The farm and art market plaza in Wichita, Kansas : an evaluation of a social environment and a proposal for a more sociable design

Department:Architecture

Crowdfunding our health: economic risks and benefits

Crowdfunding is an expanding form of alternative financing that is gaining traction in the health sector. This article presents a typology for crowdfunded health projects and a review of the main economic benefits and risks of crowdfunding in the health market. We use evidence from a literature review, complimented by expert interviews, to extend the fundamental principles and established theories of crowdfunding to a health market context. Crowdfunded health projects can be classified into four types according to the venture's purpose and funding method. These are projects covering health expenses, fundraising health initiatives, supporting health research, or financing commercial health innovation. Crowdfunding could economically benefit the health sector by expanding market participation, drawing money and awareness to neglected health issues, improving access to funding, and fostering project accountability and social engagement. However, the economic risks of health-related crowdfunding include inefficient priority setting, heightened financial risk, inconsistent regulatory policies, intellectual property rights concerns, and fraud. Theorized crowdfunding behaviours such as signalling and herding can be observed in the market for health-related crowdfunding. Broader threats of market failure stemming from adverse selection and moral hazard also apply. Many of the discussed economic benefits and risks of crowdfunding health campaigns are shared more broadly with those of crowdfunding projects in other sectors. Where crowdfunding health care appears to diverge from theory is the negative externality inefficient priority setting may have towards achieving broader public health goals. Therefore, the market for crowdfunding health care must be economically stable, as well as designed to optimally and equitably improve public health

A critical review on integrating multiple fish biomarkers as indicator of heavy metals contamination in aquatic ecosystem

An immense amount of data is available on biomarkers related to different eco-toxicants. But data on contaminant-specific biomarkers in fishes is sparse. Traditionally, detection and quantification of heavy metals in sediment, water, and biota gave us valuable information on the quantity and the type of heavy metal present in the ecosystem. This information can be utilized to select a heavy metal specific biomarker. For an instance, if Cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn) and Cupper (Cu) are at high concentration, then Metallothionein (MT) can be a good candidate biomarker. Along with this, Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a very potent indicator of Iron (Fe) and Mercury (Hg) contamination and also Catalase (CAT) is specific for Cadmium (Cd) and Zinc (Zn) exposure. For these kinds of selection of biomarker, the researchers should know heavy metals type specific biomarker. This review is the small effort towards cumulating the heavy metals type specific biomarker. This demonstrates the exposure and effects of heavy metals in fishes by integrating the heavy metal quantification and biomarker selection.</jats:p

Metallothionein - A potential biomarker to assess the metal contamination in marine fishes

In this review, the fish Metallothionein (MT) is broadly discussed in relation to their utilization as a biomarker to assess the heavy metal contamination in marine ecosystem. Heavy metals are the main marine pollutants whose bioaccumulation in fishes results in deleterious effects on physiology, biochemistry and behavior. To assess the health status of fishes, an early determination of metal levels along with a biomarker like MT will help us to understand the bioavailability and toxicity of the metals. MTs constitute a family of low-molecular-weight, cysteine-rich proteins functioning in the regulation of essential metals and detoxification of both essential and nonessential metals.  Since 1980, MT has been the useful tool for toxicity assessment of metals before sub lethal and lethal damage to organisms because of quick induction of MTs as metals enter the tissue. Various studies conducted on the induction, regulation and estimation of the MT by the metals showed that many variables such as sexual maturity, age, tissue type, metal type, route of exposure, changes in the environmental conditions of the living habitat of the organisms under study and presence of exogenous and endogenous substances do create fluctuations in the level of MT. Keeping in view of the above factors, this review attempts to understand the effectiveness of this biomarker in assessing the health status of the fishes.</jats:p

Springer.pdf

The glycolytic enzyme enolase of Staphylococcus aureus is a highly conserved enzyme which binds to human plasminogen thereby aiding the infection process. The cloning, over expression and purification of S. aureus enolase as well as the effect of various metals upon the catalytic activity and structural stability of the enzyme have been reported. The recombinant enzyme (rSaeno) has been purified to homogeneity in abundant amounts (60 mg/L of culture) and the kinetic parameters (Km = 0.23 ± 0.013 × 10−3 M; Vmax = 90.98 ± 0.00052 U/mg) and the optimum pH were calculated. This communication further reports that increasing concentrations of Na+ ions inhibit the enzyme while increasing concentrations of K+ ions were stimulatory. In case of divalent cations, it was found that Mg2+ stimulates the activity of rSaeno while the rest of the divalent cations (Zn2+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and Ca2+) lead to a dose-dependent loss in the activity with a total loss of activity in the presence of Hg2+ and Cr2+. The circular dichroism data indicate that other than Hg2+, Ni2+ and to a certain extent Cu2+, none of the other ions destabilized rSaeno. The inhibitory roles of fluorides, as well as neurotoxic compounds upon the catalytic activity of rSaeno, have also been studied. Conformational changes in rSaeno (induced by ions) were studied using partial trypsin digestion

Metallothionein - A potential biomarker to assess the metal contamination in marine fishes - A review

<div>Abstract: In this review, the fish Metallothionein (MT) is broadly discussed in relation to their utilization as a biomarker to assess the heavy metal contamination in marine ecosystem. Heavy metals are the main marine pollutants whose bioaccumulation in fishes results in deleterious effects on physiology, biochemistry and behavior. To assess the health status of fishes, an early determination of metal levels along with a biomarker like MT will help us to understand the bioavailability and toxicity of the metals. MTs constitute a family of low-molecular-weight, cysteine-rich proteins functioning in the regulation of essential metals and detoxification of both essential and nonessential metals. Since 1980, MT has been the useful tool for toxicity assessment of metals before sub lethal and lethal damage to organisms because of quick induction of MTs as metals enter the tissue. Various studies conducted on the induction, regulation and estimation of the MT by the metals showed that many variables such as sexual maturity, age, tissue type, metal type, route of exposure, changes in the environmental conditions of the living habitat of the organisms under study and presence of exogenous and endogenous substances do create fluctuations in the level of MT. Keeping in view of the above factors, this review attempts to understand the effectiveness of this biomarker in assessing the health status of the fishes.</div><div>Keywords: Biomarker, Heavy Metal, Marine Environment, Metallothionein, Marine Pollution</div