Sawfish face global extinction unless overfishing is curbed

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Research News

Sawfish have disappeared from half of the world's coastal waters and the distinctive shark-like rays face complete extinction due to overfishing, according to a new study by Simon Fraser University researchers, published in Science Advances.

Sawfish, named after their unique long, narrow noses lined by teeth, called rostra, that resemble a sawblade, were once found along the coastlines of 90 countries but they are now among the world's most threatened family of marine fishes, presumed extinct from 46 of those nations. There are 18 countries where at least one species of sawfish is missing, and 28 more where two species have disappeared.

According to SFU researchers Helen Yan and Nick Dulvy, three of the five species of sawfish are critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, and the other two are endangered.

Their teeth on their rostra are easily caught in fishing nets. Sawfish fins are among the most valuable in the global shark fin trade and rostra are also sold for novelty, medicine and as spurs for cockfighting.

The current presence of all sawfishes world-wide is unknown, but Dulvy warns complete extinction is possible if nothing is done to curb overfishing and to protect threatened habitats, such as mangroves, where sawfish can thrive.

"Through the plight of sawfish, we are documenting the first cases of a wide-ranging marine fish being driven to local extinction by overfishing," Dulvy says. "We've known for a while that the dramatic expansion of fishing is the primary threat to ocean biodiversity, but robust population assessment is difficult for low priority fishes whose catches have been poorly monitored over time. With this study, we tackle a fundamental challenge for tracking biodiversity change: discerning severe population declines from local extinction."

The study recommends that international conservation efforts focus on eight countries (Cuba, Tanzania, Columbia, Madagascar, Panama, Brazil, Mexico and Sri Lanka) where conservation efforts and adequate fishing protections could save the species. It also found Australia and the United States, where adequate protections already exist and some sawfish are still present, should be considered as "lifeboat" nations.

"While the situation is dire, we hope to offset the bad news by highlighting our informed identification of these priority nations with hope for saving sawfish in their waters," says Yan. "We also underscore our finding that it's actually still possible to restore sawfish to more than 70 per cent of their historical range, if we act now."

Google Scholar renders documents not in English invisible

It affects scientific articles and conference papers, according to a recent study published in the journal Future Internet, by Cristòfol Rovira, Lluís Codina and Carles Lopezosa, researchers with the Department of Communication

UNIVERSITAT POMPEU FABRA - BARCELONA

Research News 

The visibility of scientific articles and conference papers is conditional upon being easily found in academic search engines, especially Google Scholar. To enhance this visibility, search engine optimization (SEO) has been applied in recent years to academic search engines in order to optimize documents and, thereby, ensure they are better ranked in search pages (i.e., academic search engine optimization or ASEO).

Recent research, published in Future Internet, has found out whether the language of the document is a factor involved in the sorting algorithm of search results on Google Scholar. The study authors are Cristòfol Rovira, Lluís Codina and Carlos Lopezosa, members of the Department of Communication at UPF.

"To implement this optimization we need to further our understanding of Google Scholar's relevance ranking algorithm, so that, based on this knowledge, we can highlight or improve those characteristics that academic documents already present and which are taken into account by the algorithm", says Rovira, first author of the study. To prevent fraudulent practices, Google Scholar does not explain this algorithm and, therefore, this kind of research becomes necessary.

For the study, the authors applied an inverse engineering research methodology based on statistical analysis using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Three different types of search were conducted yielding a sample of 45 searches each with 1,000 results (45,000 documents): by author, by year, and by keyword.

Quality articles with hundreds of citations are treated in a discriminatory manner

The results show that when a search is performed on Google Scholar with results in various languages, the vast majority (90%) of documents in languages other than English are systematically relegated to positions that render them totally invisible. These documents are almost always placed in positions above rank position 900, even though they are quality articles with hundreds of citations. Thus, it can be stated that Google Scholar discriminates against documents not written in English in searches with multilingual results.

A lack of awareness of this factor could be detrimental to researchers from all over the non-English-speaking world, making them believe that there is no literature in their national language when they conduct searches with multilingual results.

"This is particularly the case in the most frequent searches, that is, those conducted by year. Nevertheless, it can also occur in searches using certain keywords that are the same in languages around the world, including trademarks, chemical compounds, industrial products, acronyms, drugs, and diseases, with Covid-19 being the most recent example", the study authors reveal.

And they add "moreover, if we consider the results of this study from the perspective of ASEO, it is more than evident that until this bias is addressed, the chances of being ranked in a multilingual Google Scholar search increase remarkably if the researchers opt for publication in English".

Graph of the results of the study

The scatter plot above summarizes the research results. There are 45,000 dots, one per document. The grey dots represent documents written in English, other languages in red, and blue shows the median positions.

The graph shows how articles written in languages other than English appear above 900th position in the Google Scholar ranking. This is so even for quality documents that have hundreds of citations and are well placed in the ranking for number of citations.

The most striking cases are the red dots located in the bottom-right corner. They correspond to documents written in languages other than English that are ranked by number of citations below 100 and have a Google Scholar ranking over 900. This means that all of them receive over a thousand citations and appear in Google Scholar in the same positions as documents in English cited just a few dozen times.

###

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accu

Definitely not the flu: risk of death from COVID-19 3.5 times higher than from flu

CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL

Research News 

IMAGE: RISK OF DEATH FROM COVID-19 3.5 TIMES HIGHER THAN FLU view more 

CREDIT: CMAJ

A new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) found that the risk of death from COVID-19 was 3.5 times higher than from influenza.

"We can now say definitively that COVID-19 is much more severe than seasonal influenza," says Dr. Amol Verma, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, and the University of Toronto. "Patients admitted to hospital in Ontario with COVID-19 had a 3.5 times greater risk of death, 1.5 times greater use of the ICU, and 1.5 times longer hospital stays than patients admitted with influenza."

These findings are similar to study results recently reported in France and the United States.

The study compared hospitalizations for influenza between November 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, in 7 large hospitals in Toronto and Mississauga -- areas with large populations and high levels of COVID-19. It included all patients admitted to medical services or the intensive care unit (ICU) for influenza or COVID-19. There were 783 hospitalizations for influenza in 763 unique patients compared with 1027 hospitalizations for COVID-19 in 972 unique patients (representing 23.5% of all hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Ontario during the study period).

Most patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had few other illnesses, and 21% were younger than 50 years of age. People younger than 50 also accounted for almost 1 in 4 (24%) admissions to the ICU.

"Many people believe that COVID-19 mainly affects older people," says Dr. Verma. "It is true that COVID-19 affects older adults most severely. We found that among adults over 75 years who were hospitalized with COVID-19, nearly 40% died in hospital. But it can also cause very serious illness in younger adults. Adults under 50 accounted for 20% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations in the first wave of the pandemic. Nearly 1 in 3 adults younger than 50 hospitalized with COVID-19 required intensive care, and nearly 1 in 10 required an unplanned readmission to hospital after discharge."

People hospitalized for COVID-19 had greater use of the ICU, were more likely to be put on a ventilator and had longer hospital stays than people with influenza.

"These differences may be magnified by low levels of immunity to the novel coronavirus compared with seasonal influenza, which results from past infections and vaccination," says Dr. Verma. "Hopefully, the severity of COVID-19 will decrease over time as people are vaccinated against the virus and more effective treatments are identified. There is, unfortunately, also the possibility that variants of the virus could be even more severe."

###

"Characteristics and outcomes of hospital admissions for COVID-19 and influenza in the Toronto area" is published February 10, 202

 JUST LIKE THEY DO AT THE BORDER

COVID-infected mothers separated from their babies affects breastfeeding outcomes

MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC./GENETIC ENGINEERING NEWS

Research News

 

IMAGE: THE JOURNAL PUBLISHES ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC PAPERS, REVIEWS, AND CASE STUDIES ON A BROAD SPECTRUM OF TOPICS IN LACTATION MEDICINE. IT PRESENTS EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH ADVANCES AND EXPLORES THE IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM... view more 

CREDIT: MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC., PUBLISHERS

New Rochelle, NY, February 10, 2021--It may be safe for COVID-infected mothers to maintain contact with their babies. Keeping them apart can cause maternal distress and have a negative effect on exclusive breastfeeding later in infancy, according to The COVID Mothers Study published in the peer-reviewed journal Breastfeeding Medicine. Click here to read the article now.

In this worldwide study, infants who did not directly breastfeed, experience skin-to-skin care, or who did not room-in within arms' reach of their mothers were less likely to be exclusively breastfed in the first 3 months of life. Nearly 60% of mothers who experienced separation reported feeling very distressed, and 78% reported at least moderate distress. Nearly 1/3 of separated mothers (29%) were unable to breastfeed once reunited with their infants, despite trying.

"Our research contributes to the emerging evidence that skin-to-skin care, rooming-in within arms' reach, and direct breastfeeding may be safe for mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2," said Melissa Bartick, MD, Mount Auburn Hospital, and coauthors.

Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine, states: "This report strengthens the recommendation that breastfeeding should be continued to be encouraged and supported in this era of the COVID-19 pandemic and that direct breastfeeding is indicated for mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2."

###

About the Journal

Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published 10 times per year in print and online. The Journal publishes original scientific papers, reviews, and case studies on a broad spectrum of topics in lactation medicine. It presents evidence-based research advances and explores the immediate and long-term outcomes of breastfeeding, including the epidemiologic, physiologic, and psychological benefits of breastfeeding. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Breastfeeding Medicine website.

About the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) is a worldwide organization of medical doctors dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding. Our mission is to unite members of the various medical specialties with this common purpose. For more than 20 years, ABM has been bringing doctors together to provide evidence-based solutions to the challenges facing breastfeeding across the globe. A vast body of research has demonstrated significant nutritional, physiological, and psychological benefits for both mothers and children that last well beyond infancy. But while breastfeeding is the foundation of a lifetime of health and well-being, clinical practice lags behind scientific evidence. By building on our legacy of research into this field and sharing it with the broader medical community, we can overcome barriers, influence health policies, and change behaviors.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm's 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

Infant and toddler food product names may not accurately reflect ingredient amounts

PENN STATE

Research News

 

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The descriptions on the fronts of infant and toddler food packages may not accurately reflect the actual ingredient amounts, according to new research. The team found that vegetables in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "dark green" category were very likely to appear in the product name, but their average order in the ingredient list was close to fourth. In contrast, juice and juice concentrates that came earlier on the ingredient list were less likely to appear in product names.

"Early experiences with food can mold children's preferences and contribute to building healthful, or unhealthful, eating habits that last a lifetime," said author Alyssa Bakke, staff sensory scientist, Penn State. "Our previous work found combining vegetables with fruits reduced the amount of vegetable flavor adults perceived, as the fruit flavors were more pronounced. Other research has also indicated that parents predominantly use front-of-package information to make purchasing decisions. This means that when children are given commercial foods, they may be receiving less exposure to vegetable flavors than their parents assume based on the way the products are labeled and marketed."

The team created a database of over 500 commercial infant and toddler foods containing vegetables and documented inclusion of each vegetable and fruit in the product name; the form of the vegetable or fruit -- such as whole, puree, juice or juice concentrate -- and the position of the vegetable or fruit in the ingredient list. The researchers classified the vegetables based on the Department of Agriculture's categories--Dark Green, Red/Orange, Legumes, Starchy and Other. They classified the fruits into two categories: Common Fruits, comprising pears, apples and grapes, and Other Fruits, including mangos, pineapples and cherries.

The team conducted statistical analyses to examine associations between: (1) vegetable and fruit category and inclusion in front-of-package product name; (2) vegetable and fruit form and inclusion in front-of-package product name; and (3) vegetable and fruit form and inclusion in front-of-package product name, by vegetable and fruit category.

"There was never an instance in which a vegetable or a fruit listed in the product name did not appear in the ingredient list," said John Hayes, professor of food science, Penn State. "However, we still observed a disconnect between product names and ingredient lists. The front-of-pack labels did not always accurately represent the amount of various ingredients in the product, which are listed in descending order. This means parents may not be buying what they are hoping to buy if they only look at the name."

Specifically, the team found that dark green vegetables were more likely than expected to appear in product names; yet, their average order in the ingredient list was close to fourth. Interestingly, the team found that common fruits were less likely than expected to be included in the product names when found as juice/juice concentrates, but more likely than expected to be included in product names when no form was listed.

"Fruit juice and fruit juice concentrates were found in almost all of the food products we examined, but were often excluded from product names, presumably to avoid drawing attention to the use of juice concentrates as sweeteners," said Mackenzie Ferrante, graduate student, Colorado State University, and lead author on the paper.

Ferrante added that in the ingredient lists, fruits tended to be positioned close to the beginning of the ingredient list on the back or side of the package, indicating that the products were composed more of fruits than the vegetables suggested by front-of-package labeling.

"Companies producing infant and toddler foods sometimes use nutrition-related statements that can confuse the consumer and are intended to sway consumers to purchase their product," said Susan Johnson, professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. "Parents believe vegetables are important for their children's health and that presumably they are purchasing food they believe contain significant amounts of vegetables because of front-of-package labeling. The discrepancies between which foods are included in the product name, where these foods fall on the ingredient lists, and whether these products actually taste like vegetables are key concerns to communicate to parents."

###

The team's findings published on Feb. 8 in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

Other authors on the paper include Laura Bellows, associate professor of food science and human nutrition, Colorado State University, and Kameron Moding, assistant professor of human development and family studies, Purdue University.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of ne

Traffic reductions due to COVID-19 boost air quality in some states but not all

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA (USF INNOVATION)

Research News

Dramatic decreases in traffic caused by COVID-19 shutdowns improved air quality in car-dependent states but didn't offset additional forms of pollution in other parts of the country.

Those findings by a University of South Florida researcher suggest that while decreasing the number of vehicles on the road is a good first step toward creating cleaner air, additional measures aimed at reducing other sources of air pollution, such as coal plants or industrial factories, must also be considered.

The study, led by Yasin Elshorbany, an assistant professor of atmospheric chemistry and climate change at USF's St. Petersburg campus, was published in the journal, "Remote Sensing."

For the study, Elshorbany analyzed the impact of the pandemic-related lockdown on air quality by using remote sensors that measured different elements within the air, including nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and aerosol particles. The study focused on states with high traffic volume, such as New York, Illinois, Florida, Texas and California.

The clear skies and empty roads caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns created a valuable research opportunity. The study found that vehicle volumes across the U.S. dropped by 40-60 percent shortly after the pandemic was declared.

The results showed a significant improvement in air quality in regions where traffic is the main pollution source, such as in New York City and the state of Florida. However, it was not as effective in areas dominated by other sources of pollution, including industrial emissions or meteorological conditions. In fact, in areas such as Charleston, WV, and Chicago, air quality actually worsened during the pandemic due to an increase in other pollution sources.

"This shows that in certain states, in addition to traffic regulations we need to focus on other big pollution problems, such as industrial emissions in Illinois, wildfires in California or oil refineries in Texas," Elshorbany added.

Elshorbany was interested in how significant the changes in air quality would be during the lockdown because enhanced environmental regulations related to tailpipe pollution were already leading to cleaner air in the U.S.

"With the advancements in technology and the use of catalysts in cars over the past few decades, air quality has improved in the U.S.," he said. "This has resulted in traffic not serving as the main pollutant in most of the country."

The study was funded by a $25,000 grant from USF Research & Innovation, one of 14 studies supported by nearly $320,000 in seed grants for COVID-19 research partnerships.

In addition to the current study, Elshorbany is working with a multidisciplinary team from USF to examine key environmental impacts brought about by the lockdown. Their goal is to better understand the health and socioeconomic consequences of changes in air quality.

"This demonstrates USF's commitment to timely and important research," Elshorbany said. "It gives us the opportunity to publish information that is relevant to policymakers and useful to everyday people."

Mobile game that uses implicit learning improved children's short-term food choice

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

Rates of overweight and obesity in children are rising around the world, with serious long-term consequences for health and health care costs. In prior research, video and mobile games have helped children eat healthier and exercise more. A new study examined how Indian 10- and 11-year-olds' food choices were affected by playing a pediatric dietary mobile game that uses implicit learning--educating players without making them aware of the lessons through innovations in neurocognitive training and immersive technology. The study found that the game significantly improved children's food choices immediately after play.

The study was conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Hofstra University, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (CCP), FriendsLearn, The Mithra Trust, Mind in Motion, the Center for Communication and Change - India (CCC-I), and Seethapathy Clinic and Hospital. The randomized controlled trial was designed and conducted by researchers from CCC-I and CCP and the data modeling and analytics were led by CMU. The study appears in JMIR mHealth and uHealth.

"While many factors contribute to overweight and obesity, dietary decisions are a leading cause," explains Rema Padman, trustees professor of management science and healthcare informatics at CMU's Heinz College, who led the study. "Video games that are perceived by children as a fun activity rather than a learning tool present a great opportunity to change children's health behaviors by delivering relevant knowledge implicitly. We are studying such gamified interventions as 'digital vaccine' candidates that have the potential to influence lifestyle behavior changes and lead to better health outcomes." (Digital vaccines are a subcategory of digital therapeutics, which are evidence-based, prevention approaches that use digital technologies, such as gamified applications delivered via mobile devices, to encourage positive behavior.)

Most video games for children use explicit education strategies, such as providing answers, feedback, instructions, or suggestions to players. This study examined how an action video game called fooya!, which uses implicit learning to promote healthy eating and physical activity in children, affected actual food choices. In the game, an avatar fights robots that represent unhealthy foods, and the avatar's speed and body shape vary in response to the type of food it eats.

Evidence of the effects of games that use implicit education strategies on pediatric healthy eating is limited. Using data about the clicks made by players as they played fooya!, researchers analyzed the relationship between patterns of game play and behavioral outcomes related to dietary health.

The study involved 104 children ages 10 and 11 years from three schools in Chennai, India. The children were randomly assigned to a treatment group that played fooya! or a control group that played a board game that did not feature dietary education. Children played the games for 20 minutes each in two sessions. After playing, they were shown three pairs of healthy and unhealthy food items from three categories--drinks (water and a carbonated soft drink), savory snacks (cashews and potato chips), and sweet snacks (raisins and a chocolate bar)--and asked to choose two items to eat.

Children who played fooya! were more likely to choose healthy foods immediately after playing the game, the study found. Children's food choices were not influenced by how many levels of the game they played, as previous research on this topic has found, but by food facts children read while playing the game: Reading more facts about healthy foods was associated with healthier food choices, while reading more facts about unhealthy foods was associated with more unhealthy food choices, a finding the authors called counterintuitive. Nonetheless, children searched for more food facts about healthy food than about unhealthy food, which drove the overall positive effect of playing the game.

"This finding will also influence how we communicate to children about healthy food choices for behavior change," says Uttara Bharath Kumar, technical advisor for social and behavior change at CCP. "It is consistent with what we know from behavioral science that fear and negative communication do not work as well as positive messaging and promoting self-efficacy--the notion that 'you can do it!'"

"Nutrition and lifestyle are at the root of lifelong risk of noncommunicable and infectious diseases," explains Bhargav Sri Prakash, founder & CEO of FriendsLearn, the life science and health technology company that serves as the research translation and innovation partner of the Digital Vaccine Project at CMU. "These findings indicate the potential for societal impact by developing rigorous evidence-based science for 'digital vaccines' based on neurocognitive computing and analytics. As we build a platform of scalable, rich, game-like, engaging experiences, we aim to protect the health of children and families through science."

Among the limitations of the study, the authors note, are its small size, homogeneous groups of children, and short-term food choices, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Longitudinal studies on this subject can help determine longer-term effects, the authors suggest.

"By examining the complex interactions between game-playing patterns and health behaviors, our findings can inform the design and use of more effective mobile games for improving children's dietary health," notes Yi-Chin Kato-Lin, assistant professor of information systems and business analytics at Hofstra University, who collaborated on the study. "For example, video game designers may want to limit the display of unhealthy foods in their games."

###

The research was funded in part by the Remala Foundation. The study was undertaken by the Center for Communication & Change - India, an organization affiliated with the Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs at Johns Hopkins Universit

Flooding in the Columbia River basin expected to increase under climate change

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

IMAGE: A 2019 FLOOD ALONG THE WILLAMETTE RIVER. view more 

CREDIT: DAVID BAKER, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Columbia River basin will see an increase in flooding over the next 50 years as a result of climate change, new modeling from Oregon State University indicates.

The magnitude of flooding - the term used to describe flooding severity - is expected to increase throughout the basin, which includes the Columbia, Willamette and Snake rivers and hundreds of tributaries. In some areas, the flooding season will expand, as well.

"The flood you're used to seeing out your window once every 10 years will likely be larger than it has been in the past," said the study's lead author, Laura Queen, a research assistant at OSU's Oregon Climate Change Research Institute.

The findings are based on natural river conditions and do not take into account potential flood control measures, including dams, but the increases are significant nonetheless, said study co-author Philip Mote, a professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences and dean of the Graduate School at OSU.

"We don't know how much of this increased flood risk can be managed through mitigation measures until we study the issue further," Mote said. "But managing a 30% to 40% increase, as is predicted for many areas, is clearly beyond our management capabilities."

The findings were published recently in the journal Hydrology and Earth System Science. Co-authors are David Rupp of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and Oriana Chegwidden and Bart Nijssen of the University of Washington.

The study emerged out of Queen's work on her honors thesis as an undergraduate in the University of Oregon's Robert D. Clark Honors College. Queen, a Corvallis native, continued the work at OCCRI and is now enrolled in a doctoral program at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

The goal of Queen's research was to better understand how flooding in the Columbia River basin might change as the planet warms. The Columbia River drains much of the Pacific Northwest, including portions of seven states and British Columbia. It has the fourth-largest streamflow volume in the United States.

The Pacific Northwest has a history of costly and disruptive flooding. The largest flood in modern history occurred in late spring 1948 when flooding from the Columbia River destroyed the city of Vanport, Oregon, displacing more than 18,500 people. Floods on the Chehalis River in 2007 and 2009 closed Interstate 5 in Washington and floods along the Willamette River in 1996 and 2019 caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

Queen ran simulations using hydrology models and a previously collected set of streamflow data for 396 sites throughout the Columbia River basin and other watersheds in western Washington. The data included a 50-year window from the past, 1950-1999, as well as a 50-year window of expected streamflows in the future, 2050 to 2099, that was developed using several different climate models.

Previous studies predicting future streamflows showed mixed results, but the results of this new analysis were clear and surprising, Mote said.

"This was the best and most complete set of data," he said. "It shows that the magnitude of one-, 10- and 100-year floods is likely go up nearly everywhere in the region. These are profound shifts."

The Willamette River and its tributaries are expected to see the biggest increase in flooding magnitude, with 50% to 60% increases in 100-year floods. The streamflows are expected to be smaller downstream and grow larger upstream.

On the Snake River, streamflows will grow larger as they move downstream until they reach the confluence of the Salmon River tributary and then will drop abruptly. Parts of the Snake River will see a 40% increase in 10-year floods and a 60% increase in 100-year floods. But below the confluence with the Salmon River on the Oregon-Idaho border, the increase drops to 20% for 10-year floods and 30% for 100-year floods.

The model also suggests a significant increase in the flood season on the Snake River, which is largely concentrated in late spring now but could start as early as December or January in the future, Mote said.

One of the drivers of the change is warmer winters that will see precipitation fall more as rain instead of snow. Lower spring snowpack will lead to earlier spring streamflows in many rivers. The cold upper Columbia River basin in Canada is projected to experience little change in snowpack volume, but the snow will melt faster.

The study's findings could have implications for flood management policy in the coming decades, Mote said. A logical next step in the research is to run the models again and include existing dams to see the role they may play in mitigating flooding.

"This work provides information and impetus for the people who manage flood risk," he said. "We'll need to know how much of this can be mitigated by existing flood control."

###

Plant-based magnetic nanoparticles with antifungal properties

Scientists developed a plant-based technology for obtaining magnetic nanoparticles with antifungal properties

IMMANUEL KANT BALTIC FEDERAL UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

IMAGE: PICTURE OF NANOPARTICLES view more 

CREDIT: THAKUR ET AL. / NANO-STRUCTURES & NANO-OBJECTS, 2020

A team of researchers from Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University obtained magnetic nanoparticles using sweet flag (Acorus calamus). Both the roots and the leaves of this plant have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and insecticide properties. The extract of sweet flag was used as a non-toxic reagent for the manufacture of coated particles. The authors of the work also showed the efficiency of the new nanoparticles against several types of pathogenic fungi that damage cultivated plants. A technology developed by the team provides for the manufacture of nanoparticles from a cheap plant-based raw material and reduces the harmful effect of reagents on the environment.

Because of their unique properties, nanoparticles are used in many areas, from medicine to oil production. Their characteristics depend to a great extent on their size and shape, and the ratio between their surface area and volume plays a key role. The bigger it is, the stronger is a nanoparticle's local effect. Magnetic nanoparticles that can be controlled with an external magnetic field or emit heat under the influence of electromagnetic radiation have potential in biology and medicine. For example, particles with increased magnetic moment are used both in medical diagnostics and for the treatment of various conditions. Some studies also indicate that magnetic nanoparticles can have antifungal properties. For these applications, scientists suggest using barium ferrite nanoparticles in biocompatible coating.

"There are several methods of manufacturing coated nanoparticles with given characteristics, but all of them include toxic reagents. We have developed an environmentally friendly technology for the production of barium ferrite with the use of sweet flag extract. The surface of these particles has additional biological properties and the particles themselves possess all necessary magnetic and geometrical characteristics," said Prof. Larissa Panina, a Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics from BFU.

The team mixed an extract made from dried sweet flag roots with barium and iron salts and water. Then, the mixture was heated to evaporate the liquid and obtain powder. After that, the powder was sintered at temperatures up to 900°C, and nanoparticles were formed. To study their morphology, the team used scanning electron microscopy. This method is based on scanning the surface of a studied object with an electron beam and applies to fragments that are just several nanometers in size. The average size of the hexagon-shaped nanoparticles was from 20 to 50 nm. The team also studied the crystalline structure and elemental composition of the particles using X-ray structural analysis and energy dispersive spectroscopy and found out that the new particles had no admixtures.

The barium ferrite nanoparticles synthesized by the team were active against four species of fungi that cause various diseases of fruit and flowering plants. Even in small concentrations, the nanoparticles were able to slow down the growth of pathogens. In the course of the Fenton reaction, the ions of iron in barium ferrite reacted with peroxides and reactive oxygen forms (OH radicals) appeared. Being extremely active, they reacted with substances in harmful cell walls, damaged them, and thus slowed down the growth of pathogens. According to the authors of the study, this is a universal mechanism that might make the nanoparticles active against other species of fungi, too.

###

NO ONE ASKED US

Study finds U.S. first responders have mixed feelings about COVID-19 vaccine

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI MILLER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Research News

 

Firefighters and emergency medical services workers are at high risk of exposure to COVID-19 while on the job and pose an additional risk of transmitting the virus to others. Although vaccines are a promising public health tool for reducing COVID-19 transmission, little has been known about the perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine among first responders.

To provide insight, a University of Miami Miller School of Medicine-led study queried a national sample of U.S. firefighters and emergency medical services workers through an anonymous online survey. The study results, published online Feb. 1 in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, revealed that more than half of the first responders who replied were uncertain about or reported low acceptance of the vaccine.

"Through the national sample of firefighters and emergency medical services workers, we gained insight into the workforce's hesitancy about the COVID-19 vaccine," said study lead and senior author Alberto J. Caban-Martinez, D.O., Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of public health sciences in the Division of Environment & Public Health at the Miller School. "We can leverage this study's information to design workplace interventions that educate and encourage our first responders to receive the COVID-19 vaccine."

Demographics determine perceptions

Of the 3,169 respondents to the survey, 48.2% expressed high acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine, 24.2% were unsure, and 27.6% reported low acceptability. The results also revealed key demographic characteristics -- such as age, race, ethnicity, education, marital status, and job ranking -- for each group of respondents.

Additionally, across all ten geographic regions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the southeast (43.1%), the southwest (32.7%) and the west (34.1%) had the highest proportion of first responders who showed low COVID-19 vaccine acceptability.

"An important predictor we discovered from our study was that first responders who had not reported receipt of the influenza vaccine in the prior season had higher odds of being unsure about or not wanting to receive the COVID-19 vaccine," Dr. Caban-Martinez said.

In the study, the co-authors note the importance of tailoring public health campaigns for educating those sub-groups of firefighters and emergency medical service workers who identified as unsure or expressed low COVID-19 acceptability.

###