Search results for " POLICY"
showing 10 items of 4303 documents
Productivity and canopy modification of Medicago arborea as affected by defoliation management and genotype in a Mediterranean environment
2004
Medicago arborea is one of the most potentially valuable fodder shrubs in a Mediterranean environment because of its high preference by small ruminants and its nutritive value. Edible biomass production is affected by agronomic and environmental factors. A study, carried out in an inland area of Sicily in the growing seasons of 1994/95, 1995/96 and 1996/97, evaluated the forage production and canopy modification in a M. arborea plantation after (i) commencing defoliation 1 or 2 years after transplanting and (ii) defoliating only in autumn (A), only in early summer (S) or in both seasons (A and S). Six clones derived from five different Mediterranean populations were used. Plant age at the f…
Effects of spatial scale and vegetation cover on predation of artificial ground nests
1995
Scale-dependent effects of landscape heterogeneity on predation of artificial ground nests were studied. Two spatial scales were selected: landscape grain size and single stand size. The landscape types did not differ from each other in their total predation intensity. Depredation was highest in larger stands in all the landscape types studied and the highest predation rate was detected in the largest stands within the most fragmented landscapes. This is possibly due to concentration of rodent-eating predators from surrounding open areas into large stands in the study year when their main prey, voles, crashed. In crash years, alternative predation on e.g. forest bird nests may play an impor…
Experimental assessment of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of a shale caprock during CO2 injection
2021
Abstract The presented experimental study focuses on the hydro-mechanical characterisation of a shale caprock (Opalinus Clay) in contact with carbon dioxide. The objective of this paper, consists in the evaluation of the material's sealing capacity in terms of entry-pressure, mechanical behaviour and sensitivity of the transport properties to chemo-mechanical effects induced by gaseous and liquid CO2 injection. Two types of Opalinus Clay core samples are tested; shaly and carbonate-rich. The sealing capacity has been evaluated on the shaly OPA according to the stepwise and the residual methods and compared to the results from mercury intrusion porosimetry. The obtained results and the diffe…
Carbon sequestration potential and soil characteristics of various land use systems in arid region
2019
Abstract Soils contain one of the largest carbon (C) pools in the biosphere with the greatest potential of C sequestration to mitigate climate change impacts. The present study aimed at comparing C sequestration potential of various land use systems including forestlands, croplands, agroforests, and orchards in the arid region of Pakistan. Soil samples from the layers of 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, and 60–80 cm depths were collected and analysed for soil physico-chemical properties namely texture, pH, EC, NPK-soil, organic matter (SOM), and soil organic C (SOC). Additionally, the above and below ground plant biomass and C contents were estimated. Results revealed that the highest C sequestration po…
Measuring the CO2 shadow price for wastewater treatment: A directional distance function approach
2015
Abstract The estimation of the value of carbon emissions has become a major research and policy topic since the establishment of the Kyoto Protocol. The shadow price of CO2 provides information about the marginal abatement cost of this pollutant. It is an essential element in guiding environmental policy issues, since the CO2 shadow price can be used when fixing carbon tax rates, in environmental cost-benefit analysis and in ascertaining an initial market price for a trading system. The water industry could play an important role in the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper estimates the shadow price of CO2 for a sample of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), using a param…
Meta-analysis of the correlation between serum uric acid level and carotid intima-media thickness
2021
Objective Recently, increasing epidemiological evidence has shown that there is a correlation between serum uric acid level (SUA) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). This paper explored the relationship between them through meta-analysis. Methods PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched to obtain literature. The keywords used to retrieve the literature were carotid intima thickness, intima-media thickness, carotid atherosclerosis, carotid stenosis, carotid artery, uric acid, blood uric acid, and hyperuricaemia. The retrieval time was from the establishment of the database through July 2020. Stata15.0 and RevMan5.3 software were used for stati…
Analyzing central-line associated bloodstream infection prevention bundles in 22 countries: The results of ID-IRI survey
2022
International audience; BACKGROUND: Because central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are a significant complication of central venous access, it is critical to prevent CLABSIs through the use of central line bundles. The purpose of this study was to take a snapshot of central venous access bundles in various countries. METHODS: The participants in intensive care units (ICUs) completed a questionnaire that included information about the health center, infection control procedures, and central line maintenance. The countries were divided into 2 groups: those with a low or low-middle income and those with an upper-middle or high income. RESULTS: Forty-three participants from 22…
A quality improvement study on the reduction of central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections by use of self-disinfecting venous access c…
2020
Background Contamination of the catheter hub is an important source of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI); catheter hub caps incorporating a 70% isopropyl alcohol aim are designed to reduce contamination and hence CLABSI rates. Supporting data in high-risk hematological and oncological patients on the clinical effectiveness of this approach are sparse. Methods We conducted a before-after single center study accompanying the introduction of such caps at our department. Retrospective data from the year prior to the introduction were compared to 1 year of prospective data. Results The control and antiseptic barrier cap (ABC) groups consisted of 309 and 289 patients present…
Gluten Free Diet for the Management of Non Celiac Diseases: The Two Sides of the Coin
2020
A lifelong adherence to a gluten-free (GF) diet is currently the only treatment for Celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune disorder that arises after gluten ingestion in individuals who are genetically predisposed. The gluten intake exerts toxic effects through several pathways involving gut barrier integrity, intestinal microbiota composition and immune system stimulation. However, despite the great benefit of GF diet for CD patients, its use has been debated. Indeed, individuals who adopt this diet regime may be at risk of nutrient deficiencies. Emerging evidence supports a beneficial effect of a GF diet also for other pathological conditions, including gluten-related disorders (GRD) often as…
Development of a performance threshold approach for identifying the management options for stabilisation/solidification of lead polluted soils
2014
Two soils spiked with lead at different rates were stabilised/solidified using Portland cement and fy ash at different soil:binder ratios, and tested for their setting time, unconfined compressive strength, leachability and durability. A performance threshold approach was used in order to identify optimal management options for the products of the S/S treatment. Results show that soil texture, percentage of binders and lead concentration play an important part in the treatment, significantly influencing the performance of the resulting products in terms of curing, compressive strength and durability. Pb soil concentrations higher than 15000 mg kg-1 were found to heavily reduce the applicab…