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Exposure to environmentally relevant levels of settleable atmospheric particulate matter (SePM) limits the aerobic performance of inactive healthy adult fish. We evaluated the gill morpho-functional impacts (gill structure and ionic balance) caused by SePM exposure (96 h) in Nile tilapia when fish is impelled to maximal aerobic swimming effort. In control fish, swimming reduced epithelial filament thickness (EFT, 25 %), increased the distance between lamellae (DL, 21 %), and reduced the plasma Na+ (5 %). In resting fish, SePM exposure increased EFT (11 %), reduced DL (30 %), lamellar height (LH, 18 %), and plasma Na+ (4 %), whereas increased Cl- and K+ (8 % and 20 %). In SePM-exposure fish, swimming reduced EFT (40 %), increased DL (30 %) and LH (30 %), while reduced Na+ and Cl- (9 % and 18 %), and increased K+ when compared to inactive SePM-exposed fish. These morpho-functional limitations may compromise whole-body maintenance and swimming recovery, affecting the fish ability to perform at higher activity levels. [Display omitted] • SePM in aquatic environments poses a potential silent threat to natural fish. • SePM affected gill structure at rest and limited gill remodeling after swimming. • The ion imbalance indicate impairment in gill function. • SePM compromises fish physiological capacity to face aerobic challenges. • Functional tests, such as swimming trials, reveal silent impacts of contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charcoal was the primary fuel used for iron smelting and processing until the end of the 19th century. It was produced through burning piles of wood called charcoal kilns. The aim of the study was to identify and record traces of charcoal kilns related to past ironworks in the valley of the River Czarna (Małopolska Upland, Central Poland). Detailed analysis was conducted in areas adjacent to historical centres of iron processing in Maleniec, Kołoniec and Machory. A quantitative analysis of the traces of charcoal kilns in the topography was done based on DEM from airborne LiDAR. Soil profiles were analysed at the sites where traces of charcoal kilns were identified from DEM. Radiocarbon dating and palaeobotanical analyses were performed for selected charcoal from kiln remnants. In the study area we identified over 11,500 charcoal kilns. The radiocarbon age of these charcoals indicate that the charcoal kilns under study were used in the 15th, 18th and 19th century. Thus the results suggest that the iron industry in the studied area is c 100 years older than the historical written sources indicate. Palaeobotanical analyses show that coniferous trees were used for charcoal production. The large number of traces of charcoal kilns and their wide spatial distribution indicate that past charcoal production has had a significant impact on the environment and landscape change in the River Czarna valley and adjacent areas.

Iron is an essential trace mineral necessary for life, and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is one of the most common haematological problems worldwide, affecting a sixth of the global population. Principally linked to poverty, malnutrition and infection in developing countries, inWestern countries the pathophysiology of IDA is primarily linked to blood loss, malabsorption and chronic disease. Oral iron replacement therapy is a simple, inexpensive treatment, but is limited by gastrointestinal side effects that are not inconsequential to some patients and are of minimal efficacy in others. Third generation intravenous (IV) iron therapies allow rapid and complete replacement dosing without the toxicity issues inherent with older iron preparations. Their characteristic, strongly-bound iron-carbohydrate complexes exist as colloidal suspensions of iron oxide nanoparticles with a polynuclear Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide/oxide core surrounded by a carbohydrate ligand. The physicochemical differences between the IV irons include mineral composition, crystalline structure, conformation, size and molecular weight, but the most important difference is the carbohydrate ligand, which influences complex stability, iron release and immunogenicity, and which is a unique feature of each drug. Recent studies have highlighted different adverse event profiles associated with third-generation IV irons that reflect their different structures. The increasing clinical evidence base has allayed safety concerns linked to older IV irons and widened their clinical use. This review considers the properties of the different IV irons, and how differences might impact current and future clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric particulate matter (APM) produced by the steel industry comprises a complex mixture of particles that includes a wide variety of metals and metallic nanoparticles. These particles settle out onto areas surrounding the industries. There is evidence that this 'settleable' APM (SePM) may cause air-to-water cross-contamination with significant effects on aquatic biota. Recent investigations have reported sublethal impacts on the gill structure and blood oxygen-carrying capacity of fishes, which raises the hypothesis that there will be consequences for gas exchange capacity and ability to support aerobic activities. Therefore, we investigated the effects of an environmentally relevant level of SePM contamination on swimming performance and associated aerobic metabolic rates in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Short-term exposure (96 h) to SePM reduced critical swimming speed, energetic efficiency of aerobic swimming, standard metabolic rate, maximum metabolic rate, and aerobic scope. The compromised swimming performance could have adverse ecological effects by limiting foraging ability, predator evasion, territorial protection, and migration. The impairments to aerobic capacity could also affect overall fish performance by influencing long-term energy balance and allocation to growth and reproduction. Thus, despite being sublethal, SePM contamination is considerably debilitating, and if its limiting effects are not compensated for in the longer term, this may reduce the survival and fitness of fish populations. [Display omitted] • Settleable atmospheric particulate matter (SePM) is emitted during iron ore processing. • SePM has been identified as a significant source of air-water cross-contamination. • SePM limits the typically required capacities of fish, such as swimming. • SePM reduced standard metabolic rate and limited the capacity for metabolic increase. • Aerobic and swimming limitations may reduce the fitness of the natural fish population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This geomorphological and environmental history case study aims at reconstructing the environmental conditions and the different ways of land use in the surroundings of Berzence in the Drava valley. The area’s geomorphological evolution is examined with regards to the natural processes and the human impact that formed the landscape. The results indicate a tendency in the surface waters and underground waters for drying, mainly due to water regulation and canalization works. Findings from archaeological field walks, certified documents, and old maps are integrated in the reconstruction. Special attention is given to medieval fishing areas, iron processing sites and settlement structures.

Iron is an essential trace mineral necessary for life, and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is one of the most common haematological problems worldwide, affecting a sixth of the global population. Principally linked to poverty, malnutrition and infection in developing countries, in Western countries the pathophysiology of IDA is primarily linked to blood loss, malabsorption and chronic disease. Oral iron replacement therapy is a simple, inexpensive treatment, but is limited by gastrointestinal side effects that are not inconsequential to some patients and are of minimal efficacy in others. Third generation intravenous (IV) iron therapies allow rapid and complete replacement dosing without the toxicity issues inherent with older iron preparations. Their characteristic, strongly-bound iron-carbohydrate complexes exist as colloidal suspensions of iron oxide nanoparticles with a polynuclear Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide/oxide core surrounded by a carbohydrate ligand. The physicochemical differences between the IV irons include mineral composition, crystalline structure, conformation, size and molecular weight, but the most important difference is the carbohydrate ligand, which influences complex stability, iron release and immunogenicity, and which is a unique feature of each drug. Recent studies have highlighted different adverse event profiles associated with third-generation IV irons that reflect their different structures. The increasing clinical evidence base has allayed safety concerns linked to older IV irons and widened their clinical use. This review considers the properties of the different IV irons, and how differences might impact current and future clinical practice.

The family Channichthyidae or "icefishes" (suborder Notothenioidei) represents the only vertebrates lacking hemoglobin (Hb) as adults. Several icefish species also do not express cardiac myoglobin (Mb). We address how levels of proteins involved in iron (Fe) processing (transport, sequestration, and export) vary among white- and red-blooded notothenioids, and whether absence of Hb and/or Mb in channichthyids is accompanied by expansion of contents of Fe-binding proteins to protect against unchaperoned Fe. Levels of transferrin (Tf), ferritin (Ft), ceruloplasmin (Cp), and non-heme Fe were quantified in plasma, serum, and/or nonhematopoietic tissues (cardiac ventricle, skeletal muscle, and liver) from species of white-blooded (Chaenocephalus aceratus, Champsocephalus gunnari, Chionodraco rastrospinosus, Pseudochaenichthys georgianus) (the first two species not expressing Mb) and red-blooded (Notothenia coriiceps, Gobionotothen gibberifrons) notothenioids. We also measured levels of ascorbate (Asc), a mediator of Fe uptake. While plasma concentrations of Tf and tissue levels of Asc are similar among species, concentrations of plasma Asc are lower in white-blooded species. Concentrations of Ft and non-heme Fe and activities of Cp are also generally reduced in icefishes compared with red-blooded notothenioids. The presence of cardiac Mb in some icefish species does not appear to influence levels of proteins involved in Fe processing. To address further the question of Fe sequestration within a physiological context, we account for well-characterized differences in blood volume and heart mass among white- and red-blooded notothenioids. We report that total contents of plasma Tf are greater, while ventricle non-heme Fe is at least at parity in white- vs. red-blooded species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the appropriateness of using terminology that describes phenomena in modern, industrial economies such as business enterprises and entrepreneurship in the context of early modern, pre-industrial economic history. After outlining the historical semantics of these terms, the author proposes an analysis of the history of companies and entrepreneurs in early modern Germany based on a theoretical framework informed by the New Institutional Economics and the transaction cost theory of the firm. He illustrates the processes of protoindustrialization with examples from the production processes and labor relations in the textile and iron industries in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Abstract: To conduct an in-depth research on the outstanding performance× of architecture decorative material in the areas of technology and art at certain historical times, this article mainly studied the modern architecture decoration in Harbin. We did a survey on the decoration of 231 modern buildings in Harbin, and comprehensively studied the construction and artistic performance of materials used to decorate the modern buildings, such as woods, bricks, stone, plaster and iron, from the perspective of traditional art and technological philosophy, from which we found the important role of materials playing in the process of sculpturing the beauty of architecture decoration. The material factor of architecture decoration is a substantial foundation for the existence of architecture beauty, and reflects the traditional concept of different schools and culture in the areas of architecture materials and constructive technology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Metallographical studies of a steel chisel excavated from the early Iron Age megalithic site at Mahurjhari, Vidarbha, Maharashtra were carried out. The analysis shows clear evidence of technological advance in the form of hardening and quenching followed by tempering treatment in addition to the knowledge of steeling as early as 900 BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]