**5.2. Epilogue**

56 Hyperthermia

**Figure 47.** The classical hyperthermia introduces a new constrained effect which induces even more

**Figure 48.** Oncothermia acts differently. It helps the natural feedback loops for natural corrections

the level, which the actual conditions allow. The blocks are effective:

malignancy.

Oncothermia blocks the physiological positive feedbacks, reestablishes the homeostasis to

 The growth of cancer itself has a positive feedback loop. The rate of proliferation depends on the actual mass of the tumor, so the tumor mass gradually grows. Selective blocking of malignant autonomy could eliminate the positive feedback loop of

physiological feedback, forcing the body for the "double front" fight

Hyperthermia is an ancient treatment. It was the very first one in oncology, but it could not find its established place among the "gold standards" of the oncotherapies. The controversial results were originated from the paradigm to constrain the temperature growth in the process. The constrained forces made physiological contra-reactions keep the homeostasis, which unfortunately contains the malignant tissue as well. The actions have to be selective, and have to be gentle enough to work together with the natural processes, and not against them.

Oncothermia selects the malignant cells and acts differently from the physiological homeostatic reactions (heat-flow on the membrane supported by the electric field effects). It is natural, it is not against the homeostasis and physiology does not work against the action. The main task is to direct the physiology in the standard way, and act on such normal line. The positive feedback loops (the avalanche effects), which may destroy the normal homeostatic equilibrium have to be stopped.

Oncothermia follows the update demands of the modern oncology:

The introduced new paradigm by oncothermia solved the classical challenges:

 Challenge (1): "The biology is with us while the physics is against us" (Overgard J., [405]).

Local Hyperthermia in Oncology – To Choose or not to Choose? 59

[11] Medieval literature – 1. Medieval Turkish Surgical manuscript from Charaf ed-Din, 1465 (Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale), 2. Armamentarium chirurgicum of Johann Schultes, Amsterdam 1672 (Paris, Bibliotheque de Faculte Medicine), cited by: Seegenschmiedt MH, Vernon CC:A Historical Perspective on Hyperthermia in Oncology, In: Seegenschmiedt MH, Fessenden P, Vernon CC (eds): Thermoradiotherapy

[12] Busch W (1866) Uber den Einfluss welche heftigere Erysipeln zuweilig auf organisierte

[13] Coley WB (1893) The treatment of malignant tumors by repeated inoculations of

[14] Westermark F (1898) Uber die Behandlung des ulcerierenden Cervixcarcinoms mittels

[15] Westermark N (1927) The effect of heat on rat tumors. Skand. Arch. Physiol. 52:257-322 [16] Overgaard K (1934) Uber Warmeterapie bosartiger Tumoren. Acta Radiol. [Ther.]

[17] Muller C (1912) Therapeutische Erfahrungen an 100 mit kombination von Rontgenstrahlen un Hochfrequenz, resp. Diathermie behandeleten bosartigen

[18] Adam J (1923) Carcinoma of right tonsil and soft palate treated by diathermy. Journ. of

[19] Barney (1969) Efficiency of the high frequenz current on tumors of the bladder. Boston

[21] Bruni (1921) La cura dei tumori benigni della vesicae con la diathermia. Rif med. Vol.

[22] Corbus Budd (1921) Presentation of a case of prickle celled carcinoma of the penis

[26] Grenouville et Lacaille (1921)Behandlung der Blasentumoren mittels Diathermie. Journ.

[28] Johnson (1922) Diathermy in the treatment of malignant growths. Americ. Journ. of

[29] Müller Chr (1913) Die Krebskrankheit und ihre Behandlung mit Röntgenstrahlen und

[30] Müller Chr (1913) Die Röntgenbehandlung der malignen Tumoren und ihre

[31] Novak (1922) The treatment of malignant tumors of the pharynx and larynx by

hochfrequenter Elektrizität Resp. Diathermie. Strahlentherapie. Bd. 2., H. 1.

[24] Czerny (1910) Methoden der Krebsbehandlung. Münch. med. Wochenschr. Nr. 17. [25] Davies Colley (1922) Periostal sarcoma of the temporal bone treated by diathermy. Proc.

[20] Bordier (1924) Puissance de la diathermie dans le cancer. Paris Medical, No. 10.

treated by diathermy and radium. Urol. and. cut. rev. p. 204. [23] Czerny (1911) Therapie des Krebses. Münch. med. Wochenschr. Nr. 58.

[27] Gould u. Pearce (1913) The Treatment of inoperable cancers. The Lancet

and thermochemotherapy Vol 1, Springer/Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1995

Neubildungenausuben. Vrh. Naturhist. Preuss Rhein Westphal 23:28-30

erysipelas with a report of ten original cases. Am J Med Sci 105:487-511

Neubildungen, Munchener Medizinische Wochenschrift 28:1546-1549

konstanter Warme, Zentralbl. Gynaekol. 22:1335-1337

(Stockholm) 15:89-99

laryngol. a. otol. No. 4

37.

D'urol. p. 316.

med. a. surg. journ. No. 1.

of the Royal. Soc. of Med. Vol. 15.

Electrotherapeut A. Radiol. Nr. 11.

Kombinationen. Strahlentherapie. Bd. 3.

diathermy Illinois Med. Journ. Vol. 41.

The task for the future is challenging, and we are expecting professionals to repeat our results and come with us to fight in the war against cancer [407].


**3.2. Methodologies for re-evaluation of seismic safety**

The methodologies for the seismic re-evaluation and re-qualification are as follows:

86 Nuclear Power – Practical Aspects

earthquake hit the plant,

due to seismic interactions (falling down, flooding, fire).

The quantification of the margins has three aspects:

*3.1.4. Recent beyond design base studies*

analysis can also be effective in this case.

bringing the reactor into stable (hot or cold) shutdown condition. Those non-safety classified SSCs have to be also considered damage/failure of which can disable certain safety functions

According to the IAEA design requirements NS-R-1 (IAEA, 2000), *the seismic design of the plant shall provide for a sufficient safety margin to protect against seismic events.* This means that the abrupt lost of function has to be excluded by the design even if the earthquake demand exceed the design base one (see also NS-R-1.6 paragraph 2.39 regarding 'cliff-edge' effect).

According to the novel requirements, the capability of the new plants to withstand the loads and conditions of the design basis extension has to be ensured by the design provisions. In case of new plants, a minimum configuration of SSCs for ensuring the shutdown and subcriticality of the reactor, heat removal to the ultimate heat sink and the containment have to remain functional for the accident management purposes. A margin type evaluation has to be performed for demonstration the beyond design base capabilities of the new plants (1.4 times the SSE loads as per EUR requirements and 1.67 times of the SSE loads in the U.S. practice). Best

The plant safety re-assessment after a strong earthquake requires an overall checking the post-event condition of all SSCs, even those non-safety classified SSCs, since both the safety and operability have to be demonstrated. The possible analysis and testing/inspection methods should be selected and applied in accordance with safety relevance and impact on the operation (Nomoto, 2000). According to (Kassawara, 2008), the probabilistic margin

Recently, the availability of severe accident management provisions become of great importance. The scope of stress tests covers review of compliance with design base requirements, demonstration of beyond design base capacity (avoidance of the cliff-edge effect) and identification of plant vulnerability/damage state and development of severe accident management measures and guidelines. Generally, some margin type analyses have been performed in the participating countries for the possible minimum configurations needed for shutdown and heat removal of the reactor and spent fuel and protection of the containment. Identification of seismic interactions (fires, flooding, logistical obstacles) became important since these can affect the function of the SSCs within the minimum configuration, inhibit the connections of provisory power and cooling lines, impeding the implementation of Severe Accident Management/mitigation measures as it is to see in the country reports at the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group site (ENSREG, 2012).

estimate methods can be used for the justification beyond design base capabilities.


*Air Quality in Mexico City after Mayor Public Policy Intervention DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.111558*

#### **Figure 5.**

*Daily PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations and hourly O3 concentrations in urban, rural, and semi-urban areas of Mexico City.*

**Table 2.**

*Results of Chow test (p < 0.05).*

GMC, the Chow test is performed. This test allows us to detect a structural change at a given time. In this case, the mobility restrictions started on March 23rd, 2020, or day of the year (DOY) 83. Therefore, the test is performed for this day. The results of the Chow test for DOY 83 are shown in **Table 2**. The PM2.5 diurnal cycle is also influenced by working hours since many PM2.5 anthropogenic sources are related to transportation and industrial activities. Finally, the ozone diurnal cycle is also influenced by the diurnal cycle of solar radiation.

At the 95% confidence level, a significant change in PM2.5 concentrations was found in the semi-urban areas. Ozone concentrations also changed significantly in the three areas on that day.

#### **3.5 National standard exceedances**

The final part of the assessment of the effect of lockdown on air quality is done by looking at the number of exceedances of the National Standard (NOM) for air quality (NOM-025-SSA1-2014 until 2022 and NOM-025-SSA1-2021 after 2022). The NOM-025-SSA1-2014 stipulates that daily PM2.5 concentrations should not exceed 45 μg/m3 and PM10 concentrations should not exceed 75 μg/m3 . In addition, the hourly average of O3 should not be greater than 0.090 parts per million (ppm) in order to be considered "good" air quality.

The number of exceedances of the NOM for PM and ozone concentrations during the wet and dry seasons from 2012 to 2022 at urban, rural, and semi-urban stations in Mexico City is shown in **Figure 6**.

In the 2020 dry season (when the mobility restrictions were enacted), the recommended PM10 concentration levels were exceeded five times in urban areas and once in rural areas. Fewer NOM exceedances were reported that year than in previous years. The recommended levels of PM2.5 concentration were exceeded only once in semi-urban areas during the dry season. In terms of PM2.5 concentrations during the dry season, air quality improved in urban and rural areas due to major policy

#### **Figure 6.**

*(a) Number of exceedances of NOM for PM10, (b) number of exceedances of NOM's limits for PM2.5, and (c) number of exceedances of NOM for O3. In all cases, the wet and dry seasons are shown for urban, rural, and semi-urban areas in GMC.*

intervention. In contrast, the recommended levels of ozone were exceeded more often than in previous years, especially in semi-urban areas.


*4.7. Fluorescence Suppression—Quenching*

The measurements were performed on a Varian spectrofluorometer (Cary Eclipse model, Agilent Technologies Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA) by applying a wavelength of 278 nm for excitation of the collagenase, excitation and emission slits were 5 nm wide, and acquisition of emission spectra occurred in the range of 300–450 nm, with the sample compartment with a thermostat at 25, 30, and 37 ◦C. A 10 × 10 mm optical path quartz (Hellma, Mülheim, Germany) cuvette was used. To obtain spectra, 2 mL of collagenase (Sigma-Aldrich) in concentration 0.065 mg mL−1 (water solution) were titrated with hesperidin solution in DMSO (0.10 mg mL−1 concentration). Additions of aliquots of HSD were as follow: 0.5 μL up to 4 μL, 1.0 μL up to 50 μL, and 5 μL up to a volume of 110 μL, reaching the final concentrations of 5.68 mg mL−1 of HSD in solution.


**1. Introduction**

Land is considered a valuable natural resource around the world and a key factor in production that provides essential agro-ecological services such as food, fodder, energy, and fiber for human life. However, over-exploitation of land for ecosystem services and income generation has resulted in extensive land degradation, persistent degradation of biological productivity and ecological integrity, and loss of human value [1, 2].  In some parts of the world, soil fertility, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and productivity have decreased significantly [4]. Recent studies have indicated that more than half of all fertile soils in the world are now classified as highly degraded, with 25–40 billion tons lost annually [5].

In Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), land degradation is estimated to affect about 67% of the total area of land (16.1 m km2 ) with varying degrees of severity [6]. The main direct drivers contributing to land degradation in SSA include unsustainable agricultural practices, over-grazing of livestock, over exploitation of forests and woodlands [7]. In addition, a number of waterways in SSA have been subject to significant pressure, particularly in the semi-arid and sub-humid zones where rivers are overexploited and eutrophication is prevalent [8]. Shiferaw et al. [9] attributed poor land and water management in SSH to the increasing population growth coupled with poor or inadequate incentive structures for local resource managers, climate change and rampart poverty.

In Kenya, recent studies show that 12–15% of the country's total land area, supporting 27% of its population, is suffering from severe to very severe degradation, with hotspots concentrated in the western and southern regions [10, 11]. Western Kenya is one of the most densely populated and impoverished regions in Kenya, with a population density rising to over 1046 people per KM2 in Vihiga County which is above the national Kenyan average of 66 persons per Km2 [12]. The region is characterized by low agricultural productivity coupled, with limited off-farm income options and with more than 58% of households living in absolute poverty [13].

In the past, Western Kenya's traditional land management was based on fallowing unproductive fields in order to restore soil fertility [14]. However, due to the high density of the rural population and land fragmentation, this practice is no longer sustainable. As a result, more people are looking for new land to farm, and they are moving into steep slopes and to other fragile agro ecosystems such as wetlands and adjacent forests all contributing to the increased rates of soil erosion, landslides, soil nutrient loss, soil acidity and physical degradation with the consequences of low productivity in the region [15].

The rate of landscape degradation is increasing at a rapid rate, with soils lost on average 0.5 t ha−1 year−1 in 2017 compared to 0.3 t ha−1 yr.−1 in 1995 [16]. Physical mechanisms of soil degradation prevalent in the region include erosion by water; compaction; hard setting; surface sealing; crusting; and degradation of soil structure [14]. The leading chemical processes include soil nutrient loss; soil organic matter loss; soil acidification; and dominant biotic processes such as pest infestations; changes in vegetation cover and composition (loss of habitat); changes in pollinator population and composition; and changes in soil biota [17, 18].

Nutrient mining is widespread on many smallholder farms in western Kenya, due to continuous cultivation, insufficient nutrient supplementation in relation to plant requirements, and high levels of land erosion, leaching, and removal of crop residue from the fields [19]. Fertile land that used to yield 2–4 t ha−1 cereal grains has become degraded, with cereal crop yields falling to less than one t ha−1 [20]. Although Western Kenya has good climatic conditions and high agricultural potential, the yields of the staple food crops; maize and beans have remained low, with an average of 1 ton of grain per hectare (1 t ha−1) for maize and 2–5 t h−1 for beans with optimal land management

*Protection and Rehabilitation of Degraded Soils in Western Kenya: Experiences from Two… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.113977*

[1, 21]. Approximately 20 kg of NPK, 4 kg and 20.3 kg of S are extracted from the soil every season, without replacement, for every ton of corn grain produced [22].

Given the above scenario, further land degradation through poor land management should be avoided and, where degradation is already taking place, concerted action should be taken to stop and reverse it. This would help to accelerate the process towards a land degradation neutral future and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (AFSD). The work reported in this chapter was largely based on "conservation and rehabilitation of degraded soils in western Kenya – ProSoil".