At three uranium (U) legacy sites in Kyrgyzstan, namely, Kadji Sai, Mailuu-Suu and Sumsar, an initial human bio-monitoring programme was introduced as a complementary activity to environmental impact studies in these areas. The aim was to assess trace element (TE) contents in blood and genetic susceptibility for Pb as one of the contaminants. The programme included the determination of 9 TE in blo

Few data are available on the exposure of children to glyphosate (Gly) in Europe. Within HBM4EU, new HBM exposure data were collected from aligned studies at five sampling sites distributed over Europe (studies: SLO CRP (SI); ORGANIKO (CY); GerES V-sub (DE); 3XG (BE); ESTEBAN (FR)). Median Gly concentrations in urine were below or around the detection limit (0.1 µg/L). The 95th percentiles ranged

There are extensive data on the toxicity of glyphosate (GLY) based herbicides (GBH), however the interpretation of some data (e.g. carcinogenic effect) are subject to controversy. For the appropriate health risk assessment more data on exposure levels in the general population, especially in susceptible groups such as pregnant women, the elderly and children are needed. The aims of the present stu

Globalisation is characterised not only by long-distance exchange by commodities and people, but also by a microbial unification of the world (une unification microbienne du monde), as was described by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie in the 1970s. Proof of microbial unification can be seen through the dramatic consequences of the Black Death in the 14th century CE as well as the Covid-19 pandemic, which i

Does socially desirable responding produce exaggerated correlations between self-ratings of personality and positive psychology constructs? We operationalized social desirability as the evaluative factor, i.e. the tendency to react to evaluative content in questionnaire items and related one standard measure and one evaluatively neutralized measure of the Big Five to measures of five key positive

Extensive studies have shown that humans process faces holistically, considering not only individual features but also the relationships among them. Knowing where humans and dogs fixate first and the longest when they view faces is highly informative, because the locations can be used to evaluate whether they use a holistic face processing strategy or not. However, the conclusions reported by prev

Controlling the streaming flow in acoustically actuated microchannels enables the targeted motion of suspended micro-objects. This can offer novel approaches for rare cell studies or cell sorting in medicine or basic biology. In this work, we utilize the temperature dependence of the acoustic body force, which originates from the interaction of an acoustic field with gradients in compressibility o

Attachment avoidance is associated with deactivation of the attachment system when distressed, and disengagement from distressing information to maintain felt security. This study investigated how experimentally induced priming to enhance felt security might influence avoidant strategies at an attentional level. In a randomized, mixed design (N=104), we assessed attentional vigilance/disengagement

Preferential pathways are crucial channels for water and solute infiltration. To better investigate the features of flow pathways in forest soils, multi-tracer (Brilliant Blue and NaBr) experiments were conducted in pure forests dominated by Quercus variabilis BI., and Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco., respectively. Additionally, the total infiltration depth of 40 mm was selected. In the soil l

A common and huge challenge in risk and disaster management such as urban flood is the lack of effective communication, especially instant communication from the general public when sudden flooding occurs. There is a strong need to facilitate complementary risk management for authorities to communication with public in addition to mainstream channels. In a recent international project, possibility

The concept of a socially sustainable society is linked to the notion of equal access to high-quality welfare services and an equitable distribution of common resources. The rationale behind the introduction of private actors to provide welfare services is that greater choice will result in higher quality of service for individuals, achieved through a co-creation process. The purpose of this study

High-acoustic-energy-density acoustofluidic devices are necessary to make this technology a viable option for clinical applications in the biomedical field. We present a mechanical interface that enables delivery of a high-amplitude acoustic field inside a fluid cavity by translating the vibrations from two large piezoelectric elements into a microfluidic chip. The study comprises both experimenta