Search results for "environmental"
showing 10 items of 25122 documents
Movement and physical activity in early childhood education and care policies of five nordic countries
2021
The purpose of this study was to examine the values of movement and physical activity (MoPA) using government policy documents (e.g., laws and curricula) on early childhood education and care (ECEC) from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. This descriptive, comparative study was designed based on curriculum theory and used word count and content analyses to identify similarities and differences in the occurrence of MoPA in the ECEC policies of Nordic countries. Seven terms were identified as MoPA-related in Nordic policy documents. These terms occurred in various content contexts: development, environment, expression, health and well-being, learning and play, albeit sparsely. MoP…
A new picking algorithm based on the variance piecewise constant models
2022
AbstractIn this paper, we propose a novel picking algorithm for the automatic P- and S-waves onset time determination. Our algorithm is based on the variance piecewise constant models of the earthquake waveforms. The effectiveness and robustness of our picking algorithm are tested both on synthetic seismograms and real data. We simulate seismic events with different magnitudes (between 2 and 5) recorded at different epicentral distances (between 10 and 250 km). For the application to real data, we analyse waveforms from the seismic sequence of L’Aquila (Italy), in 2009. The obtained results are compared with those obtained by the application of the classic STA/LTA picking algorithm. Althoug…
Inferring Phytoplankton, Terrestrial Plant and Bacteria Bulk δ¹³C Values from Compound Specific Analyses of Lipids and Fatty Acids.
2015
Stable isotope mixing models in aquatic ecology require δ13C values for food web end members such as phytoplankton and bacteria, however it is rarely possible to measure these directly. Hence there is a critical need for improved methods for estimating the δ13C ratios of phytoplankton, bacteria and terrestrial detritus from within mixed seston. We determined the δ13C values of lipids, phospholipids and biomarker fatty acids and used these to calculate isotopic differences compared to the whole-cell δ13C values for eight phytoplankton classes, five bacterial taxa, and three types of terrestrial organic matter (two trees and one grass). The lipid content was higher amongst the phytoplankton (…
Environmental remediation using nanomaterial as adsorbents for emerging micropollutants
2023
Water shortage and scarcity are issues of global concern. Water pollution caused by organic micropollutants further aggravates the problem, by rendering an already scarce resource unfit for human consumption. The existing conventional wastewater treatment methods and infrastructure were not designed to eliminate micropollutants. Therefore, their inefficiencies call for modern methods for removing emerging micropollutant residues such as Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs), personal care products and pesticides. The use of nanomaterials, for the abatement of micropollutants in water is gaining traction in recent years, due to the abundance of susta…
Effectiveness of a kindergarten-based intervention to increase vegetable intake and reduce food neophobia amongst 1-year-old children: a cluster rand…
2021
Background: Children’s first years of life are crucial to their future health. Studies show that a varied diet with a high intake of vegetables is positive in several domains of health. The present low vegetable intake amongst children is, therefore, a concern. Food neophobia is a common barrier to vegetable intake in children. As most Norwegian children attend kindergarten from an early age, kindergartens could contribute to the prevention of food neophobia and the promotion of vegetable intake. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a cluster randomised trial amongst 1-year-old children in kindergarten to reduce food neophobia and promote healthy eating. Methods: Kin…
Regional metacommunities in two coastal systems: spatial structure and drivers of plant assemblages
2014
Aim Biogeographical patterns in metacommunities are still poorly understood, and different processes are expected to occur in different habitats. We analysed the regional plant metacommunities of coastal habitats to test whether (1) the influence of space and climate differs between two habitats differentiated along the seashore–inland gradient, and (2) regional variation in species composition of these habitats can be ascribed to different metacommunity paradigms. Location The entire coast of the Iberian Peninsula, south-western Europe. Methods We collected data on the plant species composition of coastal sites on sand dunes across 3000 km of coastline. The sites were classified into two h…
Simulation with a Torque Dynamometer of Pollutants Emission from Vehicles Near Urban Cross-Road
2002
Nowadays, the influence of the vehicular traffic on the degradation of urban atmosphere is focused on by researchers belonging to different fields in view of its prime importance for public health. The control of exhaust gases emission is primary in order to keep air pollution below the specified limits of the laws in force. In previous works the “medium car” characterises a country in modelling a pollutant in urban areas. This is the central parameter of a forecasting model proposed by Pignato and LoMastro, of pollutant concentration near urban cross-road with traffic lights in continue queue and platoon flow. The proofs have been carried on two classes of displacement vehicles and four cl…
Numerical Simulations of the Flow Field of a Submerged Hydraulic Jump over Triangular Macroroughnesses
2021
The submerged hydraulic jump is a sudden change from the supercritical to subcritical flow, specified by strong turbulence, air entrainment and energy loss. Despite recent studies, hydraulic jump characteristics in smooth and rough beds, the turbulence, the mean velocity and the flow patterns in the cavity region of a submerged hydraulic jump in the rough beds, especially in the case of triangular macroroughnesses, are not completely understood. The objective of this paper was to numerically investigate via the FLOW-3D model the effects of triangular macroroughnesses on the characteristics of submerged jump, including the longitudinal profile of streamlines, flow patterns in the cavity regi…
Performance analysis of Latvian zenith camera
2018
Since finalizing of design in 2016, the digital zenith camera of the University of Latvia was involved in a number of test observations as well as field observations at about 70 different sites. The paper presents analysis of observation results, estimation of instrument’s performance and accuracy. Random and systematic error sources are outlined. Impact of anomalous refraction on vertical deflection determination is discussed. Results of adaptation of GAIA reference star catalog for astrometric data reduction are reported.
The role of school physical education on adolescents' fitness levels during the pandemic period from COVID-19: An observational study of the Italian …
2022
ObjectivesIn Italy, in 2013, a new school curriculum with a sport character was established in high schools, called Sports High School (SHS). The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the fitness levels of SHS students who, respecting all the safety rules to limit the spread of COVID-19, practiced physical education (PE) at school with continuity for almost all of 2021, and to compare them with Traditional High School (THS) students; (2) to evaluate as the SHS may have influenced the fitness levels in adolescents.MethodsThis is a case-control study in which thirty participants were enrolled (SHS: n = 15; THS: n = 15). To assess the fitness levels, the following tests were administered: the…