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Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Nov 2023Erosion of soil refers to the process of detaching and transporting topsoil from the land surface by natural forces such as water, wind, and other factors. As a result...
Soil erosion estimation and erosion risk area prioritization using GIS-based RUSLE model and identification of conservation strategies in Jejebe watershed, Southwestern Ethiopia.
Erosion of soil refers to the process of detaching and transporting topsoil from the land surface by natural forces such as water, wind, and other factors. As a result of this process, soil fertility is lost, water bodies' depth is reduced, water turbidity rises, and flood hazard problems, etc. Using a numerical model of erosion rates and erosion risks in the Jejebe watershed of the Baro Akobo basin in western Ethiopia, this study mapped erosion risks to prioritize conservation measures. In this study, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was used, which was adapted to Ethiopian conditions. To estimate soil loss with RUSLE, the rainfall erosivity (R) factor was generated by interpolating rainfall data, the soil erodibility (K) factor was derived from the soil map, the topography (LS) factor was determined from the digital elevation model (DEM), cover and management (C) factor derived from the land use/cover data, and conservation practices (P) factor generated from digital elevation model (DEM) and land use/cover data were integrated with remote sensing data and the GIS 10.5 environment. The findings indicated that the watershed annual soil loss varies from nearly 0 on a gentle slope of forest lands to 265.8 t ha year in the very steep slope upper part of the watershed, with a mean annual soil loss of 36.2 t ha year. The total annual soil loss in the watershed is estimated to be around 919,886.5 tons per year. To minimize the amount of soil erosion in the watershed that had been most severely affected, we identified eight conservation strategies that could be implemented. These strategies were based on the participatory watershed development (PWD) principles established by the Ethiopian government and the severity of the erosion in the watershed. The study's findings showed that a GIS-based RUSLE soil erosion assessment model can provide a realistic prediction of the amount of soil loss that will occur in the watershed. This tool can also help identify the priority areas for implementing effective erosion control measures.
Topics: Soil; Soil Erosion; Geographic Information Systems; Ethiopia; Conservation of Natural Resources; Environmental Monitoring; Models, Theoretical; Water
PubMed: 37985507
DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12136-2 -
3 Biotech Jul 2023Phycobiliproteins is a family of chromophore-containing proteins having light-harvesting and antioxidant capacity. The phycocyanin (PC) is a brilliant blue coloured...
UNLABELLED
Phycobiliproteins is a family of chromophore-containing proteins having light-harvesting and antioxidant capacity. The phycocyanin (PC) is a brilliant blue coloured phycobiliprotein, found in rod structure of phycobilisome and has been widely studied for their therapeutic and fluorescent properties. In the present study, the hexameric assembly structure of phycocyanin (Syn-PC) from Sp. R42DM is characterized by X-ray crystallography to understand its light-harvesting and antioxidant properties. The crystal structure of Syn-PC is solved with 2.15 Å resolution and crystallographic -factors, / 0.16/0.21. The hexamer of Syn-PC is formed by heterodimer of two polypeptide chains, namely, α- and β-subunits. The structure is analysed at atomic level to reveal the chromophore microenvironment and possible light energy transfer mechanism in Syn-PC. The chromophore arrangement in hexamer, deviation angle and distance between the chromophore contribute to the energy transfer efficiency of protein. The structural attributes responsible for the antioxidant potential of Syn-PC are recognized and annotated on its 3-dimensional structure.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03665-1.
PubMed: 37366498
DOI: 10.1007/s13205-023-03665-1 -
The International Journal of Social... Jun 2024This study aimed to meta-analysis the level of internalised stigma experienced by individuals with psychosis worldwide, and the impact of cultural differences, economic... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Systematic review and meta-analysis of internalised stigma and stigma resistance in patients with psychosis: The impact of individualism-collectivism culture and other individual factors.
PURPOSE
This study aimed to meta-analysis the level of internalised stigma experienced by individuals with psychosis worldwide, and the impact of cultural differences, economic status of the studied regions and duration of illness on their levels of internalised stigma. Clinical and individual level factors associated with internalised stigma and stigma resistance were also systematically reviewed.
METHODS
A systematic search of keywords on two scholarly databases were conducted. The individualism index of the countries or regions where the studies were conducted was retrieved from Hofstede's updated measurement of individualism. Economic status of regions was categorised based on their per capita gross national income. Meta-analysis and meta-regression were conducted using the 'metafor' package in R. Factors associated with internalised stigma and stigma resistance were also systematically consolidated.
RESULTS
Seventy-three articles were included in the meta-analysis and the pooled score of both internalised stigma and stigma resistance of individuals with psychosis were within the mild range (2.20 and 2.44, respectively). The meta-regression analysis found high collectivism culture is significantly related to a higher level of internalised stigma. Economic status was not significant. Thirty-five articles were included in the systematic review and clinical, psychological, psychosocial variables, cognition and sociodemographic factors were found to be associated with internalised stigma.
CONCLUSION
Internalised stigma in psychosis is ubiquitous worldwide and high collectivism culture may be related with high internalised stigma. With the presence of multiple individual factors related to internalised stigma, intervention programmes to reduce internalised stigma should consider focussing on both macro- and micro-level factors.
Topics: Humans; Psychotic Disorders; Social Stigma
PubMed: 38279534
DOI: 10.1177/00207640231216924 -
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Jan 2024The study investigates the influence of multispectral satellite data's spatial resolution on land degradation in the Urmodi River Watershed in which Kaas Plateau, a...
The study investigates the influence of multispectral satellite data's spatial resolution on land degradation in the Urmodi River Watershed in which Kaas Plateau, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located. Specifically, the research focuses on soil erosion and its risk zonation. The study employs Landsat 8 (30-m resolution) and Sentinel-2 (10-m resolution) data to assess soil erosion risk. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) is used to quantify the average annual soil erosion output denoted by (A), by using its factors such as rainfall (R), soil erodibility (K), slope-length (LS), cover management (C), and support practices (P). R-factor was computed from MERRA-2 rainfall data, K-factor was derived from field soil sample-based analysis, LS factor was from Cartosat Digital Elevation Model-based data. The C factor was derived from NDVI of Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2, and the P factor was prepared from LULC derived from Landsat 8, and Sentinel-2 was incorporated in the final integration. The soil erosion hazard map ranged from slight to extremely severe. Remote sensing (RS)-based parameters like Land Use Land Cover (LULC) are derived from the Landsat 8 and Sentine-2 satellite data and used to compute the difference in the final outcome of the integration. The study found similarities in average annual soil loss (A) in plain areas, but differences in final soil erosion risk zone (A) were influenced by LULC map variations due to different cell sizes, P factor, and slope gradient. Notable differences were observed in soil erosion risk categories, particularly in high to very severe zones, with a cumulative difference of 73.85 km. In addition to this, a scatterplot between the final outputs was computed and found the moderate (R = 42.08%) correlation between Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 imagery-based final average annual soil erosion (A) of RUSLE. The study area encompasses various landforms ranging from the plateau to pediplain, and in such situation, the water-led soil erosion categories vary depending on terrain condition along with its biophysical factors and, hence, need to analyze the need of such factors on the average annual soil erosion quantification. Different spatial resolution has an effect on the final output, and hence, there is a need to track this change at various spatial resolutions. This analysis highlights the significant impact of spatial resolution on land degradation assessment, providing precise identification of surface features and enhancing soil erosion risk zoning accuracy.
Topics: Soil; Rivers; Geographic Information Systems; India; Environmental Monitoring; Conservation of Natural Resources; Models, Theoretical
PubMed: 38233696
DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12341-7 -
Chemosphere Jul 2024Arsenic, ubiquitous in various industrial processes and consumer products, presents both essential functions and considerable toxicity risks, driving extensive research...
Arsenic, ubiquitous in various industrial processes and consumer products, presents both essential functions and considerable toxicity risks, driving extensive research into safer applications. Our investigation, drawing from 7182 arsenic-containing molecules in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD), outlines their diverse bonding patterns. Notably, 51% of these molecules exhibit cyclic connections, while 49% display acyclic ones. Arsenic forms eight distinct bonding types with other elements, with significant interactions observed, particularly with phenyl rings, O and F moieties. Top interactions involve carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, sulfur, and arsenic itself. We meticulously evaluated average bond lengths under three conditions: without an R-factor cut-off, with R-factor ≤0.075, and with R-factor ≤0.05, supporting the credibility of our results. Comparative analysis with existing literature data enriches our understanding of arsenic's bonding behaviour. Our findings illuminate the structural attributes, molecular coordination, geometry, and bond lengths of arsenic with 68 diverse atoms, enriching our comprehension of arsenic chemistry. These revelations not only offer a pathway for crafting innovative and safer arsenic-based compounds but also foster the evolution of arsenic detoxification mechanisms, tackling pivotal health and environmental challenges linked to arsenic exposure across different contexts.
Topics: Arsenic; Data Mining; Databases, Chemical; Molecular Structure; Arsenicals
PubMed: 38763400
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142349 -
Faraday Discussions Jan 2024Developing batteries with energy densities comparable to internal combustion technology is essential for a worldwide transition to electrified transportation. Li-O...
Developing batteries with energy densities comparable to internal combustion technology is essential for a worldwide transition to electrified transportation. Li-O batteries are seen as the 'holy grail' of battery technologies since they have the highest theoretical energy density of all battery technologies. Current lithium-oxygen (Li-O) batteries suffer from large charge overpotentials related to the electronic resistivity of the insulating lithium peroxide (LiO) discharge product. One potential solution is the formation and stabilization of a lithium superoxide (LiO) discharge intermediate that exhibits good electronic conductivity. However, LiO is reported to be unstable at ambient temperature despite its favorable formation energy at -1.0 eV per atom. In this paper - based on our recent work on the development of cathode materials for aprotic lithium oxygen batteries including two intermetallic compounds, LiIr and LiIr, that are found to form good template interfaces with LiO - a simple goodness of fit factor to gauge how well a template surface structure can support LiO growth, is developed. The factor is a quantitative measurement to calculate the geometric difference in the unit cells of specific Miller Index 2D planes of the template surface and LiO. Using this as a guide, the factors for LiIr, LiIr, and LaNiO, are found to be good. This guide is attested by simple extension to other noble metal intermetallics with electrochemical cycling data including LiRh, LiRh, and LiPd. Finally, the template concept is extended to main group elements and the factors for LiO (111) and LiCa suggest that LiCa is a possible candidate for the template assisted LiO growth strategy.
PubMed: 37791512
DOI: 10.1039/d3fd00116d -
Inorganic Chemistry Sep 2023Sustainable production of rare earth elements (REEs) is critical for technologies needed for climate change mitigation, including wind turbines and electric vehicles....
Sustainable production of rare earth elements (REEs) is critical for technologies needed for climate change mitigation, including wind turbines and electric vehicles. However, separation technologies currently used in REE production have large environmental footprints, necessitating more sustainable strategies. Aqueous, affinity-based separations are examples of such strategies. To make these technologies feasible, it is imperative to connect aqueous ligand structure to ligand selectivity for individual REEs. As a step toward this goal, we analyzed the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) of four lanthanides (La, Ce, Pr, and Nd) complexed by a common REE chelator, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to determine the aqueous-phase structure. Reference structures from density functional theory (DFT) were used to help fit the EXAFS spectra. We found that all four Ln-EDTA coordination complexes formed 9-coordinate structures with 6 coordinating atoms from EDTA (4 carboxyl oxygen atoms and 2 nitrogen atoms) and 3 oxygen atoms from water molecules. All EXAFS fits were of high quality (-factor < 0.02) and showed decreasing average first-shell coordination distance across the series (2.62-2.57 Å from La-Nd), in agreement with DFT (2.65-2.56 Å from La-Nd). The insights determined herein will be useful in the development of ligands for sustainable rare earth elements (REE) separation technologies.
PubMed: 37624729
DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c01334 -
Acta Crystallographica. Section D,... Dec 2023Hydrogen (H) atoms are abundant in macromolecules and often play critical roles in enzyme catalysis, ligand-recognition processes and protein-protein interactions....
Hydrogen (H) atoms are abundant in macromolecules and often play critical roles in enzyme catalysis, ligand-recognition processes and protein-protein interactions. However, their direct visualization by diffraction techniques is challenging. Macromolecular X-ray crystallography affords the localization of only the most ordered H atoms at (sub-)atomic resolution (around 1.2 Å or higher). However, many H atoms of biochemical significance remain undetectable by this method. In contrast, neutron diffraction methods enable the visualization of most H atoms, typically in the form of deuterium (H) atoms, at much more common resolution values (better than 2.5 Å). Thus, neutron crystallography, although technically demanding, is often the method of choice when direct information on protonation states is sought. REFMAC5 from the Collaborative Computational Project No. 4 (CCP4) is a program for the refinement of macromolecular models against X-ray crystallographic and cryo-EM data. This contribution describes its extension to include the refinement of structural models obtained from neutron crystallographic data. Stereochemical restraints with accurate bond distances between H atoms and their parent atom nuclei are now part of the CCP4 Monomer Library, the source of prior chemical information used in the refinement. One new feature for neutron data analysis in REFMAC5 is refinement of the protium/deuterium (H/H) fraction. This parameter describes the relative H/H contribution to neutron scattering for hydrogen isotopes. The newly developed REFMAC5 algorithms were tested by performing the (re-)refinement of several entries available in the PDB and of one novel structure (FutA) using either (i) neutron data only or (ii) neutron data supplemented by external restraints to a reference X-ray crystallographic structure. Re-refinement with REFMAC5 afforded models characterized by R-factor values that are consistent with, and in some cases better than, the originally deposited values. The use of external reference structure restraints during refinement has been observed to be a valuable strategy, especially for structures at medium-low resolution.
Topics: Proteins; Deuterium; Models, Molecular; Crystallography, X-Ray; Neutron Diffraction; Hydrogen; Neutrons; Macromolecular Substances
PubMed: 37921806
DOI: 10.1107/S2059798323008793 -
Scientific Reports Sep 2023Most civil structures exhibit nonlinear behavior during moderate to severe earthquakes. Consequently, inelastic analysis is needed for seismic design. Several dynamic...
Most civil structures exhibit nonlinear behavior during moderate to severe earthquakes. Consequently, inelastic analysis is needed for seismic design. Several dynamic and static analysis methods are available for the assessment and design of engineering structures. Two of the available methods in terms of nonlinear dynamic time history analysis and nonlinear static analysis, which is known as pushover analysis, are employed herein to comprehensively study and investigate the seismic performance of multi-story building structures with different floor systems. Moreover, the study is extended to assess the actual values of the response reduction/modification factor (R-factor) for each building model, then evaluate the values with the code-recommended design values. Three-dimensional finite element building models with 5, 10 and 15 stories are developed for the evaluation process. The advanced computer program ETABS is used for developing and analyzing the buildings considering material and geometrical nonlinearity. A suit of seven earthquake records is considered and scaled according to the ASCE-16 seismic design code to excite the building models. The obtained results evidently reveal that the type of floor slab significantly impacts the seismic response of the building. More specifically, the effects of floor slabs on seismic demands are more evident in low- and mid-rise buildings. In addition, the type of slab system and height of the building have more influence on the response modification factors, especially for low-rise building models.
PubMed: 37697013
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41656-7 -
Scientific Reports Feb 2024Based on the nonlinear algorithmic theory, the R-SVM water source discrimination model and prediction method were established by using the piper qualitatively to compare...
Based on the nonlinear algorithmic theory, the R-SVM water source discrimination model and prediction method were established by using the piper qualitatively to compare the differences between the ionic components and R-type factor approximation indicator input dimensions. Taking the mine water samples of Zhaogezhuang Coal Mine as an example, according to the chemical composition analysis of the water samples from different monitoring points, six indexes of Na, Ca, Mg, Cl, SO and HCO were selected as the discrimination factors. According to the water characteristics of each aquifer and the actual needs of discrimination, the water inrush sources in the mining area were divided into four categories: The goaf water is class I, Ordovician carbonate is class II, Sandstone fracture water from the 13 coal system is class III, and Sandstone fracture water from the 12 coal system is class IV. Taking 56 typical water inrush samples as training samples, 11 groups for prediction samples, establish the input index as typical ion content, output as water source type, using SPSS statistics and MATLAB to realize the R-SVM water source discriminant analysis model, automatically establishing the mapping relationship between the water quality indexes and the evaluation standards, which can achieve the purpose of rapid and accurate discrimination of the water sample data. The results showed that the accuracy of the R-SVM model classification was 90.90% in the verification of the water source discrimination example of Zhaogezhuang mine and the coupled model has high accuracy, good applicability and discriminant ability, and has certain guiding significance for the prevention and control of water damage and the related field work.
PubMed: 38332044
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53877-5