards over the next 100 years will likely be limited (e.g., approximately 10 drainages for Zn and Fe at median estimates). These results have significant implications for future strategies to manage mine drainages: it is probably too optimistic to assume that the element concentrations of mine drainages will always decrease, or that these drainages will satisfy drainage standards (permits) in the not so distant future