The Environmental Factor Approach to the Interpretation of Paleosols

Author(s):  
Gregory J. Retallack
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Julio Manuel de Luis-Ruiz ◽  
Benito Ramiro Salas-Menocal ◽  
Gema Fernández-Maroto ◽  
Rubén Pérez-Álvarez ◽  
Raúl Pereda-García

The quality of human life is linked to the exploitation of mining resources. The Exploitability Index (EI) assesses the actual possibilities to enable a mine according to several factors. The environment is one of the most constraining ones, but its analysis is made in a shallow way. This research is focused on its determination, according to a new preliminary methodology that sets the main components of the environmental impact related to the development of an exploitation of industrial minerals and its weighting according to the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). It is applied to the case of the ophitic outcrops in Cantabria (Spain). Twelve components are proposed and weighted with the AHP and an algorithm that allows for assigning a normalized value for the environmental factor to each deposit. Geographic Information Systems (GISs) are applied, allowing us to map a large number of components of the environmental factors. This provides a much more accurate estimation of the environmental factor, with respect to reality, and improves the traditional methodology in a substantial way. It can be established as a methodology for mining spaces planning, but it is suitable for other contexts, and it raises developing the environmental analysis before selecting the outcrop to be exploited.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1919
Author(s):  
Huijeong Ahn ◽  
Gilyoung Lee ◽  
Geun-Shik Lee

Gout is a recurrent and chronic form of arthritis caused by the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in the joints. Macrophages intake MSU crystals, the trigger for NLRP3 inflammasome activation, which leads to the release of interleukin (IL)-1β and results in the flaring of gout. The effects of temperature, an environmental factor for MSU crystallization, on IL-1β secretion have not been well studied. This study examined the effects of temperature on inflammasome activation. Specific triggers activated canonical inflammasomes (NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2) in murine macrophages at various temperatures (25, 33, 37, 39, and 42 °C). The maturation of IL-1β and caspase-1 was measured as an indicator for inflammasome activation. As expected, the optimal temperature of inflammasome activation was 37 °C. The MSU crystal-mediated activation of inflammasome increased at temperatures lower than 37 °C and decreased at higher temperatures. MSU crystals at lower temperatures enhanced IL-1β secretion via the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. A lower temperature promoted the formation of MSU crystals without changing phagocytosis. Overall, lower temperatures form more MSU crystals and enhance NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In light of these findings, it is possible that hyperthermia therapy may reduce gout flaring.


2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yushu Zhang ◽  
Xiangyun Li ◽  
Lixin Wang ◽  
Hongqi Zhang
Keyword(s):  

During a study on the ability of certain synthetic oestrus-producing compounds to induce a sex change in the feather pigmentation of the Brown Leghorn capon (Cook, Dodds, and Greenwood, 1934) it was noted that injections of the same preparation at varying times did not always cause a similar response in the feathers. That such irregular feather responses may be obtained limits the usefulness of the capon test, it was therefore necessary that more should be known of the reaction and an attempt made to determine some, at least, of the factors causing the variation in response. An analysis of our previously collected data on the action of oestrone confirmed the opinion of Lillie and Juhn (1932) that the reactivity of the feathers of test animals varied considerably, but there was no evidence to show whether variable responses to the same stimulus occurred in one and the same individual or, if this were so, whether the changes behaved in a definite manner correlated with a varying environmental factor, such as season for example.


Twin Research ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 3 (02) ◽  
pp. 99-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine A Thomis ◽  
Robert F Vlietinck ◽  
Hermine H Maes ◽  
Cameron J Blimkie ◽  
Marc van Leemputte ◽  
...  

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