An online tool on sustainable water management

Water demand strains supply capacity in the Mediterranean coastal areas, affecting negatively the maintenance of natural and cultural heritage. Tackling this subject, the "Coastal areas sustainable tourism water management in the Mediterranean - CASTWATER" project aims to support sustainable tourism water management in Mediterranean (MED) coastal areas, by improving the monitoring and assessment of the water sustainability performance of tourism. To this end, the elaboration of an online tool to monitor and assess sustainable tourism water management was envisaged and developed, primarily addressed to tourism sector small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The CASTWATER online tool was designed to so as to provide two different functionalities. On the one hand, SMEs can self-evaluate their performance in sustainable water management and efficiently acknowledge possible actions that promote water efficiency in their tourism establishments. On the other hand, the tool measures, at both regional and local level, the levels of good governance and the effectiveness of water-tourism policies in order to improve sustainable water management. The approach presented in this work is heavily based on the initial technical specifications and end-user feedback, aiding SMEs in understanding, comparing, assessing and rating their performance regarding water efficiency and sustainable water management

Consumption of fruits and vegetables in relation to the risk of developing acute coronary syndromes; the CARDIO2000 case-control study

BACKGROUND: The relation between diet and human health has long been investigated. The aim of this work is to evaluate the association between CHD risk and the consumption of fruit and vegetable, in a large sample of cardiac patients and controls. METHODS: Stratified sampling from all Greek regions, consisted of 848 (700 males, 58 ± 10 years old and 148 females, 65 ± 9 years old) randomly selected patients, admitted to the cardiology clinic for a first event of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In addition we selected 1078 frequency paired, by sex-age-region, controls in the same hospitals but without any clinical suspicion of CHD. Using validated food-frequency questionnaires we assessed total diet, including fruit and vegetable intake, on a weekly basis. Multiple logistic regression analysis estimated the relative risk of developing ACS by level of fruits and vegetables intake after taking into account the effect of several potential confounders. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed that the benefit of fruit or vegetable consumption increases proportionally by the number of servings consumed (P for trend < 0.001). After adjusting for the conventional cardiovascular risk factors, those in the upper quintile of fruit consumption (5 or more items/day) had 72% lower risk for CHD (odds ratio = 0.28, 95% CI 0.11 – 0.54, P < 0.001), compared with those in the lowest quintile of intake (<1 items/day). Similarly, consumption of vegetable more than 3 days / week was associated with 70% lower risk for CHD (odds ratio = 0.30, 95% CI 0.22 – 0.40, P < 0.001), compared with those that they did not consume vegetables. Of particular interest, a 10% reduction in coronary risk was observed for every one piece of fruit consumed per day (odds ratio = 0.90, 95% CI 0.85 – 0.97, P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of fruits and vegetables seems to offer significant protection against CHD

Mechanical and electrochemical characterization of 3D printed orthodontic metallic appliances after in vivo ageing

Objectives: Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is a promising technique for fabricating custom orthodontic metallic appliances. Aim of this study was to assess the effect of intraoral aging on the mechanical / electrochemical properties of 3D-printed orthodontic metallic appliances. Methods: Twelve molar orthodontic distalization appliances 3D-printed from cobalt chromium (Co-Cr) alloy were retrieved after intraoral use and twenty blocks fabricated under similar conditions were used as control. The samples' microstructural / elemental composition assessment was assessed with SEM/EDS, while their mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity [EIT], Martens hardness [HM] and the elastic index [ηIT]) were measured by instrumented indentation testing. Finally, the samples' electrochemical features were assessed with a potentiostat-connected cell arrangement in terms of open circuit potential (OCP), corrosion potential (Ez), current density (I300) and breaking potential (Epit). Results were analyzed by t-test / Mann-Whitney test (α = 0.05). Results: The used Co-Cr alloy was found to have a highly homogenous structure with no significant differences between retrieved and new specimens in HM (4037.7 ± 215.6 vs 4090.9 ± 259.8 N/mm2), EIT (120.0 ± 13.2 vs 123.8 ± 12.9 GPa), or nIT (28.4 ± 2.6 vs 28.6 ± 2.9 %) (P > 0.05 in all instances). Metallic surfaces retained the same oxidation tendency and oxide dissolution rate in passive region in both groups (P > 0.05 for OCP, Ez, and I300). However, intraorally-aged specimens had a significantly lower breakdown potential due to degraded protection efficacy of surface oxide (P = 0.003 for Epit). Significance: The tested 3D-printed Co-Cr orthodontic appliances present clinically-acceptable mechanical properties that remained unaffected by intraoral ageing, which however degraded the protection of surface oxide against pitting corrosion. Keywords: 3D printing; Co-Cr alloys; Corrosive resistance; Electrochemical behavior; Intraoral ageing; Orthodontic appliances

Electrochemical DNA Biosensors Based on Labeling with Nanoparticles

This work reviews the field of DNA biosensors based on electrochemical determination of nanoparticle labels. These labeling platforms contain the attachment of metal nanoparticles (NPs) or quantum dots (QDs) on the target DNA or on a biorecognition reporting probe. Following the development of DNA bioassay, the nanotags are oxidized to ions, which are determined by voltammetric methods, such as pulse voltammetry (PV) and stripping voltammetry (SV). The synergistic effects of NPs amplification (as each nanoprobe releases a large number of detectable ions) and the inherent sensitivity of voltammetric techniques (e.g., thanks to the preconcentration step of SV) leads to the construction of ultrasensitive, low cost, miniaturized, and integrated biodevices. This review focuses on accomplishments in DNA sensing using voltammetric determination of nanotags (such as gold and silver NPs, and Cd- and Pb-based QDs), includes published works on integrated three electrode biodevices and paper-based biosystems, and discusses strategies for multiplex DNA assays and signal enhancement procedures. Besides, this review mentions the electroactive NP synthesis procedures and their conjugation protocols with biomolecules that enable their function as labels in DNA electrochemical biosensors