The diagnostics of health status and the quality of drinking water are among the most important United Nations sustainable development goals. However, in certain areas, wars and instability have left millions of people setting in refugee camps and dangerous regions where infrastructures are lacking and rapid diagnostics of water quality and medical status are critical. In this work, microfluidic testing chips and photometric setups are developed in cheap and portable way to detect nitrate concentrations in water. The performed test is designed to work according to the Griess procedure. Moreover, to make it simple and usable in areas of low resource settings, commercially available Arduino mega and liquid crystal display (LCD) shield are utilized to process and display results, respectively. For evaluation purposes, different local products of tap water, bottled drinking water, and home-filter treated water samples were tested using the developed setup. A calibration curve with coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.98 was obtained when absorbance of the prepared standard solutions was measured as a function of the concentrations. In conclusion, this is the first step towards a compact, portable, and reliable system for nitrate detection in water for point-of-care applications.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s17102345 | DOI Listing |
Trop Med Health
January 2025
School of Medicine, Private Technical University of Loja, Loja, 110101, Ecuador.
Introduction: Dengue is one of the most widespread arboviruses in Latin America and is now affecting areas previously free of transmission. The COVID-19 pandemic and climatic variations appear to have affected the incidence of the disease, abundance of vectors and health programs related to dengue in some countries.
Objective: To analyze the epidemiology of dengue in Paltas, Ecuador (2016-2022), compare the periods before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, examine entomological reports and discuss the possible implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and climatic variations.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed
January 2025
Institute of Nanfan and Seed Industry, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510220, People's Republic of China.
Background: Traditional ecological knowledge embedded in cultural practices is vital for biodiversity conservation but is increasingly under threat from modernization and globalization. This study investigates the role of Chinese folk ritual music in promoting biodiversity conservation, with a focus on Cantonese Opera and agricultural rituals in the Lingnan region of southern China.
Methods: We employed literature review, qualitative fieldwork, and ethnographic analysis, including interviews with local musicians and community members, to investigate how Cantonese Opera and agricultural rituals contribute to ecological sustainability by integrating cultural narratives with environmental stewardship.
Nutr J
January 2025
École de nutrition, Faculté des sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation (FSAA), Université Laval, 2440, boulevard Hochelaga, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada.
Background: A better understanding of correlates of sugary drink consumption is essential to inform public health interventions. This study examined differences in perceived healthiness of sugary drinks and related social norms between countries, over time, and sociodemographic groups and associations with sugary drink intake.
Methods: This study used annual cross-sectional data from the International Food Policy Study from 2018 to 2021 in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Mexico.
BMC Public Health
January 2025
Department of Statistics and Data Science, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, 1342, Bangladesh.
Background: Child mortality is a reliable and significant indicator of a nation's health. Although the child mortality rate in Bangladesh is declining over time, it still needs to drop even more in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Machine Learning models are one of the best tools for making more accurate and efficient forecasts and gaining in-depth knowledge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India.
Magnesium (Mg) an essential plant nutrient is widespread deficient in the acidic soils of Nilgiris of Tamil nadu, India. The vegetable yield and quality is especially affected due to deficiency of nutrients like Mg. This study investigates soil characteristics and bacterial diversity in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, India, with respect to Mg deficiency.
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