Search results for "Environmental factors"

Environmental factors influencing the spatio-temporal distribution of Carybdea marsupialis (Lineo, 1978, Cubozoa) in South-Western Mediterranean coas…

2017

21 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, supporting information 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s001, 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s002, 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s003, 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s004, 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s005, 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s006

Increasing temperature alters the within-host competition of viral strains and influences virus genetic variability

2021

Environmental conditions can affect viral accumulation, virulence and adaptation, which have implications in the disease outcomes and efficiency of control measures. Concurrently, mixed viral infections are relevant in plants, being their epidemiology shaped by within-host virus–virus interactions. However, the extent in which the combined effect of variations in abiotic components of the plant ecological niche and the prevalence of mixed infections affect the evolutionary dynamics of viral populations is not well understood. Here, we explore the interplay between ecological and evolutionary factors during viral infections and show that isolates of two strains of Pepino mosaic potexvirus co…

Influence of environmental factors and biogenic habitats on intertidal meiofauna

2017

This study investigated the influence of physical and chemical conditions and biotic factors on the distribution and diversity of meiofauna in intertidal zone along a geographical gradient. At 11 sites along the Italian coast, we studied the concurring role of environmental variables, trophic resources and the presence of habitat-forming species (macroalgae vs. mussels) in controlling the meiofaunal communities. The increase of water temperature combined with local thermal conditions was associated with a decrease in nematodes and copepods, with a consequent decrease in meiofaunal abundance towards the south. However, the increase in salinity, as geographical gradient decreases, and local t…

Exposing Empirical Links between COVID-19 Situation Report and Available Data: The Case of Nigeria

2020

Ever since the index case of COVID-19 was announced in Nigeria, the number of confirmed cases has gradually increased to 46,140 (about 4.5% of total confirmed cases in Africa) as the time of writing this article. This seemingly low number of confirmed cases has provoked heated debates among researchers. This cross-sectional study explores the Nigerian COVID-19 report to expose some links between the number of confirmed cases, testing, and some environmental conditions. The findings reveal that there is no state in Nigeria which has up to 12 confirmed cases per 10,000 population. That means, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is less than 0.15% of the population of people across each sta…

Variation in human water turnover associated with environmental and lifestyle factors

2022

Water is essential for survival, but one in three individuals worldwide (2.2 billion people) lacks access to safe drinking water. Water intake requirements largely reflect water turnover (WT), the water used by the body each day. We investigated the determinants of human WT in 5604 people from the ages of 8 days to 96 years from 23 countries using isotope-tracking ( 2 H) methods. Age, body size, and composition were significantly associated with WT, as were physical activity, athletic status, pregnancy, socioeconomic status, and environmental characteristics (latitude, altitude, air temperature, and humidity). People who lived in countries with a low human development index (HDI) had highe…

Papillary thyroid cancer incidence in the volcanic area of Sicily.

2009

Abstract BACKGROUND: The steadily increasing incidence of thyroid cancer has been attributed mostly to more sensitive thyroid nodule screening. However, various environmental factors, such as those associated with volcanic areas, cannot be excluded as risk factors. We evaluated thyroid cancer incidence in Sicily, which has a homogenous population and a province (Catania) that includes the Mt Etna volcanic area. METHODS: In a register-based epidemiological survey, we collected all incident thyroid cancers in Sicily from January 1, 2002, through December 31, 2004. The age-standardized incidence rate for the world population (ASR(w)) was calculated and expressed as the number of thyroid cancer…

Esperienze sfavorevoli infantili ed Intimate Partner Violence in età adulta

Deviations in pedestrian itineraries in urban areas: a method to assess the role of environmental factors

2010

Walking has long been neglected in urban-mobility research, but it is now making its way into numerous studies using various approaches. Empirical data are often processed in well-known models of flow allocation to study the behaviour of pedestrians and to identify their preferences. However, these models assume that route choices are predetermined at the start of each trip and do not admit any possible intervening decision along these trips. We propose to overcome this limitation through a new method for the analysis of pedestrian behaviour. This method, which we call ‘deviation analysis’ consists of (1) identifying the intersections from which a pedestrian has chosen a route longer than …

Quantitative comparison of initial soil erosion processes and runoff generation in Spanish and German vineyards.

2016

The aim of this study was to enable a quantitative comparison of initial soil erosion processes in European vineyards using the same methodology and equipment. The study was conducted in four viticultural areas with different characteristics (Valencia and Málaga in Spain, Ruwer-Mosel valley and Saar-Mosel valley in Germany). Old and young vineyards, with conventional and ecological planting and management systems were compared. The same portable rainfall simulator with identical rainfall intensity (40 mm h− 1) and sampling intervals (30 min of test duration, collecting the samples at 5-min-intervals) was used over a circular test plot with 0.28 m2. The results of 83 simulations have been an…

Neighborhood environment, social participation, and physical activity in older adults with lower limb osteoarthritis: A mediation analysis

2021

Older adults with lower limb osteoarthritis (LLOA) are highly dependent on their physical and social environment for being physically active. Longitudinal data from 2286 older adults (M age = 73.8 years; 50.3% female) in six European countries were analyzed using cross-lagged Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and multi-group SEM. In cross-sectional analyses, neighborhood resources were associated with physical activity (r = 0.26;p <.001) and social participation (r = 0.13;p =.003). Physical activity at follow-up was associated with neighborhood resources, with this relationship mediated by social participation in people with LLOA (β = 0.018;p =.013). To promote future physical activity,…