Seasonal and spatial distribution of matrix-bound phosphine and its relationship with the environment in the Changjiang River Estuary, China

Sediment is commonly considered as a source of phosphine, which is a highly toxic and reactive atmospheric trace gas. This study aims to investigate the seasonal and spatial distribution of matrix-bound phosphine (MBP) and its relationship with the environment in the Changjiang River Estuary. A total of 43 surface sediments were collected in four seasons of 2006, and concentrations of MBP and relative environmental factors were analyzed. MBP ranged from 1.93 to 94.86 ng kg(-1) dry weight (dw) with an average concentration of 17.14 ng kg(-1) dw. The concentrations of MBP in the tipper estuary were, higher than those in the lower estuary, which could be attributed to greater pollutant inputs in the upper estuary. The concentrations of MBP also varied with season, with November > August > May > February. Significant correlations existed between MBP and total phosphorus (TP), organic phosphorus (OP), inorganic phosphorus (W), organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), the grain size, and redox potential (Eh), suggesting that these sedimentary environmental characteristics played an important role in controlling the MBP levels in the sediments. Notably, there were positive linear relationships between the concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), TP, and chlorophyll a (Chl a) in bottom water and MBP in sediments. These relationships might be very complicated and need further exploration. This work is the first comprehensive study of the seasonal and spatial distribution of MBP in sediments and its relationships with environmental factors in a typical estuary, and will lead to deeper understanding of the phosphorus (P) biogeochemical cycle. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Designer’s Approach: Exploring how Autistic Adults with Additional Learning Disabilities Experience their Home Environment

Autistic adults with limited speech and additional learning disabilities are people whose perceptions and interactions with their environment are unique, but whose experiences are under-explored in design research. This PhD by Practice investigates how people with autism experience their home environment through a collaboration with the autism charity Kingwood Trust, which gave the designer extensive access to a community of autistic adults that it supports. The PhD reflects upon a neurotypical designer’s approach to working with autistic adults to investigate their relationship with the environment. It identifies and develops collaborative design tools for autistic adults, their support staff and family members to be involved. The PhD presents three design studies that explore a person’s interaction with three environmental contexts of the home i.e. garden, everyday objects and interiors. A strengths-based rather than a deficit-based approach is adopted which draws upon an autistic person’s sensory preferences, special interests and action capabilities, to unravel what discomfort and delight might mean for an autistic person; this approach is translated into three design solutions to enhance their experience at home. By working beyond the boundaries of a neurotypical culture, the PhD bridges the autistic and neurotypical worlds of experience and draws upon what the mainstream design field can learn from designing with autistic people with additional learning disabilities. It also provides insights into the subjective experiences of people who have very different ways of seeing, doing and being in the environment

Distribution and abundance of six species of fish larvae in peruvian waters and their relationship with physical and biological environment

Estudio de muestras recolectadas con el BIONESS a varias profundidades en trece estaciones.

Moderators of the Relationship between Family Caregiver Proxy-Ratings and Person with Dementia Self-Ratings of Quality of Life

As the dementia spectrum lacks any viable cure, quality of life is typically regarded as an essential measure of assessing the clinical course and evaluating interventions. With caregivers typically providing this rating to health professionals, the literature has noted inconsistencies between caregiver and person with dementia (PwD) ratings of quality of life and suggested several factors may moderate the rating relationship. To investigate this, an intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated to observe rating agreement and moderator regression analysis was conducted to explore potential moderators. Potential moderators of caregiver burden, caregiver age, caregiver income, PwD IADLs/ADLs, PwD education, PwD cognitive impairment, PwD depressive symptom severity, PwD behavioural symptom severity, as well as relationship between caregiver and PwD. Utilizing secondary data from 107 recruited dyads, analyses conducted found fair agreement between caregivers and those with dementia while none of the hypothesized factors were found to moderate the rating relationship.

Colorectal cancer and the relationship between genes and the environment

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries, with both genetic and environmental factors contributing to the etiology and progression of the disease. Several risk factors have been identified, including positive family history, red meat intake, smoking, and alcohol intake. Protective factors include vegetables, calcium, hormone replacement therapy, folate, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and physical activity. The interaction between these environmental factors, in particular diet and genes, is an area of growing interest. Currently, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and mismatch repair genes are believed to play an essential role in colorectal carcinogenesis. When considering the genetics of CRC, only 10% of cases are inherited and only 2-6% can be ascribed to the highly penetrant genes, such as APC, hMLH and hMSH2. Lower penetrance genes combined with a Western-style diet contribute to the majority of sporadic CRCs. The purpose of this article is to give a brief overview of the epidemiologic studies that have been conducted and present the major findings. Here, we examine the molecular events in CRC, with particular focus on the interaction between genes and environment, and review the most current research in this area.

Environmental perceptions as mediators of the relationship between the objective built environment and walking among socioeconomically disadvantaged women

Background
Women living in socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods are at increased risk for physical inactivity and associated health outcomes and are difficult to reach through personally tailored interventions. Targeting the built environment may be an effective strategy in this population subgroup. The aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of environmental perceptions in the relationship between the objective environment and walking for transportation/recreation among women from socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Methods
Baseline data of the Resilience for Eating and Activity Despite Inequality (READI) study were used. In total, 4139 women (18–46 years) completed a postal survey assessing physical environmental perceptions (aesthetics, neighbourhood physical activity environment, personal safety, neighbourhood social cohesion), physical activity, and socio-demographics. Objectively-assessed data on street connectivity and density of destinations were collected using a Geographic Information System database and based on the objective z-scores, an objective destinations/connectivity score was calculated. This index was positively scored, with higher scores representing a more favourable environment. Two-level mixed models regression analyses were conducted and the MacKinnon product-of-coefficients test was used to examine the mediating effects.

Results
The destinations/connectivity score was positively associated with transport-related walking. The perceived physical activity environment mediated 6.1% of this positive association. The destinations/connectivity score was negatively associated with leisure-time walking. Negative perceptions of aesthetics, personal safety and social cohesion of the neighbourhood jointly mediated 24.1% of this negative association.

Conclusion
For women living in socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods, environmental perceptions were important mediators of the relationship between the objective built environment and walking. To increase both transport-related and leisure-time walking, it is necessary to improve both objective walkability-related characteristics (street connectivity and proximity of destinations), and perceptions of personal safety, favourable aesthetics and neighbourhood social cohesion.

The relationship between obesity, low back pain, and lumbar disc degeneration when genetics and the environment are considered: a systematic review of twin studies

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: The relationships between obesity and low back pain (LBP) and lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) remain unclear. It is possible that familial factors, including genetics and early environment, affect these relationships.PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between obesity-related measures (eg, weight, body mass index [BMI]) and LBP and LDD using twin studies, where the effect of genetics and early environment can be controlled.STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review with meta-analysis.METHODS: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases were searched from the earliest records to August 2014. All cross-sectional and longitudinal observational twin studies identified by the search strategy were considered for inclusion. Two investigators independently assessed the eligibility, conducted the quality assessment, and extracted the data. Metaanalyses (fixed or random effects, as appropriate) were used to pool studies'estimates of association.RESULTS: In total, 11 articles met the inclusion criteria. Five studies were included in the LBP analysis and seven in the LDD analysis. For the LBP analysis, pooling of the five studies showed that the risk of having LBP for individuals with the highest levels of BMI or weight was almost twice that of people with a lower BMI (odds ratio [OR] 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-2.0; I-2 = 0%). A dose-response relationship was also identified. When genetics and the effects of a shared early environment were adjusted for using a within-pair twin case-control analysis, pooling of three studies showed a reduced but statistically positive association between obesity and prevalence of LBP (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-2.1; I-2 = 0%). However, the association was further diminished and not significant (OR 1.4; 95% CI 0.8-2.3; I-2 = 0%) when pooling included two studies on monozygotic twin pairs only. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria for LDD. When familial factors were not controlled for, body weight was positively associated with LDD in all five cross-sectional studies. Only two cross-sectional studies investigated the relationship between obesity-related measures and LDD accounting for familial factors, and the results were conflicting. One longitudinal study in LBP and three longitudinal studies in LDD found no increase in risk in obese individuals, whether or not familial factors were controlled for.CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this review suggest that genetics and early environment are possible mechanisms underlying the relationship between obesity and LBP; however, a direct causal link between these conditions appears to be weak. Further longitudinal studies using the twin design are needed to better understand the complex mechanisms underlying the associations between obesity, LBP, and LDD.

On the relationship between squid and the environment: artisanal jigging for Loligo plei at Sao Sebastiao Island (24 degrees S), southeastern Brazil

The squid Loligo plei concentrates in the southeastern Brazil Bight, where it has traditionally supported small-scale fisheries around Sao Sebastiao Island (SSI). Sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a (Chl a), windspeed, wave height, rainfall, and lunar phase are related to fishing records and to the results of a survey of local fishers to investigate how they believe environmental variables might affect catches of L. plei. Daily fishery-dependent data over the years 2005-2009 were obtained from a fishing cooperative and were matched with satellite and meteorological forecast data. Generalized linear models were used to explore the significance of environmental variables in relation to variability in catch and catch per unit effort (cpue). Squid are fished with jigs in water shallower than 20 m, generally where SST is warmer and Chl a and windspeed are lower. Cpue and monthly catches decreased from 2005 to 2008, followed by a slight increase in 2009. The correlations between fishery and environmental data relate well to fishers` oceanological knowledge, underscoring the potential of incorporating such knowledge into evaluations of the fishery.