Selected Morphological Characteristics, Lead Uptake and Phytochelatin Synthesis by Coffeeweed (Sesbania exaltata Raf.) Grown in Elevated Levels of Lead-Contaminated Soil

Remediation of lead-contaminated soil is significant due to the inherent toxicity of lead (Pb), and the quantity of Pb discharged into the soil. One of the most cost-effective and environmentally sound technologies for the cleanup of metal-contaminated soils is through the use of plants. While much is known about the ecological evolution of metal tolerance in plants, the physiological, biochemical, and genetic mechanisms of tolerance is not well understood in the majority of resistant ecotypes such as the legume, Sesbania exaltata Raf. This study was therefore conducted to determine the morphological and physiological characteristics of Sesbania that had been grown in Pb-contaminated soil, and to assess phytochelatin synthesis as a way of elucidating its relative Pb tolerance. Sesbania plants were grown in the greenhouse and exposed to various levels of Pb: 0, 1000, and 2000 mg Pb/kg soil. Plants were harvested after 6, 8, and 10 weeks of growth and morphological characteristics (e.g., root and shoot biomass, root length, number of root nodules, shoot height, number of leaves, number of flowers, number and length of pods) were recorded. Generally, there were no statistical differences in morphological characteristics among the treatments. Further, no discernible phytotoxic symptoms, such as chlorosis, wilting, or necrotic lesions, in neither roots nor shoots were observed. We concluded that while Sesbania did not fit the model of a hyperaccumulator, the plant was, nonetheless, tolerant to elevated Pb levels. Our assessment for phytochelatin synthesis as a tolerance mechanism was inconclusive and further investigations of tolerance mechanisms are warranted

Sustainability and the Commissioning of Legal Services

A report of research commmissioned by the Legal Sustainability Alliance and undertaken by CEPLER which explores the importance of sustainability to law firm clients. The work addresses a gap in understanding the relationships between law firms and their clients

Structure-property relations in porcine brain tissue: strain rate and stress-state dependence

Due to traumatic brain injury (TBI), numerous studies have focused on comprehensively determining the mechanical properties of the brain. This study examined the strain rate dependence of porcine brain under compression, and the microstructural damage was quantified using a confocal microscope and graphical user interface (GUI). The selected strain rates were 0.10 s-1, 0.025 s-1, and 0.00625 s-1 while the strain levels targeted for confocal imaging were 15%, 30%, and 40%. This study also characterized the stress-state dependence at a strain rate and strain level of 0.10 s-1 and 40%, respectively, under compression, tension, and shear. Strain rate dependency data exhibited viscoelastic behavior, and the analysis parameters correlated with increasing strain rate and strain level. Stress-state dependency data demonstrated distinct nonlinear behavior, and disparities were observed in the analysis parameters between different testing modes. Finite element procedures can implement this supplementary data for devising more realistic models

Dengue Knowledge and Preventive Practices among Rural Residents in Samar Province, Philippines

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies dengue as a diseaseimportant in public health. The epidemiology and ecology of dengueinfections are strongly associated with human habits and activities. Thepresent study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and practices regardingdengue infections among rural residents in Samar Province, Philippines. Across sectional design was adopted for this investigation A conveniencesamples of six hundred forty six (646) residents who were visiting the ruralhealth units in different municipalities of Samar, Philippines were taken asparticipants in study. More than half of the respondents had good knowledge(61.45%) on causes, signs and symptoms, mode of transmission, andpreventive measures about dengue. More than half of the respondents useddengue preventive measures such as fans (n = 340, 52.63%) , mosquito coil(n = 458, 70.90%), and bed nets (n = 387, 59.91%) to reduce mosquitoeswhile only about one third utilized insecticides sprays (n = 204, 31.58%) andscreen windows (n = 233, 36.07%) and a little portion used professional pestcontrol (n = 146, 22.60%). There was no correlation between knowledgeabout dengue and preventive practices (p=0.75). Television/Radio was citedas the main source of information on dengue infections. Findings suggest thatbetter knowledge does not necessarily lead to better practice of denguemeasures. Educational campaigns should give more emphasis on costeffective ways of reducing mosquito and preventing dengue such asenvironmental measures and control. Furthermore, wide range ofinformation, skills and support must be provided by the government toincrease dengue awareness among residents. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v2i2.251

A new more consistent Reynolds model for piezoviscous hydrodynamic lubrication problem in line contact devices

International audienceHydrodynamic lubrication problems in piezoviscous regime are usually modeled by the classical Reynolds equation combined with a suitable law for the pressure dependence of viscosity. By taking into account the pressure-viscosity depen- dence in the Stokes equation and to derive the Reynolds equation in the thin film limit, a new model has been proposed by Rajagopal & Szeri. However, these authors consider some additional simplifications. In the present work, avoiding these simplifications and starting from a Stokes equation with pres- sure dependence of viscosity through Barus law, a new Reynolds model for line contact lubrication problems is deduced, in which the cavitation phenomenon is also taken into account. Thus, the new complete model consists of a nonlinear free boundary problem associated to the proposed new Reynolds equation

Usability of Health-related Websites by Filipino-American Adults and Nursing Informatics Experts

Filipino-Americans are an understudied minority group with high prevalence and mortality from chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Facing barriers to care and lack of culturally appropriate health resources, they frequently use the internet to obtain health information. It is unknown whether they perceive health-related websites to be useful or easy to use because there are no published usability studies involving this population. Using the Technology Acceptance Model as a theoretical framework, this study investigated the difference between website design ratings by experts and the perceptions of Filipino-American users to determine if usability guidelines influenced the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of health-related websites. A comprehensive usability assessment was obtained by usability experts through heuristic evaluation and a sample of the Filipino-American population through an online survey. By conducting research on a Filipino-American sample, this study adds to the scarce body of Filipino-American research and is a key step towards improving their online health resources. The study aligned with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Healthy People 2020 Health Communication/Health Information Technology (HC/HIT) 8.2 objective to increase the proportion of quality, health-related websites that follow established usability principles. This study highlighted the discrepancy between the experts’ and participants’ views of website usability. The findings should serve as an impetus for examining and refreshing usability guidelines with the involvement of communities of interest

Dengue Knowledge and Preventive Practices Among Rural Residents in Samar Province, Philippines

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies dengue as a disease important in public health. The epidemiology and ecology of dengue infections are strongly associated with human habits and activities. Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and practices regarding dengue infections among rural residents in Samar Province, Philippines. Methods: A cross sectional design was adopted for this investigation A convenience samples of six hundred forty six (646) residents who were visiting the rural health units in different municipalities of Samar, Philippines were taken as participants in study. Results: More than half of the respondents had good knowledge (61.45%) on causes, signs and symptoms, mode of transmission, and preventive measures about dengue. More than half of the respondents used dengue preventive measures such as fans (n = 340, 52.63%) , mosquito coil (n = 458, 70.90%), and bed nets (n = 387, 59.91%) to reduce mosquitoes while only about one third utilized insecticides sprays (n = 204, 31.58%) and screen windows (n = 233, 36.07%) and a little portion used professional pest control (n = 146, 22.60%). There was no correlation between knowledge about dengue and preventive practices (p=0.75). Television/Radio was cited as the main source of information on dengue infections. Conclusions: Findings suggest that better knowledge does not necessarily lead to better practice of dengue measures. Educational campaigns should give more emphasis on cost effective ways of reducing mosquito and preventing dengue such as environmental measures and control. Furthermore, wide range of information, skills and support must be provided by the government to increase dengue awareness among residents. Keywords: Dengue fever, dengue preventive practices, dengue knowledge, Samar Provinc

Caracterización de factores que influyen en el desarrollo diferencial de las capacidades hacia la colaboración interprofesional en estudiantes de Medicina y Enfermería Cusco – Perú 2019

El presente estudio fue realizado en el departamento del Cusco en tres universidades en las que se imparte medicina y/o enfermería, su objetivo fue el de determinar los factores que influyen en las capacidades de colaboración interprofesional entre estudiantes de medicina y enfermería 2019. La metodología, es de tipo fundamental o pura, de corte transversal, explicativo, así como descriptivo. Se aplicó como instrumento un cuestionario estructurado en preguntas en escala de Likert, comprendida por 77 ítems distribuidos a una población de 1.517 estudiantes de los cuales 1016 fueron estudiantes de medicina y 497 estudiantes de enfermería. Los resultados brindan información sobre la brecha actitudinal de los estudiantes de las facultades de medicina como los de enfermería, cuyos datos permite conocer sobre los factores ejerce influencia en el trabajo colaborativo dentro la práctica clínica siendo esto demostrado desde los primeros años de formación profesional. En este estudio, el sexo, la soledad, la orientación empática y las habilidades de aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida y el bienestar subjetivo mostraron un papel de influencia en el desarrollo de las habilidades que se generan al trabajar en equipo, como se muestra cuando se compara el efecto tamaño asociado al sexo con el efecto tamaño de la disciplina. Concluye: Los factores que tuvieron mayor influencia están: la empatía por los pacientes y el factor habilidades de aprendizaje, identificando el factor que menos influye es la soledad por ser esta menos reflejada en las respuestas emitidas por los estudiantes.Financiada por CONCYTE