Cognitive and Behavioral Effects of Nitrogen Dioxide Exposure in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review

A systematic literature review was conducted to identify relevant studies evaluating the relationship between nitrogen dioxide emissions and cognitive and behavioral health in children. Eight studies were identified, reviewed, and analyzed according to specific inclusion criteria. The results of the review show that there is strong evidence for an inverse relationship between nitrogen dioxide exposure and cognitive and behavioral health in primary school children. However, further research is needed to confirm the observed associations between nitrogen dioxide exposure and cognitive and behavioral health

Efficient Nitrogen Recovery from Agro-Energy Effluents for Cyanobacteria Cultivation (Spirulina)

The present study aimed to obtain an efficient liquid nitrogen fertilizer from the by-product of anaerobic digestion for its subsequent use in the production of cyanobacteria (Spirulina). A simple recovery technology was tested based on the stripping and acid absorption, modifying temperature (50 and 70 degrees C) and pH (10 and 12), of the ammonia nitrogen contained in the digestate produced in a large-scale plant treating livestock manure and grass silage. The results demonstrated how, at a relatively low temperature (50 degrees C), using sulfuric and citric acid solution, it is possible to recover nitrogen from a digestate in the form of ammonium sulfate and ammonium citrate with yields of 70% and 72.1% respectively. By carrying out Spirulina growth tests, promising results were obtained under semicontinuous production, with a maximum dry biomass daily productivity of 0.344 g L-1 day(-1) with ammonium sulfate and 0.246 gDW L-1 day(-1) with ammonium citrate. The results showed that nitrogen can be efficiently recovered on site by using the organic acid, digestate and waste heat from anaerobic digestion for Spirulina biomass production

A Robust Implicit Optimal Order Formula for Direct Integration of Second Order Orbital Problems

In this paper, a robust implicit formula of optimal order for direct integration of general second order orbital problems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) is proposed. This method is considered capable avoiding the computational burden and wastage in computer time in connection with the method of reduction to first order systems. The integration algorithms and analysis of the basic properties are based on the adoption of Taylor’s expansion and Dahlquist stability model test. The resultant integration formula is of order ten and it is zero-stable, consistent, convergent and symmetric. The numerical implementation of the method to orbital and two-body problems demonstrates increased accuracy with the same computational effort on comparison with similar second order formulas. Keywords: Optimal-order, Zero-stability, Convergence, Consistent, IVPs, Predictor-corrector, Error constant, Symmetric

Biological Control Efforts of Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solm) on Kainji Lake, Nigeria

Biological control of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solm) was monitored on Kainji Lake between 1995 and 1999. The two most important host specific natural enemies of water hyacinth (Neochetina eichhorniae and N. bruchi) were used and impacts of the weevils on water hyacinth were monitored on tri-monthly basis. The manual control initiated by the National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR) encouraged the fishermen to physically remove water hyacinth from their shores and open water. The lake hydrology, most especially during the drawdown period when the water volume is reduced tremendously, allows water hyacinth plants to be stranded by the bank of the lake thereby leading to massive destruction of the weed population and consequently the weevils population stability. The floristic composition of macrophyte intimately mixed with the water hyacinth was also monitored during the low and high water regimes. Among the prominent plant species found with water hyacinth included Echinochloa stagnina, Mimosa pigra, Polygonium senegalensis Polygonium lanigarium. Sesbania dalzelli, and Vosia cuspidata were found competing with the much favoured Echinochloa spp which serves as forage to livestock around the lake; However, no incidence of weevil attack was observed on any of the vegetation mixed with water hyacinth. Keywords: Biocontol, Kainji Lake, Water hyacinth, Weevils

Tagging the Signatures of Domestication in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) by Means of Pooled DNA Samples

-Background and Aims: The main aim of this study was to use an amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP)-based, large-scale screening of the whole genome of Phaseolus vulgaris to determine the effects of selec- tion on the structure of the genetic diversity in wild and domesticated populations. -Methods: Using pooled DNA samples, seven each of wild and domesticated populations of P. vulgaris were studied using 2506 AFLP markers (on average, one every 250 kb). About 10% of the markers were also analysed on indi- -Key Results: The most important outcome is that a large fraction of the genome of the common bean (16 %; P, 0.01) appears to have been subjected to effects of selection during domestication. Markers obtained in indivi- vidual genotypes and were used to infer allelic frequencies empirically from bulk data. In both data sets, tests were made to determine the departure from neutral expectation for each marker using an FST-based method. dual genotypes were also mapped and classified according to their proximities to known genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of the domestication syndrome. Most of the markers that were found to be potentially under the effects of selection were located in the proximity of previously mapped genes and QTLs related to the domestication syndrome. - Conclusions: Overall, the results indicate that in P. vulgaris a large portion of the genome appears to have been subjected to the effects of selection, probably because of linkage to the loci selected during domestication. As most of the markers that are under the effects of selection are linked to known loci related to the domestication syndrome, it is concluded that population genomics approaches are very efficient in detecting QTLs. A method based on bulk DNA samples is presented that is effective in pre-screening for a large number of markers to determine selection signatures

Repeated Sprint Ability in Young Basketball Players (Part 2): The Chronic Effects of Multidirection and of One Change of Direction Are Comparable in Terms of Physiological and Performance Responses

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 5-week training program, consisting of repeated 30-m sprints, on two repeated sprint ability (RSA) test formats: one with one change of direction (RSA) and the other with multiple changes of direction (RSM). Thirty-six young male and female basketball players (age 16.1 ± 0.9 years), divided into two experimental groups, were tested for RSA, RSM, squat jump, counter-movement jump, and the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery-Level-1 (Yo-Yo IR1) test, before and after a 4-week training program and 1 week of tapering. One group performed 30-m sprints with one change of direction (RSA group, RSAG), whereas the other group performed multidirectional 30-m sprints (RSM group, RSMG). Both groups improved in all scores in the post-intervention measurements (P < 0.05), except for the fatigue index in the RSM test. However, when comparing the two groups, similar effects were found for almost all parameters of the tests applied, except for RPE in the RSA test, which had a greater decrease in the RSAG (from 8.7 to 5.9) than in the RSMG (from 8.5 to 6.6, P = 0.021). We can conclude that repeated 30-m sprints, either with one change of direction or multidirectional, induce similar physiological and performance responses in young basketball players, but have a different psycho-physiological impact

Repeated Sprint Ability in Young Basketball Players: Multi-direction vs. One-Change of Direction (Part 1)

The aim of the present study was to examine the reliability of a novel multi-direction repeated sprint ability (RSA) test [RSM; 10 7 (6 7 5-m)] compared with a RSA with one change of direction [10 7 (2 7 15-m)], and the relationship of the RSM and RSA with Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) and jump performances [squat jump (SJ) and counter-movement-jump (CMJ)]. Thirty-six (male, n = 14, female n = 22) young basketball players (age 16.0 \ub1 0.9 yrs) performed the RSM, RSA, Yo-Yo IR1, SJ, and CMJ, and were re-tested only for RSM and RSA after 1 week. The absolute error of reliability (standard error of the measurement) was lower than 0.212 and 0.617-s for the time variables of the RSA and RSM test, respectively. Performance in the RSA and RSM test significantly correlated with CMJ and SJ. The best time, worst time, and total time of the RSA and RSM test were negatively correlated with Yo-Yo IR1 distance. Based on these findings, consistent with previously published studies, it was concluded that the novel RSM test was valid and reliable

Repeated Sprint Ability in Young Basketball Players (Part 2): The Chronic Effects of Multidirection and of One Change of Direction Are Comparable in Terms of Physiological and Performance Responses

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 5-week training program, consisting of repeated 30-m sprints, on two repeated sprint ability (RSA) test formats: one with one change of direction (RSA) and the other with multiple changes of direction (RSM). Thirty-six young male and female basketball players (age 16.1 \ub1 0.9 years), divided into two experimental groups, were tested for RSA, RSM, squat jump, counter-movement jump, and the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery-Level-1 (Yo-Yo IR1) test, before and after a 4-week training program and 1 week of tapering. One group performed 30-m sprints with one change of direction (RSA group, RSAG), whereas the other group performed multidirectional 30-m sprints (RSM group, RSMG). Both groups improved in all scores in the post-intervention measurements (P &lt; 0.05), except for the fatigue index in the RSM test. However, when comparing the two groups, similar effects were found for almost all parameters of the tests applied, except for RPE in the RSA test, which had a greater decrease in the RSAG (from 8.7 to 5.9) than in the RSMG (from 8.5 to 6.6, P = 0.021). We can conclude that repeated 30-m sprints, either with one change of direction or multidirectional, induce similar physiological and performance responses in young basketball players, but have a different psycho-physiological impact

Selection and adaptive introgression guided the complex evolutionary history of the European common bean

: Domesticated crops have been disseminated by humans over vast geographic areas. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) was introduced in Europe after 1492. Here, by combining whole-genome profiling, metabolic fingerprinting and phenotypic characterisation, we show that the first common bean cultigens successfully introduced into Europe were of Andean origin, after Francisco Pizarro's expedition to northern Peru in 1529. We reveal that hybridisation, selection and recombination have shaped the genomic diversity of the European common bean in parallel with political constraints. There is clear evidence of adaptive introgression into the Mesoamerican-derived European genotypes, with 44 Andean introgressed genomic segments shared by more than 90% of European accessions and distributed across all chromosomes except PvChr11. Genomic scans for signatures of selection highlight the role of genes relevant to flowering and environmental adaptation, suggesting that introgression has been crucial for the dissemination of this tropical crop to the temperate regions of Europe