Evaluation of the efficiency of biocomposting of bottom silt deposits using different conditions of aerobic fermentation

The efficiency of biocomposting of bottom silt deposits was evaluated in laboratory conditions. The biocomposting process is reproduced taking into account the main technological parameters and using lowland peat, microbial concentrate and vermiculture as basic components. The composition of the microbial concentrate includes strains of the genera Bacillus spp., Clostridium spp., Pseudomonas spp., causing biosolubilization of a complex organomineral substrate - bottom sediments. The productive line Eisenia foetida Savigny (Lumbricidae) was used as a vermiculture. The evaluation of the efficiency of biocomposting was carried out according to agrochemical characteristics. The greatest effect on the preservation of biogens was obtained during the fermentation of bottom sediments with the participation of microbial concentrate. An increase in the content of N to 1.10%, P – to 0.54%, K – to 0.42% was achieved. The use of vermiculture caused an increase in organic matter – up to 42.1% and humus – up to 14.6%. The results of the experiment allow us to consider biocompost and vermicompost obtained using bottom sediments as a source of elements necessary for plant growth and development

Viva Survivors – the effect of peer-mentoring on pre-viva anxiety in early-years students

Viva voce exams are used in many disciplines as a test of students’ knowledge and skills. Whilst acknowledged as a useful form of assessment, vivas commonly lead to a great deal of anxiety for students. This anxiety is also apparent for vivas in phonetics, where students must produce and recognise sounds drawn from across the world’s languages, and pervious work has shown that viewing a video of a mock-viva does not reduce this anxiety. To address anxiety prior to phonetics vivas, 63 students, across three cohorts, engaged in a brief, isolated, peer-mentoring session with previously successful students (‘viva survivors’). Anxiety about the viva was measured before and after the mentoring experience, using the short form of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. There was a significant reduction in anxiety after mentoring, and a significant correlation between anxiety before mentoring and the decrease in anxiety after mentoring. Short-term mentoring is posited as a time- and cost-effective method to decrease viva-related anxiety across disciplines

The relationship between maternal phenotype and offspring quality: Do older mothers really produce the best offspring?

Maternal effects are increasingly recognized as important drivers of population dynamics and determinants of evolutionary trajectories. Recently, there has been a proliferation of studies finding or citing a positive relationship between maternal size/age and offspring size or offspring quality. The relationship between maternal phenotype and offspring size is intriguing in that it is unclear why young mothers should produce offspring of inferior quality or fitness. Here we evaluate the underlying evolutionary pressures that may lead to a maternal size/age-offspring size correlation and consider the likelihood that such a correlation results in a positive relationship between the age or size of mothers and the fitness of their offspring. We find that, while there are a number of reasons why selection may favor the production of larger offspring by larger mothers, this change in size is more likely due to associated changes in the maternal phenotype that affect the offspring size-performance relationship. We did not find evidence that the offspring of older females should have intrinsically higher fitness. When we explored this issue theoretically, the only instance in which smaller mothers produce suboptimal offspring sizes is when a (largely unsupported) constraint on maximum offspring size is introduced into the model. It is clear that larger offspring fare better than smaller offspring when reared in the same environment, but this misses a critical point: different environments elicit selection for different optimal sizes of young. We suggest that caution should be exercised when interpreting the outcome of offspring-size experiments when offspring from different mothers are reared in a common environment, because this approach may remove the source of selection (e.g., reproducing in different context) that induced a shift in offspring size in the first place. It has been suggested that fish stocks should be managed to preserve these older age classes because larger mothers produce offspring with a greater chance of survival and subsequent recruitment. Overall, we suggest that, while there are clear and compelling reasons for preserving older females in exploited populations, there is little theoretical justification or evidence that older mothers produce offspring with higher per capita fitness than do younger mothers

Community first responders and responder schemes in the United Kingdom: systematic scoping review

Background: Community First Responder (CFR) schemes support lay people to respond to medical emergencies, working closely with ambulance services. They operate widely in the UK. There has been no previous review of UK literature on these schemes. This is the first systematic scoping review of UK literature on CFR schemes, which identifies the reasons for becoming a CFR, requirements for training and feedback and confusion between the CFR role and that of ambulance service staff. This study also reveals gaps in the evidence base for CFR schemes. Methods: We conducted a systematic scoping review of the published literature, in the English language from 2000 onwards using specific search terms in six databases. Narrative synthesis was used to analyse article content. Results: Nine articles remained from the initial search of 15,969 articles after removing duplicates, title and abstract and then full text review. People were motivated to become CFRs through an altruistic desire to help others. They generally felt rewarded by their work but recognised that the help they provided was limited by their training compared with ambulance staff. There were concerns about the possible emotional impact on CFRs responding to incidents. CFRs felt that better feedback would enhance their learning. Ongoing training and support were viewed as essential to enable CFRs to progress. They perceived that public recognition of the CFR role was low, patients sometimes confusing them with ambulance staff. Relationships with the ambulance service were sometimes ambivalent due to confusion over roles. There was support for local autonomy of CFR schemes but with greater sharing of best practice. Discussion: Most studies dated from 2005 and were descriptive rather than analytical. In the UK and Australia CFRs are usually lay volunteers equipped with basic skills for responding to medical emergencies, whereas in the US they include other emergency staff as well as lay people. Conclusion: Opportunities for future research include exploring experiences and perceptions of patients who have been treated by CFRs and other stakeholders, while also evaluating the effectiveness and costs of CFR schemes

АНТИОКСИДАНТОВ В АДАПТАЦИИ КУЛЬТУРНЫХ РАСТЕНИЙ К УСЛОВИЯМ ОТРИЦАТЕЛЬНЫХ ТЕМПЕРАТУР ЗИМНЕ-ВЕСЕННЕГО ПЕРИОДА

Adaptive capacity of perennial plants to low temperatures and its role in the formation of high-quality crops with minimal losses during storage has been studied. According to the changes occurring in plants at low temperatures the possibility of effective forecasting of plant products to cold storage has been found.Рассмотрена адаптационная способность многолетних растений к низким температурам и ее роль в формировании высококачественного урожая, с минимальными потерями при его хранении. По изменениям, происходящим в растениях при пониженных температурах, установлена возможность эффективного прогнозирования растительной продукции к холодильному хранению

Google search trends for itch in Europe : a retrospective longitudinal study

Altres ajuts: European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV, No. 2016-012 to MP).Background: Itch is a common symptom in the general population. Affected individuals often do not seek medical consultation and rely on Internet searches to obtain information regarding their itch. Objectives: The aim of this study was to attain insights into common concerns of the general population regarding itch can by analysing itch-related Internet search behaviour. Methods: Google AdWords Keyword Planner was used to assess search volumes for itch-related terms in 15 European countries between September 2014 and August 2018. All identified keywords were qualitatively categorized. Itch-related terms were descriptively analysed and are shown as number of searches/100 000 inhabitants. Results: The search volume for the keyword 'itch' per 100 000 inhabitants was highest in Northern Europe, followed by Eastern, Central and Southern Europe. In 4/15 countries, itch was searched for more often in the autumn/winter months compared to in the spring/summer months. Most itch-related terms were related to dermatological conditions such as inflammatory skin diseases (e.g. psoriasis, atopic dermatitis), allergic or immunologic conditions (e.g. urticaria), and infectious diseases or infestations (e.g. scabies). In terms of body location, genitoanal itch dominated the searches. Symptoms and signs related to itch, possible non-dermatological aetiologies, and treatment options were also among the most searched terms. Conclusions: These analyses provided for the first time insights into the search behaviour patterns related to itch across Europe. People from Northern and Eastern Europe are more likely to seek online information regarding itch. Causes for the itch, especially dermatological conditions, and genitoanal itch are the most important concerns for Internet users. This unconventional and inexpensive method identifies medical needs of people beyond the medical setting, including people who do not seek medical consultation. Accordingly, the data could be used to guide public health interventions and manage respective inhabitants' medical needs

Chronic nodular prurigo: clinical profile and burden. A European cross-sectional study

Background: Chronic nodular prurigo (CNPG) is a condition characterized by chronic itch, a prolonged scratching behaviour and the presence of pruriginous nodules. A comprehensive understanding of this condition, especially regarding its clinical characteristics and impact on quality of life is still lacking. Objectives: Aim of this pan-European multicentre cross-sectional study was to establish the clinical profile of CNPG, including its associated burden. Methods: Fifteen centres from 12 European countries recruited CNPG patients presenting at the centre or using the centres' own databases. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire in paper or electronic format. Demography, current co-morbidities, underlying disease, itch intensity, additional sensory symptoms, quality of life, highest burden and emotional experience of itch were assessed. Results: A total of 509 patients (210 male, median age: 64 years [52; 72]) were enrolled. Of these, 406 reported itch and CNPG lesions in the previous 7 days and qualified to complete the whole questionnaire. We recorded moderate to severe worst itch intensity scores in the previous 24 h. Scores were higher in patients with lower educational levels and those coming from Eastern or Southern Europe. Most patients experience itch often or always (71%) and report that their everyday life is negatively affected (53%). Itch intensity was considered to be the most burdensome aspect of the disease by 49% of the patients, followed by the visibility of skin lesions (21%) and bleeding of lesions (21%). The majority of patients was unaware of an underlying condition contributing to CNPG (64%), while psychiatric diseases were the conditions most often mentioned in association with CNPG (19%). Conclusions: This multicentre cross-sectional study shows that itch is the dominant symptom in CNPG and reveals that the profile of the disease is similar throughout Europe

Improving benchmarking by using an explicit framework for the development of composite indicators: an example using pediatric quality of care

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The measurement of healthcare provider performance is becoming more widespread. Physicians have been guarded about performance measurement, in part because the methodology for comparative measurement of care quality is underdeveloped. Comprehensive quality improvement will require comprehensive measurement, implying the aggregation of multiple quality metrics into composite indicators.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To present a conceptual framework to develop comprehensive, robust, and transparent composite indicators of pediatric care quality, and to highlight aspects specific to quality measurement in children.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We reviewed the scientific literature on composite indicator development, health systems, and quality measurement in the pediatric healthcare setting. Frameworks were selected for explicitness and applicability to a hospital-based measurement system.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We synthesized various frameworks into a comprehensive model for the development of composite indicators of quality of care. Among its key premises, the model proposes identifying structural, process, and outcome metrics for each of the Institute of Medicine's six domains of quality (safety, effectiveness, efficiency, patient-centeredness, timeliness, and equity) and presents a step-by-step framework for embedding the quality of care measurement model into composite indicator development.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The framework presented offers researchers an explicit path to composite indicator development. Without a scientifically robust and comprehensive approach to measurement of the quality of healthcare, performance measurement will ultimately fail to achieve its quality improvement goals.</p

Psycho-social factors associated with mental resilience in the Corona lockdown

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is not only a threat to physical health but is also having severe impacts on mental health. Although increases in stress-related symptomatology and other adverse psycho-social outcomes, as well as their most important risk factors have been described, hardly anything is known about potential protective factors. Resilience refers to the maintenance of mental health despite adversity. To gain mechanistic insights about the relationship between described psycho-social resilience factors and resilience specifically in the current crisis, we assessed resilience factors, exposure to Corona crisis-specific and general stressors, as well as internalizing symptoms in a cross-sectional online survey conducted in 24 languages during the most intense phase of the lockdown in Europe (22 March to 19 April) in a convenience sample of N = 15,970 adults. Resilience, as an outcome, was conceptualized as good mental health despite stressor exposure and measured as the inverse residual between actual and predicted symptom total score. Preregistered hypotheses (osf.io/r6btn) were tested with multiple regression models and mediation analyses. Results confirmed our primary hypothesis that positive appraisal style (PAS) is positively associated with resilience (p < 0.0001). The resilience factor PAS also partly mediated the positive association between perceived social support and resilience, and its association with resilience was in turn partly mediated by the ability to easily recover from stress (both p < 0.0001). In comparison with other resilience factors, good stress response recovery and positive appraisal specifically of the consequences of the Corona crisis were the strongest factors. Preregistered exploratory subgroup analyses (osf.io/thka9) showed that all tested resilience factors generalize across major socio-demographic categories. This research identifies modifiable protective factors that can be targeted by public mental health efforts in this and in future pandemics

Актуальні задачі при вирішенні проблеми твердих побутових відходів м. Могилів-Подільського

В роботі проаналізовано проблему твердих побутових відходів в м. Могилів-Подільський. Для вирішення даної проблеми запропоновано заходи по вдосконаленню процесу поводження з ТПВ.В работе проанализирована проблема твердых бытовых отходов в г.. Могилев-Подольский. Для решения данной проблемы предложены меры по совершенствованию процесса обращения с ТБО.The paper analyzes the problem of solid waste in the city. Mogilev-Podolsky. To solve this problem, proposed measures to improve the process of solid waste management