Effect of pH, surface charge and soil properties on the solid-solution partitioning of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in a wide range of temperate soils

The pH-dependent soil-water partitioning of six perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) of environmental concern (PFOA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFHxS, PFOS and FOSA), was investigated for 11 temperate mineral soils and related to soil properties such as organic carbon content (0.2-3%), concentrations of Fe and Al (hydr)oxides, and texture. PFAS sorption was positively related to the perfluorocarbon chain length of the molecule, and inversely related to solution pH for all substances. The negative slope between log Kd and pH became steeper with increasing perfluorocarbon chain length of the PFAS (r2 = 0.75, p <= 0.05). Organic carbon (OC) alone was a poor predictor of the partitioning for all PFASs, except for FOSA (r2 = 0.71), and the OC-normalized PFAS partitioning, as derived from organic soil materials, underestimated PFAS sorption to the soils. Multiple linear regression suggested sorption contributions (p <= 0.05) from OC for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and FOSA, and Fe/Al (hydr) oxides for PFOS, FOSA, and perfluorodecanoate (PFDA). FOSA was the only substance under study for which there was a statistically significant correlation between its binding and soil texture (silt + clay). To predict PFAS sorption, the surface net charge of the soil organic matter fraction of all soils was calculated using the Stockholm Humic Model. When calibrated against charge-dependent PFAS sorption to a peat (Oe) material, the derived model significantly underestimated the measured Kd values for 10 out of 11 soils. To conclude, additiona

Levels of organochlorine pesticides are associated with amyloid aggregation in apex avian brains

Organochlorine (OC) pesticides pose a significant environmental risk to wildlife and humans and have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study aims to spectroscopically analyse brains from free-flying birds and link the results to OC exposure and consequent amyloid aggregation. As long-lived apex predators, predatory birds represent a sentinel species similar to humans. Therefore, the results have implications for both species and may also add to our understanding of the role OC pesticides play in the development of AD. Brains of wild sparrowhawks were analysed using ATR-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy and Congo red staining; results were correlated with OC pesticide concentrations in livers. Effects of OC exposure were sex and age dependant and associated alterations were seen in lipids and protein secondary structure. A shift from α-helix to β-sheet conformation of proteins indicated that concentrations of OC pesticides > 7.18 µg/g may lead to cerebral amyloid aggregation

Public sector wages

Remuneration paid by public administrations in Belgium amounted to one-quarter of their primary expenditure in 2010. Because current conditions call for fiscal consolidation, it is important to examine whether this component of spending could be a source of budget savings, including by adjusting wages. The article focuses principally on wage gaps between the public sector and the private sector. The authors are especially interested in the situation in Belgium as compared with those of nine other euro area countries (Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Slovenia), a study of which using microeconomic data was recently completed. In most of the countries analysed, wages are higher in the public sector than in the private sector, regardless of whether macroeconomic or microeconomic data are used. With the former, it is not possible to consider differences in the characteristics of the populations working in each of the two sectors. Indeed, the public sector – notably in Belgium – is more composed of women, older workers, and those with a higher level of education, but public sector employees work fewer hours and are less likely to occupy a managerial position. To take these factors – gender, seniority or age, education level, and managerial duties – into consideration when comparing wages between the two sectors, microeconomic data from the EU-SILC survey were used. The observations the authors were able to make based on the microeconomic and macroeconomic data overwhelmingly corroborate each other. The analysis shows that the countries where the average wage gap is the biggest in favour of the public sector are also the countries experiencing the toughest budget woes. In most of the countries studied, the salary advantage enjoyed by public sector workers holds for every sub-set of workers, although to differing extents. For example, wage gaps are the widest for women, for lower levels of income, for those who do not have supervisory functions, and in the branches of administration and education. The impact of education level on wage gaps varies from one country to the next. The wage gap between sectors in Belgium is one of the narrowest of any country studied, regardless of what data are used. According to macroeconomic data, it slightly favours the private sector. According to microeconomic data, in which wages are adjusted to control for individual characteristics, for many groups of workers the gaps are so limited that they are not statistically significant.public expenditure, wages

Strontium isotopes trace the dissolution and precipitation of mineral organic carbon interactions in thawing permafrost

Interactions between minerals and organic carbon (OC) in soils are key to stabilize OC and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions upon permafrost thaw. However, changes in soil water pathways upon permafrost thaw are likely to affect the stability of mineral OC interactions by inducing their dissolution and precipitation. This study aims to assess and quantify how mineral OC interactions are affected by dissolution and precipitation in thawed relative to unthawed layers. We hypothesize that a change in the radiogenic strontium (Sr) isotopic ratio (87Sr/86Sr) involved in mineral OC interactions upon changing water saturation conditions implies a destabilization of the mineral OC interaction. We quantified mineral OC interactions using selective extractions in soils facing gradual thaw (Eight Mile Lake, AK, USA) and in sediments with a thawing history of abrupt thaw (Duvanny Yar, Russia), and we measured the 87Sr/86Sr ratio of the selective extracts targeting the Sr associated to mineral OC interactions. Firstly, for water saturated layers with a higher proportion of mineral OC interactions, we found a difference in the 87Sr/86Sr ratio relative to the surrounding layers, and this supports the preservation of a Sr “stable” pool in these mineral OC interactions. We estimated that a portion of these mineral OC interactions have remained undissociated since their formation (between 4% and 64% by Sr isotope mass balance). Secondly, we found no difference in 87Sr/86Sr ratio between layers accumulating Fe oxides at redox interfaces regularly affected by water table changes (or upon thermokarst processes) relative to surrounding layers. This supports the dominance of a Sr “labile” pool inherited from processes of dissolution and precipitation of the mineral OC interactions. Thirdly, our estimations based on a Sr isotope mass balance support that, as a consequence of permafrost thaw, a larger proportion of Sr from primary mineral weathering (>80%) controls the Sr in mineral OC interactions in the saturated zone of deeply thawed soils relative to poorly thawed soils (∼50%). In conclusion, we found that the radiogenic Sr isotope method, applied for the first time in this context, is promising to trace dissolution-precipitation processes of mineral OC interaction in thawing permafrost

Wage structure effects of international trade: Evidence from a small open economy

In the last few decades, international trade has expanded not only between industrialised countries, but also between high- and low-wage countries. This important change has raised questions on how international trade affects the labour market. In this spirit, this paper aims to investigate the impact of international trade on wage dispersion in a small open economy. It is one of the few to: i) use detailed matched employer-employee data to compute industry wage premia and disaggregated industry level panel data to examine the impact of changes in exports and imports on changes in wage differentials, ii) analyse the impact of imports according to the country of origin. Looking at the export side, we find a positive effect of exports on the industry wage premium. The findings also show that import penetration from low-income countries has a significant and negative impact on inter-industry wage differentials, while imports from high-income countries seem to have a more ambiguous impact on the wage structure. The results suggest that trade with low-income and high-income countries has different effects on inter-industry wage differentials.wage structure, inter-industry wage differentials, international trade, matched employer-employee data

Efek Kebocoran Beamtube Dan Pipa Primer Penukar Panas Pada Suatu Model Reaktor Riset 1 Mw Berbahan Bakar Tipe Silinder

Telah dilakukan analisis transien menggunakan program komputer RELAP5/Mod3.2 terhadap model reaktor riset berbahan bakar tipe silinder daya 1 MW dan diasumsikan mengalami kebocoran pada beamtube, pipa cold leg, dan pipa hot leg. Berdasarkan hasil analisis diketahui reaktor mencapai kestabilan pada daya 1 MW adalah 1650 detik setelah kekritisan. Pada kondisi stabil suhu pusat dan suhu kelongsong bahan bakar pada kanal terpanas, serta suhu air pendingin primer keluar dari kanal terkait berturut-turut adalah 529,35 OC, 98,37 OC, 81,27 OC. Pada 7,3 detik setelah beamtube bocor, atau 5,1 detik setelah pipa cold leg bocor, atau 6,2 detik setelah pipa hot leg bocor reaktor scram karena level air tangki telah turun 0,5 m. Penurunan air tangki ini terhenti pada level 0,959 m ketika 97,7 detik setelah beamtube bocor, atau pada level 1,252 m ketika 76,4 detik setelah pipa cold leg bocor, atau pada level 1,252 m ketika 78,6 detik setelah pipa hot leg bocor. Pada kondisi ini suhu pusat dan suhu kelongsong bahan bakar pada kanal terpanas, serta suhu air pendingin primer keluar dari kanal terkait berturut-turut adalah 96,25 OC, 89,63 OC, 78,96 OC untuk kebocoran beamtube, atau 87,12 OC, 78,31 OC, 69,10 OC untuk kebocoran pipa cold leg, atau 87,32 OC, 78,54 OC, 69,43 OC untuk kebocoran pipa hot leg. Berbeda dengan kebocoran pada pipa cold leg dan pipa hot leg, suhu-suhu tersebut pada kebocoran beamtube cenderung terus naik karena sisa panas peluruhan, dan air tangki yang tersedia tidak mampu mengambil panas tersebut secara maksimal, sehingga diperlukan sistem pendinginan teras darurat (SPTD) untuk mendinginkannya

Impacto de alterações da temperatura sobre a infecção do óidio da videira.

O Painel Intergovernamental de Mudanças Climáticas (Intergovernanmental Panel on Climate Change - IPCC) descreve um cenário futuro com aumentos da temperatura média no planeta Terra entre 1,8 a 6,4 oC nos próximos 100 anos, contribuindo para aumentar ou limitar o desenvolvimento das doenças em plantas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de alterações da temperatura na severidade do oídio da videira. Mudas das cultivares Alicante Bouschet e Thompson Seedless foram inoculadas com uma suspensão de esporos na concentração de 105 esporos/mL + Tween 20 a 0,01%, por meio de pulverização e submetidas às temperaturas de 26, 28, 29.1, 30.4 e 31.8 oC, por 24 horas, selecionadas com base nos acréscimos de 2,0; 3,1; 4,4; e 5,8 oC sob a temperatura média da região do Submédio do Vale do São Francisco (26 oC) correspondente aos cenários do IPCC. Posteriormente, as mudas foram mantidas a temperatura de 26 oC, fotoperíodo 12 horas até a avaliação dos resultados. A doença foi avaliada por meio de escala diagramática. Nas condições experimentais utilizadas, o aumento da temperatura diminuiu a severidade da do oídio da videira

Comparison of the effectiveness of stretching and shock waves in the treatment of heel pain in patients with plantar fasciopathy: a systematic review

[Resumo] INTRODUCIÓN: a fasciosis plantar (FP) está acompañada frecuentemente de dor na zona inferior do talón e afecta principalmente a traballadores e atletas que practican actividades que implican grandes impactos co pé. No tratamento desta patoloxía utilízanse unha ampla modalidade de terapias. Pero hai escasos estudos de calidade que respalden a súa eficacia. OBXECTIVO: comparar a efectividade do uso por separado, ou de forma combinada, dos estiramentos e/ou das ondas de choque (OC) no tratamento da dor asociada á FP. Tamén se pretende analizar a calidade metodolóxica dos estudos dispoñibles ata o momento. Investigarase cal e tipo de OC e estiramento máis usado. De existir resultados positivos, estudarase o tempo que se manteñen finalizado o tratamento tendo en conta as variables dor e mellora da función. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: realizouse unha busca sistemática de información entre o 1 de marzo e o 29 de abril de 2016 nas bases de datos Cochrane, PubMed, PEDro e Scopus. A xestión da bibliografía encontrada realizouse coa ferramenta RefWorks. A calidade metodolóxica dos estudos incluídos foi medida coa escala PEDro. RESULTADOS: atopáronse 7 artigos que cumpriron os criterios de inclusión, con unha calidade metodolóxica alta (6/10 na escala PEDro). Tanto as ondas de choque (OC) como os estiramentos foron efectivos para a redución da dor. A combinación das ondas de choque radiais (OCR) con estiramento específico da fascia plantar (EEFP) e o EEFP como método de tratamento único conseguiron os mellores resultados tanto a corto como a longo prazo. Os estiramentos máis usados foron os EEFP, e o tipo de OC máis utilizado foron as OCR. Tanto o índice de masa corporal (IMC) como o sexo feminino resultaron estar en estreita relación coa incidencia desta patoloxía. CONCLUSIÓNS: parece que a combinación dos EEFP coas OCR é a mellor alternativa para a redución da dor nos casos de fasciosis plantar, aínda que o nivel de evidencia encontrado é limitado.[Abstract] INTRODUCTION: plantar fasciopathy (PF) is usually accompanied by the pain of the hell´s interior area and it particularly affects workers and athletes who practice activities which imply great impacts with the foot. For the treatment of this pathology it is used a wide range of therapy modalities. But there are few quality studies that support its efficiency. PURPOSE: comparing the effectiveness of the separately use, or in a combined way, of the stretchings and/or the shockwaves on the treatment of the pain associated to the PF. It is also expected to analyse the methodological quality of the available studies up to the moment. If there are positive results, it will be studied the time which this results maintain themselves referring to the pain and the improvement on the function. MATERIAL AND METHODS: a systematic search for information was developed on the Cochrane, PubMed, PEDro and Scopus databases, between the first of March and 21th May of 2016. The management of the bibliography found was developed with Refwork tool. The methodological quality of the studies included was measured with the PEDro scale. RESULTS: 7 articles were found which accomplished the criteria inclusion, with a high methodological quality (6/10 on the PEDro scale). Shock Waves (SW) and stretching were effective on the reduction of pain. The combination of Radial Shock Waves (RSW) with plantar fascia specific stretching (PFSS) and PFSS as an unic treatment got the best results both short term and long term. The most employed stretching was the SSPF and the SW mostly used are the RSW. Body Mass Index (BMI) and females were found to be closely related to the incidence of this disease. CONCLUSIONS: although the level of evidence found is limited, it seems that the combination of PFSS with RSW is the best choice for the reduction of pain in this type of patients.[Resumen] INTRODUCCIÓN: la fasciosis plantar (FP) está acompañada frecuentemente de dolor en la zona inferior del talón y afecta principalmente a trabajadores y atletas que practican actividades que implican grandes impactos con el pie. En el tratamiento de esta patología se utiliza una amplia modalidad de terapias. Pero se encuentran escasos estudios de calidad que respalden su eficacia. OBJETIVO: comparar la efectividad del uso por separado, o de forma combinada, de los estiramientos y/o las ondas de choque (OC) en el tratamiento del dolor asociado a la FP. También se pretende analizar la calidad metodológica de los estudios disponibles hasta el momento. Se investigará cuál es el tipo de OC y estiramiento más usado. De existir resultados positivos, se estudiará el tiempo que se mantienen una vez finalizado el tratamiento teniendo en cuenta las variables dolor y mejora en la función. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: se realizó una búsqueda sistemática de información entre el 1 de marzo y el 29 de abril de 2016 en las bases de datos Cochrane, PubMed, PEDro y Scopus. La gestión de la bibliografía encontrada se llevó a cabo con la herramienta RefWorks. La calidad metodológica de los estudios incluidos fue medida con la escala PEDro. RESULTADOS: se encontraron 7 artículos que cumplieron los criterios de inclusión, con una calidad metodológica alta (6/10 en la escala PEDro). Tanto las ondas de choque (OC) como los estiramientos fueron efectivos para la reducción del dolor. La combinación de las ondas de choque radiales (OCR) con estiramento específico de la fascia plantar (EEFP) y el EEFP como método de tratamiento único consiguieron los mejores resultados tanto a corto como a largo plazo. Los estiramientos más usados fueron los EEFP, y el tipo de OC más usadas fueron las OCR. Tanto el índice de masa corporal (IMC) como el sexo femenino resultaron estar en estrecha relación con la incidencia de esta patología. CONCLUSIONES: parece que la combinación de los EEFP con las OCR es la mejor alternativa para la reducción del dolor en los casos de fasciosis plantar, a pesar de que el nivel de evidencia encontrado es limitado.Traballo fin de grao (UDC.FCS). Fisioterapia. Curso 2015/2016

The Effect of Organizational Cultures on Relationships between IT Governance and Individual Behavior

Background: Organizations allocate substantial resources to Information Technology (IT) to ensure its long-term success. Hence, effective IT Governance (ITG) is crucial for business/IT alignment. However, factors like employee behavior and Organizational Culture (OC) play vital roles in applying ITG but remain underexplored. Objectives: This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the relationship between ITG and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). Additionally, it investigates the moderating effect of different cultures in the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) on the ITG-OCB relationship. Methods/Analysis: A survey was conducted involving 513 employees from over 150 companies worldwide. The data were analyzed using partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings: This study confirms that institutionalizing ITG enhances OCB. Furthermore, a moderating effect was observed in most relationships, highlighting the influence of different OC types. Market and hierarchy cultures exhibited the most significant moderating effect. Novelty: This research contributes to the understanding of ITG's impact on employee behavior, extending the investigation to new dimensions of OCB and confirming the moderating role of OC. The practical implications of this study enable organizations to foster a culture that promotes ITG and cultivates employees' OCB, leading to improved business-IT alignment, enhanced IT-enabled value, and, ultimately, enhanced organizational effectiveness. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-05-010 Full Text: PD

Effect of storage conditions on the quality and food safety of hazelnuts and almond pastes

Hazelnuts and almonds are nuts that are widely consumed worldwide. However, there are some problems with their preservation. The dissertation work developed in the present work is part of the ValNuts Project, in which it is intended to valorise dried nuts. The present work intends to study hazelnuts and almonds. In this sense, the effect of temperature (4, 25 and 35 oC) on hazelnut kernel storage over time (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months) was examined in terms of fatty acids, oxidative stability and microbiological parameters. Regarding the almond, it was proposed to prepare a paste, for which it was desired to determine the shelf life using an accelerated test. The temperatures tested were 4, 25, 45, 55 and 65 oC, over three months. The parameters evaluated were colour, water activity, moisture content, fat content and fatty acids profile, oxidative stability, microbiological parameters and sensory analysis. Concerning hazelnuts, after 12 months of storage, no significant differences were observed in fatty acid percentages. The induction times decreased after three months, remaining similar until 12 months. Nevertheless, no significative oxidation occurred along storage at 4, 25, and 35 oC. Thus, the temperatures at 4, 25 and 35 oC are not critical factors to consider in the storage of hazelnut kernels, considering the measured parameters. Some mycotoxins were determined in hazelnuts, such as beauvericin, bikaverin, 3-nitropropionic acid, citreohybridinol, flavoglaucin, quinolactacin A, abscisic acid, leecanoric acid, asperglaucide, asperphenamate, cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr), cyclo(L-Pro- L-Val), infectopyron and tryptophol; however, they were detected in low quantities. Regarding almond pastes, the brightness and hue decreased and the a* increased after three months at 65 oC, indicative of Maillard reactions. The aw values were constant over time (0.32 and 0.44). Concerning the storage time, the peroxide values increased after one month; however, applying high temperatures, such as 55 and 65 oC, did not cause a considerable increase in peroxide value after three months. Furthermore, high temperatures, such as 55 oC and 65 oC, did not cause very evident secondary oxidation. Concerning the microbiological counts, these were always 6 months).As avelãs e amêndoas são frutos secos amplamente consumidos em todo o mundo. No entanto, existem alguns problemas na sua conservação. O trabalho de dissertação desenvolvido no presente trabalho insere-se no Projeto ValNuts, no qual se pretende valorizar os frutos secos. No presente trabalho pretendeu-se estudar avelãs e amêndoas. Nesse sentido, o efeito da temperatura (4, 25 e 35 oC) foi estudado ao nível do armazenamento de avelã ao longo do tempo (0, 3, 6, 9 e 12 meses), em termos de ácidos gordos, estabilidade oxidativa e parâmetros microbiológicos. Relativamente à amêndoa, foi proposta a preparação de uma pasta de amêndoa, para a qual se pretendeu determinar o tempo de prateleira através de um teste acelerado. As temperaturas testadas foram 4, 25, 45, 55 e 65 oC ao longo de três meses. Os parâmetros avaliados foram a cor, atividade de água, teor de humidade, teor de gordura e perfil de ácidos gordos, estabilidade oxidativa, parâmetros microbiológicos e análise sensorial. Em relação às avelãs, após 12 meses de armazenamento, não foram observadas diferenças significativas nas percentagens de ácidos gordos. Os tempos de indução diminuíram após três meses, permanecendo semelhantes até 12 meses. No entanto, não ocorreu oxidação significativa ao longo do armazenamento a 4, 25 e 35 oC. Assim, as temperaturas de 4, 25 e 35 oC não são fatores críticos a serem considerados no armazenamento de miolo de avelã, considerando os parâmetros medidos. Algumas micotoxinas foram determinadas nas avelãs, como beauvericina, bikaverina, ácido 3-nitropropiónico, citreo-hibridinol, flavoglaucina, quinolactacina A, ácido abscísico, ácido leecanórico, asperglaucida, asperfenamato, ciclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr), ciclo(L- Pro-L-Val), infectopirona e triptofol. No entanto, elas foram detectadas em pequenas quantidades. Em relação às pastas de amêndoa, o brilho e a tonalidade diminuíram e o a* aumentou após três meses a 65 oC, indicativo de reações de Maillard. Os valores de aw apresentaram uma pequena variabilidade ao longo do tempo (0,32 e 0,44). Os valores de índice de peróxidos aumentaram após um mês. Contudo, a aplicação de altas temperaturas, como 55 e 65 oC, não causou um aumento considerável nos índices de peróxido após três meses. Este facto sugeriu que a aplicação de altas temperaturas, como 55 oC e 65 oC, não causou oxidação secundária muito evidente. Quanto às contagens microbiológicas, estas sempre foram 6 meses).This work was supported by the PDR2020 Partnership Agreement and co-financed by FEADER, Portugal 2020 [ValNuts Project: PDR2020-101-030756; PDR2020-101- 030759]; and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal), which gave financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020), SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021) and CERNAS (UIDB/00681/2020). The authors also thank Amendouro – Comércio e Indústria de Frutos Secos, Lda. (Dr Joana Araújo) for supplying the fruits