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Potentially harmful elements in the geoenvironment: a status review of sources, impacts and regulatory framework in Cameroon, Central Africa,
No full textObjectives: Unpolluted environments are vital for human health and well-being. Despite evidence highlighting risks associated with potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in the geoenvironment, systematic assessments in Cameroon remain limited. This review aims to evaluate PHE concentrations in water, soils, and food crops across Cameroon’s regions, identify sources, and assess related health risks.Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. Seventy-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. English-language peer-reviewed studies were selected, and methodological quality was assessed. Health risks were evaluated using the Health Risk Index (HRI), and soil contamination was assessed through the Geo-accumulation Index (Igeo).Key Findings: Anthropogenic and geological sources were identified as primary contributors to PHE contamination. Highest PHEs recorded across regions included Fe (446 mg/L, Littoral), Pb (5.68 mg/L, Centre), Al (1.79 mg/L, East), NO₃⁻ (271.83 mg/L, Far North), and F⁻ (334 mg/L, North), in water; Fe (14,635,600 mg/kg, Northeast), Pb (307.2 mg/kg, North), Al (9.84 mg/kg, Littoral), and Cu (15,717 mg/kg, Northwest) in soils; and As (0.51 mg/kg, Northwest), Pb (131 mg/kg, Northwest), Cu (17 mg/kg, West), and Zn (22.5 mg/kg, West) in food crops. The highest Igeo values were observed in soils of the East (0.68–4.33) and Littoral (1.4–13.3) regions. HRIs for vegetable consumption were 2.31, 2.23, and 1.3 for Co, Hg, and Pb, respectively.Conclusions: This review highlights significant health risks from PHE contamination in Cameroon. Implementing robust policies for protecting water, soils, and crops is critical for safeguarding public health.<br/
Systematic literature reviews in accounting, finance and governance
No full textSystematic literature reviews are now established as a research method in their own right. However, in comparison to other business fields, accounting, finance, and governance are somewhat lagging behind in making use of this method. This special issue of Accounting, Finance, and Governance Review (AFGR) offers a platform for presenting state-of-the-art, systematic reviews of selected topics within accounting, finance, and governance. This editorial introduces the seven articles included in the special issue and presents a discussion of the current state and the future of systematic reviews in accounting, finance, and governance
A comparative study of the outcomes of surgically versus non-surgically treated spinal disease in patients with multiple myeloma: Northern Ireland's experience
No full textBackgroundMultiple myeloma is a haematological malignancy which is characterised by the proliferation of cancerous plasma cells in the bone marrow. The role of spinal surgery in the management of myeloma is debatable. Therefore, this retrospective study aimed to compare the outcomes of treatment of patients with myeloma whose spinal disease was managed surgically and/or non-surgically.MethodsA total of 159 patients were reviewed retrospectively. To compare the outcomes of treatment in both cohorts, three outcome measures were selected, including back-pain reduction, neurological status, and survival duration. In addition, the extent and distribution of vertebral disease was assessed using MRI Whole Spine reports.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the percentage of patients in each cohort reporting back-pain pretreatment and at the two follow-up periods (p > 0.05). Regarding neurological status, 23% of the surgical cohort improved, 53% remained stable and 7% deteriorated. In comparison, the non-surgical cohort displayed no significant changes in neurological status post-treatment. The mean duration of survival was significantly longer in the cohort who received surgery (77 vs. 24 months, p = 0.014). However, the mean age of diagnosis was significantly lower in this cohort (59 vs. 71 years, p < 0.001). T12 was the most commonly diseased vertebral level across both cohorts. At the time of diagnosis, the average number of diseased vertebrae per patient was 3.5 in the surgical cohort and 3.6 in the non-surgical cohort.ConclusionThis comparative study has shown that back pain alone should not be an indication for spinal surgery. However, surgical intervention may successfully prevent neurological deterioration. Although surgical intervention is associated with prolonged survival, this may be confounded by demographic variables, such as age. Importantly, most patients displayed multi-level disease at the time of diagnosis.Trial Registration: The authors have confirmed clinical trial registration is not needed for this submission.<br/
Laser wavelength selection in Raman spectroscopy
No full textResearch in Raman spectroscopy continues to abound in a diverse range of application spaces and concurrently, components of Raman systems have become increasingly sophisticated. Laser wavelength choice is a key question in any Raman spectroscopy experiment, and the wavelength required, or indeed wavelengths, depends on a number of factors. For instance, are trace compounds being interrogated and thus plasmonic enhancement required? Or, are the experiments targeted at a specific molecule, or class of analytes, which are resonant at a specific wavelength range? Safety, resolution, and ease of post-processing spectra, can also be crucial in the decision process. While laser vendors commonly offer guidance in terms of what to consider when picking lasers for Raman studies, advice tends to be succinct. In this article, we discuss these variables more comprehensively, alongside the needs within certain kinds of experiments, to assist the Raman spectroscopist in their laser choice.<br/
Monitoring antimicrobial resistance in care homes through wastewater surveillance: a scoping review
No full textAntimicrobial resistance poses a growing threat, especially in care homes where older residents are particularly vulnerable due to frequent antibiotic use and comorbidities. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a growing focus on wastewater surveillance for detecting and monitoring pathogens in healthcare settings. This study followed the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review framework to map the extent of available literature on wastewater-based epidemiological studies addressing antimicrobial resistance in care homes for older adults. Six electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar) were searched from date of inception until August 26th, 2024. The search strategy employed variations of the keywords: ‘antimicrobial resistance’, ‘wastewater-based epidemiology’, and ‘care homes for older adults’. Studies were screened based on eligibility criteria, with data extracted by one researcher. Another researcher reviewed the charted data and resolved any queries. The search identified 83 studies, from which 11 studies, conducted between 2015 and 2024, were included. The studies used grab or composite sampling, combined with culture-based methods for bacterial identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction and whole-genome sequencing. Enterobacterales, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp., were the most frequently detected, with high resistance rates, especially to some penicillins and cephalosporins. Despite the small sample sizes reported in this review, wastewater-based epidemiology shows promise in monitoring antibiotic-resistant bacteria in care home wastewaters, offering insights into trends and genetic diversity, with the potential to inform public health strategies and antibiotic stewardship programmes.<br/
Queen's University Belfast, Gold Open Access Report for 2024
No full textThe Library’s Open Research Team has published, on behalf of the University, a Gold Open Access report for 2024. During this period, a total of 917 articles were made immediately open access via the gold route. 735 articles (80%) were published via a Queen’s Read and Publish deal. The most used deals where: Elsevier – 238 articles, Wiley – 115 articles, Springer Nature – 92 articles
Dose–response effects of dietary inclusion of agro-industrial by-products on in vitro ruminal fermentation and methane production
No full textBACKGROUNDAs the agro-industry produces considerable amounts of by-products globally, it is acknowledged that there is a need to address the environmental issues related to their disposal and the resource competition between food for humans and feed for animals. The aim of this study was to explore, in vitro, the effects of various by-products from the agro-industry on rumen fermentation and methane emission. Samples were collected from various food processing industries, including red and green apple pomace (RAP, GAP), hempseed cake (HC), coffee hulls (CH), coffee grounds (CG), spent mushroom compost (SMC) and distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS). In doses of 100, 200 and 300 g kg−1, the tested by-products were incubated in rumen fluid, where the by-products replaced equal amounts of substrates.RESULTSGas production (GP) and dry matter digestibility (DMD) decreased linearly for most of the tested by-products with the growth of doses (P < 0.001), while NH3-N concentration increased linearly. Linear decreases were observed in CH4 production with increasing doses of all by-products (P < 0.05). The reduction of CH4 production ranged from 21.4% to 33.6% at doses of 100–300 g kg−1, but reductions were only observed at a dose of 100 g kg−1 when CH4 productions were corrected by digested dry matter (P < 0.05). RAP, GAP and HC were higher than CH, CG and SMC for the comparison of key parameters including DMD, GP and volatile fatty acids. Better methane-mitigating effects were observed for RAP, GAP and HC than for the control group and CH, CG and SMC.CONCLUSIONMost of the by-products tested were found to be a potential option for replacing conventional feed ingredients but should not exceed a dose at 200 g kg−1. <br/
Applying AI and big data to determine authenticity of spices
No full textAdding adulterants to spices is potentially a form of food fraud. This paper reports on research which investigates the viability of applying AI methods to the vast amounts of data that can be gathered using infra-red reflectance spectroscopy, a non-destructive technique, from samples of spices. The goal is to develop a robust practical tool that can be applied to classify samples as having adulterants or not. The AI models can be offered for inferencing on the Cloud or may be deployedon hand held spectrometers