Analysis and discussion of four trace metals - copper, lead, mercury, and zinc - taken from selected sites along the Ottawa River in and near Lima, Ohio

Eight water and sediment samples collected from the Ottawa River in and near Lima, Ohio, were analyzed for their content of four trace metals - copper, lead, mercury, and zinc - by the atomic absorption process. The four following possible origins of these trace metals were considered: geological pollution, industrial and waste disposal effects, chemical pollution, and automobile exhaust emissions. A discussion as to the desirable levels that have been established for public water supplies and the trace metal requirements of the human metabolism is presented. The effects of these trace elements on the human metabolism is also considered, as copper and zinc are believed to be essential to human health but can be toxic, and lead and mercury are not important in the body's biochemical system but are considered cumulative poisons.No embarg

The effect of organic farming systems on aspects of the environment - desk study OF0123

Key Conclusions 1. The crop rotations of organic systems maintain landscape diversity and biodiversity whilst the maintenance of field boundaries on organic units produces benefits to a wide range of organisms. 2. Inorganic nitrogen fertilisation and herbicide treatments of conventionally managed grassland has reduced the floral diversity of permanent pastures and maintained the low diversity of re-seeded pastures, greatly reducing their value as wildlife habitats. 3. Pesticide use is responsible for the removal of food sourcesfor birds and mammals in the form of weeds and invertebrates, as well as removing whole populations of potentially beneficial insects. 4. The majority of water pollution incidents from farms are caused during storage and spreading of cattle and pig slurries. A higher proportion of organic cattle and virtually all organic pigs are kept on solid manure systems and therefore are les of a risk. 5. The nitrogen balance of individual 'conventional' and 'organic' systems will depend greatly on the circumstances and management practices of the individual farms. Consequently it is not possible to generalise that one system is always better than the other in terms of nitrate leaching risk. With this qualification the literature does indicate that generally, organic systems offer less risk of nitrate leaching. 6. Organic systems are less likely to cause loss of phosphate into surface and ground waters. Both leaching and loss in eroded soil are likely to be reduced. 7. Organic management practicess such as rotations, the regular use of manures and non-use of pesticides usually increase soil organic matter contents. 8. Organic practices are likely to increase earthworm numbers compared to conventional systems. The increased numbers are universally acknowledged to benefit soil fertility although such effects are difficult to quantify. 9. Soil erosion is less of a problem on organic units. 10. Accumulations of copper and zinc in soils are much reduced in organic systems because organic pig and poultry producers do not supplement feeds with these metals as growth promoters. Copper fungicides are more widely used on organic farms and their use should be carefully monitored to prevent harmful effects. 11. The practices adopted by organic farmers can reduce emissions of nitrous oxide and methane. Ammonia emissions will not necessarily be less in organic than in conventional farming. 12. Organic farmers adopt practices which benefit the landscape. They maintain and introduce features largely because they are required by the Organic Standards to do so. They introduce such management practices because they are technically necessary for successful organic production

The enduring effect of early life adversities on health trajectories

From PubMed via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-07-06, accepted 2021-07-27Publication status: aheadofprin

Psycholinguistic and socioemotional characteristics of young offenders: Do language abilities and gender matter?

Purpose: Previous research demonstrates an association between Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and criminal offending. International research also implicates alexithymia as being over-represented in forensic samples. This study provides a comprehensive examination of the psycholinguistic and socioemotional profiles of males and females in the youth justice system, with a focus on first time entrants. In the context of Restorative Justice (RJ) underpinning youth justice disposals, this allows for informed intervention and identifies those who may be compromised in their ability to effectively engage in certain interventions. Methods: Participants (N = 145) from a triage centre and youth offending teams, with a mean age of 15.8, completed a range of standardised psycholinguistic assessments considering nonverbal IQ, expressive and receptive language measures and literacy. Additionally, socioemotional measures completed included The Alexithymia Scale and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results: DLD was present in 87 participants. Except for the emotional score, no statistically significant gender differences were found. The mean language scores for the DLD group were more than 2.25 standard deviations below the normative mean and they demonstrated greater literacy difficulties. A high proportion of the group met the criteria for alexithymia/possible alexithymia (60%), and this was not associated with DLD. Conclusions: High prevalence values for DLD and socioemotional difficulties, not generally gender specific, were found. These difficulties have the possibility to compromise a young person’s ability to engage in rehabilitative strategies. Language assessment and identification of difficulties, especially DLD, upon entry to the youth justice service would assist when planning interventions

A Systematic Review of Interpersonal Violence Perpetration and Victimization Risk Examined Within Single Study Cohorts, Including in Relation to Mental Illness

Rates of both violent victimization and violence perpetration are known to be elevated among individuals with mental illness compared with those in the general population, though the relative risk of each outcome is less well established. In this systematic review, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Criminal Justice Abstracts were searched for articles published any time before October 2021 that reported the prevalence or incidence of both violent victimization and perpetration. We performed two searches to identify studies using samples or cohorts of (1) persons with mental illnesses and (2) persons in the general population. A total of 25 studies (9 examining persons with mental illnesses, 13 examining persons in the general population, and 3 examining both sample/cohort types) were identified and data was extracted to describe the type and size of cohort or sample, definitions and terminology (i.e., mental illness, violence victimization, violence perpetration), data source(s), observation period, prevalence/incidence of victimization, and prevalence/incidence of perpetration. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Studies Reporting Prevalence Data was used to conduct a quality assessment of all included studies. Due to marked study heterogeneity, results were presented using a narrative synthesis approach. Across studies, findings were mixed, and the methodological approaches varied greatly. Broadly, the review provides evidence for (1) higher rates of victimization than perpetration for both individuals with mental illness and those in the general population and (2) higher rates of both victimization and perpetration for those with mental illness compared to those in the general population

Non-psychotropic medication and risk of suicide or attempted suicide: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To establish which non-psychotropic medications have been assessed in relation to risk of suicide or attempted suicide in observational studies, document reported associations and consider study strengths and limitations. DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: Four databases (Embase, Medline, PsycINFO and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts) were searched from 1990 to June 2014, and reference lists of included articles were hand-searched. Case–control, cohort and case only studies which reported suicide or attempted suicide in association with any non-psychotropic medication were included. OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcomes eligible for inclusion were suicide and attempted suicide, as defined by the authors of the included study. RESULTS: Of 11 792 retrieved articles, 19 were eligible for inclusion. Five studies considered cardiovascular medication and antiepileptics; two considered leukotriene receptor antagonists, isotretinoin and corticosteroids; one assessed antibiotics and another assessed varenicline. An additional study compared multiple medications prescribed to suicide cases versus controls. There was marked heterogeneity in study design, outcome and exposure classification, and control for confounding factors; particularly comorbid mental and physical illness. No increased risk was associated with cardiovascular medications, but associations with other medications remained inconclusive and meta-analysis was inappropriate due to study heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Whether non-psychotropic medications are associated with increased risk of suicide or attempted suicide remains largely unknown. Robust identification of suicide outcomes and control of comorbidities could improve quantification of risk associated with non-psychotropic medication, beyond that conferred by underlying physical and mental illnesses

Post Eruption inflation of the East Pacific Rise at 9°50′ N

In June 2008, we installed a geodetic network at 9°50′ N on the East Pacific Rise to track the long‐term movement of magma following the 2005/6 eruption. This network consists of 10 concrete benchmarks stretching from the ridge to 9 km off‐axis. During three campaign‐style surveys, measurements of vertical seafloor motions were made at each of these benchmarks by precisely recording ambient seawater pressure as a proxy for seafloor depth with a mobile pressure recorder (MPR). The MPR was deployed using the manned submersible Alvin in 2008 and 2009 and the remotely operated vehicle Jason in 2011. The MPR observations are supplemented with data from a multiyear deployment of continuously recording bottom pressure recorders (BPRs) extending along this segment of the ridge that can record rapid changes in seafloor depth from seafloor eruptions and/or dike intrusions. These measurements show no diking events and up to 12 cm of volcanic inflation that occurred from December 2009 to October 2011 in the area of the 2005/6 eruption. These observations are fit with an inflating point source at a depth of 2.7 km and volume change of 2.3 × 106 m3/yr located on the ridge axis at approximately 9°51.166′ N, 407 m from our northernmost benchmark, suggesting that the magma chamber underlying this segment of the ridge is being recharged from a deeper source at a rate that is about half the long‐term inflation rate observed at Axial Seamount on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. These data represent the second location that active volcanic uplift has been measured on a mid‐ocean ridge segment, and the first on a nonhotspot influenced segment