WORKSHOP ON STATUS OF TEST METHODS FOR ASSESSING POTENTIAL OF CHEMICALS TO INDUCE RESPIRATORY ALLERGIC REACTIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Because of the association between allergy and asthma and the increasing incidence of morbidity and mortality due to asthma, there is growing concern over the potential of industrial chemicals to produce allergic reactions in the respiratory tract. Two classes of chemicals have b...

Issues in Rural Palliative Care: Views from the Countryside

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Carole A.; Pesut, Barbara; Bottorff, Joan L.

2010-01-01

Context: Growing concern exists among health professionals over the dilemma of providing necessary health care for Canada's aging population. Hospice palliative services are an essential need in both urban and rural settings. Rural communities, in particular, are vulnerable to receiving inadequate services due to their geographic isolation.…

Improving Science Achievement through Changes in Education Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Tara M.

2009-01-01

Concerns over science education in the United States continue to grow due to the increasing global demands and competitiveness for careers in science and technology. This author contends that educators in the United States must look for ways to increase science proficiency and overall science literacy. Research about how students learn science…

Facilitators and Barriers to the Provision of Therapeutic Interventions by School Psychologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Cathy; Squires, Garry; Bragg, Joanna; Muscutt, Janet; Wasilewski, David

2014-01-01

There is growing concern internationally about the prevalence of mental health problems among school-aged children and their access to specialist services. School psychologists (SPs) may be one group of professionals well-positioned to support the well-being of children and young people, due to their position as applied psychologists working…

Mitigating ammonia and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions from poultry houses using vegetative environmental buffers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The expansion of the poultry industry due to the growing demand of livestock products is putting considerable stress on the atmospheric environment and is also a public health concern. While many regulators and researchers identify land-applied poultry manure as a source of air pollutants, less is k...

Cyberbullying in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minor, Maria A.; Smith, Gina S.; Brashen, Henry

2013-01-01

Bullying has extended beyond the schoolyard into online forums in the form of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a growing concern due to the effect on its victims. Current studies focus on grades K-12; however, cyberbullying has entered the world of higher education. The focus of this study was to identify the existence of cyberbullying in higher…

Effect of maternal exposure to ozone on reproductive outcome and immune, inflammatory, and allergic responses in the offspring

EPA Science Inventory

There is growing concern that exposure to air pollutants during pregnancy affects health outcomes in the offspring due to alterations in the development of immune and other homeostatic processes. To assess the risks of maternal inhalation exposure to ozone (O3), timed pregnant BA...

The Mental and Physical Health of Homeless Youth: A Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edidin, Jennifer P.; Ganim, Zoe; Hunter, Scott J.; Karnik, Niranjan S.

2012-01-01

Youth homelessness is a growing concern in the United States. Despite difficulties studying this population due to inconsistent definitions of what it means to be a youth and homeless, the current body of research indicates that abuse, family breakdown, and disruptive family relationships are common contributing factors to youth homelessness.…

Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Concentrations of Perfluorinated Compounds in Bald Eagle Nestlings in the Upper Midwestern United States

EPA Science Inventory

Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) are of concern due to their widespread use, persistence in the environment, tendency to accumulate in animal tissues, and growing evidence of toxicity. Between 2006 and 2011 we collected blood plasma from 261 bald eagle nestlings in six study areas...

English Language Learners and Reading Instruction: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, Elizabeth; Witmer, Sara E.; Schmitt, Heather

2017-01-01

The growing English language learner (ELL) population in the United States warrants an examination of reading intervention effectiveness with this population. The reading achievement of ELLs is of particular concern due to the importance of reading skills and the innate language barriers that exist for ELLs. This article reviews existing…

AUTOMATED IDENTIFICATION AND SORTING OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS IN AN E-WASTE RECYCLING STREAM - PHASE I

EPA Science Inventory

Genetic and environmental effects in the TeQing-into-Lemont (TIL) population under flooded and alternating wet-dry conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Over the last decade there has been growing concern regarding sustainability of US rice production due to multi-year droughts and depletion of ground water resources. There is a need for research to develop rice varieties that are optimized for production using less irrigation water. One rice produc...

Predictors of Cyberbullying Intervention among Elementary School Staff: The Moderating Effect of Staff Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williford, Anne; Depaolis, Kathryn J.

2016-01-01

Cyberbullying behavior among youth has become a growing concern among parents, educators, and policymakers due to emerging evidence documenting its harmful consequences on youths' development. As such, schools are increasingly required to address to this form of bullying. Thus, effective responses by school staff are needed. However, no study to…

Educational Concerns of Implementing Biosand Water Filters in Rural Uganda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spowart, Matthew

2012-01-01

The world is facing a shortage of clean drinking water. Current predictions, due to growing population, urbanization, and climate change estimate access to clean water to be further challenged in the coming years. Research has indicated that point of use (POU) technologies are likely to be the most efficient at delivering clean water (water…

Will Graduating Year Accountancy Students Cheat in Examination? A Malaysian Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu Bakar, Nur Barizah; Ismail, Suhaiza; Mamat, Suaniza

2010-01-01

Due to a series of high profile accounting scandals and corporate collapses such as Enron, World.Com and Andersen, ethical conduct has been widely recognized as a crucial element in accounting profession and education. The growing concern over the ethics of professionals has also called for more academic research into this critical area. Our study…

Federal procurement of unlicensed medicines in Brazil; findings and implications.

PubMed

Teodoro, Cristiane Roberta Dos Santos; Caetano, Rosângela; Godman, Brian; Dos Reis, André Luís Almeida; Maia, Aurélio de Araújo; Ramos, Mariana de Carvalho Barbosa; Osorio-de-Castro, Claudia Garcia Serpa

2017-12-01

There are safety concerns with using unlicensed medicines across countries including Brazil. Consequently this needs to be evaluated and concerns address if pertinent. Investigate such purchases by the Brazilian Federal Government from 2004 to 2013. Procurement data from a public-access databank that contains procurement information of the Brazilian Federal Government. Each procured item was cross-referenced to its active drug approval status in the Brazilian National Register (DOU). Exploratory analysis and trend measures were performed for the variables for mapping and characterizing the purchases of non-market approved drugs. 614 (0.14%) purchases in ten years corresponding to 64 unlicensed medicines - some of which had orphan drug status - and 48 different active substances; with a growing trend in recent years. Medicines in 51% of purchases were procured before obtaining marketing approval - with eventual refusals occurring in 17.8% and cancellation due to lack of efficacy and/or safety concerns in 1.1%. Health litigation accounted for 81.9% of purchases and growing in recent years. Overall a low rate of unlicensed medicine use. However there are concerns given the current regulations in Brazil and the recent increase in the use of unlicensed medicines with increased litigation.

Soil CO2 Efflux Trends Following the Thinning of a 22-Year-Old Loblolly Pine Plantation on the Piedmont of Virginia

Treesearch

M.F. Selig; J.R. Seiler

2004-01-01

Due to the growing concern over increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, it has become increasingly important to understand the influence forest practices have on the global carbon cycle. The thinning of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations in the Southeastern United States is a common silvicultural practice and has great...

A Multination Study of Socioeconomic Inequality in Expectations for Progression to Higher Education: The Role of Between-School Tracking and Ability Stratification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Philip D.; Jerrim, John; Schoon, Ingrid; Marsh, Herbert W.

2016-01-01

Persistent inequalities in educational expectations across societies are a growing concern. Recent research has explored the extent to which inequalities in education are due to primary effects (i.e., achievement differentials) versus secondary effects (i.e., choice behaviors net of achievement). We explore educational expectations in order to…

Response of seasonal pond plant communities to upland forest harvest in northern Minnesota forests, USA

Treesearch

Brian J. Palik; Doug. Kastendick

2010-01-01

Small seasonally flooded forest ponds have received increased attention due to a growing recognition of their abundance in many landscapes, their importance as habitat for a variety of organisms, and the contributions they make to species and ecosystem diversity. There also is concern over potential negative effects of forest management in adjacent uplands on seasonal...

Treating opioid dependence. Growing implications for primary care.

PubMed

Krantz, Mori J; Mehler, Philip S

2004-02-09

Almost 3 million Americans have abused heroin. The most effective treatment for this concerning epidemic is opioid replacement therapy. Although, from a historical perspective, acceptance of this therapy has been slow, growing evidence supports its efficacy. There are 3 approved medications for opioid maintenance therapy: methadone hydrochloride, levomethadyl acetate, and buprenorphine hydrochloride. Each has unique characteristics that determine its suitability for an individual patient. Cardiac arrhythmias have been reported with methadone and levomethadyl, but not with buprenorphine. Due to concerns about cardiac risk, levomethadyl use has declined and the product may ultimately be discontinued. These recent safety concerns, specifics about opioid detoxification and maintenance, and new federal initiatives were studied. Opioid detoxification has a role in both preventing acute withdrawal and maintaining long-term abstinence. Although only a minority of eligible patients are engaged in treatment, opioid maintenance therapy appears to offer the greatest public health benefits. There is growing interest in expanding treatment into primary care, allowing opioid addiction to be managed like other chronic illnesses. This model has gained wide acceptance in Europe and is now being implemented in the United States. The recent Drug Addiction Treatment Act enables qualified physicians to treat opioid-dependent patients with buprenorphine in an office-based setting. Mainstreaming opioid addiction treatment has many advantages; its success will depend on resolution of ethical and delivery system issues as well as improved and expanded training of physicians in addiction medicine.

Measuring Pre-Service Teachers' Asia Literacy and Their Preparedness to Teach Asia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grainger, Peter; Christie, Michael

2016-01-01

Asia literacy is a growing concern of the Federal Government in relation to the development of an Asia literate workforce. Despite 30 years of funded initiatives, the thought of teaching about Asia is a daunting one for pre-service teachers. This is due to the lack of Asia foci in university pre-service courses and complicated by the definition of…

Nonfatal and Fatal Self-Harm Injuries among Children Aged 10-14 Years--United States and Oregon, 2001-2003

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vajani, Madhavi; Annest, Joseph L.; Crosby, Alex E.; Alexander, Janice D.; Millet, Lisa M.

2007-01-01

Fatal and nonfatal injuries due to suicidal behavior among younger adolescents are of growing concern for many communities. We examined the incidence and patterns of these injuries among persons aged 10-14 years using three databases, two national and a third from Oregon. Suffocation and firearm gunshot were the leading external causes of suicide;…

Vibration stimuli and the differentiation of musculoskeletal progenitor cells: Review of results in vitro and in vivo

PubMed Central

Edwards, Jennifer Helen; Reilly, Gwendolen Clair

2015-01-01

Due to the increasing burden on healthcare budgets of musculoskeletal system disease and injury, there is a growing need for safe, effective and simple therapies. Conditions such as osteoporosis severely impact on quality of life and result in hundreds of hours of hospital time and resources. There is growing interest in the use of low magnitude, high frequency vibration (LMHFV) to improve bone structure and muscle performance in a variety of different patient groups. The technique has shown promise in a number of different diseases, but is poorly understood in terms of the mechanism of action. Scientific papers concerning both the in vivo and in vitro use of LMHFV are growing fast, but they cover a wide range of study types, outcomes measured and regimens tested. This paper aims to provide an overview of some effects of LMHFV found during in vivo studies. Furthermore we will review research concerning the effects of vibration on the cellular responses, in particular for cells within the musculoskeletal system. This includes both osteogenesis and adipogenesis, as well as the interaction between MSCs and other cell types within bone tissue. PMID:25914764

Rising Health Expenditure Due to Non-Communicable Diseases in India: An Outlook.

PubMed

Barik, Debasis; Arokiasamy, Perianayagam

2016-01-01

With ongoing demographic transition, epidemiological transition has been emerged as a growing concern in India. The share of non-communicable disease in total disease burden has increased from 31% in 1990 to 45% in 2010. This paper seeks to explore the health scenario of India in the wake of the growing pace of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension among Indian population using data from health and morbidity survey of the National Sample Survey Organisation (2004) and notifies about the resource needed to tackle this growing health risk. Given the share of private players (70%) in Indian health system, results indicate a higher private expenditure, mostly out-of-pocket expense, on account of non-communicable diseases. A timely look into the matter may tackle a more dreadful situation in near future.

Rising Health Expenditure Due to Non-Communicable Diseases in India: An Outlook

PubMed Central

Barik, Debasis; Arokiasamy, Perianayagam

2016-01-01

With ongoing demographic transition, epidemiological transition has been emerged as a growing concern in India. The share of non-communicable disease in total disease burden has increased from 31% in 1990 to 45% in 2010. This paper seeks to explore the health scenario of India in the wake of the growing pace of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension among Indian population using data from health and morbidity survey of the National Sample Survey Organisation (2004) and notifies about the resource needed to tackle this growing health risk. Given the share of private players (70%) in Indian health system, results indicate a higher private expenditure, mostly out-of-pocket expense, on account of non-communicable diseases. A timely look into the matter may tackle a more dreadful situation in near future. PMID:27965952

Analysis of pesticide residues in strawberries and soils by GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS and two-dimensional GC-time-of-flight MS comparing organic and integrated pest management farming

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The issue of pesticide residues in foods is growing in importance due to greater global food trade and increasing public concern. Therefore, appropriate control and monitoring of residues in food must be conducted. In this study, we analyzed 22 strawberry and soil samples after their collection over...

An Overview on Cardamonin

PubMed Central

Valente, Inês Maria; Rodrigues, José António

2014-01-01

Abstract Cardamonin, as shown by the increasing number of publications, has received growing attention from the scientific community due to the expectations toward its benefits to human health. In this study, research on cardamonin is reviewed, including its natural sources, health promoting aspects, and analytical methods for its determination. Therefore, this article hopes to aid current and future researchers on the search for reliable answers concerning cardamonin's value in medicine. PMID:24433078

Preparing for the Cyber Battleground of the Future

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

market . 23. Cade Metz, “Mavericks Invent Future Internet Where Cisco Is Meaningless,” Wired, 16 April 2012, http://www.wired.com/2012/04/nicira/; and...growing due to the cyberspace domain’s exponential nature, the trajectory of market forces in the civilian world, and the strategic integration by...consumers also seem to not yet be dissuaded by security concerns. Market -Driven Cyber Dependency These characteristics and conditions present a paradox

PROGRESS IN DETAILED KINETIC MODELING OF THE COMBUSTION OF OXYGENATED COMPONENTS OF BIOFUELS

PubMed Central

Sy Tran, Luc; Sirjean, Baptiste; Glaude, Pierre-Alexandre; Fournet, René; Battin-Leclerc, Frédérique

2013-01-01

Due to growing environmental concerns and diminishing petroleum reserves, a wide range of oxygenated species has been proposed as possible substitutes to fossil fuels: alcohols, methyl esters, acyclic and cyclic ethers. After a short review the major detailed kinetic models already proposed in the literature for the combustion of these molecules, the specific classes of reactions considered for modeling the oxidation of acyclic and cyclic oxygenated molecules respectively, are detailed. PMID:23700355

Restoring the smile: Inexpensive biologic restorations

PubMed Central

Mittal, Neeti P.

2014-01-01

Extensive breakdown of primary teeth to the cervical level and their loss in very young children is not uncommon. Owing to increasing concerns over self-appearance, due considerations to esthetic aspects in addition to restoring function are necessary aspects of rehabilitation of mutilated teeth to help children grow into a psychologically balanced personality. The present article describes rehabilitation of grossly decayed teeth with biologic restorations such as dentine posts, dentine post and core and biologic shell crown. This treatment modality provided a cost-effective esthetic solution. PMID:25097656

Designing a Forcenet Information Topology

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

and limitations, but one consistent problem is that by tagging data the amount of bits needed to represent the data grows proportionately. As a...40 Frank Morning, Jr., “Smallsats Grow Up,” Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 8, 2003 41 Ibid. 32 (such as emails home or...Below are a few important points concerning a huge field of work. a. Dissimilar Redundancy and Reconstitution A growing concern within the DoD is

Recent Developments in Folate Nutrition.

PubMed

Naderi, Nassim; House, James D

The term folate (vitamin B9) refers to a group of water-soluble compounds that are nutritionally essential for the support of optimal human health and development. Folates participate in numerous one-carbon transfer reactions, including the methylation of important biomolecules (lipids, amino acids, DNA). A deficiency of folate leads to pathological outcomes including anemia and impairments in reproductive health and fetal development. Due to the linkage of impaired folate status with an increased prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies, several jurisdictions required the fortification of the food supply with folic acid, a synthetic and stable form of folate. Data from the postfortification era have provided strong evidence for the reduction of NTDs due to folic acid fortification. However, concern is now growing with respect to the amount of synthetic folic acid within the human food supply. Excess folic acid intake has been linked to a masking of vitamin B12 deficiency, and concerns regarding the promotion of folate-sensitive cancers, including colorectal cancer. New strategies to ensure the supply of optimal folate to at-risk populations may be needed, including the use of biofortification approaches, in order to address recent concerns. © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Professional Doctoral Scholarship in Ghana: A Case Study of the CDT-BEPS Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owusu-Manu, D.; Edwards, D. J.; Afrane, S. K.; Dontwi, I. K.; Laycock, P.

2015-01-01

The constantly evolving paradigm of 21st century educational offerings and the growing demand for "professional practice" research degrees have raised concerns about the relevance of the traditional "theoretical" PhD award. To meet this growing demand, and address these concerns, alternative routes to achieving the doctoral…

A Case of Hepatotoxicity Related to Kombucha Tea Consumption.

PubMed

Gedela, Maheedhar; Potu, Kalyan Chakravarthy; Gali, Vasantha L; Alyamany, Kimberlee; Jha, Lokesh K

2016-01-01

The use of herbal and dietary supplements (HDSs) is widespread and growing due to the popular notion that these products are of natural origins and safe. Kombucha (or "mushroom") tea is one HDS that is consumed by people for various perceived health benefits. Kombucha tea is a well-known health beverage made by fermenting sweet black tea with a round, flat, gray fungus for a week or longer. There is concern, however, from the evidence of a few case reports currently available, that it may pose life-threatening and/or adverse effects for users.

Nondestructive evaluation of concrete structures by nonstationary thermal wave imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulaveesala, Ravibabu; Panda, Soma Sekhara Balaji; Mude, Rupla Naik; Amarnath, Muniyappa

2012-06-01

Reinforced concrete structures (RCS) have potential application in civil engineering and with the advent of nuclear engineering RCS to be capable enough to withstanding a variety of adverse environmental conditions. However, failures/loss of durability of designed structures due to premature reinforcement corrosion of rebar is a major constrain. Growing concern of safety of structure due to pre-mature deterioration has led to a great demand for development of non-destructive and non-contact testing techniques for monitoring and assessing health of RCS. This paper presents an experimental investigation of rebar corrosion by non-stationary thermal wave imaging. Experimental results have been proven, proposed approach is an effective technique for identification of corrosion in rebar in the concrete samples.

The pharmacology and toxicology of kratom: from traditional herb to drug of abuse.

PubMed

Warner, Marcus L; Kaufman, Nellie C; Grundmann, Oliver

2016-01-01

Mitragyna speciosa (Rubiaceae), commonly known as kratom, is a tropical tree with a long history of traditional use in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. In recent years, kratom has gained popularity for use as a recreational drug across the globe. Relatively new to the illicit market and used in a manner different from its traditional applications, preparations of kratom are touted by many as a safe and legal psychoactive product that improves mood, relieves pain, and may provide benefits in opiate addiction. Available literature was reviewed for M. speciosa via PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and EBSCO to summarize its traditional uses, phytochemical composition, pharmacology and toxicology of proposed active constituents, and potential for misuse and abuse. Research has demonstrated that both stimulant and sedative dose-dependent effects do exist, but a growing concern for the drug's effects and safety of use has resulted in national and international attention primarily due to an increase in hospital visits and deaths in several countries that are said to have been caused by extracts of the plant. The main active alkaloid substances in kratom, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, present with a range of CNS stimulant and depressant effects mediated primarily through monoaminergic and opioid receptors. Recently, Palm Beach County, located in the southeastern corridor of Florida, has considered regulating kratom due to public safety concerns following the death of a young adult. At the local, state, and even federal levels, governments are now being confronted with the task of determining the safety and the possible regulation of kratom extracts. There are currently no standard analytical screening techniques for mitragynine and its metabolites following ingestion limiting its detection to more sophisticated techniques like liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine kratom use. The growing concern of the abuse potential of kratom requires careful evaluation of its benefits and potential toxicities.

Growing concerns with the flow of misinformation from electronic books.

PubMed

Takahashi, Kenzo; Kanda, Hideyuki; Mizushima, Shunsaku

2013-05-24

In 2012, several kinds of electronic books (e-books) became available in Japan. Since several major book retailers launched e-book businesses, it is expected that e-books will become a popular source of information in the country. However, we are concerned that e-books may also be a source of misinformation. In examining 24 available materials published by anti-vaccinists, "atopy businesses", and "wellness maintenance" authors, each was found to contain inaccuracies or misinformation. Thus far, such information is only available in printed books. If these books are scanned and circulated, or published in e-book format, this misinformation may circulate rapidly as e-book devices are becoming popular, and, consequently, harm people's health. We think that it is important for the government to formulate ethical guidelines for the publishing e-books with due consideration to freedom of expression.

The mental and physical health of homeless youth: a literature review.

PubMed

Edidin, Jennifer P; Ganim, Zoe; Hunter, Scott J; Karnik, Niranjan S

2012-06-01

Youth homelessness is a growing concern in the United States. Despite difficulties studying this population due to inconsistent definitions of what it means to be a youth and homeless, the current body of research indicates that abuse, family breakdown, and disruptive family relationships are common contributing factors to youth homelessness. Moreover, the experience of homelessness appears to have numerous adverse implications and to affect neurocognitive development and academics, as well as mental and physical health. Substance use, sexually transmitted infections, and psychiatric disorders are particularly prevalent in this population. Whereas some of these problems may be short-lived, the chronic stress and deprivation associated with homelessness may have long-term effects on development and functioning. Further, difficulties accessing adequate and developmentally-appropriate health care contribute to more serious health concerns. Suggestions for future research and interventions are discussed.

Eye safety related to near infrared radiation exposure to biometric devices.

PubMed

Kourkoumelis, Nikolaos; Tzaphlidou, Margaret

2011-03-01

Biometrics has become an emerging field of technology due to its intrinsic security features concerning the identification of individuals by means of measurable biological characteristics. Two of the most promising biometric modalities are iris and retina recognition, which primarily use nonionizing radiation in the infrared region. Illumination of the eye is achieved by infrared light emitting diodes (LEDs). Even if few LED sources are capable of causing direct eye damage as they emit incoherent light, there is a growing concern about the possible use of LED arrays that might pose a potential threat. Exposure to intense coherent infrared radiation has been proven to have significant effects on living tissues. The purpose of this study is to explore the biological effects arising from exposing the eye to near infrared radiation with reference to international legislation.

Irradiation with visible light enhances the antibacterial toxicity of silver nanoparticles produced by laser ablation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratti, Matthew; Naddeo, J. J.; Tan, Yuying; Griepenburg, Julianne C.; Tomko, John; Trout, Cory; O'Malley, Sean M.; Bubb, Daniel M.; Klein, Eric A.

2016-04-01

The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a rapidly growing global health concern. According to the Center for Disease Control, approximately 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths per year occur in the USA due to antibiotic resistance. In recent years, there has been a surge in the use of metal nanoparticles as coatings for orthopedic implants, wound dressings, and food packaging, due to their antimicrobial properties. In this report, we demonstrate that the antibacterial efficacy of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is enhanced with exposure to light from the visible spectrum. We find that the increased toxicity is due to augmented silver ion release and bacterial uptake. Interestingly, silver ion toxicity does not appear to depend on the formation of reactive oxygen species. Our findings provide a novel paradigm for using light to regulate the toxicity of AgNPs which may have a significant impact in the development of new antimicrobial therapeutics.

Is there a crisis in nursing retention in New South Wales?

PubMed Central

Doiron, Denise; Hall, Jane; Jones, Glenn

2008-01-01

Background There is a severe shortage of nurses in Australia. Policy makers and researchers are especially concerned that retention levels of nurses in the health workforce have worsened over the last decade. There are also concerns that rapidly growing private sector hospitals are attracting qualified nurses away from the public sector. To date no systematic analysis of trends in nursing retention rates over time has been conducted due to the lack of consistent panel data. Results A 1.4 percentage point improvement in retention has led to a 10% increase in the overall supply of nurses in NSW. There has also been a substantial aging of the workforce, due to greater retention and an increase in mature age entrants. The improvement in retention is found in all types of premises and is largest in nursing homes. There is a substantial amount of year to year movement in and out of the workforce and across premises. The shortage of nurses in public hospitals is due to a slowdown in entry rather than competition from the rapidly growing private sector hospitals. Policy Implications The finding of an improvement (rather than a worsening) in retention suggests that additional improvements may be difficult to achieve as further retention must involve individuals more and more dissatisfied with nursing relative to other opportunities. Hence policies targeting entry such as increased places in nursing programs and additional subsidies for training costs may be more effective in dealing with the workforce shortage. This is also the case for shortages in public sector hospitals as retention in nursing is found to be relatively high in this sector. However, the large amount of year to year movements across nursing jobs, especially among the younger nurses, also suggests that policies aimed at reducing job switches and increasing the number who return to nursing should also be pursued. More research is needed in understanding the relative importance of detailed working conditions and the problems associated with combining family responsibilities and nursing jobs. PMID:18681970

Radiation Testing and Evaluation Issues for Modern Integrated Circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaBel, Kenneth A.; Cohn, Lew M.

2005-01-01

Abstract. Changes in modern integrated circuit (IC) technologies have modified the way we approach and conduct radiation tolerance and testing of electronics. These changes include scaling of geometries, new materials, new packaging technologies, and overall speed and device complexity challenges. In this short course section, we will identify and discuss these issues as they impact radiation testing, modeling, and effects mitigation of modern integrated circuits. The focus will be on CMOS-based technologies, however, other high performance technologies will be discussed where appropriate. The effects of concern will be: Single-Event Effects (SEE) and steady state total ionizing dose (TID) IC response. However, due to the growing use of opto-electronics in space systems issues concerning displacement damage testing will also be considered. This short course section is not intended to provide detailed "how-to-test" information, but simply provide a snapshot of current challenges and some of the approaches being considered.

Growing Concerns With the Flow of Misinformation From Electronic Books

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

In 2012, several kinds of electronic books (e-books) became available in Japan. Since several major book retailers launched e-book businesses, it is expected that e-books will become a popular source of information in the country. However, we are concerned that e-books may also be a source of misinformation. In examining 24 available materials published by anti-vaccinists, "atopy businesses", and "wellness maintenance" authors, each was found to contain inaccuracies or misinformation. Thus far, such information is only available in printed books. If these books are scanned and circulated, or published in e-book format, this misinformation may circulate rapidly as e-book devices are becoming popular, and, consequently, harm people’s health. We think that it is important for the government to formulate ethical guidelines for the publishing e-books with due consideration to freedom of expression. PMID:23709125

The use of focus groups to examine pubertal concerns in preteen girls: initial findings and implications for practice and research.

PubMed

Doswell, W M; Vandestienne, G

1996-01-01

This article presents the findings of four focus groups aimed at discovering the concerns a group of 9- to 12-year-old African American and Hispanic girls (N = 38) had about puberty, the transition to adolescence, and growing up. Among the factors these girls liked about growing up were increasing independence from parents, widening social relations with same- and opposite-sex friends, and an increase in decision making regarding clothes and activities. What they reported as not liking about growing up were an increase in peer pressure, high parental expectations, and more responsibility for their actions in home, school, and recreational activities. Health care for this group must include systematic monitoring of pubertal development and concerns in order to aggressively educate preadolescents to negotiate this period smoothly and to avoid high-risk behaviors that could have negative health and social sequelae during adolescence and adulthood.

A review of safety-focused mechanical modeling of commercial lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Juner; Wierzbicki, Tomasz; Li, Wei

2018-02-01

We are rapidly approaching an inflection point in the adoption of electric vehicles on the roads. All major automotive companies are having well-funded plans for mass market affordable branded EV product line models, which can open the floodgates. A rapid growth of battery energy density, accompanied by an aggressive progress of reduction of costs of lithium-ion batteries, brings safety concerns. While more energy stored in the battery pack of an EV translates to a longer range, the downside is that accidents will be more violent due to battery inevitable explosion. With today's technology, severe crashes involving intrusion into the battery pack will potentially result in a thermal runaway, fire, and explosion. Most of research on lithium-ion batteries have been concerned with the electrochemistry of cells. However, in most cases failure and thermal runaway is caused by mechanical loading due to crash events. There is a growing need to summarize the already published results on mechanical loading and response of batteries and offer a critical evaluation of work in progress. The objective of this paper is to present such review with a discussion of many outstanding issues and outline of a roadmap for future research.

Marine natural flavonoids: chemistry and biological activities.

PubMed

Martins, Beatriz T; Correia da Silva, Marta; Pinto, Madalena; Cidade, Honorina; Kijjoa, Anake

2018-05-04

As more than 70% of the world's surface is covered by oceans, marine organisms offer a rich and unlimited resource of structurally diverse bioactive compounds. These organisms have developed unique properties and bioactive compounds that are, in majority of them, unparalleled by their terrestrial counterparts due to the different surrounding ecological systems. Marine flavonoids have been extensively studied in the last decades due to a growing interest concerning their promising biological/pharmacological activities. The most common classes of marine flavonoids are flavones and flavonols, which are mostly isolated from marine plants. Although most of flavonoids are hydroxylated and methoxylated, some marine flavonoids possess an unusual substitution pattern, not commonly found in terrestrial organisms, namely the presence of sulphate, chlorine, and amino groups. This review presents, for the first time in a systematic way, the structure, natural occurrence, and biological activities of marine flavonoids.

The Languages Spoken in the Water Body (or the Biological Role of Cyanobacterial Toxins)

PubMed Central

Kaplan, Aaron; Harel, Moshe; Kaplan-Levy, Ruth N.; Hadas, Ora; Sukenik, Assaf; Dittmann, Elke

2012-01-01

Although intensification of toxic cyanobacterial blooms over the last decade is a matter of growing concern due to bloom impact on water quality, the biological role of most of the toxins produced is not known. In this critical review we focus primarily on the biological role of two toxins, microcystins and cylindrospermopsin, in inter- and intra-species communication and in nutrient acquisition. We examine the experimental evidence supporting some of the dogmas in the field and raise several open questions to be dealt with in future research. We do not discuss the health and environmental implications of toxin presence in the water body. PMID:22529842

Protection against hostile algorithms in UNIX software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radatti, Peter V.

1996-03-01

Protection against hostile algorithms contained in Unix software is a growing concern without easy answers. Traditional methods used against similar attacks in other operating system environments such as MS-DOS or Macintosh are insufficient in the more complex environment provided by Unix. Additionally, Unix provides a special and significant problem in this regard due to its open and heterogeneous nature. These problems are expected to become both more common and pronounced as 32 bit multiprocess network operating systems become popular. Therefore, the problems experienced today are a good indicator of the problems and the solutions that will be experienced in the future, no matter which operating system becomes predominate.

Biomass valorisation of Arundo donax L., Miscanthus × giganteus and Sida hermaphrodita for biofuel production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krička, Tajana; Matin, Ana; Bilandžija, Nikola; Jurišić, Vanja; Antonović, Alan; Voća, Neven; Grubor, Mateja

2017-10-01

In the context of the growing demand for biomass, which is being encouraged by the EU directives on the promotion of the use of renewable energy, recent investigations have been increasingly focused on fast-growing energy crops. The aim of this study was to investigate the energy properties of three types of agricultural energy crops: Arundo donax L., Miscanthus × giganteus and Sida hermaphrodita. This investigation looked into the content of non-combustible and combustible matter, higher and lower heating values, lignocellulose content, and biomass macro-elements. The results indicate that the energy values of these crops are comparable, while their lignocellulose content shows significant variations. Thus, Arundo donax L. can best be utilised as solid biofuel due to its highest lignin content, while Miscanthus × giganteus and Sida hermaphrodita L. can be used for both liquid and solid biofuels production. As far as Arundo donax L. is concerned, a higher ash level should be taken into consideration.

Metabolite changes in nine different soybean varieties grown under field and greenhouse conditions.

PubMed

Maria John, K M; Natarajan, Savithiry; Luthria, Devanand L

2016-11-15

Global food security remains a worldwide concern due to changing climate, increasing population, and reduced agriculture acreages. Greenhouse cultivation increases productivity by extending growing seasons, reducing pest infestations and providing protection against short term drastic weather fluctuations like frost, heat, rain, and wind. In the present study, we examined and compared the metabolic responses of nine soybean varieties grown under field and greenhouse conditions. Extracts were assayed by GC-FID, GC-MS, and LC-MS for the identification of 10 primary (amino acids, organic acids, and sugars) and 10 secondary (isoflavones, fatty acid methyl esters) metabolites. Sugar molecules (glucose, sucrose, and pinitol) and isoflavone aglycons were increased but the isoflavones glucoside content decreased in the greenhouse cultivated soybeans. The amino acids and organic acids varied between the varieties. The results show that clustering (PCA and PLS-DA) patterns of soybean metabolites were significantly influenced by the genetic variation and growing conditions. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A global perspective on the use, sales, exposure pathways, occurrence, fate and effects of veterinary antibiotics (VAs) in the environment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sarmah, Ajit K.; Meyer, Michael T.; Boxall, Alistair B.A.

2006-01-01

Veterinary antibiotics (VAs) are widely used in many countries worldwide to treat disease and protect the health of animals. They are also incorporated into animal feed to improve growth rate and feed efficiency. As antibiotics are poorly adsorbed in the gut of the animals, the majority is excreted unchanged in faeces and urine. Given that land application of animal waste as a supplement to fertilizer is often a common practice in many countries, there is a growing international concern about the potential impact of antibiotic residues on the environment. Frequent use of antibiotics has also raised concerns about increased antibiotic resistance of microorganisms. We have attempted in this paper to summarize the latest information available in the literature on the use, sales, exposure pathways, environmental occurrence, fate and effects of veterinary antibiotics in animal agriculture. The review has focused on four important groups of antibiotics (tylosin, tetracycline, sulfonamides and, to a lesser extent, bacitracin) giving a background on their chemical nature, fate processes, occurrence, and effects on plants, soil organisms and bacterial community. Recognising the importance and the growing debate, the issue of antibiotic resistance due to the frequent use of antibiotics in food-producing animals is also briefly covered. The final section highlights some unresolved questions and presents a way forward on issues requiring urgent attention.

Addressing Common Concerns about Online Student Ratings of Instruction: A Research-Informed Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winer, Laura; DiGenova, Lina; Costopoulos, Andre

2016-01-01

Concerns over the usefulness and validity of student ratings of instruction (SRI) have continued to grow with online processes. This paper presents seven common and persistent concerns identified and tested during the development and implementation of a revised SRI policy at a Canadian research-intensive university. These concerns include bias due…

On-Board Sound Intensity (OBSI) study, phase 2 : [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

To many people, environmental issues might : suggest air pollution, water pollution, or similar : ideas. But an environmental issue of growing : concern is noise pollution, which many cities : in Florida are encountering as they grow, and : nei...

Evaluation of three growing media substrates for western larch seedling production at the USDA Forest Service Coeur d'Alene Nursery

Treesearch

Anthony S. Davis; Kent Eggleston; Jeremy R. Pinto; R. Kasten Dumroese

2009-01-01

In response to concerns regarding growing media substrate costs, and the impact of growing media on seedling quality, we evaluated three peat-based growing media substrates at the USDA Forest Service Coeur d'Alene Nursery in Idaho. Current medium consists of 80:20 peat:fresh Douglas-fir sawdust (v:v). Two other substrates, 75:25 peat:fine screened Douglas-fir bark...

The problems of urinary tract infections with Candida spp. aetiology in women.

PubMed

Tomczak, Hanna; Szałek, Edyta; Grześkowiak, Edmund

2014-08-29

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women are a growing clinical concern. The most frequent risk factors of UTIs with fungal aetiology in women are: antibiotic therapy (especially broad-spectrum antibiotics), immunosuppressive therapy, diabetes, malnutrition, pregnancy, and frequent intercourse. The aim of the study was to analyse urinary tract infections with Candida spp. aetiology in women hospitalised at the Clinical Hospital in Poznań, Poland, between 2009 and 2011. The investigations revealed that as many as 71% of positive urine cultures with Candida fungi came from women. The following fungi were most frequently isolated from the patients under analysis: C. albicans (47%), C. glabrata (31%), C. tropicalis (6%), C. krusei (3%). In order to diagnose a UTI the diagnosis cannot be based on a single result of a urine culture. Due to the small number of antifungal drugs and high costs of treatment, antifungal drugs should be applied with due consideration and care.

Wastewater Plant Operation and Maintenance--A Matter of Growing Concern

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Water and Wastes Engineering, 1978

1978-01-01

Responses of two experts to questions concerning wastewater plant operation and maintenance are presented. The responses discuss the scarcity of good personnel, training education available, and examples of existing improvement projects. (MA)

Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in beach sediments: Insights into microplastic accumulation in northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries.

PubMed

Wessel, Caitlin C; Lockridge, Grant R; Battiste, David; Cebrian, Just

2016-08-15

Microplastics (plastic debris smaller than 5mm) represent a growing concern worldwide due to increasing amounts of discarded trash. We investigated microplastic debris on sandy shorelines at seven locations in a northern Gulf of Mexico estuary (Mobile Bay, AL) during the summer of 2014. Microplastics were ubiquitous throughout the area studied at concentrations 66-253× larger than reported for the open ocean. The polymers polypropylene and polyethylene were most abundant, with polystyrene, polyester and aliphatic polyamide also present but in lower quantities. There was a gradient in microplastic abundance, with locations more directly exposed to marine currents and tides having higher microplastic abundance and diversity, as well as a higher contribution by denser polymers (e.g. polyester). These results indicate that microplastic accumulation on shorelines in the northern Gulf of Mexico may be a serious concern, and suggest that exposure to inputs from the Gulf is an important determinant of microplastic abundance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The circumstances surrounding the death of 105 elders as a result of resident-to-resident incidents in dementia in long-term care homes.

PubMed

Caspi, Eilon

2018-05-31

Resident-to-resident incidents in dementia in long-term care homes resulting in deaths represent a growing concern among residents, family members, care providers, care advocacy organizations, and policy makers. Despite these concerns and experts' predictions by which injurious and fatal incidents will increase in the coming years due to the projected growth in the number of people with dementia, no studies have been conducted in North America on these fatal incidents. This exploratory pilot study makes first steps towards bridging this major gap in research and practice. Using publicly available information (primarily newspaper articles and death review reports), practically useful patterns were identified pertaining to the circumstances surrounding the death of 105 elders as a result of these incidents. The findings could inform various efforts to prevent future deaths in similar circumstances, keep vulnerable and frail residents safe, and encourage researchers to examine risk and protective factors for these incidents.

Phosphorus Flow Analysis for Food Production and Consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsubae, Kazuyo; Nakajima, Kenichi; Nansai, Keisuke; Nagasaka, Tetsuya

Phosphorus is present only as a trace element on the Earth, but is one of the important strategic resources for agricultural food production and for the chemical industry. Natural phosphate ore is traded worldwide, mainly as a raw material for fertilizer. Approximately 147 × 103 kt of phosphate ore was mined in the world during 2005. Of this, 24.7% (36.3 × 103 kt) was produced in the USA, 20.7% (30.4 × 103 kt) in China, and 17.1% (25.2 × 103 kt) in Morocco, while there are essentially no deposits of phosphate ore in Japan or the EU (USGS,2012). It is of concern that, due to growing world demand for fertilizers, deposits of high-grade phosphate ore could be exhausted within the next 100 years (Vaccari 2009), and the average price of the ore in 2008 was approximately doubled that in 2007. Concerning the restricted supplies of phosphorus resource, it is important to consider the quantity and availability of phosphorus resources that currently remain untapped.

Pathophysiology diabetic foot ulcer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syafril, S.

2018-03-01

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is known to have many complications. Diabetes and its complications are rapidly becoming the world’s most significant cause of morbidity and mortality, and one of the most distressing is Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU). Chronic wound complications are a growing concern worldwide, and the effect is a warning to public health and the economy. The etiology of a DFU is multifaceted, and several components cause added together create a sufficient impact on ulceration: neuropathy, vasculopathy, immunopathy, mechanical stress, and neuroarthropathy. There are many classifications of the diabetic foot. About 50% of patients with foot ulcers due to DM present clinical signs of infection. It is essential to manage multifactorial etiology of DFU to get a good outcome.

Marijuana Use in Pregnancy: Concerns in an Evolving Era.

PubMed

Foeller, Megan E; Lyell, Deirdre J

2017-05-01

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in pregnancy, and the prevalence of use during pregnancy is increasing in the United States. Although much of the existing research investigating marijuana use in pregnancy is limited by study design and confounding factors, a growing accumulation of data suggests adverse outcomes. Studies have identified associations with decreased birth weight, increased spontaneous preterm birth, and impaired neurodevelopment among children and adults with in utero exposure. Moderate concentrations of marijuana have also been identified in breast milk. Due to these findings, multiple professional societies have issued clear statements against marijuana use during pregnancy and lactation. © 2017 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

The politics of silicosis in interwar Spain: Republican and Francoist approaches to occupational health.

PubMed

Menéndez-Navarro, Alfredo

2008-01-01

This article explores the emergence and recognition of silicosis as an occupational disease in interwar Spain. Following International Labour Office guidelines, growing international concerns and local medical evidence, Republican administrators provided the first health care facilities to silicosis sufferers, who eventually became entitled to compensation under the Law of Occupational Diseases (1936), poorly implemented due to the outbreak of the Civil War (1936-39). Silicosis became a priority issue on the political agenda of the new dictatorial regime because it affected lead and coalmining, key sectors for autarchic policies. The Silicosis Scheme (1941) provided compensation for sufferers, although benefits were minimised by its narrow coverage and the application of tight criteria.

Ssip-a processor interconnection simulator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Navaux, P.; Weber, R.; Prezzi, J.

1982-01-01

Recent growing interest in multiple processor architectures has given rise to the study of procesor-memory interconnections for the determination of better architectures. This paper concerns the development of the SSIP-sistema simulador de interconexao de processadores (processor interconnection simulating system) which allows the evaluation of different interconnection structures comparing its performance in order to provide parameters which would help the designer to define an architcture. A wide spectrum of systems may be evaluated, and their behaviour observed due to the features incorporated into the simulator program. The system modelling and the simulator program implementation are described. Some results that can bemore » obtained are shown, along with the discussion of their usefulness. 12 references.« less

Low birth weight: Is it related to assisted reproductive technology or underlying infertility?

PubMed Central

Kondapalli, Laxmi A.; Perales-Puchalt, Alfredo

2013-01-01

Since 1978, we have witnessed a successful evolution of assisted reproductive technology (ART), with improvement of the pregnancy rates and a growing demand. However, in recent years, there has been increasing concern regarding its safety due to the potential health impact on its infants. The raise of the developmental origins of adult disease has positioned low birth weight (LBW) as a significant health issue. Despite multiple studies have associated ART with LBW, the etiology of this association remains largely unknown. This paper reviews the potential association between different components of ART and infertility with LBW, while acknowledging the limitations to interpretation of the existing literature. PMID:23375144

Forms of concern: toward an intersubjective perspective.

PubMed

Tolmacz, Rami

2013-09-01

The growing interest in the issue of concern, which appeared relatively late in psychoanalytical literature, resulted in several distinctions. Winnicott distinguished between concern as an expression of guilt and concern as a manifestation of joy, Brenman Pick distinguished between real concern and spurious concern, and Bowlby distinguished between sensitive and compulsive caregiving. The basic concepts of Buber's dialogical philosophy and intersubjective approaches in psychoanalysis have created fertile ground for the study of concern, and enabled us to conceptualize these distinctions in a way that has heretofore been lacking in psychoanalytical thought.

Contact zoonosis related to aquaculture: a growing concern

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aquaculture develops fast worldwide, with new cultured species and increased global transport of live aquaculture products. There is a growing recognition of zoonotic disease agents causing epidemics and carrier states in cultured fish and shellfish, especially from warm water systems, transmitted t...

Internet Addiction: A Logotherapeutic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Didelot, Mary J.; Hollingsworth, Lisa; Buckenmeyer, Janet A.

2012-01-01

Internet addiction (IA) is both the most rapidly growing addiction and the least understood addiction (Watson, 2005). For counselors, treatment issues surrounding the disease are also growing. At the forefront is the lack of understanding concerning treatment protocol to manage the challenging recovery and maintenance stages after IA behavior has…

[Psychophysiology of sports addiction (exercises addiction)].

PubMed

Krivoshchekov, S G; Lushnikov, O N

2011-01-01

Addiction is a prevalent and growing concern in all aspects of our modern society. There are considerable concerns for the growing frequency of addictions to drugs, alcohol, gambling, eating, and even sex. Though exercise is generally accepted as a positive behaviour that has many benefits associated with enhanced physical and psychological wellbeing, there is an increasing awareness that exercise addiction is becoming a common phenomenon. Theories regarding how exercise can become addictive, and studies of withdrawal from exercise are reviewed. Several physiological mechanisms, including endogenous opioids, catecholamines, functional asymmetry of brain activity and thermoregulation have been implicated in exercise dependence.

[Respiratory infections caused by slow-growing bacteria: Nocardia, Actinomyces, Rhodococcus].

PubMed

Eschapasse, E; Hussenet, C; Bergeron, A; Lebeaux, D

2017-06-01

Pneumonia caused by slow-growing bacteria is rare but sometimes severe. These infections share many similarities such as several differential diagnoses, difficulties to identify the pathogen, the importance of involving the microbiologist in the diagnostic investigation and the need for prolonged antibiotic treatment. However, major differences distinguish them: Nocardia and Rhodococcus infect mainly immunocompromised patients while actinomycosis also concerns immunocompetent patients; the severity of nocardioses is related to their hematogenous spread while locoregional extension by contiguity makes the gravity of actinomycosis. For these diseases, molecular diagnostic tools are essential, either to obtain a species identification and guide treatment in the case of nocardiosis or to confirm the diagnosis from a biological sample. Treatment of these infections is complex due to: (1) the limited data in the literature; (2) the need for prolonged treatment of several months; (3) the management of toxicities and drug interactions for the treatment of Nocardia and Rhodococcus. Close cooperation between pneumonologists, infectious disease specialists and microbiologists is essential for the management of these patients. Copyright © 2017 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Citizenship Education in the United States: Perspective Reflected in State Education Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuteville, Rebekkah; Johnson, Helen Ikerd

2016-01-01

There is growing international concern about the lack of civic engagement among the youth in many nations. These concerns have sparked renewed interest in the quantity and quality of civic education in public schools in the United States. The objective of this study is to determine if the concerns about civic education are about the sufficiency of…

Adults in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France). Centre for Educational Research and Innovation.

Issues concerning the enrollment of adults in degree programs in countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development are considered. Of concern are policies and institutional practices that affect adult participation in degree studies. The growing importance of continuing academic and professional education is…

Consequences of Growing Up Poor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Greg J., Ed.; Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, Ed.

The consequences and correlates of growing up poor as well as the mechanisms through which poverty influences children are explored. This book is organized with a primary focus on research findings and a secondary concern with policy implications. The chapters are: (1) "Poor Families, Poor Outcomes: The Well-Being of Children and Youth" (Jeanne…

Student Success and Institutional Accountability through the Components of Voluntary Framework Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mentzer, Stacy

2015-01-01

Demands on higher education institutions are growing. Stakeholders are demanding proof of quality to ensure students are receiving the education they are paying for. Institutional accountability is a growing concern for higher education institutions, more specifically community colleges. The diverse characteristics of community colleges have made…

Growing food in urban areas: Food security, community benefits, any concerns?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Over 80% of our nation’s population lives in urban areas, including Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the 16th most populous metropolitan area in the USA, with 3.3 million inhabitants. Trends of growing urban populations and increased desire for locally sourced food have culminated in greater public interest...

Soil characteristics and wind erosion potential of wheat-oilseed-fallow cropping systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Oilseeds are integral to the production of biofuels and diversifying rainfed cropping systems in the Pacific Northwest United States (PNW). However, there is evidence to suggest greater potential for wind erosion when growing oilseeds in wheat rotations. Little is known concerning the impact of grow...

Windblown soil surface characteristics of a wheat-oilseed-fallow cropping system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The production of biofuels is dependent upon oilseed feedstocks in the Pacific Northwest United States (PNW), but evidence suggests that wind erosion may be enhanced as a result of growing oilseeds in conventional wheat rotations. Little is known concerning the impact of growing oilseeds on soil cha...

Legal issues for German-speaking cannabis growers. Results from an online survey.

PubMed

Werse, Bernd

2016-02-01

Cannabis prohibition can generally be regarded as the main driver for home growing of marijuana. In this paper, I discuss the impact of drug prohibition on cannabis cultivators from the three German-speaking countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In particular, this refers to the questions; how illicitness influences motivations for growing; which precautionary measures are taken against the risk of discovery; how penal consequences differ in the three countries and how these aspects are linked to each other. The results come from a sample of 1578 respondents from the German-language online survey conducted following the International Cannabis Cultivation Questionnaire (ICCQ). The survey was carried out in late 2012 and early 2013. While most of the reasons for growing cannabis relate to avoiding negative consequences of prohibition, the illicitness of cannabis also plays a major role for concern about the cultivation activities as well as measures to avoid negative consequences. Swiss growers are less worried about their activity compared to respondents from Germany or Austria. The results confirm the notion that the illicitness of cannabis is the main drive for the private cultivation of the plant. At the same time, prohibition is the principal reason for concern regarding the growing activity. The severity of possible sentences seems to be linked to the degree of concern and precautionary measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changing epidemiology of infections due to extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing bacteria

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Community-associated infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria are a growing concern. Methods Retrospective cohort study of clinical infections due to ESBL-producing bacteria requiring admission from 2006-2011 at a tertiary care academic medical center in Providence, RI. Results A total of 321 infections due to ESBL-producing bacteria occurred during the study period. Fifty-eight cases (18%) were community-acquired, 170 (53%) were healthcare–associated, and 93 (29%) were hospital-acquired. The incidence of ESBL infections per 10,000 discharges increased during the study period for both healthcare-associated infections, 1.9 per year (95% CI 1-2.8), and for community-acquired infections, 0.85 per year (95% CI 0.3-1.4) but the rate remained unchanged for hospital-acquired infections. For ESBL-producing E. coli isolates, resistance to both ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was 95% and 65%, respectively but 94% of isolates were susceptible to nitrofurantoin. Conclusions Community-acquired and healthcare-associated infections due to ESBL-producing bacteria are increasing in our community, particularly urinary tract infections due to ESBL-producing E. coli. Most isolates are resistant to oral antibiotics commonly used to treat urinary tract infections. Thus, our findings have important implications for outpatient management of such infections. PMID:24666610

Geriatric gambling disorder: challenges in clinical assessment.

PubMed

Smith, Mara; Hategan, Ana; Bourgeois, James A

2017-12-01

To the Editor: The gaming industry is growing rapidly, as is the proportion of older adults aged 65 years or older who participate in gambling (Tse et al., 2012). With casinos tailoring their venues and providing incentives to attract older adults, and with the increasing popularity of "pleasure trips" to casinos organized by retirement homes, plus active promotion of government-operated lotteries in many countries, this trend is likely to continue. Gambling disorder (GD) or "pathological" or "problem" gambling presents a public health concern in the geriatric population. However, ascertainment of its prevalence and diagnostic accuracy have proven challenging. This is largely due to the absence of diagnostic criteria specific to the geriatric age and rating scales validated for use in this population.

Repurposing pharma assets: an accelerated mechanism for strengthening the schistosomiasis drug development pipeline.

PubMed

Ramamoorthi, Roopa; Graef, Katy M; Dent, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Schistosomiasis, one of 17 diseases deemed to be neglected by the World Health Organization, has received little attention from the biopharmaceutical industry. Due to this, only a handful of drugs have been developed to treat schistosomiasis, with only one, praziquantel, used in most endemic regions. Growing concern over resistance coupled with praziquantel's incomplete efficacy across all stages of the Schistosoma platyhelminth life cycle highlights the urgent need for new drugs. The WIPO Re:Search consortium is a platform whereupon biopharmaceutical company compounds are being repurposed to efficiently and cost-effectively develop new drugs for neglected diseases such as schistosomiasis. This article summarizes recent clinical-stage efforts to identify new antischistosomals and highlights biopharmaceutical company compounds with potential for repurposing to treat schistosomiasis.

Serious games in the classroom: gauging student perceptions.

PubMed

Kapralos, Bill; Cristancho, Sayra; Porte, Mark; Backstein, David; Monclou, Alex; Dubrowski, Adam

2011-01-01

Serious games, or video game-based technology applied to training, learning applications, provide a high fidelity simulation of particular environments and situations that focus on high level skills that are required in the field. Given the popularity of video games, particularly with today's generation of learners, and the growing trend of restricted resident work hours and diminished operating room exposure due to limited budgets increased case complexity and medicolegal concerns, serious games provide a cost-effective viable training option. To develop effective serious games, the views and perceptions of both the end users (learners) and educators regarding their use "in the classroom" must be assessed and accounted for. Here we present the results of a survey that was designed to assess students' perceptions of serious games.

Low birth weight: is it related to assisted reproductive technology or underlying infertility?

PubMed

Kondapalli, Laxmi A; Perales-Puchalt, Alfredo

2013-02-01

Since 1978, we have witnessed a successful evolution of assisted reproductive technology (ART), with improvement of the pregnancy rates and a growing demand. However, in recent years, there has been increasing concern regarding its safety due to the potential health impact on its infants. The raise of the developmental origins of adult disease has positioned low birth weight (LBW) as a significant health issue. Although multiple studies have associated ART with LBW, the etiology of this association remains largely unknown. We review the potential association between different components of ART and infertility with LBW, while acknowledging the limitations of interpretation of the existing literature. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The First Steps Series. [Videotapes].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1998

This videotape series offers emotional support and self-confidence to parents reaching out for knowledge about how young children, grow, develop, and learn. The video "Common Concerns of Parents of Young" (30 minutes) features parents expressing some universal concerns regarding their young children. Child psychologists and pediatricians offer…

Applications of nonlocal means algorithm in low-dose X-ray CT image processing and reconstruction: a review

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hao; Zeng, Dong; Zhang, Hua; Wang, Jing; Liang, Zhengrong

2017-01-01

Low-dose X-ray computed tomography (LDCT) imaging is highly recommended for use in the clinic because of growing concerns over excessive radiation exposure. However, the CT images reconstructed by the conventional filtered back-projection (FBP) method from low-dose acquisitions may be severely degraded with noise and streak artifacts due to excessive X-ray quantum noise, or with view-aliasing artifacts due to insufficient angular sampling. In 2005, the nonlocal means (NLM) algorithm was introduced as a non-iterative edge-preserving filter to denoise natural images corrupted by additive Gaussian noise, and showed superior performance. It has since been adapted and applied to many other image types and various inverse problems. This paper specifically reviews the applications of the NLM algorithm in LDCT image processing and reconstruction, and explicitly demonstrates its improving effects on the reconstructed CT image quality from low-dose acquisitions. The effectiveness of these applications on LDCT and their relative performance are described in detail. PMID:28303644

Potential environmental benefits of feed additives and other strategies for ruminant production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Environmental pollution and food safety are two important concerns that impact ruminant production around the world. The growing public concern over chemical residues in animal-derived foods and threats of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have renewed interest in exploring safer alternatives to chemic...

Teacher Resistance to the Response to Intervention Process: A Delphi Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raines, Kerrie Lynn

2010-01-01

There has been a growing concern amongst educational stakeholders concerning the over identification of students with specific learning disabilities. The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education improvement ACT in 2004 launched a response to intervention (RTI) process mandated early interventions for struggling students…

SPEAK UP, CHICANO.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

RODRIGUEZ, ARMANDO

GROWING CONCERN AMONG THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION, AND THE NATION AS A WHOLE, CONCERNING EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITIES FACED BY THE SPANISH-SPEAKING MINORITY POPULATION POINTS TO THE REAWAKENING OF THEIR SOCIETY AND THEIR GRADUAL ASSUMPTION OF A GREATER DEGREE OF PRODUCTION IN SOCIETY. THOUGH FOR THE MOST PART MANY INEQUALITIES STILL EXIST, SOME…

Immunotoxicity testing: Implementation of mechanistic understanding, key pathways of toxicological concern and components of these pathways.

EPA Science Inventory

At present, several animal-based assays are used to assess immunotoxic effects such as immunosuppression and sensitization. Growing societal and ethical concerns, European legislation and current research demands by industry are driving animal-based toxicity testing towards new a...

Growing America's Energy Future

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The emerging U.S. bioenergy industry provides a secure and growing supply of transportation fuels, biopower, and bioproducts produced from a range of abundant, renewable biomass resources. Bioenergy can help ensure a secure, sustainable, and economically sound future by reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil, developing domestic clean energy sources, and generating domestic green jobs. Bioenergy can also help address growing concerns about climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to create a healthier environment for current and future generations.

Promoting Physical Activity in Secondary Schools: Growing Expectations, "Same Old" Issues?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cale, Lorraine; Harris, Jo; Duncombe, Rebecca

2016-01-01

There are growing expectations on schools to promote health and physical activity and helping schools to effectively do so is considered a priority. This paper reports on selected findings from a research project that was concerned with supporting secondary schools in the effective promotion of physical activity and establishing their needs in…

The Impact on Teachers of Designing and Implementing a Health at Every Size Curriculum Unit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shelley, Karen; O'Hara, Lily; Gregg, Jane

2010-01-01

With growing concern over the "obesity epidemic" in children, schools have become the front line of defence in the "war against obesity". However there is a growing body of evidence of unintended harm associated with school-based health education programs framed as "obesity prevention", including body dissatisfaction,…

Children's Organized Sports: A Developmental Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brady, Frank

2004-01-01

Youth sports have become a childhood rite, yet they have a high dropout rate. Given the fact that participation rates decline dramatically as children grow older, coupled with the growing concern about the detrimental effects of a sedentary lifestyle, it is important that a greater understanding of the motivational patterns of children in physical…

Stressors Experienced by Nursing Students Enrolled in Baccalaureate Second Degree Accelerated Registered Nursing Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Charlene

2017-01-01

A mounting concern throughout the country is a current and growing nursing shortage. In order to meet the growing demand of nurses, many colleges have created baccalaureate second degree accelerated registered nursing programs. Stressors, experienced by nursing students in these accelerated programs, may affect their retention. A deeper…

America's Growing Dilemma: Pesticides in Food and Water.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strauss, Valerie; Sullivan, Monica, Ed.

Public concern about the safety of continued reliance on pesticides in agricultural production is widespread and growing. The lack of understanding of how food is grown, the role of pesticides in food production, the risk assessment and regulatory processes and alternatives to pesticide use limits citizen participation in food safety debates and…

The Effect of Culture on the Academic Honesty of Marketing and Business Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payan, Janice; Reardon, James; McCorkle, Denny E.

2010-01-01

Two trends in marketing higher education include (a) growing opportunities for intercultural encounters in the classroom and (b) a growing concern about student academic honesty. Research regarding the relationship between specific cultural measures and academic honesty is sparse in the context of marketing and business programs in higher…

Wood energy markets, 2010-2011

Treesearch

Francisco Aguilar; Christopher Gaston; Rens Hartkamp; Warren Mabee; Kenneth Skog

2011-01-01

Global wood energy markets continue to grow, driven primarily by demand in the EU and its commitment to meet 20% of energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. Large investments in industrial pellet-production capacity have been made under expectations of a continuously growing demand, mainly from the EU. Concern about how energy and climate-change policies may...

Teacher Effects on Student Achievement and Height: A Cautionary Tale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bitler, Marianne P.; Corcoran, Sean P.; Domina, Thurston; Penner, Emily K.

2014-01-01

The growing availability of data linking students to classroom teachers has made it possible to estimate the contribution teachers make to student achievement. While there is a growing consensus that teacher quality is important and current evaluation systems are inadequate, many have expressed concerns over the use of value-added measures (VAMs)…

Aviation Gas Turbine Engine Emissions: Drop in Alternative Fuel and its Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noh, H. Mohd; Rodrigo, G. A.; Rahman, N. A. Abdul; Ismail, S.; Shafie, M. A.; Zainal Ariffin, M. W.; Ahmad, A. A.; Basit, R.; Khalid, A.; Yahaya, N. H. R.; Yusoff, M. R.; Othman, J.

2018-05-01

The growing demand of air travel in aviation industries contributes to increases in carbon emissions. As far as technological, infrastructure and operation is concerned, carbon-neutral growth (CNG) cannot be achieved due to fossil fuel usage. The involvement of biojet fuel is the only measures that can be adapted to reduce up to -50% of Carbon emissions. This paper will discuss the gas emissions from the aircraft engine and the challenges it poses to Airlines and operation as well as adapting the Alternative drop-in fuel as its solutions. Alternative fuel using biomass has been approved by American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) to be a drop-in fuel with no alteration on the gas turbine engine, hence will ease and generate cost saving for the Airlines. The challenges remain, as the concern on the fuel properties and characteristics, distributions, environment and economic, have been the focal point for policymakers and researchers. As a conclusion, the authority and the government need to join hand in creating the opportunity for alternative fuel in the aviation industries to ensure the reduction in aviation carbon emissions.

From Clinical Application to Cognitive Enhancement: The Example of Methylphenidate

PubMed Central

Busardò, Francesco Paolo; Kyriakou, Chrystalla; Cipolloni, Luigi; Zaami, Simona; Frati, Paola

2016-01-01

Methylphenidate (MPD) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, which belongs to the phenethylamine group and is mainly used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). However, a growing number of young individuals misuse or abuse MPD to sustain attention, enhance intellectual capacity and increase memory. Recently, the use of MPD as a cognitive enhancement substance has received much attention and raised concerns in the literature and academic circles worldwide. The prescribing frequency of the drug has increased sharply as consequence of the more accurate diagnosis of the ADHD and the popularity of the drug itself due to its beneficial short-term effect. However, careful monitoring is required, because of possible abuse. In this review different aspects concerning the use of MPD have been approached. Data showing its abuse among college students are given, when the drug is prescribed short term beneficial effects and side effects are provided; moreover studies on animal-models suggesting long lasting negative effects on healthy brains are discussed. Finally, emphasis is given to the available formulations and pharmacology. PMID:26813119

From Clinical Application to Cognitive Enhancement: The Example of Methylphenidate.

PubMed

Busardò, Francesco Paolo; Kyriakou, Chrystalla; Cipolloni, Luigi; Zaami, Simona; Frati, Paola

2016-01-01

Methylphenidate (MPD) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, which belongs to the phenethylamine group and is mainly used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). However, a growing number of young individuals misuse or abuse MPD to sustain attention, enhance intellectual capacity and increase memory. Recently, the use of MPD as a cognitive enhancement substance has received much attention and raised concerns in the literature and academic circles worldwide. The prescribing frequency of the drug has increased sharply as consequence of the more accurate diagnosis of the ADHD and the popularity of the drug itself due to its beneficial short-term effect. However, careful monitoring is required, because of possible abuse. In this review different aspects concerning the use of MPD have been approached. Data showing its abuse among college students are given, when the drug is prescribed short term beneficial effects and side effects are provided; moreover studies on animal-models suggesting long lasting negative effects on healthy brains are discussed. Finally, emphasis is given to the available formulations and pharmacology.

Peptide protected gold clusters: chemical synthesis and biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Qing; Wang, Yaling; Zhao, Lina; Liu, Ru; Gao, Fuping; Gao, Liang; Gao, Xueyun

2016-06-01

Bridging the gap between atoms and nanoparticles, noble metal clusters with atomic precision continue to attract considerable attention due to their important applications in catalysis, energy transformation, biosensing and biomedicine. Greatly different to common chemical synthesis, a one-step biomimetic synthesis of peptide-conjugated metal clusters has been developed to meet the demand of emerging bioapplications. Under mild conditions, multifunctional peptides containing metal capturing, reactive and targeting groups are rationally designed and elaborately synthesized to fabricate atomically precise peptide protected metal clusters. Among them, peptide-protected Au Cs (peptide-Au Cs) possess a great deal of exceptional advantages such as nanometer dimensions, high photostability, good biocompatibility, accurate chemical formula and specific protein targeting capacity. In this review article, we focus on the recent advances in potential theranostic fields by introducing the rising progress of peptide-Au Cs for biological imaging, biological analysis and therapeutic applications. The interactions between Au Cs and biological systems as well as potential mechanisms are also our concerned theme. We expect that the rapidly growing interest in Au Cs-based theranostic applications will attract broader concerns across various disciplines.

Health and safety concerns of textiles with nanomaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almeida, L.; Ramos, D.

2017-10-01

There is a growing concern related to the effects of nanomaterials in health and safety.Nanotechnologies are already present in many consumer products, including textiles. “Nanotextiles” can be considered as traditional textiles with the incorporation of nanoparticles. They present often functionalities such as antibacterial, ultraviolet radiation protection, water and dirt repellency, self-cleaning or flame retardancy. Nanoparticles can be released from the textile materials due to different effects (abrasion and other mechanical stresses, sweat, irradiation, washing, temperature changes, etc.). It is then expectable that “nanotextiles” may release individual nanoparticles, agglomerates of nanoparticles or small particles of textile with or without nanoparticles, depending on the type of integration of the nanoparticles in textiles. The most important exposure route of the human body to nanoparticles in case of textiles is skin contact. Several standards are being developed under the auspices of the European Committee for Standardization. In this paper, it is presented the development and application of a test method to evaluate the skin exposure to nanoparticles, to evaluate the transfer of the nanoparticles from the textile to the skin by the effect of abrasion and sweat.

A Scopus-Based Analysis of Publication Activity in Kazakhstan from 2010 to 2015: Positive Trends, Concerns, and Possible Solutions.

PubMed

Yessirkepov, Marlen; Nurmashev, Bekaidar; Anartayeva, Mariya

2015-12-01

The article analyzes the publication activity of scientific authors from Kazakhstan based on Scopus and SCImago Journal & Country Rank data from 2010 to 2015. The number of indexed multidisciplinary and medical articles from the country has been steadily growing from 2011 onward and this can be due to the adoption of the new Law on Science in that year. Several regulatory legal acts have been issued in recent years aimed at improving the quality of local journals and the international recognition of academic degrees and titles. Publication activity of scientific authors from Kazakhstan was found to be higher than that from other countries in the Central Asian region. However, there are still many unresolved issues related to the English language barrier, lack of indexing status of local journals, and poor topical education on science writing and editing. As such, the number of articles published in 'predatory' journals remains sizable, and there are concerns over authors' negligence and plagiarism. The global solution to the discussed problems may be achieved by educating researchers, authors, reviewers, and editors.

A Scopus-Based Analysis of Publication Activity in Kazakhstan from 2010 to 2015: Positive Trends, Concerns, and Possible Solutions

PubMed Central

Nurmashev, Bekaidar; Anartayeva, Mariya

2015-01-01

The article analyzes the publication activity of scientific authors from Kazakhstan based on Scopus and SCImago Journal & Country Rank data from 2010 to 2015. The number of indexed multidisciplinary and medical articles from the country has been steadily growing from 2011 onward and this can be due to the adoption of the new Law on Science in that year. Several regulatory legal acts have been issued in recent years aimed at improving the quality of local journals and the international recognition of academic degrees and titles. Publication activity of scientific authors from Kazakhstan was found to be higher than that from other countries in the Central Asian region. However, there are still many unresolved issues related to the English language barrier, lack of indexing status of local journals, and poor topical education on science writing and editing. As such, the number of articles published in 'predatory' journals remains sizable, and there are concerns over authors' negligence and plagiarism. The global solution to the discussed problems may be achieved by educating researchers, authors, reviewers, and editors. PMID:26713071

Skin Color, Cultural Capital, and Beauty Products: An Investigation of the Use of Skin Fairness Products in Mumbai, India

PubMed Central

Shroff, Hemal; Diedrichs, Phillippa C.; Craddock, Nadia

2018-01-01

The use of skin fairness products that frequently contain toxic ingredients is associated with significant adverse health side effects. Due to the high prevalence of use in Asian and African countries, skin fairness product use is recognized as a growing public health concern. The multi-million-dollar skin fairness product industry has also been criticized for perpetuating racism and social inequalities by reinforcing beliefs about the benefits of skin fairness for cultural capital. No quantitative studies have assessed people’s beliefs about fairness and reasons for using or not using these products in India, one of the largest global markets for skin fairness products. The current study explored skin fairness product use among 1,992 women and men aged 16–60 years in the city of Mumbai, India using a self-report questionnaire. A total of 37.6% of the sample reported currently using skin fairness products, with women being two times more likely to use these products. Among current users, 17% reported past experiences of adverse side effects, and “Media/TV/Adverts” were the most common prompts for using fairness products, followed by “Friends” and “Family.” Men were significantly more likely than women to endorse beliefs about fairness being more attractive and were more likely to perceive family and peers as viewing fairness as beneficial for cultural capital. There were no differences between women and men currently using products in their desire to look as fair as media celebrities. Among non-users, women were significantly more likely than men to report concerns about product efficacy and side effects as reasons for non-use, while men were significantly more likely to report socioeconomic reasons for non-use. Implications of these findings are discussed in light of growing public health concerns about the use of fairness products, and potential for advocacy and public health interventions to address the use of skin fairness products. PMID:29410952

Future directions of ecosystem science

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baron, Jill S.; Galvin, Kathleen A.

1990-01-01

Scientific knowledge about ecosystem structure and function has expanded greatly during the past few decades. Terrestrial and aquatic nutrient cycling, ecosystem energetics, population dynamics, belowground processes, and food webs have been studied at the plot, stand, watershed, and landscape levels at many locations around the globe. Ideas about terrestrial-atmospheric interactions and human interference in these processes have changed dramatically. There is new appreciation of the need to incorporate into ecosystem studies the interactions between human populations and the ecosystem, not only because humans affect ecosystem processes, but because these systems support human populations (Glantz 1988, Holden 1988, Parry et al. 1988, WCED 1987). Recent advances in ecosystem science are due, in part, to technological improvements in computing power, new laboratory and field physical and chemical analytical techniques, and satellite imagery for remote sensing of Earth's structure and dynamics. Modeling and geographic information systems have provided the capability for integrating multiple data sets with process simulations to generate hypotheses about regional ecosystem function. Concurrent with these scientific developments has been a growing concern about the links between the health of the environment and world-wide industrial, land, and resource-management practices. Environmental damage at the local level was widely recognized in the 1960s, prompting the environmental movement of that decade. Regional environmental problems with multiple effects and politically difficult solutions have been perceived more recently; the issue of acidic deposition provides an example of such a second-generation concern (Clark and Holling 1985). Today there is a growing awareness of global-scale environmental degradation brought about by the combined actions of all peoples on Earth (Clark 1989, Woodmansee et al. 1988). The three levels of environmental concern--local, regional, and global--have not replaced one another (Clark and Holling 1985). Instead, the effects are superimposed, creating what some perceive as impending global environmental crisis (Clark 1989, MacNeill 1989, WCED 1987). Public demands are developing for economic, political, social, and environmental efforts directed toward creating a state of global sustainability.

Skin Color, Cultural Capital, and Beauty Products: An Investigation of the Use of Skin Fairness Products in Mumbai, India.

PubMed

Shroff, Hemal; Diedrichs, Phillippa C; Craddock, Nadia

2017-01-01

The use of skin fairness products that frequently contain toxic ingredients is associated with significant adverse health side effects. Due to the high prevalence of use in Asian and African countries, skin fairness product use is recognized as a growing public health concern. The multi-million-dollar skin fairness product industry has also been criticized for perpetuating racism and social inequalities by reinforcing beliefs about the benefits of skin fairness for cultural capital. No quantitative studies have assessed people's beliefs about fairness and reasons for using or not using these products in India, one of the largest global markets for skin fairness products. The current study explored skin fairness product use among 1,992 women and men aged 16-60 years in the city of Mumbai, India using a self-report questionnaire. A total of 37.6% of the sample reported currently using skin fairness products, with women being two times more likely to use these products. Among current users, 17% reported past experiences of adverse side effects, and "Media/TV/Adverts" were the most common prompts for using fairness products, followed by "Friends" and "Family." Men were significantly more likely than women to endorse beliefs about fairness being more attractive and were more likely to perceive family and peers as viewing fairness as beneficial for cultural capital. There were no differences between women and men currently using products in their desire to look as fair as media celebrities. Among non-users, women were significantly more likely than men to report concerns about product efficacy and side effects as reasons for non-use, while men were significantly more likely to report socioeconomic reasons for non-use. Implications of these findings are discussed in light of growing public health concerns about the use of fairness products, and potential for advocacy and public health interventions to address the use of skin fairness products.

Patterns and causes of gender differences in smoking.

PubMed

Waldron, I

1991-01-01

In the early twentieth century in the United States and other Western countries, women were much less likely than men to smoke cigarettes, due in part to widespread social disapproval of women's smoking. During the mid-twentieth century, growing social acceptance of women's smoking contributed to increased smoking adoption by women. Increased social acceptance of women's smoking was part of a general liberalization of norms concerning women's behavior, reflecting increasing equality between the sexes. These historical trends were due in part to increases in women's employment. However, in the contemporary period employment appears to have little or no effect on women's smoking. Sex role norms and general expectations concerning gender-appropriate behavior have had a variety of effects on gender differences in smoking. First, general characteristics of traditional sex roles, including men's greater social power and generally greater restrictions on women's behavior, contributed to widespread social pressures against women's smoking. Second, traditional sex role norms and expectations have fostered gender differences in personal characteristics and experiences which influence smoking adoption. For example, rebelliousness has been more expected and accepted for males, and greater rebelliousness among adolescent males has contributed to greater smoking adoption by males. Finally, certain aspects of sex roles have contributed to gender differences in appraisal of the costs and benefits of smoking. For example, physical attractiveness is emphasized more for females and the contemporary beauty ideal is very slender, so females are more likely to view weight control as a benefit of smoking. Several other hypotheses concerning the causes of gender differences in smoking are not supported by the available evidence. For example, it appears that women's generally greater concern with health has not contributed significantly to gender differences in the prevalence of smoking. Similarly, it appears that sex differences in physiological responses to smoking have made only minor contributions to gender differences in smoking adoption or cessation.

Stories of English Teacher Mentor Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Julie

2017-01-01

There is ever-growing concern in the education community over increasing teacher attrition rates. Many have argued mentoring is one answer to that concern, at both the pre-service teacher and induction levels. However, researchers have given little attention to a key component of mentoring: retaining the mentors themselves. Compensation may be a…

Selective Attention and Attention Switching: Towards a Unified Developmental Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanania, Rima; Smith, Linda B.

2010-01-01

We review and relate two literatures on the development of attention in children: one concerning flexible attention switching and the other concerning selective attention. The first is a growing literature on preschool children's performances in an attention-switching task indicating that children become more flexible in their attentional control…

State Workforce Policy Initiative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Public/Private Ventures, Philadelphia, PA.

Surging demand for workers, growing income inequality, and passage of welfare reforms have made work force development one of the United States' key national concerns. Public/Private Ventures has been working with various states to design work force development strategies that seek to address the concerns of many work force development specialists…

Problem Based Learning: An Alternative to Traditional Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rouse, Michael W.

1990-01-01

A growing number of health care educators are concerned with the effectiveness of the traditional approach for educating health care practitioners. The problem-based learning approach has been advocated as an effective alternative method for addressing many current concerns and for producing a more effective doctor. (Author/MSE)

Reduction-in-Force (RIF). A Legal Memorandum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zirkel, Perry A.; Bargerstock, Charles T.

This legal memorandum provides an overview of the growing body of legislation and litigation concerning reduction in force (RIF). The focus of the article is the suspension or dismissal of teachers for reasons unrelated to their competence or behavior. Cases concerning other professional personnel such as principals, or other staffing strategies…

Enhancing Home-School Collaboration through Children's Expression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuen, Lai Ha

2011-01-01

There is a growing concern within the early childhood education sector to empower parents to support the education of young children. Research has shown the importance of home support in early childhood learning and development. Working within the context of a school improvement project, the researcher responded to parents' concerns towards…

The Growing Concerns Regarding School Resource Officers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Joseph B.; Katsiyannis, Antonis; Counts, Jennifer M.; Shelnut, Jill C.

2018-01-01

There have been an increasing number of incidents in which school resource officers (SRO) have been used to manage student disciplinary issues with disastrous results. Court cases brought by parents and advocacy groups claim SROs have traumatized and injured students. This article addresses several critical issues concerning SROs being used to…

How Justice System Officials View Wrongful Convictions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Brad; Zalman, Marvin; Kiger, Angie

2011-01-01

The wrongful conviction of factually innocent people is a growing concern within the United States. Reforms generated by this concern are predicated in part on the views of justice system participants. The authors surveyed judges, police officials, prosecutors, and defense lawyers in Michigan regarding their views of why wrongful convictions…

Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone Criticism Grows.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaard, Greta

1995-01-01

Discusses concerns related to the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone in the United States and other countries. Analyses the issue from the perspectives of animal rights, human health, world hunger, concerns of small and organic farmers, costs to the taxpayer, and environmental questions. A sidebar discusses Canadian review of the hormone.…

Lead in Urban Soils: A Real or Perceived Concern for Urban Agriculture?

PubMed

Brown, Sally L; Chaney, Rufus L; Hettiarachchi, Ganga M

2016-01-01

Urban agriculture is growing in cities across the United States. It has the potential to provide multiple benefits, including increased food security. Concerns about soil contamination in urban areas can be an impediment to urban agriculture. Lead is the most common contaminant in urban areas. In this paper, direct (soil ingestion via outdoor and indoor exposure) and indirect (consumption of food grown in Pb-contaminated soils) exposure pathways are reviewed. It is highly unlikely that urban agriculture will increase incidences of elevated blood Pb for children in urban areas. This is due to the high likelihood that agriculture will improve soils in urban areas, resulting in reduced bioavailability of soil Pb and reduced fugitive dust. Plant uptake of Pb is also typically very low. The exceptions are low-growing leafy crops where soil-splash particle contamination is more likely and expanded hypocotyl root vegetables (e.g., carrot). However, even with higher bioaccumulation factors, it is not clear that the Pb in root vegetables or any other crops will be absorbed after eating. Studies have shown limited absorption of Pb when ingested with food. Best management practices to assure minimal potential for exposure are also common practices in urban gardens. These include the use of residuals-based composts and soil amendments and attention to keeping soil out of homes. This review suggests that benefits associated with urban agriculture far outweigh any risks posed by elevated soil Pb. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Drug-induced life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death: A clinical perspective of long QT, short QT and Brugada syndromes.

PubMed

Ramalho, Diogo; Freitas, João

2018-05-01

Sudden cardiac death is a major public health challenge, which can be caused by genetic or acquired structural or electrophysiological abnormalities. These abnormalities include hereditary channelopathies: long QT, short QT and Brugada syndromes. These syndromes are a notable concern, particularly in young people, due to their high propensity for severe ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Current evidence suggests the involvement of an increasing number of drugs in acquired forms of long QT and Brugada syndromes. However, drug-induced short QT syndrome is still a rarely reported condition. Therefore, there has been speculation on its clinical significance, since few fatal arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death cases have been described so far. Drug-induced proarrhythmia is a growing challenge for physicians, regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry. Physicians should weigh the risks of potentially fatal outcomes against the therapeutic benefits, when making decisions about drug prescriptions. Growing concerns about its safety and the need for more accurate predictive models for drug-induced fatal outcomes justify further research in these fields. The aim of this article is to comprehensively and critically review the recently published evidence with regard to drug-induced life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. This article will take into account the provision of data to physicians that are useful in the identification of the culprit drugs, and thus, contribute to the prompt recognition and management of these serious clinical conditions. Copyright © 2018 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Struggling with growing bodies within silence and denial: Perspectives of HIV and AIDS among youth in Rural Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

Chikovore, Jeremiah; Nystrom, Lennarth; Lindmark, Gunilla; Ahlberg, Beth Maina

2013-01-01

Concerns regarding HIV and AIDS were elicited from 546 school youth (51% female, age range 9–25 years) in a Zimbabwean rural district, through a self-generated question writing process. Concerns emerged around how to avoid infection at a time when they were undergoing secondary sexual development, had growing feelings for love and were even engaging in sexual activity, but had limited access to preventive methods due to denial by the adult world. Fears were expressed regarding how to tell one’s HIV status, even just after sex. HIV and AIDS were visualised in terms of suffering, loneliness, quarantine and death. The youth stressed they would have difficulties communicating with other people should they suspect or find they are infected with HIV, as this would imply they had been sexually active. They seemed to have knowledge around HIV and AIDS that either was incomplete, or they could not apply given a context of silence and denial around their sexuality. Some of the knowledge was coloured with misconceptions, suggesting contradictory information from multiple sources. After more than two decades, the scenario portrayed raises questions about interventions targeting young people. The question is why is their situation in this state when several stakeholders are actively participating in debates and interventions around their well-being? Campaigns and interventions may need to consider young people’s complex social contexts, the factors generating and sustaining their situation, and what role diverse actors and social change processes play in this. PMID:23814546

Energy production for environmental issues in Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuksel, Ibrahim; Arman, Hasan; Halil Demirel, Ibrahim

2017-11-01

Due to the diversification efforts of energy sources, use of natural gas that was newly introduced into Turkish economy, has been growing rapidly. Turkey has large reserves of coal, particularly of lignite. The proven lignite reserves are 8.0 billion tons. The estimated total possible reserves are 30 billion tons. Turkey, with its young population and growing energy demand per person, its fast growing urbanization, and its economic development, has been one of the fast growing power markets of the world for the last two decades. It is expected that the demand for electric energy in Turkey will be 580 billion kWh by the year 2020. Turkey's electric energy demand is growing about 6-8% yearly due to fast economic growing. This paper deals with energy demand and consumption for environmental issues in Turkey.

Conflicts of interest in Australia's IVF industry: an empirical analysis and call for action.

PubMed

Blakely, Brette; Williams, Jane; Mayes, Christopher; Kerridge, Ian; Lipworth, Wendy

2017-11-01

In Australia, the growing assisted reproductive technologies (ART) industry has recently received some public criticism. Much of this criticism centres on the concern that doctors are increasingly motivated by profit, rather than patient interests. These concerns appear to suggest that the growing business of ART generates conflicts of interest (COI) for clinicians. While media reports may be rhetorically compelling, claims that ART practice is distorted by COI must be supported by empirical evidence. This preliminary study sought to engage with people involved with the ART industry and map out their concerns related to COI in ART. A small convenience sample of eight professionals was interviewed. Here, we present the major themes uncovered, including a richer understanding of the 'interests' of various parties involved in Australian ART. We then propose a strategy for how this topic could be constructively explored.

Child Sexual Abuse: A School Leadership Issue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Mark W.

2010-01-01

Child Sexual Abuse is a growing epidemic. In the United States, 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls will be sexually abused before reaching adulthood. From a legal standpoint, inappropriate sexual relations between a faculty/staff member and a student are a growing national concern. In 1991, the Supreme Court heard the Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public…

Wild grapevine management

Treesearch

H. Clay Smith

1989-01-01

Wild grapevines are a problem for forest managers in many areas of the central hardwood forests. The vines grow on a wide range of soil and site conditions but usually are more concentrated on good sites (northern red oak site index 70 and above), on the faster growing more valuable timber. Presently there is more interest and concern in controlling grapevine for the...

Meeting the Challenge: Teaching Strategies for Adult Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goddu, Kevin

2012-01-01

This article begins with a scenario that reflects a growing concern for both teacher and adult learner in today's college history classroom. A student in his sixties remembers his experience as a young man growing up during this time period in American history, while the professor knows only what others have told him plus the scholarly works he…

Analysis of the interaction between timber markets and the forest resources of Maine

Treesearch

William G. Luppold; Paul E. Sendak

2004-01-01

The abundant timber resources of Maine are critical to the State's timber economy; thus, when the 1995 forest inventory indicated a 20% decline in softwood growing stock, there was great concern by industry and government. Furthermore, declining near-term softwood growing stock levels were forecast. To better understand what was occurring in Maine's forest,...

Analysis of the Interaction Between Timber Markets and the Forest Resources of Maine

Treesearch

William G. Luppold

2004-01-01

The abundant timber resources of Maine are critical to the State's timber economy; thus, when the 1995 forest inventory indicated a 20% decline in softwood growing stock, there was great concern by industry and government. Furthermore, declining near-term softwood growing stock levels were forecast. To better understand what was occurring in Maine's forest,...

Growing Wealth Gaps in Education. National Poverty Center Working Paper Series #16-06

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfeffer, Fabian

2016-01-01

Prior research on trends in educational inequality has focused chiefly on changing gaps in educational attainment by family income or parental occupation. In contrast, this contribution provides the first assessment of trends in educational attainment by family wealth and suggests that we should be at least as much concerned about growing wealth…

Knowledge Creation and Deployment in the Small, but Growing, Enterprise and the Psychological Contract

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leach, Tony

2010-01-01

This paper contains an account of a small scale investigation into the usefulness of the concepts of the learning organisation and organisational learning when seeking to describe the processes of knowledge creation and deployment within the small, but growing, enterprise (SME). A review of the literature reveals a concern that the relationship…

Where English, Neoliberalism, Desire and Internationalization Are Alive and Kicking: Higher Education in Saudi Arabia Today

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ha, Phan Le; Barnawi, Osman Z.

2015-01-01

The internationalization of higher education globally continues to grow more and more towards commercialization and neoliberalism paths, despite growing concerns about the underlying consequences. Building further on our work and using Saudi Arabia as a national case, this article critically investigates how and in what ways the Saudi government's…

Environmental impacts the of production and use of biodiesel.

PubMed

Živković, Snežana; Veljković, Milan

2018-01-01

Biodiesel as renewable, environmental friendly, less toxic, and biodegradable is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels and is produced mainly from vegetable oils and animal fats. It is expected, globally, that the use of renewable biofuels, in general, will increase rapidly in the near future. The growing biodiesel production and usage have encouraged assessment of its impact on the environment. The present paper reviews various aspects of biodiesel production using commercial processing technology and biodiesel use through evaluation and analysis of the studies concerning environmental impacts of biodiesel. As a general conclusion, it can be said that biodiesel has the potential to offer a series of perceived benefits such as political, economical, and agricultural, as well as environmental (due to its biodegradability, less toxicity, renewability) and health (greenhouse gas-saving, less harmful exhaust emissions).

Income inequality in the developing world.

PubMed

Ravallion, Martin

2014-05-23

Should income inequality be of concern in developing countries? New data reveal less income inequality in the developing world than 30 years ago. However, this is due to falling inequality between countries. Average inequality within developing countries has been slowly rising, though staying fairly flat since 2000. As a rule, higher rates of growth in average incomes have not put upward pressure on inequality within countries. Growth has generally helped reduce the incidence of absolute poverty, but less so in more unequal countries. High inequality also threatens to stall future progress against poverty by attenuating growth prospects. Perceptions of rising absolute gaps in living standards between the rich and the poor in growing economies are also consistent with the evidence. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Environmental management as a pillar for sustainable development.

PubMed

Mikulčić, Hrvoje; Duić, Neven; Dewil, Raf

2017-12-01

There is a growing concern about how to minimize the impact of human activities on the environment. Already nowadays, in some places adaptation efforts are needed in order to avoid the irreversibility of negative human activities. Due to climate changes, and corresponding environmental and social changes, there is a great need for a more sustainable development of mankind. Over the years, research studies that analyzed the sustainable development of different communities with a multi-disciplinary approach, stressed the necessity of preserving the environment for next generations. Therefore, responsible and conscientious management of the environment is a pillar of the sustainable development concept. This review introduction article provides an overview of the recent top scientific publications related to sustainable development that mostly originated from previous SDEWES conferences. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing the Ecophysiology of Methanogens in the Context of Recent Astrobiological and Planetological Studies

PubMed Central

Taubner, Ruth-Sophie; Schleper, Christa; Firneis, Maria G.; Rittmann, Simon K.-M. R.

2015-01-01

Among all known microbes capable of thriving under extreme and, therefore, potentially extraterrestrial environmental conditions, methanogens from the domain Archaea are intriguing organisms. This is due to their broad metabolic versatility, enormous diversity, and ability to grow under extreme environmental conditions. Several studies revealed that growth conditions of methanogens are compatible with environmental conditions on extraterrestrial bodies throughout the Solar System. Hence, life in the Solar System might not be limited to the classical habitable zone. In this contribution we assess the main ecophysiological characteristics of methanogens and compare these to the environmental conditions of putative habitats in the Solar System, in particular Mars and icy moons. Eventually, we give an outlook on the feasibility and the necessity of future astrobiological studies concerning methanogens. PMID:26703739

Cotton gin trash in the western United States: Resource inventory and energy conversion characterization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haase, S.G.; Quinn, M.W.; Whittier, J.P.

1993-12-31

The disposal of wastes associated with the processing of cotton is posing increasing problems for cotton gin operators in the western United States. Traditional disposal methods, such as open-air incineration and landfilling are no longer adequate due to increasing environmental concerns. This paper evaluates the technical, economic and environmental feasibility for cotton gin trash to serve as an energy resource. Cotton gin trash has been quantified, by county, in the five cotton-growing states of the western United States. The energy conversion technology that appears to offer the most promise is gasification. An economic evaluation model has been developed that willmore » allow gin operators to analyze their own situation to determine the profitability of converting gin trash to energy.« less

Chinese ethnic meat products: Continuity and development.

PubMed

Zeng, Weicai; Wen, Wenting; Deng, Yue; Tian, Yuanyuan; Sun, Honghu; Sun, Qun

2016-10-01

With their distinctive sensory characterizations and unique processing technologies, Chinese ethnic meat products possess great potential for development and continuity in modern China's meat industry. Due to the greater demand for meat products and higher quality and safety concerns in economically fast growing China, the development and continuity of ethnic meat products face its own unique challenges. In this review, the classification of typical ethnic products and their characteristics, and the research progress on their quality and processing technologies are discussed. The application of innovative and green technologies to improve the safety and quality of ethnic meat products for greater industrialization and sustainable development is highlighted. Furthermore, the strategy for promoting the production of Chinese ethnic meat products during the next five years is presented. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supporting Children with Mental Health Concerns in Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Climie, Emma; Altomare, Alyssa A.

2013-01-01

There are a growing number of children who begin to develop mental concerns during the school-age years. As such, it is important that schools recognize and understand mental health issues and are actively engaged in supporting these students. This article provides a review of mental health in schools, highlighting the importance of school-health…

Sino-Indian War 1962 -- Where do India and China Stand Today?

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-14

interests in Nepal stem from its concerns over movement of large numbers of Tibetans into Nepal . Therefore, India is not only concerned with growing...Tibetan refugee community. Beijing has been pressing Nepal to tighten its borders with Tibet, which has led to a major decrease in the number of

Criminalizing Attractions: Perceptions of Stalking and the Stalker

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinkade, Patrick; Burns, Ronald; Fuentes, Angel Ilarraza

2005-01-01

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the conceptualization of the predatory stalker came to the forefront of the criminal concerns imagined by the American public. With this growing public concern and the associated media coverage, legislation designed to enhance punishments against those who might stalk became a political asset and a significant…

Lead in urban soils - A real or perceived concern for urban agriculture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Urban agriculture is growing in cities across the U.S. and it has the potential to provide multiple benefits including increased food security. Concerns about soil contamination in urban areas can be an impediment to urban agriculture. Lead is the most common contaminant in urban areas. A review ...

Starting and Running an REU for Minorities and Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davenport, Dennis E.; Porter, Bonita

2008-01-01

The decreasing number of U.S. citizens with advanced degrees in the mathematical sciences is a growing concern. Also of concern is the small number of advanced degrees in the sciences going to African Americans, Latinos, and women. Several Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs have been developed to address these issues. In this…

Developing Students' Emotional Well-Being in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Chunlei; Buchanan, Andrew

2014-01-01

There is a growing concern in general education and physical education about students' emotional well-being. However, there is minimal literature addressing what emotional well-being is and how it can be developed in physical education. To examine these concerns, this article presents the following findings: a review of relevant literature…

Nurse Educators' Lived Experiences with Student Incivility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Myrna Milwee

2011-01-01

Incivility is currently a topic of concern in nursing and higher education. There is a serious and growing concern on college campuses across the United States as many forms of incivility are occurring, ranging from offensive language and rude behavior to hostility and violent behavior. The problem this study addresses is the need for specific…

Trafficking and Immigration Policy: Intersections, Inconsistencies, and Implications for Public Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lemke, Melinda

2017-01-01

A growing body of interdisciplinary research examines the dynamics of, policies concerning, and implications of large-scale contemporary displacement in the United States. Yet less of this research explores the intersections of policies concerned with and normative understandings of displacement as both relate to U.S. schooling. This article…

Implementation Study of Smaller Learning Communities. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernstein, Lawrence; Millsap, Mary Ann; Schimmenti, Jennifer; Page, Lindsay

2008-01-01

The Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) program was established in response to growing national concerns about students too often lost and alienated in large, impersonal high schools, as well as concerns about school safety and low levels of achievement and graduation for many students. Authorized under the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act,"…

Alcoholism among Hispanics--A Growing Concern.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Rolando

1979-01-01

A major concern to anyone involved in the alcoholism field is the basic understanding of alcoholism as a disease that Hispanics have not yet completely accepted. Hispanics have usually labeled the use of alcoholic beverages as being embedded into Hispanic culture and have viewed alcoholism as an individual weakness to be endured in silence. (NQ)

Employer Interest in Child Care Growing and Diversifying.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neugebauer, Roger

1993-01-01

Continuing employer interest in child care reflects the fact that child care is still a major concern for employees. Discusses trends related to the positive results of child care; the leading role of bigger companies; employers' concerns regarding equity, liability, and cost; a more diversified response to meeting employees' child-care needs; and…

Hybrid poplars: fast-growing, disease-resistant species has multiple uses

Treesearch

Ronald S., Jr. Zalesny

2004-01-01

The production of alternative fuels as a source of energy is a focus of concern in the United States. Intensively cultured hybrid poplar plantations have been used to supplement industrial fiber supplies in several areas of the United States, and have therefore gained attention in the North Central region. Attention is focused on poplars because they are fast growing...

Fathers & Babies: How Babies Grow and What They Need from You, from Birth to 18 Months.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marzollo, Jean

This book provides fathers with specific developmental theory and practical skills and advice concerning how babies grow and what they need from fathers from the time they are born until they turn 18 months. Each chapter provides information and theory on age appropriate play activities and specific information on a baby's growth and developmental…

Impacts of Growing-Season Prescibed Burns in the Florida Pine Flatwoods Type

Treesearch

Kenneth W. Outcalt; John L. Foltz

2004-01-01

A considerable amount of experience and knowledge has been gained in the application of growing-season burning in pine communities across the Southeast. However, there is still concern that burning during this season will cause increased tree mortality and/or growth loss. Pine flatwoods stands in south Florida with 3 years of fuel accumulation were burned during the...

Child Obesity in Indiana: A Growing Public Policy Concern. Education Policy Brief. Volume 3, Number 1, Winter 2005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cline, Kyle P.; Spradlin, Terry E.; Plucker, Jonathan A.

2005-01-01

Childhood and adolescent obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions in the United States and are growing. The sedentary routines found in schools and in the home as well as the overexposure to unhealthy snacks and nonnutritional foods contribute to the pervasiveness of this disease that afflicts America's children. Obese children face…

Think outside the Clock: Planners Link After-School Programs to Classroom Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Staff Development, 2011

2011-01-01

In recent years, growing numbers of policymakers, city officials, and educators have been eyeing the expanse of time outside the education prime time and asking a simple question: What can communities do to help children grow and learn after the school bell rings? The concern is that too many children and teens, especially the poor, are left to…

Student Loan Debt: Trends Affecting the American Dream

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greiner, Keith

2007-01-01

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in college access and with it, a growing concern about the debt incurred by students. Analysts on all sides suggest a variety of causes and solutions to this very complex problem. This paper presents a collection of informational items that can be seen as both disparate and connected. We can see…

"A Highly Selected Strain of Guinea Pigs": The Westinghouse Science Talent Search and Educational Meritocracy, 1942-1958

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terzian, Sevan G.; Rury, John L.

2014-01-01

Overview: This article examines the Westinghouse Science Talent Search over the first sixteen years of its operation. A national contest involving thousands of high school seniors annually, it reflected a growing national concern with developing scientific manpower in the midst of global conflict, the Cold War, and a growing military-industrial…

The visual management system of the Forest Service, USDA

Treesearch

Warren R. Bacon

1979-01-01

The National Forest Landscape Management Program began, as a formal program, at a Servicewide meeting in St. Louis in 1969 in response to growing agency and public concern for the visual resource. It is now an accepted part of National Forest management and is supported by a large and growing foundation of handbooks, research papers, and audio/visual programs. This...

Genome wide association of changes in feeding behavior due to heat stress in pigs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Heat stress negatively impacts pork production, losses include decreased growth, reduced feed intake, and mortality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify genetic markers associated with changes in feeding behavior due to heat stress in grow-finish pigs. Data were collected on grow-...

Warmer and Wetter Soil Stimulates Assimilation More than Respiration in Rainfed Agricultural Ecosystem on the China Loess Plateau: The Role of Partial Plastic Film Mulching Tillage.

PubMed

Gong, Daozhi; Hao, Weiping; Mei, Xurong; Gao, Xiang; Liu, Qi; Caylor, Kelly

2015-01-01

Effects of agricultural practices on ecosystem carbon storage have acquired widespread concern due to its alleviation of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Recently, combining of furrow-ridge with plastic film mulching in spring maize ecosystem was widely applied to boost crop water productivity in the semiarid regions of China. However, there is still limited information about the potentials for increased ecosystem carbon storage of this tillage method. The objective of this study was to quantify and contrast net carbon dioxide exchange, biomass accumulation and carbon budgets of maize (Zea maize L.) fields under the traditional non-mulching with flat tillage (CK) and partial plastic film mulching with furrow-ridge tillage (MFR) on the China Loess Plateau. Half-hourly net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) of both treatments were synchronously measured with two eddy covariance systems during the growing seasons of 2011 through 2013. At same time green leaf area index (GLAI) and biomass were also measured biweekly. Compared with CK, the warmer and wetter (+1.3°C and +4.3%) top soil at MFR accelerated the rates of biomass accumulation, promoted greater green leaf area and thus shortened the growing seasons by an average value of 10.4 days for three years. MFR stimulated assimilation more than respiration during whole growing season, resulting in a higher carbon sequestration in terms of NEE of -79 gC/m2 than CK. However, after considering carbon in harvested grain (or aboveground biomass), there is a slight higher carbon sink (or a stronger carbon source) in MFR due to its greater difference of aboveground biomass than that of grain between both treatments. These results demonstrate that partial plastic film mulched furrow-ridge tillage with aboveground biomass exclusive of grain returned to the soil is an effective way to enhance simultaneously carbon sequestration and grain yield of maize in the semiarid regions.

Warmer and Wetter Soil Stimulates Assimilation More than Respiration in Rainfed Agricultural Ecosystem on the China Loess Plateau: The Role of Partial Plastic Film Mulching Tillage

PubMed Central

Gong, Daozhi; Hao, Weiping; Mei, Xurong; Gao, Xiang; Liu, Qi; Caylor, Kelly

2015-01-01

Effects of agricultural practices on ecosystem carbon storage have acquired widespread concern due to its alleviation of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Recently, combining of furrow-ridge with plastic film mulching in spring maize ecosystem was widely applied to boost crop water productivity in the semiarid regions of China. However, there is still limited information about the potentials for increased ecosystem carbon storage of this tillage method. The objective of this study was to quantify and contrast net carbon dioxide exchange, biomass accumulation and carbon budgets of maize (Zea maize L.) fields under the traditional non-mulching with flat tillage (CK) and partial plastic film mulching with furrow-ridge tillage (MFR) on the China Loess Plateau. Half-hourly net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) of both treatments were synchronously measured with two eddy covariance systems during the growing seasons of 2011 through 2013. At same time green leaf area index (GLAI) and biomass were also measured biweekly. Compared with CK, the warmer and wetter (+1.3°C and +4.3%) top soil at MFR accelerated the rates of biomass accumulation, promoted greater green leaf area and thus shortened the growing seasons by an average value of 10.4 days for three years. MFR stimulated assimilation more than respiration during whole growing season, resulting in a higher carbon sequestration in terms of NEE of -79 gC/m2 than CK. However, after considering carbon in harvested grain (or aboveground biomass), there is a slight higher carbon sink (or a stronger carbon source) in MFR due to its greater difference of aboveground biomass than that of grain between both treatments. These results demonstrate that partial plastic film mulched furrow-ridge tillage with aboveground biomass exclusive of grain returned to the soil is an effective way to enhance simultaneously carbon sequestration and grain yield of maize in the semiarid regions. PMID:26305354

Smoking trends among women in India: Analysis of nationally representative surveys (1993-2009).

PubMed

Goel, Sonu; Tripathy, Jaya Prasad; Singh, Rana J; Lal, Pranay

2014-10-01

There is growing concern among policy makers with respect to alarming growth in smoking prevalence among women in the developing countries. USING DISAGGREGATED DATA FROM FIVE NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEYS: Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2010, National Family Health Survey-III (NFHS-III) 2004-2005, NFHS-II 1998-1999, National Sample Survey (NSS) 52(nd) Round 1995-1996, NSS 50(th) Round 1993-1994 we analysed female smoking trend from 1993-2009. Tobacco use among females was monitored for almost two decades focusing on gender, literacy, and state-specific trends among respondents aged >15 years. Smoking use among women has doubled from 1.4% to 2.9% (P < 0.001) during the period 2005-2010. The prevalence of smoking increased with decrease in per capita State Gross Domestic Product and literacy status for both men and women. As the overall smoking prevalence grows, female smoking is growing at a faster rate than smoking among males, which is an emerging concern for tobacco control in India and requires the attention of policymakers.

Establishing the Global Fresh Water Sensor Web

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hildebrand, Peter H.

2005-01-01

This paper presents an approach to measuring the major components of the water cycle from space using the concept of a sensor-web of satellites that are linked to a data assimilation system. This topic is of increasing importance, due to the need for fresh water to support the growing human population, coupled with climate variability and change. The net effect is that water is an increasingly valuable commodity. The distribution of fresh water is highly uneven over the Earth, with both strong latitudinal distributions due to the atmospheric general circulation, and even larger variability due to landforms and the interaction of land with global weather systems. The annual global fresh water budget is largely a balance between evaporation, atmospheric transport, precipitation and runoff. Although the available volume of fresh water on land is small, the short residence time of water in these fresh water reservoirs causes the flux of fresh water - through evaporation, atmospheric transport, precipitation and runoff - to be large. With a total atmospheric water store of approx. 13 x 10(exp 12)cu m, and an annual flux of approx. 460 x 10(exp 12)cu m/y, the mean atmospheric residence time of water is approx. 10 days. River residence times are similar, biological are approx. 1 week, soil moisture is approx. 2 months, and lakes and aquifers are highly variable, extending from weeks to years. The hypothesized potential for redistribution and acceleration of the global hydrological cycle is therefore of concern. This hypothesized speed-up - thought to be associated with global warming - adds to the pressure placed upon water resources by the burgeoning human population, the variability of weather and climate, and concerns about anthropogenic impacts on global fresh water availability.

Environmental evaluation of eicosapentaenoic acid production by Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

PubMed

Pérez-López, Paula; González-García, Sara; Allewaert, Céline; Verween, Annick; Murray, Patrick; Feijoo, Gumersindo; Moreira, Ma Teresa

2014-01-01

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play an important role in human health. Due to the increased market demand, the production of PUFAs from potential alternative sources such as microalgae is receiving increased interest. The aim of this study was to perform a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the biotechnological production of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) from the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, followed by the identification of avenues to improve its environmental profile. The LCA tackles two production schemes of P. tricornutum PUFAs with an EPA content of 36%: lab and pilot scales. The results at lab scale show that both the electricity requirements and the production of the extraction agent (chloroform) have significant influence on the life cycle environmental performance of microalgal EPA production. An alternative method based on hexane was proposed to replace chloroform and environmental benefits were identified. Regarding the production of EPA at pilot scale, three main environmental factors were identified: the production of the nitrogen source required for microalgae growing, the transport activities and electricity requirements. Improvement alternatives were proposed and discussed concerning: a) the use of nitrogen based fertilizers, b) the valorization of the residual algal paste as soil conditioner and, c) the anaerobic digestion of the residual algal paste for bioenergy production. Encouraging environmental benefits could be achieved if sodium nitrate was substituted by urea, calcium nitrate or ammonium nitrate, regardless the category under assessment. In contrast, minor improvement was found when valorizing the residual algal paste as mineral fertilizer, due to its overall low content in N and P. Concerning the biogas production from the anaerobic digestion, the improvement on the environmental profile was also limited due to the discrepancy between the potential energy production from the algal paste and the high electricity requirements in the culturing and extraction stages. © 2013.

Spatio-temporal reconstruction of air temperature maps and their application to estimate rice growing season heat accumulation using multi-temporal MODIS data*

PubMed Central

Zhang, Li-wen; Huang, Jing-feng; Guo, Rui-fang; Li, Xin-xing; Sun, Wen-bo; Wang, Xiu-zhen

2013-01-01

The accumulation of thermal time usually represents the local heat resources to drive crop growth. Maps of temperature-based agro-meteorological indices are commonly generated by the spatial interpolation of data collected from meteorological stations with coarse geographic continuity. To solve the critical problems of estimating air temperature (T a) and filling in missing pixels due to cloudy and low-quality images in growing degree days (GDDs) calculation from remotely sensed data, a novel spatio-temporal algorithm for T a estimation from Terra and Aqua moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data was proposed. This is a preliminary study to calculate heat accumulation, expressed in accumulative growing degree days (AGDDs) above 10 °C, from reconstructed T a based on MODIS land surface temperature (LST) data. The verification results of maximum T a, minimum T a, GDD, and AGDD from MODIS-derived data to meteorological calculation were all satisfied with high correlations over 0.01 significant levels. Overall, MODIS-derived AGDD was slightly underestimated with almost 10% relative error. However, the feasibility of employing AGDD anomaly maps to characterize the 2001–2010 spatio-temporal variability of heat accumulation and estimating the 2011 heat accumulation distribution using only MODIS data was finally demonstrated in the current paper. Our study may supply a novel way to calculate AGDD in heat-related study concerning crop growth monitoring, agricultural climatic regionalization, and agro-meteorological disaster detection at the regional scale. PMID:23365013

Spatio-temporal reconstruction of air temperature maps and their application to estimate rice growing season heat accumulation using multi-temporal MODIS data.

PubMed

Zhang, Li-wen; Huang, Jing-feng; Guo, Rui-fang; Li, Xin-xing; Sun, Wen-bo; Wang, Xiu-zhen

2013-02-01

The accumulation of thermal time usually represents the local heat resources to drive crop growth. Maps of temperature-based agro-meteorological indices are commonly generated by the spatial interpolation of data collected from meteorological stations with coarse geographic continuity. To solve the critical problems of estimating air temperature (T(a)) and filling in missing pixels due to cloudy and low-quality images in growing degree days (GDDs) calculation from remotely sensed data, a novel spatio-temporal algorithm for T(a) estimation from Terra and Aqua moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data was proposed. This is a preliminary study to calculate heat accumulation, expressed in accumulative growing degree days (AGDDs) above 10 °C, from reconstructed T(a) based on MODIS land surface temperature (LST) data. The verification results of maximum T(a), minimum T(a), GDD, and AGDD from MODIS-derived data to meteorological calculation were all satisfied with high correlations over 0.01 significant levels. Overall, MODIS-derived AGDD was slightly underestimated with almost 10% relative error. However, the feasibility of employing AGDD anomaly maps to characterize the 2001-2010 spatio-temporal variability of heat accumulation and estimating the 2011 heat accumulation distribution using only MODIS data was finally demonstrated in the current paper. Our study may supply a novel way to calculate AGDD in heat-related study concerning crop growth monitoring, agricultural climatic regionalization, and agro-meteorological disaster detection at the regional scale.

MERCURY CONCENTRATIONS IN SALMONIDS FROM WESTERN U.S. NATIONAL PARKS AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH AGE AND MACROPHAGE AGGREGATES

EPA Science Inventory

Mercury accumulation in aquatic foodwebs and its effects on aquatic biota are of growing concern both for the health of the fish and the piscivores that prey upon them. This is of particular concern for western U.S. National Parks because it is known that mountainous and Arctic a...

The Numeracies of Boatbuilding: New Numeracies Shaped by Workplace Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zevenbergen, Robyn; Zevenbergen, Kelly

2009-01-01

Within increasing pressure on young people to perform successfully in work, there is a growing concern regarding their levels of numeracy (and literacy). Whether such concerns are founded is the basis of this paper. This paper reports on the numeracy practices undertaken by three young boatbuilders who were nearing the completion of their 4-year…

Who Is Teaching Data: Meeting the Demand for Data Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jeonghyun

2016-01-01

As data has become critical to our everyday lives, a growing concern with the skills gap required to exploit the data surfeit has arisen; library and information science practitioners and educators have recognized this concern. This paper is intended to identify current trends in library and information science education in response to the rising…

Outlook on forest service lands

Treesearch

H. Ken Cordell; Floyd Thompson

2002-01-01

In the world, and in the United States there is growing concern about the future of natural land and water, including forests. A part of this concern is to assure a continued source of opportunity for outdoor recreation and forest-based tourism. In 1994, 12 countries assembled to conceptualize a set of indicators for monitoring the conservation and sustainable...

Teaching Online: Discovering Teacher Concerns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rakes, Glenda C.; Dunn, Karee E.

2015-01-01

Little is known about the degree to which teachers are interested in or value online K-12 education. This is an unfortunate gap in the literature, as online education has been and continues to be a swiftly growing component of the K-12 learning community. This exploratory study sought to measure K-12 preservice and inservice teacher concerns about…

Environmental Sustainability as a Generative Concern: An Exploratory Study of the Narrative Identities of Leaders in the Environmental Sustainability Movement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Tiffany Simons

2009-01-01

Environmental sustainability is one of the most pressing concerns of the twenty-first century, and working toward sustainability will require broad lifestyle and cultural shifts, particularly in industrialized societies. Yet despite a growing recognition of the importance of issues such as climate change, food security, transportation, and…

Cheating in Business Online Learning: Exploring Students' Motivation, Current Practices and Possible Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaskill, Martonia C.

2014-01-01

Cheating has been an area of concern in educational institutions for decades, especially at the undergraduate level. A particular area of concern is the increasing reports of the rise of cheating behaviors and the perceived cheating potential in online learning. As online learning continues to grow and become an integral part of education,…

Standards, Equity, and Advocacy: Employment Conditions of ESOL Teachers in Adult Basic Education and Literacy Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Yilin

2010-01-01

In 2005, TESOL sponsored a survey to respond to the growing concerns of the organization's Adult Education Interest Section (AEIS). The results showed that interest section members were deeply concerned with inequitable workloads, less-than-desirable working conditions, heavy reliance on part-time teachers, and much-needed professional development…

Whatever Happened to Playtime?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, John

2007-01-01

There has been a growing call for recess and lunch breaks to be given more structure in the form of organised games. Two reasons are typically given. One is to try to address the concern about children's lack of fitness by providing them with games designed to get them active. The other arises from concerns about children's behaviour in the…

Investigating Participation in Advanced Level Mathematics: A Study of Student Drop-Out

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noyes, Andrew; Sealey, Paula

2012-01-01

There has, for some years, been a growing concern about participation in university-entrance level mathematics in England and across the developed world. Extensive statistical analyses present the decline but offer little to help us understand the causes. In this paper we explore a concern which cannot be explored through national data-sets,…

Toxicity of harmful cyanobacterial blooms to bream and roach.

PubMed

Trinchet, Isabelle; Cadel-Six, Sabrina; Djediat, Chakib; Marie, Benjamin; Bernard, Cécile; Puiseux-Dao, Simone; Krys, Sophie; Edery, Marc

2013-09-01

Aquatic ecosystems are facing increasing environmental pressures, leading to an increasing frequency of cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (cHABs) that have emerged as a worldwide concern due to their growing frequency and their potential toxicity to the fauna that threatens the functioning of ecosystems. Cyanobacterial blooms raise concerns due to the fact that several strains produce potent bioactive or toxic secondary metabolites, such as the microcystins (MCs), which are hepatotoxic to vertebrates. These strains of cyanobacteria may be potentially toxic to fish via gastrointestinal ingestion and also by direct absorption of the toxin MC from the water. The purpose of our study was to investigate toxic effects observed in fish taken from several lakes in the Ile-de-France region, where MCs-producing blooms occur. This study comprises histological studies and the measurement of MC concentrations in various organs. The histological findings are similar to those obtained following laboratory exposure of medaka fish to MCs: hepatic lesions predominate and include cell lysis and cell detachment. MC concentrations in the organs revealed that accumulation was particularly high in the digestive tract and the liver, which are known to be classical targets of MCs. In contrast concentrations were very low in the muscles. Differences in the accumulation of MC variants produced by blooms indicate that in order to more precisely evaluate the toxic potential of a specific bloom it is necessary not only to consider the concentration of toxins, but also the variants produced. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keeping our charm: residents, growth, and quality of life issues in a small but growing Texas coastal community

Treesearch

Jiaying Lu; Michael A. Schuett

2009-01-01

This study assessed residents' perceptions of quality of life, conservation, and growth in a small, fast-growing coastal community. Data were collected from an on-site survey in Aransas County, TX, from 2006 to 2007. Results show that the residents are concerned about preserving their natural resources, maintaining a small-town atmosphere in their community, and...

Childhood Obesity in Colorado: A Growing Problem--The Impact of the Epidemic and Recommendations for Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trujillo, Tara

2007-01-01

Colorado traditionally has ranked as one of the healthiest states in the nation, a claim that reinforces a culture of activity, community and well-being. Though Colorado is ahead of the curve in this area, Coloradans aren't immune to the growing trends that threaten the health of people across the nation. One of the most concerning elements of…

"I Hope Someone Castrates You, You Perverted Bastard": Martin Cole's Sex Education Film, "Growing Up"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Limond, David

2009-01-01

This paper concerns the response to the sex education film "Growing Up", made in 1971 by Dr Martin Cole, which used a combination of animation and live action to offer a frank and uncompromising account of sexual reproduction. As part of this, both male and female masturbation and an unsimulated act of male-female coitus featured in the…

Exposure to Media Violence and Young Children with and without Disabilities: Powerful Opportunities for Family-Professional Partnerships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erwin, Elizabeth J.; Morton, Naomi

2008-01-01

There is growing concern regarding the amount and type of violence that young children are exposed to on a daily basis. Through media, popular toys and video games violent images are consistently present in children's lives starting at a very young age. This paper discusses (a) the growing presence of young children's exposure to media violence,…

Common wood decay fungi found in the Caribbean Basin

Treesearch

D. Jean Lodge

2016-01-01

There are hundreds of wood-decay fungi in the Caribbean Basin, but relatively few of these are likely to grow on manmade structures built of wood or wood-composites. The wood-decay fungi of greatest concern are those that cause brown-rot, and especially brown-rot fungi that are resistant to copper-based wood preservatives. Some fungi that grow in the Caribbean and...

Removal of Mycobacterium avium subspecies hominissuis (MAH) from drinking water by coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation processes.

PubMed

Wong, E A; Shin, G-A

2015-03-01

There has been a growing concern over human exposure to Mycobacterium avium subspecies hominissuis (MAH) through drinking water due to its ubiquitous presence in natural waters and remarkable resistance to both chemical and physical disinfectants in drinking water treatment processes. However, little is known about the effectiveness of physico-chemical water treatment processes to remove MAH. Therefore, we determined the removal of MAH by alum coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation processes in optimized drinking water treatment conditions using standard jar test equipment. Contrary to the prevailing hypothesis, the results of this study show that removal of MAH by coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation processes was only moderate (approx. 0.65 log10) under low turbidity treatment conditions and the removal of MAH was actually lower than that of Escherichia coli (reference bacterium) in all the waters tested. Overall, the results of this study suggested that coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation processes may not be a reliable treatment option for removing MAH, and more efforts to find an effective control measures against MAH should be made to reduce the risk of MAH infection from drinking water. Despite a growing concern over human exposure to Mycobacterium avium subspecies hominissuis (MAH) through drinking water and its remarkable resistance to water disinfectants, little is known about the effectiveness of physico-chemical water treatment processes to remove MAH. Contrary to the prevailing hypothesis, the results of this study suggest that coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation processes may not be a reliable treatment option for MAH removal. As these processes have been the last remaining conventional drinking water treatment processes that might be effective against MAH, more efforts should be urgently made to find an effective control measures against this important waterborne pathogen. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

[Observational study of craniofacial growth and development in Mexican children].

PubMed

Fijikami, T K; Cedeño Pacheco, E

1991-01-01

The election of a investigation about craniofacial growing and development in Mexican children, was done due to a lack of national information in this rubric and as a fundamental part of the "growing and development in the scholastic" module of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco, which work hypothesis was that "craniofacial growing and development in Mexican, 6 to 12 children in Xochimilco area are due to nutritional deficiency, second dentition eruption delay and dental maloclution "which was totality confirmed in a 100 Mexican facial characteristic children field work study, with cephalometric studies which permit to determine the craniofacial growing standard. This study was corroborated with a 40 children, 4 years later follow up.

Integrated measures for preservation, restoration and improvement of the environmental conditions of the Lagoon Olho d'Agua basin.

PubMed

Florencio, L; Kato, M T; de Lima, E S

2001-06-01

The Lagoon Olho d'Agua in Pernambuco State, Northeast Brazil has received increasing environmental concern due to significant stress from pollution in the catchment. The existing environmental problems are the result of great pressure from a broad range of human activities, especially in the last 10 years. Serious pollution exists mainly from some industrial and urban activities, which increased intensively after the eighties. There is a strong social and economical pressure for housing and construction near the lagoon, due to the available land nearby beaches and estuarine zone, and recently by growing tourism activities. Uncontrolled land use by low-income communities and the pressure for construction by developers have led to landfilling and to deterioration of water quality in the lagoon catchment. Improvement of the environmental conditions in the catchment needs integrated measures. Guidelines and some specific actions involving several institutions have been established and refer to sanitation and urban infrastructure as the main priorities. A main target is the construction of low-cost sewage system with smaller and decentralised treatment plants.

Wind Extraction for Natural Ventilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fagundes, Tadeu; Yaghoobian, Neda; Kumar, Rajan; Ordonez, Juan

2017-11-01

Due to the depletion of energy resources and the environmental impact of pollution and unsustainable energy resources, energy consumption has become one of the main concerns in our rapidly growing world. Natural ventilation, a traditional method to remove anthropogenic and solar heat gains, proved to be a cost-effective, alternative method to mechanical ventilation. However, while natural ventilation is simple in theory, its detailed design can be a challenge, particularly for wind-driven ventilation, which its performance highly involves the buildings' form, surrounding topography, turbulent flow characteristics, and climate. One of the main challenges with wind-driven natural ventilation schemes is due to the turbulent and unpredictable nature of the wind around the building that impose complex pressure loads on the structure. In practice, these challenges have resulted in founding the natural ventilation mainly on buoyancy (rather than the wind), as the primary force. This study is the initial step for investigating the physical principals of wind extraction over building walls and investigating strategies to reduce the dependence of the wind extraction on the incoming flow characteristics and the target building form.

Laboratory formulated magnetic nanoparticles for enhancement of viral gene expression in suspension cell line.

PubMed

Bhattarai, Shanta Raj; Kim, Sun Young; Jang, Kyu Yun; Lee, Ki Chang; Yi, Ho Keun; Lee, Dae Yeol; Kim, Hak Yong; Hwang, Pyoung Han

2008-02-01

One factor critical to successful gene therapy is the development of efficient delivery systems. Although advances in gene transfer technology including viral and non-viral vectors have been made, an ideal vector system has not yet been constructed. Due to the growing concerns over the toxicity and immunogenicity of viral DNA delivery systems, DNA delivery via improve viral routes has become more desirable and advantageous. The ideal improve viral DNA delivery system should be a synthetic materials plus viral vectors. The materials should also be biocompatible, efficient, and modular so that it is tunable to various applications in both research and clinical settings. The successful steps towards this improve viral DNA delivery system is demonstrated: a magnetofection system mediated by modified cationic chitosan-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. Dense colloidal cationic iron oxide nanoparticles serve as an uptake-enhancing component by physical concentration at the cell surface in presence of external magnetic fields; enhanced viral gene expression (3-100-fold) due to the particles is seen as compared to virus vector alone with little virus dose.

Transradial Approach as a Default Route in Coronary Artery Interventions

PubMed Central

Kim, Jang-Young

2011-01-01

Advances in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and peri-procedural potent antithrombotic treatments during the past decade have dramatically improved the outcomes of ischemic heart disease. The femoral artery is the vascular route used in PCI in most catheterization labs. However, when the femoral artery is used as the approaching vessel, local hemorrhagic complication is not rare in the era of potent antithrombotics. Recent studies have suggested that peri-procedural bleeding complications after PCI are associated with increased short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. On the other hand, there has been growing interest in transradial PCI due to rare complications at the puncture site, patient conveniences, early discharge and shortened hospitalization periods. Furthermore, the indications of transradial PCI are expanding to the complex lesion subsets due to the miniaturization of devices used, improvement of devices and techniques, and accumulated experience with the use of transradial PCI. In this review, we discuss the data of transradial PCI as a potential default route in coronary artery interventions, as well as other issues that may raise concerns with transradial PCI. PMID:21359061

Transradial approach as a default route in coronary artery interventions.

PubMed

Kim, Jang-Young; Yoon, Junghan

2011-01-01

Advances in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and peri-procedural potent antithrombotic treatments during the past decade have dramatically improved the outcomes of ischemic heart disease. The femoral artery is the vascular route used in PCI in most catheterization labs. However, when the femoral artery is used as the approaching vessel, local hemorrhagic complication is not rare in the era of potent antithrombotics. Recent studies have suggested that peri-procedural bleeding complications after PCI are associated with increased short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. On the other hand, there has been growing interest in transradial PCI due to rare complications at the puncture site, patient conveniences, early discharge and shortened hospitalization periods. Furthermore, the indications of transradial PCI are expanding to the complex lesion subsets due to the miniaturization of devices used, improvement of devices and techniques, and accumulated experience with the use of transradial PCI. In this review, we discuss the data of transradial PCI as a potential default route in coronary artery interventions, as well as other issues that may raise concerns with transradial PCI.

Rheological characterisation of biologically treated and non-treated putrescible food waste.

PubMed

Baroutian, Saeid; Munir, M T; Sun, Jiyang; Eshtiaghi, Nicky; Young, Brent R

2018-01-01

Food waste is gaining increasing attention worldwide due to growing concerns over its environmental and economic costs. Understanding the rheological behaviour of food waste is critical for effective processing so rheological measurements were carried out for different food waste compositions at 25, 35 and 45 °C. Food waste samples of various origins (carbohydrates, vegetables & fruits, and meat), anaerobically digested and diluted samples were used in this study. The results showed that food waste exhibits shear-thinning flow behaviour and viscosity of food waste is a function of temperature and composition. The composition of food waste affected the flow properties. Viscosity decreased at a given temperature as the proportion of carbohydrate increased. This may be due to the high water content of vegetable & fruits as the total solids fraction is likely to be a key controlling factor of the rheology. The Herschel-Bulkley model was used successfully to model food waste flow behaviour. Also, a higher strain was needed to break down the structure of the food waste as digestion time increased. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radioimmunotherapy in non-Hodgkin lymphoma: opinions of nuclear medicine physicians and radiation oncologists.

PubMed

Schaefer, Niklaus G; Huang, Peng; Buchanan, Julia W; Wahl, Richard L

2011-05-01

Despite approval by the Food and Drug Administration and consistent reports of the efficacy and safety of (90)Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan and (131)I-tositumomab, these therapies are infrequently used. This study investigates the opinions and patterns of the use of radioimmunotherapy by nuclear physicians, affiliated researchers, nuclear medicine technologists, and radiation oncologists and aims to identify possible barriers to the use of this promising therapy. An e-mail-based survey with 13 broad questions related to radioimmunotherapy was sent electronically to 13,221 Society of Nuclear Medicine members and radiation oncologists throughout the United States. Six hundred thirteen individuals (4.6%) responded to the electronic survey. Two hundred fifty-one responders (40.9%) had treated patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with radioimmunotherapy in the last 24 mo. Of the responders, 29.5% used only (90)Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan, 7.6% used only (131)I-tositumomab, and 24.9% used both radiopharmaceuticals; 37.9% did not treat NHL with radioimmunotherapy. Most responders said their patients came from university hospitals (33.9%) or private offices (25.6%), and they mainly treated in a second-line (42.9%), third-line (35.6%), or consolidation (23.5%) setting. Major concerns were that referring oncologists and hematologists wanted to treat by themselves with nonradioactive compounds (mean ± SD, 3.418 ± 1.49) and that (90)Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan and (131)I-tositumomab were expensive (mean ± SD, 3.413 ± 1.35). Of the responders and involved physicians, 40.4% and 35.2%, respectively, did not know if their institution accepted Medicare patients for radioimmunotherapy. Almost 30% (29.6%) of the responders thought radioimmunotherapy would probably grow and 38.0% thought it would grow in importance in the future. Responders who did not administer radioimmunotherapy for NHL thought it took too much time to administer radioimmunotherapy (P < 0.01) and had concerns about the dosimetry procedure (P < 0.01) and radiation safety (P < 0.01). Individuals who perceived a negative future for radioimmunotherapy had significantly more concerns about the time-consuming administration process (P < 0.05) and the high cost of radioimmunotherapy (P < 0.05). Responders from academic centers had significantly fewer concerns about payment (P < 0.01), dosimetry (P < 0.01), and radiation safety (P < 0.01). Radioimmunotherapy was generally viewed positively by the surveyed population. However, limited referrals due to alternative nonradioactive therapies and logistic, educational, and economic concerns played an important role for subgroups in the perception of radioimmunotherapy for NHL.

California energy flow in 1989

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borg, I. Y.; Briggs, C. K.

1991-02-01

California's energy use showed a modest increase (2.2 percent) in 1989 over 1988 which was in keeping with the steady increase in population that the state has experienced annually during the decade. All end-use sectors (residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, etc.) contributed to the growth. The larger demand was met by increased imports of all major fuels. Only electrical imports remained close to 1988 levels, in part due to increased output from Diablo Canyon nuclear plant whose performance exceeded expectations. California's per capita energy consumption has traditionally been below the national average due to the relatively benign climate associated with its centers of population. The largest single use for energy in the state was for transportation, which overtook industrial usage in the 60's. Use of highway fuels continued to grow and reached all time highs in 1989. Highway congestion, a major problem and concern in the state, is anticipated to grow as the number of licensed drivers increases; in 1989 the increase was 3.4 percent. Output from the The Geysers Geothermal fields, the largest in the world, continued to falter as the steam output fell. Nonetheless new resources at the Coso Geothermal Resource Area and at the Wendel Geothermal field came on line during the year, and other geothermal areas were under active development. Novel sources of renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.) grew; however, collectively they made only a small contribution to the overall energy supply. Cogenerated electricity sold to the utilities by small power producers inexplicably fell in 1989 although estimates of the total capacity available rose. Energy flow diagrams illustrate energy sources and energy consumption.

Informed decision making and abortion: crisis pregnancy centers, informed consent, and the first amendment.

PubMed

Ahmed, Aziza

2015-01-01

Shifting laws and regulations increasingly displace the centrality of women's health concerns in the provision of abortion services. This is exemplified by the growing presence of deceptive Crisis Pregnancy Centers alongside new informed consent laws designed to dissuade women from seeking abortions. Litigation on informed consent is further complicated in the clinical context due to the increased mobilization of facts - such as the gestational age or sonogram of the fetus - delivered with the intent to dissuade women from accessing abortion. In other words, factual information utilized for ideological purpose. To preserve a woman's autonomy and decision-making capacity, there must be a concerted effort on the part of legislators and courts to place a woman's health at the center of abortion law and policy. © 2015 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

Production of Biomass-Based Automotive Lubricants by Reductive Etherification.

PubMed

Jadhav, Deepak; Grippo, Adam M; Shylesh, Sankaranarayanapillai; Gokhale, Amit A; Redshaw, John; Bell, Alexis T

2017-06-09

Growing concern with the effects of CO 2 emissions due to the combustion of petroleum-based transportation fuels has motivated the search for means to increase engine efficiency. The discovery of ethers with low viscosity presents an important opportunity to improve engine efficiency and fuel economy. We show here a strategy for the catalytic synthesis of such ethers by reductive etherification/O-alkylation of alcohols using building blocks that can be sourced from biomass. We find that long-chain branched ethers have several properties that make them superior lubricants to the mineral oil and synthetic base oils used today. These ethers provide a class of potentially renewable alternatives to conventional lubricants produced from petroleum and may contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases associated with vehicle emissions. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Impact of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles on plant: A critical review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rastogi, Anshu; Zivcak, Marek; Sytar, Oksana; Kalaji, Hazem M.; He, Xiaolan; Mbarki, Sonia; Brestic, Marian

2017-10-01

An increasing need of nanotechnology in various industries may cause a huge environment dispersion of nanoparticles in coming years. A concern about nanoparticles interaction with flora and fauna is raised due to a growing load of it in the environment. In recent years, several investigators have shown impact of nanoparticles on plant growth and its accumulation in food source. This review examines the research performed in the last decade to show how metal and metal oxide nanoparticles are influencing the plant metabolisms. We addressed here, the impact of nanoparticle on plant in relation to its size, concentration, and exposure methodology. Based on the available reports, we proposed oxidative burst as a general mechanism through which the toxic effects of nanoparticles are spread in plants. This review summarises the current understanding and the future possibilities of plant-nanoparticle research.

The risk of re-identification versus the need to identify individuals in rare disease research

PubMed Central

Hansson, Mats G; Lochmüller, Hanns; Riess, Olaf; Schaefer, Franz; Orth, Michael; Rubinstein, Yaffa; Molster, Caron; Dawkins, Hugh; Taruscio, Domenica; Posada, Manuel; Woods, Simon

2016-01-01

There is a growing concern in the ethics literature and among policy makers that de-identification or coding of personal data and biospecimens is not sufficient for protecting research subjects from privacy invasions and possible breaches of confidentiality due to the possibility of unauthorized re-identification. At the same time, there is a need in medical science to be able to identify individual patients. In particular for rare disease research there is a special and well-documented need for research collaboration so that data and biosamples from multiple independent studies can be shared across borders. In this article, we identify the needs and arguments related to de-identification and re-identification of patients and research subjects and suggest how the different needs may be balanced within a framework of using unique encrypted identifiers. PMID:27222291

Precipitation and the occurrence of lyme disease in the Northeastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCabe, G.J.; Bunnell, J.E.

2004-01-01

The occurrence of Lyme disease is a growing concern in the United States, and various studies have been performed to understand the factors related to Lyme disease occurrence. In the United States, Lyme disease has occurred most frequently in the northeastern United States. Positive correlations between the number of cases of Lyme disease reported in the northeastern United States during the 1992-2002 period indicate that late spring/early summer precipitation was a significant climate factor affecting the occurrence of Lyme disease. When late spring/early summer precipitation was greater than average, the occurrence of Lyme disease was above average, possibly due to increased tick activity and survival rate during wet conditions. Temperature did not seem to explain the variability in Lyme disease reports for the northeastern United States. ?? Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

The risk of re-identification versus the need to identify individuals in rare disease research.

PubMed

Hansson, Mats G; Lochmüller, Hanns; Riess, Olaf; Schaefer, Franz; Orth, Michael; Rubinstein, Yaffa; Molster, Caron; Dawkins, Hugh; Taruscio, Domenica; Posada, Manuel; Woods, Simon

2016-11-01

There is a growing concern in the ethics literature and among policy makers that de-identification or coding of personal data and biospecimens is not sufficient for protecting research subjects from privacy invasions and possible breaches of confidentiality due to the possibility of unauthorized re-identification. At the same time, there is a need in medical science to be able to identify individual patients. In particular for rare disease research there is a special and well-documented need for research collaboration so that data and biosamples from multiple independent studies can be shared across borders. In this article, we identify the needs and arguments related to de-identification and re-identification of patients and research subjects and suggest how the different needs may be balanced within a framework of using unique encrypted identifiers.

An alternate approach to assessing climate risks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Casey; Wilby, Robert L.

2012-10-01

U.S. federal agencies are now required to review the potential impacts of climate change on their assets and missions. Similar arrangements are also in place in the United Kingdom under reporting powers for key infrastructure providers (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/sectors/reporting-authorities/reporting-authorities-reports/). These requirements reflect growing concern about climate resilience and the management of long-lived assets. At one level, analyzing climate risks is a matter of due diligence, given mounting scientific evidence. However, there is no consensus about the means for doing so nor about whether climate models are even ft for the purpose; in addition, several important issues are often overlooked when incorporating climate information into adaptation decisions. An alternative to the scenarioled strategy, such as an approach based on a vulnerability analysis ("stress test"), may identify practical options for resource managers.

Laser Overlap Welding of Zinc-coated Steel on Aluminum Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashani, Hamed Tasalloti; Kah, Paul; Martikainen, Jukka

Local reinforcement of aluminum with laser welded patches of zinc-coated steel can effectively contribute to crashworthiness, durability and weight reduction of car body. However, the weld between Zn-coated steel and aluminum is commonly susceptible to defects such as spatter, cavity and crack. The vaporization of Zn is commonly known as the main source of instability in the weld pool and cavity formation, especially in a lap joint configuration. Cracks are mainly due to the brittle intermetallic compounds growing at the weld interface of aluminum and steel. This study provides a review on the main metallurgical and mechanical concerns regarding laser overlap welding of Zn-coated steel on Al-alloy and the methods used by researchers to avoid the weld defects related to the vaporization of Zn and the poor metallurgical compatibility between steel and aluminum.

Current Techniques of Growing Algae Using Flue Gas from Exhaust Gas Industry: a Review.

PubMed

Huang, Guanhua; Chen, Feng; Kuang, Yali; He, Huan; Qin, An

2016-03-01

The soaring increase of flue gas emission had caused global warming, environmental pollution as well as climate change. Widespread concern on reduction of flue gas released from industrial plants had considered the microalgae as excellent biological materials for recycling the carbon dioxide directly emitted from exhaust industries. Microalgae also have the potential to be the valuable feedback for renewable energy production due to their high growth rate and abilities to sequester inorganic carbon through photosynthetic process. In this review article, we will illustrate important relative mechanisms in the metabolic processes of biofixation by microalgae and their recent experimental researches and advances of sequestration of carbon dioxide by microalgae on actual industrial and stimulate flue gases, novel photobioreactor cultivation systems as well as the perspectives and limitations of microalgal cultivation in further development.

Facing austerity: the decline in health access and quality of care for patients with cancer in Portugal.

PubMed

Barradas, Carlos da Silva; Nunes, João Arriscado

2017-01-01

In April 2011, Portugal called on the European Union for a financial bailout due to its debt crisis, and counterbalanced this rescue with various austerity measures. Within the Portuguese public health system (Serviço Nacional de Saúde, SNS) these measures were swiftly applied on a large scale, and in turn led to increasing difficulties among the health professionals within the SNS with regard to the use of diagnostics, treatments, and medications for patients, as well as growing obstacles to regular clinical consultations. Through media analysis of Portuguese health policy related to cancer and statements from professionals in the SNS, this article expresses the concerns of these health providers and explores how this situation is negatively impacting the lives of those who deal with this disease every day.

Language Practitioners' Reflections on Method-Based and Post-Method Pedagogies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soomro, Abdul Fattah; Almalki, Mansoor S.

2017-01-01

Method-based pedagogies are commonly applied in teaching English as a foreign language all over the world. However, in the last quarter of the 20th century, the concept of such pedagogies based on the application of a single best method in EFL started to be viewed with concerns by some scholars. In response to the growing concern against the…

Growing Up at the "Margins": Concerns, Aspirations, and Expectations of Young People Living in Nairobi's Slums

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kabiru, Caroline W.; Mojola, Sanyu A.; Beguy, Donatien; Okigbo, Chinelo

2013-01-01

We explore the concerns, challenges, aspirations, and expectations of sub-Saharan African youth, and investigate how these youth cope with neighborhood constraints to aspiration achievement. We draw on cross-sectional survey data from 4,033 12-22-year-olds (50.3% males) from two Kenyan urban slums and subsequent in-depth interviews conducted with…

Perceived Impact of a Character Education Program at a Midwest Rural Middle School: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goss, Sandra J.; Holt, Carleton R.

2014-01-01

Today concern exists for the safety and success of students in the public education system. Families, educators, and community members are concerned with the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of students in an environment where incidents of violence are growing. Events like the school shootings at Jonesboro, Arkansas, and at Columbine…

Effect of conserving habitat for biodiversity on optimal management of non-industrial private forests in Florida

Treesearch

Jagannadha R. Matta; Janaki R. R. Alavalapati; George A. Stainback

2008-01-01

Healthy forests and enhanced habitat for wildlife is a growing concern among public and policy makers. These concerns have led to substantial interest in promoting various regulatory and voluntary compliance policies to further biodiversity on private forests. These policies, however, might result in additional cost to forestland owners. In this paper, we estimate the...

Essential problems in the interpretation of epidemiologic evidence for an association between mobile phone use and brain tumours

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundi, Michael

2010-11-01

Due to the close proximity of a mobile phone to the head when placing a call, concerns have been raised that exposure from microwaves during mobile phone use may exert adverse health effects and, in particular, may increase the risk of brain tumours. In response to these concerns epidemiological studies have been conducted, most applying the case-control design. While epidemiology can provide decisive evidence for an association between an exposure and a disease fundamental problems arise if exposure is short compared to the natural history of the disease. For brain tumours latencies of decades have been implicated making special considerations about potential effects of exposures necessary that commence during an already growing tumour. It is shown that measures of disease risk like odds ratios and relative risks can under such circumstances not be interpreted as indicators of a long term effect on incidences in the exposed population. Besides this problem, the issues of a suitable exposure metric and the selection of endpoints are unresolved. It is shown that the solution of these problems affords knowledge about the mechanism of action by which exposure increases the risk of manifest disease.

Similar causes of various reproductive disorders in early life.

PubMed

Svechnikov, Konstantin; Stukenborg, Jan-Bernd; Savchuck, Iuliia; Söder, Olle

2014-01-01

During the past few decades, scientific evidence has been accumulated concerning the possible adverse effects of the exposure to environmental chemicals on the well-being of wildlife and human populations. One large and growing group of such compounds of anthropogenic or natural origin is referred to as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), due to their deleterious action on the endocrine system. This concern was first focused on the control of reproductive function particularly in males, but has later been expanded to include all possible endocrine functions. The present review describes the underlying physiology behind the cascade of developmental events that occur during sexual differentiation of males and the specific role of androgen in the masculinization process and proper organogenesis of the external male genitalia. The impact of the genetic background, environmental exposures and lifestyle factors in the etiology of hypospadias, cryptorchidism and testicular cancer are reviewed and the possible role of EDCs in the development of these reproductive disorders is discussed critically. Finally, the possible direct and programming effects of exposures in utero to widely use therapeutic compounds, environmental estrogens and other chemicals on the incidence of reproductive abnormalities and poor semen quality in humans are also highlighted.

WILDLIFE HEALTH AND PUBLIC TRUST RESPONSIBILITIES FOR WILDLIFE RESOURCES.

PubMed

Decker, Daniel J; Schuler, Krysten; Forstchen, Ann B; Wild, Margaret A; Siemer, William F

2016-10-01

A significant development in wildlife management is the mounting concern of wildlife professionals and the public about wildlife health and diseases. Concurrently, the wildlife profession is reexamining implications of managing wildlife populations as a public trust and the concomitant obligation to ensure the quality (i.e., health) and sustainability of wildlife. It is an opportune time to emphasize the importance of wildlife health, specifically to advocate for comprehensive and consistent integration of wildlife health in wildlife management. We summarize application of public trust ideas in wildlife population management in the US. We argue that wildlife health is essential to fulfilling public trust administration responsibilities with respect to wildlife, due to the central responsibility of trustees for ensuring the well-being of wildlife species (i.e., the core resources of the trust). Because both health of wildlife and risk perceptions regarding threats posed by wildlife disease to humans and domestic animals are issues of growing concern, managing wildlife disease and risk communication vis-à-vis wildlife health is critical to wildlife trust administration. We conclude that wildlife health professionals play a critical role in protecting the wildlife trust and that current conditions provide opportunities for important contributions by wildlife health professionals in wildlife management.

Applying Tafkaa For Atmospheric Correction of Aviris Over Coral Ecosystems In The Hawaiian Islands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, James A.; Montes, Marcos J.; Ustin, Susan L.

2004-01-01

Growing concern over the health of coastal ecosystems, particularly coral reefs, has produced increased interest in remote sensing as a tool for the management and monitoring of these valuable natural resources. Hyperspectral capabilities show promising results in this regard, but as yet remain somewhat hindered by the technical and physical issues concerning the intervening water layer. One such issue is the ability to atmospherically correct images over shallow aquatic areas, where complications arise due to varying effects from specular reflection, wind blown surface waves, and reflectance from the benthic substrate. Tafkaa, an atmospheric correction algorithm under development at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, addresses these variables and provides a viable approach to the atmospheric correction issue. Using imagery from the Advanced Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) over two shallow coral ecosystems in the Hawai ian Islands, French Frigate Shoals and Kane ohe Bay, we first demonstrate how land-based atmospheric corrections can be limited in such an environment. We then discuss the input requirements and underlying algorithm concepts of Tafkaa and conclude with examples illustrating the improved performance of Tafkaa using the same AVIRIS images.

Applications of Nanomaterials in Food Packaging.

PubMed

Bumbudsanpharoke, Nattinee; Choi, Jungwook; Ko, Seonghyuk

2015-09-01

Nanomaterials have drawn great interest in recent years due to their extraordinary properties that make them advantageous in food packaging applications. Specifically, nanoparticles can impart significant barrier properties, as well as mechanical, optical, catalytic, and antimicrobial properties into packaging. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and nanoclay account for the majority of the nano-enabled food packaging on the market, while others, such as nano-zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium, share less of the current market. In current food packaging, these nanomaterials are primarily used to impart antimicrobial function and to improve barrier properties, thereby extending the shelf life and freshness of packaged food. On the other hand, there is growing concern about the migration of nanomaterials from food contact materials to foodstuffs and its associated potential risks. Indeed, insufficient data about environmental and human safety assessments of migration and exposure of nanomaterials are hindering their market growth. To overcome this barrier, the public believes that legislation from government agencies is critical. This review provides an overview of the characteristics and functions of major nanomaterials that are commonly applied to food packaging, including available and near- future products. Migration research, safety issues, and public concerns are also discussed.

Climate Change Impacts on Hydrology and Water Management of the San Juan Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rich, P. M.; Weintraub, L. H.; Chen, L.; Herr, J.

2005-12-01

Recent climatic events, including regional drought and increased storm severity, have accentuated concerns that climatic extremes may be increasing in frequency and intensity due to global climate change. As part of the ZeroNet Water-Energy Initiative, the San Juan Decision Support System includes a basin-scale modeling tool to evaluate effects of climate change on water budgets under different climate and management scenarios. The existing Watershed Analysis Risk Management Framework (WARMF) was enhanced with iterative modeling capabilities to enable construction of climate scenarios based on historical and projected data. We applied WARMF to 42,000 km2 (16,000 mi2) of the San Juan Basin (CO, NM) to assess impacts of extended drought and increased temperature on surface water balance. Simulations showed that drought and increased temperature impact water availability for all sectors (agriculture, energy, municipal, industry), and lead to increased frequency of critical shortages. Implementation of potential management alternatives such as "shortage sharing" or degraded water usage during critical years helps improve available water supply. In the face of growing concern over climate change, limited water resources, and competing demands, integrative modeling tools can enable better understanding of complex interconnected systems, and enable better decisions.

Plant extracts and natural compounds used against UVB-induced photoaging.

PubMed

Cavinato, Maria; Waltenberger, Birgit; Baraldo, Giorgia; Grade, Carla V C; Stuppner, Hermann; Jansen-Dürr, Pidder

2017-08-01

Skin is continuously exposed to a variety of environmental stresses, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UVB is an inherent component of sunlight that crosses the epidermis and reaches the upper dermis, leading to increased oxidative stress, activation of inflammatory response and accumulation of DNA damage among other effects. The increase in UVB radiation on earth due to the destruction of stratospheric ozone poses a major environmental threat to the skin, increasing the risk of damage with long-term consequences, such as photoaging and photocarcinogenesis. Extracts from plants and natural compounds have been historically used in traditional medicine in the form of teas and ointments but the effect of most of these compounds has yet to be verified. Regarding the increasing concern of the population with issues related to quality of life and appearance, the cosmetic market for anti-aging and photoprotective products based on natural compounds is continuously growing, and there is increasing requirement of expansion on research in this field. In this review we summarized the most current and relevant information concerning plant extracts and natural compounds that are able to protect or mitigate the deleterious effects caused by photoaging in different experimental models.

Emerging Technology Domains Risk Survey

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-01

integration technologies (Apple CarPlay, Google Open Automotive Alliance, Blackberry QNX) are of particular concern. 6.3 Time Frame Telematics systems...are numerous quantified self devices and applications available for use now, and the market is growing in popularity (3.3 million fitness trackers...in 2015 to validate the progress of the tech- nology. The market for smart appliances is currently rather small but is expected to grow in com- ing

Early Childhood Education and Care Practitioners' Perceptions of Children's Risky Play; Examining the Influence of Personality and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandseter, Ellen Beate Hansen

2014-01-01

While there is a growing interest in children's risk-taking behaviours and their safety when at play, there is also a focus on the need to balance the hazards of risks with the benefits of risk. This is also a growing concern among researchers of early childhood education and care (ECEC). The research conducted thus far on ECEC practitioners'…

What is Hepatitis C and Why Should I Be Concerned about It?

MedlinePlus

... Healthy Living Healthy Living Healthy Living Nutrition Fitness Sports Oral Health Emotional Wellness Growing Healthy Sleep Safety & Prevention Safety & Prevention Safety and Prevention Immunizations ...

Cancer of the oral cavity- a growing concern in the Micronesia: a case report from the Marshall Islands.

PubMed

Bhandary, Sangita; Bhandary, Prahlad

2003-03-01

Cancer of the oral cavity is of growing concern worldwide. In the Micronesia, there has been a recent increase in use of betel nut and tobacco chewing in addition to already existing problem of smoking and alcohol drinking. These deleterious habits have further added the risk for development of oral cancers in the Marshall Islands. The oral cancers have good prognosis, which is directly related to the early diagnosis and treatment. Advanced staged cancers need mutilating surgery in addition to radiotherapy and carry high mortality rate. The epidemiology, etiology and recent approaches in the management of oral cavity cancer has been discussed along with a case report of advanced cancer of the floor of the mouth from the Marshall Islands.

Patterns of Body Image Concerns and Disordered Weight- and Shape-Related Behaviors in Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Adolescent Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calzo, Jerel P.; Masyn, Katherine E.; Corliss, Heather L.; Scherer, Emily A.; Field, Alison E.; Austin, S. Bryn

2015-01-01

This study investigates body image concerns and disordered weight- and shape-related behaviors across adolescence and young adulthood in males and how patterns vary by sexual orientation. Participants were 5,388 males from the U.S. national Growing Up Today Study. In 2001, 2003, and 2005 (spanning ages 15-20 years), participants reported sexual…

The Principalship at a Crossroads: A Study of the Conditions and Concerns of Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiPaola, Michael; Tschannen-Moran, Megan

2003-01-01

This study examined the conditions and concerns of principals in Virginia to see what their experiences and perceptions are of the growing shortage in the principalship. Findings suggest that principals do not feel that they have sufficient authority and resources to get the job done and that they are working long hours to fill the gap. More than…

The Silent Revolution Continues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perlin, John

2001-01-01

Discusses the reliability and versatility of using photovoltaics whereby solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. The growing concern of global warming promises to transform photovoltaics into a major energy producer. (Author/SAH)

Proton Therapy for Cancer

Cancer.gov

Public interest in this form of radiation therapy is growing, but members of the medical and research communities are concerned that enthusiasm for this promising therapy may be getting ahead of the research.

The Use of Military Force to Counter International Terrorism - A Policy Dilemma.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-06-05

front ot U.S. attention . Secretary of State George Shultz emphasized U.S. concerns about this growing threat when he wrote: For we must understand...grow;ny. While it captures world attention with vioient *riu spectacular attacks, international terrorism is tacget.,, U.S. foreign interests and its... attention away from the real issue of imperialistic oppression, racism and colonialism.2 2 Critics of the resolution also maintained thaz tne proposal

"I Never Imagined that the Time Would Come:" Martin Cole, the Growing up Controversy and the Limits of School Sex Education in 1970's England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Limond, David

2008-01-01

This piece concerns the controversy engendered by Martin Cole's 1971 film Growing Up, an attempt to start a revolution in school sex education practices by showing explicit scenes of unsimulated sexual acts. Although Cole's film was never widely shown it marked a turning point in English school sex education by defining the limits of the…

On the Modelling of Creative Behavior,

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

growing consensus that AI should be concerned with intelligence, not uniquely with human intelligence [1]. This consensus has cleared the way for a...34paging" rapidly growing data-structures to disk. By contrast, the line-segments generated in the drawing of a single animal--leaving aside the...assumptions. Since the "absolutely correct representation" of a position is, like Thurber’s unicorn , a mythical animal, I may seem to be arguing that

A comparison of organophosphate degradation genes and bioremediation applications.

PubMed

Iyer, Rupa; Iken, Brian; Damania, Ashish

2013-12-01

Organophosphates (OPs) form the bulk of pesticides that are currently in use around the world accounting for more than 30% of the world market. They also form the core for many nerve-based warfare agents including sarin and soman. The widespread use and the resultant build-up of OP pesticides and chemical nerve agents has led to the development of major health problems due to their extremely toxic interaction with any biological system that encounters them. Growing concern over the accumulation of OP compounds in our food products, in the soils from which they are harvested and in wastewater run-off has fuelled a growing interest in microbial biotechnology that provides cheap, efficient OP detoxification to supplement expensive chemical methods. In this article, we review the current state of knowledge of OP pesticide and chemical agent degradation and attempt to clarify confusion over identification and nomenclature of two major families of OP-degrading enzymes through a comparison of their structure and function. The isolation, characterization, utilization and manipulation of the major detoxifying enzymes and the molecular basis of degradation of OP pesticides and chemical nerve agents are discussed as well as the achievements and technological advancements made towards the bioremediation of such compounds. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Biodegradation of engine oil by fungi from mangrove habitat.

PubMed

Ameen, Fuad; Hadi, Sarfaraz; Moslem, Mohamed; Al-Sabri, Ahmed; Yassin, Mohamed A

2015-01-01

The pollution of land and water by petroleum compounds is a matter of growing concern necessitating the development of methodologies, including microbial biodegradation, to minimize the impending impacts. It has been extensively reported that fungi from polluted habitats have the potential to degrade pollutants, including petroleum compounds. The Red Sea is used extensively for the transport of oil and is substantially polluted, due to leaks, spills, and occasional accidents. Tidal water, floating debris, and soil sediment were collected from mangrove stands on three polluted sites along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia and forty-five fungal isolates belonging to 13 genera were recovered from these samples. The isolates were identified on the basis of a sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA gene fragment. Nine of these isolates were found to be able to grow in association with engine oil, as the sole carbon source, under in vitro conditions. These selected isolates and their consortium accumulated greater biomass, liberated more CO2, and produced higher levels of extracellular enzymes, during cultivation with engine oil as compared with the controls. These observations were authenticated by gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS) analysis, which indicated that many high mass compounds present in the oil before treatment either disappeared or showed diminished levels.

Are Breast Masses in Teenagers Always Benign? Undifferentiated Mesenchymal Sarcoma in a 14-Year-Old Girl

PubMed Central

Tekbas, Guven; Ince, Tülay; Kapan, Murat; Ekici, Faysal; Önder, Akin; Kucukonen, Mehmet; Bilici, Aslan; Gumus, Hatice

2012-01-01

Background This article is concerned with the evaluation of an adolescent breast mass using imaging methods. Case Report A 14-year-old girl presented with progressive asymmetric enlargement of the left breast. She had felt a breast lump about 4 months earlier, and over the last 2 months it had been growing progressively. Tumor markers, including AFP, CEA, CA15-3, and CA125, were all normal. Ultrasonography showed a hypoechoichyperechoic, solid mass. Magnetic resonance imaging of the breast revealed a well marginated mass with hypointensity on T1-weighted images and mild hyperintensity on T2-weighted images, which showed mild contrast uptake. Biopsy revealed an undifferentiated malignant mesenchymal sarcoma. The patient underwent mastectomy with axillary lymph node sampling. After the operation, she received 3 cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Conclusion Due to the rarity of breast sarcoma and inadequate imaging methods to establish an exact diagnosis, radiologists and clinicians may misdiagnose and merely follow these tumors. As in our case, the histology of the patient may be the leading factor in the management of these tumors. Even in very young patients, progressively growing breast masses should alert the clinician to check for malignancy verified by biopsy. PMID:22740802

Becoming what we love: autogynephilic transsexualism conceptualized as an expression of romantic love.

PubMed

Lawrence, Anne A

2007-01-01

The increasing prevalence of male-to-female (MtF) transsexualism in Western countries is largely due to the growing number of MtF transsexuals who have a history of sexual arousal with cross-dressing or cross-gender fantasy. Ray Blanchard proposed that these transsexuals have a paraphilia he called autogynephilia, which is the propensity to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of oneself as female. Autogynephilia defines a transsexual typology and provides a theory of transsexual motivation, in that Blanchard proposed that MtF transsexuals are either sexually attracted exclusively to men (homosexual) or are sexually attracted primarily to the thought or image of themselves as female (autogynephilic), and that autogynephilic transsexuals seek sex reassignment to actualize their autogynephilic desires. Despite growing professional acceptance, Blanchard's formulation is rejected by some MtF transsexuals as inconsistent with their experience. This rejection, I argue, results largely from the misconception that autogynephilia is a purely erotic phenomenon. Autogynephilia can more accurately be conceptualized as a type of sexual orientation and as a variety of romantic love, involving both erotic and affectional or attachment-based elements. This broader conception of autogynephilia addresses many of the objections to Blanchard's theory and is consistent with a variety of clinical observations concerning autogynephilic MtF transsexualism.

Global reach and engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2016-09-01

Popular culture reflects both the interests of and the issues affecting the general public. As concerns regarding climate change and its impacts grow, is it permeating into popular culture and reaching that global audience?

Engineering Strain for Improved III-Nitride Optoelectronic Device Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Den Broeck, Dennis Marnix

Due to growing environmental and economic concerns, renewable energy generation and high-efficiency lighting are becoming even more important in the scientific community. III-Nitride devices have been essential in production of high-brightness light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and are now entering the photovoltaic (PV) realm as the technology advances. InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well LEDs emitting in the blue/green region have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation lighting technologies. Due to the large lattice mismatch between InN and GaN, large electric fields exist within the quantum well layers and result in low rates of radiative recombination, especially for the green spectral region. This is commonly referred to as the "green gap" and results in poor external quantum efficiencies for light-emitting diodes and laser diodes. In order to mitigate the compressive stress of InGaN QWs, a novel growth technique is developed in order to grown thick, strain-relaxed In yGa1-yN templates for 0.08 < y < 0.11. By inserting 2 nm GaN interlayers into the growing InyGa1-yN film, and subsequently annealing the structure, "semibulk" InGaN templates were achieved with vastly superior crystal and optical properties than bulk InGaN films. These semibulk InGaN templates were then utilized as new templates for multiple quantum well active layers, effectively reducing the compressive strain in the InGaN wells due to the larger lattice constant of the InGaN template with respect to a GaN template. A zero-stress balance method was used in order to realize a strain-balanced multiple quantum well structure, which again showed improved optical characteristics when compared to fully-strain active regions. The semibulk InGaN template was then implemented into "strain-compensated" LED structures, where light emission was achieved with very little leakage current. Discussion of these strain-compensated devices compared to conventional LEDs is detailed.

Insectivorous bat reproduction and human cave visitation in Cambodia: A perfect conservation storm?

PubMed

Lim, Thona; Cappelle, Julien; Hoem, Thavry; Furey, Neil

2018-01-01

Cave roosting bats represent an important component of Southeast Asian bat diversity and are vulnerable to human disturbance during critical reproductive periods (pregnancy, lactation and weaning). Because dramatic growth of cave tourism in recent decades has raised concerns about impacts on cave bats in the region, we assessed the reproductive phenology of two insectivorous species (Hipposideros larvatus sensu lato and Taphozous melanopogon) at three caves in Cambodia for 23 months in 2014-2016 and evaluated human visitation to these sites between 2007 and 2014. Despite the differing foraging strategies employed by the two taxa, the temporal consistency observed in proportions of pregnant, lactating and juvenile bats indicates that their major birth peaks coincide with the time of greatest cave visitation annually, particularly for domestic visitors and namely during the Cambodian new year in April. They also reflect rainfall patterns and correspond with the reproductive phenology of insectivorous cave bats in Vietnam. These findings were predictable because 1) insect biomass and thus food availability for insectivorous bats are optimal for ensuring survival of young following this period, and 2) the Khmer new year is the most significant month for religious ceremonies and thus domestic cave visitation nationally, due to the abundance of Buddhist shrines and temples in Cambodian caves. While the impact of visitor disturbance on bat population recruitment cannot be empirically assessed due to lack of historical data, it is nonetheless likely to have been considerable and raises a conservation concern. Further, because growing evidence suggests that insectivorous cave bats exhibit reproductive synchrony across continental Southeast Asia where countless cave shrines are heavily frequented during April in Theravada Buddhist countries (e.g., Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos), our results may have wider applicability in the region. We consequently advocate for increased emphasis on sustainable cave management practices in Cambodia and further investigations to determine whether our findings present a broader concern for cave bat conservation in Southeast Asia.

Insectivorous bat reproduction and human cave visitation in Cambodia: A perfect conservation storm?

PubMed Central

Cappelle, Julien; Hoem, Thavry

2018-01-01

Cave roosting bats represent an important component of Southeast Asian bat diversity and are vulnerable to human disturbance during critical reproductive periods (pregnancy, lactation and weaning). Because dramatic growth of cave tourism in recent decades has raised concerns about impacts on cave bats in the region, we assessed the reproductive phenology of two insectivorous species (Hipposideros larvatus sensu lato and Taphozous melanopogon) at three caves in Cambodia for 23 months in 2014–2016 and evaluated human visitation to these sites between 2007 and 2014. Despite the differing foraging strategies employed by the two taxa, the temporal consistency observed in proportions of pregnant, lactating and juvenile bats indicates that their major birth peaks coincide with the time of greatest cave visitation annually, particularly for domestic visitors and namely during the Cambodian new year in April. They also reflect rainfall patterns and correspond with the reproductive phenology of insectivorous cave bats in Vietnam. These findings were predictable because 1) insect biomass and thus food availability for insectivorous bats are optimal for ensuring survival of young following this period, and 2) the Khmer new year is the most significant month for religious ceremonies and thus domestic cave visitation nationally, due to the abundance of Buddhist shrines and temples in Cambodian caves. While the impact of visitor disturbance on bat population recruitment cannot be empirically assessed due to lack of historical data, it is nonetheless likely to have been considerable and raises a conservation concern. Further, because growing evidence suggests that insectivorous cave bats exhibit reproductive synchrony across continental Southeast Asia where countless cave shrines are heavily frequented during April in Theravada Buddhist countries (e.g., Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos), our results may have wider applicability in the region. We consequently advocate for increased emphasis on sustainable cave management practices in Cambodia and further investigations to determine whether our findings present a broader concern for cave bat conservation in Southeast Asia. PMID:29709036

A Burgeoning Crisis? A Nationwide Assessment of the Geography of Water Affordability in the United States

PubMed Central

Mack, Elizabeth A.; Wrase, Sarah

2017-01-01

While basic access to clean water is critical, another important issue is the affordability of water access for people around the globe. Prior international work has highlighted that a large proportion of consumers could not afford water if priced at full cost recovery levels. Given growing concern about affordability issues due to rising water rates, and a comparative lack of work on affordability in the developed world, as compared to the developing world, more work is needed in developed countries to understand the extent of this issue in terms of the number of households and persons impacted. To address this need, this paper assesses potential affordability issues for households in the United States using the U.S. EPA’s 4.5% affordability criteria for combined water and wastewater services. Analytical results from this paper highlight high-risk and at-risk households for water poverty or unaffordable water services. Many of these households are clustered in pockets of water poverty within counties, which is a concern for individual utility providers servicing a large proportion of customers with a financial inability to pay for water services. Results also highlight that while water rates remain comparatively affordable for many U.S. households, this trend will not continue in the future. If water rates rise at projected amounts over the next five years, conservative projections estimate that the percentage of U.S. households who will find water bills unaffordable could triple from 11.9% to 35.6%. This is a concern due to the cascading economic impacts associated with widespread affordability issues; these issues mean that utility providers could have fewer customers over which to spread the large fixed costs of water service. Unaffordable water bills also impact customers for whom water services are affordable via higher water rates to recover the costs of services that go unpaid by lower income households. PMID:28076374

A Burgeoning Crisis? A Nationwide Assessment of the Geography of Water Affordability in the United States.

PubMed

Mack, Elizabeth A; Wrase, Sarah

2017-01-01

While basic access to clean water is critical, another important issue is the affordability of water access for people around the globe. Prior international work has highlighted that a large proportion of consumers could not afford water if priced at full cost recovery levels. Given growing concern about affordability issues due to rising water rates, and a comparative lack of work on affordability in the developed world, as compared to the developing world, more work is needed in developed countries to understand the extent of this issue in terms of the number of households and persons impacted. To address this need, this paper assesses potential affordability issues for households in the United States using the U.S. EPA's 4.5% affordability criteria for combined water and wastewater services. Analytical results from this paper highlight high-risk and at-risk households for water poverty or unaffordable water services. Many of these households are clustered in pockets of water poverty within counties, which is a concern for individual utility providers servicing a large proportion of customers with a financial inability to pay for water services. Results also highlight that while water rates remain comparatively affordable for many U.S. households, this trend will not continue in the future. If water rates rise at projected amounts over the next five years, conservative projections estimate that the percentage of U.S. households who will find water bills unaffordable could triple from 11.9% to 35.6%. This is a concern due to the cascading economic impacts associated with widespread affordability issues; these issues mean that utility providers could have fewer customers over which to spread the large fixed costs of water service. Unaffordable water bills also impact customers for whom water services are affordable via higher water rates to recover the costs of services that go unpaid by lower income households.

Ecologically aware design of waterway-encapsulating structures.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

Aquatic organism passage (AOP) in waterways-encapsulating structures, particularly culverts, is of growing concern to environmental : regulatory agencies, and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is seeking systematic responses to this co...

Barriers and Opportunities in Consent and Access Procedures in Low- and Middle-Income Country Biobanks: Meeting Notes from the BCNet Training and General Assembly.

PubMed

Zawati, Ma'n H; Tassé, Anne Marie; Mendy, Maimuna; Caboux, Elodie; Lang, Michael

2018-04-18

As biobanking research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continues to grow, novel legal and policy considerations have arisen. Also, while an expansive literature has developed around these issues, the views and concerns of individual researchers in these contexts have been less actively studied. These meeting notes aim to contribute to the growing literature on biobanking in LMICs by communicating a number of challenges and opportunities identified by biobank researchers themselves. Specifically, we describe concerns that emerge in consent and access policy domains. First, we present a review of the literature on distinct policy and legal concerns faced in LMICs, giving special attention to the general absence of practitioner perspectives. From there, we outline and discuss considerations that were raised by meeting participants at a Biobank and Cohort Building Network (BCNet) Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues training program. We conclude by proposing that the unique perspectives of biobank researchers in LMICs should be given serious attention and further research on these perspectives should be conducted.

Impact of Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles on Plant: A Critical Review

PubMed Central

Rastogi, Anshu; Zivcak, Marek; Sytar, Oksana; Kalaji, Hazem M.; He, Xiaolan; Mbarki, Sonia; Brestic, Marian

2017-01-01

An increasing need of nanotechnology in various industries may cause a huge environment dispersion of nanoparticles in coming years. A concern about nanoparticles interaction with flora and fauna is raised due to a growing load of it in the environment. In recent years, several investigators have shown impact of nanoparticles on plant growth and their accumulation in food source. This review examines the research performed in the last decade to show how metal and metal oxide nanoparticles are influencing the plant metabolism. We addressed here, the impact of nanoparticle on plant in relation to its size, concentration, and exposure methodology. Based on the available reports, we proposed oxidative burst as a general mechanism through which the toxic effects of nanoparticles are spread in plants. This review summarizes the current understanding and the future possibilities of plant-nanoparticle research. PMID:29075626

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease: the potential benefit of incretin-based therapies.

PubMed

Addison, Daniel; Aguilar, David

2011-04-01

The health burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus continues to increase worldwide. A substantial portion of this burden is due to the development of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. Recent failures of clinical trials of intensive glucose control to reduce macrovascular events, coupled with reports of potential harm of certain diabetic therapy, have led to increased scrutiny as new diabetic therapies are developed. Incretin peptides are a group of gastrointestinal proteins that regulate glucose metabolism through multiple mechanisms, and incretin-based therapies have been developed to treat type 2 diabetes. These agents include glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors. In addition to effects on glucose homeostasis, growing evidence suggest that these peptides may also affect the cardiovascular system. In this review, we discuss recent findings concerning the potential, yet untested, benefits of incretin-based pharmacotherapy in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Biofuel supply chain considering depreciation cost of installed plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabbani, Masoud; Ramezankhani, Farshad; Giahi, Ramin; Farshbaf-Geranmayeh, Amir

2016-06-01

Due to the depletion of the fossil fuels and major concerns about the security of energy in the future to produce fuels, the importance of utilizing the renewable energies is distinguished. Nowadays there has been a growing interest for biofuels. Thus, this paper reveals a general optimization model which enables the selection of preprocessing centers for the biomass, biofuel plants, and warehouses to store the biofuels. The objective of this model is to maximize the total benefits. Costs of the model consist of setup cost of preprocessing centers, plants and warehouses, transportation costs, production costs, emission cost and the depreciation cost. At first, the deprecation cost of the centers is calculated by means of three methods. The model chooses the best depreciation method in each period by switching between them. A numerical example is presented and solved by CPLEX solver in GAMS software and finally, sensitivity analyses are accomplished.

Occurrence of antibiotics as emerging contaminant substances in aquatic environment.

PubMed

Milić, Nataša; Milanović, Maja; Letić, Nevena Grujić; Sekulić, Maja Turk; Radonić, Jelena; Mihajlović, Ivana; Miloradov, Mirjana Vojinović

2013-01-01

The occurrence of pharmaceutical residues in the environment has become a subject of growing concern. Due to the constant input of the emerging contaminants in the surface water via wastewater which leads to the long-term adverse effects on the aquatic and terrestrial organisms, special attention is being paid to their presence in the aquatic environment. Most of the emerging substances, especially pharmaceuticals, could not be completely removed using the wastewater treatment. Pharmaceuticals are usually water soluble and poorly degradable. They can pass through all natural filtrations and then reach the groundwater and, finally, the drinking water. The trace levels of antibiotics could have a negative impact on the environment and public health because of their inherent bioactivity. This article is an overview of the presence of the antibiotic residual concentrations, methods and levels of detection and possible risks to both health and environment.

The Maxxi Museum in Rome: AN Integrated Survey Experience for the Restoration of Contemporary Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Versaci, A.; Cardaci, A.

2017-05-01

In recent years, the fate of contemporary buildings in reinforced concrete is becoming a growing concern due to the fast ageing of structures, however, often of great architectural and social interest. The procedures to put in place for their material and structural preservation require multidisciplinary expertise, but also new methodological insights as most of these edifices are the result of pioneering experiments and individual `challenges' from the morphological and technical point of views. They strictly depend on both the recognition of their peculiarities and the ability to differentiate their intrinsic characteristics of inhomogeneity from insecurity factors and degradation phenomena. This paper focuses on the experience undertaken on the MAXXI, the National Museum of the 21st century Arts, built by Zaha Hadid Architects in Rome to highlight the methodological process followed for the knowledge of this architectural work, in view of the establishment of the project for its conservation.

Managing dynamic epidemiological risks through trade

PubMed Central

Horan, Richard D.; Fenichel, Eli P.; Finnoff, David; Wolf, Christopher A.

2015-01-01

There is growing concern that trade, by connecting geographically isolated regions, unintentionally facilitates the spread of invasive pathogens and pests – forms of biological pollution that pose significant risks to ecosystem and human health. We use a bioeconomic framework to examine whether trade always increases private risks, focusing specifically on pathogen risks from live animal trade. When the pathogens have already established and traders bear some private risk, we find two results that run counter to the conventional wisdom on trade. First, uncertainty about the disease status of individual animals held in inventory may increase the incentives to trade relative to the disease-free case. Second, trade may facilitate reduced long-run disease prevalence among buyers. These results arise because disease risks are endogenous due to dynamic feedback processes involving valuable inventories, and markets facilitate the management of private risks that producers face with or without trade. PMID:25914431

Direct-to-consumer advertising: its effects on stakeholders.

PubMed

Montoya, Isaac D; Lee-Dukes, Gwen; Shah, Dhvani

2008-01-01

The escalating growth in the development of pharmaceutical drugs has caused the pharmaceutical industry to market drugs directly to consumers. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising has increased immensely in the past 15 years and continues to grow each year. The advantages of DTC advertising include an increase in consumer knowledge, patient autonomy, and possibly providing physicians and pharmacists with up-to-date information about the recent trends in the marketplace. However, there is also an equally notable list of disadvantages, which include concerns about the quality of information provided, loss in physician productivity due to time spent convincing patients that what they want is not in their best interest, and increases in the reimbursement expenditure of the insurers. Because of these conflicting outcomes, the issue of DTC advertising has become controversial. This report offers an overview of DTC advertising and focuses on its effects on physicians, pharmacists, consumers, insurers, the government, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Combining research, advocacy, and education: the methods of the Grandparent Caregiver Study.

PubMed

Roe, K M; Minkler, M; Saunders, F F

1995-11-01

This article presents a case study of the effective synergy of health education inquiry, community collaboration, and policy advocacy. Using the Grandparent Caregiver Study as the example, the authors focus on key methodological decisions that enabled them to incorporate research, education, and advocacy activities into an ever-growing project on a modest budget. The study itself centered on two in-depth interviews with each of 71 African American grandmothers raising young grandchildren due to the crack cocaine epidemic in Oakland, California. The case study demonstrates ways in which health education research can increase the efficacy of individuals and disenfranchised groups to define problems, voice their concerns, and advocate for more just and healthy public policies. Through discussion of the authors' methods and activities, they suggest strategies through which research participants, service providers, and policymakers can work together to bring a new issue to the policy arena through a collaborative and empowering research process.

A Single-use Strategy to Enable Manufacturing of Affordable Biologics.

PubMed

Jacquemart, Renaud; Vandersluis, Melissa; Zhao, Mochao; Sukhija, Karan; Sidhu, Navneet; Stout, Jim

2016-01-01

The current processing paradigm of large manufacturing facilities dedicated to single product production is no longer an effective approach for best manufacturing practices. Increasing competition for new indications and the launch of biosimilars for the monoclonal antibody market have put pressure on manufacturers to produce at lower cost. Single-use technologies and continuous upstream processes have proven to be cost-efficient options to increase biomass production but as of today the adoption has been only minimal for the purification operations, partly due to concerns related to cost and scale-up. This review summarizes how a single-use holistic process and facility strategy can overcome scale limitations and enable cost-efficient manufacturing to support the growing demand for affordable biologics. Technologies enabling high productivity, right-sized, small footprint, continuous, and automated upstream and downstream operations are evaluated in order to propose a concept for the flexible facility of the future.

Role of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS) in immune responses to fungal infections.

PubMed

Taghavi, Mehdi; Khosravi, Alireza; Mortaz, Esmaeil; Nikaein, Donya; Athari, Seyyed Shamsadin

2017-08-05

Recent years have seen the rise of invasive fungal infections, which are mostly due to the increase in patients. Three major opportunistic fungal species in human are Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, and Cryptococcus neoformans that pose the biggest concern for these immunocompromised patients' mortality. The growing occurrence of opportunistic fungal infections has sparked the interest to understand defense mechanisms against pathogenic fungi. Toll-like receptors (TLRs), as a part of innate immune system, play an important role for recognizing the invading microorganisms and initiating sufficient immune responses. Recent studies have revealed an integrated role for TLR, signaling inactivating immune defense mechanisms against exact fungi. Among TLRs, TLR2 and TLR4 are the major participants in fungi recognition. The present paper highlights the role of TLR participants in fungal recognition as well as their mechanisms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated X-ray image analysis for cargo security: Critical review and future promise.

PubMed

Rogers, Thomas W; Jaccard, Nicolas; Morton, Edward J; Griffin, Lewis D

2017-01-01

We review the relatively immature field of automated image analysis for X-ray cargo imagery. There is increasing demand for automated analysis methods that can assist in the inspection and selection of containers, due to the ever-growing volumes of traded cargo and the increasing concerns that customs- and security-related threats are being smuggled across borders by organised crime and terrorist networks. We split the field into the classical pipeline of image preprocessing and image understanding. Preprocessing includes: image manipulation; quality improvement; Threat Image Projection (TIP); and material discrimination and segmentation. Image understanding includes: Automated Threat Detection (ATD); and Automated Contents Verification (ACV). We identify several gaps in the literature that need to be addressed and propose ideas for future research. Where the current literature is sparse we borrow from the single-view, multi-view, and CT X-ray baggage domains, which have some characteristics in common with X-ray cargo.

Platinum nanoparticles reduce ovariectomy-induced bone loss by decreasing osteoclastogenesis

PubMed Central

Kim, Woon-Ki; Kim, Jin-Chun; Park, Hyun-Jung; Sul, Ok-Joo; Lee, Mi-Hyun; Kim, Ji-Soon

2012-01-01

Platinum nanoparticles (PtNP) exhibit remarkable antioxidant activity. There is growing evidence concerning a positive relationship between oxidative stress and bone loss, suggesting that PtNP could protect against bone loss by modulating oxidative stress. Intragastric administration of PtNP reduced ovariectomy (OVX)-induced bone loss with a decreased level of activity and number of osteoclast (OC) in vivo. PtNP inhibited OC formation by impairing the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) signaling. This impairment was due to a decreased activation of nuclear factor-κB and a reduced level of nuclear factor in activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFAT2). PtNP lowered RANKL-induced long lasting reactive oxygen species as well as intracellular concentrations of Ca2+ oscillation. Our data clearly highlight the potential of PtNP for the amelioration of bone loss after estrogen deficiency by attenuated OC formation. PMID:22525805

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Identification of New Sulfonic Acid Metabolites of Chloroacetanilide Herbicides

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morton, M.D.; Walters, F.H.; Aga, D.S.; Thurman, E.M.; Larive, C.K.

1997-01-01

The detection of the sulfonic acid metabolites of the chloroacetanilide herbicides acetochlor, alachlor, butachlor, propachlor, and, more recently, metolachlor in surface and ground water suggests that a common mechanism for dechlorination exists via the glutathione conjugation pathway. The identification of these herbicides and their metabolites is important due to growing public awareness and concern about pesticide levels in drinking water. Although these herbicides are regulated, little is known about the fate of their metabolites in soil. The sulfonic acid metabolites were synthesized by reaction of the parent compounds with an excess of sodium sulfite. Acetochlor, alachlor, butachlor, metolachlor, and propachlor and their sulfonic acid metabolites were studied by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. This paper provides a direct method for the preparation and characterization of these compounds that will be useful in the analysis and study of chloracetanilide herbicides and their metabolites.

Unmet needs in obesity management: From guidelines to clinic.

PubMed

Ritten, Angela; LaManna, Jacqueline

2017-10-01

Despite the rather slow acceptance of obesity as a disease state, several obesity staging systems and weight-management guidelines have been developed and are in use, along with an ever-growing number of treatment options. Many primary care clinicians, including nurse practitioners (NPs), are at the forefront of clinical efforts to assist individuals with obesity, but face challenges due to lack of alignment and consensus among the various staging systems and guidelines. This is further complicated by shortfalls in clinical training related to obesity management and increasing complexities in reimbursement for obesity-related services. Unmet needs in the management of obesity thus stretch from guidelines to clinic. This article examines the principal barriers to effective management of individuals with obesity and considers how concerns might be overcome, with particular emphasis on the role of the NP. ©2017 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Metallophytes in biotopes polluted by waste dumps rich in Zn-Pb, Cd (Olkusz region) - review of previous and planned research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rożek, Dorota

2013-09-01

The aim of that publication was the presentation of previous and planned research concerning selected vascular plants and soils near Olkusz (Southern Poland). The extremely high concentration of heavy metals in soils from that region was caused by the natural geochemical aureoles of dispersed metals (due to weathering of Zn-Pb-Fe ore sulphides) and mining and processing of shallowly occurring metalliferous deposits (containing Ag-Pb and Zn-Pb ores) since XII century. The condition of stress in metals, shortage of water and some plant nutrition led to formation of some adaptable vegetation features by plants growing in that region. Some species called metallophytes have been already detailed investigated. Moreover some geochemical and pedological research of soil have been already done. However the conditions of habitat of pioneering species such as Koeleria glauca and Corynephorus canescens are not still recognized.

Status of floriculture in Europe.

PubMed

Van Huylenbroeck, Johan

2010-01-01

Europe is traditionally the largest producer of floricultural products in the world with an estimated production value of over 12 billion euro in 2006. The Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom and France are the main centres of production. More recently, a significant growth in production area was observed in Poland also. The Dutch auctions remain the world's largest trading system for flowers and plants. Looking at the intra-European trade, Belgium and Denmark are also major exporting countries. The consumption of floricultural products increased strongly within Europe during the last years. Especially, Eastern Europe has a big potential as a new market. In these countries, the demand for ornamentals will increase due to the rise of income and the level of prosperity. In spite of the positive developments in consumption and production, increasing energy costs, growing environmental concern and globalisation of production, trade and markets will form the major challenges European floricultural industry has to deal with in the near future.

Are We Asking the Right Questions? Moving beyond the State vs Non-State Providers Debate: Reflections and a Case Study from India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bangay, Colin; Latham, Michael

2013-01-01

This paper provides an overview of recent trends in basic education provision in India: charting an impressive expansion of enrolment in public schools but a growing concern with the quality of learning. Concerns around quality are seen as a driving factor in the migration of students from the public sector to low fee private schools. While there…

Meeting Environmental Workforce Needs. Determining Education and Training Requirements. Proceedings of the National Conference on Meeting Environmental Workforce Needs (Washington, D.C., February 1981).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Information Dynamics, Inc., Silver Spring, MD.

Will the nation have the trained workforce required to deal with environmental problems in the 1980s and beyond? With the growing public concern about hazardous wastes, impure drinking water, polluted air, use and care of natural resources, and new legislation and funding targeted at these concerns, the need for examining workforce requirements…

Design & layout of recreation facilities

Treesearch

Howard R. Orr

1971-01-01

Design and layout of recreation facilities is a problem solving process that must be divorced from the emotionalism that has shrouded outdoor recreation and must deal deliberately with the growing information concerning people and natural resources.

Bozeman Pass wildlife channelization ITS project.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-06-01

Animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) are a growing concern as vehicle miles traveled and human encroachment into wildlife habitat : continues to increase throughout the United States. Few studies have examined the application of intelligent transportatio...

Hazardous Waste: Cleanup and Prevention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vandas, Steve; Cronin, Nancy L.

1996-01-01

Describes the Superfund, a federal cleanup program created in response to growing public concern over the health and environmental risks posed by hazardous waste sites. Discusses sources, disposal, and movement and risk of hazardous waste. (JRH)

Electronic Medical Record and Quality Ratings of Long Term Care Facilities Long-Term Care Facility Characteristics and Reasons and Barriers for Adoption of Electronic Medical Record

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Cheryl Andrea

2013-01-01

With the growing elderly population, compounded by the retirement of the babyboomers, the need for long-term care (LTC) facilities is expected to grow. An area of great concern for those that are seeking a home for their family member is the quality of care provided by the nursing home to the residents. Electronic medical records (EMR) are often…

Foreign Military Sales: A Growing Concern. Departments of State and Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-06-01

See p. 27.) --Implications of providing lo1.stical sup- port for de ~ense articles sold to foreign countries. (Seep. 28.) --Recovery of full cost ...items. we have taken exception to De - f~nse’s decision to exclude certain costs in its FMS pricing. ~ From November 1969 to December 1~75, we issued 10...Force readiness Follow-on support Recovering costs of sal~s Legislation to control growing arms sales \\ Opportunities identified by GAO for

E-books: nurse faculty use and concerns.

PubMed

Abell, Cathy H; Garrett-Wright, Dawn

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify nurse educators' stage of concern regarding e-books and examine relationships between stage of concern and demographic variables. The use of e-books is growing, and nursing faculty must be prepared to use this evolving technology. A descriptive design was used with a convenience sample of 50 nurse educators attending a professional conference. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the Stages of Concern (SoC) questionnaire. Sixty-four percent of participants' first high stage was Stage 0 (awareness); 22 percent had a first high stage of Stage 1 (informational). Using ordinal regression, no statistical significance was noted with the highest Stage of Concern and age (p = .431) or experience as a nurse educator (p = .893). Findings indicate low usage, faculty concerns, and the need for ongoing education regarding e-books.

Effect of two different composts on soil quality and on the growth of various plant species in a polymetallic acidic mine soil.

PubMed

Rossini-Oliva, S; Mingorance, M D; Peña, A

2017-02-01

The effect of the addition (0-10%) of two types of sewage sludge composts (composted sewage sludge [CS] and sewage sludge co-composted with olive prune wastes [CSO]) on a polymetallic acidic soil from the Riotinto mining area was evaluated by i) a soil incubation experiment and ii) a greenhouse pot experiment using tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.), ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa (Wedd.) Parodi). Compost addition improved the soil organic carbon content, increased the pH and the electrical conductivity and enhanced enzyme activities and soil respiration, more for CSO than for CS. Plant growth was generally enhanced after compost addition, but not proportionally to the dose. Foliar concentrations of some hazardous elements (As, Cr, Fe) in tomato growing in non-amended soil were above the thresholds, questioning the adequacy of using this plant species. However, leaf concentrations of essential and potentially toxic elements (Fe, As, Cr and Pb) in tomato and/or ryegrass were reduced after the amendment with both composts, generally more for CSO than for CS. Conversely, foliar concentrations in ahipa, a plant species which is able to grow without the need of compost addition, were safe except for As and were only slightly affected by compost addition. This plant species would be a suitable candidate due to its low requirements and due to the limited element translocation to the leaves. Concerning the composts, amelioration of plant and soil properties was better accomplished when using CSO, a compost of sewage sludge and plant remains, than when using CS, which only contained the sludge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of brine migration along vertical pathways due to CO2 injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kissinger, Alexander; Class, Holger

2016-04-01

Global climate change, shortage of resources and the growing usage of renewable energy sources has lead to a growing demand for the utilization of subsurface systems which may create conflicts with essential public interests such as water supply from aquifers. For example, brine migration into potential drinking water aquifers due to the injection of CO2 into deep saline aquifers is perceived as a potential threat resulting from the Carbon Capture and Storage Technology (CCS). In this work, we focus on the large scale impacts of CO2 storage on brine migration but the methodology and the obtained results may also apply to other fields like waste water disposal, where large amounts of fluid are injected into the subsurface. We consider a realistic (but not real) on-shore site in the North German Basin with characteristic geological features. In contrast to modeling on the reservoir scale, the spatial scale in this work is much larger in both vertical and lateral direction, since the regional hydrogeology is considered as well. Structures such as fault zones, hydrogeological windows in the Rupelian clay or salt wall flanks are considered as potential pathways for displaced fluids into shallow systems and their influence needs to be taken into account. Simulations on this scale always require a compromise between the accuracy of the description of the relevant physical processes, data availability and computational resources. Therefore, we test different model simplifications and discuss them with respect to the relevant physical processes and the expected data availability. The simplifications in the models are concerned with the role of salt-induced density differences on the flow, with injection of brine (into brine) instead of CO2 into brine, and with simplifying the geometry of the site.

Encryption protection for communication satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sood, D. R.; Hoernig, O. W., Jr.

In connection with the growing importance of the commercial communication satellite systems and the introduction of new technological developments, users and operators of these systems become increasingly concerned with aspects of security. The user community is concerned with maintaining confidentiality and integrity of the information being transmitted over the satellite links, while the satellite operators are concerned about the safety of their assets in space. In response to these concerns, the commercial satellite operators are now taking steps to protect the communication information and the satellites. Thus, communication information is being protected by end-to-end encryption of the customer communication traffic. Attention is given to the selection of the NBS DES algorithm, the command protection systems, and the communication protection systems.

Mystery #16

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-22

... x 184 kilometers (right panel). This mystery concerns two coral atoll ecosystems located in different parts of the globe. Use any ... production.   B.   Symbiotic zooxanthellae provide reef corals with the calcium and nutrients they need to grow.   C. ...

New Federal Programs for Mathematics Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buccino, Alphonse

1985-01-01

Growing concerns in the late 1970s about weaknesses in precollege science and mathematics education are noted. Congressional response and the effects on funding for the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education are reported. (MNS)

Potential Health Effects from Groundwater Pollution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goyer, Robert A.

1985-01-01

Discusses the growing awareness of potential toxicological effects of synthetic organic chemicals contaminating groundwater. Problems concerning pesticides, chlorination, epidemiologic studies, cancer, nephrotoxicity, and considerations of risk are addressed. Additional research in this area is advocated. (DH)

EFFICIENT CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS USING MICROWAVES

EPA Science Inventory

Synthetic organic transformations performed under non-traditional conditions are becoming popular primarily to circumvent the growing environmental concerns. A solvent-free approach that involves microwave (MW) exposure of neat reactants catalyzed by the surfaces of less-expensiv...

NON-TRADITIONAL 'GREENER' ALTERNATIVES OR ORGANIC TRANSFORMATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Non-traditional 'Greener' Alternatives to Organic Transformations

Synthetic organic transformations performed under non-traditional conditions are becoming popular primarily to circumvent the growing environmental concerns. A solvent-free approach that involves microw...

Driving under the influence of cannabis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-05

As more states decriminalize and legalize medical and recreational use of cannabis (marijuana), traffic safety leaders and public health advocates have growing concerns about driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC). How do we understand the cu...

Online Technologies for Health Information and Education: A literature review.

PubMed

Gill, Harkiran K; Gill, Navkiranjit; Young, Sean D

2013-04-01

There is a growing body of research focused on the use of social media and Internet technologies for health education and information sharing. The authors reviewed literature on this topic, with a specific focus on the benefits and concerns associated with using online social technologies as health education and communication tools. Studies suggest that social media technologies have the potential to safely and effectively deliver health education, if privacy concerns are addressed. Utility of social media-based health education and communication will improve as technology developers and public health officials determine ways to improve information accuracy and address privacy concerns.

Vocational Rehabilitation in Juvenile Delinquency: A Planning Grant to Determine the Role of Vocational Rehabilitation in Juvenile Delinquency. Final Report. Research and Demonstration Project (July 1, 1963--June 30, 1964).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oklahoma State Board for Vocational Education, Stillwater. Rehabilitation Service Div.

This project developed from a need for knowledge and information concerning a problem of growing concern to most American communities and particularly those comprising metropolitan areas. Increasing evidence of disregard for law and order on the part of individuals of all ages, and especially teen-age children, points up the need for intelligent…

In the Eye of the Perfect Storm: The Convergence of Policy and Latina/o Trends in Access and Financial Concerns, 1975-2008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santos, José L.; Sáenz, Victor B.

2014-01-01

The authors paint a national portrait of Latina/o trends over more than 30 years in terms of demographic and financial concerns that pertain to access at 4-year institutions. Using a multiple policy streams framework, the authors contend that growing numbers of Latina/os are in the eye of the perfect storm in a global economy that calls for more…

Nursing Workforce: Recruitment and Retention of Nurses and Nurse Aides Is a Growing Concern. Testimony before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, U.S. Senate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scanlon, William J.

The General Accounting Office examined existing and anticipated concerns related to the recruitment and retention of nurse and nurses aides. Special attention was paid to the following aspects of the problem: (1) factors contributing to the current and anticipated shortage among nurses; (2) what is known about the current and projected supply of…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Radhi, Hassan

Developments in the design and manufacture of photovoltaic cells have recently been a growing concern in the UAE. At present, the embodied energy pay-back time (EPBT) is the criterion used for comparing the viability of such technology against other forms. However, the impact of PV technology on the thermal performance of buildings is not considered at the time of EPBT estimation. If additional energy savings gained over the PV system life are also included, the total EPBT could be shorter. This paper explores the variation of the total energy of building integrated photovoltaic systems (BiPV) as a wall cladding systemmore » applied to the UAE commercial sector and shows that the ratio between PV output and saving in energy due to PV panels is within the range of 1:3-1:4. The result indicates that for the southern and western facades in the UAE, the embodied energy pay-back time for photovoltaic system is within the range of 12-13 years. When reductions in operational energy are considered, the pay-back time is reduced to 3.0-3.2 years. This study comes to the conclusion that the reduction in operational energy due to PV panels represents an important factor in the estimation of EPBT. (author)« less

An expanded map of vegetation communities at Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Struckhoff, Matthew A.

2013-01-01

In 2012, a map of vegetation communities on Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was expanded based on interpretation of aerial photographs and field data. National Agricultural Imagery Program aerial photographs were used to identify distinct communities on previously unmapped refuge units and newly acquired parcels. Newly mapped polygons were then visited to adjust map boundaries, classify communities according to the National Vegetation Classification System, and quantify the abundance of dominant species and non-native, invasive species of concern to the refuge and other resource management agencies along the Missouri River. The expanded map now covers 6,136 hectares representing 33 community types, including 6 previously unmapped types. The full map includes 1,113 polygons, of which 627 are new, 21 are updated from the 2009 mapping effort, and 465 are unchanged from 2009. Mortality of primarily cottonwood stems, because of growing-season floods between 2008 and 2011, has reduced foliar cover of woody stems and created more open wooded communities. In herbaceous communities, dominance by herbaceous old fields has increased due to the inclusion of refuge units dominated by lands in recent agricultural production in the expanded map. Wetland community abundance has increased slightly due to recent flooding.

The world's road to water scarcity: shortage and stress in the 20th century and pathways towards sustainability.

PubMed

Kummu, M; Guillaume, J H A; de Moel, H; Eisner, S; Flörke, M; Porkka, M; Siebert, S; Veldkamp, T I E; Ward, P J

2016-12-09

Water scarcity is a rapidly growing concern around the globe, but little is known about how it has developed over time. This study provides a first assessment of continuous sub-national trajectories of blue water consumption, renewable freshwater availability, and water scarcity for the entire 20 th century. Water scarcity is analysed using the fundamental concepts of shortage (impacts due to low availability per capita) and stress (impacts due to high consumption relative to availability) which indicate difficulties in satisfying the needs of a population and overuse of resources respectively. While water consumption increased fourfold within the study period, the population under water scarcity increased from 0.24 billion (14% of global population) in the 1900s to 3.8 billion (58%) in the 2000s. Nearly all sub-national trajectories show an increasing trend in water scarcity. The concept of scarcity trajectory archetypes and shapes is introduced to characterize the historical development of water scarcity and suggest measures for alleviating water scarcity and increasing sustainability. Linking the scarcity trajectories to other datasets may help further deepen understanding of how trajectories relate to historical and future drivers, and hence help tackle these evolving challenges.

Progress in antimicrobial activities of chitin, chitosan and its oligosaccharides: a systematic study needs for food applications.

PubMed

Dutta, J; Tripathi, S; Dutta, P K

2012-02-01

In recent years, active biomolecules such as chitosan and its derivatives are undergoing a significant and very fast development in food application area. Due to recent outbreaks of contaminations associated with food products, there have been growing concerns regarding the negative environmental impact of packaging materials of antimicrobial biofilms, which have been studied. Chitosan has a great potential for a wide range of applications due to its biodegradability, biocompatibility, antimicrobial activity, nontoxicity and versatile chemical and physical properties. It can be formed into fibers, films, gels, sponges, beads or nanoparticles. Chitosan films have been used as a packaging material for the quality preservation of a variety of foods. Chitosan has high antimicrobial activities against a wide variety of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms, including fungi, and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. A tremendous effort has been made over the past decade to develop and test films with antimicrobial properties to improve food safety and shelf-life. This review highlights the preparation, mechanism, antimicrobial activity, optimization of biocide properties of chitosan films and applications including biocatalysts for the improvement of quality and shelf-life of foods.

The world’s road to water scarcity: shortage and stress in the 20th century and pathways towards sustainability

PubMed Central

Kummu, M.; Guillaume, J. H. A.; de Moel, H.; Eisner, S.; Flörke, M.; Porkka, M.; Siebert, S.; Veldkamp, T. I. E.; Ward, P. J.

2016-01-01

Water scarcity is a rapidly growing concern around the globe, but little is known about how it has developed over time. This study provides a first assessment of continuous sub-national trajectories of blue water consumption, renewable freshwater availability, and water scarcity for the entire 20th century. Water scarcity is analysed using the fundamental concepts of shortage (impacts due to low availability per capita) and stress (impacts due to high consumption relative to availability) which indicate difficulties in satisfying the needs of a population and overuse of resources respectively. While water consumption increased fourfold within the study period, the population under water scarcity increased from 0.24 billion (14% of global population) in the 1900s to 3.8 billion (58%) in the 2000s. Nearly all sub-national trajectories show an increasing trend in water scarcity. The concept of scarcity trajectory archetypes and shapes is introduced to characterize the historical development of water scarcity and suggest measures for alleviating water scarcity and increasing sustainability. Linking the scarcity trajectories to other datasets may help further deepen understanding of how trajectories relate to historical and future drivers, and hence help tackle these evolving challenges. PMID:27934888

Vulnerability of Quebec drinking-water treatment plants to cyanotoxins in a climate change context.

PubMed

Carrière, Annie; Prévost, Michèle; Zamyadi, Arash; Chevalier, Pierre; Barbeau, Benoit

2010-09-01

Cyanobacteria are a growing concern in the province of Quebec due to recent highly publicised bloom episodes. The health risk associated with the consumption of drinking water coming from contaminated sources was unknown. A study was undertaken to evaluate treatment plants' capacity to treat cyanotoxins below the maximum recommended concentrations of 1.5 microg/L microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and the provisional concentration of 3.7 microg/L anatoxin-a, respectively. The results showed that close to 80% of the water treatment plants are presently able to treat the maximum historical concentration measured in Quebec (5.35 microg/L MC-LR equ.). An increase, due to climate change or other factors, would not represent a serious threat because chlorine, the most popular disinfectant, is effective in treating MC-LR under standard disinfection conditions. The highest concentration of anatoxin-a (2.3 microg/L) measured in natural water thus far in source water is below the current guideline for treated waters. However, higher concentrations of anatoxin-a would represent a significant challenge for the water industry as chlorine is not an efficient treatment option. The use of ozone, potassium permanganate or powder activated carbon would have to be considered.

Synthesis of potassium ferrate using residual ferrous sulfate as iron bearing material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanari, N.; Filippov, L.; Diot, F.; Mochón, J.; Ruiz-Bustinza, I.; Allain, E.; Yvon, J.

2013-03-01

This paper summarizes the results obtained during potassium ferrate (K2FeVIO4) synthesis which is a high added value material. This compound that contains iron in the rare hexavalent state is becoming a substance of growing importance for the water and effluent treatment industries. This is due to its multi-functional nature (oxidation, flocculation, elimination of heavy metals, decomposition of organic matter, etc.). The most well known synthesis methods for potassium ferrate synthesis are those involving the chemical and/or electrochemical oxidation of iron (II) and (III) from aqueous solutions having a high alkali concentration. These methods are generally characterized by a low FeVI efficiency due to the reaction of the potassium ferrate with water, leading to the reduction of FeVI into FeIII. Concerning the work pertinent to this paper, the synthesis of K2FeVIO4 was achieved by a simultaneous reaction of two solids (iron sulfate and KOH) and one gaseous oxidant (chlorine). The synthesis process is performed in a rotary reactor at room temperature and the global synthesis reaction is exothermic. The effects of different experimental parameters on the potassium ferrate synthesis are investigated to determine the optimal conditions for the process.

The Federal Government Debt: Its Size and Economic Significance

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-04

growth is critical to economic stability . As long as the debt grows more rapidly than output, the ratio of debt to gross domestic product (GDP) will rise...the budget deficit, the rate of interest, and the rate of growth in GDP. What matters most, as far as economic stability is concerned, is what...debt and the overall rate of economic growth is critical to economic stability . As long as the debt grows more rapidly than output, the ratio of debt

The Federal Government Debt: Its Size and Economic Significance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-03

growth rate of the federal debt and the overall rate of economic growth is critical to economic stability . As long as the debt grows more rapidly than...most, as far as economic stability is concerned, is what investors believe to be the long-run outlook for the debt-to-GDP ratio. If large deficits...between the growth rate of the federal debt and the overall rate of economic growth is critical to economic stability . As long as the debt grows more

Lead toxicity: An overview of prevalence in Indians.

PubMed

Iyer, Sandhya; Sengupta, Caesar; Velumani, A

2015-12-07

Elements form a basic and natural constituent of the Earth's crust and are released into the atmosphere due to many human activities like mining and manufacturing. Of all, the elements, lead toxicity is a prevailing as well as a growing concern the world over because of its ability to affect multiple clinical functions. Blood lead levels have been analyzed in a large pan-India cohort of 222,668 comprising of 121,115 males and 101,553 females respectively. The cohort included all age groups from <2 to >55 years old. The analytical platform of Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry has been used to assess lead levels. Blood lead levels of ≥150 μg/L was considered high for analysis. The total frequency of high lead levels detected in our study was 1.16%. The frequency of males affected were higher than females, with the difference being statistically significant.. Lead being ubiquitous in its presence and also serving no biological function, has grown today to become a serious threat to human health. The high frequency of affected detected in our study raises a cause for concern. Determining its presence and the most affected geography in any country will aid in charting guidelines on controlling its release as well as exposure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PFAAs in Fish and Other Seafood Products from Icelandic Waters

PubMed Central

Halldorsson, Thorhallur I.; Gunnlaugsdottir, Helga

2014-01-01

Perfluorinatedalkyl acids (PFAAs) are of growing concern due to possible health effects on humans. Exposure assessments indicate that fish consumption is one of the major sources of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure to humans, one of the major PFASs, whereas concerns of overestimation of this exposure source have been raised. Therefore, PFAAs concentrations in fish from the North Atlantic (Icelandic fishing grounds) in the flesh of different fish species were investigated along with more detailed analyses of tissue concentrations in cod (Gadus morhua) and lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus). Further, fish feed was investigated as a possible source of PFAAs in aquaculture by examining fish meal as feed ingredient. No PFAAs were detected in the edible part of all fish samples, except for PFOS in pollock (Pollachius virens, 0,05 ng/g wet weight). PFOS was the only PFAA detected in the fish meal samples with the exception of PFOSA in blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) meal (0,45 ng/g dry weight (d.w.)), where the PFOS concentration was 1,3–13 ng/g d.w. in the capelin (Mallotus villosus) and mackerel (Scomber scombrus) meal samples. The conclusions of the study are that fish commonly consumed from the Icelandic fishing grounds are unlikely to be an important source of PFAAs exposure. PMID:24782899

Communicating environmental exposure results and health information in a community-based participatory research study.

PubMed

Claudio, Luz; Gilmore, Jalisa; Roy, Mohana; Brenner, Barbara

2018-06-25

Communicating results to participants is a fundamental component of community-based participatory research (CBPR). However, in environmental exposure studies this is not always practiced, partly due to ethical concerns of communicating results that have unknown clinical significance. Growing Up Healthy was a community-based participatory research study that sought to understand the relationship between environmental exposures to phthalates and early puberty in young girls. After in-depth consultation with a Community Advisory Board, study investigators provided group summary results of phthalate exposures and related health information to the parents of study participants. Parents' comprehension and knowledge of the health information provided was then assessed through questionnaires. After receiving the information from the research team, responders were able to correctly answer comprehension questions about phthalate exposures in their community, were able to identify ways to reduce exposure to phthalates, and indicated plans to do so. Questionnaires revealed that parents wanted more information on phthalates, and that children's environmental health was an important concern. We conclude that effective communication of exposure results of unknown clinical significance to participants in environmental health studies can be achieved by providing group summary results and actionable health information. Results suggest that there was an improvement in knowledge of environmental health and in risk reduction behaviors in our study population.

Recent Developments on the Production of Transportation Fuels via Catalytic Conversion of Microalgae: Experiments and Simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shi, Fan; Wang, Ping; Duan, Yuhua

2012-08-02

Due to continuing high demand, depletion of non-renewable resources and increasing concerns about climate change, the use of fossil fuel-derived transportation fuels faces relentless challenges both from a world markets and an environmental perspective. The production of renewable transportation fuel from microalgae continues to attract much attention because of its potential for fast growth rates, high oil content, ability to grow in unconventional scenarios, and inherent carbon neutrality. Moreover, the use of microalgae would minimize “food versus fuel” concerns associated with several biomass strategies, as microalgae do not compete with food crops in the food chain. This paper reviews themore » progress of recent research on the production of transportation fuels via homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic conversions of microalgae. This review also describes the development of tools that may allow for a more fundamental understanding of catalyst selection and conversion processes using computational modelling. The catalytic conversion reaction pathways that have been investigated are fully discussed based on both experimental and theoretical approaches. Finally, this work makes several projections for the potential of various thermocatalytic pathways to produce alternative transportation fuels from algae, and identifies key areas where the authors feel that computational modelling should be directed to elucidate key information to optimize the process.« less

Fish as research tools: alternatives to in vivo experiments.

PubMed

Schaeck, Marlien; Van den Broeck, Wim; Hermans, Katleen; Decostere, Annemie

2013-07-01

The use of fish in scientific research is increasing worldwide, due to both the rapid expansion of the fish farming industry and growing awareness of questions concerning the humane use of mammalian models in basic research and chemical testing. As fish are lower on the evolutionary scale than mammals, they are considered to be less sentient. Fish models are providing researchers, and those concerned with animal welfare, with opportunities for adhering to the Three Rs principles of refinement, reduction and replacement. However, it should be kept in mind that fish should also be covered by the principles of the Three Rs. Indeed, various studies have shown that fish are capable of nociception, and of experiencing pain in a manner analogous to that in mammals. Thus, emphasis needs to be placed on the development of alternatives that replace, as much as possible, the use of all living vertebrate animals, including fish. This review gives the first comprehensive and critical overview of the existing alternatives for live fish experimental studies. The alternative methods described range from cell and tissue cultures, organ and perfusion models, and embryonic models, to in silico computer and mathematical models. This article aspires to guide scientists in the adoption of the correct alternative methods in their research, and, whenever possible, to reduce the use of live fish. 2013 FRAME.

Zika Virus Infection: Current Concerns and Perspectives.

PubMed

Maharajan, Mari Kannan; Ranjan, Aruna; Chu, Jian Feng; Foo, Wei Lim; Chai, Zhi Xin; Lau, Eileen YinYien; Ye, Heuy Mien; Theam, Xi Jin; Lok, Yen Ling

2016-12-01

The Zika virus outbreaks highlight the growing importance need for a reliable, specific and rapid diagnostic device to detect Zika virus, as it is often recognized as a mild disease without being identified. Many Zika virus infection cases have been misdiagnosed or underreported because of the non-specific clinical presentation. The aim of this review was to provide a critical and comprehensive overview of the published peer-reviewed evidence related to clinical presentations, various diagnostic methods and modes of transmission of Zika virus infection, as well as potential therapeutic targets to combat microcephaly. Zika virus is mainly transmitted through bites from Aedes aegypti mosquito. It can also be transmitted through blood, perinatally and sexually. Pregnant women are advised to postpone or avoid travelling to areas where active Zika virus transmission is reported, as this infection is directly linked to foetal microcephaly. Due to the high prevalence of Guillain-Barre syndrome and microcephaly in the endemic area, it is vital to confirm the diagnosis of Zika virus. Zika virus infection had been declared as a public health emergency and of international concern by the World Health Organisation. Governments and agencies should play an important role in terms of investing time and resources to fundamentally understand this infection so that a vaccine can be developed besides raising awareness.

Pediatric Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis treated with oral fluconazole: A case series.

PubMed

Michelerio, Andrea; Barruscotti, Stefania; Bossi, Grazia; Brazzelli, Valeria

2018-05-01

Cutaneous leishmaniasis has an incidence of 0.7-1.2 million cases per year and represents a growing concern in the outpatient dermatologic practice in Europe because of imported cases due to increased travel to risk areas and to immigration phenomena. When dealing with children, the treatment can be challenging because of side effects and pain of classic antimonial therapy leading to poor rates of course completion and requirement of sedation for several children. We retrospectively studied three cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis in pediatric patients, between the ages of 3 and 6 years of age, treated with oral fluconazole. We examined the efficacy, the tolerability, the safety profile and the cosmetic result of fluconazole at a dose of 6 mg/kg/daily for 6 weeks. The patients had a complete resolution of their lesions with minimal scarring. No adverse effect was reported. The leishmaniasis species identified were L. major or L. tropica. Considering sides effects and the parents' and the clinician's concern for systemic treatment in the pediatric population, fluconazole represents a valid, safe and easily manageable option for Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis in pediatric outpatients caused by L. major or L. tropica. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Databases on biotechnology and biosafety of GMOs.

PubMed

Degrassi, Giuliano; Alexandrova, Nevena; Ripandelli, Decio

2003-01-01

Due to the involvement of scientific, industrial, commercial and public sectors of society, the complexity of the issues concerning the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for the environment, agriculture, and human and animal health calls for a wide coverage of information. Accordingly, development of the field of biotechnology, along with concerns related to the fate of released GMOs, has led to a rapid development of tools for disseminating such information. As a result, there is a growing number of databases aimed at collecting and storing information related to GMOs. Most of the sites deal with information on environmental releases, field trials, transgenes and related sequences, regulations and legislation, risk assessment documents, and literature. Databases are mainly established and managed by scientific, national or international authorities, and are addressed towards scientists, government officials, policy makers, consumers, farmers, environmental groups and civil society representatives. This complexity can lead to an overlapping of information. The purpose of the present review is to analyse the relevant databases currently available on the web, providing comments on their vastly different information and on the structure of the sites pertaining to different users. A preliminary overview on the development of these sites during the last decade, at both the national and international level, is also provided.

Biomaterials for craniofacial reconstruction

PubMed Central

Neumann, Andreas; Kevenhoerster, Kevin

2011-01-01

Biomaterials for reconstruction of bony defects of the skull comprise of osteosynthetic materials applied after osteotomies or traumatic fractures and materials to fill bony defects which result from malformation, trauma or tumor resections. Other applications concern functional augmentations for dental implants or aesthetic augmentations in the facial region. For ostheosynthesis, mini- and microplates made from titanium alloys provide major advantages concerning biocompatibility, stability and individual fitting to the implant bed. The necessity of removing asymptomatic plates and screws after fracture healing is still a controversial issue. Risks and costs of secondary surgery for removal face a low rate of complications (due to corrosion products) when the material remains in situ. Resorbable osteosynthesis systems have similar mechanical stability and are especially useful in the growing skull. The huge variety of biomaterials for the reconstruction of bony defects makes it difficult to decide which material is adequate for which indication and for which site. The optimal biomaterial that meets every requirement (e.g. biocompatibility, stability, intraoperative fitting, product safety, low costs etc.) does not exist. The different material types are (autogenic) bone and many alloplastics such as metals (mainly titanium), ceramics, plastics and composites. Future developments aim to improve physical and biological properties, especially regarding surface interactions. To date, tissue engineered bone is far from routine clinical application. PMID:22073101

Feeding nine billion people sustainably: conserving land and water through shifting diets and changes in technologies.

PubMed

Springer, Nathaniel P; Duchin, Faye

2014-04-15

In the early 21st century the extensive clearing of forestland, fresh water scarcity, and sharp rises in the price of food have become causes for concern. These concerns may be substantially exacerbated over the next few decades by the need to provide improved diets for a growing global population. This study applies an inter-regional input-output model of the world economy, the World Trade Model, for analysis of alternative scenarios about satisfying future food requirements by midcentury. The scenario analysis indicates that relying only on more extensive use of arable land and fresh water would require clearing forests and exacerbating regional water scarcities. However, a combination of less resource-intensive diets and improved agricultural productivity, the latter especially in Africa, could make it possible to use these resources sustainably while also constraining increases in food prices. Unlike the scenario outcomes from other kinds of economic models, our framework reveals the potential for a decisive shift of production and export of agricultural products away from developed countries toward Africa and Latin America. Although the assumed changes in diets and technologies may not be realizable without incentives, our results suggest that these regions exhibit comparative advantages in agricultural production due to their large remaining resource endowments and their potential for higher yields.

Public relations and the radiation processing industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coates, T. Donna

The world's uneasiness and mistrust regarding anything nuclear has heightened in recent years due to events such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. Opinion polls and attitude surveys document the public's growing concern about issues such as the depletion of the ozone layer, the resulting greenhouse effect and exposure of our planet to cosmic radiation. Ultimately, such research reveals an underlying fear regarding the unseen impacts of modern technology on the environment and on human health. These concerns have obvious implications for the radiation processing industry, whose technology is nuclear based and not easily understood by the public. We have already seen organized nuclear opponents mobilize public anxiety, fear and misunderstanding in order to oppose the installation of radiation processing facilities and applications such as food irradiation. These opponents will no doubt try to strengthen resistance to our technology in the future. Opponents will attempt to convince the public that the risks to public and personal health and safety outweigh the benefits of our technology. We in the industry must head off any tendency for the public to see us as the "enemy". Our challenge is to counter public uneasiness and misunderstanding by effectively communicating the human benefits of our technology. Clearly it is a challenge we cannot afford to ignore.

Is a vegetarian diet adequate for children.

PubMed

Hackett, A; Nathan, I; Burgess, L

1998-01-01

The number of people who avoid eating meat is growing, especially among young people. Benefits to health from a vegetarian diet have been reported in adults but it is not clear to what extent these benefits are due to diet or to other aspects of lifestyles. In children concern has been expressed concerning the adequacy of vegetarian diets especially with regard to growth. The risks/benefits seem to be related to the degree of restriction of he diet; anaemia is probably both the main and the most serious risk but this also applies to omnivores. Vegan diets are more likely to be associated with malnutrition, especially if the diets are the result of authoritarian dogma. Overall, lacto-ovo-vegetarian children consume diets closer to recommendations than omnivores and their pre-pubertal growth is at least as good. The simplest strategy when becoming vegetarian may involve reliance on vegetarian convenience foods which are not necessarily superior in nutritional composition. The vegetarian sector of the food industry could do more to produce foods closer to recommendations. Vegetarian diets can be, but are not necessarily, adequate for children, providing vigilance is maintained, particularly to ensure variety. Identical comments apply to omnivorous diets. Three threats to the diet of children are too much reliance on convenience foods, lack of variety and lack of exercise.

Long-term patterns of air temperatures, daily temperature range, precipitation, grass-reference evapotranspiration and aridity index in the USA Great Plains: Part I. Spatial trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukal, M.; Irmak, S.

2016-11-01

Due to their substantial spatio-temporal behavior, long-term quantification and analyses of important hydrological variables are essential for practical applications in water resources planning, evaluating the water use of agricultural crop production and quantifying crop evapotranspiration patterns and irrigation management vs. hydrologic balance relationships. Observed data at over 800 sites across the Great Plains of USA, comprising of 9 states and 2,307,410 km2 of surface area, which is about 30% of the terrestrial area of the USA, were used to quantify and map large-scale and long-term (1968-2013) spatial trends of air temperatures, daily temperature range (DTR), precipitation, grass-reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and aridity index (AI) at monthly, growing season and annual time steps. Air temperatures had a strong north to south increasing trend, with annual average varying from -1 to 24 °C, and growing season average temperature varying from 8 to 30 °C. DTR gradually decreased from western to eastern parts of the region, with a regional annual and growing season averages of 14.25 °C and 14.79 °C, respectively. Precipitation had a gradual shift towards higher magnitudes from west to east, with the average annual and growing season (May-September) precipitation ranging from 163 to 1486 mm and from 98 to 746 mm, respectively. ETo had a southwest-northeast decreasing trend, with regional annual and growing season averages of 1297 mm and 823 mm, respectively. AI increased from west to east, indicating higher humidity (less arid) towards the east, with regional annual and growing season averages of 0.49 and 0.44, respectively. The spatial datasets and maps for these important climate variables can serve as valuable background for climate change and hydrologic studies in the Great Plains region. Through identification of priority areas from the developed maps, efforts of the concerned personnel and agencies and resources can be diverted towards development of holistic strategies to address water supply and demand challenges under changing climate. These strategies can consist of, but not limited to, advancing water, crop and soil management, and genetic improvements and their relationships with the climatic variables on large scales.

Factors associated with rushed and missed resident care in western Canadian nursing homes: a cross-sectional survey of health care aides.

PubMed

Knopp-Sihota, Jennifer A; Niehaus, Linda; Squires, Janet E; Norton, Peter G; Estabrooks, Carole A

2015-10-01

To describe the nature, frequency and factors associated with care that was rushed or missed by health care aides in western Canadian nursing homes. The growing number of nursing home residents with dementia has created job strain for frontline health care providers, the majority of whom are health care aides. Due to the associated complexity of care, health care aides are challenged to complete more care tasks in less time. Rushed or missed resident care are associated with adverse resident outcomes (e.g. falls) and poorer quality of staff work life (e.g. burnout) making this an important quality of care concern. Cross-sectional survey of health care aides (n = 583) working in a representative sample of nursing homes (30 urban, six rural) in western Canada. Data were collected in 2010 as part of the Translating Research in Elder Care study. We collected data on individual health care aides (demographic characteristics, job and vocational satisfaction, physical and mental health, burnout), unit level characteristics associated with organisational context, facility characteristics (location, size, owner/operator model), and the outcome variables of rushed and missed resident care. Most health care aides (86%) reported being rushed. Due to lack of time, 75% left at least one care task missed during their previous shift. Tasks most frequently missed were talking with residents (52% of health care aides) and assisting with mobility (51%). Health care aides working on units with higher organisational context scores were less likely to report rushed and missed care. Health care aides frequently report care that is rushed and tasks omitted due to lack of time. Considering the resident population in nursing homes today--many with advanced dementia and all with complex care needs--health care aides having enough time to provide physical and psychosocial care of high quality is a critical concern. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

USEPA-USGS Case Studies

EPA Science Inventory

The presence of emerging contaminants (ECs) in the environment is an area of growing concern for the scientific community and the general public. ECs include a broad range of chemicals including personal care products, pharmaceuticles, industrial compounds, pesticides, and hormo...

Polyfluorinated Compounds: Past, Present, and Future

EPA Science Inventory

Interest and concern about polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs), such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), erfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and an increasing number of other related compounds is growing as more is learned about these ubiquitous anthropogenic substances. Many of these co...

Quiet pavement systems in Europe

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-05-01

Noise pollution is a growing concern in the United States. A major contributor of highway noise is at the tire-pavement interface, which means that quieter pavements could lead to reductions in traffic-generated noise. The Federal Highway Administrat...

Integrating climate change into the transportation planning process : final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-07-01

The objective of this study is to advance the practice and application of transportation planning among state, regional, and local transportation planning agencies to successfully meet growing concerns about the relationship between transportation an...

The use of LIDAR to characterize aircraft exhaust plumes

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-06-22

Aircraft emissions are a growing concern for the FAA, airports, and the community. U.S. : and international air quality models were previously unable to accurately predict initial : plume dispersion and the resulting pollutant concentrations because ...

Bozeman Pass wildlife channelization ITS project : executive summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-05-31

Animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) are a growing concern as vehicle miles traveled and : human encroachment into wildlife habitat continues to increase throughout the United : States. Measures to prevent AVCs such as wildlife exclusion fencing and wild...

WASTE REDUCTION USING COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN TOOLS

EPA Science Inventory

Growing environmental concerns have spurred considerable interest in pollution prevention. In most instances, pollution prevention involves introducing radical changes to the design of processes so that waste generation is minimized.
Process simulators can be effective tools i...

Crash test and evaluation of locking architectural mailboxes.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-09-01

Some homeowners and businesses are becoming increasingly concerned about mail-identity theft. : Consequently, there is a growing demand for the use of locking mailboxes for theft deterrence and vandal : resistance. There are a number of mailbox produ...

Mixture interactions of xenoestrogens with endogenous estrogens.

EPA Science Inventory

There is growing concern of exposure to fish, wildlife, and humans to water sources contaminated with estrogens and the potential impact on reproductive health. These environmental estrogens originate from various sources including concentrated animal feedlot operations (CAFO), m...

Potential of vegetable oils for lubricants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Vegetable oils offer significant advantages in terms of resource renewability, biodegradability, and comparable performance properties to petroleum-based products. The petroleum-based lubricants render unfavorable impact on the environment. With the growing environmental concerns, seed oils are find...

Efficiency trends for new commercial jet aircraft 1960-2008

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-11-01

Concerns about aviations growing climate impact have revived interest in CO2 emission standards for new aircraft. To date, commercial aviation has been perceived to produce continuous improvements in efficiency by quickly adopting fuel-efficient t...

NON-TRADITIONAL 'GREENER' ALTERNATIVES TO ORGANIC SYNTHESES

EPA Science Inventory

Synthetic organic transformations performed under non-traditional conditions are becoming popular primarily to circumvent the growing environmental concerns. A solvent-free approach that involves microwave (MW) exposure of neat reactants (undiluted) catalyzed by the surfaces of l...

NON-TRADITIONAL 'GREENER' ALTERNATIVES TO SYNTHETIC ORGANIC TRANSFORMATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Non-traditional 'Greener' Alternatives to Synthetic Organic Transformations

Rajender S. Varma
Synthetic organic transformations performed under non-traditional conditions are becoming popular primarily to circumvent the growing environmental concerns. A rapid and envir...

NON-TRADITIONAL 'GREENER' ALTERNATIVES TO CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Synthetic organic transformations performed under non-traditional conditions are becoming popular primarily to circumvent the growing environmental concerns. A solvent-free approach that involves microwave (MW) exposure of neat reactants (undiluted) catalyzed by the surfaces of l...

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLIER SYNTHETIC ALTERNATIVES USING NON-TRADITIONAL APPROACHES

EPA Science Inventory

Synthetic organic transformations performed under non-traditional conditions are becoming popular primarily to circumvent the growing environmental concerns. A solvent-free approach that involves microwave (MW) exposure of neat reactants (undiluted) either in presence of a cataly...

Policy Concerns Raised by the Growing U.S. Population Aging with Disability

PubMed Central

Iezzoni, Lisa I.

2014-01-01

Narrative Summary The number of Americans aging with disabilities will grow substantially in coming decades. Promulgating policies and practices to improve their independent functioning within communities and participation in daily life is therefore imperative, but the most effective approaches for meeting various needs are generally unknown. Historically, research addressing approaches targeting elderly individuals have differed in important ways (e.g., underlying models of disability) from studies involving younger persons aging with disabilities. Participants in a conference addressing this discordance identified six major areas requiring study: (1) resources to support independent living; (2) improving quality of life and participation in daily activities; (3) performing activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADLs; (4) role of families; (5) medical care; and (6) concerns transcending sectors. As these investigations move forward, bridging the divide between approaches addressing elderly individuals versus persons with disabilities will be critical. PMID:24456688

Human fertility and differential birth rates in American eugenics and genetics: a brief history.

PubMed

Cooke, K J

1998-05-01

Eugenics is a broad term used to describe a variety of social and state-sponsored reform movements. Although we usually think of Nazi atrocities when we hear the word "eugenics," in this article I discuss the manifestations of hereditary reform worldwide. In particular, I consider the history of eugenics in America, focusing on concerns about the differences in birth rates between various racial, ethnic, and educational groups. In the early twentieth century, the social and cultural expectations that surrounded the growing knowledge in genetics implied an ethical imperative for physicians. Physicians were expected to use their knowledge about genetics to help them decide what sort of advice and assistance should be given to those who wanted knowledge about birth control, or help in resolving problems concerning sterility and infertility. Today, with growing knowledge about human genetics, physicians are subject to increasing pressure to make similar judgments.

Who believes electronic games cause real world aggression?

PubMed

Przybylski, Andrew K

2014-04-01

Electronic games have rapidly become a popular form of human recreation, and the immersive experiences they provide millions have led many to voice concerns that some games, and violent ones in particular, may negatively impact society. Increasingly heated debates make it clear that gaming-related aggression is a topic that elicits strong opinions. Despite a complex and growing literature concerned with violent games, little is known empirically about why some ardently believe, whereas others dismiss, notions that this form of leisure is a source of aggression. The present research recruited three nationally representative samples to investigate this understudied topic. Results showed that belief was normally distributed across the population, prominent among demographic cohorts who did not grow up with games and those who lack concrete gaming experience. Results are discussed in the context of this developing research area, wider social science perspectives, and the place of electronic games in society.

Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-02

embargo by the European Union to go into full effect by July 1, 2012—there are growing indications that the regime feels economic pressure. Iran’s...Mohajerani, and Mohsen Kadivar. Some well known dissidents who remained in Iran and were arrested in 2010 include filmmaker Jafar Panahi and journalist...7 The designation was made under the authority of the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-132). Iran: U.S. Concerns and

Scientists Puzzle Over Acid Rain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chemical and Engineering News, 1975

1975-01-01

Reports on a growing concern over increased acidity in atmospheric percipitation. Explores possible causes of the increased acidity, identifies chemical components of precipitation in various parts of the world, and presents environmental changes that might be attributed to the acidity. (GS)

Endocrine-Active Pharmaceuticals: An Environmental Concern?

EPA Science Inventory

Recently, there has been growing interest in pharmaceuticals that are specifically designed to have endocrine activity, such as the estrogens used in birth control pills, exerting unintended effects on fish and other aquatic organisms. These pharmaceuticals may not be persistent...

Final report: the use of LIDAR to characterize aircraft initial plume characteristics

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-02-28

Aircraft emissions are a growing concern for the FAA, airports, and the community. U.S. : and international air quality models were previously unable to accurately predict initial : plume dispersion and the resulting pollutant concentrations because ...

Demystifying Controlling Copper Corrosion

EPA Science Inventory

The LCR systematically misses the highest health and corrosion risk sites for copper. Additionally, there are growing concerns for WWTP copper in sludges and discharge levels. There are many corrosion control differences between copper and lead. This talk explains the sometimes c...

HEALTH EFFECTS OF BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS (BFRS)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract Brominated flame retardant use has increased dramatically in order to provide fire safety to consumers. However, there is growing concern about widespread environmental contamination and potential health risks from some of these products. The most used products...

Administrative Attribution Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frasher, James M.; Frasher, Ramona S.

1981-01-01

Hypothesizes that the growing body of empirical data concerning attribution theory offers insight into the administrative process. To stimulate research to test this hypothesis, presents previous relevant research and a theory entitled Administrative Attribution Theory. Research questions applying the theory to educational administration are…

Intelligent transportation systems national investment and market analysis : executive summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-05-01

The United States transportation system is unparalleled. Yet, today, the system is straining to meet the growing demand for transportation. Planners are faced with increasing congestion, limited funds, equally limited rights-of-way, and concern fo...

Guidelines for use of Hydrogen Fuel in Commercial Vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-01

Over the next 50 years, hydrogen use is expected to grow dramatically as an automotive and electrical power source fuel. As hydrogen becomes commercially viable, the safety concerns associated with hydrogen systems, equipment, and operation are of co...

A toolkit of measures for reducing animal-vehicle collisions.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-01-01

Animal-vehicle collisions are a growing concern in terms of human safety; costs related to injury, property damage, and disposal; and the viability of wildlife populations. These collisions are rapidly increasing throughout the United States, and Vir...

Alternative approaches to condition monitoring in freeway management systems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-01-01

In response to growing concerns over traffic congestion, traffic management systems have been built in large urban areas in an effort to improve the efficiency and safety of the transportation network. This research effort developed an automated cond...

Great Basin aspen ecosystems

Treesearch

Dale L. Bartos

2008-01-01

The health of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) in the Great Basin is of growing concern. The following provides an overview of aspen decline and die-off in areas within and adjacent to the Great Basin and suggests possible directions for research and management.

7 CFR 319.5 - Requirements for submitting requests to change the regulations in 7 CFR part 319.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

...); and (v) Physical and climatological description of the growing area. (4) Information about post... year); (iv) Economic losses associated with pests of concern in the country; (v) Pest biology or...

7 CFR 319.5 - Requirements for submitting requests to change the regulations in 7 CFR part 319.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...); and (v) Physical and climatological description of the growing area. (4) Information about post... year); (iv) Economic losses associated with pests of concern in the country; (v) Pest biology or...

7 CFR 319.5 - Requirements for submitting requests to change the regulations in 7 CFR part 319.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

...); and (v) Physical and climatological description of the growing area. (4) Information about post... year); (iv) Economic losses associated with pests of concern in the country; (v) Pest biology or...

7 CFR 319.5 - Requirements for submitting requests to change the regulations in 7 CFR part 319.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

...); and (v) Physical and climatological description of the growing area. (4) Information about post... year); (iv) Economic losses associated with pests of concern in the country; (v) Pest biology or...

7 CFR 319.5 - Requirements for submitting requests to change the regulations in 7 CFR part 319.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...); and (v) Physical and climatological description of the growing area. (4) Information about post... year); (iv) Economic losses associated with pests of concern in the country; (v) Pest biology or...

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLIER ALTERNATIVES TO CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS USING NON-TRADITIONAL APPROACHES

EPA Science Inventory

Environmentally Friendlier Synthetic Alternatives
Using Non-traditional Approaches

Rajender S. Varma

Synthetic organic transformations performed under non-traditional conditions are becoming popular primarily to circumvent the growing environmental concerns. A so...

QC/QA : evaluation of effectiveness in Kentucky.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-06-30

Quality control and quality assurance in the highway industry is going through a cultural shift. There is a growing trend toward using the contractor data for acceptance and payment purpose. This has led to serious concerns about conflicts of interes...

Contextual influences on environmental concerns cross-nationally: A multilevel investigation.

PubMed

Marquart-Pyatt, Sandra T

2012-09-01

Environmental issues continue to grow in international prominence, as environmental conditions are recognized as some of the most important problems facing the world. Research examining this globalization of environmental concern shown in public opinion surveys emphasizes the importance of context yet is currently underspecified. To address this gap, this research uses a multi-level, cross-national study to examine individual-level and country-level influences on three measures of environmental concern: environmental threat awareness, environmental efficacy, and willingness to pay. At the individual level, education, age, and gender affect environmental concerns. At the national level, economic, political, and environmental factors affect environmental concerns. Importantly, contextual factors differ in their effects depending on the dimension of environmental concern measured. Results from cross-level interactions for education confirm these complexities across these measures, supporting a dimensionality argument. The importance of the measurement of environmental concern shown in this research is emphasized for future cross-national scholarship. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Flow Cytometry Sorting to Separate Viable Giant Viruses from Amoeba Co-culture Supernatants

PubMed Central

Khalil, Jacques Y. B.; Langlois, Thierry; Andreani, Julien; Sorraing, Jean-Marc; Raoult, Didier; Camoin, Laurence; La Scola, Bernard

2017-01-01

Flow cytometry has contributed to virology but has faced many drawbacks concerning detection limits, due to the small size of viral particles. Nonetheless, giant viruses changed many concepts in the world of viruses, as a result of their size and hence opened up the possibility of using flow cytometry to study them. Recently, we developed a high throughput isolation of viruses using flow cytometry and protozoa co-culture. Consequently, isolating a viral mixture in the same sample became more common. Nevertheless, when one virus multiplies faster than others in the mixture, it is impossible to obtain a pure culture of the minority population. Here, we describe a robust sorting system, which can separate viable giant virus mixtures from supernatants. We tested three flow cytometry sorters by sorting artificial mixtures. Purity control was assessed by electron microscopy and molecular biology. As proof of concept, we applied the sorting system to a co-culture supernatant taken from a sample containing a viral mixture that we couldn't separate using end point dilution. In addition to isolating the quick-growing Mimivirus, we sorted and re-cultured a new, slow-growing virus, which we named “Cedratvirus.” The sorting assay presented in this paper is a powerful and versatile tool for separating viral populations from amoeba co-cultures and adding value to the new field of flow virometry. PMID:28111619

Flow Cytometry Sorting to Separate Viable Giant Viruses from Amoeba Co-culture Supernatants.

PubMed

Khalil, Jacques Y B; Langlois, Thierry; Andreani, Julien; Sorraing, Jean-Marc; Raoult, Didier; Camoin, Laurence; La Scola, Bernard

2016-01-01

Flow cytometry has contributed to virology but has faced many drawbacks concerning detection limits, due to the small size of viral particles. Nonetheless, giant viruses changed many concepts in the world of viruses, as a result of their size and hence opened up the possibility of using flow cytometry to study them. Recently, we developed a high throughput isolation of viruses using flow cytometry and protozoa co-culture. Consequently, isolating a viral mixture in the same sample became more common. Nevertheless, when one virus multiplies faster than others in the mixture, it is impossible to obtain a pure culture of the minority population. Here, we describe a robust sorting system, which can separate viable giant virus mixtures from supernatants. We tested three flow cytometry sorters by sorting artificial mixtures. Purity control was assessed by electron microscopy and molecular biology. As proof of concept, we applied the sorting system to a co-culture supernatant taken from a sample containing a viral mixture that we couldn't separate using end point dilution. In addition to isolating the quick-growing Mimivirus , we sorted and re-cultured a new, slow-growing virus, which we named "Cedratvirus." The sorting assay presented in this paper is a powerful and versatile tool for separating viral populations from amoeba co-cultures and adding value to the new field of flow virometry.

The Effects of Electromagnetic Field on the Endocrine System in Children and Adolescents.

PubMed

Sangün, Özlem; Dündar, Bumin; Çömlekçi, Selçuk; Büyükgebiz, Attila

2015-12-01

Children are exposed to various kind of non-ionizan radiation in their daily life involuntarily. The potential sensitivity of developing organism to the effects of radiofrequency (RF) signals, the higher estimated specific absorption rate (SAR) values of children and greater lifetime cumulative risk raised the scientific interest for children's vulnerability to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). In modern societies, children are being exposed to EMFs in very early ages. There are many researches in scientific literature investigating the alterations of biological parameters in living organisms after EMFs. Although the international guidelines did not report definite, convincing data about the causality, there are unignorable amount of studies indicating the increased risk of cancer, hematologic effects and cognitive impairment. Although they are less in amount; growing number of studies reveal the impacts on metabolism and endocrine function. Reproductive system and growth look like the most challenging fields. However there are also some concerns on detrimental effects of EMFs on thyroid functions, adrenal hormones, glucose homeostasis and melatonin levels. It is not easy to conduct a study investigating the effects of EMFs on a fetus or child due to ethical issues. Hence, the studies are usually performed on virtual models or animals. Although the results are conflicting and cannot be totally matched with humans; there is growing evidence to distress us about the threats of EMF on children.

Aging in Italy: The Need for New Welfare Strategies in an Old Country.

PubMed

Mazzola, Paolo; Rimoldi, Stefania Maria Lorenza; Rossi, Paolo; Noale, Marianna; Rea, Federico; Facchini, Carla; Maggi, Stefania; Corrao, Giovanni; Annoni, Giorgio

2016-06-01

Italy, a Southern European country with 60.8 million inhabitants, has the largest proportion of elderly citizens (aged ≥65) in Europe of 21.4%. The aging of the population is due to a number of reasons, such as baby boomers growing old, an increase in longevity, and low birth rate. Although international migration has increased in recent years, the addition of a foreign segment of the population has neither compensated for nor significantly curtailed the aging phenomenon. The impact of aging on the economic sustainability concerns the progressive reduction of the workforce, high incidence of pension spending in the overall resources allocated to welfare, recent reform of the pension system, and the growing issue of "non-self-sufficiency" in the elderly. Despite limited financial measures dedicated to research, Italy is conducting important studies on aging, both at the national and international level. Physicians and researchers in the field of geriatrics and gerontology are not only promoting quality of life in the elderly, and healthy-active aging, but also contributing to economic stability and social organization. Finally, nutritional and lifestyle habits-and their role in preventing chronic diseases-are the focus of the current international event EXPO 2015, with many sections dedicated to the elderly. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Value added by Spirulina platensis in two different diets on growth performance, gut microbiota, and meat quality of Japanese quails.

PubMed

Yusuf, Mohamed S; Hassan, Marwa A; Abdel-Daim, Mohamed M; Nabtiti, Adel S El; Ahmed, Ali Meawad; Moawed, Sherief A; El-Sayed, Ahmed Kamel; Cui, Hengmi

2016-11-01

The growth promoting effect of the blue-green filamentous alga Spirulina platensis (SP) was observed on meat type Japanese quail with antibiotic growth promoter alternative and immune enhancing power. This study was conducted on 180 Japanese quail chicks for 4 weeks to find out the effect of diet type (vegetarian protein diet [VPD] and fish meal protein diet [FMPD])- Spirulina dose interaction (1 or 2 g/kg diet) on growth performance, gut microbiota, and sensory meat quality of growing Japanese quails (1-5 weeks old). Data revealed improvement (p<0.05) of weight gain, feed conversion ratio and European efficiency index due to 1, 2 g (SP)/kg VPD, and 2 g (SP)/kg FMPD, respectively. There was a significant decrease of ileum mean pH value by 1 g (SP)/kg VPD. Concerning gut microbiota, there was a trend toward an increase in Lactobacilli count in both 1; 2 g (SP)/kg VPD and 2 g (SP)/kg FMPD. It was concluded that 1 or 2 g (SP)/kg vegetarian diet may enhance parameters of performance without obvious effect on both meat quality and gut microbiota. Moreover, 1 and/or 2 g (SP) may not be invited to share fish meal based diet for growing Japanese quails. Using of SP will support the profitable production of Japanese quails fed vegetable protein diet.

Antibiotic resistance among Ureaplasma spp. isolates: cause for concern?

PubMed

Beeton, M L; Spiller, O B

2017-02-01

There is growing global concern regarding the rise of antibiotic-resistant organisms. Many of these reports have focused on various Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens, with little attention to the genus Ureaplasma. Ureaplasma spp. are associated with numerous infectious diseases affecting pregnant women, neonates and the immunocompromised. Treatment options are extremely limited due to high levels of intrinsic resistance resulting from the unique physiology of these organisms and further restricted in cases of the developing fetus or neonate, often limiting therapeutic options to predominantly macrolides or rarely fluoroquinolones. The increasing presence of macrolide- and fluoroquinolone-resistant strains among neonatal infections may result in pan-drug resistance and potentially untreatable conditions. Here, we review the requirements for accurate measurement of antimicrobial susceptibility, provide a comprehensive review of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for Ureaplasma species in the literature and contextualize these results relative to some investigators' reliance on commercial kits that are not CLSI compliant when determining AMR. The dramatic variation in the resistance patterns and impact of high levels of AMR amongst neonatal populations suggests the need for continued surveillance. Commercial kits represent an excellent tool for initial antibiotic susceptibility determination and screening. However, AMR reporting must utilize internationally standardized methods, as high-titre samples, or Mycoplasma hominis-contaminated samples routinely give false AMR results. Furthermore, there is a requirement for future reports to determine the underlying AMR mechanisms and determine whether expanding AMR is due to spontaneous mutation, transmission of resistance genes on mobile elements or selection and expansion of resistant clones. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The motivation and actions of Australians concerning brain health and dementia risk reduction.

PubMed

Smith, Ben J; Ali, Suha; Quach, Henry

2015-08-01

Alzheimer's disease and dementia are recognised as critical public health priorities. This study investigated intentions and behaviours concerning brain health and dementia risk reduction among Australians. A cross-sectional survey of 1000 persons aged 20-75 years measured knowledge, beliefs, intentions and behaviours concerning brain health and dementia. The demographic, experiential and cognitive factors associated with intentions and actions were examined. Around half of respondents were motivated to improve brain health. Behaviours most often reported were mental activity (19%), physical activity (9.6%) and dietary action (6.5%). Actions were most likely among women (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.19-2.14), those aged 60 years and over (OR 3.07, 95% CI 2.01-2.58), with university education (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.08-2.58) or with prior contact with a person with dementia (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.12-3.56). Both intentions and actions were associated with moderate to high knowledge, and beliefs and confidence that favoured dementia risk reduction. A lower proportion of Australians reported taking action to improve brain health than who expressed intentions in this regard. Strategies are needed to improve knowledge about the range of behaviours that contribute to dementia risk reduction and to increase confidence that this outcome is personally achievable. SO WHAT? The burden of disease due to Alzheimer's disease and dementia is growing dramatically. It is essential to promote awareness that dementia is not an inevitable result of ageing and to increase understanding that action can be taken throughout the life course to promote brain health.

Mapping water availability, cost and projected consumptive use in the eastern United States with comparisons to the west

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tidwell, Vincent C.; Moreland, Barbie D.; Shaneyfelt, Calvin R.; Kobos, Peter

2018-01-01

The availability of freshwater supplies to meet future demand is a growing concern. Water availability metrics are needed to inform future water development decisions. With the help of water managers, water availability was mapped for over 1300 watersheds throughout the 31 contiguous states in the eastern US complimenting a prior study of the west. The compiled set of water availability data is unique in that it considers multiple sources of water (fresh surface and groundwater, wastewater and brackish groundwater); accommodates institutional controls placed on water use; is accompanied by cost estimates to access, treat and convey each unique source of water; and is compared to projected future growth in consumptive water use to 2030. Although few administrative limits have been set on water availability in the east, water managers have identified 315 fresh surface water and 398 fresh groundwater basins (with 151 overlapping basins) as areas of concern (AOCs) where water supply challenges exist due to drought related concerns, environmental flows, groundwater overdraft, or salt water intrusion. This highlights a difference in management where AOCs are identified in the east which simply require additional permitting, while in the west strict administrative limits are established. Although the east is generally considered ‘water rich’ roughly a quarter of the basins were identified as AOCs; however, this is still in strong contrast to the west where 78% of the surface water basins are operating at or near their administrative limit. Little effort was noted on the part of eastern or western water managers to quantify non-fresh water resources.

Online Technologies for Health Information and Education: A literature review

PubMed Central

Gill, Harkiran K.; Gill, Navkiranjit; Young, Sean D.

2014-01-01

There is a growing body of research focused on the use of social media and Internet technologies for health education and information sharing. The authors reviewed literature on this topic, with a specific focus on the benefits and concerns associated with using online social technologies as health education and communication tools. Studies suggest that social media technologies have the potential to safely and effectively deliver health education, if privacy concerns are addressed. Utility of social media-based health education and communication will improve as technology developers and public health officials determine ways to improve information accuracy and address privacy concerns. PMID:24465171

The cooling time scales of growing sunspots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chou, Dean-Yi

1987-01-01

The evolution of brightness and magnetic fields of growing sunspots is studied. Growing sunspots are found to be brighter (or less dark) than stable sunspots with the same magnetic field strength. From comparison of brightness and magnetic fields of a growing sunspot with those of stable sunspots, a dynamical parameter, the cooling time, of the growing sunspot is obtained. Ten growing sunspots are studied, and cooling times of 0.5 to 9 hr are found. Two models, the inhibition model and the Alfven wave model, give cooling times of about 0.05 hr, based on linear theory. The discrepancy between theory and observation may be due to the fact that the observed sunspots are in the nonlinear regime.

Numerical study of terrain-induced mesoscale motions and hydrostatic form drag in a heated, growing mixed layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deardorff, J. W.; Ueyoshi, K.; Han, Y.-J.

1984-01-01

Han et al. (1982) have found in a previous numerical study of terrain-induced mesoscale motions that the orography caused a steady-state flow pattern to occur. The study was concerned with a simplified case in which no surface heating occurred. The present investigation considers an extension of this study to the more realistic case of a heated, growing daytime mixed layer containing horizontal variations of potential temperature as well as velocity. The model is also extended to include three layers above the mixed layer. It is found for a heated, growing mixed layer, that the mesoscale form drag is a thermal-anomaly or buoyancy effect associated with horizontal variations of potential temperature within the layer.

Perfluorinated Alkyl Compounds: Challenges To Develop Robust And Reliable Methods

EPA Science Inventory

An increasing number of studies have been conducted to investigate the environmental distribution of perfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFCs), some of which are known to be toxic in laboratory studies. Despite growing public concerns, environmental monitoring data are still limited...

Low-Cost Sensor POD Design Considerations

EPA Science Inventory

Public concern about air quality is growing in communities around the globe as citizens learn more about the potential health effects of the air they breathe. Air quality monitoring has often been restricted to organizations administering Federal Reference Method (FRM) or Federal...

Quantitative approaches for assessing ecological and community resilience

EPA Science Inventory

Scholars from many different intellectual disciplines have attempted to measure, estimate, or quantify resilience. However, there is growing concern that lack of clarity on the operationalization of the concept will limit its application. In this paper, we discuss the theory, res...

77 FR 14852 - Advanced Growing Systems, Inc., Advantage Capital Development Corp., Amazon Biotech, Inc...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-13

...., Bravo! Brands, Inc., and BSML, Inc., Order of Suspension of Trading March 9, 2012. It appears to the... information concerning the securities of Bravo! Brands, Inc. because it has not filed any periodic reports...

Understanding Underachievers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Flora

1984-01-01

Reasons children underachieve in school are examined: emotional problems, secondary gains, teacher troubles, peer pressure, boredom, fear of trying, and fear of growing up. Guidelines for parents are offered concerning involvement with homework, holding children back, rewards versus bribes, activities that boost self-esteem, and parent…

Low-Cost Sensor POD Design Considerations

EPA Science Inventory

Public concern about air quality is growing in communities around the globe as citizens learn more about the potential health effects of the air they breathe.1 Air quality monitoring has often been restricted to organizations administering Federal Reference Method (FRM) or Federa...

Growing Up under the Mushroom Cloud.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shachter, Burt

1986-01-01

The social work clinician is witnessing among children and youths a sharpening awareness of possible nuclear catastrophe. Emerging research suggests that this concern reflects a pervasive preoccupation among youth. What adults might do until more definitive knowledge arises is discussed. (Author/ABB)

Effects of perfluorinated chemicals on adipocyte development

EPA Science Inventory

Obesity is a growing concern in the US population. Current interest is high in the role played by environmental factors called obesogens that may contribute to obesity through developmental exposure. One class of potential obesogens is the family of perfluorinated chemicals used ...

Enhancing quantitative approaches for assessing community resilience

EPA Science Inventory

Scholars from many different intellectual disciplines have attempted to measure, estimate, or quantify resilience. However, there is growing concern that lack of clarity on the operationalization of the concept will limit its application. In this paper, we discuss the theory, res...

An investigation of the safety implications of wireless communications in vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-11-01

The extensive growth in the wireless communications industry over the past ten years has been accompanied by growing concern for the potential hazards of drivers using wireless communication devices from moving vehicles. Given the National Highway Tr...

Truck stop and rest area parking study : final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-04-01

Crowding and illegal parking of trucks at existing public rest areas and along the highway ramps and shoulders has been recognized as a growing concern, with potential safety implications. In Connecticut there are approximately 1,200 trucks that trav...

Green Chemistry and Environmental Remediation

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract: Nutrient remediation and recovery is a growing concern for two key reasons: (i) the prevention of harmful algal bloom proliferation, and (ii) the recycling of nutrients (e.g., phosphates) as they are non-renewable resources which are quickly being depleted. A wide range...

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLIER ORGANIC TRANSFORMATIONS ON MINERAL SUPPORTS UNDER NON-TRADITIONAL CONDITIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Synthetic organic reactions performed under non-traditional conditions are gaining popularity primarily to circumvent the growing environmental concerns. A solvent-free approach that involves microwave (MW) exposure of neat reactants (undiluted) either in presence of a catalyst o...

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLIER ORGANIC TRANSFORMATIONS ON MINERAL SUPPORTS UNDER NONTRADITIONAL CONDITIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Synthetic organic reactions performed under non-traditional conditions are gaining popularity primarily to circumvent the growing environmental concerns. A solvent-free approach that involves microwave (MW) exposure of neat reactants (undiluted) either in presence of a catalyst o...

Potential benefits of mileage-based user fees to the freight industry and industry concerns.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-01

The concept of funding surface transportation infrastructure through fees charged on miles driven has been : receiving growing attention from transportation professionals and researchers in recent years. Highway funding in : the United States has tra...

Effects of Wheel-Load Spatial Repeatability on Road Damage : A Literature Review

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-09-01

Concerns about growing governmental budgetary deficits and the awareness of the economic advantages associated with a safe and well-maintained road infrastructure are two of the main reasons for devoting attention to better understanding the problem ...

Licensing procedures and older drivers : traffic tech.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-09-01

People 65 and older are the fastest growing demographic : group in the United States. This is cause for concern given : that the youngest and oldest drivers have the highest crash : rates per unit of distance traveled, with rates increasing for : old...

A synthesis of growing-season, non-growing season, and annual methane emission measurements among temperate, boreal, and tundra wetlands and uplands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treat, C. C.; Bloom, A. A.; Marushchak, M. E.

2017-12-01

Wetlands are the largest natural source of methane to the atmosphere, while upland soils are a consistent sink of atmospheric methane. Wetland methane emissions are highly variable among sites, years, and temporal scales due to differences in production, oxidation, and transport pathways. Currently, process model predictions of methane emissions from wetlands remain challenging due to uncertain parameterizations of net methane production and emission processes. Here, we synthesize growing season, non-growing season, and annual methane emissions from chamber and eddy-covariance measurements for more than 150 sites in undisturbed temperate, boreal, and tundra wetlands and uplands. We compare the magnitude of fluxes among regions, wetland classifications, vegetation classifications, and environmental variables. Growing season measurements were most abundant in bogs, fens, and tundra sites, while marshes and swamps were relatively undersampled. Annual methane emissions were largest from marshes and lowest from upland mineral soils. Non-growing season emissions accounted for large fraction of annual methane emissions, especially in tundra sites. These results provide constraints for methane emissions from temporal, boreal, and arctic wetlands utilizing the numerous flux measurements conducted over the past 25 years. We find that state-of-the-art model ensembles are seasonally biased; in particular, the vast majority of models overestimate predictions of the growing season to annual wetland methane emission ratio across all biomes.

Health disparities through a psychological lens.

PubMed

Adler, Nancy E

2009-11-01

There is growing concern in the United States about avoidable, unjust differences in health associated with sociodemographic characteristics, such as socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity. This concern has sparked research to identify how disparities develop and how they can be reduced. Studies showing that disparities occur at all levels of socioeconomic status, not simply at the very bottom, suggest that psychosocial factors play an important role. The author discusses both content and process issues in psychological research on disparities. Copyright 2009 by the American Psychological Association

Potential Use of Lime as Nitric Acid Source for Alternative Electrolyte Fuel-Cell Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christianto, V.; Smarandache, Florentin

2011-04-01

Despite growing popularity for the use of biofuel and other similar methods to generate renewable energy sources from natural plantation in recent years, there is also growing concern over its disadvantage, i.e. that the energy use of edible plants may cause unwanted effects, because the plantation price tends to increase following the oil price. Therefore an alternative solution to this problem is to find `natural plantation' which have no direct link to `food chain' (for basic foods, such as palm oil etc.).

Public Perspectives of Mobile Phones’ Effects on Healthcare Quality and Medical Data Security and Privacy: A 2-Year Nationwide Survey

PubMed Central

Richardson, Joshua E.; Ancker, Jessica S.

2015-01-01

Given growing interest in mobile phones for health management (mHealth), we surveyed consumer perceptions of mHealth in security, privacy, and healthcare quality using national random-digit-dial telephone surveys in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, 48% thought that using a mobile phone to communicate data with a physician’s electronic health record (EHR) would improve the quality of health care. By 2014, the proportion rose to 57% (p < .001). There were no similar changes in privacy concerns yet nearly two-thirds expressed privacy concerns. In 2013 alone, respondents were more likely to express privacy concerns about medical data on mobile phones than they were to endorse similar concerns with EHRs or health information exchange (HIE). Consumers increasingly believe that mHealth improves healthcare quality, but security and privacy concerns need to be addressed for quality improvement to be fully realized. PMID:26958246

Public Perspectives of Mobile Phones' Effects on Healthcare Quality and Medical Data Security and Privacy: A 2-Year Nationwide Survey.

PubMed

Richardson, Joshua E; Ancker, Jessica S

2015-01-01

Given growing interest in mobile phones for health management (mHealth), we surveyed consumer perceptions of mHealth in security, privacy, and healthcare quality using national random-digit-dial telephone surveys in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, 48% thought that using a mobile phone to communicate data with a physician's electronic health record (EHR) would improve the quality of health care. By 2014, the proportion rose to 57% (p < .001). There were no similar changes in privacy concerns yet nearly two-thirds expressed privacy concerns. In 2013 alone, respondents were more likely to express privacy concerns about medical data on mobile phones than they were to endorse similar concerns with EHRs or health information exchange (HIE). Consumers increasingly believe that mHealth improves healthcare quality, but security and privacy concerns need to be addressed for quality improvement to be fully realized.

East Europe Report, Economic and Industrial Affairs, No. 2380.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-03-18

12, 1982) 29 Sugar Beet Growing Methods Examined (Jana Kastankova, et al.; EKONOMIKA POLNOHOSPODARSTVA, No 1, 1983) 34 HUNGARY Structural...production of genuine seeds. A sad situation develops when we see uneven crops in the testing sectors next to seed- growing areas. P. Petkov: In...to unfinished strains this is due to weaknesses in strain support, crop growing technologies, and others. Major weaknesses are allowed in the

Design concepts concerning the multiple use of transportation rights-of-way.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-01-01

The growing shortage of available land is generating a great deal of interest in the utilization of transportation rights-of-way for uses other than for vehicles. Such structures as air-rights buildings and enclosed pedestrian bridges between buildin...

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFECTIVE MONITORING PROGRAMS FOR DREDGING CONTAMINATED SEDIMENT

EPA Science Inventory

Currently, there is a growing national debate about dredging contaminated sediments, including risks to human health and the environment as well as the overall effectiveness of remedial activities. Presently, monitoring methods are available to address both concerns. This present...

Developmental exposure to environmental estrogens alters microbiota structure in zebrafish

EPA Science Inventory

Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread environmental contaminant, has been associated with adverse endocrine and neurodevelopmental effects. Growing public concern over the safety of BPA has resulted in swift replacement with a suite of alternatives that uniformly lack suffi...

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ENTERIC VIRUSES AND WATERBORNE ILLNESS

EPA Science Inventory

With growing concern over drinking water safety, considerable attention has been directed towards microbial pathogens in source waters, and the adequacy of current methods used to detect, monitor and treat for these pathogens. The focus has been on bacterial and protozoan pathog...

The role of hybridization in facilitating tree invasion

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hybridization events can generate additional genetic diversity on which natural selection can act and at times enhance invasiveness of the species. Invasive tree species are a growing ecological concern worldwide, and some of these invasions involve hybridization events pre- or post-introduction. Th...

Inland marine fish culture in low-salinity recirculating aquaculture systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Expansion of marine aquaculture is challenged by the high cost and limited availability of coastal land and water resources, effluent concerns, high production costs, restricted growing seasons, lack of quality seedstock, and inadequate regulatory and permitting processes. Many of these constraints...

Minimal impact, waterless decontamination technologies for improving food safety

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pathogen contamination of produce, meats, poultry, shellfish, and other foods remains an ongoing concern. Chemical sanitizers are widely employed for foods and food contact surfaces. However, there is growing interest in the development of minimal impact, waterless decontamination processes that wil...

Aviation security : long-standing problems impair airport screeners' performance

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-06-01

The threat of attacks on aircraft by terrorists or others remains a persistent and growing concern for the United States. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the trend in terrorism against U.S. targets is toward large-scale incidents de...

Fate and Metabolism of PBDEs in Mammalian Systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) belong to an emerging class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Although the toxicology of PBDEs is not well developed, they are persistent and bioaccumulative, and therefore, of growing environmental concern. The metabolism of PBDEs in mammalian systems h...

Occupant protection issues among older drivers and passengers. Volume 1, Final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-04-01

With the older adult population of the United States growing at a rapid pace, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is concerned with highway safety issues affecting this age group. NHTSA initiated a three-stage research study in...

Evaluation of the benefits of adding waste fiberglass asphalt roofing shingles to hot mix asphalt

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-07-03

The decreased availability of landfills, growing concern over waste disposal, and rising cost of asphalt cement, resulted in an increased interest in incorporating waste asphalt roofing shingles in the production of asphalt concrete mixes. This proje...

Crash testing and evaluation of multiple mailbox supports for use with locking architectural mailboxes.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-02-01

Some homeowners and businesses are becoming increasingly concerned about mail-identity theft. Consequently, there is a growing demand for the use of locking mailboxes for theft deterrence and vandal resistance. There are a number of mailbox products ...

Fragments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgess, Lowery

Based on experiences growing out of a high school course on visual education, exercise cards are presented which are concerned with the boundaries of experience. They may act as preparation and stimulus for traditional art classes. The activities are divided into groups of enduring activities: mapping, representing; sensory awareness; inner…

Antibiotics in agroecosystems: Introduction to the special section

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The presence of antibiotic drug residues, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistance genes in agroecosystems has become a significant area of research in recent years, and is a growing public health concern. While antibiotics are utilized for human medicine and agricultural practices, ...

Difficult Conversations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miretzky, Debra; Stevens, Sharon

2013-01-01

There are significant concerns about campus relationships, primarily between white students and students of color, but also related to students of different religious backgrounds (e.g., Christian and Muslim). Despite the growing diversity in faculty and student bodies on campus, students could still navigate through college without having to…

Legionella (Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever): Causes and Transmission

MedlinePlus

... of Infection Legionella is a type of bacterium found naturally in freshwater environments, like lakes and streams. It can become a health concern when it grows and spreads in human-made building water systems like Showerheads and sink faucets Cooling towers ( ...

Investigating Differences between Modeled Historical and Station Calculated Drought

EPA Science Inventory

With growing concern over increased frequency and intensity of extreme climate events, there is an imperative need to investigate drought under different future scenarios for the contiguous U.S. To assess future drought relative to a historical baseline, drought occurrence (numbe...

Comparative pharmaceutical metabolism by rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver S9 fractions

EPA Science Inventory

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment presents a challenge of growing concern. In contrast to many industrial compounds, pharmaceuticals undergo extensive testing prior to their introduction to the environment. In principle, therefore, it may be possible to emplo...

B vitamins influence vascular cognitive impairment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As the number of elderly in the USA and globally continues to increase, age-related neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, are a growing concern. The loss of memory, emotional changes, and impairments in general cognitive functioning frequently result in social is...

New Media Publishing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritchie, Ian

The media industry is the fastest growing business in the world today; additional leisure time, coupled with increasingly global distribution, has created large international markets for information and entertainment. The United Kingdom is relatively strong in the three main areas concerned with new media publishing: information technology,…

Moss on a Roof, and What Lives in It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corbet, Sarah; Lan, Oey Biauw

1974-01-01

Based on the assumption that even city dwellers have access to clumps of moss growing on buildings and on pavements, information concerning some of the inhabitants of these mosses and some aspects of the environment in which they live is presented. (PEB)

Eating disorder symptoms and weight and shape concerns in a large web-based convenience sample of women ages 50 and above: results of the Gender and Body Image (GABI) study.

PubMed

Gagne, Danielle A; Von Holle, Ann; Brownley, Kimberly A; Runfola, Cristin D; Hofmeier, Sara; Branch, Kateland E; Bulik, Cynthia M

2012-11-01

Limited research exists on eating disorder symptoms and attitudes and weight and shape concerns in women in midlife to older adulthood. We conducted an online survey to characterize these behaviors and concerns in women ages 50 and above. Participants (n = 1,849) were recruited via the Internet and convenience sampling. Eating disorder symptoms, dieting and body checking behaviors, and weight and shape concerns were widely endorsed. Younger age and higher body mass index (BMI) were associated with greater endorsement of eating disorder symptoms, behaviors, and concerns. Weight and shape concerns and disordered eating behaviors occur in women over 50 and vary by age and BMI. Focused research on disordered eating patterns in this age group is necessary to develop age-appropriate interventions and to meet the developmental needs of an important, growing, and underserved population. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Identification of microplastics using Raman spectroscopy: Latest developments and future prospects.

PubMed

Araujo, Catarina F; Nolasco, Mariela M; Ribeiro, Antonio M P; Ribeiro-Claro, Paulo J A

2018-06-06

Widespread microplastic pollution is raising growing concerns as to its detrimental effects upon living organisms. A realistic risk assessment must stand on representative data on the abundance, size distribution and chemical composition of microplastics. Raman microscopy is an indispensable tool for the analysis of very small microplastics (<20 μm). Still, its use is far from widespread, in part due to drawbacks such as long measurement time and proneness to spectral distortion induced by fluorescence. This review discusses each drawback followed by a showcase of interesting and easily available solutions that contribute to faster and better identification of microplastics using Raman spectroscopy. Among discussed topics are: enhanced signal quality with better detectors and spectrum processing; automated particle selection for faster Raman mapping; comprehensive reference libraries for successful spectral matching. A last section introduces non-conventional Raman techniques (non-linear Raman, hyperspectral imaging, standoff Raman) which permit more advanced applications such as real-time Raman detection and imaging of microplastics. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Standardization and Optimization of Computed Tomography Protocols to Achieve Low-Dose

PubMed Central

Chin, Cynthia; Cody, Dianna D.; Gupta, Rajiv; Hess, Christopher P.; Kalra, Mannudeep K.; Kofler, James M.; Krishnam, Mayil S.; Einstein, Andrew J.

2014-01-01

The increase in radiation exposure due to CT scans has been of growing concern in recent years. CT scanners differ in their capabilities and various indications require unique protocols, but there remains room for standardization and optimization. In this paper we summarize approaches to reduce dose, as discussed in lectures comprising the first session of the 2013 UCSF Virtual Symposium on Radiation Safety in Computed Tomography. The experience of scanning at low dose in different body regions, for both diagnostic and interventional CT procedures, is addressed. An essential primary step is justifying the medical need for each scan. General guiding principles for reducing dose include tailoring a scan to a patient, minimizing scan length, use of tube current modulation and minimizing tube current, minimizing-tube potential, iterative reconstruction, and periodic review of CT studies. Organized efforts for standardization have been spearheaded by professional societies such as the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Finally, all team members should demonstrate an awareness of the importance of minimizing dose. PMID:24589403

Effect of aqueous extracts of Mentha arvensis (mint) and Piper betle (betel) on growth and citrinin production from toxigenic Penicillium citrinum.

PubMed

Panda, Pragyanshree; Aiko, Visenuo; Mehta, Alka

2015-06-01

Due to growing concern of consumers about chemical residues in food products, the demand for safe and natural food is increasing greatly. The use of natural additives such as spices and herbal oil as seasoning agents for their antimicrobial activity has been extensively investigated. This paper discusses the efficacy of the aqueous extract of mint (Mentha arvensis) and betel (Piper betle) on the mycelial growth and citrinin production of Penicillium citrinum. The present investigation revealed that mint extract inhibited citrinin production up to 73 % without inhibiting the mycelium growth. The citrinin production decreased with increase in the concentration of mint extract as observed from the data obtained from High pressure liquid chromatography. The samples also showed reduced cytotoxicity on HeLa cells. On the other hand betel extract resulted in stimulatory effect on citrinin production and mycelial growth. The study showed that mint extract has the potential to be used safely for restraining citrinin contamination.

NMR Metabolomics in Ionizing Radiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hu, Jian Z.; Xiao, Xiongjie; Hu, Mary Y.

Ionizing radiation is an invisible threat that cannot be seen, touched or smelled and exist either as particles or waves. Particle radiation can take the form of alpha, beta or neutrons, as well as high energy space particle radiation such as high energy iron, carbon and proton radiation, etc. (1) Non-particle radiation includes gamma- and x-rays. Publically, there is a growing concern about the adverse health effects due to ionizing radiation mainly because of the following facts. (a) The X-ray diagnostic images are taken routinely on patients. Even though the overall dosage from a single X-ray image such as amore » chest X-ray scan or a CT scan, also called X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT), is low, repeated usage can cause serious health consequences, in particular with the possibility of developing cancer (2, 3). (b) Human space exploration has gone beyond moon and is planning to send human to the orbit of Mars by the mid-2030s. And a landing on Mars will follow.« less

Materials and processes for the effective capture and immobilization of radioiodine: A review

DOE PAGES

Riley, Brian J.; Vienna, John D.; Strachan, Denis M.; ...

2015-12-02

In this study, the immobilization of radioiodine produced from reprocessing used nuclear fuel is a growing priority for research and development of nuclear waste forms. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the current issues surrounding processing and containment of 129I, the isotope of greatest concern due to its long half-life of 1.6 × 10 7 y and potential incorporation into the human body. Strategies for disposal of radioiodine, captured by both wet scrubbing and solid sorbents, are discussed, as well as potential iodine waste streams for insertion into an immobilization process. Next, consideration of direct disposal of salts, incorporationmore » into glasses, ceramics, cements, and other phases is discussed. The bulk of the review is devoted to an assessment of various sorbents for iodine and of waste forms described in the literature, particularly inorganic minerals, ceramics, and glasses. This review also contains recommendations for future research needed to address radioiodine immobilization materials and processes.« less

Image analysis of corrosion pit initiation on ASTM type A240 stainless steel and ASTM type A 1008 carbon steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nine, H. M. Zulker

The adversity of metallic corrosion is of growing concern to industrial engineers and scientists. Corrosion attacks metal surface and causes structural as well as direct and indirect economic losses. Multiple corrosion monitoring tools are available although those are time-consuming and costly. Due to the availability of image capturing devices in today's world, image based corrosion control technique is a unique innovation. By setting up stainless steel SS 304 and low carbon steel QD 1008 panels in distilled water, half-saturated sodium chloride and saturated sodium chloride solutions and subsequent RGB image analysis in Matlab, in this research, a simple and cost-effective corrosion measurement tool has identified and investigated. Additionally, the open circuit potential and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results have been compared with RGB analysis to gratify the corrosion. Additionally, to understand the importance of ambiguity in crisis communication, the communication process between Union Carbide and Indian Government regarding the Bhopal incident in 1984 was analyzed.

Trade Agreements and Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Pharmaceuticals

PubMed Central

Gleeson, Deborah; Menkes, David B.

2018-01-01

There is growing international concern about the risks posed by direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription pharmaceuticals, including via the internet. Recent trade agreements negotiated by the United States, however, incorporate provisions that may constrain national regulation of DTCA. Some provisions explicitly mention DTCA; others enable foreign investors to seek compensation if new regulations are seen to harm their investments. These provisions may thus prevent countries from restricting DTCA or put them at risk of expensive legal action from companies seeking damages due to restrictions on advertising. While the most recent example, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), collapsed following US withdrawal in January 2017, early indications of the Trump Administration’s trade policy agenda signal an even more aggressive approach on the part of the United States in negotiating advantages for American businesses. Furthermore, the eleven remaining TPP countries may decide to proceed with the agreement in the absence of the United States, with most of the original text (including the provisions relevant to DTCA) intact. PMID:29524933

Facilitators and barriers to the provision of therapeutic interventions by school psychologists

PubMed Central

Squires, Garry; Bragg, Joanna; Muscutt, Janet; Wasilewski, David

2014-01-01

There is growing concern internationally about the prevalence of mental health problems among school-aged children and their access to specialist services. School psychologists (SPs) may be one group of professionals well-positioned to support the well-being of children and young people, due to their position as applied psychologists working within educational settings and their capability to deliver therapeutic interventions. This research considers findings from a large scale, United Kingdom (UK)-wide survey of the views of SPs (N = 455) about facilitators and barriers to the provision of therapeutic interventions to children and young people. Principal Components Analyses of ranked questionnaire responses yielded three components: The role of the SP; training and practice; and support and psychology service context. Quantitative findings were then triangulated, using qualitative responses from the survey. Greater direction and clarification of the role of the SP as a provider of therapeutic interventions is recommended, particularly given the diverse roles undertaken by SPs and competing demands, particularly from assessment activities. PMID:26412911

Secondary metabolites from marine microorganisms.

PubMed

Kelecom, Alphonse

2002-03-01

After 40 years of intensive research, chemistry of marine natural products has become a mature field. Since 1995, there are signals of decreased interest in the search of new metabolites from traditional sources such as macroalgae and octocorals, and the number of annual reports on marine sponges stabilized. On the contrary, metabolites from microorganisms is a rapidly growing field, due, at least in part, to the suspicion that a number of metabolites obtained from algae and invertebrates may be produced by associated microorganisms. Studies are concerned with bacteria and fungi, isolated from seawater, sediments, algae, fish and mainly from marine invertebrates such as sponges, mollusks, tunicates, coelenterates and crustaceans. Although it is still to early to define tendencies, it may be stated that the metabolites from microorganisms are in most cases quite different from those produced by the invertebrate hosts. Nitrogenated metabolites predominate over acetate derivatives, and terpenes are uncommon. Among the latter, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and carotenes have been isolated; among nitrogenated metabolites, amides, cyclic peptides and indole alkaloids predominate.

International security linked to population and environment.

PubMed

1999-01-01

40 representatives from the mass media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), as well as experts in the field, attended a meeting of the Council on Population Education (CPE) on November 20, 1998, to discuss global issues and population concerns. Hiroyuki Ishi, a University of Tokyo professor, argued that the current global population of 6 billion people is placing increasing pressure upon the environment and that the outlook for the natural resources of forests, water, energy, and food was not good. As population sizes increase, competition also increases for water, arable land, and resources, and therefore the capacity of the environment to support the population decreases, leading to social unrest. 101 small wars have been waged between 1989 and 1996, indirectly due to population pressures. A 1969 conflict between Honduras and El Salvador, and the conflicts between Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda, Zaire, and Tanzania are noted as examples. Rome Club projections made in 1972 have not been realized and new environmental crises will be caused by the growing lack of renewable resources caused by war.

The relevance of temporal iconicity with instruction manuals for elderly users.

PubMed

Mertens, Alexander; Nick, Claudia; Krüger, Stefan; Schlick, Christopher M

2012-01-01

Gerontolinguistic obtains a growing importance with the increase of elderly users due to Demographic Change. Since acceptance and ease of use of supportive systems for elderly, such as "E-Nursing-Assistants", are highly dependent on the age suitable design of readable instructions, an age-appropriate linguistic concept is of high value for usability. There has been only little research on the relevance of foreign words, signal words, textual arrangement, optical accentuation of key terms and temporal iconicity concerning older users. Thus, an efficient design of age suitable manual instructions within a medical context still remains to be done. The objective of this research was to evaluate the relevance of the previously mentioned factors in the context of written instructions. For this, an empirical survey was designed which was given to 45 study participants. The subjects of the experiment were given 4x3 instructions after a pretest questionnaire. The aim was to execute these instructions as correctly and quickly as possible. Furthermore the instructions were rated regarding comprehensibility with a retrospective questionnaire.

Sustaining anti-littering behavior within coastal and marine environments: Through the macro-micro level lenses.

PubMed

Beeharry, Yashna Devi; Bekaroo, Girish; Bokhoree, Chandradeo; Phillips, Michael Robert; Jory, Neelakshi

2017-06-30

Being regarded as a problem of global dimensions, marine litter has been a growing concern that affects human beings, wildlife and the economic health of coastal communities to varying degrees. Due to its involvement with human behavior, marine littering has been regarded as a cultural matter encompassing macro and micro level aspects. At the micro or individual level, behavior and behavioral motivation of an individual are driven by perception of that person while at the macro or societal level, aspects including policies and legislations influence behavior. This paper investigates marine littering through the macro-micro level lenses in order to analyze and recommend how anti-littering behavior can be improved and sustained. Using Coleman's model of micro-macro relations, research questions are formulated and investigated through a social survey. Results showed important differences in perceptions among participating groups and to address key issues, potential actions are proposed along with a framework to sustain anti-littering behavior. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Whole brain radiotherapy for brain metastasis

PubMed Central

McTyre, Emory; Scott, Jacob; Chinnaiyan, Prakash

2013-01-01

Whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is a mainstay of treatment in patients with both identifiable brain metastases and prophylaxis for microscopic disease. The use of WBRT has decreased somewhat in recent years due to both advances in radiation technology, allowing for a more localized delivery of radiation, and growing concerns regarding the late toxicity profile associated with WBRT. This has prompted the development of several recent and ongoing prospective studies designed to provide Level I evidence to guide optimal treatment approaches for patients with intracranial metastases. In addition to defining the role of WBRT in patients with brain metastases, identifying methods to improve WBRT is an active area of investigation, and can be classified into two general categories: Those designed to decrease the morbidity of WBRT, primarily by reducing late toxicity, and those designed to improve the efficacy of WBRT. Both of these areas of research show diversity and promise, and it seems feasible that in the near future, the efficacy/toxicity ratio may be improved, allowing for a more diverse clinical application of WBRT. PMID:23717795

The combined SPE:ToxY-PAM phytotoxicity assay; application and appraisal of a novel biomonitoring tool for the aquatic environment.

PubMed

Bengtson Nash, S M; Schreiber, U; Ralph, P J; Müller, J F

2005-01-15

Mounting concerns regarding the environmental impact of herbicides has meant a growing requirement for accurate, timely information regarding herbicide residue contamination of, in particular, aquatic systems. Conventional methods of detection remain limited in terms of practicality due to high costs of operation and the specialised information that analysis provides. A new phytotoxicity bioassay was trialled for the detection of herbicide residues in filter-purified (Milli-Q) as well as natural waters. The performance of the system, which combines solid-phase extraction (SPE) with the ToxY-PAM dual-channel yield analyser (Heinz Walz GmbH), was tested alongside the traditional method of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The assay methodology was found to be highly sensitive (LOD 0.1 ng L(-1) diuron) with good reproducibility. The study showed that the assay protocol is time effective and can be employed for the aquatic screening of herbicide residues in purified as well as natural waters.

3,6-Anhydro-l-galactose, a rare sugar from agar, a new anticariogenic sugar to replace xylitol.

PubMed

Yun, Eun Ju; Lee, Ah Reum; Kim, Jung Hyun; Cho, Kyung Mun; Kim, Kyoung Heon

2017-04-15

The significance for anticariogenic sugar substitutes is growing due to increasing demands for dietary sugars and rising concerns of dental caries. Xylitol is widely used as an anticariogenic sugar substitute, but the inhibitory effects of xylitol on Streptococcus mutans, the main cause of tooth decay, are exhibited only at high concentrations. Here, the inhibitory effects of 3,6-anhydro-l-galactose (AHG), a rare sugar from red macroalgae, were evaluated on S. mutans, in comparison with those of xylitol. In the presence of 5g/l of AHG, the growth of S. mutans was retarded. At 10g/l of AHG, the growth and acid production by S. mutans were completely inhibited. However, in the presence of xylitol, at a much higher concentration (i.e., 40g/l), the growth of S. mutans still occurred. These results suggest that AHG can be used as a new anticariogenic sugar substitute for preventing dental caries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Progress in Metabolic Engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

Nevoigt, Elke

2008-01-01

Summary: The traditional use of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in alcoholic fermentation has, over time, resulted in substantial accumulated knowledge concerning genetics, physiology, and biochemistry as well as genetic engineering and fermentation technologies. S. cerevisiae has become a platform organism for developing metabolic engineering strategies, methods, and tools. The current review discusses the relevance of several engineering strategies, such as rational and inverse metabolic engineering, evolutionary engineering, and global transcription machinery engineering, in yeast strain improvement. It also summarizes existing tools for fine-tuning and regulating enzyme activities and thus metabolic pathways. Recent examples of yeast metabolic engineering for food, beverage, and industrial biotechnology (bioethanol and bulk and fine chemicals) follow. S. cerevisiae currently enjoys increasing popularity as a production organism in industrial (“white”) biotechnology due to its inherent tolerance of low pH values and high ethanol and inhibitor concentrations and its ability to grow anaerobically. Attention is paid to utilizing lignocellulosic biomass as a potential substrate. PMID:18772282

Low-grade extraskeletal osteosarcoma of the chest wall: case report and review of literature.

PubMed

Sabatier, Renaud; Bouvier, Corinne; de Pinieux, Gonzague; Sarran, Anthony; Brenot-Rossi, Isabelle; Pedeutour, Florence; Chetaille, Bruno; Viens, Patrice; Weiller, Pierre-Jean; Bertucci, François

2010-11-24

Low-grade extraskeletal osteosarcomas (ESOS) are extremely rare. We present the first case of low-grade ESOS of the chest wall, which occurred in a 30-year-old man. Because of initial misdiagnosis and patient's refusal of surgery, the diagnosis was done after a 4-year history of a slowly growing mass in soft tissues, leading to a huge (30-cm diameter) calcified mass locally extended over the left chest wall. Final diagnosis was helped by molecular analysis of MDM2 and CDK4 oncogenes. Unfortunately, at this time, no surgical treatment was possible due to loco-regional extension, and despite chemotherapy, the patient died one year after diagnosis, five years after the first symptoms. We describe the clinical, radiological and bio-pathological features of this unique case, and review the literature concerning low-grade ESOS. Our case highlights the diagnostic difficulties for such very rare tumours and the interest of molecular analysis in ambiguous cases.

The Challenge of Peat Substitution in Organic Seedling Production: Optimization of Growing Media Formulation through Mixture Design and Response Surface Analysis

PubMed Central

Ceglie, Francesco Giovanni; Bustamante, Maria Angeles; Ben Amara, Mouna; Tittarelli, Fabio

2015-01-01

Peat replacement is an increasing demand in containerized and transplant production, due to the environmental constraints associated to peat use. However, despite the wide information concerning the use of alternative materials as substrates, it is very complex to establish the best materials and mixtures. This work evaluates the use of mixture design and surface response methodology in a peat substitution experiment using two alternative materials (green compost and palm fibre trunk waste) for transplant production of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.); melon, (Cucumis melo L.); and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in organic farming conditions. In general, the substrates showed suitable properties for their use in seedling production, showing the best plant response the mixture of 20% green compost, 39% palm fibre and 31% peat. The mixture design and applied response surface methodology has shown to be an useful approach to optimize substrate formulations in peat substitution experiments to standardize plant responses. PMID:26070163

Biorefineries for the production of top building block chemicals and their derivatives.

PubMed

Choi, Sol; Song, Chan Woo; Shin, Jae Ho; Lee, Sang Yup

2015-03-01

Due to the growing concerns on the climate change and sustainability on petrochemical resources, DOE selected and announced the bio-based top 12 building blocks and discussed the needs for developing biorefinery technologies to replace the current petroleum based industry in 2004. Over the last 10 years after its announcement, many studies have been performed for the development of efficient technologies for the bio-based production of these chemicals and derivatives. Now, ten chemicals among these top 12 chemicals, excluding the l-aspartic acid and 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, have already been commercialized or are close to commercialization. In this paper, we review the current status of biorefinery development for the production of these platform chemicals and their derivatives. In addition, current technological advances on industrial strain development for the production of platform chemicals using micro-organisms will be covered in detail with case studies on succinic acid and 3-hydroxypropionic acid as examples. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toxicity and Metabolism of Layered Double Hydroxide Intercalated with Levodopa in a Parkinson’s Disease Model

PubMed Central

Kura, Aminu Umar; Ain, Nooraini Mohd; Hussein, Mohd Zobir; Fakurazi, Sharida; Hussein-Al-Ali, Samer Hasan

2014-01-01

Layered hydroxide nanoparticles are generally biocompatible, and less toxic than most inorganic nanoparticles, making them an acceptable alternative drug delivery system. Due to growing concern over animal welfare and the expense of in vivo experiments both the public and the government are interested to find alternatives to animal testing. The toxicity potential of zinc aluminum layered hydroxide (ZAL) nanocomposite containing anti-Parkinsonian agent may be determined using a PC 12 cell model. ZAL nanocomposite demonstrated a decreased cytotoxic effect when compared to levodopa on PC12 cells with more than 80% cell viability at 100 μg/mL compared to less than 20% cell viability in a direct levodopa exposure. Neither levodopa-loaded nanocomposite nor the un-intercalated nanocomposite disturbed the cytoskeletal structure of the neurogenic cells at their IC50 concentration. Levodopa metabolite (HVA) released from the nanocomposite demonstrated the slow sustained and controlled release character of layered hydroxide nanoparticles unlike the burst uptake and release system shown with pure levodopa treatment. PMID:24722565

Bioethanol production from fermentable sugar juice.

PubMed

Zabed, Hossain; Faruq, Golam; Sahu, Jaya Narayan; Azirun, Mohd Sofian; Hashim, Rosli; Boyce, Amru Nasrulhaq

2014-01-01

Bioethanol production from renewable sources to be used in transportation is now an increasing demand worldwide due to continuous depletion of fossil fuels, economic and political crises, and growing concern on environmental safety. Mainly, three types of raw materials, that is, sugar juice, starchy crops, and lignocellulosic materials, are being used for this purpose. This paper will investigate ethanol production from free sugar containing juices obtained from some energy crops such as sugarcane, sugar beet, and sweet sorghum that are the most attractive choice because of their cost-effectiveness and feasibility to use. Three types of fermentation process (batch, fed-batch, and continuous) are employed in ethanol production from these sugar juices. The most common microorganism used in fermentation from its history is the yeast, especially, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, though the bacterial species Zymomonas mobilis is also potentially used nowadays for this purpose. A number of factors related to the fermentation greatly influences the process and their optimization is the key point for efficient ethanol production from these feedstocks.

Livestock and land: trends, status and research opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrero, M.; Cecile, G.

2017-12-01

Livestock are one of the largest users of land. The use vast areas of rangelands and pasturelands and use a third of the global cropland for feed production. The demand of rlivestock products is growing at an accelerated rate due to large increases in income and urbanisation, primarily in the developing world. While most expansion is occuring the the poultry and pork sectors, ruminant meat and milk are also increasing significantly. There is concern as to how to manage the environmental footprints of these very dynamic systems. At the same, time, significnat opportunities to intensify land use in the the livestock sector exist, primarily in grasslands. This paper gives an overview of the trends in land use in the global livestock sector, assess the status of supply and demand of livestock products and how these might be met in the future and cocludes by proposing a research agenda with key areas that merit more attention from biophysical, social and economic scientists.

Bioethanol Production from Fermentable Sugar Juice

PubMed Central

Zabed, Hossain; Faruq, Golam; Sahu, Jaya Narayan; Azirun, Mohd Sofian; Hashim, Rosli; Nasrulhaq Boyce, Amru

2014-01-01

Bioethanol production from renewable sources to be used in transportation is now an increasing demand worldwide due to continuous depletion of fossil fuels, economic and political crises, and growing concern on environmental safety. Mainly, three types of raw materials, that is, sugar juice, starchy crops, and lignocellulosic materials, are being used for this purpose. This paper will investigate ethanol production from free sugar containing juices obtained from some energy crops such as sugarcane, sugar beet, and sweet sorghum that are the most attractive choice because of their cost-effectiveness and feasibility to use. Three types of fermentation process (batch, fed-batch, and continuous) are employed in ethanol production from these sugar juices. The most common microorganism used in fermentation from its history is the yeast, especially, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, though the bacterial species Zymomonas mobilis is also potentially used nowadays for this purpose. A number of factors related to the fermentation greatly influences the process and their optimization is the key point for efficient ethanol production from these feedstocks. PMID:24715820

Annual banned-substance review: analytical approaches in human sports drug testing.

PubMed

Thevis, Mario; Kuuranne, Tiia; Geyer, Hans; Schänzer, Wilhelm

2014-01-01

Monitoring the misuse of drugs and the abuse of substances and methods potentially or evidently improving athletic performance by analytical chemistry strategies is one of the main pillars of modern anti-doping efforts. Owing to the continuously growing knowledge in medicine, pharmacology, and (bio)chemistry, new chemical entities are frequently established and developed, various of which present a temptation for sportsmen and women due to assumed/attributed beneficial effects of such substances and preparations on, for example, endurance, strength, and regeneration. By means of new technologies, expanded existing test protocols, new insights into metabolism, distribution, and elimination of compounds prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), analytical assays have been further improved in agreement with the content of the 2013 Prohibited List. In this annual banned-substance review, literature concerning human sports drug testing that was published between October 2012 and September 2013 is summarized and reviewed with particular emphasis on analytical approaches and their contribution to enhanced doping controls. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Trade and health in Samoa: views from the insiders.

PubMed

Fa'alili-Fidow, Jacinta; McCool, Judith; Percival, Teuila

2014-04-04

The purpose of this paper is to portray the views of key stakeholders on the potential impacts of Samoa's free trade negotiations and agreements, on health and wellbeing in Samoa. A series of key informant interviews were undertaken with identified stakeholders during June and July, 2011. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview protocol. They were conducted in-person, in New Zealand and in Samoa. Despite potential health and wellbeing gains arising from trade activities (employment, increase in income, health innovations and empowerment of women), key stakeholders expressed a growing concern about the effect of trade on the population's health, nutrition and the rates of non-communicable diseases. Unease about compromising the national policies due to international regulations was also conveyed. Business and trade representatives however, believed that trade benefits outweighed any health and wellbeing risks to the population of Samoa. Further investigation, using new methodologies are required to determine both the opportunities and threats for trade as a mechanism to improve the health of Samoa's population.

Rice Research to Break Yield Barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Vivek; Ramamoorthy, Rengasamy; Kohli, Ajay; Kumar, Prakash P.

2015-10-01

The world’s population continues to expand and it is expected to cross 9 billion by 2050. This would significantly amplify the demand for food, which will pose serious threats to global food security. Additional challenges are being imposed due to a gradual decrease in the total arable land and global environmental changes. Hence, it is of utmost importance to review and revise the existing food production strategies by incorporating novel biotechnological approaches that can help to break the crop yield barriers in the near future. In this review, we highlight some of the concerns hampering crop yield enhancements. The review also focuses on modern breeding techniques based on genomics as well as proven biotechnological approaches that enable identification and utilization of candidate genes. Another aspect of discussion is the important area of research, namely hormonal regulation of plant development, which is likely to yield valuable regulatory genes for such crop improvement efforts in the future. These strategies can serve as potential tools for developing elite crop varieties for feeding the growing billions.

A New Strategy for Heavy Metal Polluted Environments: A Review of Microbial Biosorbents

PubMed Central

Ayangbenro, Ayansina Segun; Babalola, Olubukola Oluranti

2017-01-01

Persistent heavy metal pollution poses a major threat to all life forms in the environment due to its toxic effects. These metals are very reactive at low concentrations and can accumulate in the food web, causing severe public health concerns. Remediation using conventional physical and chemical methods is uneconomical and generates large volumes of chemical waste. Bioremediation of hazardous metals has received considerable and growing interest over the years. The use of microbial biosorbents is eco-friendly and cost effective; hence, it is an efficient alternative for the remediation of heavy metal contaminated environments. Microbes have various mechanisms of metal sequestration that hold greater metal biosorption capacities. The goal of microbial biosorption is to remove and/or recover metals and metalloids from solutions, using living or dead biomass and their components. This review discusses the sources of toxic heavy metals and describes the groups of microorganisms with biosorbent potential for heavy metal removal. PMID:28106848

A polyalanine peptide derived from polar fish with anti-infectious activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardoso, Marlon H.; Ribeiro, Suzana M.; Nolasco, Diego O.; de La Fuente-Núñez, César; Felício, Mário R.; Gonçalves, Sónia; Matos, Carolina O.; Liao, Luciano M.; Santos, Nuno C.; Hancock, Robert E. W.; Franco, Octávio L.; Migliolo, Ludovico

2016-02-01

Due to the growing concern about antibiotic-resistant microbial infections, increasing support has been given to new drug discovery programs. A promising alternative to counter bacterial infections includes the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which have emerged as model molecules for rational design strategies. Here we focused on the study of Pa-MAP 1.9, a rationally designed AMP derived from the polar fish Pleuronectes americanus. Pa-MAP 1.9 was active against Gram-negative planktonic bacteria and biofilms, without being cytotoxic to mammalian cells. By using AFM, leakage assays, CD spectroscopy and in silico tools, we found that Pa-MAP 1.9 may be acting both on intracellular targets and on the bacterial surface, also being more efficient at interacting with anionic LUVs mimicking Gram-negative bacterial surface, where this peptide adopts α-helical conformations, than cholesterol-enriched LUVs mimicking mammalian cells. Thus, as bacteria present varied physiological features that favor antibiotic-resistance, Pa-MAP 1.9 could be a promising candidate in the development of tools against infections caused by pathogenic bacteria.

SOS1 gene polymorphisms are associated with gestational diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population: Results from a nested case-control study in Taiyuan, China.

PubMed

Chen, Qiong; Yang, Hailan; Feng, Yongliang; Zhang, Ping; Wu, Weiwei; Li, Shuzhen; Thompson, Brian; Wang, Xin; Peng, Tingting; Wang, Fang; Xie, Bingjie; Guo, Pengge; Li, Mei; Wang, Ying; Zhao, Nan; Wang, Suping; Zhang, Yawei

2018-03-01

Gestational diabetes mellitus is a growing public health concern due to its large disease burden; however, the underlying pathophysiology remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the relationship between 107 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in insulin signalling pathway genes and gestational diabetes mellitus risk using a nested case-control study. The SOS1 rs7598922 GA and AA genotype were statistically significantly associated with reduced gestational diabetes mellitus risk ( p trend  = 0.0006) compared with GG genotype. At the gene level, SOS1 was statistically significantly associated with gestational diabetes mellitus risk after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Moreover, AGGA and GGGG haplotypes in SOS1 gene were associated with reduced risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. Our study provides evidence for an association between the SOS1 gene and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus; however, its role in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes mellitus will need to be verified by further studies.

[Enterobacteriaceae producing extended spectrum beta-lactamase: epidemiology, risk factors, and prevention].

PubMed

Vodovar, D; Marcadé, G; Raskine, L; Malissin, I; Mégarbane, B

2013-11-01

Multidrug-resistant bacteria are a major worldwide health public concern. It results from the growing increase in antibiotic prescriptions, which are responsible for selection pressure on bacteria. In France like in other countries, enterobacteriaceae producing extended spectrum beta-lactamase (EESBL) are the predominant multidrug-resistant bacteria. EESBL may be responsible for severe infections and require prescription of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. The current EESBL outbreak is different from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak that occurred in the early 1980. Consistently, EESBL are isolated both in hospital and community. Moreover, standard hygiene measures appear ineffective since EESBL prevalence is still increasing. The current inability to contain EESBL outbreak is due to several factors, including the existence of a wide community- and hospital-acquired tank of EESBL, failure to follow strict rules for hygiene, and the current irrational prescription of antibiotics. Copyright © 2012 Société nationale française de médecine interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Anxiety sensitivity cognitive concerns predict suicide risk.

PubMed

Oglesby, Mary Elizabeth; Capron, Daniel William; Raines, Amanda Medley; Schmidt, Norman Bradley

2015-03-30

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) cognitive concerns, which reflects fears of mental incapacitation, have been previously associated with suicidal ideation and behavior. The first study aim was to replicate and extend upon previous research by investigating whether AS cognitive concerns can discriminate between those at low risk versus high risk for suicidal behavior. Secondly, we aimed to test the incremental predictive power of AS cognitive concerns above and beyond known suicide risk factors (i.e., thwarted belongingness and insomnia). The sample consisted of 106 individuals (75% meeting current criteria for an Axis I disorder) recruited from the community. Results revealed that AS cognitive concerns were a robust predictor of elevated suicide risk after covarying for negative affect, whereas AS social and physical concerns were not. Those with high, relative to low, AS cognitive scores were 3.67 times more likely to be in the high suicide risk group. Moreover, AS cognitive concerns significantly predicted elevated suicide risk above and beyond relevant suicide risk factors. Results of this study add to a growing body of the literature demonstrating a relationship between AS cognitive concerns and increased suicidality. Incorporating AS cognitive concerns amelioration protocols into existing interventions for suicidal behavior may be beneficial. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The use of highway underpasses by large mammals in Virginia and factors influencing their effectiveness.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-01-01

The rapid increase in animal-vehicle collisions on U.S. roadways is a growing concern in terms of human safety, property damage and injury costs, and viability of wildlife populations. Wildlife crossing structures are gaining national recognition by ...

DEVELOPMENT OF FIELD-BASED EMPIRICAL MODELS OF SUITABLE TEMPERATURE REGIMES FOR INTERIOR SALMONIDS

EPA Science Inventory

Interior salmonids are species of growing interest and concern in the Pacific Northwest. Evidence of population declines associated with habitat loss and fragmentation have culminate in every species being listed, or proposed or petitioned for listing under he Endangered Species...

Back Problem: Kyphosis

MedlinePlus

... that affect kids, and each has its own cause: Postural kyphosis is the most common type of kyphosis, and ... growing, the kyphosis probably won't be a cause for concern and you won't have to wear a brace anymore. Treating Kyphosis With Surgery Most of the time, a brace ...

Performance Management in UK Universities: Implementing the Balanced Scorecard

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, John; Baines, Claire

2012-01-01

In recent years, UK universities have become increasingly concerned with performance management. This trend reflects both growing competition and marketisation within higher education, and the increasing requirements for accountability. In response, institutions have begun to explore the application of formal methodologies for performance…

The science of integrated crop-livestock systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agriculture in the USA and other industrialized countries of the world has become increasingly specialized in response to political, regulatory, and economic pressures to meet market demands of an ever-larger food and fiber processing sector. However, there is a growing concern with specialized agr...

ANALYSIS OF TOLUENE AT DIFFERENT LIFE STAGES IN BROWN NORWAY RATS.

EPA Science Inventory

Differential susceptibility to environmental exposures in subsets of the population is a major regulatory concern of the Environmental Protection Agency. Of special interest is the elderly, the fastest growing segment of the population who may be considered a special at risk gro...

“RLINE: A Line Source Dispersion Model for Near-Surface Releases”

EPA Science Inventory

Growing concern about human exposure and related adverse health effects near roadways initiated an effort by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency to reexamine the dispersion of mobile source related pollutants. These adverse effects, in combination with the fact that a signi...

Schools under Scrutiny.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

The performance of national education systems is a growing concern in many Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. This book focuses on the assessment of school performance in seven countries: England, France, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. The research questions include: Why are schools…

Birth Order Positions and Personality Traits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tharbe, Ida Hartini Ahmad; Harun, Lily Mastura Hj.

The growing concern for the development of teenagers has brought up issues regarding the role of the family system in shaping the personality traits of children. Alfred Adler (1870-1937), an Austrian psychiatrist who introduced the psychological/therapeutic model, "Individual Psychology," highlighted the importance of birth order…

Postdoctoral Researchers: Roles, Functions and Career Prospects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akerlind, Gerlese S.

2005-01-01

Concerns with postdoctoral research training and employment outcomes are growing at an international level. Recent studies of postdoctoral and other contract researchers in various countries emphasize common issues associated with these appointments, including the absence of any systematic definition of postdoctoral research positions, lack of…

Influence of corn residue harvest management on grain, stover, and energy yields

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Economic, environmental, and energy independence issues are contributing to rising fossil fuel prices, petroleum supply concerns, and a growing interest in biomass feedstocks as renewable energy sources. Potential feedstocks include perennial grasses, timber, and annual grain crops with our focus be...

75 FR 67803 - Data Collection Available for Public Comments and Recommendations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-03

... used to provide loans to start-up, newly established, and growing small business concerns for working... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Data Collection Available for Public Comments and Recommendations..., this notice announces the Small Business Administration's intentions to request approval on a new and...

A Socially Critical Perspective on Educational Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Richard

This paper takes the point of view that the mechanisms of demolition are those of economic rationalism: globalization, marketization, deregulation, competition, and privatization. The growing concern of government with economies, markets, and money carries over to education and other institutions. Currently in Australia, devolution is interpreted…

Combating terrorism : federal agencies' efforts to implement national policy and strategy

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-09-01

The threat of terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and property both at home and abroad has been an issue of growing national concern. As requested, the General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed U.S. efforts to combat terrorism. This report discuss...

Starch plastics packaging and agriculture applications

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The environmental impact of petroleum-based plastics is a growing concern throughout the world. Containers and packaging comprise the largest sector of municipal solid waste and are a major component of pollution on both land and sea. Although the benefits of plastics in many consumer and industrial...

Complex conductivity response to silver nanoparticles in partially saturated sand columns

EPA Science Inventory

The increase in the use of nanoscale materials in consumer products has resulted in a growing concern of their potential hazard to ecosystems and public health from their accidental or intentional introduction to the environment. Key environmental, health, and safety research nee...

Making a Comeback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramaswami, Rama

2008-01-01

As technology grows more pervasive in education, the data recovery issues that school systems encounter are becoming increasingly problematic, as districts work to accommodate a range of concerns that do not encumber commercial businesses. State and federal laws often require schools to report on student populations and educational progress…

PROCESS SIMULATION TOOLS FOR POLLUTION PREVENTION: NEW METHODS REDUCE THE MAGNITUDE OF WASTE STREAMS

EPA Science Inventory

Growing environmental concerns have spurred considerable interest in pollution prevention. In most instances, pollution prevention involves introducing radical changes to the design of processes so that waste generation is minimized. Process simulators can be effective tools in a...

Berry fruit enhances beneficial signaling in brain

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increased lifespans have led to population aging and brought attention to healthcare concerns associated with old age. A growing body of pre-clinical and clinical research has identified neurological benefits associated with the consumption of berry fruits. In addition to their now well-known antio...

Low pressure treatments for codling moth on fresh fruits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The primary phytosanitary treatment used for fresh fruits exported to markets requiring quarantine protocols is fumigation with methyl bromide. Quarantine and pre-shipment (QPS) treatments are currently allowable under the Montreal Protocol, but there is growing concern that the QPS exemption will e...

The mediating role of motorists' evaluation of current roadway conditions in determining their willingness to pay for future improvements.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-10-01

"Americas transportation infrastructure significantly impacts the autonomy, mobility, and economic : well-being of its citizens. However, there is growing concern for the vitality of the nations highways : given the dwindling balances in the Fe...

Aviation and the environment : aviation's effects on the global atmosphere are potentially significant and expected to grow

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-02-01

Concerns about global warming are focusing increasingly on the contribution of human activities, including aviation. Jet aircraft are among many sources of greenhouse gases-gases that can trap heat, potentially increasing the temperature of the earth...

EVALUATING CRYPTOSPORIDIUM AND GIARDIA CONCENTRATIONS IN COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOW

EPA Science Inventory

Since the first identified Cryptosporidium outbreaks occurred in the 1980s and the massive 1993 Milwaukee, WI outbreak affected more than 400,000 people (Fox & Lytle 1996), the concern over the public health risks linked to protozoan pathogens Cryptosporidium and Giardia has grow...

A new insight into cold stress in poultry production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Since growing animals are vulnerable to extreme temperature, climate changes become an important critical constraint to several species in the world. In poultry production, while heat stress has been a rising concern for producers and scientists, cold stress has also caused economic loss worldwide. ...

An economical alternative for the secondary container used for transporting infectious disease substances.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-12-01

The safe containment of biological specimens during air transport is of growing concern as the number of shipments and hazards associated with such material increases. The purpose of this study was to examine the durability of adhesive-closure polyet...

Underwater acoustic noise generation and propagation resulting from pile driving for Oregon bridge construction.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-06-01

There is growing concern about noise levels from pile driving activities associated with the : construction of highway bridges and other in-water structures. It has been demonstrated that noise : generated from pile driving with an impact hammer can ...

BIOAVAILABILITY OF MERCURY IN SEDIMENTS FROM A FLOOD CONTROL RESERVOIR TO HYALELLA AZTECA

EPA Science Inventory

In the last three years, mercury contamination in North Mississippi flood control reservoirs has become a growing concern. Previous data indicate that three flood control reservoirs have similar total mercury sediment concentrations and that fish collected from one reservoir cont...

Process and utility water requirements for cellulosic ethanol production processes via fermentation pathway

EPA Science Inventory

The increasing need of additional water resources for energy production is a growing concern for future economic development. In technology development for ethanol production from cellulosic feedstocks, a detailed assessment of the quantity and quality of water required, and the ...

78 FR 14422 - Notice of Open Public Hearing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-05

....-listed Chinese companies accounting and financial management problems have created concern about the... to disclose details of business strategies, financial records and operations. With SEC and U.S... enterprises. With U.S. firms eager to meet growing demand for their financial services, witnesses will testify...

Study Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Anne

1993-01-01

Three developments lend support to the idea that schools must help teach study skills: (1) advances in cognitive psychology that suggest children are active learners; (2) society's concern for at-risk students; and (3) growing demands for improved student performance. There is evidence that systematic study skills instruction does improve academic…

75 FR 79803 - Semiannual Agenda of Regulations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-20

... Workers Union), Public Citizen Health Research Group, and others. The Agency denied the petitions but... the microwave popcorn industry and in food flavoring manufacturing plants. Experimental evidence has... and there is growing concern that they also pose health risks for workers. Research on 2,3...

Translanguaging: Definitions, Implications, and Further Needs in Burgeoning Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poza, Luis

2017-01-01

The term "translanguaging" has appeared with growing frequency in research about the education of linguistic minority students. Amid increasing application of the term, concern emerges regarding the consistency of its definitions and characterizations, specifically with respect to the term's social justice implications, which risk…

A study on the impact of parameter uncertainty on the emission-based ranking of transportation projects.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

With the growing concern with air quality levels and, hence, the livability of urban regions in the nation, it has become increasingly common to incorporate vehicular emission considerations in the ranking of transportation projects. Network assignme...

Participatory approach used to develop a sustainability assessment tool for wood-based bioenergy industry in upper Michigan, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaidya, Ashma; Mayer, Audrey

2015-04-01

Biofuel production has grown significantly in the past few decades as a result of global concern over energy security, climate change implications and unsustainable attributes of fossil fuels. Currently, biofuels produced from food crops (such as corn, sugarcane, soy, etc.) constitute the bulk of global biofuel production. However, purported adverse impacts of direct and indirect land-use changes (such as increased food prices, competition for agricultural land and water, and carbon emissions from land-use change) resulting from large-scale expansion of the crop-based biofuel industry have motivated many nations to further shift their attention to second-generation (non crop-based) biofuel production. Current R&D on second-generation biofuel production is largely focused on exploring prospects of using abandoned/fallow land for growing feedstock (such as Jatropha, short rotation woody coppice, Willow/Poplar species, Micanthus etc.), and on producing fuel that is cost-effective and compatible with existing infrastructures. The bulk of existing research on second-generation biofuel production concentrates on enhancing its technical feasibility and compatibility with existing infrastructure; very few have attempted to qualitatively determine and understand stakeholders' concerns and perception regarding this emergent industry. Stakeholders' decisions regarding land and resource use will play a crucial role in ensuring the social sustainability of any industry. Our research is focused on understanding stakeholders' concerns and perceptions regarding biofuel production in the upper Michigan region, where wood-based bioenergy development is being planned and researched by businesses, government agencies, and the local university. Over a century ago, the region's economy was dependent upon mining and clear-cut logging industries, which left the area once the resources were depleted. Since that time, the region has lost significant population due to the lack of economic opportunities, but the forests have recovered to volumes prior to the logging boom. Interest in a wood-based bioenergy production industry is growing, yet whether this industry can be developed sustainably is a concern. The main goal of our research is to incorporate stakeholders' concerns and knowledge into an expert-assisted sustainability assessment tool for a regional wood-based biofuel industry. Key stakeholders involved in the research include landowners, farmers, land management companies, bioenergy users, venture capitalists, interest groups, government organizations and NGOs. We used interviews, focus group meetings and a workshop to collect information from these stakeholders, which were then translated into social sustainability criteria. Multiple criteria analysis methods, Bayesian Belief Network and information collected from other studies were used to develop a final set of sustainability criteria and indicators. Our results provide a platform for experts and stakeholders to understand the local context relevant to sustainability, the state of the science, and will bridge the gap between scientific and non-scientific knowledge in the region. This sustainability assessment tool is intended to facilitate inclusive and sustainability-oriented decision-making for a wood-based bioenergy industry.

Adolescent developmental issues in Hong Kong: Relevance to positive youth development programs in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Shek, Daniel T L

2006-01-01

Several adolescent developmental issues and problems in Hong Kong are examined in this paper. First, the changing adolescent substance abuse patterns are described. Second, although the overall youth crime trend was relatively stable in the past decade, shoplifting and stealing crimes deserve our concern. Third, adolescent mental health problem is a growing problem. Fourth, statistics show that unhealthy life styles, such as smoking, early sex and moral confusion are issues of concern. Fifth, the proportion of adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage has increased. Sixth, youth unemployment and non-engaged youth are growing problems when the economy of Hong Kong is undergoing re-structuring. Seventh, family and parenting problems in families with adolescents deserve our attention. Finally, the Social Development Index showed that the development of young people has gradually deteriorated in the past decade. These adolescent issues and problems provide useful pointers for designing the positive youth development program financially sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

Education, philosophy and academic practice: nursing studies in the posthistorical university.

PubMed

Rolfe, Gary; Gardner, Lyn

2006-12-01

This paper is an amended and abridged version of a seminar given at the NET/NEP 1st Nurse Education International Conference in Vancouver, Canada. The topic of the paper arose from our growing concerns about the state of nurse education and its position in the university at the start of the twenty-first century. We share the fears expressed by Readings that the university has lost its way and is increasingly driven by a business agenda and a quest for ever-greater efficiency. Our biggest concern is with the impact that the so-called 'posthistorical university' is having on the study of nursing, particularly the growing pressure on nurse academics to focus their attention and energy on output at the expense of process, and on research at the expense of practice and practitioner development. We suggest that the solution might lie with Jean-Francois Lyotard's notion of postmodern philosophy as a way of opening up debate and, in his words, saving the honour of thinking.

Developing guidance for budget impact analysis.

PubMed

Trueman, P; Drummond, M; Hutton, J

2001-01-01

The role of economic evaluation in the efficient allocation of healthcare resources has been widely debated. Whilst economic evidence is undoubtedly useful to purchasers, it does not address the issue of affordability which is an increasing concern. Healthcare purchasers are concerned not just with maximising efficiency but also with the more simplistic goal of remaining within their annual budgets. These two objectives are not necessarily consistent. This paper examines the issue of affordability, the relationship between affordability and efficiency and builds the case for why there is a growing need for budget impact models to complement economic evaluation. Guidance currently available for such models is also examined and it is concluded that this guidance is currently insufficient. Some of these insufficiencies are addressed and some thoughts on what constitutes best practice in budget impact modelling are suggested. These suggestions include consideration of transparency, clarity of perspective, reliability of data sources, the relationship between intermediate and final end-points and rates of adoption of new therapies. They also include the impact of intervention by population subgroups or indications, reporting of results, probability of re-deploying resources, the time horizon, exploring uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, and decision-maker access to the model. Due to the nature of budget impact models, the paper does not deliver stringent methodological guidance on modelling. The intention was to provide some suggestions of best practice in addition to some foundations upon which future research can build.

To share or not to share: a randomized trial of consent for data sharing in genome research.

PubMed

McGuire, Amy L; Oliver, Jill M; Slashinski, Melody J; Graves, Jennifer L; Wang, Tao; Kelly, P Adam; Fisher, William; Lau, Ching C; Goss, John; Okcu, Mehmet; Treadwell-Deering, Diane; Goldman, Alica M; Noebels, Jeffrey L; Hilsenbeck, Susan G

2011-11-01

Despite growing concerns toward maintaining participants' privacy, individual investigators collecting tissue and other biological specimens for genomic analysis are encouraged to obtain informed consent for broad data sharing. Our purpose was to assess the effect on research enrollment and data sharing decisions of three different consent types (traditional, binary, or tiered) with varying levels of control and choices regarding data sharing. A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted with 323 eligible adult participants being recruited into one of six genome studies at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, between January 2008 and August 2009. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental consent documents (traditional, n = 110; binary, n = 103; and tiered, n = 110). Debriefing in follow-up visits provided participants a detailed review of all consent types and the chance to change data sharing choices or decline genome study participation. Before debriefing, 83.9% of participants chose public data release. After debriefing, 53.1% chose public data release, 33.1% chose restricted (controlled access database) release, and 13.7% opted out of data sharing. Only one participant declined genome study participation due to data sharing concerns. Our findings indicate that most participants are willing to publicly release their genomic data; however, a significant portion prefers restricted release. These results suggest discordance between existing data sharing policies and participants' judgments and desires.

Extremophiles: from abyssal to terrestrial ecosystems and possibly beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canganella, Francesco; Wiegel, Juergen

2011-04-01

The anthropocentric term "extremophile" was introduced more than 30 years ago to describe any organism capable of living and growing under extreme conditions—i.e., particularly hostile to human and to the majority of the known microorganisms as far as temperature, pH, and salinity parameters are concerned. With the further development of studies on microbial ecology and taxonomy, more "extreme" environments were found and more extremophiles were described. Today, many different extremophiles have been isolated from habitats characterized by hydrostatic pressure, aridity, radiations, elevated temperatures, extreme pH values, high salt concentrations, and high solvent/metal concentrations, and it is well documented that these microorganisms are capable of thriving under extreme conditions better than any other organism living on Earth. Extremophiles have also been investigated as far as the search for life in other planets is concerned and even to evaluate the hypothesis that life on Earth came originally from space. Extremophiles are interesting for basic and applied sciences. Particularly fascinating are their structural and physiological features allowing them to stand extremely selective environmental conditions. These properties are often due to specific biomolecules (DNA, lipids, enzymes, osmolites, etc.) that have been studied for years as novel sources for biotechnological applications. In some cases (DNA polymerase, thermostable enzymes), the search was successful and the final application was achieved, but certainly further exploitations are next to come.

Assuring SS7 dependability: A robustness characterization of signaling network elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karmarkar, Vikram V.

1994-04-01

Current and evolving telecommunication services will rely on signaling network performance and reliability properties to build competitive call and connection control mechanisms under increasing demands on flexibility without compromising on quality. The dimensions of signaling dependability most often evaluated are the Rate of Call Loss and End-to-End Route Unavailability. A third dimension of dependability that captures the concern about large or catastrophic failures can be termed Network Robustness. This paper is concerned with the dependability aspects of the evolving Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) networks and attempts to strike a balance between the probabilistic and deterministic measures that must be evaluated to accomplish a risk-trend assessment to drive architecture decisions. Starting with high-level network dependability objectives and field experience with SS7 in the U.S., potential areas of growing stringency in network element (NE) dependability are identified to improve against current measures of SS7 network quality, as per-call signaling interactions increase. A sensitivity analysis is presented to highlight the impact due to imperfect coverage of duplex network component or element failures (i.e., correlated failures), to assist in the setting of requirements on NE robustness. A benefit analysis, covering several dimensions of dependability, is used to generate the domain of solutions available to the network architect in terms of network and network element fault tolerance that may be specified to meet the desired signaling quality goals.

Genetic mouse embryo assay: improving performance and quality testing for assisted reproductive technology (ART) with a functional bioassay.

PubMed

Gilbert, Rebecca S; Nunez, Brandy; Sakurai, Kumi; Fielder, Thomas; Ni, Hsiao-Tzu

2016-03-24

Growing concerns about safety of ART on human gametes, embryos, clinical outcomes and long-term health of offspring require improved methods of risk assessment to provide functionally relevant assays for quality control testing and pre-clinical studies prior to clinical implementation. The one-cell mouse embryo assay (MEA) is the most widely used for development and quality testing of human ART products; however, concerns exist due to the insensitivity/variability of this bioassay which lacks standardization and involves subjective analysis by morphology alone rather than functional analysis of the developing embryos. We hypothesized that improvements to MEA by the use of functional molecular biomarkers could enhance sensitivity and improve detection of suboptimal materials/conditions. Fresh one-cell transgenic mouse embryos with green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression driven by Pou6f1 or Cdx2 control elements were harvested and cultured to blastocysts in varied test and control conditions to compare assessment by standard morphology alone versus the added dynamic expression of GFP for screening and selection of critical raw materials and detection of suboptimal culture conditions. Transgenic mouse embryos expressing functionally relevant biomarkers of normal early embryo development can be used to monitor the developmental impact of culture conditions. This novel approach provides a superior MEA that is more meaningful and sensitive for detection of embryotoxicity than morphological assessment alone.

Educational Ecosystems: A Trend in Urban Educational Innovation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdul-Jabbar, Mustafa; Kurshan, Barbara

2015-01-01

There is an increasing reliance on market principles and values in the education space, particularly in urban contexts, accompanied by a growing diversification of educational service providers. Due in part to increased interactivity amongst constituents in this growing assembly of providers and actors, educational innovation ecosystem…

Object-oriented design and implementation of CFDLab: a computer-assisted learning tool for fluid dynamics using dual reciprocity boundary element methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedrich, J.

1999-08-01

As lecturers, our main concern and goal is to develop more attractive and efficient ways of communicating up-to-date scientific knowledge to our students and facilitate an in-depth understanding of physical phenomena. Computer-based instruction is very promising to help both teachers and learners in their difficult task, which involves complex cognitive psychological processes. This complexity is reflected in high demands on the design and implementation methods used to create computer-assisted learning (CAL) programs. Due to their concepts, flexibility, maintainability and extended library resources, object-oriented modeling techniques are very suitable to produce this type of pedagogical tool. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) enjoys not only a growing importance in today's research, but is also very powerful for teaching and learning fluid dynamics. For this purpose, an educational PC program for university level called 'CFDLab 1.1' for Windows™ was developed with an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) for multitasking and point-and-click operations. It uses the dual reciprocity boundary element method as a versatile numerical scheme, allowing to handle a variety of relevant governing equations in two dimensions on personal computers due to its simple pre- and postprocessing including 2D Laplace, Poisson, diffusion, transient convection-diffusion.

Investigation on factors that contribute to the abandonment of building in construction industry in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farhayu Ariffin, Nur; Jaafar, Mohd Faizal Md; Idris Ali, Mohamad; Irwan Ramli, Noram; Muthusamy, Khairunisa; Shukor Lim, Nor Hasanah Abdul

2018-03-01

In Malaysia, the construction sector is one of the important sectors that contribute to economic growth and employments. However, a major concern facing the construction industry is the growing rate of delays in project delivery. In the worse cases, the projects were abandoned due to some reasons when the contract period ended. Abandoned building defines as construction work that has been continuously stalled for 6 months or more, during the project completion period or beyond the scheduled date of completion. When the projects become abandoned, it gives an adverse effect on many parties such as the developer, contractor, consultant and also client. According to previous researchers, the abandonment of building causes a serious problem and need some mitigation plan to avoid this problem from occurring. This study will investigate the fundamental factors that contribute to the abandonment of building and projects in Malaysia based on the current data of the abandoned building in most states in Malaysia. The data was collected from the respondents who is in the construction industry and had experience working with abandoned housing project. Form the respondents perspective, it shows that the main factor contribute to the building abandonment is due to the financial problem facing by the developer company.

Drug-induced liver injury: present and future

PubMed Central

Suk, Ki Tae

2012-01-01

Liver injury due to prescription and nonprescription medications is a growing medical, scientific, and public health problem. Worldwide, the estimated annual incidence rate of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is 13.9-24.0 per 100,000 inhabitants. DILI is one of the leading causes of acute liver failure in the US. In Korea, the annual extrapolated incidence of cases hospitalized at university hospital is 12/100,000 persons/year. Most cases of DILI are the result of idiosyncratic metabolic responses or unexpected reactions to medication. There is marked geographic variation in relevant agents; antibiotics, anticonvulsants, and psychotropic drugs are the most common offending agents in the West, whereas in Asia, 'herbs' and 'health foods or dietary supplements' are more common. Different medical circumstances also cause discrepancy in definition and classification of DILI between West and Asia. In the concern of causality assessment, the application of the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM) scale frequently undercounts the cases caused by 'herbs' due to a lack of previous information and incompatible time criteria. Therefore, a more objective and reproducible tool that could be used for the diagnosis of DILI caused by 'herbs' is needed in Asia. In addition, a reporting system similar to the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) in the US should be established as soon as possible in Asia. PMID:23091804

Red yeasts and carotenoid production: outlining a future for non-conventional yeasts of biotechnological interest.

PubMed

Mannazzu, Ilaria; Landolfo, Sara; Lopes da Silva, Teresa; Buzzini, Pietro

2015-11-01

Carotenoids are one of the most common classes of pigments that occur in nature. Due to their biological properties, they are widely used in phytomedicine and in the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and feed industries. Accordingly, their global market is continuously growing, and it is expected to reach about US$1.4 billion in 2018. Carotenoids can be easily produced by chemical synthesis, although their biotechnological production is rapidly becoming an appealing alternative to the chemical route, partly due to consumer concerns against synthetic pigments. Among the yeasts, and apart from the pigmented species Phaffia rhodozyma (and its teleomorph Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous), a handful of species of the genera Rhodosporidium, Rhodotorula, Sporobolomyces and Sporidiobolus are well known carotenoid producers. These are known as 'red yeasts', and their ability to synthesize mixtures of carotenoids from low-cost carbon sources has been broadly studied recently. Here, in agreement with the renewed interest in microbial carotenoids, the recent literature is reviewed regarding the taxonomy of the genera Rhodosporidium, Rhodotorula, Sporobolomyces and Sporidiobolus, the stress factors that influence their carotenogenesis, and the most advanced analytical tools for evaluation of carotenoid production. Moreover, a synopsis of the molecular and "-omic" tools available for elucidation of the metabolic pathways of the microbial carotenoids is reported.

Impact of land use type conversion on carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems of China: A spatial-temporal perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Mei; Huang, Xianjin; Chuai, Xiaowei; Yang, Hong; Lai, Li; Tan, Junzhong

2015-05-01

Our work is the first study to explore the national and provincial composite carbon storage variations in terrestrial ecosystems of China caused by the entire flows of land use type conversion (LUTC). Only water body was excluded. The results indicated that terrestrial ecosystems of China lost 219 Tg-C due to LUTC from 1980 to 1995, and the amount was 60 Tg-C during the period 1995-2010. Despite the decrease in the total amount, carbon losses from LUTC intensified, but most of the losses were balanced by the opposite conversions. Our analyses also revealed that LUTCs in China were becoming detrimental to carbon reduction, mainly due to the insufficient increase of forest land to meet the growing demand for carbon absorption, the accelerating disappearance of grassland and the rapid expansion of settlements. More than 50% of the carbon storage variations for a single LUTC flow concentrated in several provinces. To improve China’s LUTC status from the aspect of low-carbon, Heilongjiang, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang and coastal regions, such as Shandong, Jiangsu and Liaoning, should be dealt with first according to their conditions. This study can be helpful to planners, policy makers and scholars concerned about carbon reduction in China.

Delivering smart city system through experimental smart building concept. Design case of Nordhavn Community Centre, Denmark

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Septiandiani, F.; Raharjo, W.

2018-05-01

It is an undisputed fact that the development of a city requires more energy to accommodate the needs of the city’s population. Greater energy consumption due to growing cities is a concern for scholars as well as governments all over the world. In the European Union, Denmark’s renewable energy policy provides tax exemptions for passive air conditioning and renewable energy sources to foster public participation. To meet its energy provision objectives under this condition, cities need instruments to reduce energy consumption. The building of a community centre in Nordhavn (Denmark) was chosen as such an instrument due to its flexibility and possible exposure to solar radiation as an endless source of energy. An experimental design for the building envelope was developed to test its thermal performance when including a thermal storage wall. Design research was conducted using 3D modelling. Testing was done on a simulation of the building made with the Ecotect software application to provide comparable results for thermal performance supported by qualitative-descriptive methods. It was concluded that including a thermal storage wall in the building model corresponds well with the objectives of the design. Based on the result of the test, in the context of, the thermal storage wall is capable of contributing to passive air conditioning.

Role of Methylene Blue in Trauma Neuroprotection and Neuropsychiatric Diseases.

PubMed

Batista-Filho, Mário Márcio Vasconcelos; Kandratavicius, Ludmyla; Nunes, Emerson Arcoverde; Tumas, Vitor; Colli, Benedicto O; Hallak, Jaime E C; Maia-de-Oliveira, João Paulo; Evora, Paulo Roberto B

2016-01-01

The prevalence of central nervous system trauma, neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases has significantly increased in recent years. Most of these diseases show multifactorial causes and several progression mechanisms. The search for a medication which positively interferes in these mechanisms and thereby changes the course of these diseases is of great scientific interest. The aim of the present review is to assess current literature on the possible role of methylene blue (MB) in the central nervous system due to the increasing number of citations in spite of the few articles available on the subject which suggest growing interest in the protective effects of MB on the central nervous system. Searches were performed on PubMed and Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge. Therefore, we provide an overview of existing articles concerning: 1) MB actions; 2) MB neuroprotection and cardiac arrest; 3) MB neuroprotection and degenerative brain diseases; 4) MB neuroprotection and psychiatric diseases. PubMed was chosen because it holds the highest number of articles on the subject, Thomson Reuters was chosen due to its functionality which evaluates citations through analytic graphs. We conclude that MB has a beneficial effect and acts through many mechanisms and pathways of the central nervous system, being a potential alternative for the treatment of many neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases.

Residents' concerns and attitudes toward a municipal solid waste landfill: integrating a questionnaire survey and GIS techniques.

PubMed

Che, Yue; Yang, Kai; Jin, Yan; Zhang, Weiqian; Shang, Zhaoyi; Tai, Jun

2013-12-01

The ever-growing industry of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal appeals to the growing need for disposal facilities, and MSW treatment facilities are increasingly an environmental and public health concern. Residents living near MSW management facilities are confronted with various risk perceptions, especially odour. In this study, in an effort to assist responsible decision-makers in better planning and managing such a project, a structured questionnaire was designed and distributed to assess the nearby residents' concerns and attitudes surrounding the Laogang Landfill in Shanghai. Geographic information system techniques and relevance analysis were employed to conduct the spatial analysis of physical perceptions, especially odour annoyance. The findings of the research indicate that a significant percentage of the responding sample was aware of the negative impacts of landfills on the environment and public health, and residents in close proximity preferred to live farther from the landfill. The results from the spatial analysis demonstrated a definite degree of correlation between odour annoyance and distance to the facility and proved that the benefits of the socially disadvantaged have been neglected. The research findings also direct attention to the important role of public participation, information disclosure, transparency in management, and mutual communication to avoid conflicts and build social trust.

Water resources of the Park City area, Utah, with emphasis on ground water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holmes, Walter F.; Thompson, Kendall R.; Enright, Michael

1986-01-01

The Park City area is a rapidly growing residential and recreational area about 30 miles east of Sal t Lake City (fig. 1). The area of study is about 140 square miles in which the principle industries are agriculture, skiing, and other recreational activities. The area once was a major lead- and silver-mining district, but no mines were active in 1984. A resumption in mining activity, however, could take place with an increase in the price of metals.The population of the Park City area is expected to increase rapidly in the near future; and the provision of an adequate water supply for the growing population, while avoiding harmful affects of development, is a major concern for local municipalities, developers, and the Utah Division of Water Rights. In addition, agricultural interests in and below the area are concerned about the effects of increased ground-water withdrawals on streamflow, which is fully appropriated by downstream users. The area also contains the proposed site for the Jordanelle dam, a part of the Bonneville unit of the central Utah Project. The damsite is near an historic mining area; and mining companies are concerned that if mining is resumed, the reservoir may create some additional dewatering problems in the mines.

Six questions about translational due diligence.

PubMed

Selinger, Evan

2010-04-28

To maintain stable respect and support, translational research must be guided by appropriate ethical, social, legal, and political concerns and carry out culturally competent practices. Considering six key questions concerning due diligence will enable the translational research community to examine critically how it approaches these endeavors.

Peer Exclusion at Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sotosek, Gorazd

2016-01-01

School sports give all pupils opportunity to learn to be tolerant to others regardless of their differences or shortcomings. This is getting more and more important due to the growing differences in physical and motor skills, different social backgrounds, besides there is a growing number of pupils having different backgrounds, nationalities, etc.…

Building the Best Faculty: Strategies for Hiring and Supporting New Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clement, Mary C.

This work explores the process of devising effective recruitment, hiring, training, and retention strategies for new teachers. Chapter 1, "The Need for New Teachers," documents the growing need for teachers due to growing enrollment, retirement, and increasing specialization. Chapter 2, "Envisioning and Defining the New…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flax, A.

The growing number of short- to medium-range ballistic missiles (SMBMs) in the inventories of many smaller states that have had recent or less recent armed conflicts with one another has been a source of concern to many countries. Inevitably this concern over ballistic missiles had been linked to their use as delivery vehicles for {open_quotes}weapons of mass destruction{close_quotes}, a category that now includes nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. But it can be argued that this categorization is not particularly useful as a point of departure for discussions of ballistic missile defense (BMD) against SMBMs.

The divide between "evidenced-based" approaches and practitioners of traditional theories of family therapy.

PubMed

Dattilio, Frank M; Piercy, Fred P; Davis, Sean D

2014-01-01

Evidenced-based approaches continue to grow in the field of family therapy. However, practicing family therapists do not always embrace these approaches. In this article, we explore factors contributing to practitioners' concerns with evidence-based treatments and suggest a broader, more clinically palatable view of evidenced-based treatment. We also suggest how family therapy researchers, practitioners, and educators might begin to close the researcher-clinician divide in the best interest of all concerned. © 2013 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Developing Cultural Competence: Student and Alumni Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrovich, Anne; Lowe, Mitzi

2005-01-01

One of the areas of increased importance to social work pedagogy is the development of culturally competent practice skills. In focus groups, first and second year students, and recent alumni reflected on their growing awareness and competence concerning cultural diversity. Meaningful patterns emerged emphasizing the importance of psychologically…

Geography and Viticulture: Rationale and Resource.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blij, Harm Jan de

1983-01-01

The study of viticulture (the growing of grapes) can illustrate the practical applications of geography: spatial orientation, focus on natural environment, human-land interaction, and concern with the properties and characteristics of regions. A suggested course outline is given, as well as a listing of resources about viticulture. (IS)

Financial Management: A Growing Concern for Child Nutrition Program Administrators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cater, Jerry B.; Mann, Nadine; Conklin, Martha

1999-01-01

A study of revenue-generation and cost-control measures currently employed at four school districts operating financially successful child-nutrition programs disclosed the importance of student participation to each program's financial integrity. Financial reports, productivity monitoring, and procurement plans to curb food costs were also…

Exploring the role of host-associated microbiota as mediators of bisphenol chemical toxicity in zebrafish.

EPA Science Inventory

Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread environmental contaminant, has been associated with adverse endocrine and neurodevelopmental effects. Growing public concern over the safety of BPA has resulted in swift replacement with a suite of alternatives that uniformly lack suffi...

Exploring the role of host-associated microbiota as mediators of bisphenol chemical toxicity in zebrafish

EPA Science Inventory

Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread environmental contaminant, has been associated with adverse endocrine and neurodevelopmental effects. Growing public concern over the safety of BPA has resulted in swift replacement with a suite of alternatives that uniformly lack adequ...

Elder and Caregiver Solutions to Improve Medication Adherence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Quin, K. E.; Semalulu, T.; Orom, H.

2015-01-01

Medication mismanagement is a growing public health concern, especially among elders. Annually, it is a major contributor to emergency hospitalization and nursing home placement. Elders and their caregivers, as healthcare consumers and stakeholders in this issue, are uniquely qualified to inform strategies to improve medication adherence. We…