Geochemical fingerprinting and magnetic susceptibility to unravel the heterogeneous composition of urban soils.

The typically high heterogeneity of urban soil properties challenges their characterization and interpretation. The objective of this study was to investigate if proximally sensed volume-specific magnetic susceptibility and/or geochemical soil properties can uncover differences in anthropogenic, lithogenic and pedological contributions in, and between, urban soils. We also tested if volume-specific magnetic susceptibility can predict heavy metal enrichment.

Effectiveness of terracing techniques for controlling soil erosion by water in Rwanda.

Despite long-standing efforts in terracing, limited field-based evidence of its effectiveness as implemented within rural farming systems of humid tropical regions, such as Rwanda, is available. This study aimed to reveal regional differences in effectiveness of two widely used terracing techniques. Traditional slope farming (NP) was compared to bench (BT) and farmers' based progressive terraces (PT) in terms of runoff, soil losses, and topsoil fertility in two contrasting agro-ecological zones, the Eastern Plateau (Murehe) and Buberuka Highlands (Tangata).

Estimation of aggregate stability of some soils in the loam belt of Belgium using mid-infrared spectroscopy.

Rapid assessment of soil aggregate stability (AS) is vital for a better understanding of the processes of soil aggregate breakdown, which is necessary for effective soil erosion control planning. This study explored the possibility of quantifying the mean weight diameter (MWD) of soil aggregates after applying the three disruptive treatments of fast wetting (FW), slow wetting (SW) and mechanical breakdown (MB), representing the dominant aggregate breakdown mechanisms, using a handheld mid-infrared (MIR) spectrophotometer on soils of the Belgian loam belt. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to build calibration models for the three treatment methods, using a calibration set accounting for 70% (75% in the case of MB) of the samples, which were validated by using a validation set of 30% (25% in the case of MB) of the total samples.

Treatment of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia with High-dose Colistin Under Continuous Veno-venous Hemofiltration.

Background And Objectives: High-dose colistin (COL) ensures adequate treatment of pneumonia caused by multidrug resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) but must be weighed against a higher risk of nephrotoxicity. Continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) clears COL by filtering and membrane adsorption that permits to avoid dose accumulation and excessively high peak concentrations. We evaluated clinical/microbiological efficacy of the high-dose COL treatment under CVVH in patients with newly diagnosed MDR-GNB ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Hot wings: thermal impacts of wing coloration on surface temperature during bird flight.

Recent studies on bird flight propose that hotter wing surfaces reduce skin friction drag, thereby improving flight efficiency (lift-to-drag ratio). Darker wings may in turn heat up faster under solar radiation than lighter wings. We used three methods to test the impact of colour on wing surface temperature.

Do Statins Induce or Protect from Acute Kidney Injury and Chronic Kidney Disease: An Update Review in 2018.

Statins essentially are cholesterol-lowering drugs that are extensively prescribed for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Compelling evidence suggests that the beneficial effects of statins may not only be due to its ability to control cholesterol levels but also due to a pleiotropic cholesterol-independent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, endothelial-protective and plaque-stabilizing activity. Along this line, statins may also exert acute and long-term effects on renal function.

Rapid and irreversible sorption behavior of Be assessed to evaluate its use as a catchment sediment tracer.

Beryllium-7 (Be) has been used as a sediment tracer to evaluate soil redistribution rates at hillslopes and as a tool to estimate sediment residence time in river systems. A key assumption for the use of Be as a sediment tracer is the rapid and irreversible sorption of Be upon contact with the soil particles. However, recent studies have raised questions about the validity of these assumptions.

The TRAC-PS dual radius total knee arthroplasty : Disappointing medium and long terms results.

The TRAC prosthesis is a dual radius, mobile bearing, posterior stabilized prosthesis, to increase stability by optimizing contact area and control wear using a mobile polyethylene. Between February 1995 and January 2000, a single surgeon performed a continuous series of 85 TRAC-PS TKAs in 85 patients at the University Hospital Brussels. A retrospective review on patient charts was performed.

Spatial Patterns of Heavy Metal Contamination by Urbanization.

Spatial analysis of heavy metals (HMs) is an important step toward developing predictive models of urban HM contamination. This study assessed the spatial distribution of the enrichment of eight HMs (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the city of Ghent, Belgium. A database with soil HM concentrations measured at 2194 point observations was collected from the Public Waste Agency of Flanders.